Authoress' Note: This chapter is my version of Zero and Proto's past, so, just remember; this just works for the story. This is NOT his real past. Although some of it is, you guys just have to sort out which are my own ideas and what is CAPCOM's!
Chapter 9:
Brother-to-Brother Talk
Protoman sat outside the hover-truck, the stars and moon glowing brightly. His helmet sat beside him, letting the wind ruffle his short blond hair, stinging his green eyes. He let out a soft sigh as he mumbled, laying down with his hands behind his head, "I wonder what'll happen next…"
"Hey, bro." Someone said, making Protoman sit up quickly to look around. He caught sight of a familiar blond sitting down beside him.
"Bro…What's up? Couldn't sleep either?" he asked, looking at his little brother (although Zero is quite a bit taller then he was) out of the corner of his eye.
"Yeah…so…what's up?" Zero asked, taking off his own helmet and setting it beside him.
"Nothing much. Just wondering what'll happen next." His brother said, shrugging.
"What'd you mean?"
"What I mean is, we've met up with a Maverick who would've roasted you if it hadn't been for Scion, two of Bass's old enemies…what'll we fight next? One of my enemies? Or one of yours? I'd hate to see the kind of people you've offended!"
"Sometimes I wish I hadn't even met them!" Zero and Protoman laughed softly.
For a moment, they were at ease, but then it faded to the deathly calm silence that it was before Zero had got there.
"Rumors always said that you had brown hair and brown eyes…what happened?" Zero asked after several minutes.
"Well, I was originally a burnet, but for some reason…Doc Wily thought it'd be better if I looked something like you…Maybe so that you'd believe I was your brother or something…I dunno…My opinion is that Doc Wily was gettin' on in his years and was just a little senile…"
"A little?!" Zero asked, smiling slightly.
"Okay, a little is an understatement." Protoman chuckled, his green eyes flashing with amusement. "Look, little brother—"
"Don't call me that. 'Bro' will do nicely." His brother said.
"Alright, alright. Look, bro, I'm just a little worried about what'll happen next. I mean, we almost lost you in that first fight, then we almost lost Izumi in that last one…I'm just wondering when our luck'll run out…and if we'll be able to do anything about it once it does."
"Back to being serious, huh? Look, for now, lets just talk like brothers and forget about tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. Don't worry about it." Zero said.
"Yeah, well…being serious and worried can also be a lifesaver, I should know. My worrying has saved yours and my a**es from the frying pan more times then I care to remember. And I don't see why this time should be any different." His brother stated, leaning back against the hover-truck with his hands behind his head.
"…Maybe your right…But still, lets just talk for a bit. Like, what was Tokyo like before you were sealed in that capsule?"
"Well, it was big and had lots of stores and restaurants. Kids playing soccer and 'kick the smallest kid'…never could see what those kids saw in that game…anyways, it didn't look anything like it does now. And there weren't any Reploids back then. Only you, X, Megaman, Roll, Bass and myself…and even then, you two weren't activated yet, so I guess you guys don't even count." Protoman said, shrugging. "Wait, I take that back. You were activated then, but you were really nothing more then a kid, just wanting to go play soccer…
When Doc Wily wouldn't let you, you'd throw a tantrum worse then a tornado does. Believe me, I know. I was hit more then once by that d*** bookcase…"
"I hit you with a BOOKCASE?! Why don't I remember any of this?" Zero asked.
"Well, Doc Wily thought that it'd hamper your ability to kill and maim, so he erased every memory you ever had of me, your friends, how much you loved humans, everything. I felt like ripping Wily's gut out when I heard what he'd done to you. I almost shot him. I was this close to shooting that b****** in the head…" he held his thumb and index finger about a centimeter away from each other. "But Cutsman managed to talk some sense into me. Amazing, ain't it? That nimrod Cutsman saved my titanium a**…"
Zero was silent, just watching his brother's face, which had a sad smile on it. A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued.
"…I just wish that you had those memories of me trying to teach you how to fight and you almost cutting my arm off with that god-forsaken Z-Saber. I swear, I had to get repaired more then once trying to teach you how to use that d*** thing…And I'll never forget the time Snakeman gave you that pet rattler for Christmas…I fainted whenever you brought that stupid thing near me…I never knew I had such strong disliking to snakes before that…and to think I worked with one!" With this comment, he smiled and chuckled at the memories.
"Anyways…lets see…what else? Oh yeah, there was the time you somehow wound up at the top of Skull Fortress. You just about gave me, Cutsman and Snakeman a heart-attack when you reached for that cat that had gotten stuck up there. I can't remember if you fell or not, all I remember is seeing you on top of Skull Fortress, me, Cutsman and Snakeman screaming, then me blacking out. I heard later on that I had fainted from sheer terror and that you had poked me at least two hundred times with a stick when you got down."
Zero smiled and said, "Heh…I did all that, huh? It seems to me I was just a major pain in the a**."
"That you were. But you were my major pain in the a** brother and I made it a rule that no one except myself were aloud to pick on you." The two brothers chuckled.
"Sheesh…I can't believe that you didn't go nuts trying to keep me in line!" Zero stated, grinning.
"Yeah, I know."
"So…what happened when you woke up and found everyone…?"
"Well, I was more then a bit shocked when I saw everyone laying there, there and there…" he pointed in every direction. "And I was even more shocked when I found Wily, or what was left of him anyway, in the main room.
Even though I was wondering what had happened, I was still very, VERY happy that the old geezer had suffered. Painfully. Anyways…Then I got to wondering what year it was and if Bass and Treble were still in one piece. Once I had given the place a quick look over, I went outside to find you, Megaman, Bass, anybody I knew…but all I found was Tokyo rebuilt and Reploids and humans wandering the streets.
I had also heard stories of Maverick Hunters and that's when I got really worried. I was frantic in my search to find you and to knock some sense into you before those Hunters found you. I soon heard about a famous class 'A' hunter named Zero and my first thought was, 'Thank the heavens! I don't have to worry about him anymore!'. Then the space colony Eurasia hit and wiping out half the planet…I felt like my heart was being ripped out while it was still beating when I found out that my little brother was gone, killed by somebody named Sigma.
After that, I got my Proto-Buster repaired and my armor replaced with titanium-x armor and went out to find him. I wandered for a month, finding only some zealous Mavericks who were stupid enough to attack me. Then I found you and your new friends…you can't imagine my joy when I saw you. But then I remembered that you wouldn't remember me and wondered if even talking to you was a good idea. I mean, Wily did train you to be a killing machine. And you know the rest."
Zero nodded slowly. "…So…you were worried about me enough to go and hunt Sigma down yourself? Why?"
Protoman shrugged. "Because, I'm your big brother and I'm supposed to look out for you. I know you've grown up quite a bit, but you gotta remember, I panicked when I found out that you had a pet snake. I was always scared that that d*** thing would bite you!"
"But…I'm a Reploid…how could I get poisoned?"
"Because, sometimes, you just acted so human that I was beginning to believe that you were just that. A human. A human child playing with something dangerous. But Snakeman kept reminding me that you were a Reploid and that poison didn't work on you, so I think he saved my sanity for a while there. Then I found out that Wily wanted me to teach you how to fight. I was always worried that you'd cut your arm off with that Z-Saber. And I was also worried that you'd aim your Z-Buster wrong and blast me, which happened to me at least ten times in one week."
Zero laughed. "I actually shot you?!" he asked, grinning.
Protoman nodded, also smirking. "Yep."
The two brothers then fell into a deep silence that was broken by Protoman as he stood and put his helmet back on. "Well, I guess its time to get to bed. Night, bro."
"G'night, Protoman. Oh, and, bro?" Protoman stopped and looked back at his brother. "Cut back on the worrying. It's not good for your health." The gray and red Reploid grinned.
"Heh. Well, YOU aren't either, Mr. I'll-Climb-on-the-roof-and-give-my-brother-a-heart-attack!" Zero and Protoman laughed.
Before his brother got into the truck, Zero asked, "One more thing. About what you said about Wily surviving…"
"Oh that? I was just pulling your leg. Just to see if you even knew who he was." Protoman said, grinning at his brother's annoyed expression.
The two laughed before climbing back into the truck to catch up the sleep that they had been lacking since they had started out on this crazy adventure.
X opened one eye as Protoman climbed into the front seat and Zero climbed into the back seat next to Amy Rose.
As soon as Protoman was asleep, X said softly, "I heard you guys talking. I'm sorry about you losing your memory."
Zero looked at his friend and said equally as soft, "Thanks. Hey, maybe you could talk with Protoman and I one night. Who knows, he might know something about you and why you were created!"
Bass suddenly grumbled, opening one eye slightly, "And if you two don't shut up and let me get some sleep, your both gonna need Scion to repair your mouths, which I will personally bolt shut!"
"…"
"Good. Now go to sleep before I knock you both out." Bass closed his eye and drifted back to sleep.
"…Night." The two Maverick Hunters whispered in union before going to sleep.