O: I decided to edit it again (for the third(?) time). XD I had mental block/didn't feel like continuing the story for MONTHS and when I read it again, my OC tendencies got the better of me and made me change it. XP It's still basically the same but a lot of it's different.

I stopped using for so long I forgot how to use it. :))

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Megaman or any of it's characters.

CHAPTER 1: MEET STRANGERS IN DREAMS

-Maverick Hunter HQ: 3rd of July, Monday (1:50 AM)-

It was as dark as it had been before and it felt as heavy and cold too. That didn't bother Zero, but it annoyed him that he couldn't move from where he was. He's had this same dream for days on end, and it was getting tiring. He wished it would end.

Moments later, footsteps were heard, and those same voices spoke up like before.

"How do you know this would work? You said so yourself that you've never tried this before!" The first voice, in all its anger, was too familiar to Zero. After all, he'd seen and heard that old man in his other dreams before.

"It will work. Unlike those useless contraptions you've been working on before, he has the modifications that will allow him to withstand the changes." The second voice was softer and belonged to a much younger man, but Zero could hear the faint traces of malice in the man's voice—this one was no better than the older one.

"Zero is my masterpiece and I won't allow anyone to—"

The old man suddenly stopped as one of the two pairs of footsteps suddenly shifted in pace and stopped.

"Breath another word and I'll kill you." The tone of the younger man's voice sent chills down Zero's spine even from where he was lying down. "And you will never live to complete your so called 'masterpiece' and you won't be able to beat your rival, who was it? Dr. Light?"

There was no response and Zero heard a few typing noises and the hissing sound of a sealed capsule opening up around him.

Wait, he was lying down?

Before he could think about it any further, he started to feel a little colder. It started with his hand, and then crept through his entire system. But it didn't destroy him like he thought it would. Strangely enough, he actually felt a bit… stronger. Before long, the cold started to drift away. And then…

Zero opened his eyes.

He was in a cave. It was just as dark as when the other scene but this time, his z-saber in his hand illuminated most of the way. Not a soul was in sight. There didn't seem to be any immediate danger… so why was he all tense? And when had he drawn his saber?

There was a little bit of light up ahead. Maybe that was the way out. But as Zero stepped forward, he felt the wind shift slightly behind him and he turned to see what moved.

There was no one there.

No, Zero realized. I just didn't see him move.

As soon as he turned back, a dark hooded figure was standing in between him and the cave exit. Zero would have been surprised, but he has had this dream before—he knew what to expect. It was the same person as before, hooded in his usual tattered cloak so Zero can't see the upper half of his face. Zero tried to speak, but somehow, he was frozen on the spot and couldn't even bring himself to move his lips. He could feel himself moving in his sleep but he couldn't wake up, no matter how much he tried to.

As if sensing the hunter's failed effort, the figure smiled a small, surprisingly gentle smile, and Zero couldn't help but feel pity at the expression.

Normally, this would be where the dream would end, but this time, for some reason, it didn't. The figure removed his hood, finally revealing the face of the man beneath it. He looked young, around 25 to 30 years old. His hair was as black as the cave was dark and his pale skin glowed with a sick green color from Zero's saber. His face was carefully kept blank but his brown eyes betrayed the saddest expression Zero had seen in a man's face.

"I'm sorry," the figure said. His voice didn't match those Zero heard earlier. It sounded much younger and softer… and lonely. "I didn't know what he was up to and I just wanted to see how you would turn out to be after years of being sealed up. But…"

The man chuckled half-heartedly. "I never really imagined you'd join X, of all the people. I don't think your creator expected that," he continued, sounding slightly amused. "I wasn't expecting it, either. I really thought you'd hunt him down as soon as you woke up. I mean, that was what you were created for, right? Something must have happened when you and Sigma were fighting back then and—"

The man suddenly stopped and his smile disappeared in a frown. Zero glared at him as well. Did the man know something about his past that he didn't? Was he a friend or an enemy? What was his name anyway?

How does he know about me and Sigma? Zero thought. As far as he knew (which wasn't a lot), there were no humans around when he and Sigma were fighting back then. He knew this was just a dream but he still found it strange that a human would know that. Maybe he should start talking to someone. This whole past thing might be affecting him more than he realized.

"I said too much. His majesty will kill me for sure," the man whispered, looking down. Turning back to Zero, he said in a louder voice, "Anyway, I just wanted to warn you. I think should know that… someone other than Sigma—someone far worse than Sigma—is after you and your friend X. You should always be more careful from now on."

Zero glared at the man more. Someone other than Sigma? What does this guy know that he or X doesn't? How much danger are they in exactly? Whose side is this guy on? But even after all that thought, Zero still couldn't speak and the hunter found himself wondering why he was taking the words from a stranger in his dreams so seriously. The man smiled at that. It annoyed Zero to no end.

The hunter momentarily blanked out as he felt someone move him in his sleep.

"Zero? Are you okay?" X's voice rang out. "Wake up! It's only a dream."

"But then again," the man spoke up suddenly, smiling gently again. "I think you two will be just fine."

The man then turned and disappeared and Zero was left staring at the light from the cave exit. The light strangely started getting bigger as it moved nearer and nearer to the stunned hunter. It got brighter and brighter until—

The first thing Zero saw when he opened his eyes was X staring down worriedly at him.

"Are you okay, Zero?" X asked. His voice was so thick with concern that Zero wondered if he had been talking in his sleep.

"I'm fine," the red hunter replied, way more curtly than he meant to.

X ignored the tone of his voice. "Are you sure?" he asked again. "You didn't look like fine."

To be honest, Zero didn't feel fine. He was irritated at how he took such a stupid dream so seriously. But he wasn't about to tell that to X (what will he think?) so he just frowned, annoyed by his roommate's persistence.

"I'm going out," Zero announced as he got off his bed and started making his way to the door. Maybe a bit of fresh air will help…

"What, at 2 in the morning?" X asked incredulously.

Zero stopped in mid-step halfway through the door and turned back to him. The digital clock at the bedside table near the blue hunter confirmed what X had said.

"What are you doing so early then?" Zero inquired. "Did something happen?" If a maverick had attacked earlier, Zero didn't hear explosions or anything unusual while he was sleeping.

"Uh, no," X replied, shrugging. "I just got up a few minutes before you did and then, well…"

X grinned. "I didn't know you talk in your sleep, Zero."

Zero's eyebrow twitched as he stared at X. So he WAS talking in his sleep after all.

"I had a weird dream," Zero explained.

"Really? About what?"

Zero sighed in defeat. "Caves," he mumbled. "Weird people."

"That's not so bad," X commented.

"Hmph. What about you? Why are you up so early?" Zero demanded.

"Uh," X stopped to scratch his head. "Bad dream."

Zero raised an eyebrow. X rarely got disturbed about anything other than fighting.

"What was it about?" he decided to ask.

"Uh, well…" X's voice trailed off as he thought about what to say. "You know the forest behind the base near the city? There was a clearing and you were there fighting this guy with black hair and red eyes, and then this blonde haired guy with a big sword came along and fought the black-haired man in your place. You tried to help him but then he told you to stay out of his fight."

"Then how is that a bad dream?" Zero asked incredulously. "I fight on a regular basis, don't I?" Well, maybe not with humans, but still…

"Well… there was a teenager lying on the floor and he was covered in blood. There was a girl beside him too but she looked fine. And then…"

X's stopped and shifted uncomfortably. Zero waited, but X said nothing.

"And then?" Zero prompted.

"And then… well, Iris ran to them and tried to ask them to stop but then the black-haired guy got her…"

X stopped again and looked at Zero worriedly but Zero kept his face expressionless. No need to get upset over a dream… he thought. But Iris trying to stop them reminds me of… Zero shook his head and pushed the thought away. I couldn't do anything for Iris and Colonel. It's all in the past now. I can't do anything about it…

"Zero?" X asked tentatively, snapping Zero out of his thoughts.

Zero gave him a long look. "Iris?"

X just shrugged. "She was wearing human clothes but she looked exactly like Iris, so..."

X shrugged again. Zero sighed in defeat. "What happened next then?"

"The black-haired man disappeared along with the girl, but not before telling you that Sigma's back."

Zero's eyes narrowed at the maverick's name. "Sigma's back?"

X frowned and shrugged yet again but Zero could see the slight trace of worry in his eyes. "I don't know, Zero. It was just a dream, after all. Besides, it's been 6 months after we last fought him. Even he doesn't disappear that long."

Unless he's been busy… You can't be too sure. Zero thought. Not knowing where that thought came from, Zero frowned even more, until he remembered his own dream. Damn. It's like there's someone else inside my head doing the thinking.

"Maybe all this fighting's finally getting to me," X joked.

Zero just smirked, secretly worried. "Yeah. Let's just go back inside."

"But we never left the room, Zero."

"… Shut up."

X just laughed. Zero glared at him but then gave up and even grinned a little before closing the door.

"I don't he will come," X spoke up, suddenly looking distant.

"I don't think who will come?" Zero asked, confused.

"Sigma. I don't think he'll come back," X rephrased.

Zero sighed. "Either way, I don't think it'll happen soon. It's been kinda… peaceful lately, compared to before anyway."

X grinned. "Yeah. Who knows, maybe we'll get a day off today."

Zero shrugged and replied, "You never know."

Hours later, the alarm went off: several mavericks have been spotted in the south end of the city. Both X and Zero are to be dispatched to take care of the maverick while a few other hunters take charge of crowd control.

Zero just sighed. "You never really know."

-Village of Ace Grace: 3rd of July, Monday (8:30 AM)-

Meanwhile, in the remote village of Ace Grace on the other side of the forest away from the city, everything was relatively peaceful. Strangely enough, Ace Grace, despite the widespread destruction caused by Sigma and the mavericks, has stayed untouched and safe. Rumour has it that there was a godlike monster in the forest protecting the village and that prevented any kind of serious harm to come to its residents. This scared some of the villagers, but since it hasn't done anything bad to them yet, most of the residents don't mind it at all. Some are even grateful for it.

Ryan Maxwell and his friends were just ordinary villagers who didn't care until they wandered into the forest and saw the "godlike beast", whose name was Voltaire, in person. It was there that Voltaire revealed to them about their ancestry—that they descended from a people who were assigned with the task of protecting the forest and who could control the elements of nature: Fire (Phoenixians), water (Oceanians), wind (Zephyrians), earth (Gaeans), light (Crystalians), dark (Tynans). He explained that the forest was home to the Elementals—the spirits of the elements—and that, should they be destroyed, it would mean disaster for Earth. Since it was supposed to be kept a secret (people wouldn't believe them anyway), Ryan and the others first thought it was all a joke, until his arm caught fire in a cooking accident and he found his supposedly burnt arm unscathed.

Ryan felt the familiar warmth of the sunlight on his face and opened his eyes. It was well into the morning already. His eyes shifted their gaze to the wall clock near the bed and he realized that it was already 8:30 am. He breathed out a curse. He hated waking up this late but he couldn't seem to wake up earlier recently. He had been too tired ever since Ryu—

No, don't think about it, he thought as fists clenched in anger at the memory.

Ryu, one of the more recent members in the group, was a Phoenixian ten years older than Ryan. He was a lot stronger than Ryan or any of the other members in the group was but strangely used techniques similar to those used by Tynans, who used the darkness and started the whole mess with the elementals. Later on, it was found out that Ryu's older half-brother—the very person who taught Ryu how to fight—was actually a Tynan who plotted to kill him. Nevertheless, everyone considered Ryu a friend and an ally, even with his stoic and quiet attitude and cold personality.

A few weeks ago, Ryu didn't exactly quit but he left saying that he needed a break and wanted to think things over. This upset everyone, especially Ryan since Ryu announced his departure right after the two of them had a fight. Remembering this made Ryan hit himself on the head.

You are an idiot, Ryan, the Phoenixian berated himself.

Before Ryan can put any more thought in the matter, a knock on his door distracted him and his younger sister Fiara opened the door.

"James is in the living room downstairs. He said he has something to tell you," she said before closing the door again and Ryan heard her footsteps fade away as she went down the stairs.

James was the Oceanian Ryan first met when James' family moved into Ace Grace 10 years ago. Even though Ryan was usually distant from other people, James managed to befriend the Phoenixian on the spot and they've been close friends ever since. James first showed off as a person whose cheerful attitude and happy-go-lucky nature allowed him to keep smiling no matter what happened to him. Once Ryan got closer to him, however, the sharp Phoenixian then saw that James rarely smiled for real and pointed out that he didn't have to hide his feelings whenever he's upset. In response, James then began to show a bit of the serious side of his personality and once even expressed his dismay at his father's frequent absences.

Ryan just sighed and got out of bed. He proceeded to the living room without bothering to change his clothes. When he got there, he quickly spotted James on the sofa. The brown-haired, blue eyed teenager was sitting casually on the sofa muttering something along the lines of "boy, it just gets hotter in here every time."

"Oh, good morning, Ryan," James greeted with his usual grin as soon as he noticed the blond approaching.

"Good morning," Ryan greeted back a bit more curtly than he intended. "What's this about?"

"Huh? You're in a bad mood today," James noted, taken aback. "Well, I was going to ask you if it was okay if Ivan stayed over at our house for today. He over worked himself yesterday and I'm kind of worried he might go down with a fever…"

Ivan is the 5 year old Zephyrian boy Ryan found abandoned in the forest a few months ago. Not knowing what else to do, Ryan took him home and convinced his parents to let the kid stay. Just a few days after Ryu's departure, Ivan suddenly asked if he too could learn how to fight so Ryan wouldn't have to worry when the older teenager needed to leave Ivan alone. Everyone else had been thinking of the same thing but none of them expected to have Ivan say it himself. Even though he never really admit it, Ryan was protective of Ivan and was worried about the kid's decision but since that was what Ivan wanted, he didn't object and only hoped that Ivan wouldn't hurt himself in the process. Normally, Gale, James' father and a military soldier, would be the best person to teach him since he was the expert in combat and things like that. But since Gale was currently away on a mission, James was the next best person for the job.

Misunderstanding Ryan's irritation, James nervously moved back into his seat. He'd seen his share of the blonde's anger and, in all the 10 years the two have been together, James had never been so scared to death in his entire life.

"Sorry," James mumbled. "I'll take better care of him next time."

Ryan sighed and covered his face with a hand. "No, no. It's fine, don't worry."

James deliberated him for a moment but then shrugged and said, "Have you heard the news? The city was attacked this morning. They said the attack was in the south part of the city, somewhat near to the forest and that hunter base."

Ryan shrugged, unconcerned. He wasn't usually interested in things he had nothing to do with. And he can tell James wasn't interested in it too. His friend usually talks about trivial things before stating the important ones. "Those hunters will take care of it. They always do, don't they?"

"I guess." James looked down for a moment and Ryan knew whatever was next was important. "Some people disappeared from the forest around the same time as the attack this morning too. Others were claiming they were attacked by a red eyed… monster in the form of a human..."

Ryan's eyes narrowed. He could only think of one such person who would do such a thing: Samael, Ryu's older half-brother. If Samael appeared in the forest, then Ryan and the others would have to confront him as soon as possible. This was a problem, especially since Ryan and the other members of the group don't stand a chance without Ryu and Gale with them. Ryan sighed and covered his face with his hand; he was only 16 years old but because he was considered the unofficial leader of the group, it was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Easy, Ryan," James spoke up, trying to calm him down. "Varun said his prescence wasn't really a problem yet. It was like he had another reason for attacking those people."

Varun lived in a cave in the heart of the forest along with Voltaire. While Voltaire was the strongest Phoenixian there is, Varun was his Oceanian counterpart. They both guard their respective elements' elementals.

"Whatever reason he may have, he's still attacking the villagers," Ryan countered. "It's still our job to protect them."

"I think he was trying to draw the hunters out," James said, suddenly thoughtful.

"What? Why would he do that?" Ryan exclaimed.

"… I don't know. But he was attacking near their base… there wasn't any obvious pattern with the way he chose his victims. They weren't even… uh, one of us."

Samael had been attacking normal humans at random? That's not like him. Ryan noted. That would probably attract the hunters' attention. They were supposed to protect the people of the country, after all. But what does he want with them…?

"Either way, it doesn't change anything," Ryan concluded in a flat tone. "Tomorrow morning would be good. We don't have school anyway. Tell the others as soon as possible."

James sighed. When Ryan makes a decision, nothing can usually change his mind.

"Ryan, you know we're no match for him," James pointed out. "If we fight him, he'll kill us."

"If we don't fight him, he'll kill us AND kill the villagers and other innocent people," Ryan answered. "If we're going to die either way, then I'd rather die protecting the villagers."

"… You have a point. But still…" James sighed again. "I wish my dad was here. We don't stand a chance without him and Mr. R—"

James stopped himself but it was too late. Ryan glared at him, his fist clenched so tightly that James was surprised it didn't bleed.

"So you were angry about Ryu and not Ivan all along?" James asked nervously, trying to calm the angered leader. "Don't be so upset. I can say the one thing that can get you out of a bad mood any day since he left."

"Try me," Ryan challenged.

"Ryu's back."

Ryan's eyes narrowed even more at the Oceanian. But before he could retort, he vaguely saw a blond man walk in front of the window out of the corner of his eye. A knock on the door came shortly after that. Ryan and James looked at each other before scrambling to open the door. Standing there in front of them was Ryu. He looked tired and a bit thinner, but was otherwise okay. The man looked surprised at James but then waved at them both.

"Uh… I'm back."

It's gotten longer. orz