A/N: Just wanted to say thank you all so much for all of your reviews! They mean a great deal to me. :)
This chapter and the next after it will be Bass' POV.
Enjoy~
~Chapter 8~
'What is this feeling?' Bass thought to himself, still holding her.
His mind was finally back and working again.
He was... holding her.
He blinked.
Everything happened so fast, he wasn't even sure what was going on anymore, all he did know at that moment was this strange feeling that he couldn't name, slowly filling every part of him.
He remembered when it all started.
"T-this isn't worth it, damn it! Just you fucking wait, Bass!" Stuttered a large and bulky metal Navi while shaking with fear, then disappeared into a bright blue beam of light, as his gang members were quick to follow his example.
'Running away again as soon as they see my actual powers, huh..' Bass thought to himself.
But he wasn't surprised.
They always did.
MegaMan was an exception, of course, but he was also his nemesis, so fighting him was nothing new.
'How boring.'
Bass was just about to leave, when he suddenly noticed there was one more Navi left on the ground.
He didn't say anything and just watched him for a few moments.
His arms and legs were almost completely dissolved, and it was clear that he was in too much of a bad shape to plug out.
Bass lifted his right hand out of his cloak at the broken Navi on the ground, while the latter just gritted his teeth.
He just stared down at him.
'Pathetic.. This isn't even worth killing.'
But before he could even manage to cancel his attack-
She appeared.
A short, long-haired Navi girl, able to fly, yelling for him to stop with wide eyes and a worried expression on her face.
The sudden outburst of the girl surprised him so much that it had completely cut his line of thought, and his full attention was now completely shifted to her.
He watched her as she flew closer, until she was right between him and the broken NetNavi on the ground.
'Who's this girl?'
'Is she working with these guys?'
So many questions started popping in Bass' mind, yet he decided that for now, it would be for the best to just watch how the scene plays out before him.
He noticed that she was looking straight up at him, while not even breaking his eye contact for a second.
'What is she planning?'
They all kept quiet for a few moments.
The girl then quickly told the Navi lying next to her to plug out, and he did.
Bass narrowed his eyes.
'She was buying him time? How pointless.'
She was left alone.
He waited, but the girl kept silent.
'Is she planning on fighting me now? What a joke.'
Running out of patience, Bass decided to scare her so that she would just run away like the rest and leave him be.
He was certainly in no mood for any more deluded fools thinking they could win against him today.
He gathered energy in his palm, then released a small amount of his attack to the rocks behind her. It was just enough to make a scary blast.
Bass watched her reaction carefully.
He wondered if she would still dare to look at him the way she did earlier after witnessing his power.
She flinched, But she didn't run away.
Instead, she lifted her gaze back at him, not even a spark of fear in her blue eyes.
He was surprised.
'Not running away.. Who is this girl?'
He decided to ask, but she didn't answer.
Was she in shock or something?
Annoyed, He then decided to threaten her.
Yet she still wasn't scared, only said that she has something for him.
He wasn't expecting her voice to be this confident, and it took him a while to process her words.
'Something for me?'
As he wondered what it could possibly be, he suddenly noticed she was looking at him; At every part of him. Her eyes were examining whatever she could lay them on.
Her expression turned calm as she did, as if simply looking at his features relaxed her, and he could feel her curious stare trying to figure him out.
He swallowed hard.
What was it that he was feeling?
It was nostalgic and odd and it was as if he was suddenly awake from a deep sleep and sensitive to every little thing around him.
'Why am I getting.. nervous? What the hell is she doing?'
He hated it.
It made him feel weaker, and he most certainly did not like that.
He demanded for some answers from the girl again, and this time she complied, only it wasn't like anything he had expected.
He was so confused.
Even though, This was the first time he had ever actually stopped to think about that nickname.
Fact was, he didn't even know why that name was given for him.
He then realized he was literally wasting his time thinking about nonsense.
And it was all this girl's fault.
He stared down at her.
'Asking me about that stupid nickname.. Why the hell is she interested in such trivial matters?'
She didn't make any sense to him.
Bass decided to just remind her to give him whatever the hell she had for him and end this strange encounter.
The female Navi suddenly perked up as she happily took an envelope out of her bag, and floated up to the air until she was right in front of him, so she could meet his eye level.
It was so unexpected, he instinctively pulled back.
His brow furrowed.
'How is this girl not afraid of me? Did she not see me destroy a bunch of Navis just now? Does she not know who I am?'
He felt that annoying nervousness again.
Why was he reacting this way?
Then, he suddenly realized;
'Is there a chance that this girl is just incredibly powerful?'
He stared at her as she held the letter to him, smiling.
She was close enough for him to finally examine her features;
Short, Big eyes, gentle smile, long hair, small hands.
He stared at her for a little longer.
'This girl is no fighter..'
And just like that, he was back at square one.
He decided this girl was suspicious, simply because there was no way a Navi like her was hanging around the UnderNet just like that.
She was still holding the letter to him, waiting for him to take it.
He didn't.
Instead, he simply lowered himself away from her, as he finally realized what was going on.
'This has to be a trap.'
He made sure she knew he wasn't going to fall for it, positive that this will finally break her facade, Yet she only insisted, explaining that she's a messenger Navi working for a delivery company in NetCity.
'Official Message & Delivery Service company?' He had Never heard of it, which only made it sound more and more like a lie to him.
Bass had enough with this girls' nonsense.
He decided to threaten to kill her, as that usually shuts everyone up.
Not this girl, though.
She suddenly snapped, and flew all the way down to his level, until she was right in front of him, yet slightly above him. Her blue eyes were fixed on his red ones and her stare pinning him down as she told him she was not leaving until he accepted her delivery, since she came especially to find him all the way from NetCity.
He was utterly surprised at her unexpected stubbornness.
This girl was frustrated with him.
Was giving him this letter that important to her?
He stared at her.
'She's actually serious about this stupid letter..'
Bass kept silent.
He still didn't trust her, but if she was still deceiving him after all that, then this girl was a great liar.
The cloaked Navi decided to let her open whatever was inside, just in case.
She did, as she narrowed her eyes at him.
He watched her carefully as she quickly and efficiently used her hands to press the button to dissolve the letter into air, then find the tiny switch on the chip to activate the recording.
She held the chip in her open palm as a strong light was suddenly projected out of it.
It was a message from that idiot MegaMan asking for his well being.
'How stupid and unnecessary.'
To think that all of this getup was just for his nemesis to ask him if he's doing okay.. how embarrassing.
He blinked.
But it sure has been a long time since anyone had asked him that.
He chuckled to himself behind his cloak.
"Cute."
Her sudden words snapped him into reality.
He wasn't sure he heard her right.
Did she.. just call him..
He dared her to repeat it, and she did.
Bass was shocked.
He lowered his face into his cape.
'What is up with this girl? Is she deliberately trying to mess with me?'
For some reason, he just didn't want her to see his face.
He was simply at loss of words and he kept silent for the longest time.
Noticing how quiet he was, she asked him if he was alright while reaching to him.
'What the fuck is she planning now?'
Alarmed, He grabbed her wrist to stop her.
His eyes drifted to her hand, and he noticed how small it was compared to his.
She was so fragile.
'Why the hell am I getting this nervous again?'
He let the girl know he will not tolerate being called 'cute' ever again.
She apologized, and he quickly released her.
He lifted his face and stared at the female Navi in front of him.
She looked just as confused as he felt.
'Is this girl just really naive?'
He couldn't tell.
Shortly after, he remembered he still needed to reply to his nemesis, and he demanded for instructions.
The girl was strangely happy to teach him, and she explained everything very clearly, making it fairly easy to understand.
'At least she knows her job well.'
He grabbed the chip from her hand and recorded his reply, then proceeded to ask the girl how MegaMan was supposed to get it.
Her blue eyes suddenly lit up as she begun explaining his options to him.
Bass just couldn't understand what made her suddenly this excited.
'What the hell is she so happy about? I only asked a technical question'
He just stared at this jaunty girl in front of him.
She finished her thorough explanation, and Bass pondered his options.
'So I can either list my details for everyone to see, or continue with this girls' service?'
The answer was clear to him.
Of course giving useless NetNavis free information about him on a silver platter like that was a bad idea.
He told her his decision.
And she started laughing.
It took him a few moments to process what was happening before him.
This delivery girl was laughing at him - the UnderNet's most fearsome NetNavi.
While most Navis were too scared to even approach him, and those who did, either ended up dead or eventually ran for their lives in fear,
This girl - this tiny, weak looking girl, was laughing so openly at him.
And what the hell was so funny about what he said anyway?
He just stared at her as she wiped away the tears forming at the corners of her blue eyes from laughing too much.
He didn't understand her. She made absolutely no sense to him.
'This girl is strange.'
Bass then realized he had absolutely no idea what she was thinking, which he figured was the reason for his nervousness.
'Fuck.'
This whole situation was ridiculous.
He had to threaten her or something to calm himself down, But as expected, she wasn't even fazed.
The cloaked Navi had reached a new conclusion.
'I can't scare this girl.'
She was just way too unexpected.
He narrowed his eyes at her.
Was this girl really a messenger Navi?
Was he ever even going to see her again? Or was this all just an elaborate trap after all?
He asked her.
Bad idea.
He just gave her a new way to tease him again.
'This girl...'
He gritted his teeth with frustration.
She only smiled wide at him.
He stared at her.
'Why the hell do I let her get to me like this?'
He had no answer.
Shortly after, She finally left with his reply to MegaMan.
He just watched her fly away from where they stood, when suddenly, she turned back at his direction.
'What now?'
She just lifted her hand in the air and waved at him.
"I'm Lei, by the way!" She yelled and smiled, then continued on her way.
He said nothing as he continued watching her until she disappeared into the distance.
Then, he sighed.
The nervousness was finally gone.
Bass then turned around in the opposite direction and started moving.
He wasn't sure where he was going, but he decided to just call it a day and find a quiet place for him rest.
After flying for a good while, Bass finally reached a large field which he deemed as deserted enough. He looked around and noticed a thick and tall pillar standing in the middle of it, so he flew to the very top, lowered himself onto its surface and sat down.
He lay on his back, His red eyes staring at the dark colored sky above him.
'I'm Lei, by the way!'
Her face and voice popped into his mind.
"We'll see if that girl was telling the truth tomorrow." He said to himself.
The next day was just like any other day for Bass.
He woke up from the annoying voices of various gangs of criminal NetNavis roaming the ground far beneath him, some of them actually hunting for him, some just passing by, not sparing his ears, causing him to exhale loudly.
This place was not as deserted as he had first thought.
He didn't plan to waste his time fighting against another useless idiots, so he decided to simply ignore them.
Unfortunately for him, they were extremely loud, and seemed like they weren't planning to leave anytime soon, So he rose to his feet, and decided to leave.
Bass could hear the screams behind him as all the NetNavis on the ground noticed him.
'Those pathetic vermin should be thankful they're too weak for me to even bother.' He thought to himself, annoyed.
Suddenly, he felt an attack hit and then dissolve against his automatic shield from somewhere behind him.
He stopped right in his place and turned around, his red eyes emitting a death glare.
"As you wish." He said.
Bass then lowered himself closer to the group of Navis, making them fire a few more useless attacks at him.
He didn't say a word, only lifted his right hand out of his cloak and up in the air.
The cloaked Navi smiled viciously, as a large amount of purple energy begun forming in his palm, causing some of the Navis below him to panic and plug out at the sight of his tremendous power, while the rest were either too slow, or too shocked to even act.
"Darkness Overload!" He yelled as he released his attack at whoever was beneath him.
The explosion was so loud and so destructive, it was probably felt through most of the UnderNet.
Bass stayed floating until the dust settled, as he looked at the remains below him.
All that was now left of the area was raw, destroyed ground.
"Pathetic scums." He spat.
He then turned around and continued in his way.
He was heading to the black market, which was a vast area deep inside the UnderNet, known for dealing in various illegal power-ups, powerful battle chips and gambling, but the cloaked Navi wasn't interested in any of that.
He was heading there for a different reason.
After a while, Bass finally arrived at the noisy market area, and it was as crowded and bustling as ever.
..That until everyone noticed him, of course.
He lowered himself to the ground, resulting in all of the NetNavis around him suddenly going quiet and staring at him with wide eyes.
"-The black shadow-"
"-It's Bass-"
"-What's he doing here?-"
He could hear all the whispers as he stepped through the shops, but they didn't bother him in the slightest, as he was already used to it.
'That old fool better be there.'
He walked until he reached an old, dirty and tattered looking shop, with no one behind its counter.
He stopped.
"Old man!" He called into the empty space before him, yet his voice was left with no answer.
Suddenly, an old looking NetNavi slowly raised his head from behind the dirty counter.
He coughed, then rose to his feet, still half asleep.
Bass was silent as he watched him.
"Well, well.." The old clerk's mouth broke into a scheming smile as he noticed UnderNet's most fearsome NetNavi standing before him, "Look who we have 'ere."
He coughed again and scratched his back.
"What can I help ya with today, Bass? Wakin' me up like this..it's my day off you know-" He asked as he sat on a nearby wooden chair.
The cloaked Navi kept silent for a few more moments.
"I want you to tell me everything you know about the civilian delivery service company in NetCity" He said, his voice demanding.
The old Navi shot him with a confused look.
"Why? You lookin' for a job or somethin'?" He asked him with a sly smile.
Bass glared at him.
"Don't try to be funny with me, old man." He said, his voice menacing and his red eyes glaring daggers.
The old Navi broke into a raspy laugh.
"Still can't take a joke, huh!" He smiled at the cloaked Navi in front of him.
Bass didn't say a word, only continued to glare at the dirty looking Navi in front of him.
"The delivery service in NetCity huh.. You mean the Official Message & Delivery Service company." The old clerk recalled.
The cloaked Navi kept silent.
'So that girl was telling the truth after all.' He thought to himself.
The old Navi coughed.
"That's the biggest delivery company in CyberWorld." He said as he scratched his back again, "Why's everyone talkin' about those guys all of a sudden?"
Bass' brow furrowed.
"What?" He asked.
"Just an hour ago some scary lookin' fellas went through here, talkin' about some pretty delivery girl" He explained, "Bullshit, if you ask me.. No cute delivery girls ever set foot in this place.. Pity, I could sure use one! HAHAHA" The old Navi broke into a raspy loud laugh once again.
Bass went silent, and lowered his eyes to the ground.
'It's because that idiot saved that trash of a Navi' He thought to himself.
He then turned on his heel, lifted his gaze to the sky and flew away from the old Navi's shop.
"What the hell!" The clerk yelled at him from below, "That's it? You come, get your information an' leave, huh! Not even one 'Thank you' in ten whole years! Damn it." The old Navi cursed, coughed, and lay back down to sleep.
Bass was already far from the noisy market area.
'Stupid girl, those shitheads are probably just waiting for her to come back now'
Suddenly, his mouth broke into a vicious grin.
'That should teach her not to go around this place so carelessly.'
He laughed and picked up his speed.
Bass passed the rest of his day searching for a new quiet place to rest in.
After a while, he finally reached an area full of tall rock formations.
He knew he found the right place this time, due to the simple fact that for regular non-flying NetNavis, a place like this was the equivalent of a maze and a guaranteed way to get lost.
Bass flew to the top of the closest rock formation to him, and sat down on its smooth surface.
It wasn't nearly as high as the pillar he had found yesterday, but he figured it will do for now.
He lay down and noticed the sky above him was different than usual, it was a combination of bright pink, dark blue and light mint green, fading into each other while glowing vibrantly.
'Too bright.'
He closed his eyes, and stayed like that for a while.
But he just couldn't relax.
Something wasn't right.
He shifted back into a sitting position and stared at the surface next to him.
'Why am I this uneasy?'
Since he couldn't find a logical reason, he decided to just ignore this annoying feeling.
He closed his eyes again, and eventually he fell asleep.
A/N: So those were 48 hours of fun with Bass.
I refuse to believe that this guy spent 10 whole years without forming at least some kind of a connection other than MegaMan, so I made him have an old acquaintance - someone who he comes to collect information from who's always updated due to his job and surroundings.
His name is Jarro. (And even after 10 years, Bass is still too rude to acknowledge him by it.)
Please continue to tell me what you think!