MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Survival of the Fittest ❯ Chapter Eight ( Chapter 8 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Yue-Digikitty 
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Supernatural | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.27.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 383 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Supernatural | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.27.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 383 | Status: Completed
A/N: Once again I wish to thank Neko for saving my butt from the evil grip of Writer's Block. Thanks, Neko.
Chapter Eight: A Friend In Need
Netto and Enzan walked through the cave/tunnel in silence. Enzan was still furious about being attacked by the skunk, and Netto was concentrating on following its trail to find an exit. It was never fully dark in the tunnel, since there were holes in the top where tree roots had poked through, allowing for a bit of the sunlight, such as it was because of the storm, to filter through. None of the holes were big enough for the boys to squeeze through, even if they could reach them.
"Netto, are you sure this place has an exit?"
"Yes, I'm sure. That skunk couldn't have gotten through any of those holes in the roof either."
Enzan was a bit surprised. How had Netto known that was what he'd been thinking. Netto turned around and grinned at Enzan.
"Remember, my cousins taught me a lot of things about these mountains. Even if they didn't tell me anything about caves being in this area."
Silence took reign once more. For how long they walked it was hard to say. The PETs still weren't working, not surprising considering how deep into the mountains they were. They'd be lucky if they could get an old fashioned watch to work out here. All of a sudden, though, they light in the tunnel grew steadily brighter, and the roof began to close in. There was an opening ahead, and Netto could smell fresh air. Eager to be free of the cave, Netto began to run, and Enzan was quick to follow. The opening was off the ground, but there were pleanty of hand and footholds the two boys could use to reach it.
Through the opening Netto could see that the storm was beginning to pick up again. There was no point going out into the rain when they were nice and dry, well, drier, in the cave. Netto settled himself down for a nap, but Enzan didn't seem to share that point of view. His PET had flashed on for a moment, and while there was no sign of Blues, the device was still picking up that strange signal. It only lasted for a moment, but Enzan was determined to follow it. Chances were it led to Kichi, and he had a score to settle with her.
"Enzan, what are you doing?" Netto asked as Enzan began to climb up to the exit. "The storm's picking up again."
"I don't care. I'm going to find out where that signal is coming from. Hopefully it will lead to your cousin, since I have a score to settle with her," Enzan growled.
"Wait until the storm ends," Netto argued, climbing after Enzan. "You'll never be able to find Kichi in such bad weather."
But Enzan wasn't listening. He had climbed through the hole and was making his way down the rocky slope that it had come out in, back down to the trees. Once he reached more stable ground he went off at a run. Netto climbed onto the slope just as Enzan disappeared into the trees. Shaking his head, Netto decided to follow him. He trotted down the slope, which wasn't the best of ideas in the world, not when it was raining. He ended up slipping and rolling the rest of the way. When Netto hit the bottem it took a moment for everything around him to stop spinning. Sitting up, Netto brushed the mud from his face before standing up, or trying to anyway. The second he put his left foot down pain shot through his body! 'What a bad time for a twisted ankle!' Netto thought, cursing silently. No matter, he still had to find Enzan.
Netto moved as quickly as his ankle would allow, but he couldn't catch up with Enzan, nor could he find the other boy. It was entirely possible that he had missed Enzan entirely and was going in the wrong direction entirely. At that moment Netto desperately wished that the PETs were working. He could certainly use Rockman's help right then.
As if summoned by the thought, the PET began to flicker. "N-Netto, can you hear me?"
"Rockman?" Netto asked, grabbing the PET. Rockman's image flickered onto the screen. "Rockman! Its great to see you!"
"Likewise. Why are you out in this storm?"
"I'm looking for Enzan. Idiot ran off into woods."
While Netto spoke he continued to walk. As with the slope, he should have known better than to loose track of his surrounding. But with the rain and wind being as loud as they were, Netto didn't see the banks of the river until it was too late. A startled shout escaped his lips as he fell into the water, the PET dropping on the edge of the bank!
"Netto!" Rockman shouted, but it did no good. Netto was already being swept away by the churning waters. Managing to think clearly despite that, Rockman began trying to reach Blues. He had to get to Enzan!
Enzan had come to the churning river, and had found a safer crossing a bit further upstream. His PET had finally begun working again, and Blues was back. He hadn't sustained any damage from any of the recent events, for which Enzan was grateful. He was still tracking the signal, which was leading him along the bank of the river. Careful to stay away from the edge so he wouldn't fall in, Enzan filled Blues in with everything that had currently happened. He didn't laugh at the incident with the skunk, but Enzan could tell that he wanted to. If Netto ever told anyone about that....
"BLUES! ENZAN!"
The sound of Rockman's voice filled Enzan's PET.
"Rockman?" Both Blues and Enzan said at the same time.
"Netto fell into the river!" Rockman shouted. "You have to help him!"
Before Enzan could ask for anything more specific the PETs went out yet again. There was no time to curse at the bad timing as Enzan suddenly spotted Netto being swept past him. Leaving his PET on the bank, Enzan dove in after the boy. The water was freezing and the current was strong, but so was Enzan. He reached Netto, though with some difficulty. The moment Enzan got his arm around Netto's waist the other boy's body went limp. Reaching the bank was another challenge, now that he had to pull Netto along as well. But he did reach it, and he did manage to pull Netto out.
"Netto? Netto, wake up!"
Netto's eyes remained shut, however. His skin was very pale, and his lips were tinged with blue. "Damn!" Enzan shouted. How long had Netto been in the water before Rockman had managed to call them? Though it was soaked as well, Enzan took off his coat and wrapped it around Netto before lifting the boy onto his back.
He had to get Netto out of the rain and warm him up. He would have to come back for the PETs later. A tinge of guilt hit him as he walked. If he had stayed back in the cave like Netto had wanted Netto wouldn't have fallen into the river.
"Stop it, Enzan. Its not like you could have known he would fall into the river," Enzan told himself, trying to shove the guilt away. Unfortunately it didn't work. If anything, it made the feeling of guilt worse.
As suddenly as the first time the wolf-dog - Anuzu, Netto had called it - appeared in front of Enzan. Hanging from her mouth were the two PETs. She looked at Enzan with piercing eyes for a moment, then turned and walked into the trees. The message was clear: follow. Enzan was still wary of that beast, but he needed to help Netto, so he followed.
Anuzu led him, not to a cave, but to an actual cabin! It was small, and the windowns were streaked with mud and debris from the storm, but it would still be dry inside! Enzan moved quickly to get Netto inside. He still hadn't woken up, and he had stopped shivering. Neither was a good sign. Anuzu followed them into the cabin, set the PETs down, then ran back outside. Enzan closed the door as soon as she was gone. Setting Netto down on the bed, he peeled off the soaked coat and shirt before pulling the blanket that had been folded up at the bed's foot over Netto. There was little to no dust in the place, and it seemed to be well stocked, hinting that people seemed to use it quite often. Most likely it was a shelter for these very types of situations.
"Come on, Netto, open your eyes," Enzan pleaded. "Please wake up?"
It seemed to work, Netto's eyes opened slightly. They were clouded and unfocused. "E-Enzan?" Netto asked in a very weak voice. "Its c-cold..."
Netto's eyes fell shut as Enzan felt a shudder run through his body. It was cold, though it was warmer than inside than outside. Enzan spotted the fireplace and both wood and a firestarter right next to it. Moving away from Netto Enzan piled some of the kindling into the fireplace and struck the firestarter over the dry wood. It took a few tried, but finally on of the sparks caught and grew into a flame. Enzan placed some larger pieces of wood onto the flame, feeding it until it was a decent size. Then he looked around for more blankets to pile onto Netto.
Small as the cabin was it didn't take long for the place to warm up. The heat began to reach Netto, but slowly. Enzan would place his hand against Netto's face every so often, and sure enough it was getting warmer. But instead of getting better, things got worse. Netto began to cough, and just hearing it made Enzan wince with pain. On top of that Netto's temperature went from cold to hot, fast. He had a fever. Now Enzan was having a hard time cooling Netto down! Netto, for the most part, hadn't moved since he'd been set down, and continued to simply lay there.
"I'm sorry, Netto," Enzan said softly. "Its my fault you're in this mess."
Even though he'd admitted it, the guilt didn't leave. He could only hope that the fever and cough would leave and that Netto would be fine. He didn't know what he would do if he wasn't. Something cold touched his hand, making Enzan jump. It was Anuzu, though how she'd gotten back in he had know idea. She was staring at him again with a pair of eyes that seemed to go right through him.
((Sleep, Brother.)) A powerful voice commanded. Before Enzan could even ask where the voice had come from, the room around him began to sway, and he had to grab onto the bed to keep himself from falling onto the floor. A sudden need for sleep overwhelmed him, and much as he tried to fight it, Enzan felt himself drifting into sleep...
Chapter Eight: A Friend In Need
Netto and Enzan walked through the cave/tunnel in silence. Enzan was still furious about being attacked by the skunk, and Netto was concentrating on following its trail to find an exit. It was never fully dark in the tunnel, since there were holes in the top where tree roots had poked through, allowing for a bit of the sunlight, such as it was because of the storm, to filter through. None of the holes were big enough for the boys to squeeze through, even if they could reach them.
"Netto, are you sure this place has an exit?"
"Yes, I'm sure. That skunk couldn't have gotten through any of those holes in the roof either."
Enzan was a bit surprised. How had Netto known that was what he'd been thinking. Netto turned around and grinned at Enzan.
"Remember, my cousins taught me a lot of things about these mountains. Even if they didn't tell me anything about caves being in this area."
Silence took reign once more. For how long they walked it was hard to say. The PETs still weren't working, not surprising considering how deep into the mountains they were. They'd be lucky if they could get an old fashioned watch to work out here. All of a sudden, though, they light in the tunnel grew steadily brighter, and the roof began to close in. There was an opening ahead, and Netto could smell fresh air. Eager to be free of the cave, Netto began to run, and Enzan was quick to follow. The opening was off the ground, but there were pleanty of hand and footholds the two boys could use to reach it.
Through the opening Netto could see that the storm was beginning to pick up again. There was no point going out into the rain when they were nice and dry, well, drier, in the cave. Netto settled himself down for a nap, but Enzan didn't seem to share that point of view. His PET had flashed on for a moment, and while there was no sign of Blues, the device was still picking up that strange signal. It only lasted for a moment, but Enzan was determined to follow it. Chances were it led to Kichi, and he had a score to settle with her.
"Enzan, what are you doing?" Netto asked as Enzan began to climb up to the exit. "The storm's picking up again."
"I don't care. I'm going to find out where that signal is coming from. Hopefully it will lead to your cousin, since I have a score to settle with her," Enzan growled.
"Wait until the storm ends," Netto argued, climbing after Enzan. "You'll never be able to find Kichi in such bad weather."
But Enzan wasn't listening. He had climbed through the hole and was making his way down the rocky slope that it had come out in, back down to the trees. Once he reached more stable ground he went off at a run. Netto climbed onto the slope just as Enzan disappeared into the trees. Shaking his head, Netto decided to follow him. He trotted down the slope, which wasn't the best of ideas in the world, not when it was raining. He ended up slipping and rolling the rest of the way. When Netto hit the bottem it took a moment for everything around him to stop spinning. Sitting up, Netto brushed the mud from his face before standing up, or trying to anyway. The second he put his left foot down pain shot through his body! 'What a bad time for a twisted ankle!' Netto thought, cursing silently. No matter, he still had to find Enzan.
Netto moved as quickly as his ankle would allow, but he couldn't catch up with Enzan, nor could he find the other boy. It was entirely possible that he had missed Enzan entirely and was going in the wrong direction entirely. At that moment Netto desperately wished that the PETs were working. He could certainly use Rockman's help right then.
As if summoned by the thought, the PET began to flicker. "N-Netto, can you hear me?"
"Rockman?" Netto asked, grabbing the PET. Rockman's image flickered onto the screen. "Rockman! Its great to see you!"
"Likewise. Why are you out in this storm?"
"I'm looking for Enzan. Idiot ran off into woods."
While Netto spoke he continued to walk. As with the slope, he should have known better than to loose track of his surrounding. But with the rain and wind being as loud as they were, Netto didn't see the banks of the river until it was too late. A startled shout escaped his lips as he fell into the water, the PET dropping on the edge of the bank!
"Netto!" Rockman shouted, but it did no good. Netto was already being swept away by the churning waters. Managing to think clearly despite that, Rockman began trying to reach Blues. He had to get to Enzan!
Enzan had come to the churning river, and had found a safer crossing a bit further upstream. His PET had finally begun working again, and Blues was back. He hadn't sustained any damage from any of the recent events, for which Enzan was grateful. He was still tracking the signal, which was leading him along the bank of the river. Careful to stay away from the edge so he wouldn't fall in, Enzan filled Blues in with everything that had currently happened. He didn't laugh at the incident with the skunk, but Enzan could tell that he wanted to. If Netto ever told anyone about that....
"BLUES! ENZAN!"
The sound of Rockman's voice filled Enzan's PET.
"Rockman?" Both Blues and Enzan said at the same time.
"Netto fell into the river!" Rockman shouted. "You have to help him!"
Before Enzan could ask for anything more specific the PETs went out yet again. There was no time to curse at the bad timing as Enzan suddenly spotted Netto being swept past him. Leaving his PET on the bank, Enzan dove in after the boy. The water was freezing and the current was strong, but so was Enzan. He reached Netto, though with some difficulty. The moment Enzan got his arm around Netto's waist the other boy's body went limp. Reaching the bank was another challenge, now that he had to pull Netto along as well. But he did reach it, and he did manage to pull Netto out.
"Netto? Netto, wake up!"
Netto's eyes remained shut, however. His skin was very pale, and his lips were tinged with blue. "Damn!" Enzan shouted. How long had Netto been in the water before Rockman had managed to call them? Though it was soaked as well, Enzan took off his coat and wrapped it around Netto before lifting the boy onto his back.
He had to get Netto out of the rain and warm him up. He would have to come back for the PETs later. A tinge of guilt hit him as he walked. If he had stayed back in the cave like Netto had wanted Netto wouldn't have fallen into the river.
"Stop it, Enzan. Its not like you could have known he would fall into the river," Enzan told himself, trying to shove the guilt away. Unfortunately it didn't work. If anything, it made the feeling of guilt worse.
As suddenly as the first time the wolf-dog - Anuzu, Netto had called it - appeared in front of Enzan. Hanging from her mouth were the two PETs. She looked at Enzan with piercing eyes for a moment, then turned and walked into the trees. The message was clear: follow. Enzan was still wary of that beast, but he needed to help Netto, so he followed.
Anuzu led him, not to a cave, but to an actual cabin! It was small, and the windowns were streaked with mud and debris from the storm, but it would still be dry inside! Enzan moved quickly to get Netto inside. He still hadn't woken up, and he had stopped shivering. Neither was a good sign. Anuzu followed them into the cabin, set the PETs down, then ran back outside. Enzan closed the door as soon as she was gone. Setting Netto down on the bed, he peeled off the soaked coat and shirt before pulling the blanket that had been folded up at the bed's foot over Netto. There was little to no dust in the place, and it seemed to be well stocked, hinting that people seemed to use it quite often. Most likely it was a shelter for these very types of situations.
"Come on, Netto, open your eyes," Enzan pleaded. "Please wake up?"
It seemed to work, Netto's eyes opened slightly. They were clouded and unfocused. "E-Enzan?" Netto asked in a very weak voice. "Its c-cold..."
Netto's eyes fell shut as Enzan felt a shudder run through his body. It was cold, though it was warmer than inside than outside. Enzan spotted the fireplace and both wood and a firestarter right next to it. Moving away from Netto Enzan piled some of the kindling into the fireplace and struck the firestarter over the dry wood. It took a few tried, but finally on of the sparks caught and grew into a flame. Enzan placed some larger pieces of wood onto the flame, feeding it until it was a decent size. Then he looked around for more blankets to pile onto Netto.
Small as the cabin was it didn't take long for the place to warm up. The heat began to reach Netto, but slowly. Enzan would place his hand against Netto's face every so often, and sure enough it was getting warmer. But instead of getting better, things got worse. Netto began to cough, and just hearing it made Enzan wince with pain. On top of that Netto's temperature went from cold to hot, fast. He had a fever. Now Enzan was having a hard time cooling Netto down! Netto, for the most part, hadn't moved since he'd been set down, and continued to simply lay there.
"I'm sorry, Netto," Enzan said softly. "Its my fault you're in this mess."
Even though he'd admitted it, the guilt didn't leave. He could only hope that the fever and cough would leave and that Netto would be fine. He didn't know what he would do if he wasn't. Something cold touched his hand, making Enzan jump. It was Anuzu, though how she'd gotten back in he had know idea. She was staring at him again with a pair of eyes that seemed to go right through him.
((Sleep, Brother.)) A powerful voice commanded. Before Enzan could even ask where the voice had come from, the room around him began to sway, and he had to grab onto the bed to keep himself from falling onto the floor. A sudden need for sleep overwhelmed him, and much as he tried to fight it, Enzan felt himself drifting into sleep...