Work Text:
How Rockman ended up in this situation was beyond him. Netto and Enzan had guns pointed in their direction, and Rockman felt useless. On his left, he knew Blues was in a similar state.
There were many moments when Rockman and Blues were in the same situation as Netto and Enzan, but they knew how to handle it. Both Netnavi’s had ways to defend themselves, and they could use battle chips if necessary.
Their NetOps, however, were not. Netto and Enzan were humans; they didn’t have swords or blasters for arms. All they had for defence was their fighting ability, which Rockman knew Netto’s was low. While Netto and Enzan could perform Cross Fusion, Rockman knew that was out of the question at the moment.
Because one wrong move from him or Blues, and Netto and Enzan were dead.
Suddenly, the masked men knocked Netto and Enzan onto their knees, the guns pressing against their temples. Rockman surged forwards, but Blues stopped him.
“Rockman, no!” Blues ordered with his voice barely above a whisper. “We don’t know what they’ll do to Netto or Enzan-sama if we do anything.”
The blue Navi paused. Without moving the guns, the masked men looked up at the Navis on the screen.
“Well, well, well,” the first one spoke. “Aren’t you two pretty?”
Blues growled and placed himself slightly in front of Rockman. “What do you want?”
“All we want is for you two to comply,” the second man replied. “We have your precious human operators. You know what we’re capable of.”
While Rockman didn’t know, he had a clue.
“Now, then,” number one said. “You two are highly skilled Navis, right?”
“Who needs to know?” Netto snapped.
The back end of the gun connected with Netto’s head, and Blues had to hold tight when Rockman lunged. Blues’ arms wrapped around Rockman’s middle while Rockman struggled.
“Ah, ah, ah,” number two tutted. “You don’t comply; your human operators are gone.”
Rockman grit his teeth but refrained from saying anything. He could feel Blues tensing behind him.
“Now, then, where were we?” the first man questioned. “Oh, yes! My partner and I need you two to do a few things for us.”
“And if we don’t?” Blues asked.
“Well, then, say goodbye to your operators.”
Before Rockman could say or do anything, the door burst open as uniformed men and women ran in. Behind them stood Meijin, Yuichiro, Manabe, and Kifune. The guns in the masked men’s hands dropped, and their arms went over their heads. Finally, Rockman felt like he could breathe again, his head dizzy in relief. On his right, he could see Blues release the tension in his shoulders.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“Huh? Do what again?”
After the excitement had passed, Netto’s temple was bandaged (Rockman hadn’t noticed the blood until the danger was gone) and laid in bed.
“Next time, let me be the one in danger,” Rockman said.
“What? No!” Netto protested. “You’re always in danger!”
“Yeah, but I can handle it!”
Silence fell between the two.
“Look,” Rockman deflated, “I know you can handle yourself, but you scared me. I thought I was going to lose you this morning. There was nothing I could do but watch , and I’ve never felt so hopeless .”
“Rockman, I’m—” Netto began before the blue Navi cut him off.
“Please don’t apologise for something that was outside of your control. Just—promise me that you’ll be more careful.”
“I promise that I’ll try.”
The blue Navi sighed. “And that, Netto-kun, is all I can ask of you.”