Mega man Battle Network: Virus mutations

Chapter 17:A week part 2

Day 3...still.

“Well, you look well Zero.” Tadashi said with a pleasant familiarity, his voice was as content as if he was doing a favorable task.

Zero looked up curiously, that was an odd question, something somebody asked when a person *hadn't* look well in the past. Why would he ask that? Had he been acting strangely before? Was there something out of place in his behavior? Had he been doing something before that seemed out of the ordinary, out of character, something that he might define as strange? “Why do you say that Tadashi?” By then, after all of those thoughts, his voice held a shaky nervousness, he felt like he was being paranoid.

Tadashi paused glanced at Zero from the corner of his eyes, “No reason really.” he said with disregard.

Zero watched as Tadashi sleepily trudged across the kitchen floor, stretching his arms high above his head, his mouth prying open wide with a sleepy yawn. Then he trudged barefoot across the kitchen floor, dressed in nothing more then a pair of white shorts and an open white button up shirt, which he probably slept in. Zero began to notice certain, fleeting features of the man that made him resemble Lan more then just as an older, familiar shadow of the boy. The only time when the familiarities of the serious man were so strong were in the mornings. “Long night?”

Tadashi looked amusingly at the P.E.T resting on the kitchen table. “More like an early morning.” He began his normal morning ritual of digging through the cabinets to find the ever elusive coffee. “Geez...”

Zero watched the man shift around with a childish clumsiness, a man who he knew to be very organized was moving in a very unorganized way. He smiled and laughed softly. “Hehe, I never figured you were the person to lose something a lot.”

“Mornings I guess.” He yawned. Tadashi reached up and pulled open the cabinet above the stove, rummaging through it messily, the jerky movements of his arms as he tried to reach behind the first row of objects on the bottom self nearly knocked a few items over. “I don't know what it is, every morning I find the coffee and I try to put it back in the same place..but it turns I put it some place completely different.” His heels extended off the ground and he lifted on to his toes, his arms extending full length, fumbling blindly around the top shelf beyond his height for a round canister he knew well. 'Damn...why are you hiding from me?'

Zero grinned, once again finding Lan's resemblance in his father, such an action in such clothing holding such a sleepy demeanor. With Tadashi being such a smart, professional, fatherly person with such a sober, stern nature, it felt almost...special in a sense, seeing Tadashi so casual, defenseless, at ease. It was almost like Tadashi was comfortable enough to leave himself open in front of him where he carried an air of reserve with others. He laughed delightedly.

Tadashi looked back at Zero with a curious look on his face. “What's so funny?”

“I never realized you were so short.” Zero laughed, pointing at him tauntingly, hiding none of his happiness with Tadashi's limitation. He had some how thought that no flaw was to be found in Tadashi, he'd never seen a single fault in him. Now that he found one he could only laugh. “It's funny.”

Tadashi shook his head and looked up at the top shelf again, his eyes barely coming over the top of the holding. “I'm not that short.” He said with a light defensiveness. “This cabinet was always high.” He was beginning to see the absurdity of him placing a commonly used item in a place he couldn't reach, but on the other hand, the fact that he lost track of such an object was just as absurd. “Certainly I can remember a simple thing as this...” Tadashi inched his way higher on to his toes, trying to extract more out of his hight then his balance allowed, he nearly fell

Zero just watched anxiously as the man stumbled forward a step, wishing for a quick second that he was there to catch the man if he did fall. But Tadashi didn't and he began grinning wildly again. “You really are short.”

Tadashi gave him a chastising look and closed the cabinet, looking around blankly, “For goodness sake...”

“Why don't you just set the timer at night?” Zero asked simply?

“I don't know, I always seem to forget.” Tadashi smiled nervously, embarrassed by his uncharacteristic fault of memory. The mornings, it was the only plausible reason he could find for it, it must have just been fatigue and grogginess. “Strange isn't it?” Tadashi rubbed the back of his head and laughed lightly at himself and his own seemingly unlikely falt.

Yes, he could see where Lan got it from. Zero realized Tadashi was simply an older, smarter prelude of Lan, the boy carried all of his bad traits, only magnified. The man still had a personal, casual side that he kept repressed for the side that was more matured of his age. But Zero saw that he let that side slip away at times, especially in the mornings, when he was more of himself then ever. The fact he kept it locked away so well made Zero all the more glad Tadashi was more himself around him. He smiled contently. “Yeah, kinda.”

Tadashi yawned again and fixed his glasses, sleepy brown eyes scanning the room, trying to examine how well he knew himself so that he could figure out where he would have placed it. He tilted his head back thoughtfully, slipping a hand into his open shirt and griping his bare shoulder for absents of pockets in the short he was wearing. “Hmm...”

“Why do you want it so bad?” Zero asked. “If it's that hard to find, why don't you just forget it? Why bother?”

“I wish it was that easy.” Tadashi said, the thoughtful expression remaining on his face. “I'll never be able to wake up without it. I'll be sluggish and groggy all day.”

Zero could detect the slurring grogginess in his voice and see it clearly on his face. It reminded him of Lan, who was not surprisingly still asleep since it was early by his standards, who seemed to have the same problem. Though he had to admit Tadashi had far more motivation, even in his sloppiness he had a bare sense of organization brought on by experience. “I guess...”

“Maybe I should just...Oh wait.” A flash of enlightenment spread across his face and he abruptly walked over to the refrigerator, stretching his arm over the top and blindly fumbling around the items neatly stacked there.

“Maybe you should get a chair or something.” Zero said, a part of him expected the man to do so, because it was what he'd seen Lan do so many times. He reminded him of Lan so much at the moment, the expressions on his face, the slump in his form. “That's what Lan always does.”

Tadashi had never considered himself short, always normal height, since he was at a normal height. And their was no way he'd start thinking otherwise now, doing something as childish as getting a chair so that he could reach would imply that he was. He smiled in a youthful manner as he caught a bare glimpse of what he sought.“Ah, here it is.” He laid his hand on the round canister containing the coffee he sought after. He's smile grew satisfied and began going about the second part of his daily ritual of going over to the coffee maker and preparing it.

“If you need it so much. Why don't you just let me remind you?” Zero suggested, knowing he wouldn't forget nearly as easily, and happy to help the man, even in some small way.

“...” Tadashi looked up from where his eyes were fixed on the counter and over his shoulder thoughtfully. “Hmm...yes, I guess that would work.”Tadashi nodded, finding that highly agreeable. Maybe Zero could help him remember some other things he never could seem to retain.

It wasn't long before Tadashi had his prized cup of coffee and was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping the dark liquid contently. He could feel his senses being revived by the rather potent scent alone. Zero smiled, seeing the man was finally gratified and happy again. “What were you doing up so early anyway?”

“Just working.” Tadashi said. “This thing with Megaman was really bothering me, I guess I couldn't get back to sleep, so there was little else for me to do.” He cuffed the warm cup with both hands and gently lifted it to his lips, taking slow sips. “I figured at lest one of them had to be awake...did Lan really sleep all day yesterday?” Tadashi asked, knowing Lan could be a bit lazy at times...many times, but yesterday was enough to make him worry.

“Yup.” Zero nodded, telling most of the truth, Lan had slept *most* of the previous day. Over times he just laid awake and stared around with hints of boredom creeping into his demeanor. He didn't say much, he thought a lot, but that quickly got old for him and he tried to fall asleep again. Zero remembered it all distinctly because during those times he'd been alone, left to himself....

“Hmm...” Tadashi stared down blankly, his face creasing it's usual thoughtfulness.

“Worried?” Zero asked.

“Yeah a little.” Tadashi admitted.

Zero just smiled. “You think to much, it'll be fine.”

Tadashi blinked questioningly, not expecting to hear something like that. Then he just shook his head and laughed. “Maybe your right.”

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Day 4: Strange feelings

Lan sighed deeply, his eyes rolling over the copiously clean, white tiled floors and off white walls, the room was silent aside from the hum of florescent lights hanging from the ceiling. Deathly silent, a cold, impersonally quiet. 'So this is what Enzan had to go through all day...' He thought to himself, leaning back in his chair and looking over the small hospital examination room. He couldn't help contentiously thinking that he was situated on the completely opposite side of the hospital as Enzan, the distance between them. He wished more then he ever had before that he could just be there right now not here.

He watched as the dark red liquid flowed out of his arm in a small tube, pouring into a vile his physician was holding. Megaman sat idly nearby, loyally by his side as he always was. “...” He felt a nervousness swelling in his stomach, no matter how much he looked away his eyes seemed to always find their way back to his siphoning blood when he wasn't paying attention.

How much blood had been taken already, not enough to fill that small vile it seemed...

'Man, this sure is taking a long time.' He thought. How long had he been sitting here? How long had he been holding his arm out like this and watching? Tch. Why did he care? Why was he so worried about it? It would end when it ended, it wasn't like he was afraid of something. 'Afraid, yeah right, I'm probably thinking to much.' If Enzan knew he thinking like this, he'd have a field day. No way, he wasn't afraid, though he couldn't help constantly thinking about fear.

Man, that tube certainly was taking a long time to fill...

Lan couldn't seem to look away from the tube protruding from his arm, the only way he could tell anything was actually moving were the small bubbles that shifted through the plastic every so often. He wasn't terribly adverse to the sight of blood, but as he watched he couldn't help but notice that sinking feeling of his stomach . Ok, maybe he was nervous, *a little* nervous. An impatient desire in him rose in him to get this over with, for this all to be done. This was he didn't want to come to the hospital, this feeling...

Lan leaned forward and squinted at the physician's hand, was that the same tube? Was it fill up at all?

“Lan?” The man looked up at Lan inquiringly. “Are you ok?”

Lan flinched, as much as he'd been focusing on the man, he completely forgot he was here, his thoughts had only been on what he was holding. “Oh, yeah.” An instinctive response, he barely gave the question any consideration, something in him had learned that an accepting answer would lead to questions he didn't feel like answering among other things, so without conscious thought he retreated.. A strange sensation came over him, like a weight was growing inside of his arm, and finally he dropped it listlessly at his side. It was so heavy...Everything felt heavy...

Hey wait, that tube has the same amount in it! He'd seen all of that blood being drawn from his vein, so where was it going?

The physician gave him a suspicious glance. “Lan, tell me if you feel lightheaded at all.”

Ok, maybe he was a little afraid, though he didn't know why. He'd never had blood drawn, but he had seen his own blood plenty of times, notably yesterday. So what was it? Why did he feel so much like something was wrong, like something bad was happening to him here? 'Hunnn...' He dizzy again...”Yeah...maybe a little.” His head slumped slightly and his form lost what casual posture it had. He tried to lift his arm again, but he found it much harder then in previous times. “Kinda...sleepy too.”

“Hmm...” The physician looked up a Lan wearily, then down at the strap wrapped around his forearm measuring his blood pressure. “This looks a little...” Then he lifted his head decidedly and began removing the needle pricing Lan's arm, placing a small tile of cotton on the spot. “Alright, Lan, were going to stop.”

“Huh?” Lan glanced over at Megaman, rubbing his arm absentmindedly. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” The man shook his head. “Those feelings are completely normal to have when blood is drawn.” Though, there seemed to be some other thing on the man's mind that he wasn't saying. He gathered what blood he collected and left the room.

“Lan...Are you ok?” Megaman asked, not making an attempt to hide his considerable concern.

Lan tilted his head over toward Megaman and looked at him fully, he never could never really hide anything from him. Though in his defense he wasn't really hiding anything, he simply didn't want anyone to worry about him, especially since Megaman had his own problems to worry about. “Yeah, Just a little tired I guess.” He just wished he could move...

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That was it, he didn't care if it was a bad idea or not, he didn't care if his body still ached, he didn't care if Blues was attempting to convince him in a callous reasoning with bare traces of noticeable concern that he should stay in bed.

Enzan grunted in frustrated aggravation, pressing his hand against the mattress and slipping his legs over the side. “Goddammit, I'm sick of this bed.” He said honestly, and though he was angry, his answer had nothing to do with anger. Boredom wasn't apart of it either, though it was a pooling in his chest like stagnate water. There was a natural, inane trait to his wish to move away from this place, he didn't know what it was, he simply felt he had to obey it against all cost. “I'm sick of this damn room.”

“Since when were you so restless?” Blues asked, looking at Enzan in an intrigued manner, like he was watching something he didn't like to see but couldn't seem to look away. Like a train wreak happening before his eyes. He began to realize that, like a train wreak, this could only end badly. It was a deep sense in him that was starting to rise with discontempt. 'Enzan...'

“I'm not *restless*.” Enzan snorted highly defensively. Restless, that was such a...flawed word, like a person who couldn't contain or restrain themselves. He could restrain himself, Enzan thought, leaning over the edge of the bed, he just couldn't seem to contain himself in this, but he was reserved in everything else! He didn't want to, he didn't feel as if he was doing something wrong in wanting this, in fact he felt he was doing something wrong by staying here...He had to get out of here, he had to get out of here... 'This room...damn this room.' He felt like this room was swallowing him, he had to get out or he'd never get out. “I'm just...” He paused, his mind searching for the right word, “...sick of sitting here.”

“Hmph, you never had a problem with it before.” Blues said, having seen Enzan work by locking himself in a room for days on end, only to lock himself in another to finish another task. He didn't understand why sitting in a hospital would be so unbearable for him, he couldn't have possibly been home sick. He knew Enzan was not that attached to anything, besides Lan of course, so what was it?

“I don't have a problem with it.” Enzan hissed bitterly, he felt paranoid, like he was being accused of something horribly wrong...'What's wrong with me?' He had no reason to, Blues knew him well, and he was just stating obvious facts that, by all means, he shouldn't have taken offense to. So why did he feel like he was being prosecuted? Like the world was staring at him, like he was under a burning spotlight. No... no, the wrong thing wasn't with him, it was with this room. “I-I just can't stand it anymore, ok?!”

Blues looked at him questioningly, Enzan seemed surprisingly...erratic, today. Was this room really getting to him that much? “Enzan?” What was wrong with him?

Enzan stood up, not yet feeling his strength ebbing as he knew it would start to. He didn't care if it did, he'd hold on to something, he'd pull himself outside. He'd use a wheelchair, hell he'd crawl if need be, he felt that desperate. A sharp pricing pain burned up his left leg as he moved much to suddenly and he limped heavily, feeling keenly how strongly his speed was being hindered with each passing second. “Shit...” His bandaged arm flared up with a strong itch, stronger then the ones that came with new bandages, he scratched them in an aggravated movement filled with disarray.

The boy looked as if wanted to do so many things desperately, so many things were pulling him in different ways, but he could only do one. “Enzan...” Blues sighed, Enzan was really acting strange, he was angry and wanted to leave more then ever. Something wasn't right...”What' s wrong?” His voice asked with a curt concern, he leaned forward tensely.

“I just need to get out of here!” Enzan half shouted in a frantic outcry, moving toward the door as fast as he could manage. He felt anxious, something much deeper then the impending paranoia, he felt claustrophobic, he felt...Enzan stopped in mid step, he froze completely, an almost shocked look came to his face. '!!' He gasped and clinched his chest, his eyes widening, like the air had been snatched from his lungs, from the room. He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, so fast and hard he feared something would happen to it but not knowing what. “Unnn...”

“Enzan!” Blues knew something was wrong now, no denying it. Worry shot through him like a cold chill shuttering down his spine, what was happening to him? He'd never felt such an incoherent, inexpressible concern, fear... “”E-Enzan!”

Enzan felt the familiar, numbing weakness returning, and soon enough his legs began to tremble. He felt dizzy, lightheaded. The room was spinning around him, blurring, twisting and turning. '!!' Enzan stumbled and fell to his knees, sliding back weakly into the wall. “N-No...I have to...” He looked around fearfully as the walls began to close in on him, he'd thought the air was gone before, but he truly couldn't breathe now! “I have to get out of here!” He reached blindly outward, wishing desperately to get out, of this room!

There was no way out! No!

But soon enough his vision went blank and he fell dormant on the ground.

“Enzan!!”

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Day 5: Longing

“Um...” Megaman smiled nervously, shuddering from the chill that came with the air meeting his bare skin. He forcibly had to avert his thoughts from his current condition, sitting on the familiar cold metal surface of the examination table. Unsure blue eyes rolled over the familiar equipment and surfaces in Tadashi's workspace, sitting thankfully in his boxers this time, keeping his thoughts distant, it was the only way he'd be able to refrain from blushing. Such an action would put his embarrassment on display, the last thing he need was for Tadashi to know how he was feeling, that would just make it worse. “Got anything yet?” He felt he had to speak, Tadashi had not asked for any responses, but he had spoken at length to fill up the yawning, shameful gap that loomed between them. He had spoken to try to drag the unreal nature of the situation back to safe and sound ground. To fill the awkward silence hanging in the air, at lest awkward for him. Maybe one of these days he was going to make a fool of himself, blurting out words in a half-thoughtless manner when ever he felt awkward.

Tadashi stood at the counter, doing something unseen on a Laptop, completely involved. Megaman shook his head and groaned to himself, here he was, unable to stop thinking about anything besides the fact he was sitting here almost completely naked. And Tadashi wasn't the slightest bit concerned. “Not yet...” He said thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on the screen as if drawn inevitably by it.

Megaman knew that tone, that posture, that demeanor. Tadashi had all but completely receded into himself , his mind attempting to dissect and comprehend a problem, and in such a state he unconsciously gave bare answers made merely to disband farther questions. “Hmm...” It amazed him how Tadashi had no aversion to doing these things.

'Geez...' Megaman lifted his hand and scratched his head gently, a nervous habit he'd developed among other things with this body. It still amazed him how simple things could elicit the most notable reactions, like the difference in temperatures when he was clothed and when he wasn't. He could take blunt sensations, definite cold and hot, distinct pain, it was all he was used to during his life. But when he obtained this body, a whole new set of senses awakened in him, and the old ones became sharper, new. He felt like an infant.

The chill of cold air, the light heat drifting up from a plate of food, bare touches against his skin, such new sensations made him nervous, confused even, like he didn't know how to handle it. “Is it...suppose to feel like this?” Megaman asked timidly.

Tadashi continued to gaze down at the screen. “What do you mean?” Tadashi asked, his voice still different.

“I mean...” Megaman looked away again, trying the words to describe it. It was always hard for him, many things were harder of him now. “This body, I guess it feels...maybe strange at times, the little things mostly.”

“Like what?” Tadashi asked, clearly dividing his interest.

“Well...soft things, light things, like wind, and air and touches...” Megaman could stop blushing this time, when he thought of the last one he thought of many different things, Tadashi, his equipment...Lan.

Tadashi didn't respond at first, but he slowly looked up from the screen and glanced back at Megaman, “Hmm...You said touches right?” He asked, seeming to take a slight interest now.

Megaman nodded meekly.

“That's normal.” Tadashi snorted with amusement. “That's one thing you'll have to get used to. But you said it made you feel strange?” He looked back down at his screen thoughtfully. “You know...I think I'm not running a broad enough range of test. Anything else?”

Megaman dropped his head and sighed, he knew he should have stopped talking, but he just couldn't help it, the awkward silences were too much for him “I'm not sure this is related to anything but...I feel kinda like I'm missing something. Every time I think of something, it's like I have more ideas but I just can't hear them. I feel like..somethings missing, like I want something but I just don't know what it is.”

“Heh.” Tadashi smiled. “That's life.”

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“Were you...always this heavy?” Lan grunted with a harsh whisper. He pushed open the door roughly, fearing briefly for a second that it would bang against the wall and awaken everyone in the house. Megaman's arm was draped over his shoulder, his own arms clinched desperately around Megaman's waist, and the taller form leaned on him heavily. Lan struggled visibly to carry the combined weight, with harsher breathing, and slow, sloppy steps, each one on the verge of collapse.

“S-sorry about this.” Megaman apologized weakly, with all of his strength he pushed upward with his legs, attempting to lift himself off of Lan and carry as much of his weight as he could. But his efforts only served to intensify the ringing dizziness that spun around in his head, the harsh nauseousness that stirred in his stomach. The worse of it had to be the pain that he couldn't feel physically, a sense like his mind was being scattered and he couldn't think, that feeling that everything was still being defragmented. He staggered along as Lan pulled him onward, closer and closer to the stairs, knowing his attempts to help carry himself were making his condition worse but....

The closer they came, the more Lan realized that he'd never be able to get Megaman up those stairs. “Un....” Finally he faltered in fatigue, letting himself fall on to the couch with Megaman weakly in tow. “I just need to...rest here...for a while...” He panted, landing listlessly on top of Megaman. Megaman couldn't move if he tried, every muscle in his body seemed to lock and become tight and stiff, an inevitable result.

They were silent for a while as the both tried to regain themselves. It was late, later then Lan normally returned home, sometime around 10:30, or at lest thats what it had been the last time he looked at a clock.

Lan lifted his head from the former Navi's chest and looked up at him with an unusual shyness in his eyes, his mouth opened to speak, but the words didn't come immediately, as if wanted to say something but thought better of it. “Megaman... are you... ok?” Timidly.

Megaman blinked questioningly, and nodded. “Yeah. I'm ok.” Questioning reassurance.

Lan slowly laid his head on to Megaman's chest again and stared outward in the dark interior of the living room. “...” Silence.

Megaman continue watching Lan, perceiving the shy, worry in the boy's voice. Was he worried about him? “Why do you ask?” Questioning.

Lan shook his head, he never could hide anything from Megaman, he was almost sure that Megaman knew he was worried. For that very reason it was easier not to speak on it, not to go through the tangle of awkward emotions that such a conversation would bring about. An unconscious reflex drove his answer, just as last time “No reason really.” A weak denial

“Hn.” Accepted.

Lan titled his head and stared down at Megaman's chest, feeling the warmth drifting up from his body, and again he couldn't help but notice how astounding this all really was. How much difference it made now that he could touch Megaman, feel him, and have Megaman be able to do the same. Laying stretched out across the couch like this he really could notice the height difference between them. His entire body could fit between boundaries of the arm rest while Megaman's head laid on top of it, a single leg was hanging off the side and the other leg was drawn up half awkwardly leaning against the backrest. Lan could see it even more now that he was this close, at 12 inches or so shorter then Megaman at the lest.

Oh Gods he wished wasn't a dream, having seen Megaman on the verge of death and now he was better then ever..A sense of reluctance came again as he lifted his hand, almost fearing that Megaman would disappear, though he knew it was an irrational one wouldn't happen. He pressed his hand against Megaman's stomach, as if trying to confirm it was all real, his finger tips taking in the feel of warm, firm flesh defined with muscles yet holding a level of softness. Megaman shuttered lightly at the cold touch , but stayed still, silent, observing.

Becoming bolder in his explorations, Lan lifted the other one to Megaman's torso and roamed over the toned body, almost forgetting that Megaman was even there in his deep need to know he was real and tangible. Finally he just closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Megaman, hugging him as tightly as he could. “You know...I-I had missed you so much, I didn't think that you'd ever-” A breakdown and reluctance admittance

Megaman rested his hands on Lan's shoulder comfortingly, noting how every point of his own skin felt when connected with Lan's, it felt just as amazing and invaluable to him as it did the first time. “It's ok, I'm alright. Nothing's gonna happen to me” Hopefully comforting reassurance.

“I know but...” He didn't know, in fact something inside of him was determinedly sure that something would, that he'd wake up to find it was all just a dream, and Megaman was really gone, or would be. Lan burred his face into Megaman's chest, he had to force himself to repress on coming tears, he shouldn't be crying now. Everything was fine, everything was working out perfectly, he had all he could ever need...something like this could only be a dream, and he was bound to wake up sometime. “It's just that sometimes I think your gonna-” A complete break down and timid admittance.

“Lan, relax.” Megaman ruffled his hair lightly and smiled down at the boy, he didn't know what was that made him feel an odd sense of...relieved happiness. Lan was ready to cry over him, something inside of him felt a satisfaction knowing he had so much barring to the boy, another part felt a sense of pride that Lan was trying to show strength and attempting hold it back. “I'm ok now, every things alright...” More reassurance.

Lan's face cringed as he attempted to restrain himself, to hold back a flood of repressed things he hadn't realized were even there until the moment they began blurring his vision and choking his throat. Finally it all burst out with a sputtering sob and he buried his face into Megaman's chest and cried.

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It hadn't taken Lan too long to cry himself to sleep, he was soon lulled to sleep in Megaman's passive, worried embrace.

He felt better now, the strange feelings of weak dizziness, disorderedness, and being generally lost had faded away. If he tried he knew he'd be able to move normally again, but every time the thought crossed his mind, he'd look down at Lan and see how peacefully he was sleeping now, his face dormant and still with the slight wetness of tears on his cheek. He'd put it off, saying to himself he didn't want to disturb the boy.

So instead he reached to the back of his neck and drew a cord that lay at the top of his spine, and connected it to his former P.E.T.

Not as much had changed as Megaman expected, apart of him, having fought the '201102' virus, had thought this place would end up looking in a similar manner. It was just as he had left it, even better in fact, most of the damage that had been caused when the system was infected were gone, exactly what had happened to it, Megaman wasn't sure. It was probably isolated in some deep corner.

Zero climbed quickly to his feet and walked towards him with hasty, anxious steps. “Megaman? What are you doing here?” He asked, his voice wasn't as much questioning as it was surprised, like he hadn't thought anyone would come...

“I don't know.” Megaman shrugged and smiled his usual friendly smile. “Just thought I'd drop by.” Honestly there'd been a nagging notion in his mind the entire day about Zero, wondering how he was, what he was doing now that he wasn't occupying Blue's space.

“Oh.” Zero nodded and slowly eased himself to the ground, crossing his legs and dropping his hands into his lap. He smiled relievedly, thought Megaman didn't understand what he saw, it was like Zero had thought Megaman was some unknown danger, or something that sought to cause him harm. “Glad to see you guys didn't forget about me.”

“How could anyone forget about *you*?”Megaman snorted with amusement, he didn't think he'd be able to forget about Zero if he tried. If felt like he had an organic sense to do more then simply remember him...

“Heh heh.” Zero rubbed the back of his neck and smirked, “You say it like it's hard to forget someone like me.” Zero's smirk softened and he tilted his head back and looked up, his eyes distant and forlorn. Megaman looked at him thoughtfully, almost thinking Zero meant something by his words and he was missing it. But the thought faded quickly with Zero's next words. “You say it like I'm some weird guy or something.” Zero looked at Megaman with feigned inquisition. “So what are you saying Megaman?”

Megaman laughed out loud, shaking his head and waving his hands in surrender. “No, no way.” He declined, “Your not that strange.”

Zero rolled his eyes and waved his hand discardingly. The laughter ceased and the smiles dulled into content expressions, a comfortable silence spread between the two.

Megaman slowly sat down in front of Zero, drawing his legs up to his chest and resting his folded arms on his knees. He sat in the silence and watched observantly, not intentionally a studying quality to his watching, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to know what it was about Zero that seem to draw him so much, like something in him was missing, and Zero could help him find it. He smiled to himself, he liked Zero, and that feeling was completely unrelated to the other one. He was like everyone he was friends with in some aspect, he had something familiar about him, but he was unlike anyone he'd ever met.

“I'm really glad you actually came.” Zero said. “You have no idea how boring it is in here.”Casually.

“I was never bored.”Replying.

Zero looked up at him with a faint realization, he'd nearly forgotten that this was Megaman's P.E.T. “Really?” Zero asked curiously, how could Megaman not have been, he felt like he was in jail, even though he could leave whenever he wished. No, his prison wasn't physical, it was a mental one. “'Cause I couldn't take it anymore.” A fact too incredible for belief.

Megaman shrugged.“You miss him?” Clearly implying Blues.

“Well...” Zero looked away, slipping his hand into the his long, golden hair and rubbing the back of his head nervously. He seemed a bit shy about the subject, as if he was about to divulge something shamefully embarrassing. But despite all of those feelings he had no doubts or reluctance about admitting it.“Yeah I miss him.” A timid admittance.

Megaman nodded, at first thinking that was it, that had to be why Zero was so horribly bored. He missed Blues, that was it, Megaman wasn't sure how he could miss him that much, but he had been practically alone in here since they'd made whatever deal had caused them to separate. Who wouldn't be bored. “I'll stay with you.” Megaman offered, speaking as if what he was offering was simply a small gift that wasn't much of anything. “If you want.” A friendly offer.

Zero smiled, he laughed even, another out pouring of his relief someone else was here. “Sure, if you want.” He nodded happily. “I glad, 'cause I think I was starting to lose it.” Half joking.

Megaman smiled at his smile. “I don't think you ever had it.” Joking back.

“What, are you trying to take over for Blues today?” Playful defensiveness.

Megaman's eyes rolled upward thoughtfully, as if he was really contemplating it. Maybe he was...”I'm just being honest.” Megaman said politely, then he laughed out loud. “Some one like you only comes along once in a life time.” Yeah, maybe he was trying to fill in for Blues and didn't realize it fully. He got the sense that Zero liked to argue, to fight, with anger and annoyment came an energy that made him want to push back, an excited energy that created a stubborn diligence that didn't so much create the desire to get his point across, but simply to debate it. “You are pretty unusually.” Nonchalantly.

Zero pointed at Megaman accusingly and laughed. “Your the one that was all afraid when we were flying.” He retorted, leaning forward and rubbing Megaman's head in a childish way, thinking of how Megaman had shouted in startled fright gave him a sense of one like an elder brother looking on at his scared sibling. “You screamed the whole way.” An amused, playful taunting

Megaman blushed and shook his head, laughing in a mixture of amusement and an embarrassment. “It wasn't like that at all.” He protested, shaking his head...'?' He felt something small fall on to his arm, so small and light that he barely noticed it. Megaman looked down. “Huh?” Inquiring.

Zero questioningly looked down to see what it was also, he saw a small drop of blue liquid on Megaman's forearm, and immediately froze with an unspeakable fright. '!?' His eyes widened in shock and darted up to the lowest tip of his helmet that dipped over the bridge of his nose. The same blue liquid was slowly filtering down and discharging off, another drop fell onto Megaman's arm and Zero felt as afraid as a child who'd seen death itself. '!!' Zero clamped his hand over his forehead, his body so taunt it nearly trembled,for a full moment it seemed he was so stiff from fight that his body was locked, feeling his heart begin to pound and air becoming increasingly scares. Tense, fearful silence.

Megaman at first was fixated with it because he felt a vague familiar sense about it, '?' He looked up and saw Zero pulling away from him. “Zero?” Megaman looked at him questioningly, tilting his head to the side with a bit of perplexity, not yet grasping the intensity of Zero's behavior. He pointed to Zero's hands cuffed tightly over his forehead with an instinctive move, watching the same blue liquid slowly slip in between his fingers. When he spoke his voice was as innocent and unknowing as a curious child. “What's that?” Innocent questioning.

'!!' Zero flinched, unable to describe exactly the torrent of emotions that erupted inside of him. He felt the overwhelming need to run, to hide, to get away from Megaman, out of his sight, out of his mind. He made him feel every bit of what he was by Megaman just standing there looking at him, looking at him with questioning. He felt he had no physical existence at all right then; he was something he hated, the bandage of shame which he knew was attached to this blue liquid. He did not really know just where this fear and shame had come from; it had just been there, that was all, and it rose in him hot and hard. “N-no...”He gasped, with a hard flinch he fell backwards onto a sitting position and drew back like a scared, wounded animal fearing harm or danger. His only instinct, all of his feeling pushed him flee, to do so right now.

“Hey Zero-” Megaman leaned forward, reaching out a hand, hoping to prevent him moving any farther. His concern was pouring obviously into his voice, his worry was clear in his body's posture. “-Wait a minute.” Reaching out to him with concern.

“N-no! G-g...” Zero stumbled over his words, knowing only that he felt this horrible shame, like he'd committed a nameless wrong, and Megaman's presence was accusing him. A strange sensation enveloped him. Something tingled in his stomach and on his scalp, his knees wobbled, giving way. He stumbled backwards weakly a wave of numbness spread fan wise from his stomach over his entire body, including his head and eyes, making his mouth gap. Strength ebbed from him, he sank to his knees and pressed his fingers to the floor to keep from tumbling over on his side. An organic sense of dread seized him. He had to get away, some hard sense in him feared that Megaman would hate him horribly for being what he was, half a virus. He was just some hideous, ugly thing, a monstrosity with no value, retaining the flaws of both sides and and the strengths of none. “No!” A horrified plea.

“Zero!” Megaman shouted. “Stop! Calm down!” Reaching out with complete worry.

“N-no, stay away from me!” A desperate, fearful plea devoid of any thought other then fear and the instinct to get away from it all.

“Zero! What's wrong! Wait! Stop running!” A confused plea just as desperate and fearful.

Zero gained a bit of himself and rolled over on to his knees, scrambling away, struggling to climb to his feet and run as fast as he could. But his haste was so great he stumbled, it didn't keep him down for more then a half a second before he stumbled to his knees and tried even harder. “N-no!” Overwhelming fear made him completely shut down and utter rejection of everything.

Megaman pleaded, confused and afraid at the same time. His mind was so utterly jumbled with confusion and fearful worry, he had lost all focus over his actions. He moved with out the slightest thought as to what he was doing, scrambling forward after him frantically. All he knew was something was wrong, something was terribly wrong, he had to find out what it was, he had to fix it! Megaman dove forward and tackled Zero roughly, grabbing him by the legs and sending them both down. Megaman quickly found himself in a wild struggle as Zero desperately tried to push him off, and Megaman was merely trying to get him to be calm and still. Finally after a full moment of wild tumbling he found himself on top of Zero, he grabbed Zero's arms and shifted his body's weight to press solely on Zero's lower body, attempting to restrain him. “Zero!”

Zero thought only of prying Megaman away, his movements were wild and nearly erratic, but soon enough Megaman had his hands pint above his head, even if just barely. He seemed quite determined.. A strong part of him felt satisfied, as if he was getting what he deserved in this, that now he was laying open and unhidden and Megaman could see him completely for what he was and hate him for it. A strong part of him wanted to lay there and cease to exist with the knowledge that Megaman loathed him. ”...” Shame and embarrassment inhibiting words.

Megaman took his hands off of Zero's wrist and quickly pried off the helmet, tossing it aside. He looked down with worried curiosity, having developed a fearful awe before even seeing it after witnessing Zero's reaction to it. Megaman himself would have just announced with an innocent curiosity and examined it, but Zero...there had to be something wrong with it? Honestly it wasn't quite what he expected. It was just a wound, an open wound bleeding out blue blood. His first instinct was to inquire about the wound and ask how he could help it “Zero?” Unsure, tense questioning.

Zero turned his head away and shifted his eyes to the floor in a horrible disgrace, he lay idle underneath Megaman, feeling as if he was laying here naked and the entire world could see him and be horrified, remaining silent in defeat. Yes, he wanted it this way, so Megaman could hate him and see him for the virus he was. Things felt right that way, orderly, everything would be as it should that way, he would feel in his place, a favor even came, he wanted it this way. Maybe Megaman would take a long time, maybe he'd suffer while Megaman was doing it, a part of him would have applauded Megaman to that affect. He wanted to die right now, not just part of him, his entire being wished to no longer live. If only Megaman would...

It took Megaman longer then he would have liked to admit to realize Navi's didn't bleed, so maybe that's why Zero was so adamant about it. Zero was a virus, maybe he was afraid of infecting him? Megaman sighed to himself when he saw the expression on Zero's face, the posture in his form, how utterly hopeless and ashamed he looked. Maybe he just didn't like himself again. “Are you ok?” Megaman asked, slowly climbing off of Zero and shifting with a nervous embarrassment at his actions, he'd never done anything so...rash, it was like his mind had shut off and drew a blank again. Though this was the first time he'd actually made an action while in such a state “Dose it hurt?” Worry in the absence of words to comfort.

“...” Zero didn't respond immediately, still staring outward into space, into nothingness, as if he was apart of that nothingness. Finally he swallowed hard and shook his head, “.....” he half mumbled, his voice weak with timid embarrassment, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to look at Megaman again, feeling as if he'd done something horrible to him, as if his very presence was a constant reminder for that wrong. “...No.” Reluctant response.

Megaman rested on his knees at Zero's side, watching him, he couldn't possibly bring himself to lean down and looked into Zero's face. “So what are you worried about?” Megaman slipped his hand underneath Zero's cheek and cuffed his chin. Gently Megaman turned head until they were face to face. Then he pressed his forearm against Zero's head and began wiping away the blood that threatened to fall into his eyes.

Zero stared up at Megaman with his eyes wide in awe, he should have know Megaman wouldn't suddenly hate him, no, it would take more then this. 'Doesn't he know what this is?' He thought to himself, how could Megaman not realize what he was touching? If he did, would it not instantly make him think he was dirty and wrong, something to be ashamed off and stay way from? Zero quickly convinced himself that Megaman needed...had a right to know what it was. “Mega...” But his voice failed and no words would come. Maybe he did know... “...” Silence.

Megaman looked over him and couldn't help but feel saddened also. 'Man, he's really depressed...' Megaman slipped his arm around Zero's back and lifted him upright, again he found no resistance, as if the body he was moving was simply a lifeless doll that neither cooperated no fought against, like Zero's spirit had been broken and he'd completely gave up. He wondered at first where the wound came from...but no, it had probably came from one of the many fights he had with Blues. He hadn't seen Blues in about 5 days. “Does that happen lot?” Questioning.

Zero dropped his head and looked at the floor, again wanting to run, to hide, to get out of this burning spotlight that had pointed him out and isolated him from his safe hiding place. But at the same time he didn't, he held himself there, feeling a satisfaction in what he felt, like he was getting what he deserved. “Yeah, every once and a while.” He admitted.

Megaman sat down beside Zero, looking away nervously also. He couldn't look at Zero, no, he couldn't watch him, that would just make him feel worse. But he couldn't just sit here like this, in awkward silence, while Zero sat in a deadened depression. “You know...” Megaman started. “Weird stuff like that happens to me all the time.” Reaching out sacrificially.

Zero peaked in eye towards the former Navi, “Really?” He asked, a soft interest growing in what he was saying, though not generally enough to make him talk. He'd bite, even though he didn't much feel like it, just to shift the focus away from recent actions, now feeling more embarrassed about how surprised and afraid he was then what had caused those feelings in the first place.

Megaman scratched his cheek as he thought, “Some times when I do things like run a lot or try to lift really heavy things, my body stops working.” Sacrificially reaching out.

Zero looked at him fully this time, his curiosity having been peeked, he heard traces of things like this from Tadashi but he never really understood. “What do you mean?” Growing interest.

“I get all dizzy and weak. Then I start feeling kinda sick and everything gets blurry.” Megaman explained, feeling no aversion to discussing this with Zero as he may have with Lan or anyone else. He felt like Zero had shown him everything, every hidden fact about himself, and it comforted Megaman a bit, spawning the sense that Zero surely wouldn't think any less of him having shown his own flaws. “If I keep going, everything just kinda locks and I can hardly move for a while.”

Zero watched Megaman with a silent curiosity, where he had thrust himself into an entirely different field, dangerous and uncharted territory, Megaman had made it safe again. “Really...” Zero asked with an reverence and timid opening audible in his voice. “Well, stuff like that happened to me, kinda.” Zero admitted, he looked away again, feeling nervous but wanting to talk to someone, wanting to talk to Megaman, to get it all out. He wanted to talk to Megaman, like he wanted to talk to Tadashi the morning when the man had lowered his defenses, only this time he'd felt defeated enough to do it. “Sometimes I...kinda tune out.” Finally admitting.

“Tune out?”

“It's hard to describe.” Zero said bashfully, attempting to find a way to describe it all. “I just kinda blank out, one minute every things ok and the next I just kinda go...”Loss for words to describe it fully.

Megaman nodded in slight understanding, he didn't know what it meant completely but he got the idea. Zero didn't like to be alone with himself, he always had a faint knowledge but he knew it now in a way he didn't know it before, it was closer when it was distant, more real. Zero was manic at best, most times he was fine, or seemed to be, other times he fell into this subtle, self-loathing depression with nervous, fake smiles and a dulling look in his usually bright eyes. Megaman hated that look, it always elicited a deep sadness in himself. It wasn't just the fact that Zero hated himself, there was something wrong with him that he kept hidden to himself, he was afraid of himself, of whatever problems he had. What were they? Why was he so afraid of them? “That kinda happens to me too sometimes.” Megaman said. He decided to himself, he'd stay with Zero, spend as much time as he could. What were friends for? Though he did wonder what had drove him to go through with that deal he and Blues made, especially if he didn't like being alone with himself. Why would he subject himself to that?

“Seriously?” Tension.

“Yeah.” Megaman nodded, not feeling as nervous as he had been the first time he admitted something like this. “Everything in my head just kinda scatters in every different direction and I feel really lost. Sometime I don't even know where I am or what's going on.” Most notably it happened recently when he tackled Zero. “Doesn't last too long though, maybe a few seconds or a few minutes.” Replying.

“Me too..” Zero sacrificially agreed.... A strange feeling started to ebb over him.'?' A distance...he started to feel a distance. He was looking strait at Megaman, Megaman was sitting right in front of him, but he felt like a gap was growing in between them, in between the world. Megaman's voice began to recede farther and farther from him, he could hear it less and less...

Zero?

'What the...' Zero could only stare in an awe at what was happening, not only was the world fading away from him, his body seemed to be also. He lifted his hands in front of his face just to make sure they were still his own, he lost feeling for them, for everything, it was simply dead weight, everything was cold and numb. He felt like he was in a sea, and he was floating away but all of this dead weight, his body was like loosely fitting chains, holding him down.

Zero? Are you ok?

Finally his vision began to cloud, obscured by flickering grains of static that took over his sight, and then his hearing, and then all there was was static. 'No way...not now...' He could barely hear himself think, but he could hear other things, distorted things, he could barely distinguish the bare trace of a distorted absurd, obscured voice Maybe...no it was something. 'Not again...'

Zero?!

Then all at once, like a receding tide it all drew back and he came rushing back to reality. He heard Megaman's voice calling out to him, he felt Megaman's hands gripping his shoulders tightly and shaking him. Megaman had drawn him out of it... “Huh?” Zero looked up at him, his expression blank at first, then quickly growing nervous. He smiled uneasily, hoping that it would draw attention away from what had happened, or at lest reduced the severity.

“Zero? Are you alright?” Megaman asked, reluctant to let go as if something in him feared Zero would slip away from him if he did.

This is what Zero hated, he hated seeing, hearing the worry in Megaman's voice, knowing that he was focused completely on him, thinking that something must have been horribly wrong with him. To have someone so worried over him was like being persecuted, to have what he was most ashamed of being exploited against him. Besides, it wasn't like he deserved it, ashamed pride aside, it wasn't like he deserved Megaman's concern. Megaman shouldn't have been worried about him, Megaman should have just hoped he'd slip away and his existence would end. Zero smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, what are you so worried about?” He asked, instinctively falling back into his normal persona, speaking as if he'd only drifted off into a day dream.

Megaman just stared at him in awe for what seemed to be an eternity, then his face straitened with an inspired understanding and he let Zero go, slowly receding back to where he'd been sitting. “...It happened again...” Megaman stated it as if it were a sure fact more then he asked. He immediately began to feel a nauseous guilt for bringing up something he knew Zero was trying so hard to conceal and ward away as nothing.

Zero tilted his head to the side and his eyes fell to the floor, “...” He was silent for a moment, almost as if he'd never answer, but just like before he couldn't have resisted being drawn into Megaman's nature. Feeling as if he was admitting to some shameful act that should have been kept in the dark, he nodded. “...Yeah...”

Megaman rubbed the back of his head and smiled. “I guess we both have some problems to work out huh?” Sacrificial and uncompromising acceptance.

Zero was taken back for a moment, a part of him was in utter disbelief that Megaman could react to him in such a way, a part of him still screamed out in a frustrated voice that Megaman should hate him, that any moment now everything would occur to him and he'd start loathing him as much as he did himself. But that moment never came, and Zero was left sitting there with his mouth hanging open and slightly bewildered. “...Yeah...” Speechless.

Megaman crossed his legs and sat in a comfortable, thoughtful silence. What he was thinking of, Zero had no idea.

“Hey Megaman...” Questioningly.

“Huh?”

“....Thanks....” Offering thankfully.

Megaman waved his hand discardingly. “No problem.” Shy disregard.

“Oh...and could you, not tell anyone about this.” Hopeful

“Of course.” Compliance.

! - ! - !