AUTHOR'S NOTE – This is my first attempt on making Megaman Zero fanfiction, so please bear with me. Heh, I should be working on my other main project, my Naruto fanfic, but ever since I finished Megaman Zero 4 the other day and viewed the ending…it just…it just blew me away. I knew right there and then that I just HAD to make a story for the game or else I'd go nuts. XD

This story takes place during the ending of Megaman Zero 4, so for those who haven't finished the game yet, as a warning, this is FULL of SPOILERS. It may literally destroy the story for you, if you haven't played or finished it yet. If you have, then, read on!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy the story. :D

My name is Zero.

I am using my on-board computer to leave behind a record, so that future generations, if they should find this…no…Ah, what am I talking about…

I don't have a lot of time left.

Ragnarok is crumbling right around me, and it is only a matter of time before the satellite enters the Earth's atmosphere. It is only a matter of time before this place gets disintegrated in atmospheric re-entry.

Croire, my cyber-elf, was persistent, but I did not give her much choice. Using my helmet and some pieces of Weil's armor, thanks to Cerveau's Zero Knuckle upgrade, I made a makeshift shell so that she could withstand the massive changes in the temperature and pressure. Of course, in doing so, I would be putting myself away from my communicator, but…it would not be of much use where I'm going.

Sorry, Croire, but I promised Alouette that I would take care of you. I would not want to betray her trust in me.

…

I can keep this promise, that much I am certain. Much of the shell would probably get sloughed off during re-entry, but the helmet should protect her. Alouette should be pleased that Croire would return safe and sound. She should know how to activate the communicator once she lands.

As for the other…

She should understand. This is part of the mission. I have accepted my fate. There is no escaping this. Nothing can survive this…even my attempt with Croire is at best, a long shot.

My life would end here, and I have accepted that. I have played my role in this battle. This would be a fine end.

And yet…

I can picture her in my mind, hoping that somehow, I would return from this. I can picture her with her hands clasped together, tight in prayer, waiting for a message from Rouge that she was accepting a teleportation. I can picture her face brightening up when I would arrive in the Command Room, as I would give my mission report. I can picture her face tensing with worry when I go and get fixed up.

I find it somewhat ironic that Ciel, the leader of the Resistance, who is supposedly strong-willed and resilient, can be so fragile and delicate like this.

Despite this, however, I would fight to the death for her.

I was nothing more than a Reploid born for one purpose – to fight. I did not have much reason at first…I once fought in order to defeat Mavericks, to protect humans and Reploids I like, and yet that was unsatisfying. It seemed like it would never end; the countless conflicts that kept arising, and X was testament to this. When I fell into stasis, he kept fighting a lonely battle to uphold his ideals of a world where humans and Reploids could co-exist. Yet even he could not last.

But, awoken from my hundred-year sleep, Ciel gave me another reason to fight. The same ideals, yes, but never have I seen such resolve. She was a scientist who knew nothing about warfare and the battlefield, and yet she took it upon herself to gather forces to rebel, to Resist the tyrannical rule of Neo Arcadia.

In such grim and tragic times, she was like a beacon of hope for all Reploids who sought a better life, a far better life than the hell they experience everyday. She was human, true, and yet she had enamored all the Reploids with her constant efforts for peace and harmony. In time, she even won the hearts of the people escaping Neo Arcadia for Area Zero. I believed it was a sign of good things to come, of dreams of harmony between humans and reploids coming to fruition. I believed in Ciel.

I was lost, lost in dreams, lost in confusion, and she gave more than just another chance. She gave more than just a little more time to live.

She gave me a new purpose, a new, worthy reason to fight, and live once again.

I should be glad to be at the forefront of all this, to be an integral factor of radical change. I should be glad that I was able to stop Ragnarok from destroying all of Ciel's efforts. As Ragnarok begins to burn and I feel my armor beginning to overheat, I resign myself to my fate and accept it. This is a fine death, fitting for a battle Reploid such as myself.

And yet…

I can see her crying, tears flowing from her tired, reddened eyes, down her cheeks. I can see her trying to put up a brave front in front of her friends, holding back tears that had not yet spilled. I can see her staring at the stars…waiting for me.

And yet, I can see her eyes growing wide with joy when she sees me walking up to her. I can feel her warmth when she jumps into my arms and holds on so tight. I can hear her call my name several times, as if she was trying to make sure I was really there.

I can see her smile when I say to her, "I'm home."

I can hear her sweet voice say, "Welcome back."

…

And still I can see everything burning right before my eyes…

And even that does not last.

I can hear the metal explode and fissure in violent bursts. I can hear pieces of the satellite combust in flames as it enters the atmosphere. I can feel the flames searing across my body, scorching each and every system, every circuit within me. It would not be long now.

I'm sorry, Ciel.

Now I realize it…

I believe you didn't just give me a reason to live…

You were…

THE END

Disclaimer

I do not own Megaman Zero, or any of its characters, or any of their incarnations. All characters and game situations belong to CAPCOM, Inticreates, Keiji Inafune, Yoshinori Kawano, and all the people responsible for the game. However, everything else here belongs to me, Mookamori, so there! XD

Thanks to Livejournal for letting me rant. XD

Thanks as always to my family for being a continuous source of Energy Crystals, that is, if I were a growing Cyber-Elf. XD

Thanks to Capcom for making such a fantastic game with an equally wonderful story (it's still a little too hard, though! XD )

Thanks to God for letting me rant, also. XD

And of course, thanks to you, good reader. Hope we meet again!

Author's Note

I'm sort of tempted to make another MMZ story, but I better finish my Naruto story first. XD