Disclaimer: -sighs in annoyance- Do we really need all this…this…distrusting? I think not.

Netto fell to his knees on the floor, totally unable to deal with the shocking news that was trying to force its way into his reality. "No…It's can't be…He's…he's lying, I know it!" Accidentally dropping his PET to the floor in a fit of distress, he rose slowly and stumbled in the general direction of his room.
"Netto...I'm so sorry...I can't believe it myself, but..." Meiru attempted a rather sorry attempt at condolence, but Netto wasn't accepting anything on the order of comfort. Meiru felt Enzan's eyes on her back, watching her closely, and turned to shoot eye-daggers at him. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw his eyes were shimmering with tears. …Enzan? Her gaze softened and she was about to whisper words of comfort to him for no real reason, but at the next moment, Enzan was looking awkwardly into a corner of the kitchen, hands still jammed in his pockets as always. Meiru laid all of her attention back on Netto, crooning "It's okay, it's alright…just…just calm down…" She could feel him shuddering in shock and sadness, and it didn't really help the whole comfort thing.
"No, it won't, Meiru." Netto said all of a sudden. Meiru jumped undetectably, and Enzan's eyes suddenly shot back to the pair of children. Netto's head rose up, as did his voice, saying, "It won't be okay, so stop pretending…" He then pulled away from Meiru's warm arms and tore off to his room, tears streaming down his face. "Stop pretending it's not my fault!" he yelled as he slammed the door behind him. Meiru sighed and looked back down at the carpet, barely noticing that Rockman was left behind in Netto's fit of rage. She picked up the PET and gently called Rock's name, but he was sitting in a corner of the net device, curled up in a ball and obviously lacking the will to live, let alone talk. Meiru gave up the lost cause, set the PET on a table, and finally let loose a couple of tears of her own as the horrible truth finally sank in: Hikari Haruka was gone, and she was never coming back.

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Netto cursed, stomped, paced his room, anything to let loose some of this pent-up energy that was boiling inside of him. Why did I let her go overseas? She said she was only going to visit Papa…who the hell could've done this to her? From what the Netopian official had told him over the phone, Haruka 'seemed to have been involved in an car-related incident'. Incident my ass. This was murder and they know it. Mama's car was totally fool-proofed, and she had it protected by a GuardNavi… the only way it could catch on fire the way they told me told me it did was if someone rigged it from the inside. And when I catch whoever did it…Netto clenched his fists, set his jaw tight, and paced even harder. If Rockman had been in there with him, under any different circumstances, he would have made some smart remark including the phrase "wear a trench in the floor". Racking his brain for any reason that someone would want to kill his mama, Netto came up blank. She had no enemies…no one was jealous of her, from what I know…maybe someone was mad that she got Papa and they didn't? The thought was unlikely, but it was still a possibility. I should've asked her to stay. She left because she wanted me to be alone with my friends. I made her leave…it is my fault! Netto started to cry again at the very notion.
And worst of all…I have no one to talk to. Meiru, Dekao, Yaito…their parents are all happy and well. Enzan, well…The thought hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water. Enzan! His mama passed away…maybe I can talk to him a little…Mental scolding came next, with a slight tinge of pink across his face. Yeah right, me, talk to Enzan? We barely acknowledge each other…He continued to pace, hands now calmly behind his back, but his face anything but peaceful.

------M-E-A-N-W-H-I-L-E------

"Enzan-sama, go talk to him, please?"

"Hm?"

Meiru and Enzan were now doing their own pacing in Netto's living room. Actually, it was more Enzan doing the worried, troubled pacing, and Meiru sitting on a comfy couch, hands clasped in front of her. "You heard me, I think you should go talk to him. You saw him; he won't listen to me at all. I've got it too well off."
Enzan paused and sniggered a little. "You've got it too well off? If you haven't noticed by now, I'm the VP of one of the biggest companies on Electopia. I think I might have it a little better than you…no offense," he added, seeing a flash of indignance in Meiru's eyes.
Ignoring his last sentence, Meiru continued. "Also, I don't exactly know how, but I think you can relate to him a little better than I can."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"For starters…earlier, when that overseas official told Netto what happened...I looked over at you, and you were on the verge of tears."
She saw! Enzan's mind froze, but his body played it cool. "And?"
"Well, that was just one of the hints I saw that you might be the best person to talk to him right about now. Not to mention how excited he seemed when you came to the door, and how fast he was talking before the call, and the fact that both of your faces were just a tad pink, and then every time you guys caught each other's eyes, you'd look away, or at me, or somewhere other than each other…" Meiru gave a knowing little smirk, giving off a very suspicious vibe. Enzan blinked at the intensity of this aura. "...Um, okay...I'll go talk to him...but don't be surprised if I come out within 30 seconds with a strict order to leave him alone until further notice."
Meiru seemed satisfied for a moment. "Good. In the meantime, I'll send Roll to try and find to Rockman." He's most likely run off too…She sighed quietly. Brothers they are indeed…

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During the meantime of which Meiru was speaking, Netto was busy working on his face-pillow coordination. For all practical purposes, he was meditating, and no one could bring him out of this hypnotic trance of doomed suffering. After a few minutes, he broke himself out and flipped over to his back, looking up at the blank ceiling that mirrored his thoughts so perfectly. His mind was empty but for one person…

-------M-E-A-N-W-H-I-L-E-------

Hands safely behind his head, Enzan slowly began to walk up to Netto's door. He leaned his ear toward the door and heard no sound at all. No crying, no breathing, nothing. Enzan began to panic. Oh my god, what if he--no, he wouldn't…would he? He could have just run away, he wouldn't have to take such drastic measures…

With a light sigh, he began to think of what to say. What can you say to someone that's gone through this? I went through it, and all anyone said to me was, Oh, I'm so sorry even though your mother never meant a damn thing to me and I don't give a damn about what you feel either, and I doubt Netto wants to hear that...

-Flashback...-

You see a happy mother, with long snow-white hair and blue eyes to match her son, running around a park. Climbing up a slide, then holding on tight to him while sliding down. Once the bottom is reached, the happy laughter of a 5 year old is heard. "That was so much fun, Mama! Let's do it again and again and again…" "Yes, Enzan, as long as you like..."

-End Flashback...-

"Mama..."

Enzan's lower lip trembled, and he allowed a single tear down his cheek before wiping it away. Knocking lightly on the door, "Who's there? Go away..." floated out loudly, laced with pain. Enzan let out the breath he had been holding for at least a minute. Good, he's in there after all. "It's me, Netto..."

"…Enzan?" Netto gasped. The door opened in T minus 0.12481 seconds, and the young teen's brown, sparkly eyes stared at him with utter misery pouring from them. Enzan's hands went behind his head again, and he asked gently, "A-are you…okay? D-do you want to talk?"

Damn this stupid stuttering. It makes me sound like an infatuated fool.

Netto had never heard Enzan like this. What's going on? Why does he sound so nervous? "Um...sure, I-I guess..." came Netto's slightly bewildered reply. He let Enzan in, completely forgetting the fact that Rockman was nowhere to be found, and almost happy that he had a legitimate reason to talk to Enzan casually. And in my own room, too! Score!

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So…hopefully, this version of Ch. 1 will be a WHOLE lot better than V.1. V.2 STRIKES! -dance, dance- Tell me if you guys like it. And I'm making this into a different story (instead of just replacing the current Ch. 1 with this one) so that you guys can review THAT one and rant/rave about it. Reviews GET!