Hey, it's me, LadyHammer! This is a for X and Axl, in hopes that I can stop hating Axl so much. I think he's growing on me, I really do! Heh, anyway... the plot will tell itself in this chapter, and I hope you guys RxR! Disclaimer: I don't own X, Zero, or Axl. Or anything else that Capcom does. But that mean ol' reploid down there in the flashback? Yeah, I own him xD I made him up. RAWR!
Anyway... onward!

Shadows on the Wall

Shadows of X p.1

Who knew? Really now… who knew?

I didn't…

So it wasn't my fault……

Right?

I felt a heavy sigh coming on. I didn't know… what I do know is that… he wouldn't want me to blame myself, whether I knew or not. And, I'd try my best not to… nothing would get a hold of me and turn me into something he didn't want…

But… then the sigh came on. It crushed me, with such force I wasn't sure I could keep everything in me. The sigh was shaky and brought the mourning right out of me. I leaned over the rails of the balcony, letting it out. Everything that had built up over the past hours…

Zero…

I stood behind Zero, and Axl behind me, as we cautiously approached the warehouse. Signas had told us that this was the beginning of something, and he knew it. He didn't want another war to break loose, and he didn't want more mavericks attacking. The signal had arrived very, very early that morning, and before we knew it, the three of us had been summoned to the bridge by Alia. The signal was from an unknown irregular, Signas had told us. Zero, Axl and I had no problem going to take care of the problem. Things were just getting easier and easier these days.

Never, ever will I think that again…

We approached the warehouse. I knew I should have listened to the feeling I got upon arrival. It was just such an obvious warning…

We went inside. There was nothing to keep us from going in, so we figured it was less work. I knew Axl suspected something, too. He was starting to catch on quick these days. Zero had to have sensed something… he just had to have…

Right as we walked in, there was a loud crash from down a hallway. This was a strange warehouse, it definitely wasn't of the norm. Almost like a small base of some kind. Well, loud crash considered, Zero led us down the hallway fearlessly. I had grown extremely tense by now, and Axl was getting hesitant with his steps.

"Zero… maybe we should go slower…" he said cautiously. Zero looked back at him and shook his head.

"Come on, Axl, this is nothing… let's go. Are you scared?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. Another crash echoed down the hallway.

"Let's just go, Zero… something's down there…" I replied, gently pushing him to go on. He shrugged, and continued leading us down the narrow hallway.

Suddenly, the place shook. We could see a metal doorway at the end of the hallway, and through it we saw a helpless reploid tossed mercilessly to the other side of the room by something… something… malicious. Blood sprayed all over the walls, and I'll never forget that blood curdling scream raging in our senses.

Zero clutched onto his saber and rushed down the hallway before Axl and I could stop him, so we followed, hoping to pull him back. We knew something was wrong, and I'm sure Zero knew it too, but he was stubborn… he wasn't going to back away because of a mere sense.

Inside, a malevolent looking reploid stood fierce with huge, bloodstained claws and fangs, haunching over, large spikes growing from it's back. It's dark scarlet armor glinted the huge of the blood it had shed, and right away, two bulky metal tentacles emerged from it's sides. One grabbed onto me, and the other onto Axl, crushing us tightly with it's extreme force. Axl screamed, writhing in pain, trying to get free, while my eyes were set on the scene ahead of me.

Zero roared while dashing forward, thrusting his saber into the strange maverick with amazing force. Then, the opening the saber had made grew larger, and another claw lashed out, piercing right through Zero's body.

I screamed right beside Axl, trying relentlessly to get free with no luck. Zero stumbled back, and before he could fall, the maverick's large claws came swooping down on him, ripping him completely from his lower half.

"ZERO!" I cried out, only to have the grip on me tightened. The maverick picked the already far from conscious Zero up from the ground and held him in his large claws, staring down at him with malice. The only sounds besides the maverick's malevolent breathing were the sounds of the Crimson Hunter's blood slowly dripping onto the warehouse floor. Zero didn't move, didn't speak, didn't open his eyes, or show the slightest signs of life. Axl and I were thrown against the back wall, and the maverick activated his thrusters and rocketed away into the dawning sky with our Hunter, dead in the enemy's hands. He was gone. Gone…

… Gone…

I should have done something… and then, tears slipped out of my verdant eyes and into the soft grass down below the balcony. He was going to come back… right? It'd be like all of those other times… when we'd be in trouble, at the moment we were sure to die, Zero would come in, being the hero to save us, miraculously alive.

He would come back…

Right?

Okay, now, dun get me wrong, I love Zero to pieces, but... I wanted to do something to kind of go on about X and Axl, y'know? Kinda together like... and this just really seemed like something that they could bond with each other over... but yeah... I don't know if I'm gonna put shounen-ai in this or not. I have a hard time NOT doing that, and I don't know how people will take to an X/Axl coupling, anyway... hehe... but, as for now, I'll just let what happens happen! ;