Shardless
Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Rockman EXE series.
Pairing: Established Netto x Tohru.
Summary:
"We're Shardless!"
Netto tried winding his tail around Tohru's, but Tohru looped his out of the spirals Netto made with his. In response, Netto tried pouncing on Tohru to pet his kitty ears, but Tohru leaned back in time for his ears to be just out of reach of Netto's hands.
"Tohru-kun, play fair! Hold still!"
Not everyone was as comfortable with their animal appendages as Netto. A new strain of the Cat Virus had gotten loose in a satellite and infected every human and NetNavi on the planet, radically altering the makeup of the world.
For NetNavis, it was virtually impossible to excise their feline traits, though cosmetic adjustments could be installed to hide them from obvious view.
For humans, you lost your cat bits by "proving you're an adult," whatever Dr. Hikari meant upon submitting his report.
Netto was in no hurry. He liked having cat ears and a tail. And what's more, he liked that Tohru had them as well.
There were also the awesome powers specific groupings of the population gained when the Cat Virus briefly linked everyone to the network. The Ministry of Science had yet to arrive at a feasible explanation for the seemingly supernatural feats, which didn't vanish with your cat ears and tail.
NetBattles didn't just take place on the net anymore.
Powered pairs of humans designated "Fighters" and "Sacrifices" could engage in combat, and though this activity was discouraged and even banned in certain countries, those who learned they had these abilities were naturally curious to test what they could do alongside others like themselves.
Netto had been paired with Tohru during the incident, and after their first battle together, concluded it was fate. Two operating as a unit. No longer mere operators for their Navis, but intrinsically tied to one another.
Their true name appeared on their bodies shortly after stories about teams fighting hit the news. Netto's came in on his right foot, between his second and third toes, while Tohru's wrapped around his right wrist.
He'd done a shitty job against their first opponents, resulting in both of them passing out and Tohru sustaining bruises as a result of being restrained by his arms and neck.
He and Tohru were stronger now. Better harmonized.
Netto approached every battle as a race, for it was the Sacrifice who sustained all the damage the opposing Fighter sent. This could come in the form of anything that could be verbalized; Netto's preferred attack pattern involved hailing flaming ice shards, an ironic riff off their true name.
"We initiate the System and declare a battle!"
Normally, Netto would be miffed somebody was getting in the way of him stroking Tohru's ears, but battles were where he and Tohru were closest. They felt each other in their bones.
Tohru wound his tail around Netto's.
"We're Remorseless," their new enemies introduced themselves.
"We're Shardless!" Netto spoke for himself and Tohru.
