Lunar Cat
Master Hunter Zero came to a conclusion. He could trust his closest friend, X, with knowledge of his secret powers. Axl would have to mature more in order to trust the young hunter with his bigger secrets. Tonight is the night of the full moon; perfect timing to show off at nighttime.
"X, I need to show you something tonight."
"Why not now?"
"I have my reasons. Meet me out on the forest cliff by the sea tonight."
The azure hunter was puzzled. Why was his friend being so odd? He knew the crimson hunter better than anyone. If there was something that needed to be said, the red warrior would never shy away from saying it.
"So now someone else will know, Mel. Did I pick the right time?"
"Mew!"
"Glad to see you agree!" The strong warrior gently picked up the onyx-and-ivory cat, and petted them.
"Purrrrrrrrr…"
"Just as sweet as the day she picked you out… Heheh, some things never change."
Nighttime came. The full moon shone overhead, with stars accenting the dark skies. It was bright enough to go around without artificial light, even for a human. In the forest, many different toads croaked, adding a low voice to the cricket and nightingale songs. Emerald eyes spotted the boulder that their close friend always liked to sit on, overlooking the ocean far below. There he waited for his friend to appear.
"I guess I shouldn't keep you in suspense anymore."
"It's so unlike you to hide things… Besides the big one."
"Heh. Now I can show you the thing I've been hiding since the Sixth War."
Standing on top of the boulder, the sapphire-eyed hunter disappeared into orange flames. When they subsided, Divine Zero stood there. Large milk-white cat body, feathery gold wings and orange flames.
"Wh-what?"
"Surprise! I'm a cat!"
"Seriously, what's going on?"
"I'll explain."
Illuminated by the full moon, the blazing tiger told the story of how he survived the brutal encounter at the end of the Fifth War. He told of the orange cat and their gift. He also told of how the half-armored ally revived his world through the kind Reploid girl, Iris.
"That's who contacted you?"
"Yes. Claw the Healer Cat."
"I was wondering why you went so quickly…"
"Anyone that knew that place knew me."
"It makes sense now. Still, why did you wait until now to tell me?"
"Having a trick up your sleeve keeps things interesting."
"It was alarming to see your sudden boost in strength on solo missions, and how you became so wise so quickly. At least I know why now."
"That's only the half of it. Climb on!"
Cautiously, the azure hunter straddled the grand cat, and they dashed off into the air. Scared, the hunter grasped tight to their friend who didn't seem to mind. Somehow, they were able to reach Eurasia in minutes.
"There's forest here already? I thought the space colony destroyed everything!"
"You'll see." The golden-winged cat landed in the thick of the forest ever so gently and gracefully despite their breakneck speed.
"I'm not even going to question how you can fly so fast and land so carefully…"
"Good, because there's more things that won't make sense to the average mind."
The blazing tiger drew a circle with its flame tail tip, and a dead blueberry bush returned to vibrant life instantly.
"Whoa! How did you do that?"
"Claw showed me how to do many things with this form. Like this, I am in sync with nature and almost fully organic, but three times as durable."
"I think the humans have a saying for something like this…"
"What would that be?"
"Mind equals blown."
"Heheheh! There's still someone you haven't met."
Under the bright moonlight, the duo travelled back to the forest. The feline warrior reverted to their normal form, and whistled. For some reason, the tune was vaguely familiar to X, like he knew it in another time. A black-and-white cat warped in, right into the crimson hunter's arms.
"X, I would like you to meet Mel, my cat."
"Mew!" The ivory cat leapt right onto X's shoulder.
"Heheh, seems that he likes you."
"Err… Hello…?"
"Meow!"
"Don't be afraid, he's asking for a nice scratch behind the ears."
"Like this…?"
"Purrrrr…"
"Heheh, yep. It's because of this ball of fur that I lock myself in during storms. Like most cats, the storms are too loud for sensitive cat ears and that scares him."
"Never thought you to be the caring type…"
"Iris picked out this cat before the Fourth War. It's the least I could do to honor her."
"So you've got it all made out for yourself, with everything major being reversed."
"Yeah. If there's anything that death and near-death experiences have taught me, it's that you have to enjoy whatever you can. I know how you're always worried."
"It always puzzles me how you can't worry very much!"
"Still, worry won't accomplish anything. You need to enjoy at least some part of the day."
"I guess so."
"Mow."
"Mel's right. Enjoy the peace, X, and you might just enjoy it."
The cool summer breeze blew from the ocean below. The blonde warrior stood above, on top of the boulder, greatly enjoying the wind blowing in his golden hair. The adorable cat curled itself around the azure reploid like a living stole, and quickly fell asleep. At this, he couldn't help but smile and pet the fluffy cat. The soothing purring quickly lulled emerald eyes to sleep, finally at peace for now.
"Heheh, I knew that Mel could get through. If that cat could keep the virus itself in line, giving X a night of comfort would be easy. The gift that keeps on giving."