AN: So, I know my little announcement thing promised updates and a Mega Man ZX/Metal Slug crossover, but… I got to talking with a friend of mine, and this batshit insane idea came to be a subject of discussion. And as a result… I got stupidly motivated to write this. Especially after making some… interesting lore discoveries between the two series involved in this crossover. So, without further delay….

Disclaimer: I do not own Azure Striker Gunvolt nor Gal*Gun. Both series actually belong to Inti Creates! … Which is part of why I made this crossover.

It was an average early morning in the city… The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon, shops were opening one by one after preparing for the customers they would face throughout the day, and people were getting their morning routines all taken care of. All in all, it really seemed to be shaping up to be a completely average day.

For one young man no older than 18, however… His day had yet to truly begin.

"GV… It's time to get up, GV…"

Long blonde hair splayed out underneath his sleeping form, the young man's face was scrunched up in discomfort as he shifted positions. A light sweat formed on his forehead and he seemingly struggled to either stay asleep, or try to wake up.

"Please, wake up, GV..! Please wake up..! GV!"

Finally, the young man's blue eyes snapped open as he bolted into a sitting position, alarm clear in his expression as he called out a single name...

"Joule!"

… And get silence in return, from a completely empty room-save for himself. What felt like an eternity-which in reality was just a few moments-passed before the cold truth sunk in for the Adept known as Gunvolt… And not for the first time. A grimace crossed his features as he cast the blanket from his body.

"It's been two years since then, and I'm still getting those dreams…" The blonde muttered despondently as he got out of bed. Stretching to get a few kinks out of his joints, Gunvolt allowed himself a bit of a yawn before making his way towards the bathroom to freshen up.

As he stood in front of the mirror to brush his hair out, the Adept couldn't help but reminisce over the events that had transpired over the past few years. All starting with that fateful mission from when he still worked with QUILL…

Throughout all of his battles since that day, Gunvolt had always kept a single memory in mind: The two friends he had before Sumeragi had taken him in for experimentation. The thought of ever facing the two of them with bloodstained hands had honestly repulsed him to no end, leading to him making a first when it came to mission records for QUILL: A 0% Fatality record.

That's right: No matter what, Gunvolt could never bring himself to kill anyone, regardless of whether they were a target or not. And this philosophy had brought some…. Interesting changes to the Armed Blue's life…

"Gunvolt, breakfast is ready! Can you please tell Merak to come down?" Came a voice-definitively feminine-from downstairs, right as the blonde adept finished brushing and binding his hair into its usual braided ponytail. Shaking his head a bit, Gunvolt began to make his way to the specified room.

"Sure thing, Ouka! I'll be down right after." He called back to the owner of the house, before turning to face the door leading to Merak's room… Only to pause for a moment while reaching for the doorknob.

'It's kind of strange…' He thought, 'Back then, he and the others were a part of Sumeragi and trying so desperately to take Joule back, all for some plan to brainwash all Adepts in the name of peace… And now…' Shaking his head a bit, Gunvolt opened the door, and had to take a moment to re-process the sight that laid before him:

The more than reasonably-sized room that had been given to the brunette known as Merak had been filled with various computers and devices that the actual walking space in the room was barely greater than a closet's. And asleep on the sole futon off to the side-in a rather lazy-looking position, no less-was Merak himself, clad in a simple white t-shirt and black shorts clearly meant for sleeping in.

'I'm still amazed that he can sleep in here like that…' Gunvolt silently remarked, before shrugging and focusing a bit of his septimal power into his right hand. Admittedly, what he was about to do was something he enjoyed a little more than he probably should…

"Time to wake up, Merak. Breakfast is ready."

Zap!

"Gah! I'm up, I'm up dammit! Geez…"

Rubbing his back tenderly, Merak shot a mild glare at Gunvolt, who insisted on looking away not-so-innocently. Despite this, though, there was no real malice behind either of their actions. It was something that had become a routine in the household. A necessity to prevent the lazy Adept from sleeping in until the late hours of the afternoon. Something that even Merak himself admitted was bound to happen if someone didn't come and kick his behind into gear.

And as much as he enjoyed sleeping, Ouka's cooking had become something he enjoyed a bit more.

The brown-haired ex-Sumeragi Adept hadn't changed in appearance too much since Gunvolt's battle against Sumeragi, having only grown an inch or two in height and letting his hair grow out to his shoulders. He had also let it straighten out from its previously bedhead-ish style, but still kept the bangs in a way that covered one of his eyes. Why the lazy youth insisted on wearing his hair like that, Gunvolt would never know, and felt it wasn't really his place to ask nor judge, either.

Shaking his head lightly, Gunvolt allowed himself a slight smile as he turned to leave the room and head downstairs. Once he was in the kitchen, he immediately took a seat at the table, across from the other other resident of the house besides himself and Ouka.

"G-good morning, Gunvolt… Did you s-sleep well…?" Came the timid voice of Elise, her violet eyes looking at him curiously as she sat there, the handheld game in her grasp apparently paused for the sake of conversation.

Over the years since the fight against Sumeragi, Elise had changed much more than her former colleague, growing to a height that put her a full head and a half over Gunvolt, while her long, white hair had grown to stay long enough to reach the small of her back. Though, as Merak had pointed out on more than one occasion… The biggest change to her appearance was her bust, having grown to a surprising 91cm… Much to the timid girl's chagrin.

Hence why she tended to opt for plain baggy shirts and pants: An attempt to hide her figure from leering gazes.

"I slept… Okay, I guess." Gunvolt half-lied. Up until he had started having those dreams again, his sleep had been rather restful. "How about you, Elise?"

Before the white-haired girl could answer, there was a subtle shift in her demeanor, before a confident yet sultry smirk played across her lips. GV had to suppress a groan at this. It was too early to deal with her!

"Oh? Has our little biribiri finally come to realize who his Queen is, and started taking his duties seriously~?" She asked, her tone entirely different from what it had been mere moments before. Gunvolt merely sighed.

'Another former Sumeragi Adept… Elise is someone I can sympathize with more than I can with Merak, but… Her other personality is a handful…' Gunvolt mused, before sighing and shooting Elise-or as her 'dominative' personality was nicknamed, "Eri"-a look that sent a slight shiver down her spine, yet didn't make the smirk leave her features.

"Don't call me biribiri. And do I need to remind you of what happens when you try this during breakfast time?" Now THAT actually got Eri to freeze up and actually visibly pale. She remembered what happened last time, and doubted she would ever forget.

Despite not being an adept, Ouka could be… downright terrifying at times.

Quickly letting control shift back to Elise-who shot Gunvolt an apologetic smile before returning to her game-Eri retreated to the recesses of their shared consciousness just in time for a loud knock at the door to ring out throughout the house.

Raising an eyebrow in confusion and wondering just who could be knocking this early in the morning, Gunvolt rose from his seat and began to make his way to the door.

"I'll get it!" He called back, getting an appreciative "Okay!" from Ouka-still in the kitchen, he presumed-just as he came to a stop at the door. Opening it, however, treated him to an unexpected sight: Namely, his former colleague, Moniqa, who seemed rather frustrated and her nerves frayed.

"Gunvolt! It's about time I found yo-" The brunette paused in mid-sentence as she actually got a good look at the blonde adept in front of her, her thought processes coming to a grinding halt as she tried to connect the image she had of Gunvolt with what she was seeing now.

Height-wise, Gunvolt hadn't grown much-if at all. Unsurprising, considering how mature he had looked for his age back in his days in QUILL. His hair was still mostly the same-though there was a slight gradient shift to a pale blue at the end of his braided ponytail-but that was where the similarities to her mental image ended.

While he hadn't grown in height, Gunvolt had definitely become less wiry, his frame having developed more lean muscle that was clearly meant for use rather than show. His outfit-as opposed to his almost-always battle ready attire set-was shockingly casual, consisting of a white shirt with blue sleeves, and regular jeans. And the look in his eyes… While there was a clear 'emotional weight' that seemed to hold the blonde down in some regards, he was much more… Calm. Relaxed, even!

It took Moniqa a few moments to process it all, while Gunvolt stood there, staring at his former co-worker curiously.

"Moniqa? What're you doing here so early in the morning?" He asked hesitantly. The Adept had a slight suspicion as to what this visit was about, but it never hurt to make sure.

Shaking her head a bit, Moniqa's expression soon settled into a sharp glare, almost immediately confirming Gunvolt's suspicion.

"There's a very good reason I'm here, Gunvolt, and you know it! Asimov has been keeping quiet about what happened on that damned Elevator this entire time, and tracking you down has been so difficult that I wanted to tear my hair out! So you better tell me just what happ-" Anything further she was going to say was cut off by Gunvolt simply shutting the door in her face and locking it.

Silence reigned for all of five seconds, before...

"GUNVOLT! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW AND TELL ME JUST WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" Moniqa yelled, already resorting to banging on the door repeatedly with all her might. A process that lasted for a full two minutes, before a single metal saw blade embedded itself into the ground at her feet, having been thrown from the next house over.

"Hey, you damn noisy skank! Shut the fuck up and get lost before I REALLY get angry and decide to not miss the next one!" The person who clearly launched the deadly projectile exclaimed, sticking half their body out of the sole open window next door.

The person in question was a young woman with semi-short reddish-brown hair with mirroring white streaks in the front, and what one could guess to be a permanent scowl on her lips. Her amber-colored eyes were narrowed into a fierce glare that sent shivers down Moniqa's spine. It was clear that this girl was fully intent on following through with her threat, too…

Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, the brown-haired QUILL agent took her leave, causing the young woman known as Gibril to give a satisfied smirk before returning to what she had been doing previously… Namely, stretches that were supposedly designed to help one grow taller.

Back with Gunvolt, the blonde adept allowed himself a sigh of relief as he heard Moniqa's demands finally stop, before making his way back to the table. 'Just in time', he idly noted, as he spotted Merak finally sitting down as well, and the house's owner-Ouka-finishing setting everyone's respective plates on the table.

Out of everyone in the household, Ouka had changed the least over the years, with her hair being slightly longer and the white wing-like hairclips she wore having been substituted for blue ones that seemed to bear more resemblance to butterfly wings. Beyond that, however, she still wore her usual outfit of a white shirt with a black tie, matching shorts, and a black-accented pink sleeveless jacket with gold accessories and a waist cape.

"Who was at the door, Gunvolt?" She asked, genuinely curious about the cause for all the racket she had heard while finishing up breakfast for everyone. She had heard bits and pieces, but not enough to get a clear idea of what the person at the door wanted. Gunvolt merely shook his head as he retook his seat at the table.

"It was a former co-worker from my time in QUILL. She wanted to ask me about something that… I'm still not ready to talk about, to be honest." GV admitted with a slight grimace. Asimov's hidden agenda and betrayal still stung a good bit. The man had been close to being like an older brother or father figure for the blonde, so what had transpired on that day…

'No… Best to not dwell on it now.' Taking a deep breath and allowing himself a smile as the 'unorthodox family' he had managed to gain began to enjoy the breakfast prepared by Ouka, who merely gave the blond adept an understanding smile and nod...

After breakfast was done and the dishes had been taken care of, the members of the household broke off to do their own things: Ouka opting to do some reading, with Elise joining her… Merak heading back up to his room to surf the web and most likely play some games. As for Gunvolt?

He opted to go for a jog. It was something of a routine thing for him these days, helping him keep in shape should trouble ever arise again, and it helped him clear his mind after nights where he had that dream. A small, relaxed smile was on the adept's features as he jogged…

… Completely unaware that he was being watched from above.

"So, this is the target this time, huh?" The observer-clearly female, based on her voice-asked herself, looking at what seemed to be a smartphone in her hands. "Hm… His name's listed as Gunvolt? Odd… Well, it's clear he's never been in a relationship, though…" A pause, followed by a light gasp.

"Oh, oh dear… That is quite tragic..." The observer-whose medium-length blue hair was tied into twin ponytails in the back-muttered, before pocketing her phone and producing twin pistol-like devices in a flourish of light.

"But don't worry… Because this Elite Angel is about to make you very happy." She said confidently, her blue eyes agleam with determination. "I've been practicing like crazy, and have never missed a single shot!"

However, as the mysterious girl with a pink halo and matching pink wings floating behind her took aim, something caught her attention. Something that had her somewhat alarmed.

"Eh? Is that… a Demon Academy student?" Indeed, standing behind a sign that Gunvolt had just passed while slowing his pace to a casual walk was a young-looking girl with bright red hair with twin horns growing out of it, and a spade-tipped tail growing out from under her white-accented black dress. Topping off the 'demon' vibe were the two small bat-like wings growing from her back.

"Is she after the same target as me..?" The observer wondered, before dispelling the twin pistols and pulling out her phone once more. Dialing a number on it real quick, she didn't have to wait long before someone answered.

"Hii hii~. You've reached the Goddess." Came the bubbly sounding voice from the other end of the line.

"Hello, this is Ekoro." The observer-now identified as Ekoro-replied curtly, a worried look still on her features.

"Ah, Ekoro-chan, how are you? Is your exam going well?" The Goddess asked, her tone showing that she was genuinely curious about how the apprentice angel was doing.

"I'm fine, but… A Demon Academy student has the same target as me. Aren't we supposed to set these exams up so that these things don't happen?" The blue-haired angel replied, concern evident in her tone of voice.

"Araa~, she's probably doing a make-up lesson. If a Demon Academy student is on the surface right now, then I'm almost certain it's for a make-up lesson." A beat. "Don't forget, Ekoro-chan, that if your score on this exam isn't good enough, you'll be taking one yourself this winter-" Anything further was cut off by the call being ended by Ekoro.

"Tch… Gotta' call me target before that demon girl does-eeeh?!" Turning her attention back to the area below, the apprentice angel was surprised to see the demon girl from before already brandishing her spear and ready to poke the unsuspecting Gunvolt with it. "She's already raring to go?!"

Panicking a bit, Ekoro quickly produced her twin pistols again and took aim. "Er, okay… Got my guns..! FIIIIIRE!" Pulling the triggers simultaneously, she expected an immediate fire… Only to be shocked as her guns instead began to gather energy into themselves.

"Wh-they're set to full power?! No-not good!"

What happened next from Gunvolt's perspective could only be described as "something out of left field", as one moment, he was just about to pick up his pace again, and the next…

"ARGH!" … He was hit with a bright pink blast of energy that actually managed to knock him unconscious, leaving him sprawled out on the sidewalk, face first on the pavement.

Silence reigned throughout the area as Ekoro watched-horrified-from the rooftop she stood upon.

"Ah…. I really screwed this one up…" Was all the angel could mutter, before shaking herself out of her stupor, and making her way down to greet the blond young man when he regained consciousness…

'At least that Demon Girl seems to have left…' Ekoro idly noted as she began to wait for Gunvolt to awaken so she could explain just what he would be going through.

… Entirely unaware of just how big her screw-up really was.

AN: I'm just going to go sit in the corner and think about what I've done here.

In case it isn't obvious from an earlier part in this chapter, this fic is an AU where Gunvolt never killed any of the Adepts he fought in GV1 and GV2. Thus, some… Interesting… Changes have occurred over time. Some characters have also been aged up, such as Gunvolt himself and Gibril-who will make a fuller appearance in the next chapter-while others have remained the same as they would be canonically.

That said, I'll see you all next time. Excuse me while I go commit sudoku.