Title: "Infecten – stage 5 – Maturation 21/?"

Author: Nemesi.

Fandom: (MMBN)

Genre: Romance. Humour.

Word Count:2878.

Characters/Pairings: Blues/Rockman; Netto, Enzan, Axl mainly. Others mentioned.

Rating: PG-13.

Disclaimer: , its characters, places and themes belong to Capcom, Shogakukan, ShoPro, TV Tokio, etc.. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warnings: Shounen-ai. Un-betaed. Navi-preg (and I claim ownership on this idea). OC.

A/N: In this stage, the disease fully develops into a chronic condition.

Summary: The link flashed blue, red, yellow, then closed off. The Navis had gone home.

Alarms went off in the distance, their noise unbearable. The lights flickered, the ship shook. Debris fell from above, as cracks appeared on walls and floor alike, gaping holes from which the slime gurgled noisily out. The fruity stench of wet, rotten things coated the air, made it thicker than sap.

There came the noise of static, from every direction at once. Several monitors – some of which were adrift in the slime, some perched atop the slime-caked consoles, plus the huge, eye-shaped thing hanging sideways from the ruined wall – crackled to life.

There was nothing but static at first. Then, superimposed on the noise, flickering in and out of view, there came the image of a woman, her lips moving slowly as she intoned:

"Self-destruction mechanisms engaged… 50 seconds to self-destruction… 49 seconds to self-destruction…"

Blues growled low in his throat, clutching Axl tighter to his chest. Kuro and Rockman gasped, both reaching out towards the child, while Kage shot to his feet and ran to the nearest console.

"You've got to be kidding!" Kuro swore, running a frantic hand down Axl's cheek. "Of all the things…"

Kage swivelled on his heels, his body a solid shadow but for the bloody glint of his visor.

"Let's get out of here. Now." He walked briskly past the other Navis, gesturing sharply as he did. "The tactile ducts are the quickest way out. Come."

Blues was beside him in a flash, Axl cradled protectively to his chest. Kuro and Rockman hesitated a moment, moved a few tentative steps after them, then broke in a run. The ran by the two red Navis and reached the front of the line. A few remaining Slimers and Fakeloids were sloshing about the ship's corridors, lashing out blindly in pain and confusion. Kuro and Rockman dispatched them quickly and accurately, cutting a swath of destruction on their mad rush to the lowest level.

No words were exchanged as they ran. Only Axl would murmur something every now and then – small, broken words in a small, broken voice, that tore at their hearts equally.

He gasped something when they ducked into the tactile ducts, and then quietened, as if the shadows pressing down on them from all sides somehow unsettled him. It wasn't until they slipped out into the open, that his broken, feverish chant resumed, low-pitched and breathy.

Blues held him closer as soon as the mumbling began anew, but he didn't stop running. Motion to the other Navis with his head, he dived behind a craggy boulder, coccoing his body around Axl's own to shield him from the upcoming explosion. He barely had time to spare Noah a quick glance from over his shoulder, that there was a sudden burst of pixel. Light, rearing up like water from a fountain, white as snow and red as flame. Wind tore through the desert, and a mighty crash followed the explosion, expanding like ripples on a poll. For a moment, it was like a sun burst through the murky darkness of the Uranet, light spreading like fingers to all corners of that forsaken world. An heartbeat later, it was over. Noah was gone. And nothing of her remained behind, not a pixel, not a byte, nothing. She was gone.

Blues became aware that he was staring at the spot where she'd been standing only when he felt hands tugging at him, trying to take Axl from his arms. He snapped back to attention, growling out a wordless warning. Kuro growled right back at him, like an angry cat. Briskly, the Darkloid reached down and titled the child's face into the light.

Axl's eyes moved restlessly behind the lowered lashes, as if he was in the throes of a dream. There was a huge gash across his forehead, X-shaped and deep, trickling a rivulet of vanishing pixels. Kuro shied back with a surprised hiss, muttered a curse, then turned towards Rockman with eyes that were red with grief.

"Now what?"

Rockman started at the sound of his voice, looked up from his son's face into that of his Darkloid and almost reeled back at the sorrow and rage he saw there.

"I… we…"

"He needs help." Kage murmured, putting a cooling hand on Axl's cheek, surprised when Blues allowed the touch, shifting so that the Kagemusha had an easier access to the precious bundle he was carrying.

"No shit, Sherlock," Kuro snapped, then pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, breathing deep through his nose. "I swear, if we went this far only for the kid to…" he gulped down an unneeded breath, gnashing his teeth together.

Rockman reached out to touch Axl, hand hovering uncertainly before cupping the child's knee.

"No," he swallowed. "Nothing's going to happen to my son. I won't let it."

"Yeah, right." Kuro knocked the hand off, and bared his fangs at his Original. "Try being a better parent first; then I might even believe your pretty lies."

Rockman recoiled back. The look of tentative hope on his face darkened into anger.

"Now listen…"

"No, you listen!" He jabbed a finger into Rockman's chest, hard enough to bruise. "We don't have the time or the energy to warp the Kitten back to the Upper Levels, that frigging human of yours has no clue where you are. We're stuck here, and guess what?" He made a wide gesture with his arm. "There's no healer Navi in this forsaken hell-pit! We are screwed. He is screwed, you heard me? Screwed! The Kitten's gonna…"

The punch was hard enough to send him flying. Kuro picked himself up, leaning on his elbows, and showed his fangs up at a glowering Rockman.

"Nothings going to happen to Axl!" Rockman repeated, his voice thick with emotion.

"Oh, yeah!" Kuro growled back, impressed, but not deterred, by the determination he saw shining in the eyes of his nemesis. "Because the Netpolice is going to magically appear in front of us-" he snapped his fingers "-and with a full team of medics in tow, to boot!"

Kage stepped between them, hands raised placatingly. Wordlessly, he reached down and pulled Kuro up by the hand, squeezing his fingers in silent admonition.

"I don't know about the Netpolice," he said, pointing a finger to the distance. "But that does look awfully like a rescue team, to me."

Surprisingly enough, it was.

Medi was the first to spot the group of deranged Navis among the purple dunes. With a cry, she kicked off the rescue team and towards them, calling their names as she went. Rockman reached out blindly, took hold of her wrist and yanked her towards Axl, words rushing out of his mouth he'll never remember later on. Kuro was beside them, also talking, and even Kage was blowing a stream of soft-spoken words between his lips.

Eyes wide, Medi pulled the child to her, gathered her healing power and channelled it into the small, wounded frame, muttering gentle words of comfort. Searchman came up behind her, followed by Thunderman, Tomahawkman, Gutsman and two others. The officers levelled their weapons at the two Darkloids, their own question and threads adding to the rising cacophony. In the following chaos, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what happened and when, but suddenly, Kuro was yanked away from Axl, as was Kage.

Kuro struggled within Searchman's hold, kicked and lashed out like an angry cat, eyes widening as he was shoved into a link to Sci-Labs. Kage shrugged off Thunderman's hands, paused imperiously before the link and turned towards Searchman. He didn't say a word, but let a small, sharp grin split his face, and dragged a finger across his own throat in a threatening gesture. Confident the message had been received correctly (Touch him again, and die) he stepped into the link of his own volition.

Searchman and the rest of the officers followed soon after, ushering Medi, Axl and Rockman between them.

Blues was the last to follow. He darted a last glance at the wreckage of Noah, his sibling, the sister he never knew he had. She must have used her last, fading strength to send a beacon to the Uppernet, and guided the rescue party to them.

She's saved them.

Again and again, she'd saved them.

And now it was too late to thank her.

Blues stood for a long moment, silent and still, the wreckage reflected on the gleaming surface of his visor. Perhaps he murmured something, perhaps he just thought it. He tipped his head in a final, sombre goodbye. A swirl of silver hair later, he was stepping through the link.

It flashed blue, red, yellow, then closed off.

The Navis had gone home.

It seemed an odd though, especially considering how much he'd grown in the last few days, but Axl was so, so small.

Floating in the healing tube, with strings of encoded data streaming around him, casting an hard green light across his upturned little face, he looked incredibly small, almost fragile. Unreal, like a toy, or an hologram, still and devoid of life.

Rockman pressed his palms to the glass barrier that separated him from his son, and sighed. The ugly wound on Axl's forehead was healing, but slower than it should. The edges of the X-shaped cut were coming together under his own eyes, as if an invisible seamstress was pulling the frayed ends together from within, leaving a bold, dark-coloured scar in her wake.

Rockman's forehead followed his palms, against the glass.

Axl was so different from other Navis. But Rockman had never understood what that statement implied. He was stronger, incommensurable so. His power almost limitless, gushing not from chips and cheat-codes but from the Cyberworld itself.

But he was also much more fragile than the rest of his kin. His wounds wouldn't heal at the snap of his Operator's fingers, Health Chips or Custom Programs couldn't properly replenished his energy.

He could evolve.

He could scar.

He could die.

And that X-shaped mark between his eyes would forever remind Rockman how close he'd got to lose his child.

He reached up to grasp Blues's hand before it could even touch his shoulder. He squeezed his mate's fingers once, asking for some time to collect himself, then straightened himself. When he turned, the sight of Blues brought a wave of fresh tears to his eyes. His helmet had been disposed off, and his face was grim and taut with worry and exhaustion. Rockman turned his back on him a moment later, biting his lip.

"What did Dad say?" he asked quietly, as if someone else might be listening in and Rockman was afraid of their answer.

Blues pulled his mate to him, back to chest, putting his chin on top of his head before answering.

"That there's hope. Axl's healing rate is slower than your average Navi, but Hikari-Hakase thinks it's just a matter of finding the right…" he paused a moment. "…treatment."

Rockman exhaled loudly.

"Healing Chips won't work?"

"They help, but not as much as they should. Axl – all the New-Gens Navis that will come after him – will probably need a different technology, to be healed. Chips are inadequate – that's why the wound is scarring. But he will make it, Rock."

Rockman flexed his fingers against the arm cradling his waist.

"Truly?"

"Truly."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"I just…"

"I know."

"It was…"

"Not your fault," he rubbed Rockman's arms. "Never your fault."

Rockman moved his head as much as it was needed for him to meet Blues's eyes. He studied his mate for a moment, frowning, then his face cleared. He tugged gently onto a strand of silver hair, and touched their foreheads together.

"Blues, don't take the blame from me only to put it on yourself."

Blues seemed suddenly self-conscious.

"Rock, I…"

"No," Rockman shook his head. "If someone is responsible for this, it's Veil." His lips tinned. He stood pensive for a moment, locked in silence, then: "What do you think happened to him?" he asked.

Blues shook his head, tugging Rock away from the tube and into a nearby stool.

"Veil wasn't really in the Net. What we battled was a mere avatar. He used psycho transmission to send his conscience to the CyberWorld. So wherever he is, he is…" again the hesitation. "…unarmed."

"Unpunished, you mean." Rockman took a big, unneeded breath and rubbed his face. "But he'll lie low for a while, won't he?"

"Probably." Blues nodded. He didn't say that the loss of Noah and that huge amount of slime must've put a damper on Veil's evil schemes, but Rockman understood it nonetheless. "I submitted a preliminary report to Enzan-Sama. His assistant confirmed that Veil did indeed work for Dr. Tadashi Hikari in the pre-internet age. As far as I can tell, an arrest warrant has been issued, and Inspector Oda is already on the move."

Rockman looked sharply at him.

"They told the Net-police about Axl?"

"Axl was a victim of abduction, like you and I were. He's been confirmed as a Sci-Lab Navi, legally registered with the Hikari family. That's all the information that has been divulged to the public."

Rockman nodded, gloomily. They remained in silence for a second, then Rockman gasped.

"The Darkloids!" He turned towards Blues with wide, worried eyes. "They're wanted criminals, aren't they? What has been done to them? Are they still…?"

"Confined to this PC until further notice." Blues smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Rockman's ear. "I had the presence of mind to declare them under my personal custody as soon as we arrived here." His face darkened, as did Rock's.

"Not a moment to soon. If looks could kill, they'd be a heap of pixel at Searchman's feet."

Blues chuckled, an unexpected, but not unwelcome sound.

"I was more worried about Searchman's safety, myself. I don't think my Darkloid appreciated the way he manhandled DarkSoul Rockman."

"Kuro," Rockman corrected. Then, at Blues's question gaze: "Kuro," he repeated. "That's the name my Darkloid goes by now. I think your Darkloid…"

"Kage," Blues confirmed with a nod.

"Black and Shadow," Rockman mused, leaning back against Blues's chest. "Our dark twins. What'll be of them?"

"I'm not sure. Darkloids can thrive only in the Uranet, which I guess is where they'll head next. I doubt they'll leave before Axl has woken up, but I'd like to release them as soon as possible."

Rockman glanced at him, his expression wondering.

"You are letting them free?"

Blues offered a shrug.

"I am more than aware of the crimes they have committed, but they've already been punished and deleted for them. They've been given a second chance at life, and as far as I know, there is no reason not to let them go. They haven't done anything wrong."

"Yet."

"Yet," Blues conceded. "But they're not guilty of anything, and as such, they should be free to go and live their life."

Rockman heaved a sight. He'd caught Blues's hands with his and was playing absent-mindedly with his fingers. Blues caught (as usual) what wasn't said. Slowly, he manoeuvred theirs hands until their palms were flush, their fingers curled together.

"I really do owe him a reward, Rock."

"I know that. I mean…"

He meant that Darkloids didn't follow the same rules, or moral, as Upper Level Navis operated by a Human did. He meant that Kage could've easily left Axl to the Slimers, but he hadn't. He meant that Kage could've hurt, or deleted the child, but he'd protected him instead, and reunited their family.

He didn't say any of it.

"It's just… what is he going to ask of you, Blues?" His grip tightened around Blues's fingers.

Blues made an uncommitted sound in the back of his throat. "What is this data he needs so badly?"

"I don't know for sure. But I do have a guess."

Rockman cast him another quick glance.

"You do?" He asked, and when Blues nodded he added: "And it's something you can give him? It's not going to put you… or anyone… in danger, is it?"

Blues gently pushed Rockman away and straightened to his full height.

"I honestly can't tell, Rock. In the hands of a Darkloid, anything could be dangerous. But the way I see it, I'm going to give him something he would be able to gain in his own time. I'm just speeding up the process."

"You're…"

"Willing to take a chance?" Blues's helmet appeared in his hands, and he slipped fluidly over his head. "Yes."

Rockman watched him go, feeling a prickle of unease deep in his core, but did nothing to stop him. Instead, he turned back towards the glass tube wherein Axl was sleeping, and resumed his silent vigil.

- Scene 21 cleared.

NOW LOADING…