I am so sorry that this chapter took so long and that it might seem rushed. Now that things have died down, maybe I'll have time to work on this more.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love each of your reviews and hope to receive more!

I don't own this; minor spoilers… oh, let's just get on with it.

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女らしいプログラム!

The Feminine Program!

Chapter Five:

Encounter! Part One

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When the alarm clock went off early the next morning, Netto found himself in a rare 'morning' mood. He got up without much fuss, showering and dressing silently, and was even ready half an hour before the time he usually awoke to scramble frantically to get ready for school. It seems strange to be able to sit their quietly for fifteen minutes without yawning once, but what he found to be most troubling was the fact that Rock's PET screen had yet to turn on and he felt lonely in the room. He gazed at the azure device intently, feeling the guilt from the night before flood his veins and filter into his heart, which began to beat regretfully at the memory. The teen knew what was to come… and yet he just wished for it to come so that he wouldn't have to endure the agonizing wait any longer.

When he saw that the alarm clock's digital numbers hit 7:45, he knew that the tortuous wait was over and that he had to venture to school, whether Rock was awake or not. Sighing sadly, Netto picked up the PET, slipping it into its case and walking slowly out the door, remembering to pick up the two pieces of toast waiting for him like always. 'I thought I told Mama that I wanted Pop-Tarts now…' he thought as he bit into the toasted bread, slightly relishing the melted butter that was seeped into the bread. 'Ah, well…'

By the time he walked into the classroom (and receiving some shocks expressions at his once-in-a-lifetime punctuality) Rock's PET had beeped, signaling that she had finally awoken and that she was 'ready' for the day.

"… Good morning, sleepy head," Netto murmured as he plugged Rock into his desk computer, letting her appear on the screen before smiling sadly. However, she did not return it, watching him with dark emerald irises that swirled with melancholy. If the Navi had been human, the teen figured, dark circles would muddle the place under her eyes and her skin would be pale and sickly. But, thankfully, she was saved of that awful existence and Netto could somewhat breathe easily knowing that he would never have to see it.

Glancing over at the computer clock, Netto noticed that his teacher was late, allowing everyone to keep on talking quietly while waiting for her. He sighed, hoping that he would be able to voice his apologies before he was unable to. Rock perked up slightly at his sigh, noticing how he was chewing on his bottom lip. "Rock…" he began, feeling his leg fidget in nervousness. "I'm… sorry for last night. I… didn't think about your feelings and… it just got out of hand… So… yeah."

Rock smiled gently, looking away as a blush formed on her cheeks. Of all things for Netto to say so early in the morning… and it was causing her cheeks to turn red. 'I have to give him credit…' Rock thought sweetly, 'he does know when he's hurt someone…' His consideration touched her heart deeply and she giggled softly, causing him to grunt in curiosity. "You're sweet sometimes, Netto… sometimes being the keyword," she said tauntingly, smiling when he did nothing more than scratch the back of his head and grin broadly.

"Well, I guess I can take 'sometimes'…"

"You might as well; that's all you're gonna get!"

-

The first half of the day went uneventful, relieving the teen of some stress. Rock hadn't reopened any old wounds and his friends had come to terms with the new appearance of his Net Navi. The only thing that weighed in Netto's mind was his mission of locating Forte and that Dekao was still poking fun about Rock…

"C'mon, Dekao, stop it. She'll hear you eventually…" Netto whispered before taking another small bite of his leftover curry that he brought from home while eyeing Rock PET warily. He saw the small Navi conversing with Roll about the latest line of fashion chips that came out, each picking their own favorites from the digital catalogue Roll had. Sometimes, Netto would see Rock show a bit of disgust, but then her happiness would return, signaling that her mood swing had passed.

"It's funny how well she's coping with it," Yaito commented as she noticed Rock's new behavior. Meiru agreed, giggling when she saw one of the outfits that the Navi had picked. "She sure gained a sense of fashion quickly! You should have seen some of the combinations she picked out a while ago; they were phenomenal!"

"Yeah, yeah… but I mean, just look at her! Anything would look good on her… right, Netto?" Dekao slyly said, lightly jabbing the smaller male's side with his elbow. The brunet scoffed, turning away to look at something else. "Like I want to see her in some weird outfit…" he retorted, thrusting his spoon into his food for another bite.

"Look at this one, Roll! It's gorgeous!"

"Oh, look at it! I bet that's in high demand right now."

The human Operators perked slightly at the conversation, each one turning to the blue PET. Netto peered inside, leaning forward to gain a better view of the article of 'clothing' Rock was speaking of…

He nearly screamed.

"It's a wedding dress! Holy crap, surely Mama had something to do with this! Why does marriage keep coming up in my life?! It's getting ridiculous!"

Turning around to see what Netto was screaming about, Rock saw him causing a commotion (like always) about the most trivial of things. She sighed, shaking her head, wondering why he was so uptight about the thought of marriage. 'It must be a 'male-thing'' she thought off-handedly before smiling at the catalogue she was holding in her hands. "Roll-chan…" she began, "do you think Netto would buy it for me…?"

"I dunno," Roll answered, gently grabbing the catalogue and bringing it closer. "It would look very nice on you! I bet he would if you asked! I can just see you in it now, with me as your Maid of Honor!" The pink NetNavi beamed when Rock did the same, looking back at her before turning back to Netto. "Well, maybe he will. I mean… it's not that much… only, what, two-thousand yen compared to others we've seen?"

"Tw-two-thousand!?" Netto interjected suddenly, gawking at the two female Navis as they giggled to each other. "Yes, Netto, two-thousand… that's not that bad when you think about the ten-thousand dress I saw the other day on display in Internet City," Rock replied matter-of-factly before reclaiming the catalogue and flipping the translucent page and seeing the expensive jewelry that went with the dress. "Oh, my God, look at this necklace, Roll-chan! It's got pure cybernetic diamonds!" Rock squealed cutely, fidgeting about joyfully about in her seat. Roll laughed at her display, glancing back at Rock's Operator to find him seething slightly, but all-in-all quite calm compared to a few seconds ago.

'But that could change,' Roll thought playfully while turning back to her ecstatic friend.

"You know, Rock… you'll need a veil…" Roll grinned slyly, wondering how much it would take to push the teen over the edge. "A pretty little veil that your… husband," Roll said, accentuating attention to Netto, "will lift so he can kiss you as his bride!"

The blush on Rock's cheeks was perfect for the plan and soon the poor girl was stuttering at the thought of a man shyly lifting her silvery-white veil to press his lips softly against hers…

'Netto-kun…?'

By the time every word and reaction sunk into the teen, he began to fume, scaring Meiru and Yaito while causing Dekao to laugh hysterically. "Aw, look at her, Netto! She's probably thinking about you!" the large male laughed, banging his fists against the lunch table. The glare that Netto gave his friend almost burned into the dark skin and he gritted his teeth harshly. "You know… why don't you just shut up, Dekao!? You're making this worst than it is!"

"Well, excuse me! It's not my fault that your Navi is fantasizing about marrying you!" A couple more laughs and Netto was ready to vent his frustration with violence.

"If you say one more word about that, I swear, I'll kill you!"

Around this time, the whole cafeteria was staring at them strangely and Meiru and Yaito blushed in embarrassment at the curious gazes they were getting. "Would you two stop?" Yaito asked quietly, "you're literally humiliating us in front of everyone!"

"Yeah," Meiru agreed, "both of you are being real immature!"

"But it's so funny!" Dekao guffawed, hitting the table a few more times before turning back to the smaller male. "Netto and Rock-chan, sittin' in a tree-!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The entire cafeteria became silent, all eyes falling on the lone azure PET, wondering where on Earth such a loud voice could be emitted from the device. "Both of you need to shut up for the rest of the day or I'll show you the meaning of humiliation!" Rock yelled vehemently, her fists clutched tightly together and her face scrunched up in an awful glare. "Now, finish your lunch and don't speak another word!"

With the two boys now pacified, they both bowed their heads, muttering "Yes, ma'am" under their breaths before they resumed eating.

-

"Now can we finally look for Forte, Rock-chan? I'm sure that Laika and Enzan have already got a head start and I need to beat them to him! We haven't received any word about him and I'm getting worried!" Netto whined pathetically as he walked throughout the streets of Akihara, school having let out a mere few minutes ago. He listened intently to the sigh of agreement and grinned when Rock replied that it was safest for the people to find the rogue Navi as soon as possible.

"It's hard to believe that he's back, you know…" Rock mumbled gently, fiddling with her gloved hands and scuffing the digitized floor with her boots. Forte had always been a formidable opponent, striking fear in the hearts of everyone that ever saw his awesome power. After their last battle, Rock had high hopes that he had finally accepted defeat (since he hadn't wreaked any havoc in a year or so) and took to brooding in the darkest corners of the UnderNet. However, as it always seemed with villains, he returned, causing chaos and dread. So, of course, both the teen and his partner were forced to be put on the case since they were the only ones with the courage and capability to stand up against the black NetNavi.

But the problem that presented itself now was the unknown location of his whereabouts. No reports had been televised lately and the only thing Netto had to go on was the supposed sightings told by witnesses. Now that he thought about it, it could be someone impersonating Forte to gain something that he could not acquire in his regular appearance. But it seemed sort of stupid now that he thought of it, because if it was not Forte, the impersonator could be taken down easily, breaking up the whole hoax anyway.

'But, from the reports, it is Forte…' thought the brunet teen as he chewed on his bottom lip contemplatively, 'and if that's the case… he's probably more powerful than he was the last time… That ought to be fun to deal with…'

A sudden beeping stopped his thinking and he pulled out the PET to gaze at Rock. "What is it?" he asked, watching her read the e-mail. "There's been a sighting of Forte in the City. Kifune has already sent Searchman and Blues in," she answered solemnly, tilting her head to the right to speak with him face to face. "Plug me in. I'll go on ahead and help them the best I can."

But Netto found that he couldn't agree so effortlessly… Inquiries of the female's safety ran through his head rapidly as different emotions collided in his heart. What if sending her in caused a problem with the rest of the team? What if Forte saw her and immediately decided that she was the weakest and attacked her first? What if she was unable to fight with her full potential because of the new program? It was nerve-wracking, these awful possibilities of her Fate. It disheartened his once bursting confidence and soon it became reduced to anxiety and tension.

Watching him for an answer, Rock noticed the tender flinches and the swirl of emotion across his countenance, implying his inner conflict. Never before had he shown so much non-verbal contradiction but she knew that it was to be expected from him. Despite their strength and bravery, the azure NetNavi knew that he would be hesitant to put her out on the battle field as she was now. It was strangely consoling to her, this reluctance to abide with her demand, but she knew that if Forte was loose then waiting was not a wise decision.

"Netto-kun, plug me in…" she whispered to him gravely, "Please… there isn't much time… You know what Forte is capable of…"

"That's the problem…" he retorted, frustrated, his grip tautening, "I know what he's capable of… I've seen him in action… but what's bugging me is what you're capable of now…"

"Just as much as I was a few days ago; but I've only changed in appearance-wise, not soul-wise," she threw back, her blank face becoming creased with irritation. If they kept this up, Forte was either going to get away before she even plugged in or he was going to make throw-toys of Searchman and Blues. Neither option should have to occur but if her Operator kept putting up such a stubborn defense, there was a huge possibility innocent people would be hurt.

"I… I realize that! But what if… he's more powerful than he was last time…? What if he… deletes you…? I… can't deal with that again…"

…

"Well, you won't have to if you just put a little more faith in me! I've always had you by my side and for your information that was the one time all of our guards were down! I did only what I thought was right and I'm sorry that you're scared of that happening again but think of all the humans that will have to go through that if we don't do something now!"

Netto flinched painfully, his heart crushed as he realized that what Rock spoke of was true. He cared deeply for Rock and he knew that out there, somewhere, there were other people that cared for their partners as much as he did. And he understood beyond everything else that he would not be able to handle the guilt in knowing that it was because of his reluctance that they would experience such grief.

'Think of Enzan…' he thought sorrowfully, 'if I had just been a little less hesitant, I would have saved him the pain of watching Blues work for Nebula… But 'stupid me,' of course… waited too long…'

A bittersweet voice interjected his melancholy thoughts and he had to blink back the hurt that glistened in his chocolate orbs… "Netto-kun… plug me in…"

And her Operator did as she demanded, stepping closely to the nearest plug he could find before tilting the PET to send Rock into the Net, his heart feeling as heavy as bricks.

"… Just be careful…"

-

After logging in, Rock emerged in the middle of the City, her buster immediately forming and her eyes scouring the scene sharply. Several areas showed signs of chaos, causing her eyebrows to crease in regret. Thankfully, she did not see any traces of deleted data that belonged to a Navi, so her emotions were alleviated. However, up ahead she heard the sounds of a fight, a yell . "That has to be Searchman and Blues, Netto-kun," she said to her Operator, who was now pulling out chips for her. "I'll proceed if you're ready."

"… Go ahead…"

Nodding, Rock jogged forward, moving swiftly about the debris as she scanned up ahead for any signs of her comrades or of Forte. Panting softly, she saw before a large hole that went fairly deep into the ground and in the middle was a familiar green Navi…

"Searchman!" Rock shrieked, horrified before beginning to work her way down the sides of the hole, careful not to fall or step on any loose debris. As she did so, Netto chewed on his lip more, slightly shredding apart some of the tender skin. "Rock-chan, be careful," he murmured pleadingly. Sighing irritably, Rock look upwards toward the sky, gritting her teeth. "I'm trying to be, Netto-kun!" she yelled back through the communication, taking another step down, "but you keep- AHH!" The Navi shrieked in shock, her foot having met with some loose 'concrete.' Screaming as her other leg bent suddenly from the angle and the weight, she soon began to roll harshly to the bottom, grunting in pain all the way as pieces of her suit tore apart and her helmet became slightly dented.

"Rock-chan!" Netto bellowed, sweat dripping down his face in fear, "Are you all right?! Report status!" Seething at his own stupidity of distracting her, he slammed his fists into the wall near him, not caring as his knuckles ached in protest. "Rock-chan, answer me!" But all he heard was a shaky groan and the sight of Rock pushing herself up to her scabbed knees, wincing at the wounds. "Ow…" she muttered with a small whine, looking beside her to find Searchman's unconscious body in worse shape than her.

"Searchman…" she whispered sympathetically, immediately forgetting her own wounds and crawling slowly to reach him before laying a hand on his broken chest-plate. He shuddered heavily at the pain of having something pressed against his chest and she retracted her arm, bowing her head in guilt. "I'm sorry…" she hissed remorsefully, noticing when his red eyes barely opened to gaze at her.

"R-rock…" Searchman garbled as he gave her as sweet a smile as he could in his state while shakily bringing up his dirty hand to touch her cheek. "G-get… aw… ay…" Wincing as he shifted, the camouflaged NetNavi tilted onto his side to gain a better view of her compassionate countenance. "He'll… destroy… y-you…"

"I don't care about that!" protested Rock as she leaned down, taking his hand into hers and inspecting his injuries. "What matters right now is you and Blues. Where is he and why haven't you logged out?"

Exhaling difficultly, the male watched his comrade inspect the battle wounds while interrogating him, her bright emerald eyes demanded information. "… I bet Blues is… still fighting Forte… We… were, at least… a-able… to save the civilians…" stated the Navi as Rock gently prodded his arm. "Laika's communication… it was cut off around the time I was…" Grimacing, Searchman trailed off, too guilty to continue. He barely realized that the female Navi had stopped her inspection of him, too worried about his pride now than his scars. "It's okay, Searchman…" she sighed, laying a comforting hand on his chest again. "Forte's strong… You're lucky you weren't deleted…" Giggling, she tilted her head to stare at their surroundings, smiling at small miracles. "No one was deleted… You accomplished your job… and-."

"No, I did not," Searchman angrily interrupted, flinching at her stunned face and at the pain swelling in his chest. "… I mean… my job was to evacuate the City, yes… but it was also… to take out Forte before you arrived…"

"I knew it!" Netto blurted suddenly, having intently listened to Searchman and Rock's conversation. He had figured something was up after not receiving anymore information about Forte until the urgent e-mail and it seemed too convenient to send Enzan and Laika's NetNavis in before Rock after Kifune saw her at the meeting. She would presumed weaker than the two now, since her emotion programs had been altered and it was just better to let her wait it out and let the men do the job.

'Typical…'

But regardless of Netto's verbal announcement, Rock did nothing but watch Searchman affectionately and as much as the human hated to admit it, he could have sworn that that affection was more than just worry…

'She seems almost like a mother right now…' thought the brunet as he smiled fondly, fiddling with the chips in his hand as he realized just how much affection and compassion a female could hold. 'It doesn't matter that it's Searchman; all that matters is that he's weak and helpless… just like a newborn baby… Except with a bunch of bruises and scars…' Netto's thoughts trailed off at this, an eyebrow quirking at those mental words before sighing. God, he was such an idiot…

Thankfully, though, Rock couldn't read minds, and she was content with kneeling there and watching over her friend. However, she knew that Forte was still out there, and though things had been relatively quiet, a sudden spark of explosions far off signaled that Searchman would have to wait… Gazing worriedly at him, Rock shakily stood up, sighing sadly. "I'm sorry… I have to go…"

Searchman's face contorted into a strange look before he smiled regretfully and letting his hand fall. "I understand… Just… please… be careful…." While hearing his fragile voice, Rock was almost compelled to fall back onto her scratched knees and stay beside him until the communication was established and he was logged out. But she knew better…

"All right…" and with that, she began to climb up the side of the hole, all the while hearing her Operator grumble about how every time he told her to be careful, she yelled at him, but, oh, let Searchman say be careful, and she took it with a smile.

Rock's only response was a streak of pink across her cheeks…

'If Netto keeps this up, he'll never learn his lesson…'

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End of Chapter Five!

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