Yikes...computer poroblems and school have really slowed down my working pace...

I apalogize for the long gapes in between my work recently, i just got rid of my comp problems, but finals are approaching at my school and i'll be pressed for time.

Anyway onto the optomistic stuff!

This here is the seventh installment of Believe in me.

story

"talking"

thoughts

(Me) - i say a couple things in this chapter. )


Believe in me

By: Flashgunner

Ch. 7: A Short Respite part 2: New allies come with old grudges.

"Zero, Ciel, Harpuia, and Leviathan… Please report to the elf room."

"Hmph."

Zero continued to stare out into the sunrise from atop the base. All my life has been battle after battle, war after war… I've never really lived during peace time before… well actually there was one peace time… that was when I knew……… "argh." Grunted Zero as he shook his head. No. The memory brings too much pain. Just clear the mind. Zero stood there, silent, for a couple minutes before he realized that he was called to the elf room about ten minutes ago. I guess I'll continue this later. He walked down the steps into the base.

The Elf room…

The doors hissed as Zero entered the room. Everyone was already there. Ciel, Cerveau, Croire, Harpuia, and Leviathan, who was standing rather close to Harpuia.

"Ok. Now that Zero is here we can begin. Croire?" Cerveau moved and let the Elf come forward. She faced Zero, Harpuia, and Leviathan.

"From what I've heard, you three will be heading into a fierce battle. You will need all the help you can get. So I've brought it upon myself to call a fellow Cyber-Elf. I'm sure you know him." A green light appeared next to her. It let out a brilliant flash of light, forcing the rest to cover their eyes. When the light faded, in place of the green light, stood a reploid donning silver armor and a magenta energy rapier.

"Elpizo." Zero broke the silence.

"Elpizo?" Harpuia's thoughts began to race the minute he laid eyes on the figure.

"Zero! Ciel! It has been to long since I last saw both of you!"

"Yes it has! How have you…" Ciel wasn't able to finish.

Harpuia's thoughts were spinning. Images of himself being humiliated and images of master X being killed flooded his mind. (Events of Megaman Zero 2 if you didn't know.) He clenched his fist as he tried to contain his anger.

"Harpy? What's wrong?" Leviathan looked at him with concerned eyes as she whispered, "You're shaking!"

"YOU!" Everyone's eyes snapped to Harpuia as jumped and drew his sabers, flying towards Elpizo. Elpizo reacted instantly, pulling out his rapier to block the slash. The rest of the group just watched, perplexed as to why Harpuia would attack.

"Harpuia! What are you doing!" Elpizo questioned as he blocked two more slashes.

"You humiliated me! And you killed Master X! For that I'll destroy you!" Harpuia pressed his attack. Leviathan drew her staff and was about to try and stop Harpuia, but Zero had already stepped in.

THWACK!

Harpuia was sent backwards into a wall. "That's enough Harpuia." Zero said as he unclenched his fist.

"Zero… you know better than anyone else here what the pride of a warrior is."

"Yes… and I also know that you just let your anger get the better of you, which is unlike you."

"Fine let him tell us what he wants… I still don't trust him." Harpuia retorted as he stood up and brushed himself off."

"Now then…" Began Elpizo as everybody turned to see him. Croire here decided I would be a valuable aid against Weil, so she asked the Mother Elf (Megaman Zero 2 and 3) to give me a temporary body in order to help you out."

"That's great!" Commented Ciel.

"But… another more important reason for why I am here is that I found out something about the reploids that Weil has possessed as his minions. It seems as though the reploid is first rebuilt, and activated. But the body is then possessed by some of Weil's mind, allowing him to control their every action. From what I've studied, it would seem that the reploids are still living under the possession and still have individual thoughts, leaving the reploids mind the only thing that's not taken."

"So you're saying that the reploids can see what they are doing, but they have no control over it?"

"Precisely Cerveau. Unfortunately I found no possible way to break the hold that Weil has on them. My guess would be, that the one who is possessed can only break free if it has a tremendous will, and the ability to use it."

"That's horrible… I can't imagine living when you're not in control of your own body." Ciel added.

"Now…we have a couple days until we attack?"

"Two days." Zero solidly explained as he turned around and headed for the door, "We'll attack in two days, be ready by then." Zero exited the room and Harpuia did the same soon after, without saying a word. Leviathan followed him.

Elpizo approached Cerveau and Ciel. "So I see Zero hasn't changed much."

"Yup, he's no different…" Cerveau and Elpizo kept talking, but Ciel faced the door. Her eyes retraced direction in which Zero walked. She glanced back at the two before walking down the hallway towards Zero's room. What is it Zero? What memory do you have that forces you to lock away your emotions? She approached Zero's room, but found that he was not there. Oh… he's probably on the roof again…

Indeed he was. Zero was once again staring out along the horizon. He closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths before leaning against the wall and taking his usual pose. (Arms crossed, right leg over the left, head bent down slightly, and hair flowing in the wind. Flash). His memories flowed through his head once more, memories of his past friends, fights, and actions. He still blocked out his most painful memory, he made sure to because it always evoked emotional pain.

Ciel stood at the entrance to the roof and watched Zero. She wanted to know why Zero was always so sullen, but she didn't know how to ask him.

"Zero!" Ciel quickly took a step back to hide herself from his sight as Zero looked up from his position. The voice belonged to Harpuia, who had landed near him.

"What."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Be specific."

Harpuia pointed at Zero, "You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"Elpizo? Give it a rest Harpuia, he was lost in the power of the Dark Elf when he attacked Neo Arcadia."

"I still don't trust him. I don't know how you can!"

"This is no time for personal grudges. If you want to get him back for what he did save it for afterward."

"What exactly makes you believe he can be trusted after what he did?"

"As a warrior I trust anyone who is willing to fight beside me, but the main reason I trust him is because Croire does. Think about it this way, Croire was the one who summoned him here, so she can just as easily send him away if he tries anything. Not that he will."

"Hmph."

"How about you Ciel?" Ciel froze as she heard Zero say this. "Ciel I knew you were there way before Harpuia even came, just come out." Ciel, embarrassed, revealed herself and walked towards the two of them.

"Sorry for hiding."

"It doesn't matter, anyway what do you think about all of this?"

"I think Elpizo can be trusted. You remember after you defeated him right Zero? He said directly to you that he realized the foolishness of his actions and hunger for power."

"Ciel trusts him too. You can't base you're impression of him on a personal grudge."

Harpuia turned his back and headed for the door. "Fine. I'll trust him for now. But afterward, I have a score to settle." Harpuia walked to the steps and disappeared into the base. Ciel frowned as she thought about Harpuia's outlook on the situation.

"Don't worry about him." Ciel perked up and turned to face Zero, who was back in his "Zero" position. "Elpizo wounded his pride. It's only natural for a proud warrior like him to seek revenge for such an action."

Ciel had one question on her mind. She wanted to ask what was bothering him, but she would tense up whenever she was about to speak. She took a deep breath and spoke. "Zero…" Zero opened his eyes and focused them on Ciel. "…When you and the others go to the battle field, you'll be taking a truck to the location…" This wasn't what she had intended to say, she was so nervous about the question that another quickly filled in the spot before any words could escape her mouth. "…I want to come along with you, I want to be at the location of the start of the peaceful era…I don't intend to come on the battlefield, I'll stay with the soldiers at the truck, but please I still want to come with you. Do you mind?"

Ciel tilted her head down, waiting for him to say, "No it's too dangerous." Or maybe, "I'd feel better with you safe at the base."

"All right." Ciel's eyes shot open and she faced him.

"Zero?" Zero glanced back at her.

"Is something wrong?"

"No…it's just…I didn't expect you to accept that so easily."

"Ciel…you once told me that you had been protecting reploids your whole life because your heart told you that what was happening was wrong. You followed your heart and stayed true to its feelings as you strived for your goal. This is going to be the climax of everything you've worked towards, and you'll want to follow your heart to the end of your dream. I'm not about to stop you from doing that."

The climax of my dream… not even I had considered it, I really wanted to come along to be with Zero. But the way he puts it, is completely true. Ciel smiled. Zero seems to know me better than I do sometimes.

"Thank you Zero."

Meanwhile…

Harpuia trudged down the hallway. The whole Elpizo matter was driving him crazy. He stopped when he was in front of his room and opened the door to enter. As it was closing behind him a hand stopped it. Harpuia turned around and saw Leviathan standing in the doorway; she wasn't wearing her helmet so her long blue hair was waving freely.

"Harpy… you've been acting strange since Elpizo came. Are you alright?" she asked as she stepped through the door and it closed behind her with a hiss.

Harpuia sighed as he removed his helmet to reveal his spiky green hair. "I'd rather not talk about it Levi… It's a personal matter that I'd like to refrain from explaining." Leviathan put her hands on her hips and wore an annoyed expression on her face. She walked over to Harpuia, who had sat down on his bed. She sat down next to him and slowly slid her arms around him.

"Please Harpy? I really don't enjoy seeing you like this…"

Harpuia sighed again. "Fine." (Ah female influence… Harpuia and I are both victims of it. Flash)

"Levi… When Elpizo attacked Neo Arcadia, you and Fefnir attacked Zero instead of him. While you two were doing that, I faced off against Elpizo. The battle was over instantly. All it took was one blow from him and I was finished; I wouldn't even call it a blow… it was more like a wave of the hand. It hurt. Not physically, but psychologically. I couldn't stand losing to him, to one who had been so low in the Neo Arcadian ranks. I was enraged, engulfed in a flame of anger, but there was nothing I could do. I hated it, hated the position I was in, hated the fact that I lost so easily, but most of all I hated the shame… the shame that defeat brought me was immeasurable. The agonizing shame could not be juxtaposed to anything!"

As Leviathan listened she began to feel deep sorrow for him. She knew how much pride Harpuia had as a warrior; the pain he described was so immense that she herself could almost feel it.

"…When I saw him this morning…all that anger, that hatred, and that rage emerged from rest and took control of me. If not for Zero punching some sense into me I'm sure I wouldn't have stopped until one of us was dead."

Harpuia stopped there. Eyes closed and head tilted towards the ground.

"I…I…" Leviathan tried to begin, but couldn't.

"You don't need to say anything Leviathan." Leviathan's thoughts raced, trying to come up with a simple comforting sentence, but nothing could stand against Harpuia's tragic recollection.

"No Harpy…" She began. "There is something I want to tell you."

"Yes?" Harpuia shifted his position so that they faced each other. Leviathan put her arms around his neck and drew him closer.

"No matter what happens from now on, to you or to me, I will always be there to share your pain." Harpuia smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"And I will be there to share yours. From now till the end, together."

The two leaned in and shared a fervent kiss. As they broke apart they stared into each others eyes.

"I'll always be there for you. We will claim victory against Weil together." Harpuia started.

"And I'll always be with you." Leviathan finished.

The two shared the passionate moment locked away in the secrecy of Harpuia's room.

The last two days were short lived; passed over like the pages of a book being pushed by a gust of wind from a window. The day of judgment had finally arrived…

"Let's get moving!" A resistance soldier called to the other four soldiers coming along.

Zero, Elpizo, Harpuia, and Leviathan (Inconspicuously holding Harpuia's hand) approached the vehicle. Ciel jumped down from the trailer to greet them.

"Before we leave… I just want to thank all of you dearly for your help towards peace. I feel as if I've not been much help so the least I can do is thank you all…" Zero stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder, Ciel looked up and upon noticing that it was Zero, began to blush lightly.

"Ciel… you've been the greatest motivation to us all. Never forget that." Zero explained without changing his expression.

"You've worked harder than all of us put together!" Added Elpizo.

"Real peace would never be attained without you." Continued Harpuia.

"If anything we should be thanking you." Ended Leviathan.

Zero removed his hand from Ciel's shoulder and hopped into the trailer, turning back to look at the rest.

"Let's go… we have an appointment with Weil." The rest smiled and entered the trailer.

Operation: Peace.

Commencing…

---To be continued---


CLIFFFFFFFF HANGER!

the battle to determind peace is drawing near. Read on next time when the warriors are forced to fight one on one! But who will fight who? find out next time in Believe in me Ch. 8!

thats that for now, i shall try to update as frequently as possible, but until Summer comes, i will be pretty slow at doing so.

Flashgunner over and out!