Come Back to Me...
Part II: The Dream Sequence

*all italicized parts are a part of Ciel's dream*

"Don't leave me alone... Please don't go..."

Ciel had no earthly clue where she was right now. One second, she was lying in her bed, at last at ease with her thoughts after so much worrying. The next, she was in a completely different place, though she was still safely tucked in her bed. She felt a suffocating heaviness press itself against her body, an eerie penumbra. The weight made it hard to breathe, like dark clouds hovering on the horizon, and she could taste them. At this point, she could hardly keep her eyes shut and they forced themselves open.

All around, she saw naught but black. She could barely see past her own nose. Strange warbling sounds and otherworldly sounds filled her ear drums, deafening and confusing, and she could not determine what they were or where they were coming from. Not a familiar sound inhabited this pitch black wasteland of empty space. She clutched her bedsheets harder and tugged against them more, naively hoping her bedsheets would provide some sort of comfort from the strange world around her, like a night light keeping away the Boogeyman. The sheets provided no comfort, no shield from the deafening darkness surrounding her like featureless walls.

Ciel couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not. She opened her eyes and saw the strange new world. Immediately, she was puzzled and scared. Things she couldn't recognize surrounded her and snaked around her and her bed. Odd things and characters crept around her. The distortions got even louder. At this point, she felt like her ears were bleeding. Her chest was heaving, her heart was racing, her hands were sweating, her face was strained with deep fear. "Someone help me! AAAAGH!"

Would someone hear her? Would anybody hear her cries? All there was non-responsive echos that bounced right back to her. There wasn't anybody here, just her and these bizarre amalgamations. They gripped tighter and tighter. Would she die in her dreams? She didn't know if people died in their dreams. Robots didn't have dreams. Humans did. What would robots dream if they did? Would they dream of better tomorrows, of feelings, of emotions, like she? Why was this even a preoccupation? "Colbor! Neige! X! Passy! Zero! Somebody! Please help me!"

CHING! SLASH! CRASH!

A green light cut through the darkness. Suddenly, the strange monsters disappeared one by one. Ciel coughed up phlegm and her body jerked a bit from the contortions. "Hello? Is anybody there?"

"YES... SOMEONE IS HERE..."

"Huh? Who's there? Who are you?"

"HUSH NOW. DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD..."

What was happening? There was a voice from the shadows, but it didn't come out too clear. She couldn't make out who was speaking. She swore it had to be him. It had to be. There had to be no other answer. But it couldn't be! She had already dreamed about him once before. She made it a priority to forget each dream she had with him in it. She didn't want to be reminded of the past again. She preferred to move forward.

"B-but...who are-"

Then, a red helmet suddenly manifested itself in the blackness above her. A bright beam shone through, raining down light upon her, warming her more than the covers ever could. A heavenly white light seemed to blind her, blocking from seeing immediately who was lowering down to greet her, her savior in the bleak ocean that she was drowning in. "I-is it-"

"CIEL."

"Zero!"

"Zero..." she mumbled.

"Zero...you just saved me from those monsters. What were they? I couldn't make any of them out."

The dream-like entity of Zero pressed a finger against Ciel's lips and hushed her. At that moment, Ciel felt something she couldn't quite wrap her head around. Her breath became hot and her cheeks were flushed. She felt her body tense up, her heart beat at a million miles an hour. Though... No, what was this she was feeling? Zero had never done this before. Was he this kind of Reploid? These emotions, they were triggered by something. She felt uneasy and uncomfortable. Her stomach was knotted. The protective veil of her covers left her and there was nothing separating her from Zero.

"Z-Zero..." she mumbled again. She shuffled in her bed sheets, whimpering a little. Her whimpers were like that of a lonesome puppy.

Zero ran his hands through her golden hair, letting the strands of her ponytail slide between his fingertips. He petted her forehead and played with her bangs a little. There was a certain grace he had as he touched her face. He treated her with respect, with love, with honor. This was not unlike the real Zero, who treated her with respect at any given moment. Except...he never did this to her. This was unheard of. It was...impossible! "O-oh, my...goodness..." she said, her entire face practically beaming red.

Ciel was frozen in place, unable to make a single move to defend herself. What was happening? Was she at the mercy of own imagination? She couldn't believe this was actually happening. She didn't know if this was good or bad. Whether or not it was, she felt scared, yet happy at the same time.

Ciel couldn't keep still. She felt herself mimicking the movements Zero was making in her dreams. The whole while, Ciel's body was getting warm and tingly. The tips of her fingers were beginning to electrify as she rubbed her face.

Ciel circled her head left and right to hopefully stop Zero from kissing her. She could feel he wanted to. If he did, she would definitely melt. She wasn't ready to melt away just yet, but, oh, God, how she wanted to. Just not yet. Not in her dreams. However, this would not serve as a very welcome boding for her as Zero, being the calmly smooth Reploid he was (only in here, for some reason), placed a hand on her cheek and maneuvered her to kiss him. He kissed her?! He kissed her!

Ciel's chest heaved upward. Now she could barely keep her legs still. They slowly began gyrating together, back and forth, like she had to use the bathroom. "A-aaah... Z-Zero...!" she said as her tiny grunts and whimpers turned into little moans.

All of a sudden, she felt herself go numb. All feeling in her neck down to her legs completely ceased as the battle Reploid's lips touch hers. As he kissed her softly and passionately, she felt her entire body electrify, like a power surge jolting through her spine. She couldn't have asked for a better gift than to feel his metal plating weigh on top of her. She didn't bother to fight back anymore. All she could ask for was right here in front of her. This love was hers. She didn't care if it was just a dream and it would be over in the morning. If this was real to her in her dreams, then it was real to her in real life. His hands proceeded to slowly take themselves in whatever direction they wanted to. In this case, they grabbed her hands and held them tightly, raising them above her head. He now had control over her.

And Ciel had little control over her own actions. All the time, she kept moaning Zero's name, mostly keeping quiet. Even though she was alone in her room and the lab, she was still right next to Cerveau's laboratory, too. It wouldn't be good if she woke him up by moaning Zero's name too loudly. She kept the covers over her body, but she was getting hot under them. It wouldn't be too much longer before they were stripped off and she could have some air to breathe. Then again, she could barely breathe right now. It was almost like Zero was right beside her. It felt too good to be a dream.

"Z-Zero..." she finally spoke, looking deep into his eyes. "I've missed you. I know you're gone. Colbor couldn't find you, neither could Neige. I guess-"

"I AM..."

"...Huh? What...did you...?"

"I AM OUT THERE... I NARROWLY SURVIVED RAGNAROK'S EXPLOSION... I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW, BUT I'M COMING BACK TO FIGHT FOR YOU...FOR THE RESISTANCE."

Ciel felt the feeling come back. A twitch from a lump in her throat stung a little, but it forced up the tears she was holding back yet again. This time, these were tears of joy. She smiled, but found it hard to believe that this was actually Zero manifesting herself before her, or if it was just the dream she was in right now, of Zero making love to her. "Z-Z-Zero...y-you don't know...how happy that makes me... I...I..."

He didn't say anything, but he expected her response to come as clear as day.

God, he was so handsome. He had such a beautiful face, a perfectly crafted face, just like X had. His battle scars were so wonderfully suiting of his model, a fully functional battle Reploid, designed solely for combat. She could stare into his eyes for an eternity, spending all that attempting to figure out what made him who he was, what made him the enigmatic figure he was. And even if she was wrong and wrong and wrong again, she wouldn't care. Her time spent with him was eternally precious. "I...I...I love you..."

"I'M A REPLOID, SO I CAN'T REALLY RETURN THE FAVOR," he said, smiling naively.

"You're doing it right now..."

"CIEL..."

"Zero..."

She squirmed around under her sheets like a worm. At this point, her hands were filled with lightning. Every nerve ending was amplified a hundred times. She felt it in...other places, too. Her chest, her waist, her stomach, her legs. "Oh, Zero... Touch me there... Oh... Aiee!"

Ciel nearly threw herself at the dream Zero, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him in to kiss her again. The young blonde-haired scientist surrendered herself over to him. It all led up to this. She let herself to him. He led his hand to follow a path up her shirt. Oh, God, she hope he take notice of her training bra... she thought. His fingers seemed to magically work around it and tantalize her chest and her stomach. She whimpered in delight.

Off the covers went, but her clothes were still on. She was so tempted to take those off, also. Her hands continued to mimic the actions of the Zero in her dreams as one hand crawled up her shirt to give a light squeeze to her left breast. "Mmm, gosh..."

Zero seemed to have known about this. How? Then again, this was a dream. This was her dream Zero. He could do anything she wanted him to do, say anything she wanted him to say.. How was it possible the dream was becoming less and less her own as this went on? She didn't understand. However, did she really want to understand? This was becoming more and more confusing. With every touch and rub and feel, she seemed to drift deeper into the world of pleasure. She wanted to be with Zero forever. She then took Zero's hand that seemed to be manuvering further and further south and put it to her chest again. "Do you feel that?" she said. "That's my heart."

"YOUR HEART?"

"Yeah. The faster it beats, the happier I feel. Sometimes, it beats like this when I'm nervous or scared. It beat like that a lot when we were fighting Neo Arcadia, but now that I'm with you, my heart beating now means I'm happy."

"SO RIGHT NOW...YOU'RE HAPPY?"

"Yes. I'm...very happy."

Zero had never seen Ciel like this. Every time, he'd seen a strong willed girl with a pretty appearance to back up her caring demeanor, intelligence, and heroism. But here, he'd witnessed an entirely different Ciel. This Ciel was an angel, a beautiful person with eyes like limpid pools and beautiful blonde hair, sparkling in the light of his helmet, with the cutest face and the most resplendent spirit—not to mention body—he'd ever laid eyes upon. All he could focus on was treating her like a queen because that's what she was and deserved. She deserved it all. She deserved to be happy. If that was the case, what she described just now, he would make her heart beat a million miles an hour. He held her in his arms and caressed her hair, back and neck with his fingertips. They burned her. She squeaked a little as she felt the hot caress of Zero's strong hands rub against her flesh. She kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing the waltz of passion with hers.

"Zero...! Oh, m-my...! Zero... D-don't stop... Please..."

The mighty Reploid proceeded to slide his hands down her waist. He pushed one leg up into the air and, at that moment, Ciel had embraced a whole new world within herself. She felt her body tense up even more than before. She felt even more sensations wriggle throughout her body; some in her chest, in her nipples; in her gut, butterflies; in her toes, which she felt curl up; she bit her lip and moaned loudly, however...

...she did not. She maintained the same quiet moans as before, though they were increasing in volume slightly. Thankfully, she had her privacy. She found it harder and harder to stay quiet while thinking of Zero this way. Her face held a half-crying expression as her hands almost systematically pleasured herself. As per the dream Zero, her right hand proceeded to creep between her legs to rub the fabric of her black tights first, as if to tease herself like Zero was doing in her dreams, then she slowly began to dip into her tights. She bit her lip to prevent herself from yelping, as she squirmed, shook, and quivered like a dog in the cold; and she breathed even heavier than before, her heart pounding harder and faster.

"Oh, God, Zero!" she cried out with passion clearly ringing in her voice. Her mind had fallen to somewhere else, a place made of passion and desires, all of which Zero was inhabiting. Her mind was weak to the battle Reploid's heavy hands, his beautifully designed body, his powerful arms, his chiseled legs, each part working fluidly in conjunction with the other, flowing in a perfect synchronized motion. He was splendorous and she was his. All his...

"Hah...hah...hah...hah... Oh, Zero... N-no, not there... Please, n-not there...!" Her head rapidly flew back, forth, and backwards as her hands continue to mimic Zero's. Her desires were losing control. She was close to her breaking point. Once that pivotal point hit, this dream would end and she would be alone again. She wished this dream would last forever. She wanted Zero to be with her always and forever, even if he was just fighting enemies for all eternity, she would be there for him. She wouldn't consider putting the Resistance in danger for Zero's sake, but she would fight for every possible moment to see him.

"Zero! I-I-I can't...!"

"ARE YOU HAPPY, CIEL?"

She was crying again. Tears flowed down her face as she was being felt up in her forbidden place, but it was such a welcome feeling that she couldn't help but cry when she looked into the eyes of the Reploid who sacrificed everything for them. "Y-yes! I've n-never been h-h-happier...!"

"THEN I AM DONE HERE."

Wait, what? What did Zero just say? After so much precious time spent making love, it was time for him to go? And right when she was reaching her climax?! "Zero! No, please don't go! Take me with you!" she shouted, reaching out for him as his body floated away into the blackness, far out of reach from Ciel. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe what just happened. Yet...it happened. Her one moment of happiness with Zero had been taken away from her. Again. The resulting shock caused her to fall backwards, head first onto her pillow and start to cry again. "ZEEERRRROOOO!"

"N-no... No! Please don't leave me alone! N-no, Zero! Don't go! Zeeerrrooo!"

Her arms moved faster and faster. She dug her fingertips deep inside where they rested between her legs. Her back lurched up from the intense sensation of pleasure lurching throughout her body. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she stood herself up on the tips of her toes, feeling another warmth trickle down her thigh and dampen her tights again. After about five seconds of pure unfettered heat flowing through her from head to toe, she fell onto her back once more and opened her eyes. She cobalt blue eyes appeared exhausted and very tired. It sounded very clear in her breaths, as well. She put her hand on her heart. "What a dream," she said.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on her door. "Ms. Ciel, are you okay in there?"

It was Cerveau. "Yes, Cerveau, I'm okay."

"I heard you scream. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I just...had a bad dream, that's all. Luckily, Zero was there to protect us."

"Ah. Well, sleep well, Ms. Ciel. I'll be in my lab."

"Thank you, Cerveau, for checking on me."

"Of course."

Before he got too far away from the door, Ciel had one more question to ask him. "Cerveau, one more thing. Do you think Zero is out there somewhere?"

"Mmm... I couldn't rightly tell you off the top of my head, Ms. Ciel. All I know is that we all miss him greatly. So do I. I always had a blast building new weapons for him and watching him get stronger and stronger. It made me want to improve myself as an inventor, which is why I've been so busy lately. I'm sure you have, too. But like you, I believe he's out there. Where he is exactly, I don't know, but he can't be too far away."

Ciel pressed her hands to her chest. She found herself looking to the ceiling again. "Not too far away..." she said to herself with a hopeful ambiance in her voice.

To Be Continued...