It Comes From the Heart
By Shree Panda
This is a take on what could have happened between Mega Man and Mega Man X. Summary: Proto Man and Mega Man are separated after Dr. Light and Roll's death, and they meet up again 100 years later. The problem is, Mega Man's a Hunter known as X and Proto Man's a Maverick known as Neo. Will their brotherly bond keep them alive? Or will the groups they fight for cause them to kill each other?
July 21, 2076
"PROTO MAN!!!!!" Mega Man screamed, running into his older brother's room. Proto Man moaned and sat up, visor already on his face. He watched his smaller brother climb up on his bed and whimper slightly.
Proto Man crawled over and held him tightly in his arms. "What's wrong?"
Mega Man sniffed. "It's Wily… he figured out where we are… now what do we do?" He started crying.
"He knows where we are? This is bad. He already killed Dr. Light and Roll… now he's come after us two," Proto Man commented, trying to soothe his little brother by rubbing circles on the other robot's back.
Then it happened. Out of nowhere, the entire ceiling came crashing down on the two robots. Both of them stood up and backed away as fifty Wily bots appeared in the dust, Proto Man holding Mega Man possessively. Leading them was Wily. "Why hello, you two, it's nice to see you again," he said sarcastically. He snapped his fingers. "Bass…"
A black robot with gold trim smirked. "Yes, Dr. Wily," he said before lunging forward. Proto Man dodged him, but Mega Man wasn't so lucky. Bass collided with him, knocking down. Before anyone could do anything, Mega Man was in a headlock and was being dragged away. Proto Man landed sharply on the ground and was pinned by a lab table which had been knocked over in the confusion.
"PROTO MAN!!!! Proto Man, help me!" Mega Man yelled, terrified as the Wily bots began to prepare to leave. He was still in the headlock. "Proto Maaaaaaaaan!"
Poor Proto Man could only watch in horror as the Wily bots threw his little brother into a ship that had appeared. Desperately, he tried to pull the table off him, but he wasn't fast enough. The door to the ship closed, and Proto Man heard Mega Man scream, "Proto Man!" one last time before the ship flew away.
Proto Man sank to his knees. The scarf-clad robot was feeling very horrible. Mega Man, his sweet little brother, the brother he had vowed to protect no matter what, was now at Wily's mercy.
Weakly, the red robot stood up and quickly grabbed the couple of energy tanks from the freezer. Why Dr. Light had left them there in the first place was a mystery, but at least Wily didn't find them. He used one right away, and left one incase Mega Man might need it… if he found him.
September 18, 2076
Proto Man was exhausted. He kept saying to himself, "Got to… find… Mega Man!" But he was losing hope fast. After all, it had been almost two months since the attack at their home, and ever since then, he had traveled, never sleeping, to find his brother. He had already absorbed the second energy tank, and he also had to use his scarf to mop up the sweat that poured down his face.
Sick at heart, the wandering robot came across an abandoned building. "Maybe I could rest a little here…" He walked in and leaned against the one wall that looked sturdy and was soon fast asleep. He was so tired that his systems kept him asleep for a very long time.
Mega Man watched Wily and the robots work busily in their laboratory. He was strapped to a lab table as Wily's test subject. The blue robot hadn't volunteered, but had he really had a choice? No. Wily walked over to him, tools in his hand and a twisted smile on his face.
Mega Man shuddered slightly. He didn't like the way the human was looking at him. Wily noticed Mega Man's shudder, and commented, "Oh, don't worry; you'll live to see the results of this. That is, if you are sane and conscious."
That did not make the little robot feel any better. He was frightened out of wits because Proto Man couldn't help him, and he was strapped to a table, lying on his side, so that the panel on his back which could access his circuits was taken full advantage of by Wily. And he also knew that Wily beforehand had found some ways to do some nasty damage from the panel.
Wily stuffed and removed a few more circuits and wires inside and closed Mega Man's panel. Then he injected the robot with something. "Done." He motioned to Bass, who walked over and leered down at Mega Man. The blue robot had no chance to escape. As soon as the bonds strapping him to the table were released, Bass grabbed him and covered his mouth.
Mega Man suddenly felt very sleepy. His head nodded, and before he could realize that Wily had stuck a nullifier in him, he was fast asleep. Wily glanced at the unconscious robot. "If he wakes up, he should be sane if this experiment works."
"What did you do, Dr. Wily?" a robot called Terra asked.
"I did some sort of mind-altering experiment on him. I already planned some precautions incase he resisted the reprogramming. I'm going to bury him in a capsule, and a hundred years later, open it. If the experiment worked, I'll use him to take over the world. If it didn't, I'll kill him. Then I'll have one less trouble-maker around. Either way, I win," Dr. Wily said, taking Mega Man from Bass.
The robots and Wily walked through many floors of the lab, stopping only when they reached a room where a blue pod stood. Wily threw Mega Man inside the pod and locked the door of the capsule. The scientist then went over to the computer and printed something out. He stuck the paper on the pod, and very carefully signed it T. Light, after Mega Man's creator.
April 14, 2176
"Well!" Cain gasped to himself, marveled at his discovery. "Maybe this'll clear things up a bit." Inside an underground laboratory he had been investigating, he had found a blue pod with a robot inside it. Cain had no idea who this robot was, but after looking at some papers, believed it to be named X and created by Dr. Light.
"Well, if it's Light's, then it can't be dangerous," Cain muttered to himself. Carefully, he opened the pod. The robot (who was really believed to be X, but was really the missing Mega Man) slowly opened his eyes.
Mega Man blinked for a few seconds, and looked down at himself. Wily should have noticed that nothing had happened by now. Why wasn't he dead? Then he shook his head and finally noticed Cain. With a jolt, he jumped back, banging his head on the capsule. He winced slightly. "W-Who are you?" he stammered.
"I'm Dr. Cain. You're X, right?" Cain responded. Mega Man nodded after hesitating slightly, and then allowed Cain to help him out of the capsule.
"So... will you come to my place?" Cain asked hesitantly, wondering whether Mega Man would listen. To this, Mega Man nodded.
"I don't have anywhere else to go..."
Within minutes, Cain and Mega Man had cleaned up the site and were driving their way to Cain's house. Cain noticed something heading their way and frowned. "Odd looking car. Can't quite say I recognize the model."
Curious, Mega Man peeked out the window. His metal heart nearly stopped. Cain might not recognize the car, but he did. With a short yelp, he ducked inside the car and shook.
"X?" Cain asked, concerned.
"Tell me when it's gone..."
Once Cain was positive that the car was gone (and a strange one it was, too; there were what appeared to be skulls decorating it), he called comfortingly to Mega Man. "It's gone, X."
For the rest of the trip, Mega Man sat silently in the car.
May 9, 2178
Zero scowled angrily as his sleep was once again broken by his roommate, Mega Man, who seemed to get nightmares almost every day. Zero was upset at Mega Man for this, but it also made him wonder what sort of hell the robot had been through in the past, for he only seemed to be crying out one thing in his sleep: "Proto Man!! Proto Man, help me!"
Who is this Proto Man? Zero wondered, frowning a little. And why is X calling this person for help? Zero had only recently been put in with Mega Man, after Mega Man's former roommate, Mac, had gone Maverick. He liked the little blue robot as if they were brothers, but Mega Man's nightmares really annoyed Zero.
The red Hunter yawned and got up, unable to take Mega Man's screams anymore. He walked sleepily over to Dr. Cain's laboratory. The scientist who had found Mega Man was still awake, looking through some old plans he had found with Mega Man.
"Hey Doc," Zero called out.
Cain glanced at him. "X have nightmares again?"
"Yep."
"Zero, come here," Cain said. Zero frowned and walked over. Dr. Cain sat down and motioned for Zero to do the same. "You know, I found X sometime in April 2176, right? Well, he was very jumpy when I did, and it looked like he wanted to hide from someone. While I was taking X back to the lab, a rather strange car that looked like a skull passed us. When X saw the car, I could swear that he freaked! He practically cowered in my car and wouldn't come out until I assured him that the car was gone."
"X must know those people… maybe they were the reason he was in the capsule…" Zero muttered.
Unbeknownst to them, Mega Man had gotten up and was watching them through the doorway. You have no idea how right you are, Z…
A group of Mavericks and their current leader, Sigma, had taken refuge in an old building. "The Hunters have succeeded again!" Sigma snapped at the Mavericks. They nodded nervously. "So that means we need a new plan… and some new recruits!"
Agile, tired of Sigma's ranting, glanced out of the corner of his eye at his friend Mac, who also looked bored. Finally, a few words caught their attention. "… now talk to someone about plans!" Mac and Agile backed into a corner to chat, and nearly tripped over something (or someone…) they couldn't see. Agile glanced down, and his jaw dropped.
Leaning against the wall was a robot. The robot was red-and-white with a matching helmet and shield, a black visor on his eyes, and a yellow scarf around his neck. It was also unconscious. "What's its number?" Mac asked Agile.
Agile glanced at the number that was stamped onto the robot's neck, pushing aside the scarf. "DL #000," Agile replied.
Mac frowned. "000? He doesn't have a number?"
Agile shook his head. "000 is stamped on his neck."
A new voice interrupted their thoughts. "What's with you two?"
"C-Commander Sigma!" Mac stammered. He gestured to the robot. "W-We found him lying like this here!"
Sigma bent down and examined the robot. "He seems to be in working condition, but he must have been unconscious like this for a long time. Look at all the dust build-up on him," the Maverick Leader commented.
"Sir, we could reactivate him and make him Maverick… or would he not be powerful enough?" Agile asked.
"I think he's strong. Look at the shield and his arm cannon. He was clearly built to fight," Sigma commented. "Agile, Mac, take him back to Headquarters. We could use him."
"Sir… what about his name? We can't call him by his number all the time!"
"What's his number?"
"DL #000."
"WHAT?!" Sigma gasped. The two Mavericks cowered slightly. A few other Mavericks looked over in the trio's direction, but Sigma waved them off. "You two, you have made a startling discovery! This robot is the legendary Proto Man of the Robot Rebellions! He's one of the most powerful robots in the world!"
Agile and Mac's eyes widened in surprise and respect for Proto Man. "But how on earth did he end up in this warehouse, Commander?" Agile asked. "All of the history books I've read said that he and his younger brother, Mega Man, simply vanished!"
Proto Man...? Mac thought mentally. Where have I heard that name before? I am sure someone I know mentioned it...
"I guess the only way to find out is to reactivate him. Take him back to headquarters, now!" Sigma commanded. "Oh, and ask him if he minds being called Neo. We don't want the world to know we have a legendary robot on our side, especially the Hunters."
The two Mavericks nodded, picked up Proto Man, and teleported back to Headquarters.
September 31, 2178
Mega Man watched Zero and Cain bury themselves in paperwork. He looked down at his own stack and sighed. He had too many things on his mind to worry about paperwork; like what happened to Proto Man, for example.
Then Alia ran in. "Doc! Zero! X!" she yelled. Mega Man snapped out of his daydream and stared up at the Hunter spotter.
"We are having problems… there's this new recruit in the Mavericks called Neo, and he's pretty tough. We've sent our best Hunters out (besides X and Zero), and he's either destroyed or severely injured them all," Alia gasped, out of breath.
"This Neo Maverick sounds tough all right. X, maybe you should…?" Cain asked. Mega Man nodded.
"I'll go. Maybe a fight will stop me from daydreaming," Mega Man commented. He quickly got out of his seat and teleported to where 'Neo' had been spotted last.
When Mega Man got there, there was no one in sight. Silent as a mouse, Mega Man walked along bits of broken metal and scorched ground. Then, without warning, a hand was clapped over his mouth. He felt a strange smelling cloth go over his nose. He struggled as hard as he could, but his captor held him tightly and the blue robot passed out.
Agile glanced down at his captive. "Mac, we got him!"
"Told you our persistence would pay off," Mac commented.
"Now all we've got to do is take him back to headquarters. Commander Sigma's gonna be happy we got him."
"Neo's pretty good. He's half the reason we got X, mind you."
"Where is Neo?"
Mac looked around. Proto Man was nowhere in sight. "He probably went back already. Let's go. Neo can question him later."
Half dragging, half carrying Mega Man, the two Mavericks immediately ran back to Maverick Headquarters.
Mega Man woke up chained in a damp, dark cell. He shivered slightly. Not only was it damp and dark, it was also very cold. He still felt drowsy, and searched his memory for the liquid that had knocked him out. His memory told him it was the same type of liquid that Wily had injected in the needle years earlier.
He heard the door open, but his poorly-working vision (due to the nullifier) couldn't identify the person. Then Mega Man passed out again.
Proto Man stared sadly at Mega Man as the robot passed out. He had had no idea that the captive he had been coming to question was the one person he thought he'd never see again – his little brother. The poor bot must have been through hell and back, judging from his condition.
"Mega Man..." he whispered, gently stroking the unconscious robot's face. Then he pulled out a laser torch and began to cut the chains. He did it so quickly and quietly that Mega Man did not stir.
When the last chain was cut, Proto Man scooped up his brother and quickly ran from the room. He had no trouble finding refuge in his room. Thankfully, he also met no other Mavericks in his way. Proto Man set Mega Man down on the bed and softly watched the robot. He waited patiently.
After a few minutes, Mega Man moaned and stirred. Proto Man clutched his hand. Mega Man opened his eyes and stared up into the familiar visored-face of his older brother. "P-P-Proto... M-M-Man...?" he whispered. He tried to sit up, but was too weak. Proto Man moved him so that the robot's back was leaning against the headboard of the bed.
"Hey kid," Proto Man responded, giving the other robot a hug. Mega Man leaned into the hug, basking in the arms that belonged to his big brother.
"How...?" Mega Man asked weakly, still held by Proto Man.
The red robot sighed and asked, "Mega Man... are you a Hunter?"
"Yes," came the response.
Proto Man sighed again. "Then I can't keep you here... the others would kill you if they saw you..."
"Others?"
"You have to know... I'm a Maverick, and I call myself Neo."
"What?!"
"I'm afraid that's the truth... but if you hate me, it is okay, but I still care deeply for you."
"Proto Man!" Here Mega Man stared right at Proto Man's visor-covered eyes. "Don't even suggest that I might hate you! I don't care whether you're a Maverick or not! You'll always be my big brother and best friend." Mega Man finished the speech and coughed slightly. Proto Man thumped him on the back.
"PROTO MAN!!!!!" Sigma's voice came through the loud speaker in the room, startling the two robots. "GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!"
"Uh oh..." Proto Man muttered. Mega Man shot him a worried and confused look. The other robot noticed his look and said, "I'm not sure, but I think the other Mavericks found out I freed you."
"Did you tell anyone else I was Mega Man? I call myself X, you know..." Mega Man finished.
"No."
"I think you'd better tell Sigma."
Proto Man sighed. "Stay right here. If you go outside without me, they'll kill you for sure. If Sigma wants to talk to me, then I'd better go see what he wants," Proto Man told his brother. Mega Man nodded. "If you think someone's coming in, hide in my closet, 'kay?"
"Mm-hmm," Mega Man said. His older brother smiled and left the room.
"...and that is why I won't kill X," Proto Man said as he finished telling the entire story to Sigma. The Maverick Commander was extremely angry about his top Maverick releasing a Hunter. However, his gaze softened as he heard Proto Man's story. Sigma knew that during Proto Man's missions, the red robot had been desperately searching for any sign of his little brother. The only flaw was that his brother belonged to the group the Mavericks hated the most.
Sigma sighed, but stared at the expression on the smaller robot's face. It was a heartbroken, pleading look which caused Sigma to judge his actions rather differently than he normally did.
"Alright, Proto Man... I'll let him live... for now at least... you two are gonna have to settle your differences somehow. I'll only let you leave the Mavericks if Mega Man leaves the Hunters. There's no way I'm letting you turn traitor," Sigma said. "Oh, by the way... if you want him to walk these halls without getting shot at, you must let me tell the other Mavericks everything."
Proto Man nearly fainted with relief. "Thanks... and go right ahead."
November 19, 2178
None of the Hunters or Mavericks have attacked each other for their own personal reasons, the Mavericks because they won't be able to persuade Proto Man to kill his little brother's best friends, the Hunters because of the threat of 'Mega Man's life hanging over their heads'. Mega Man and Proto Man both hoped that this newfound peace from fighting will be able to stop the endless and unnecessary wars.
Fate doesn't work that way. It all began again when Proto Man and Mega Man were playing tennis outside with Mac and Agile. It was Mac and Mega Man vs. Proto Man and Agile. Mac and Mega Man lost rather spectacularly, but were good sports about it. Mega Man was still homesick for his Hunter friends Alia, Signas, Douglas, Lifesaver, Zero, and Dr. Cain, but could do nothing about it.
As the four tennis players were packing up, a car shaped like a skull showed up at the Maverick Headquarters entrance. It wasn't long before poor Mega Man and Proto Man realized who it belonged to.
"I'm telling you, Mac, we're in deep trouble!" Mega Man complained.
"Mac, he's right," Proto Man said quietly, backing up his brother. "That car belongs to Dr. Wily and his goons... the reason I lost Mega Man in the first place."
"I'm just curious..." Agile asked. "Why did you, not your creator, raise Mega Man in the first place?"
"I guess I'll have to tell you," Proto Man said. "See, it all began a hundred years ago..."
Flashback: March 6, 2076
"Mega Man's always complaining about me not being at home," Proto Man said to himself as he walked along the streets of the city. "But the poor kid doesn't realize that I just am not that much of a family person, even though I'll always be there when he needs me."
He shuffled along the streets, even though it was the middle of the night. He was a wearing a brown trench coat, black shoes, his classic dark sunglasses, and his well-known yellow scarf. On his face was a smile as he thought about his little brother, who was two years younger than him.
A bright red light lit up the sky, and a tremendous booming sound filled the air. Proto Man took no notice while other bystanders stared at the display, whispering to each other. Even though he really wasn't listening, Proto Man caught a glimpse of the conversations.
"Hey, that light and sound looked like it came from over there."
"What could it be?"
"You know, the only place there is Dr. Light's laboratory."
"Maybe something malfunctioned?"
"No, I think someone attacked them."
"Three guesses who it was."
"Yeah, it's obviously Dr. Wily."
At these words, Proto Man Light paled. He took off, running past the bystanders to the laboratory where his only family lived. Dad, Roll, Mega Man... Please be okay... he thought desperately as he ran at top speed through the streets.
He finally stopped when he neared the lab and hit his armor recall, cladding him in his traditional red-and-gray armor and shield. The scarf and visor were still on him. He recognized some Wily bots standing outside the laboratory. Cautiously, the red robot inched forward and quietly climbed a tree so that they couldn't hear him.
Afterwards, the Wily bots left and Proto Man jumped down from the tree and ran inside the lab. "Dad! Roll! Mega Man!" he called. "Where are you?!"
The panicked robot ran into a room and suddenly the smell of burning flesh caught him. He nearly reeled back, and when he looked into the room, he saw Dr. Light lying on the floor. He had been burned beyond saving. Sadly, Proto Man forgot that he was a robot for a moment and made the cross sign of Jesus.
"Rest in peace, dad," he whispered. Then he ran out of the room and into another part of the laboratory where Dr. Light had built his robots. Inside, he saw robot parts strewn about. When he saw the head of a young blond girl, Proto Man nearly started crying. It was Roll, his sister, and she was destroyed beyond repair. He wept for her, and then began to look for his other sibling.
"Mega Man!!!!" he screamed. "Mega Man, where are you!!!!"
Then he heard a small voice cry out, "Proto Man!"
"Mega Man!" Proto Man gasped, running towards the voice, which was in another room. He looked inside and saw that the ceiling had collapsed, covering the floor. From the mess on the floor, Mega Man's voice called again, "Under here! Get me out, I'm too weak!"
"Hang on, kid," Proto Man said comfortingly, pulling at the remains of the ceiling. Soon, a battered blue robot could be seen in the rubble. Proto Man pulled Mega Man out and studied him.
"Mega Man, you're alive!" Proto Man nearly cried, hugging his brother.
"Where are Dad and Roll?" Mega Man asked, looking up at the taller robot with his big blue eyes.
"I... Mega... they're... gone..." the red robot whispered.
Mega Man burst into tears. "Noooooooo!" Proto Man, after hearing the outburst of his brother, wanted to cry himself, but knew he had to be strong for both of them.
"Come on, Mega," he said. "If we stay here, Dr. Wily'll find us. I think we'd better salvage what we can here and move to my house."
Mega Man sniffed and nodded.
Present Day
"Ouch... I take it that neither of you were happy," Agile commented. Both Mega Man and Proto Man shook their heads.
"I was crying my mechanical heart out. We would have been okay if Dr. Wily hadn't tracked us down and kidnapped me," Mega Man said.
"Yeah, and I spent months looking for you until I ended up in that warehouse where the Mavericks – namely, you two – found me," Proto Man finished. "That still doesn't explain why Wily's here. Unless... oh shoot!" He paled, and then suddenly turned to Mega Man. "Mega Man, this doesn't have anything to do with you, does it?"
"Oh no! I think it does!" Mega Man cried. The other three stared at him quizzically. "Dr. Wily... tried to reprogram me again. I was only half-conscious, but I recall him talking to Terra and Bass. He said that if it worked, he'll use me to take over the world. If not, then..." Mega Man made a slashing motion across his throat.
"He'll kill you..." Mac whispered.
"That's not all... I got lucky... The very day Dr. Cain found me was the very day that Wily was coming back for me. Remember Mac, Dr. Cain mentioned I got scared of a car shaped like a skull that passed me and him by?"
"I remember... Wait a minute... that was Dr. Wily's car?!" Mac screamed. Mega Man nodded. "Wow... you're one lucky little robot."
"But I'll explain everything else later," Mega Man said in a hurried voice. "I need to find a videophone, now! I have to call the Hunters!"
"There's one in my room, Mega Man," Proto Man said.
"Good!" Mega Man took off, Mac, Agile, and Proto Man following. As the four ran through the halls, a couple of Mavericks began firing at the doors which had other robots coming from it. The entire Maverick base was chaos.
Proto Ma cursed. "Mega Man, there's no way you're going to get a private videophone call to them now! Why not just grab a bike and dash over there and tell them personally?!"
"Point taken, Proto. Come with me, okay? Please?" Mega Man asked. "I have to tell them that you're not evil."
A couple minutes later of dodging, twisting, and weaving, Proto Man and Mega Man found themselves in the bike room. Proto Man grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him over to a bike that appeared to be intact.
"Let's see if this thing works!" Proto Man gasped, cranking the bike up. The engine gave a sputter and came to life. "Yes! Mega, climb up behind me!"
Mega Man quickly climbed onto the bike behind his brother and held on tight. "Ready."
"And away we goooo!" Proto Man hollered as he took off out of the base. Through some expert dodging and doing maneuvers that Mega Man thought impossible, the bike shot across the desert and away from all the fighting. As they rode, Mega Man had a frightening thought cross his mind. What if the Hunters thought he was a Maverick? True, he still had the Hunter symbol on him, but they might think the Mavericks were using him as a spy.
He didn't have time to dwell anymore on his thoughts as he and Proto Man reached Maverick Hunter Headquarters. Standing outside, talking in worried voices, were Zero, Alia, Signas, and Douglas along with a few of the lucky Hunters who had survived Proto Man's onslaught.
Every single one of them stared as the bike with the Maverick symbol on it stopped and two robots got off. Alia was the first to break the silence. "X!!!" she cried, relieved. A couple seconds after she said that, one of the Hunters recognized Proto Man.
"NEO!!!" the Hunter cried, aiming his Buster at the red robot. To his surprise, as much as everyone else's, Mega Man took two strides and then stood protectively in front of his brother, who was frozen in terror.
"It's okay," Mega Man said softly. "He won't hurt you."
Signas stared at him. "X, do you realize what you're doing is traitorous? You're defending a Maverick!"
"Let me explain!" Mega Man cried, tears starting to stream down his face. "Don't you get it?! Neo's the reason the Mavericks didn't hurt me! He wouldn't let them!"
For a moment the group of Hunters stared at Proto Man. Then Zero asked what was on everyone's minds. "Neo... why wouldn't you let them kill X?"
Proto Man shook his head in disgust. "I don't want to kill my own brother."
Everyone gasped as they heard this revelation. "X..." Alia gasped.
Mega Man shook his head. "Don't call me X anymore. That name is a lie, and so is Neo. My name is Mega Man Light. Neo is really Proto Man Light."
"Proto Man?!" Zero called out. Mega Man stared at him; he realized that Zero had heard the name before. At Mega Man's quizzical look, Zero said, "You had nightmares a lot, and you always called out, 'Proto Man! Help me Proto Man!'"
"Can we stop talking?!" Proto Man said suddenly. "Mega, can't you tell them what's wrong?"
Mega Man listened and told the Hunters what was going on. Surprisingly, they agreed to help everybody. "You two go on ahead," Zero had said. "We'll catch up."
Sure enough, they did catch up, and by then, the battle had turned into a bloodbath. There were some wounded Mavericks, but dead Wily bots, so the battle wasn't too bad. At least nobody on the heroes' sides has died. Any one who couldn't fight (namely, doctors and scientists) went inside Maverick Headquarters.
Proto Man and Mega Man got separated during the battle. Proto Man kept firing his Proto Buster at a familiar robot named Bass. The red robot could never forgive Bass after the black robot had kidnapped his little brother.
All of a sudden, another blast which had been fired by a robot known as Doc Man knocked Proto Man off of his feet. Bass, in delight, smirked and fired at the crimson robot. Proto Man's heart sank as he tried to get up off of the floor; there was no way that he could dodge the attack in time.
"NO!" a voice screamed and a blue form flung himself in between Proto Man and the blast. Mega Man took the hit full on and screamed.
"MEGA MAN!!!!" his brother screamed in horror. Mega Man smiled weakly for a second; then he collapsed. He didn't move again, but the red crystal on his helmet was blinking furiously, a sure sign that his life was in danger.
For a few seconds, Proto Man stared at his brother's body. Then he hollered, "DAMN IT!!!! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU DAMNED WILY BOTS FOR THIS!!!!" Everyone heard Proto Man's outburst, and no one tried to stop him as he slaughtered the Wily bots as if they were nothing. Eventually, they helped.
Finally, almost every single Wily bot was dead, and the ones who weren't dead fled. There were several injured Mavericks and Hunters, but no fatalities. But... if they didn't hurry, there would be a fatality. Proto Man understood the urgency. He dashed over, scooped up Mega Man, and ran inside Maverick Headquarters. The Hunters and Mavericks followed.
The red robot ran into the Medical Center, where Dr. Cain, Lifesaver, Gate, and Dr. Doppler were chitchatting. The four doctors stared as Proto Man ran inside.
"Help him..." the red robot all but wailed. "He jumped in front of a blast meant for me..." The only human present walked over to Proto Man and held out his arms. The red robot hesitated, but then allowed Dr. Cain to take Mega Man as he saw the expression on the human's face; grief.
As the three Reploid doctors scanned Mega Man's condition, Cain walked over to Proto Man. "Neo..." he started, but Proto Man interrupted him.
"Proto Man. Call me Proto Man," the robot said, emotion thick in his voice.
"Proto Man. Listen, okay?" For a moment, the two stared at each other. Finally, Cain broke the silence. "I loved your brother very much. He was like the son I never had, and I would do all I can to help him."
"I remember Mega Man telling me that if it hadn't been for a certain person named Dr. Cain, he would have never survived in this world," the red robot said.
"I'm Dr. Cain," the human said. "I knew that I could never replace Dr. Light, but I tried my best to raise him."
Then Dr. Doppler walked over and whispered something to Dr. Cain. The human's face became startled and sad at the same time. "Proto Man... I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave... we... we have to... operate..."
"Let me say one thing. If you plan on using needles, please use a nullifier. Mega Man is scared to death of needles," Proto Man said. Cain attempted to crack a smile.
"I'll be sure. Now, out."
Some hours later, Dr. Cain came out and talked to the impatient Proto Man standing right outside the door. "Proto Man, the four of us did our best. Now all we have to do is wait for him to wake up. You can go see him if you want."
Proto Man brushed past Cain and the other scientists/doctors as they left the room. He walked over to where Mega Man was lying. The little blue robot's eyes were closed, and he was very pale, but the red crystal in his helmet had stopped blinking.
The red robot sat down by his side and sighed. He clasped the sleeping robot's hand. "Mega..." he whispered. "You're all I have. Please don't leave me..." A single tear trickled down his cheek. "I'll never forgive myself if you died..."
"Then you have a reason to forgive yourself."
Proto Man's head shot up at the voice. Mega Man had opened his eyes and was smiling slightly. He was still pale, but his bright blue eyes had a fierce determination and some sadness in them at the same time.
"Mega Man!" Proto Man screamed, grabbing his brother and hugging him. "You made it! You made it!!!!" Mega Man just kept smiling and hugged the Maverick back. "Only one problem, kid." The Hunter looked up at Proto Man inquiringly. "Never do that to me ever again!"
The two brothers hugged for a very long time. At least, they hugged until Doppler and Lifesaver came back in and said that Mega Man needed rest. He had, after all, made a miraculous return from the abyss and was still weak.
"That means sleep, Mega Man," Lifesaver had commanded in his doctorly tone. Mega Man pouted.
"Lifesaver, you're always on my case!" the blue Hunter complained. "Go bother Zero or Alia or Signas or someone else for a change!"
"Well, those three don't end up on their deathbeds at least once a month!" the Hunter doctor had good-naturedly argued back. "Yeah, Zero's literally died before..."
"I see Mega Man makes a habit, doesn't he? All those times, bro, and you still owe a big apology for scaring the life out of Dad!" Proto Man interjected. Mega Man punched him. Lifesaver smiled.
"All right, you can stay here if you want, Proto Man, but get him to sleep!" Lifesaver finished, leaving the room.
"He's right, Mega," Proto Man said. "Go to sleep."
Mega Man sighed, but curled up on the 'hospital' bed and lay there for a few minutes before clutching his brother's hand and hugging it like a teddy bear. Soon, he was fast asleep. Proto Man shook his head, smiling. With his free hand, he pulled off his helmet and sunglasses and set them down on a table next to the bed. He slowly lay down next to his brother, wrapped his arms around him, and went to sleep.
The next morning, Dr. Cain walked in to check on Mega Man. Zero, Sigma, Agile, Mac, and Alia were right behind him. Cain had gotten word from Lifesaver that Mega Man had woken up the night before, and wanted to talk to him about some things. The Reploids just decided to tag along.
As soon as Dr. Cain spotted the blue Hunter, he stopped. Proto Man had fallen asleep next to Mega Man, and the two looked very cute, hugging each other unconsciously in their sleep.
When Zero saw them, he smiled. "I think Mega Man's nightmares stopped," he commented.
"What makes you think that?" Cain asked.
"Well, I'm his roommate, remember," Zero started to explain. "He always had one particular nightmare every night where he crying out for Proto Man. Well, I think his nightmares should have stopped, because there's Proto Man!"
December 31, 2178
"Hey!" Mega Man yelled, dragging Proto Man through a crowd. "Fireworks!" He pointed at a bunch of brightly colored lights that lit up the sky. Proto Man yawned. It was almost midnight, and how Mega Man had talked the Mavericks and Hunters to be civil with each other forever still mystified him, but he wasn't complaining.
The two groups were at a New Year's party, and the two Lights' had broken away from their old and new friends to have some private time and their first New Year's party together after the separation. They had already celebrated Christmas together, and wanted another happy party.
"5!" the crowd started chanting as the ball went down.
"4!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"Happy New Year!!!!!!" Everyone screamed at their friends and total strangers, the Mavericks and Hunters among them. In the midst of the shouting, two voices could be heard by the brothers in familiar voices. But perhaps it was only their imagination.
"Happy New Year, my sons."
"Happy New Year, big brothers."
Randy: This is supposed to be the end of the story. It took me awhile before I finished this. I started it before I got my FanFiction.Net account and kept hitting me with ideas and writer's block. I don't really want to do a sequel, but if you want me to, just tell me.