Hello everyone! So, I decided to try my hand at writing a Boarderlands story, cuz I've been playing the game and reading a bunch of stories for it too! Especially Zaige (Zer0xGaige) stories! XD I just think they're so cute together XD
So here's the first chap! This story may or may not be only a couple of chapters, we'll have to see though XD
While the game itself has a lot of cussing, I plan to write this story with little to no cussing so as to not only keep it rated T, but hopefully avoid being reported or have the story taken down! So if that's why this story may seem a little off from the normal BD fic XD But give it a chance! Please? *puppy eyes* 0.0
This story is a Zaige story!
Disclaimer is on my prof.!
Sorry for any spelling errors, spellcheck doesn't like meh -_-"
Enjoy, and please review so I know if you guys like the story, think I should continue, or have any ideas on how to make the way I portray the characters better!
Gaige wasn't sure what to think of the others who were crammed into the same compartment of the transport as her. With each each person carrying at least two guns, the genius was feeling pretty stupid with only an old pistol her dad had given her before her abrupt departure from Eden-5. At least she had Deathtrap, though that was only a small comfort considering she was pretty sure that the blue-haired woman near the front of the car was a freakin' Siren, if the winding tat's around her bare arm were any indicator.
The woman had to be a Siren. She was drop-dead gorgeous with a killer bod that made Gaige feel uglier than a-
Focus Gaige, focus!
Green eyes flickering away, Gaige studied the next person who was closest to the Siren, feeling sufficiently comfortable enough to openly stare, considering she'd hunkered down in the farthest corner from the rest of the group.
Her gaze settled on a short, muscular man. She quickly decided he had some Latino in his blood, taking in his tanned skin and dark hair. The accent also gave him away the minute he'd started telling the Siren a very long and detailed (as in blood and guts being sprayed everywhere kind of detail) story. The man seemed nice enough, she supposed. And judging by how the Siren and man on his left acted towards him, Gaige could only guess that the group of four had traveled to Pandora together. A group of Vaulthunters...that was deadlier than anything Gaige could imagine.
But, back to the task at hand. Smiling, Gaige continued on.
A few feet from the shorter male, a man who looked likely to have a military background sat, smiling slightly, seeming humored by the misfortune of the Siren who was stuck listening to the story the Latino was regaling her with. The man was tall and muscled (though not as much as the other man near him). He had a mischievous gleam in his eyes, and Gaige immediately wanted to approach the man, who looked so nice and-
Her still intact hand strayed to her robotic prosthetic, and Gaige immediately banished the thought of introducing herself. She was still a bit...self-conscious about her arm predicament. It was a recent addition, and not only were the phantom pains still only just fading, so was the gnawing sense of disgust that she'd lost her limb because her stupid jealousy of Marcie had blinded her...
Gaige was startled from her thoughts when a loud laugh left the Latino man (Salvatore, had she heard him call himself?). Bright eyes now once more alert, Gaige's gaze turned to the last occupant of the car.
With a lean, athletic form, the fourth man was dressed in a skin tight, almost ninja-esque suit of black and varying grays, the only splash of color being a bold red '0' on his upper right pec. Flexible armor resided on his shoulders, elbows, chest, shins and feet. A belt rested on his hips, and an amunition pouch was on the outsides of his upper thighs. The armor on his shins were strapped on, and a sword was strapped to his back, a deadly sniper rifle in his hands as he idly adjusted its settings. His face was hidden by a helm of dark metal and tinted glass. His hands were gloved and...wait, did he have only four fingers? Was she imagining things, maybe even hallucinating? Gaige recounted and found that, yes, the man had only eight fingers in total. What was this guy? A robot? No, her Mechromancer sense wasn't tingling...An alien, maybe? She looked back up to the tinted mask-
And found it turned towards her.
She could just feel the man's eyes baring into her.
Cheeks flaring a bright red, Gaige turned her gaze away.
Of all the stupid, idiotic, frickin' scatter-brained...
Tugging her bangs over her eyes, Gaige slouched further into her seat.
Zer0 was used to being looked at with looks of fear. It made him proud, knowing he could strike fear into even the toughest of enemies, though it made many challenges less thrilling than if his foes showed blatant fury towards him.
And so when he felt eyes on him, Zer0 had turned to look, fully expecting a scared, nervous expression on the face of the compartment's fifth occupant-
Only to find large, bright eyes inspecting him with not terror, but instead pure, unbridled curiosity.
Zer0 tilted is head, confused and, dare he say it, intrigued by this little...Vaulthunter? She didn't look like one, perhaps she was just a stowaway...
Big, emerald eyes turned up to his hidden face, and the girl's face immediately went red, her gaze snapping away as she sunk in her seat, trying to hide herself from view, tugging her bangs down and the bandanna tied about her neck up, obviously trying to shield her face as though that would save her from embarrassment.
But despite this, Zer0 didn't look away. No, not when this new subject, this new possible challenge.
The girl- no, she was eighteen, she was a woman (if just barely) had pale redish-pink hair that was pulled back into a slightly off-center bun that was tied with a yellow ribbon, and a yellow head scarf, with long bangs hanging in her eyes (though that did nothing to hide the shockingly green eyes that inspected everything with such interest). Her skin was a soft peach color, not tanned but not pale, and she was of average height. A yellow scarf, matching the head scarf and ribbon, was tied loosely around her neck, and just bellow that was a choker decorated with nuts and bolts of different colors, and a loose necklace with five simple beads. She wore a pale blue, half unzipped hoodie, with a one sleeved shirt that was a faded red that had a skill decorating the front, and a skirt of the same faded red as her shirt. Under the skirt she wore simple, black and white striped leggings, paired with blue hightops. About her slim waist, she had a belt that had several objects fastened to it and a very old, rusted pistol that Zer0 found almost amusing, seeing as it would be all but useless to the girl.
Yet...this also bothered him, for some reason.
That was odd, why would the young woman's lack of proper weaponry concern him even in the slightest? If she died, it was her own fault for not being prepared for the challenges ahead...
So why didn't that thought make him feel any better?
Frowning to himself, Zer0 forced his gaze to leave the pathetic excuse of a gun, his attention being drawn by how the girl was tugging at her sleeve. Why was she fidgeting so-...
Oh.
Oh.
There, in place of the young woman's left arm, was a metal prosthetic.
It wasn't that such limb replacements were uncommon. Quite the opposite, especially here on Pandora, but for one so young to have one...It just rubbed him the wrong way.
Zer0 finally looked away when the Commando of the group, Axton, spoke up as he stood.
"Almost there." He stated, stretching with a groan as his stiff muscles protected at the movement.
The others took this as a signal they should get ready to move (no rest for the wicked, Zer0 supposed. They had to get moving to Sanctuary as soon as they reached their stop). While Maya and Salvador stood, Zer0 holstered his sniper, moving to the rest of the group.
Gaige had been surprised when the man had announced they were almost at the last stop. While the four others stood and moved into a group at the center of the car, near the front, Gaige hesitantly got to her feet as well, forcing herself to stop tugging at her sleeve, a vain, stupid attempt to hide her arm. She quietly watched the group of four, still unable to gather the courage to speak (and after what she had gone through recently, she wasn't in an all too chatty mood anyways). They seemed to know each other well, Gaige mused, watching as they shared a quiet conversation.
It seemed so peaceful right now...Maybe the rumors about Pandora were wrong, maybe it wouldn't be so bad here-
Gaige yelped, stumbling when the transport gave a sudden lurch, and she was sent tripping into the foursome at the other side of the car. She was surprised when, oddly enough, the tall, military-looking man managed to catch her by her still intact arm and steadied her. Before Gaige could thank him, though, she found herself shoved behind the man and most of his group, the man only muttering "stay behind us, kid" as the sole form of explanation.
Confused, Gaige managed to peer out between the man and the Siren, and she quickly understood the man's concern.
Two large Hyperion robots armed with lasers leading a group of other armed mecha and soldiers.
Gaige's lips set into a thin line, and she reached for her old Bandit Hevy Pistal...
But a black-gloved hand gently touched her wrist, halting her movement, and despite knowing whose hand this was, Gaige just had to look up. So she did.
And there was the strange man in the dark helmet. At Gaige's questioning look, the man shook his head.
"Blood sings in my bones/your heart is too faint to fight/ this fight shall be mine."
Gaige stared at him blankly for a long moment, processing what he had just said (and not taking a moment to admire that warm, smooth voice of his that was so friggin' hot, nope, not at all...)
"Was that a Haiku?" She asked incredulously.
The strange man only shrugged.
And then everything became chaos.
Gaige yelped as she was shoved into cover, and the group lept into action.
Oh heck no, she wasn't just gonna sit here and wait this out! She wasn't a little kid anymore! She wanted to blow the heads off of these sons of-!
Aaaand the fight was already over.
Wow. These guys were good. That, or these idiots who'd attacked them were just really, reeeeeeally bad.
Gaige gave a start when a hand was offered to her, looking up.
The man with the zero on his chest stood there, silent and waiting, hand still extended to her. Gaige took it, letting him pull her to her feet.
"Thanks." She finally managed after getting the ringing out of her ears (the Commando's turrets were really effective, but way too loud, especially in a closed off compartment). Offering her most confident, "I-Am-Awesome" grin, Gaige shook the hand that she still held. "The name's Gaige."
The tall man considered her, and for a moment, Gaige thought he wouldn't answer. She was about to give up on her hopes of a reply when the sword-wielding warrior finally spoke.
"Zer0."
Gaige blinked.
"...Like the number?"
A nod.
There was a moment of silence...
Then a wide smile.
"...Cool."
The man, Zer0, tilted his head, seeming to consider Gaige for a moment, before the group's Commando started heading for the conductor's car. The others quickly followed, Gaige following at the back of the group hesitantly. The Commando looked back, and after sharing a nod with the other three of his group, he opened the door.
Woah.
That was a loooooot of explosives.
Zer0 didn't know why he did it. It actually bothered him greatly that when realizing their was no putting enough distance between them and the explosives, he had chosen to turn and shield the young red-head with his body mere seconds before the explosion.
Surprisingly, the girl had accepted the kindness, curling close, her body small and warm against the assassin, face hidden in the dark plates of Zer0's armor and robotic fingers clinging painfully tight against his abdominal.
And for some reason, Zer0 found himself tucking the girl's head under his chin and hoping his shields would be enough to keep he alive.
Either the adrenaline from the battle had made him suddenly go soft...Or he was going insane.
Neither idea was all that comforting to him.
Even through his armor, Zer0 could feel the heat as the explosives detonated. He felt his body leave the ground, but the strong metal fingers still held fast to his armor. The assassin's shields shattered almost immediately under the pure ripping pressure of the explosion, and the last thing Zer0 remembered was a flash of bright green eyes before all became black.
It was...cold. Painfully so. Gaige absently wondered why she'd thought wearing a short-sleeved shirt was a good idea, she was a genius, shouldn't she have taken the icy tundra outside of the bandit lands into consideration?
But right now, she was too sore and cold to care. She had to try and figure everything out. Like why she was being shaken and heard a voice...
Managing to pry her eyes open the young Mechromancer peered up, squinting against the blindingly white landscape and catching flashes of blue.
The Siren.
The woman looked concerned as she shook Gaige, and when the younger female looked up, the beauty's expression became one of relief.
"Your alive!" She gasped out, sounding relieved. She stood, helping Gaige up as well. "Come on, we have to find the others."
Gaige's nose wrinkled slightly.
"Huh?"
"The others." The woman repeated. "The three other vaulthunters that were with us, remember? You met Zer0, and Axton was the one who kept you on your feet in the car. And the loud mouth, Salvador? We were all separated in the explosion. Thankfully you and I landed close to each other."
Odd, Gaige remembered that man, Zer0, had latched onto her, tried to protect her...How strong had that explosion been, if it had dislodged her robotic hand from the assassin's armor?
Shaking this thought off, Gaige nodded, lips setting into a determined line.
"Alright. Any ideas how to find them?"
The Siren sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Not really, no. I don't think they should be that far, though, considering you and I ended up so close to one another."
Gaige managed a grin, hoping to use her age to her advantage to help the older woman feel better with a childish expression.
"Well what're we waiting for then? Let's find them and get outta here, I'm freezing my nonexistent balls off here!"
The Siren laughed at this, and Gaige could now officially say she'd not only met a frickin' Siren, but also made her laugh.