- Warning -

This chapter includes violence, blood, injuries and fainting

Kaori was exploring on her own- again. Miyu had plugged her into the net, excitedly talking about going to the city with her new friends. Kaori had listened, like always, and gave Miyu her full support before being left alone in the PET on her operator's desk. She had stood there for a while, somewhat hoping that Miyu would come back and take Kaori with her as her other friends did with their Navis, but she didn't. She wasn't entirely disappointed; she had somewhat expected it. Besides, she enjoyed the time she got to explore the net. Kaori could find interesting things in places Navis and bots didn't frequent, though she was careful not to go too far lest she run into a virus unarmed. Or worse, end up in the deep net.

Usually, Kaori's explorations end up with a discovery or something interesting happening, but not this time. She walked back to Net City with empty hands and an open mind. She didn't mind it; she found the idea of a Navi having an "open mind" amusing and even curious. Though Kaori was a Navi herself, she understood they were not human. It made her almost envious; that they could think without the limits of code but impressed at the same time by how human the code made her feel.

Lost in thought, she hadn't even realized the group of Navis that had formed around a building.

A Navi bumped into her, and Kaori was knocked to the side. She turned to see who did it, and they glanced behind them at her.

"Watch out!" They shouted, and Kaori whipped her head forward, seeing a virus drop at her.

Before she could even react, it disappeared in front of her, replaced by a sizzling red blade. She blinked, and the blade withdrew, revealing a red-helmeted Navi whose visors covered his eyes.

"Kaori!" Rockman exclaimed, jogging over. "What are you doing here?"

Kaori turned to him, glancing at the strange Navi, who had also turned to Rockman.

"You know her?" They asked him, and Kaori looked surprised.

"You know him?" She asked as well. Rockman rubbed his head.

"Oh, yeah. Blues, this is a new friend, Kaori. Kaori, this is my friend Blues." He explained with his friendly smile.

"What's a virus doing out in Net City? And thanks, by the way, for saving me." She added with a nod to Blues. He gave her a slight nod in response.

"There was an attack," Valris said, chiming in behind Rockman. "Looks like we missed one."

"I see..." Kaori peeked over their shoulders, seeing some glitches in the building. "So you are Net Saviors."

"Yes, we are," Rockman answered proudly.

"Thank you for your service," Kaori said, chuckling. "So...what happened?" She asked, a curious glint in her eye.

"Well-"

"That's confidential," Blues interjected, cutting Rockman off. "And I'm afraid you're too close to the scene. You're going to back off like other Navis."

"Come on, Blues, I'm sure it's fine," Rockman assured him.

"It's for her safety," Valris warned him. "she has no default weapon, either," she added, her head turning to Kaori slightly. Kaori wondered if she was thinking about her mysterious lack of one again.

"You're right. Sorry Kaori: Maybe another time," Rockman said apologetically.

"It's alright, Rockman." Kaori smiled. "Good luck. Stay safe." She pulled up a log-out screen and left the cut, appearing in Miyu's lonely PET.

————

All Enzan could hear was the blood rushing in his ears, so he wasn't sure if he had heard the man right. He clenched his jaw, moving his arm away from his injured side. Damn, it still hurt, but he didn't want to show his attacker that. It felt sore and had knocked some wind out of him, almost like he was hit with a metal rod rather than a kick. He'd have to be more careful. He was a fool to let his guard down so much. Has it been that long since he's needed to do this?

"What do you have against me?" He asked, hoping to get something more out of him, even stall him. His assailant moved closer, and Enzan responded with raised fists. The man stopped.

"Oh, it's nothing against you, no," he said, and Enzan swore he could hear the smile in his voice. "You're, how should I say... a key of sorts. One crucial in opening up a door for our plan."

Enzan tensed. "Plan?"

There was no response, but the man bowed his head slightly, the glint of his eyes in the dark room sending a shiver down Enzan's spine.

The man leaped over the cabinet, tackling him to the ground. Enzan shouted, moving to push the man off him with a kick. It hit him hard in the gut, and the masked figure grunted, curling in on himself. He headbutted the man before pulling himself out from underneath. Enzan had barely gotten on his feet when a vice grip grabbed his leg and yanked him off balance.

"Fuck-!" he cried before landing hard on the concrete. The back of his head cracked against the cold surface. White hot pain erupted from his skull, spreading as spots danced in his vision, and he felt a burning sensation in his nose. Dazed and disoriented, he instinctively tried getting up. He gasped as the weight of an anvil on his chest kept him down. He blinked to clear his hazy vision and saw the man's foot planted on him. He couldn't suck in air. Desperately grabbing at his ankle, Enzan tried lifting his foot, but it was impossibly heavy.

"You're rusty," He said in a sing-song voice, leaning closer to Enzan, the boy's wide blue eyes staring at the crude dark gouges in the mask. "It's about time someone gives you a real-"

A punch in the face interrupted him, sending him stumbling back. Hands grabbed onto Enzan's arm, pulling him onto his feet. Enzan gasped for air and looked around, feeling like he was spinning. Warm sweat trickled down his neck. He could barely keep his balance, but Nori kept him upright while Netto flailed his hand.

"Ow, my knuckles..!" Netto hissed.

"I didn't need your help; you should focus on-" Enzan stopped, hushed by Nori.

"The viruses? We dealt with them," she said. "And, sorry, Enzan, but you needed some support."

"Yeah, let us help. You're our friend." Netto grinned. Enzan sighed but couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corners of his lips. It disappeared as fast as it came when he saw the silhouette appear behind Netto's shoulder.

"Netto, look out!" He shouted. Nori ran to her brother, and Enzan stumbled back, grabbing onto a cabinet to regain balance. She pulled Netto out of the way of a kick that blew the hair away from his face.

"Whoa!" Netto stumbled back against Nori, both tripping against the fallen cabinet. They landed in a pile, groaning. The masked figure looked at them before turning his attention to Enzan.

"You're all a mess," he scowled like he was angry at them. "I'm disappointed. I almost feel sorry for doing this," he said, pulling out a small rectangular data chip. Enzan glanced at him and the chip, disappearing into darkness every second under the flashing red lights.

"What is that..?" Netto grunted, helping his sister up. They both stood on the other side of the cabinet, watching Enzan and the man.

"This is the beginning of the end," the man clutched the chip in his fist, raising it. "For all Navis and the illnesses they carry with them."

"What are you talking about..?" Nori asked- the question they were all thinking.

"I'll gladly show you," he cackled, moving to put the chip into a port.

Enzan could feel his heart drop, an overwhelming sense of doom seeping in. He lunged forward to stop him.

Suddenly the room turned, and he realized he was falling. He dropped onto his hands and knees on the floor, his head throbbing. More sweat trickled down his face, dripping onto the concrete. Was it just the flashing lights, or was his sweat red?

"Enzan!" Netto yelled. He turned to the masked man, jumping over the cabinet towards him with clenched fists. The man spun on his heel to face Netto.

Enzan heard Nori let out a horrified cry and jerked his head up just in time to see the man's fist collide with Netto's face, his body crumpling onto the floor. Enzan lifted himself onto his feet to help but fell onto his side. His vision blurred, and he blinked to get the haze away. He heard footsteps approaching him. Again, he hurried to get onto his feet. The force of something hard digging into his side launched him across the floor. He hit the cold surface, gagging as his stomach churned. His eyes failed to focus on anything. His chest heaved, but his lungs refused to draw any air inside. His mouth filled with the taste of iron as blood oozed from where he bit his lip. A figure loomed over him.

He heard the sound of metal against metal, and the figure stumbled forward, crashing into the cabinets. Enzan was again yanked to his feet by Nori as a steel bar she had been holding clattered to the floor.

"That thing is really heavy," Nori gasped, sounding out of breath.

Their heads whipped to the man as he let out an angered cry. It was enough to make them both startle and step back from him. Enzan picked up the bar.

"I've had enough of this!" He bellowed, slamming his fist into the cabinets beside him. The metal crunched inward, leaving a dent. Enzan's eyes darted to Nori.

"Get Netto out of the way," he said and nudged her with a nod before she could make any objections. She went off to her brother, and Enzan turned back to the figure.

"You can't possibly think you can fight me," the man's voice growled.

"Maybe not," Enzan replied before turning to his side and swinging the heavy metal bar into the chip ports.

"No!" The man shouted, running to the port.

"Just one more time," Enzan muttered to himself. A crunch came from the broken port as Enzan pulled the pipe out, pivoting on his heel and swinging himself around. The man moved to dodge, but there was no space to maneuver. A hard crack in the man's jaw replaced the whoosh of the pipe cutting through the air. His head turned, and his body followed, falling against the wall.

Enzan stared at the body, hearing a pained groan. He couldn't tell if he was moving under the in-and-out flashes of red in the room. He felt lightheaded again as the adrenaline drained out of his system, and he dropped the heavy pipe. Leaning against the table that held the destroyed computers, he closed his eyes. His hair stuck uncomfortably to the sweat on the side of his face and neck, and his whole body ached. He opened his eyes again, turning to the man's body, but it was gone.

His head whipped around the room, looking for him. A sharp pain darted through his head, and a painful headache set in. He groaned, putting a hand on his throbbing forehead.

"Nori?" He called out.

"Yeah?" She replied, coming around a corner where she had dragged Netto.

"Did you see where he went?" Enzan asked. "Did you see him?"

"He's still here?" Nori asked, her face going pale. Enzan shook his head.

"That's the problem," he rubbed his temple and shut his eyes, turning away from her. "He left."

Nori's face turned from fear to concern. "Enzan, you're.."

"I messed up! I know," he snapped.

"No! Well- no, but I'm not talking about that," she said, caution in her voice. "Your head... It's bleeding. Bad."

Enzan opened his eyes again, his hand moving to the back of his head. He flinched, touching an open spot. He brought his hand before him, the thick blood glittering red under the light. He felt his wet cheek, and his fingers came back red. He hadn't been sweating. He'd been bleeding his head out.

His vision blurred again as black enveloped his sight. He tried to refocus. The remaining adrenaline drained out of him, leaving him with the harsh reality that his body was suffering from bleeds and fractures.

"Nori-"

The ground lurched from underneath him, and he gasped, falling onto his knees, his hands gripping the side of the table. Nori ran over.

"Please don't pass out, too," she said, kneeling beside him. Enzan glanced at her, giving her a weary smile.

"I'm trying." He grimaced. "See if you can use my jacket to... dammit, I gave it to Yaito." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think. They snapped open at the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs to the room. He reached for the pipe.

The doors busted open, slamming against the walls. The shuffling came to a stop.

"Do you see them?" A gruff, irritated voice asked.

"No," another replied. "Enzan! Netto! Nori!"

Enzan released a breath he didn't release he had been holding as Nori stood up. They recognized the familiar voices of Barrel and Meijin. He looked up at Nori, sharing a look of relief with her.

"Over here!" Nori shouted, and the older men shuffled through knocked-over cabinets and rubble toward them.

"Things were brutal in here, too, huh?" Meijin asked, stepping over Netto on the floor. "Is he okay? His nose is bleeding... whoa! Your head is bleeding!" He squawked, pointing at Enzan.

"That's not good, kid," Baryl grumbled, taking out a cloth and pressing it against Enzan's dampened hair to stop the bleeding. "Nori? Any injuries?"

"No sir," she said. "Netto fainted after a punch but... he's still breathing. His nose is broken, though."

"Is your head the only injury?" Baryl asked Enzan. He got no reply.

"Enzan?" Meijin stepped next to the three.

"He's fainted." Baryl picked him up with a grunt. "He's bled a lot."

"I guess you're stuck with the report for now," Meijin grinned at Nori. Her shoulders deflated, but she gave him a nod.

"I'm sure you figured this out already, Nori," Baryl started as he turned to her. "But we have reason to believe this is another terrorist group on our hands."

Nori gave him a nod. "There was a man down here. He was talking about getting rid of Navis and... using Enzan."

Baryl didn't say anything, but he gave her a long look before walking back to the stairs. "Meijin, you take Netto."

"What? Aw, alright," he said, picking up the limp body on the floor.

"Mm..." Netto groaned, and Meijin paused for a moment.

"Netto?"

"Curry..." Netto said in his sleep, giggling to himself. Nori sighed and rolled her eyes with Meijin. They chuckled, releasing some tension that had built up in the room. Still, Nori felt dread hanging over her about today's events.

- Author's Notes -

Hey all, unfortunately I did not come back in November. While it's still a very busy point in my life right now, I had this chapter somewhat written back last year and was able to find the time.. more importantly motivation... to write it. So, happy to back with My Net Savior Chapter 12!!!

I think for a while I'll be updating every 2 weeks to keep consistency without stress.

Thanks for your patience! Hope you enjoyed. Bye!