"Raika."

Raika felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking it slightly. He attempted to move away from it, but the hand and the voice persisted.

Blearily, he opened his eyes to see someone standing in front of him.

"Raika, it's time for supper," he heard his aunt say.

Raika then just stopped himself from gasping aloud, and quickly sat up. He had fallen asleep, apparently; no, more than apparently- on the bed he was allowed to sleep on at night in his oldest uncle's home, after discussing more about the startling truth with Searchman.

But to actually fall asleep, in the middle of the day . . . Well, there was no excuse for such laziness. At least he had already finished his homework for the day.

He stood and quickly bowed his head. "I apologize," he quickly said, feeling an embarrassed blush on his face.

Surprisingly, when he looked up again, his aunt was smiling. Raika frowned. He had highly expected her to be angry at his insolence. Surely, of course, there were much better things to do than to randomly idly take a nap- and one for several hours, apparently, since it was already evening.

"You don't need to apologize, Raika," his aunt stated gently, still strangely with a smile on her face. "I expect you were upset and surprised about Peter's picture, correct?" She did not wait for response, but went on. "That would be startling for perhaps most siblings in your situation."

Raika did not answer, but his aunt again just went on.

"Here, Raika, come to supper," she persisted.

Raika mutely nodded, and followed her down the stairs. Searchman had stated earlier that it was definitely strange that Raika's aunt and uncle were also his own relatives, but had also added that it still really did not feel that it was the truth. Raika had agreed. To be in a virtual reality, for one thing, especially without his older aunt and uncle knowing about it, was one thing. To be in the same truth in the reality . . .

Well, it was a good thing that Searchman was definitely still a navi currently, and so he would be viewed as such.

He paused slightly at the living room. Across the room, he could still the new frames on the fireplace mantle, with the almost tale-tell one at the far right.

Raika then quickly again headed toward the dining room. Once he was there, though, he saw that the table was set for three, not two. His uncle, as usual in his uniform, sat at the far end of the table.

He swiftly hid a blanch. He had not known that the chief would be back "early" today, of all days.

The chief nodded to him as he sat down across from his aunt. "I expect your day has gone mostly well, Raika?" he asked nonchalantly.

Raika could only nod as he reached for the cucumber salad nearby. With the word "mostly", of course his uncle had been told of his rude behavior. Though it had only occurred in his younger years at the military school, he hoped that he would not be punished for the untimely rest period.

However, his uncle only- smiled? (again?) - briefly at him. "I hear you have had a bit of trouble with the past," he stated.

Raika looked down at his plate for a few seconds. At least it was not about who Peter really was. He assumed it would not be that, anyway.

"We remember Peter," his uncle went on. "We remember him as a fine young boy, much like you were. I recall that you two were always together."

His aunt smiled. "Yes, even when Peter had managed to sprang his arm a couple of days before you both went back to your parent's home again," she added. "You had refused to play outside in the snow without him. Your cousins thought you were utterly ridiculous!"

She laughed some, but Raika could not muster a smile. So his aunt and uncle definitely had memories of Peter, who he knew as Searchman. He only, only knew his brother as Searchman, though. Even with seeing his navi as a human in the virtual reality did not seem to make him really a human in this actual reality, though . . . in a way.

Right now, he just wanted his navi to only be what he had thought him to be. Searchman did, also. Why did the picture on the mantle have to come up, all of a sudden? And here his relatives were, including his generally serious chief uncle, chatting lightheartedly about the boy who had disappeared years ago, and for all outward appearances, had vanished altogether.

Did their "Peter" really have anything in common with his serious navi? Raika truly did not know.

His uncle spoke again, this time sounding more serious. "I expect that you truly do not remember much about Peter," he stated evenly. "You were at such a young age when he disappeared."

Vanished according to all legal documentation, but listening to what his relatives were saying about him at that very moment. Raika just wished that supper would be over already, and he could just rush back into the guest room and work on some more research that might possibly help with schoolwork. It was something else than the topic that seemed like it should forever be forbidden to anyone else in the first place.

He still at least should answer his uncle's question, though. "No, sir," he quickly responded. "I do not remember much."

"It is still good to at least try to remember people, Raika, if you can," the chief added seriously. "If you do not recall Peter at all by yourself, though, then please do not feel that you are insignificant. Peter was a good person, as far as we could tell. It should be safe to remember and to learn more about him. Feel free to discuss that with either Suraiya or I, if you like."

"Yes, sir," Raika replied automatically.

. . . Safe.

To remember, yes, but only to remember. (Other than to actually talk to him- another form notwithstanding- not to mention battle in dangerous situations; net saver missions could be tough, depending on what they were- and to just know where he actually was in general.)

Raika then reached for the platter of rolls with meat and rice in them, hoping that his uncle would just talk about something else that did not include missing people or (mostly) fictional realities. Raika had witnessed several times before that his cousins had- attempted- to distract his uncle, and aunt, sometimes, from the topic that they did not want to discuss by the diversion of another one, but if the matter was serious enough, of course, the Sharian area chief was not one to be dissuaded.

He was quite relieved that his aunt and uncle began reminiscing about one of their children's families and the odd things that were currently happening there. Raika almost smiled at a tale of a two-year-old, in, acting liking a cat, had managed to find some items that had been deemed lost in the house for a long while.

He then inwardly frowned. Most likely the topic of Peter (the younger one, of course) would come up later before he left, but for right now, at least, he could avoid it. Generally he liked to be prepared for things (once Lan thought that he was completely crazy for wanting to study material that he thought the teacher might quiz the class on- and Raika had proved correct. At least Chaud had understood about his desire in the first place.).

This topic, though . . .

Could Peter remain just in the past? Raika was not sure. In the virtual reality, both he and Searchman had begun to remember some random instances (he recalled that, even if he did not actually know what they were) from time to time. Some bits had been more detailed than others. If that happened again, then it might be easy enough to hide.

Might.

He was crazy. Completely crazy.

Raika winced as he plodded on toward his destination, the cold wind rushing past his thick hood. This part of Sharo was south enough, that most of the time, no one had to worry about their metal glasses freezing to their skin. His own vision was fine, as far as he could tell, though there were some classmates at his military school that were required to at least own a pair of non-metal glasses for any sort of trips to the north.

He was still accustomed to warmer weather, in a way. Then again, maybe he just at least somewhat wished for the "simplicity" of the situation he and Searchman had been in before they had woken up from the virtual reality. There, he did not have to deal with his oldest uncle- and surprisingly more his aunt- while not actually stating it aloud, seeming to truly want him to talk about his older brother that they only knew from several years ago (not to mention, the virtual reality).

Though he knew that his uncle had lost many acquaintances due to the harsh military environment, he truly just did not understand.

Who would, anyway, other than his navi?

Raika huffed. The military had taught him to be prepared. Of course, it also did not mention, once off of the military base, lying to their aunt about their destination in an attempt to retrieve something that should not exist in the first place. Of course, those two things were the problem.

He stopped about a mile later. Raika huffed and briefly looked at the sky. It had been the same misty gray for the past hour, with intermittent snow flurries here and there.

"How close now, Searchman?" Raika asked.

His faithful navi's voice answered. "It should be anywhere from a quarter mile to double that in a circular radius around here, if it is here at all."

Raika nodded. He wondered how in the world it would be possible to find something that most people had no idea existed. Then again, he had no idea that it did, other than several vague clues from the virtual reality. He could have come all the way, on snowmobile, then on foot for a few miles (snowmobiles and most others vehicles were not permitted in a certain range within the place he was after, unless someone just did not want to find the entrance. Nonsensical, really, but it was what he and Searchman had remembered).

If he did find the place, and somehow manage to work the devices he was after, then he and Searchman would be able to at least defend themselves a little better from odd situations. Of course, having the devices (and working properly) meant that other problems might arise. Actually, they probably would.

Why did he want them so much? It almost did not make sense. Yet if someone else had them, and even used them against them . . .

Raika winced a bit in memory of sheer embarrassment (. . . mostly caused by his own actions and severe misjudgment . . .), but harshly attempted to shove that aside for now.

He surveyed the area. Unfortunately, Searchman's usually dependable tracking skills would not work for this. The surrounding area did not seem to reveal anything, either- just the same powdery snow that he had been plodding through for the past half hour.

Once again, Raika closed his eyes for a small bit, only to see nothing. He was not sure if he could have seen it anyway. The place, shielded from Searchman's tracking abilities as well as technologies, might also be guarded from other methods.

Raika sighed, then began walking again, his face downward slightly from the cold, biting wind. How was he supposed to find the place, anyway-

He was whopped by an unseen force, hard. Raika gasped as he landed on his back in the snow.

"Are you both idiots?" he heard someone say angrily.

Wincing, Raika sat up, but did not see anyone as he looked around, or even any footprints that seemed different than his own.

He frowned. The voice had sounded somewhat young, and was female. He definitely did not recognize it. More concerning, though, was that someone had not been talking about one person, but two.

"Who's there?" he called out, warily standing up.

"How about you just leave already, you crazy head!" the voice shot back.

Raika huffed, still not seeing any person around him.

He then heard a slight chuckle from someone that sounded male, and possibly much older.

"Well, he certainly does not have much of a reason to move just yet, really," the second voice stated reasonably.

The girl huffed. "Sure, let's let them stay here, and possibly get captured," she spat. "I would just love that, and they would utterly love it, too. Not to mention when they would get locked up!"

Another voice spoke, also an older male. "They don't seem to want to move."

"Are you two nutcases ganging up on me again? I sure wish I knew of a memory spell. You can use yours, can't you?"

The first male spoke up. "There doesn't seem to be a reason to," he responded, still sounding calm. "After all, obviously they don't know exactly what they would have gotten into."

"Sure, after they get practically fried!"

Raika scowled. "Show yourselves already!"

He was sure- quite sure, that there were no speakers around him . . . which meant that the people had to be invisible somehow. He did not know how, but he himself, as well as Searchman had had a few strange abilities. Apparently as certain of the fact that Searchman was actually his brother, then there were other people with even stranger abilities than he and his navi had once possessed in the virtual reality.

"It's not really well known how many survivors there were," the first male continued, apparently oblivious to Raika's question, or was just ignoring it.

"How many?" That was the girl again. "Well, obviously two here, and- ow!" There was a short pause before the female spoke. "Sheesh, could you be a bit more subtle already?"

Raika then frowned. Survivors? Certainly he did not think that waking up from the virtual reality was what they were referring to.

He stared at the empty expanse of thick snow, wishing that he could look at the speakers. "If you are not going to at least show yourself, then at least tell what this place is," he demanded.

Surprisingly, the girl laughed. "Oh, sure, you want to know, but do you really? I mean, this could be left alone already. You can just take your navi, and leave this place."

The first male voice. "Oh, come on- you know they can't do that."

Raika frowned. Surely the strange people were not going to attempt to capture them somehow.

"Gah!" The girl sounded utterly frustrated. "Really? We could have at least let them think that they could just walk away from here."

The second male voice answered. "Technically, it would be walk, then one of them rides a snowmobile, while the other" –Raika did not miss the emphasis- "'rides' in a PET."

Raika could not keep himself from frowning. The people knew- they knew- about Searchman. They knew who he actually was.

If they told the authorities, who, if they were believed, then if the case was investigated . . .

Raika sincerely wished that he could just throw away the right-most picture frame on the living room mantle in his oldest uncle's home.

The girl just spoke again, regardless of Raika's thoughts. "If they don't practically fall down into something that is not technically an entrance."

"I suppose; I suppose . . ."

Raika swerved his gaze toward where he had been just before being whacked by the invisible force. Surely there was not a way to the ingress there . . . or was there? He was really not sure, now.

"Can I just drag the one that's just standing there?"

Raika scowled again at the girl's voice. He was utterly tired of being spoken around of by unknown people; of the peculiar entrance to the place he had made a very large detour for during an outing with his aunt; and of the entire situation of the virtual reality and Searchman's biological relation to him in the first place.

"Come on, already!" the girl said, a bit of a whine in her tone. "This is not exactly the most scenic place in the universe, and not to mention, just a little bit dangerous?"

Raika frowned at the latter part. Cleary, the people were not going to respond much to him, but it also seemed like they would not allow him and Searchman to leave, either. If there was one thing that he had learned during the "vacation" in the virtual reality, though, it was that it was wrong to attempt to trust people, unless one had a very good reason for doing so.

The first male voice responded. "Sure, we can do a little something. Just as those two get the hint that they shouldn't stick around."

"Or come back, really," said the second male.

The girl groaned. "You'd think that dangerous would be the key word here."

The first male then laughed. "You said it first, not me,"

"Ahhhhh!" Raika could not see the female, but her face could be quite screwed with anger. "You crazy guys! Did you just seriously make me say something for you again!"

"Maybe," said the first male, a bit of teasing in his voice.

"And you said it so well," the other one continued.

Raika crossed his arms, hoping that they would just not talk about mundane topics forever. He was not quite sure about the 'dangerous' part, but perhaps the underground building was not as empty as he had thought it was.

"You guys are practically actually like a net op and navi pair," the girl moaned. "You know, with a custom one made from a store."

"Not really, counting on what this place is," said the first male.

"Or really, what it was," the second one added.

"Then again, some seem to think that it actually is something still."

"What, really? Don't know- not too much, anyway."

"Says the guy that ran through the networking system that is definitely not dead."

"Says the guy that nearly electrified himself in the closet again."

Raika frowned, uncrossing his arms. He had already known that there had been something in the underground building already. What all had been left, he did not know. He did not have to guess that the strange invisible people giving him very unsubtle clues to the place being occupied, and further being a danger.

"Can't we just do something already!"

The first male laughed. "Sure, why not?"

Raika flinched a bit, wondering if he should prepare for another attack of some sort-

Raika blearily opened his eyes. He frowned. Above him was a cloudy gray sky.

He then gasped, remembering what had occurred, and sat up- or tried to. Raika managed to partially strain upward before falling down onto the soft snow again.

"Raika!"

He heard his navi's voice, but not from where he had expected it. Searchman had sounded like the PET was closer to his head, not in his pocket.

Raika turned to his right side, and gasped. Laying right next to his face were two PETs. The top one was green, and obviously Searchman was inside it, as he should be. But the other . . .

He forced himself to sit up, wishing that he was just as fuller strength already. He took the top PET from the duo of devices and quickly opened it.

"Searchman, how did that device get here?" he demanded.

"I don't know, Raika," his navi responded. "It was already here when I woke up-"

"You were also attacked?" he interrupted, his anger- not at Searchman, but at himself- fading slightly, replaced by concern. "Did they do anything to you?"

Searchman frowned, and Raika inwardly flinched. His navi looked fine, but that of course did not necessarily mean anything. He was correct as Searchman continued.

"Raika, notice that the other device is the same model as your PET," Searchman started. "I would assume that it would be profitable to look at the back of each, also."

Raika looked at the other device again, fear mounting in him. Sure, he had been wanting something similar- or rather, earlier versions of each device, and that was for possible clues for succeeding ones, but for them to just already be there . . .

He flipped over his PET to the back. Generally, it would just be smooth other than the embossed company name, or even possibly a printed on symbol. However, as he picked it up with his left hand, he could see on the lower right corner, there were two raised letters there.

SM.

Raika stared hard at the two initials, then thumbed them with one hand. Even with gloves, he could slightly feel the letters. They were definitely there, and not an illusion.

He then scowled. It would definitely be better if anyone- at his military school, at Sci-lab- that chanced to hold his PET before doing a scan on Searchman would miss the minute letters. They were truly not that noticeable, and could be easily missed even if someone's fingers were against them as they held the PET.

Then again, he remembered several times hiding the letters- definitely not a company name- from prying eyes before, in the virtual reality. Which of course, had not actually happened, but the devices in front of him may as well have been sent straight from it.

"So, are you doing okay?"

"I will be fine, as long as there is not another PET in my pocket."

He had actually said that to Lan before being rescued from the virtual reality- and by extension, Megaman, as well, which would be true a lot of the time even if they were not in cross fusion form.

Raika then scowled. How in the world had he had been so stupid to say such a thing?

He flipped over his PET, and then peered at the navi symbol on the creamed colored device. It was also just as he remembered- just like Searchman's, except with different coloring. A quick check on the backside proved that it also had the same to conspicuous lettering.

Raika thought of something. If it was possible . . . But both devices were here . . .

He closed his eyes- and saw the snow still around him. Raika nearly gasped, but pressed on. He could see himself from all sides, but he could also quickly move his vision toward where he had left the snowmobile parked, but as he had partly known already, could not reach that far.

He then cast his vision downward. Raika was a bit baffled that there was just snow there- and he was not blocked in any way.

"Raika, this is not the same location where you were before."

Raika was surprised as his first thought was not to what Searchman had said, but that his navi was referring to himself as just that- mere data. It was just a report to the net op, not including their own self, since of course the navi would be in the same place, as the net op was carrying the PET.

He forced the thought aside, and realized more of what Searchman had just indicated. He looked around, seeing still just snow, but as he looked closer to the region, the mountains were not quite the same position, nor was the snow as smooth as it had been before. There were no footprints (including from invisible people), but there were small lumps as there were several hills around him.

"Where? . . ." he asked, a bit fearful of the response. If he was still outside, though, then he- and Searchman- were certainly not captured or arrested in any way.

"This is approximately one and a half mile from the village Koraqtwte," Searchman responded. "Also . . ." He paused for a bit, then continued. "It is two days later."

Raika flinched. "What?" he asked, suddenly angry.

His rage then quickly faded, as he realized that Searchman had shown him the topic more important- what should be hidden from anyone else, including curious villagers. Plus, there were of course the many security navis in his uncle's home.

Raika huffed, suddenly despising that his oldest uncle was a chief, and therefore "requiring" the many faithful and sturdy navis that would no doubt report him and Searchman as a traitor if they chanced to find out their secret- or secrets, rather.

He then frowned. "You didn't call anyone yet, did you?" he asked quietly.

Searchman shook his head. "I did not, Raika," he responded solemnly. "I had assumed that you would feel that the presence of both PETs were more important."

Raika nodded. "Can you . . ." he started.

Searchman then also nodded. "While I have not tried anything else, due to concern for your well-being, I have found that I have the ability to see beyond my regular range of vision."

"Though it is not anywhere near as powerful as your natural Search ability," Raika stated.

His navi nodded. "Of course."

Raika then put his PET down on his lap- he did not really want to do anything with the other PET at the moment- and focused. Thought he had mostly expected it, the PET easily rose in front of him, hovering in the air. He then grabbed it, simultaneously releasing his mental hold.

It was so easy . . . Yet it had been a bit difficult to control it in the first place- and not to mention, he remembered in the virtual reality that there still had been times that random small objects had randomly floated, seemingly without any sort of cause. The person he and Searchman had "stayed with" before being woken up in the "reality" fortunately had never noticed any abnormalities of his household items, but that definitely not would be the same for any sort of watchful navi.

"Those stupid security navis," he muttered.

Searchman knew which ones he was referring to. "They do their job."

"A bit too much," Raika muttered.

He did know that his uncle's practically army of "spies" were indeed trained report anything suspicious, though. They had even aided his uncle in stopping someone that had attempted to raid the home of a few important military items when he had been younger.

He then looked at the other PET again- his own PET- then the one that Searchman was in. Though his aunt and uncle did not know it, they could indeed now see their missing nephew again, and even at the correct form and age.

Raika frowned. "I hope that there is not a homing device in either PET," he stated moodily.

"I didn't see any, Raika," Searchman assured him. "However, that may not mean much for every type of search."

Raika nodded. Just as he could not see the entrance to the underground building, there were most likely many other things that he and even Searchman could not track. If it had been two days, though, then perhaps someone had even found the snowmobile that he had been driving, then followed the footprints to where he had stopped and "talked" to the people and navi that had refused to reveal themselves.

He then sighed. "I suppose I could at least call my aunt, though I am not quite sure what to say."

"You could tell a bit of the truth, Raika," Searchman suggested. "You did go off on your own, but you were also attacked, and you do not know who it was."

Raika nearly laughed, though he wondered a bit at the reaction. Perhaps it was even a slightly good idea that he had not seen the mysterious people earlier. If his uncle demanded that Raika personally tell him of the incident, though, then most likely he again would not be believed to be telling the full truth.

He then immediately sobered some more. It would definitely be a good thing if the people he had heard were not on the same side of the ones that had made him and Searchman able to be navis in the first place.

Raika winced again. Actually, he had no idea if the devices would work the same as they had in the "reality." With no jack in spots nearby, he certainly could not test either currently, though.

He glanced at the cream-colored PET again for a few seconds. "Why did they- or whoever it was- give us these PETs in the first place?" It certainly was too much to expect that nothing would arise from it.

"I don't know, Raika."

Raika sighed. He had been crazy for going on the excursion; for lying to his aunt. But in a way, it was even stranger to suddenly have the very devices he had been looking for clues to find their location in the first place. Hopefully the ones that had given them to him were not even more insane.