MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Survival of the Fittest ❯ Chapter Ten ( Chapter 10 )
[ 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: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 394 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Supernatural | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.27.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 394 | Status: Completed
"...Because I love him." Those words seemed to echo in Netto's mind for what felt like and eternity. Not much had reached through his fever-ridden brain, but those words, and the feelings that had come with them, were clear as crystal. Enzan loved him! If only he wasn't so weak right now he could tell Enzan that the feeling was mutual...
((He knows, Little Brother.)) said a deep, soothing voice that Netto immediately recognized as Tainn's. ((Through us he knows. Now be still so that we may heal you.))
After that Netto didn't remember anything except waking up and finding Enzan next to him, still asleep. His breathing was calm and steady, and his expression was peaceful. Looking over Enzan Netto spotted lying on the floor in a sphinx-like position, watching them both. She nodded to him in greeting, but kept silent. That in itself was unusual, for like Kichi, Anuzu couldn't keep her mouth shut.
((Very funny. I was trying to be polite and let you both rest.))
(Sure you were.) Netto replied.
Anuzu gave Netto an indignant glare. Netto just smiled and stuck his tongue out at the wolf.
"Netto?"
Enzan's voice brought Netto's attention back to the other boy. He smiled at Enzan and gave him a hug as soon as he sat up, which greatly surprised the older boy. When Netto let him go both of them were blushing.
"I see you're feeling better. That's good."
Netto caught the tone of guilt in Enzan's voice and frowned. Was he blaming himself for what had happened? Granted, the only reason Netto had gone back out into the storm was to find Enzan, but it wasn't Enzan's fault that he'd fallen into the river. It had been pure bad luck that Netto hadn't been watching where he was going and fell into the water.
"It wasn't your fault, Enzan. I wasn't watching where I was going, and I should have known better. But everything turned out fine, so it doesn't matter."
Enzan nodded. Netto smiled and leaned against him. Things had turned out quite fine indeed.
((Yes, yes. You're fine, he's fine, everybody's fine!)) Anuzu snorted.
"You're just jealous because we're not paying any attention to you," Netto replied with a grin. Enzan was visibly startled. Netto guessed that he couldn't hear Anuzu all the time, the way he did.
((Shut-up, Hikari, or I'll send you for another swim.))
((Hush, Anuzu. That is no way to treat such honored guests.)) Tainn scolded walking back into the cabin through the open doorway. Behind him, lingering outside, Netto and Enzan could see a few more wolves, all of which were silent. ((And if our guests are finished resting, I would ask that they please follow us. There is much we have to discuss, once we are in a safer place.))
"Safer place?" Netto asked, confused. "Why wouldn't this place be safe?"
((I will explain when we have reached our destination. Please, movve quickly.))
Netto shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with Tainn. The wolves knew the mountain better than even he did, and if they said something dangerous was coming, then he was going to trust them. Apparently so was Enzan. That or he simply didn't feel like arguing with a creature that could easily tear his arms off, and Netto was willing to bet on the second choice. Pulling his shirt back on Netto got up, waiting a moment for the room to stop spinning before he followed Tainn out of the cabin. Enzan kept his arm around Netto's waist, saying that he was making sure Netto didn't fall. A lame excuse, but Netto didn't mind.
((You're going to make me gag!)) Anuzu protested.
(Shut-up.) Netto replied. (You're just jealous.)
((Am not.))
(Are too.)
((Both of you stop. We have much walking to do. Anuzu, go with Centan and scout the forest ahead of us. We do not need to be ambushed.))
Anuzu trotted off into the woods with one of the other grey wolves, disappearing into the mist that had begun to form. Around them the forest was quiet, he couldn't even heard a bird singing. The silence made Netto a little edgy. Enzan picked up on that and walked a little closer to him for comfort.
Tainn was right about them having a lot of walking to do. He took them on a winding trail into the mountains, and after awhile not even Netto could recognise where they were. Nothing looked familiar to him. The trees here were much older, and the creeks and streams, when they came across some, were much wider and shallower than the ones he knew. Here it wasn't silent at all, there were pleanty of birds calling to one another, and they could hear insects buzzing around. The place [i]felt[/i] ancient and untouched, and Netto had a feeling that him and Enzan were the first humans to come to this place in centuries.
((That would be correct, Little Brother. We have almost reached our destination. You will be able to rest there, and then we shall explain a few things to you.))
That was a good thing. Netto was beginning to feel tired, and he didn't know how much longer he could walk before his legs gave out. Enzan showed no such weakness, but then, Enzan hadn't been sick for the past few days.
((We are here.)) Tainn announced with a howl.
"Here" was a clearing in the trees where a large piece of quartz jutted out of the ground. It was an odd thing to look at, the cyrstal itself was smooth, but it had a jagged appearance because of its shape. A small spring surrounded the crystal, and that spring channeled into several smaller streams that wove though the clearing. This place [i]felt[/i] more ancient that the rest of the forest did. Netto wasn't sure if Enzan could sense it, but Netto felt a very strong connection to this place.
((Sit now, Brothers, and we shall tell you of what has finally come full circle.))
Netto wasn't sure what that meant, but he was glad to finally be able to sit down. His legs felt like rubber from all of the walking.
Next to him Enzan looked just as tired.
((As you have guessed, this place is very old. It was like this when we first came to this forest, centuries ago. It was still pure, untouched by man. But much of the forest was being destroyed by the humans, and they hunted us out of fear and hatred.
Their hate poisoned the spirits of the mountains, and they in turn became demons which hunted all living things, spreading even more poison to the world.
It was our wish to protect these mountains from that evil, and many thought the way to doing that was by getting rid of the humans that hunted us. But that only created more hate between us, and in the end no one could win. My ancestor, Riane, tried to persuade the others that this was not the right way, but they would not listen, so the evil grew.
But not all humans shared the belief that we were evil, and that the land belonged soley to the humans. There was one young girl in particular, a girl named Aleka, who stood up to her kind to protect the wolves and the land. She was shunned by her kind for this, and was cast into the forest to be killed by the wolves. Riane found her, and, seeing the pureness of her heart, fell in love with her. He wished to protect her from the evil that was coming. So he brought her to this place.
By then the demons created by human hatred had spread to the edge of this sacred place, and we wolves had nowhere else to run. The humans had destroyed everything else but this sanctuary, and we were going to fight to our last to keep it from them. And many did fall that night. Both the ground and the sky wept with the blood of human and wolf alike. And as before, neither won the first battle. But we were outnumbered, and the humans had many warriors with them. One was a man of great strength, and he had heard that a young girl of great beauty was being held in the sanctuary, a prisoner of the wolves. He had decided that he would make himself even greater by rescuing her.
Riane, being close to this man, heard his thoughts and went to protect his beloved Aleka. He caught the man just as he reached the clearing, and struck him down, but not before the man's own dagger found Riane's heart. Aleka, filled with grief at Riane's passing, decided that she must do something to stop the pointless killings before all life here was destroyed. So she offered herself to the Spirits, trading her life for the safety of the mountains. The Spirits accepted her offer, and took her. Where she stood when they took her is now where the Heart of the Forest stands.)) Tainn turned away from Netto and Enzan to look at the quartz stone.
"That's an interesting folk legend, but what does that have to do with us?" Enzan asked.
Tainn chuckled. ((I thought that would have been obvious to you. After all, you felt me looking into your soul and reading what was there. Why do you think I complied with your wish to heal Netto?))
Enzan still looked confused.
"I know why," Netto said softly. Enzan looked at him, but Netto was staring at the stone. "Its because you're Riane, reborn as a human. And I'm Aleka."
((That is correct.))
((He knows, Little Brother.)) said a deep, soothing voice that Netto immediately recognized as Tainn's. ((Through us he knows. Now be still so that we may heal you.))
After that Netto didn't remember anything except waking up and finding Enzan next to him, still asleep. His breathing was calm and steady, and his expression was peaceful. Looking over Enzan Netto spotted lying on the floor in a sphinx-like position, watching them both. She nodded to him in greeting, but kept silent. That in itself was unusual, for like Kichi, Anuzu couldn't keep her mouth shut.
((Very funny. I was trying to be polite and let you both rest.))
(Sure you were.) Netto replied.
Anuzu gave Netto an indignant glare. Netto just smiled and stuck his tongue out at the wolf.
"Netto?"
Enzan's voice brought Netto's attention back to the other boy. He smiled at Enzan and gave him a hug as soon as he sat up, which greatly surprised the older boy. When Netto let him go both of them were blushing.
"I see you're feeling better. That's good."
Netto caught the tone of guilt in Enzan's voice and frowned. Was he blaming himself for what had happened? Granted, the only reason Netto had gone back out into the storm was to find Enzan, but it wasn't Enzan's fault that he'd fallen into the river. It had been pure bad luck that Netto hadn't been watching where he was going and fell into the water.
"It wasn't your fault, Enzan. I wasn't watching where I was going, and I should have known better. But everything turned out fine, so it doesn't matter."
Enzan nodded. Netto smiled and leaned against him. Things had turned out quite fine indeed.
((Yes, yes. You're fine, he's fine, everybody's fine!)) Anuzu snorted.
"You're just jealous because we're not paying any attention to you," Netto replied with a grin. Enzan was visibly startled. Netto guessed that he couldn't hear Anuzu all the time, the way he did.
((Shut-up, Hikari, or I'll send you for another swim.))
((Hush, Anuzu. That is no way to treat such honored guests.)) Tainn scolded walking back into the cabin through the open doorway. Behind him, lingering outside, Netto and Enzan could see a few more wolves, all of which were silent. ((And if our guests are finished resting, I would ask that they please follow us. There is much we have to discuss, once we are in a safer place.))
"Safer place?" Netto asked, confused. "Why wouldn't this place be safe?"
((I will explain when we have reached our destination. Please, movve quickly.))
Netto shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with Tainn. The wolves knew the mountain better than even he did, and if they said something dangerous was coming, then he was going to trust them. Apparently so was Enzan. That or he simply didn't feel like arguing with a creature that could easily tear his arms off, and Netto was willing to bet on the second choice. Pulling his shirt back on Netto got up, waiting a moment for the room to stop spinning before he followed Tainn out of the cabin. Enzan kept his arm around Netto's waist, saying that he was making sure Netto didn't fall. A lame excuse, but Netto didn't mind.
((You're going to make me gag!)) Anuzu protested.
(Shut-up.) Netto replied. (You're just jealous.)
((Am not.))
(Are too.)
((Both of you stop. We have much walking to do. Anuzu, go with Centan and scout the forest ahead of us. We do not need to be ambushed.))
Anuzu trotted off into the woods with one of the other grey wolves, disappearing into the mist that had begun to form. Around them the forest was quiet, he couldn't even heard a bird singing. The silence made Netto a little edgy. Enzan picked up on that and walked a little closer to him for comfort.
Tainn was right about them having a lot of walking to do. He took them on a winding trail into the mountains, and after awhile not even Netto could recognise where they were. Nothing looked familiar to him. The trees here were much older, and the creeks and streams, when they came across some, were much wider and shallower than the ones he knew. Here it wasn't silent at all, there were pleanty of birds calling to one another, and they could hear insects buzzing around. The place [i]felt[/i] ancient and untouched, and Netto had a feeling that him and Enzan were the first humans to come to this place in centuries.
((That would be correct, Little Brother. We have almost reached our destination. You will be able to rest there, and then we shall explain a few things to you.))
That was a good thing. Netto was beginning to feel tired, and he didn't know how much longer he could walk before his legs gave out. Enzan showed no such weakness, but then, Enzan hadn't been sick for the past few days.
((We are here.)) Tainn announced with a howl.
"Here" was a clearing in the trees where a large piece of quartz jutted out of the ground. It was an odd thing to look at, the cyrstal itself was smooth, but it had a jagged appearance because of its shape. A small spring surrounded the crystal, and that spring channeled into several smaller streams that wove though the clearing. This place [i]felt[/i] more ancient that the rest of the forest did. Netto wasn't sure if Enzan could sense it, but Netto felt a very strong connection to this place.
((Sit now, Brothers, and we shall tell you of what has finally come full circle.))
Netto wasn't sure what that meant, but he was glad to finally be able to sit down. His legs felt like rubber from all of the walking.
Next to him Enzan looked just as tired.
((As you have guessed, this place is very old. It was like this when we first came to this forest, centuries ago. It was still pure, untouched by man. But much of the forest was being destroyed by the humans, and they hunted us out of fear and hatred.
Their hate poisoned the spirits of the mountains, and they in turn became demons which hunted all living things, spreading even more poison to the world.
It was our wish to protect these mountains from that evil, and many thought the way to doing that was by getting rid of the humans that hunted us. But that only created more hate between us, and in the end no one could win. My ancestor, Riane, tried to persuade the others that this was not the right way, but they would not listen, so the evil grew.
But not all humans shared the belief that we were evil, and that the land belonged soley to the humans. There was one young girl in particular, a girl named Aleka, who stood up to her kind to protect the wolves and the land. She was shunned by her kind for this, and was cast into the forest to be killed by the wolves. Riane found her, and, seeing the pureness of her heart, fell in love with her. He wished to protect her from the evil that was coming. So he brought her to this place.
By then the demons created by human hatred had spread to the edge of this sacred place, and we wolves had nowhere else to run. The humans had destroyed everything else but this sanctuary, and we were going to fight to our last to keep it from them. And many did fall that night. Both the ground and the sky wept with the blood of human and wolf alike. And as before, neither won the first battle. But we were outnumbered, and the humans had many warriors with them. One was a man of great strength, and he had heard that a young girl of great beauty was being held in the sanctuary, a prisoner of the wolves. He had decided that he would make himself even greater by rescuing her.
Riane, being close to this man, heard his thoughts and went to protect his beloved Aleka. He caught the man just as he reached the clearing, and struck him down, but not before the man's own dagger found Riane's heart. Aleka, filled with grief at Riane's passing, decided that she must do something to stop the pointless killings before all life here was destroyed. So she offered herself to the Spirits, trading her life for the safety of the mountains. The Spirits accepted her offer, and took her. Where she stood when they took her is now where the Heart of the Forest stands.)) Tainn turned away from Netto and Enzan to look at the quartz stone.
"That's an interesting folk legend, but what does that have to do with us?" Enzan asked.
Tainn chuckled. ((I thought that would have been obvious to you. After all, you felt me looking into your soul and reading what was there. Why do you think I complied with your wish to heal Netto?))
Enzan still looked confused.
"I know why," Netto said softly. Enzan looked at him, but Netto was staring at the stone. "Its because you're Riane, reborn as a human. And I'm Aleka."
((That is correct.))