I won't be getting around doing this as often as I want due to school and classes, but having received enough support from you readers along with my own fondness for the game has inspired a series of one-shots that would hopefully properly depict the relationships the player forms with his or her available teammates.
For the sake of consistency, the main avatar will maintain the name of Cross. His looks, personality, OC backstory, etc. will be carried over from my other Xenoblade Chronicles X fic, Chasing Shadows. Also, this first contribution could be considered a sort-of sequel to the mentioned story, assuming you read it beforehand. As such, this first one is of the relationship between Cross and Elma.
If you want to imagine his looks, his face is the Boy B type, wherein his eyes are small and fierce with his default hairstyle being fairly long that reaches down to his ears all around and is parted around the right side, leaving a gap free of bangs over his right eye. He does lack the default facial scar, his hair color is pitch-black, and his pupils are dark brown/blackish. Skin is fairly light, though a smidge tanned. He is taller than Elma by a couple of centimeters, so pretty average, if not small, body build.
I fashioned him with Upgraded BLADE Wear, giving him a dark blue/indigo BLADE jacket and dark-colored pants. And I gave him the Heroic voice, provided by Yuri Lowenthal, famous for his roles as Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto and teenage Ben Tennyson from Ben 10, just if you want to imagine him speaking any provided dialogue here. I did wish Cross could've spoken during dialogue instead of Soul Voices and external grunts, but it'd probably be hectic with all of the voice options provided for him/her.
And again, there will be spoilers regarding post-story and some missions.
The city of New Los Angeles was still anything but totally peaceful. Sure, the antagonistic Ganglion forces were scattered due to the defeat of Luxaar and the Lifehold Core had been secured, but things were just as busy within the human city.
Alliances between various alien races were still honored and maintained for the sake of surviving on Mira. And the friendships forged through these times of trial were certainly not going to fade away any time soon.
After completing a random bounty mission of slaying a number of grexes in Primordia, Cross opted to fly around inside his Skell for the time being. It was getting rather late in the afternoon, but he didn't feel like returning to the BLADE Barracks for immediate rest.
He had been going solo for a bit, needing a bit of a break from his official team. Elma, Lin, and even Tatsu were endearing to him, but even he needed to be apart from them for a little bit. He was also sure that they had plenty of business of their own to work on with Elma being the official team leader and practically within the top ranks of BLADE, Lin working on various mechanical schematics, and Tatsu pestering Lin for dinner only to be rebutted by being served the main dish.
They certainly had their quirks as he thought about them. Of course, he tried imagining himself through their eyes.
Elma would no doubt mark him as a top BLADE agent, among other things she found fond of him as of late after their little moment during the celebration of securing the Lifehold Core.
Lin would see him as a stern, though often wise-cracking and snarky father figure that would make her laugh from time to time with some one-liners or sardonic gestures.
And Tatsu… well, Tatsu is Tatsu. While the ambitious Nopon would often put all of the heavy burdens on the humans' shoulders while taking all credit for the work, he did regard them as his closest friends.
In short, they were practically one happy family.
Upon flying over peculiar landmarks, Cross looked as far down as his position within the Skell cockpit would allow him to. He found the place.
Shadow Rise.
It was adjacent to Starfall Basin, where Elma first found him in stasis prior to reawakening him.
Cross was able to see the base camp situated nearby the edge where he witnessed his first sunrise here in Mira. He then prepared to land and trusted the BLADEs stationed there to watch over his Skell as he dismounted and walked along Shadow Rise's high ridge.
It was just on time, too, as he noticed the sun beginning to set.
It was as he theorized: the sunset from this side of Primordia was just as gorgeous as its sunrise.
"You have great taste, Rook," a familiar, soothing voice next to him spoke up. "Or should I say 'love'?"
Cross stumbled back a bit, somewhat surprised that she found him out here. Then again, they knew each other well enough that it was relatively simple to predict where the other would usually turn up. He couldn't help but smirk at the circumstances.
Elma.
His team leader, who previously posed as a human before revealing her true self at the Lifehold Core as an alien of unknown origins and great beauty. The hues of the sunset highlighted her now pale skin. Her crystalline, silver-lavender hair glittered from the refractions. It took a moment for Cross to realize that she was competing with the setting sun for his attention.
"I take it back," Cross muttered aloud.
"Hmm?" Elma prompted as to what he was talking about.
"Watching the sunset with you here on Shadow Rise can't be topped," Cross continued.
"Why do you think I'm here?" Elma replied, smiling back at him fondly. "I missed you."
"Heh, missed you too."
Cross felt that it wasn't his place to question his new lover why she went out of her way to find him and be with him, even though he originally wanted to be alone. It was one thing seeing Elma as the calm, no-nonsense leader she made herself out to be before they found the Lifehold Core. He was still adjusting to her personality side outside of work, in which she was more sociable, had a great sense of humor, and generally appeared happier.
She had no need to uphold her BLADE persona out of work, but knew when to keep things in order should she wind up in a chaotic situation.
And though she didn't openly expressed it, she wanted to be in his company more since they decided to become a couple that night after returning from the Lifehold Core. She encouraged him to share his past with her when he had revealed that his memories had returned through some mysterious phenomenon.
Cross claimed that it took several blows to the head during fights with the Ganglion and wild indigens that did the trick. Elma still theorized that it might have something to do with Mira as, with the exception of L, all other sentient xenos were capable of communicating with humans and with one another despite having respective languages of their own, much as how the humans have English.
In any case, Elma wanted to spend more time with him now that they have the rest of Mira to explore.
"I know I shouldn't be surprised that you've been going about doing things on your own again," Elma spoke up. "Still, I can't help but feel a bit hurt that you haven't told anyone what you've been up to."
"I did a few more bounty missions," Cross explained. "I already sent my reports in to Eleonora. She should've sent the rewards to you, leader."
"I got them, all right," Elma concurred. "I had to find out through her to find you though. You don't make this game of hide-and-seek easy, that's for sure."
"You are stubborn, I'll give you that," Cross remarked. "Am I really worth going through all that trouble?"
"Am I standing with you now?" Elma quipped.
Fair point.
Knowing that there was no point in arguing with her, especially under a lovely sunset, Cross shrugged his shoulders in surrender and turned back to look at the vibrant Miran sky. Elma also followed suit while taking inconspicuous steps closer to the sharp BLADE.
Her need for intimacy was astounding, to say the least. It didn't help the fact that she had been alone for most of her life as she had also dedicated herself to helping others out to fill that particular void. That, and there wasn't a male worthy of her affections for as long as she had been on Earth.
And yet, when it came down to adding Cross into her team and training him to meet BLADE standards, she found herself actually falling in love with him, though chose not to actively pursue him due to the predicaments humanity was facing at that time, from the Lifehold running out of power for everyone's mimeosomes to the Ganglion constantly nipping at their heels for their eradication. And she felt certain Cross was the same in his dedication to helping humanity survive to the point that he couldn't consider other factors like romance taking up his time.
Truth be told, her being around Cross for as long as they have was the longest time she spent with a member of the opposite sex that would fit her proposed age range. She worked with other guys, like Danny and Boris, but didn't get to know them long enough before they met their demise at the claws of a powerful indigen.
Maybe that's why it's different with him, Elma thought, taking a glance at Cross while a peaceful expression blanketed his face as he gazed into the sky.
Elma would admit that unlike most other males, she did gain a curiosity for Cross and what he was like because he had awakened from cryogenic stasis with amnesia. It was like having a huge mysterious puzzle to solve, but without any clue on which piece went where or what kind of final picture it was supposed to have. And she was the type of being that would accept challenges that would be deemed worthwhile in the end.
And boy, did it ever reward her at this time.
She reflected back to the morning after her and Cross decided to become an official couple. They brought the news out to everyone they knew and worked with.
Lin couldn't be any happier for them, remarking that their team was becoming more of a family now than ever before. Tatsu did a dance of joyful felicitations, as he would call it, with L as his backup dancer. L compared their step up into a new relation as tasting the joys of the forbidden fruit, which didn't make too much sense for those around him. Irina was proud that her former colonel finally found a man that she herself would consider worthy while Gwin jested that it was her turn next. Doug applauded the two and offered to treat them out later.
The higher-ups were pleased to hear that their relationship had taken the next step, but didn't press it further. However, Vandham was not above taking cheap shots about Cross and Elma being a thing. Fortunately, Nagi was there to reel him back in case he got out of hand with his raucous remarks. The defense secretary was especially pleased to learn that Cross was finally growing up and becoming a real man.
Following them, other BLADE members that worked mainly with Cross on missions shared their input on the relationship.
Celica wanted to make them special Qlurian floral arrangements to signify their intimate bond. Rock also wanted to build them their own house once he was done building his and Celica's.
Hope gave them her blessing that all would turn out well for the new chapter in their lives, making it sound like they were getting married straight off the bat. Marriage was still far off their minds, but neither of them actually denied that possibility either.
Though initially upset that her favorite boy toy / money maker was taken away from her, Murderess still maintained a friendship with Cross as it meant future opportunities of growing the Effinger fortune back. Plus, it gave her a chance to get under Elma's skin and get a reaction from her whenever she had the opportunity to put the moves on her man. It might win her the bet, but only fate will tell if she'd be alive to enjoy her earnings.
Frye and Phog were both ecstatic for them and had opposing plans to celebrate it. With Frye, it meant drinking like there was no tomorrow. For Phog, it was sitting around in Deliverance Park and pondering about the mysteries of life.
Upon hearing this news herself, Mia was super happy for her beloved Chief while attempting to threaten Elma to not screw it up. Elma was not fazed as she wasn't planning on 'screwing up' her relationship with Cross any time soon and that Mia was not strong enough to pin her down.
Alexa gained the strange idea of modelling two Skells after them as a test to determine Skell-to-Skell compatibility. Both Cross and Elma agreed that Lin might be interested to hear about this particular research.
Bozé shared with them a rather longwinded lecture about how Eastern culture had depicted romance, from using mythical Japanese stories to breaking down upon philosophical depictions from famous intellectual monks in Earth's long-gone history. It was informative and educational, if nothing else.
H.B. was curious if having a romantic partner would boost one's efficiency in BLADE performance. He then wanted to accompany them on missions whenever possible to compare their current statistics to their previous presentations. His 'study' on them would certainly be bothersome aside from the fact that he was placing himself as their third wheel.
Proud of his pard, Yelv told Cross to never let go of his new 'pard.' At least he was to the point with his comments.
News of their relationship had also passed throughout the general public in NLA with the reception being majorly positive, both human and xeno alike. General gossip had spread like wildfire among those that had formed fanbases for Cross and Elma with some attempting to fantasize the romance for their pleasure while jealous girls and guys thought about how to win over their desired idols for themselves. There were still a few antagonizing, xenophobic naysayers that had resented Elma for deceiving them, but they were ultimately silenced as the promises of truth, freedom, and equality have prevailed over their murmurs.
"Raking up the past for its worth?" Cross inquired, having noticed Elma's contemplative look.
"You can tell?" Elma replied, surprised that he found out about what she had been thinking about.
"Not exactly," Cross explained. "That's what I've been doing since I arrived here."
"You seem so intent in going back to your past," Elma commented. "You didn't remember your life on Earth, and when you did, you acted like you wish you didn't."
"I didn't have a glorious life then," Cross resumed. "It makes me wonder if this was all worth it."
"Do you regret leaving Earth?" Elma proposed, much to his surprise.
"I don't understand," Cross responded.
"You asked if all of this has been worth it to you," Elma reminded, frowning. "Do you regret boarding the White Whale? Do you regret meeting me? Becoming a BLADE?"
Those were certainly some heavy, armor-piercing questions she threw out. Cross had already felt uncomfortable when she shot her first question. Now she was trying to get him to talk. But it wasn't Elma's style to use guilt to persuade others to perform actions. From this, he figured out what she wanted to know how he really felt about the past, even if her last questions were questionably overkill.
Despite how sympathetic she could be, Elma was still a practitioner of tough love, only with the best of intentions.
"I can't escape the past no matter what, but with it, I can learn to not have regrets," Cross mused. "However, dwelling on regrets from the past would hinder me from progression. So to answer your 'questions,' Elma, no, I don't regret meeting you or becoming a BLADE."
"It was the answer I hoped to hear, but that is also a nice insight you shared with me tonight," Elma congratulated, wrapping herself around his right arm while laying her fair head on his shoulder.
"I can't actually take credit for the lesson," Cross said. "It was something Secretary Nagi told me back on Earth when he first took me in. I didn't want anything to do with anyone after losing my only friends, but the man snapped me out of it. He helped me look to the future instead of lingering in the past."
"That sounds like him," Elma agreed. "He really taught you well."
"… Yeah."
Cross stayed silent for the remainder of the sunset. He opted to sit down on the ledge with Elma following suit. They got comfortable as the last rays of sunlight were about to be extinguished and the moons of Mira were about to rule the sky.
"Hey, Cross," Elma spoke up. "With all this talk about the past, I can't help but think that you've been finding the finer memories of your recent history."
Cross raised a brow at her, deciding to let her finish her explanation before tossing out a snarky one-liner to toy with the mood.
"This was the first place you saw your first sunrise in Mira," Elma continued. "First, it was by the elevator at the West Gate that night we became a couple. Now this. You really are learning to move on and embrace the good."
"I suppose that's true," Cross concurred.
"One last thing," Elma prompted. "Do you remember what I said to you at this spot? Its original context was making it back to New LA in one piece."
Cross easily remembered the memories he made after waking up from stasis. He clearly recalled her words as if it was this morning.
That said… whichever way you want to go, I'll follow your lead. You decide.
"After all this time, you still kept true to your word," Cross remarked.
"Really glad you remembered," Elma said warmly.
"That first step really was a doozy," Cross continued, only to find his leader giving him quite the harrowing look. "What?"
"You really can be impossible sometimes," Elma commented sardonically, though still bore a good-natured grin. "But it's one of the perks of being your team leader and lover. I know that you knew what I was really going for."
Cross gave her a resolute nod, still amazed to this day that she would follow him. She often gave him the lead for a few missions as means to cultivate his own ability to lead others towards survival. His sharp insights and unique charm were what drew many others to follow him and even forge alliances between alien races whereas Elma specialized in maintaining order and providing the perfect example of a stalwart BLADE operative.
She knew that he would perfectly balance her out on what she lacked much as she balanced him out on what he lacked.
Right as the sun was about to disappear for the day, the two BLADE agents drew even closer together and synchronously culminated the eventide with a sweet union of their lips. The perfectly mimicked roughness of a male human's against the soft and cold touch of a mysterious female xeno's.
It felt natural on how they became close despite the major external and visible differences they had. But having finally understood the mistakes they've made, as well as humanity's recorded sins from history, perhaps there was a chance that life on Mira would be better than it was previously on Earth.
The past had taught them well to prepare for a brighter future.
One that had no regrets.
I would assume that even after finding the Lifehold Core, everyone is still in a mim. After all, with the database destroyed, presumably everyone's consciousness would disappear with it. Any particular theories about Mira you have on the matter?
Well, this was just another continuation with the fabricated relationship I have of Cross and Elma. The next piece I'll likely do following this is one with Cross and Lin, and by extension, Tatsu.
Just one last quick note that not all future chapters are going to pertain in a steady timeline, meaning while this one takes place post-story, there will be moments that the time setting would take a step back for a certain character.
And don't forget to review!