AN: Took me a hot minute because of endless uni work, but here's chapter one! Not much action, but things have to be set up

Once again thanking Vox for being my editor and making my writing palatable.

CHAPTER ONE

When Zero awoke, he did so slowly, before the endless sensations of the waking world settled around him.

He found himself in a cold, sterile operating theatre, laying atop a cot and covered in a thick blanket. When he tried to move, a thick cable plugged into the nape of his neck held him in place.

He had no idea where he was. His vision was still nothing more than a blur, and harsh white fluorescent lights blinded him until he could hardly make out the form of his own hand as he lifted it to his face. Noises swirled around him incessantly, the high pitched buzz of machines and a constant murmur of conversations outside driving Zero mad with overstimulation. It felt like being held underwater, his sorely underused senses melding together until Zero could hardly make sense of his own thoughts anymore.

"Zero."

His name, spoken by a familiar voice at his bedside, was the first thing he managed to focus on with absolute clarity. As time went on, his sensors eventually began calibrating, though his audials still rang persistently and the lights were still overwhelming in their brightness, and he turned to face his guest. It took a moment to recognise him, especially when Zero's sensors weren't exactly in perfect working order. Especially when he looked so… different from what he remembered, though he couldn't put a finger on exactly why just yet.

How long had it really been since he and X last spoke?

"X..." Zero whispered his old partner's name, rubbing away the burning in his eyes with the heel of his palm. Even when overcome with a debilitating delirium, Zero still felt a warm flutter in his stomach at the sight of X's sweet smile, the azure warrior filled with an unparalleled happiness that shone through those large, gentle eyes. He carefully sat up with a groan, making sure not to jostle any of the wires attached to him, and gave his limbs a much needed stretch. "It's… been a while, hasn't it?"

Zero could tell X wanted to say so much, but the words were trapped under the surge of pure emotion rushing to the surface. With an elated cry, X couldn't hold back anymore, and he lunged forward, pulling Zero into a tight, loving embrace, holding him close as if he were to slip away again at any moment. "Oh, Zero!" X weeped, burying his face into the crook of his shoulder, "I've missed you so much, more than you could ever know. I never stopped looking for you, every day I spent apart from you was like a death, over and over, never getting easier, and to have you here again, I- I feel whole again, I feel alive. My dearest Zero... Thank you so much… I… I don't know how much longer I could've withstood being away from you."

In his arms, everything began coming back to Zero. The Mother Elf, born of his own flesh to cleanse the earth of the Sigma Virus, only to curse humanity with the Elf Wars. The calamitous bloodshed of Dr. Weil alongside the sick experimentation leading to Omega's creation had nearly doomed humanity, and his eventual defeat at X and Zero's hands was little retribution for the harrowing losses sustained by Reploids and humans alike. Zero remembered everything- everything until that last fateful conversation he had with X, promising he would see him again if he just waited for him. To Zero, it was only yesterday when he had left X to seal himself away in that lab, hoping his body would never be used for evil again, lest history repeated itself, but with the way X sobbed, how he held him tighter than he ever had before…

He needed to know.

"X… how long has it been?" His partner pulled away from the embrace, but Zero could still feel how his hands trembled on his shoulders.

"Decades. Almost a century," X answered softly. "Too long. I thought… I thought I lost you." He shook his head and set the thought aside. "But none of that matters anymore. You're back now. Back with me."

The answer hit Zero hard. For nearly a century, X was alone, fighting tirelessly for justice without him, and it was obvious that he suffered for every second of it.

With his mind slowly clearing as the truth came to light, Zero realised there was so much he needed to know. What world had he woken up to after so long in stasis? Had the world ended like he thought it would, or did X do good on his promises and rebuild the world according to his fantastical utopian vision?

Now that Zero's senses had been calibrated to their fullest ability, he decided he needed to start somewhere. "What… happened, while I was gone?" was all Zero could bring himself to ask. "Where are we?"

"Come with me." X offered Zero a hand and a deflection at the same time.

Indeed, now that Zero's mind was clearing…

He supposed that over the near century he had been sealed away, change was going to be inevitable. Still, it didn't make it any less jarring to hear X speak in such a suave cadence, a nearly arrogant tone he had never used before, his words edged with an unmistakable synthesized sound. His face remained the same as Zero had remembered- olive skinned with a smattering of freckles, a square nose and strong jaw. A seam ran down the length of his faceplate from his right eye, that was new. Perhaps a scar that never got fixed properly- X always shrugged off superficial injury, insisting the Maverick Hunter medical team had more urgent matters on their hands. Two wings finnets adorned his audials, gilded with titanium white metal feathers. He was still broad shouldered, bulkier than most newer model reploids, even though it was obvious his frame had been upgraded during Zero's absence, leaner and taller than before. X was… handsome. Handsome as ever.

Zero ejected the medical cable from his systems and carefully pulled it from where it had been plugged into his nape before taking X's hand. His partner helped him to his feet, grabbing a hold of his waist to help Zero regain balance.

X gazed longingly at him with new eyes. A deep, piercing crimson gaze, rarely ever blinking. He was handsome, that was undeniable, but no matter what, his stare felt unnervingly cold. Zero had many questions, and X didn't seem too interested in answering any of them.

"How are you feeling?" X asked, tilting his head. "You think you can stand on your own?"

His grasp slipped back to his hands, where he wrapped his fist around Zero's wrist. His grip felt unusually tight, and Zero felt far too weak. The way he held him was almost painful.

Of course, X was just missing him, and Zero had just spent the better half of a century in suspension. He was just afraid he'd lose him- it wouldn't be the first time, after all. A pang of guilt settled in his chest. "I'm fine," Zero murmured, "just tired, that's all."

At the assurance, X let out a small sigh of relief. "That's good. Let's get out of here."

Zero couldn't object to that- he was freezing in the operating theatre. After making sure he could walk on his own, Zero followed X as he guided him out of the cold room and through the halls of an unfamiliar medical facility. "Sorry for waking you so suddenly," X apologised, "the circumstances in which we found you weren't ideal. I'm sure it's disorienting, waking up from such a long stasis so quickly. Just… take it slow. I'll be here to help if the hibernation sickness gets to you."

To Zero's surprise, a couple sleek, modern nurse-model reploids passed the two by, stopping and staring at Zero like he was an angel in their midst. He supposed he was, in a way- he was one of their 'heroes', defeating Weil all those years ago and putting an end to his tyranny. Soon, they passed through the waiting area of the small clinic, and X pushed through massive silver-white doors into a vast, elaborate hallway, where open archways let in gentle rays of the westering sun's light.

Zero froze mid-stride, overwhelmed by the glory of the world he had been reborn into. Between tall corinthian pillars, a large window revealed a shining white and gold city, an endless metropolis that spanned from horizon to horizon. Skyscrapers pierced the clouds, sunlight shimmering off their edges, and countless civilians- reploid and human alike- hurried about in the early morning rush, appearing so small and insignificant in the city center below. Inside, the walls of the colossal tower were lined with artworks of past heroes; paintings, tapestries, photographs, and elegant red carpet with golden edges spanned pristine marble floors.

Everything was nearly excessive in its perfection, all white and gold and red and polished until they practically glowed in the sunlight. Zero was enraptured, drawn to a balcony between the archways as if the city was beckoning him closer. Had X made good on his promise of a better, perfect world, where man and machine could coexist as one people? X continued on ahead as a stunned Zero took in the magnificence of it all, only stopping once he realised Zero was no longer trailing behind.

"What is this place?" Zero stared in wonder at the paradise in front of him. X chuckled lowly, standing at his side and puffing out his chest pridefully.

"This is Neo Arcadia, Zero," X answered, finally offering an explanation, "the utopia we have gifted this world."

"Neo Arcadia…?" Zero parroted the name, as if it would help it sink in any easier. An idyllic, unbroken vision of paradise in the new age of machines. X nodded with a confirming hum.

"A world where man and machine have united under my leadership, free from the burden of mavericks. And here, in this Eden of my creation, is where humanity's last bastion resides," X went on, his smile triumphant. He set his hand over Zero's. "After the Elf Wars, the world was left in ruins. Almost all the land was rendered inhospitable, too irradiated and battleworn for civilisation. The people, both man and reploid- they lacked guidance, leaders. They were broken, left with no hope after the carnage Weil had unleashed unto the world. And so, after you disappeared, Zero, I became their sole hero, their champion, and I established Neo Arcadia as mankind's cradle." X turned to Zero, pride shining through his gaze. "Now, nearly a century later, I rule this sacred metropolis as their king."

Zero was still struggling to understand the scale of the city before him. Finding out that X- his X, the unfalteringly humble Maverick Hunter, was the king of this glorious city? It rendered Zero speechless. "...You created all of this?" He stared in disbelief. X made a half laugh.

"With much help, yes," X answered, "but it was only thanks to you, Zero. Without you, I could've never defeated Weil and Omega to pave the way for my vision."

The grip around Zero's hands tightened, and X interlocked his fingers with his partner's. Zero's gaze darted to and from the illustrious city and X. Reploids passed them by,shrinking back as they approached, uttering not a single word, not even a whisper. Zero swallowed, brushing a lock of hair over his shoulder to fiddle with. "Well… this… is a lot to take in, X," Zero confessed, "waking up to an entirely new world, a hundred years after I was sealed away, when to me it's as if no time has passed at all, it's… it's going to take some getting used to." He paused, mulling over his next words. "Don't get it twisted, but I never thought you of all people would become something like a king."

"I know. I never would've dreamed of this either," X replied. He leaned over the intricately sculpted balustrade, watching the city from their perch atop the upper levels of the central citadel. "But when I thought about it… who better to rule this world than I? The first reploid, their hero." He sighed, standing up straight. "Times have changed, Zero. So have I."

That was undeniable. X had changed- from his frame to his ego. X had never spoken like this, even as a lauded S-rank Hunter. Even when he had every right to be prideful, X had always been modest, so simple in his desires. Now… Zero was unsure if this reploid- tall, proud, dressed gaudily in a gold and white vest and red cape- was the same X he fell in love with. Zero ran his fingers through his hair nervously, his touch suddenly grazing cold metal around his neck.

He had been so enchanted by this new world that he didn't even realise the thick, silvery metal collar fastened to his neck. Instinctively, he pulled his hand away from X's own, wringing his fingers round the neck brace and trying his damndest to pry it off, ultimately to no avail. X set his hand on Zero's shoulder reassuringly.

"It's a gift, Zero," he promised, "so the people know you are with the Neo Arcadian government. After all, the reploid at my side, my only equal, should have something to show for it."

Zero frowned at the answer. He wasn't too convinced of the idea of a collar as a status symbol… but he decided against arguing. An attitude was the last thing X needed, Zero chided himself.

A breeze blew by, caressing Zero's frame with a gentle touch, and X took in a deep breath, letting the soft wind sweep over him, washing away all the tension in his heart. He was proud, and why wouldn't he be? Zero had never seen such a grand city; not even Abel City came close to what X had created. Zero had only seen brief glimpses of the citadel he had woken up in, and he already knew its grandeur spanned beyond his limited comprehension. X's hand found his again, and the king leaned into him, his soul finally at peace again after achingly yearning for its other half for so long.

Though Zero felt a bit uneasy about this unfamiliar world, the way X loved him unconditionally would always lend him endless comfort. X could change, but his love for him was forever.

Zero couldn't stifle the giggle and smile that arose when X pressed a kiss against his helm's fins. Despite everything, X still loved him with all he had to offer.

"The people will be excited to know you're back." X's voice was soft. "They'll be happy to know their idol is still alive. As was I…"

X nuzzled Zero's cheek, tickling him with his touch, and snaked an arm around his waist. As much as Zero welcomed X's affection, he couldn't avoid his own racing thoughts. A question had been eating away at him ever since X told him what he had done with the world in his absence; what exactly was Zero to become now? If X was telling the truth, then there were no more mavericks, at least none that were born of his own body. There wasn't a war to fight anymore. X had become a king, and the world was finally at peace. Zero was a warmachine; he would always be a warmachine, and now he wasn't sure of his place in the world, other than an idol for Neo Arcadians to worship over century old deeds.

It was something X would have to give to him in due time. Zero wasn't too sure regardless; he had never lived through any significant time of peace, and he had never been anything but a warrior. Even when the Mother Elf- born of his body- eradicated the Sigma Virus for good, his world was thrown into chaos shortly thereafter when Weil cursed his cyber-elf daughter. If X wanted him to lead a normal life at his side, Zero feared he wouldn't be able to provide him with that possibility. If there was anything Zero truly hated, it was idle hands.

"I should prepare to announce your return to the city," X said, standing up straight purposefully. "A lot of the people here aren't old enough to have lived through your time. Of course, they understand your legacy still lives on today."

Whether that was a good or bad thing remained to be seen. Zero sighed, setting his fist under his chin apprehensively. Neo Arcadia, X's newfound power… it was overwhelming, and he still couldn't quite wrap his head around it all. Still, the people seemed to revere him, and if just being among them again would make them feel happier, then Zero decided that was that. After all, his duty was to the people, and now with no war to worry about, that duty didn't entail fighting.

He wasn't too keen on having 'standing around and looking pretty' on the agenda, though.

"Master X, I-"

The shrill voice that came behind them made Zero flinch. No one had dared to speak to him nor X ever since he woke, and he sure as hell didn't hear someone sneaking up on him while lost in thought.

When he turned around, Zero found an air-officer type reploid standing before him, frozen like a deer in the headlights at the sight of the long lost hero. He was shorter than average, gaunt, with long, spindly limbs and poor, hunched over posture. He had green armour, two large, swept back wings on his helm, and wide, bright green eyes, sunken in with lack of sleep, slit pupils staring straight through Zero as if he were a ghost.

His appearance was… unnerving, to say the least. The reploid kneeled down and courteously bowed his helm in respect in Zero's direction. "Master Zero, it is an honour to finally meet you." He greeted him zealously, much to Zero's chagrin.

"Zero, this is Sage Harpuia, general of Neo Arcadia's Strong Air Battalion," X explained, sensing Zero's confusion. The skinny reploid, Harpuia, heaved himself upright, holding his hands behind his back and presenting himself formally to the blonde. "Harpuia, why don't you call your siblings here? I'm sure Zero would love to meet them all."

With a nod, Harpuia turned and whispered something into his comms system. After a moment, three flashes of light appeared before X and Zero, revealing the forms of three new reploids, two brothers and a sister, as unfamiliar to Zero as the rest of Neo Arcadia was.

"I should introduce my Guardians to you, shouldn't I?" X spoke with a proud incantation. Wrapping his arm around Zero and using his other hand to point, he listed them off one by one. He began with the largest- a huge, draconic red reploid, with skin as tan as X's, huge hands and talons, and a gentle, charming smile. "This is Fighting Fefnir, general of the Scorched Earth Squadron, our ground forces." Next, the only sister- a blue aquatic reploid, squarish and muscular, with long arms, wide hands, and flippers for feet. Large luminescent markings ran down her arms and thighs. "Fairy Leviathan, general of the Deep Sea Squadron, our navy." Then there was the last brother, tall but thin, with black and white armour, a red scarf reminiscent of X's (now absent) beam scarf, and a mask hiding cold, calculating red eyes. He shied away behind his siblings, hunched over with his gaze fixed at his feet. "And Hidden Phantom, general of the Cutting Shadow Squadron, our special ops unit… he'll warm up to you once you get to know him."

X paused, pulling Zero closer. "They are Neo Arcadia's Four Guardians. Built to protect and serve this city, and return the outside barren world to its former glory," he continued. "These reploids… they are my loyal children."

At that, Zero's eyes widened, turning to face X in disbelief. "Children?!" X shook his head and waved his hand no.

"No, it's… not like that, I didn't have them with another reploid," X assured, "I could never, you know that, Zero. They were built using my DNA as a blueprint to be the perfect specimens in their fields, with aspects of my combat prowess built upon until it has reached its fullest potential in them. I am their sole father."

Zero knew he saw something familiar in the siblings- Fefnir's handsome smile, Leviathan's square nose and jaw, Harpuia's big, inquisitive eyes, and Phantom's… shy disposition. Not that it made the discovery of X's newfound fatherhood any less shocking to Zero. "Ah," Zero managed. "It's… nice to meet you all."

"Mmhm. You'll grow familiar with my Guardians the longer you reside in the Citadel," X said, before turning to his air general. "Now, what was it you needed, Harpuia?"

As if pulled from a trance, Harpuia snapped back to attention. "Yes. You're needed in the war room, father," he replied curtly. X let out a begrudging sigh.

"Argh. Zero, I would love to stay and chat, but I've got duties to attend to," X lamented, setting a hand on the back of Zero's helm and closing the distance between them, pressing a chaste kiss on his headgem.

"I get it," Zero assured, "you must get busy around here. I'll manage on my own."

It took a moment for X to finally let Zero go. After nearly a hundred years apart, Zero could see why X struggled to leave him. Still, he had a job to do, and that job was the most important of any in Neo Arcadia. X turned to his children with a resolute stare. "You four, take Zero to his room, will you? Make him feel comfortable," X commanded. He turned to Zero with a soft smile. "Get some rest, Zero. This is your home now. I'll be back soon."

Zero swallowed and nodded. With that assurance, X stepped back and warped away, leaving Zero with only his children for company. He drew a circle in the ground with the toe of his boot.

"...Hey," Zero deadpanned. The four Guardians looked at each other expectedly, waiting to see which of them would speak first. Eventually, Fefnir stepped forward, taking Zero by the arm.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Zero!" Fefnir exclaimed, heaving him into the grand hall from where he stood on the balcony. "Come on, move, let's show him around already!"

It wasn't like Zero had much of a say when Fefnir was practically dragging him inside. The rest of the siblings trailed along, Harpuia in the lead, Leviathan happily joining Zero's side with Fefnir, and Phantom in tow.

"Dad's told us a lot about you, you know," Leviathan piped up, looking down at Zero with an admiring glint in her eyes. Zero hummed.

"Is that so…?" Zero asked, a little rhetorically. Fefnir nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, like, how you were the best warrior he ever knew. You could take on whole squadrons of mavericks, bang," Fefnir snapped his fingers, "wiped out."

It sounded a bit hyperbolic. Zero slipped a lock of hair behind his back bashfully. "Of course X would say something like that…"

"Well, it's true!" Leviathan insisted, "you and dad saved the world, what, fifty times? If there's anyone who could rival Master X, it's you!"

"Exactly!" Fefnir added, the huge reploid folding his arms staunchly. "And between you and me, Zero," he leaned down to whisper, though his voice was hardly soft, "X always mentioned it, but you're prettier in real life."

Zero gave him a look. Leviathan groaned and rolled her eyes. "Get a grip, Fefnir. He just woke up." she chided, before shooting Zero a smarmy grin, jostling him with an elbow. "He's right though."

"Could you two stop it?!" Harpuia stopped in his tracks and snapped at the two, whipping his head over his shoulder. "Have some self-respect around Master Zero."

Fefnir and Leviathan stopped, silenced again as they let Harpuia's reprimand settle in the air. After a short lull, Harpuia huffed and continued on like nothing had happened. Zero let out a soft, exasperated exhale and followed along.

The blonde scanned the four with a discerning look. Though he had only known them for a brief period, it was easy to discern that though the Guardians inherited everything that made X great, these virtues were accompanied by his greatest flaws. He walked at Harpuia's side, the air general a natural leader thanks to his genetics, but stricken with a staunch sense of loyalty and authoritarianism. Still talking amongst each other behind them was Fefnir, passionate to a fault, and Leviathan, friendly but overly familiar. Then there was Phantom…

The ninja model reploid hadn't spoken a word, not even a greeting. It reminded him of X, before Sigma's siege on Abel City, when he was too unsure of himself for his own good.

"Harpuia..." Zero started, turning to him for more meaningful conversation. "X was talking to me about the city. Is it… is this really all that's left?"

"Of mankind?"

"Of all of us," Zero elaborated.

"I'm afraid so, Master Zero," Harpuia solemnly answered. "Master X established Neo Arcadia as a refuge for those displaced during the Elf Wars. It was just that at the time— we didn't know the true extent of the damage the war had on the planet." He paused briefly. "From here, we protect what's left of us, and strive to return the outside land to a habitable form. It's no small feat, I assure you." His expression darkened. "It's an endless desert out there. No crops grow, nothing lives out there but feral mechaniloids, it never rains. It's different within the confines of the city. My siblings and I carefully control the climate in Neo Arcadia," he added with a touch of pride.

Through vast stretches of hallways and stairwells and high speed elevators, Zero, surrounded by his entourage of Neo Arcadia's Guardians, eventually found himself before a grand, royal hall. Well armed guards toting regal spears stood along a plush red carpet trimmed with gold, spanning the length of the room from the arching doorway to the foot of a throne set atop a dais. The golden backrest of the throne created the shape of an X, carefully framing whoever would be seated at its center. Overlooking the hall, above the massive gilded throne, were a pair of tall, magnificent stained glass windows. They depicted striking portraits of Zero and X, the two heroes of Neo Arcadia rendered in divine fashion. The sunlight beaming through the windows was painted with the intense hues of their armour, splashing the hall in beautiful shades of azure and crimson.

The extravagant splendour of such a sight left Zero at a loss for words. All he could muster was a semi-amused huff.

"What's so funny?" Fefnir asked. Zero gave a half shrug.

"I don't know. Just… X was never into this sort of thing," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Harpuia narrowed his gaze.

"It's what the saviour deserves," he insisted, "...and what you deserve, Master Zero."

Zero wasn't sure if that title would ever sit right with him. Flustered, he decided to head off, leaving the throne room in his wake. Besides, he was still tired. The tour could wait for some other time— all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep.

In silence, Zero followed Harpuia down a labyrinth of corridors, past spectacular dining halls, vibrant verandas overlooking the city and well dressed reploid workers rushing past, catching fleeting glimpses of their saviour. There was something about being revered so highly, worthy enough to be rendered like an idol in stained glass, that felt wrong. He never considered himself a hero. In fact, most of the atrocities that plagued humanity's course in the recent centuries were a direct result of his existence.

"What am I, now there's no more wars to fight?" Zero murmured. Harpuia cocked his head.

"The second king of Neo Arcadia, ruling at Master X's side," Harpuia answered matter-a-factly. "When you're ready, of course."

Zero wasn't certain he'd ever be ready for such an insurmountable task. He already struggled to escape the circumstances of his creation as a warmachine, and now being asked to be a ruler of such an impressive city? It sounded like Harpuia was asking the impossible of him. It didn't feel coincidental to think that X could only create a time of peace while Zero was hidden away in stasis.

Before long, Harpuia stopped him in front of an innocuous door, hidden away from the main halls of the citadel behind a number of locked doors, only accessible with the DNA signature of a select few.

"Well, here we are." Harpuia opened the door for Zero. He peeked inside, finding a spacious, yet spartan room. There was a large bed, big enough for two, with a gossamer silk canopy draped over its frame. A dresser with a mirror was pushed against the wall. There was a television mounted on the wall and an ottoman beneath it. To the side, a small hallway led to a bathroom with a closet. Then there was the massive window and a balcony, overlooking the expanse of his lover's creation.

A single sealed E-can stood on the nightstand. "This is my room?"

"...Whose else would it be?" Harpuia cocked his head. Zero shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. "I thought… maybe… X and I would share a room, considering…"

The words were lost in his throat.

"Nothing's stopping you," Harpuia said after a moment of silence. "It's just courtesy for you to have a room of your own for one reason or another."

"Yeah, like if dad snores or something," Fefnir quipped. Zero ignored him.

"Right. Appreciate the sentiment, I suppose," Zero acknowledged, walking into the room and taking a closer look at his new surroundings before he took a seat on the side of the bed with a sigh. For once, Phantom stepped forward, in front of his siblings.

"Master Zero." His name was the first thing Zero heard come out of his mouth. His voice was deep, but somewhat hoarse, probably from speaking too quietly. "I'll have you on the Neo Arcadia comms system by the end of the day. I'll send you a map of the citadel too. If you ever need help, please call."

Phantom stared at him. It was hard to decipher what he was feeling with the mask. Zero pressed his lips together. "...Okay."

"Your DNA signature isn't registered in the citadel's system yet. I'll get on it as soon as possible," Phantom continued.

"Uh-huh," Zero affirmed.

"You won't be able to get through the residential sector's doors for a while. Are you okay with staying in this room for the time being? X will come back to you soon and let you out." The shinobi went on.

"I'll live," Zero assured. "I'm just gonna get some sleep."

"Okay." Phantom stepped back. Zero nodded slowly.

"Okay…" Zero replied in kind.

The five reploids stood in silence for a moment. Always one to break the silence, Fefnir clapped his hands together.

"Great! That should do it!" Fefnir concluded, pivoting around on his heel towards the exit. "I think we should let the big man sleep, fellas."

Harpuia cast him a glare, but Fefnir didn't seem to care. "As Fefnir so eloquently put it…" Harpuia grumbled, "I'm honoured to be in your presence, Master Zero, but we will let you get some rest. As Phantom said, if you ever need our help, give us a call. We can't guarantee we won't be busy, but one of us will get back to you."

"And if not us, I'm sure dad would," Leviathan brought up. X being called dad still sounded so odd to Zero's audials. He had to wonder, what would that make him to the Guardians? "And like, if you wanna bother us just 'cause you're bored, go nuts!"

Phantom looked less than thrilled at the idea. "I'll… be in the library most of the time," Phantom said. Zero made a mental note to not bother him. "In the 136A data sector-"

"He knows! He knows where it is," Leviathan waved her brother off, "I mean, he doesn't right now, but when you send him the map he will."

Zero inspected his fingers absentmindedly. "Yeah."

"Anyway, you sit tight, okay? If you need something to eat or whatever, just call," Leviathan reiterated. Zero cocked a brow.

"I have an E-can. It's right here." He gestured to the nightstand.

"Oh, right, totally. I forgot I put that there." Leviathan flicked the side of her helm with her finger. "I swear, I'm not this stupid, it's just like, you know, words come out of my mouth faster than I think sometimes."

"Huh. Sounds like X when you get him going," Zero noted. He really wanted to sleep at that point. The bed was comfier than anything the Maverick Hunters ever gave him the privilege of owning. Leviathan nodded.

"Yep! Genetics. I think," she agreed, "plus like, we're kind of overwhelmed by the… the… you know… weight…"

She clenched her eyes shut and snapped her fingers a couple times. Harpuia rolled his eyes.

"We're overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation," Harpuia finished. Leviathan pointed a finger.

"Yes! That's the word, maybe. Or maybe I was thinking of something else." She rubbed her chin and looked aside.

"...I see. I'm overwhelmed too," Zero admitted.

"It's to be expected. A century is a long time," Harpuia assured. "We'll leave you to it. Farewell, Master Zero. Get some good rest."

Zero shuffled in his spot. "Thanks, Harpuia."

Phantom and Harpuia made good on the promise and made their ways outside, Fefnir and Leviathan trailing behind them.

"We'll come back soon if you wanna hang out, Zero!" Fefnir exclaimed as he walked through the door. "See you later, Blondie!"

The door shut, the voices of the guardians slowly disappearing into the distance behind the walls of his room, and Zero was left to his own devices for the first time since he woke up.

He really wanted to get some sleep. His head was pounding, and he still felt sore and dazed from stasis. Yet the moment the Guardians' constant talking had ceased, a cascade of thoughts flooded his processor, all crashing into him at once. Zero hunched over and put his head in his hands, wringing his hair through his fingers.

A century had passed… a century, which to him felt like only a single night had passed.

The only familiar face he saw was X. He knew no one around him, but everyone knew who he was, and what they knew of him was probably lightyears from the truth. Especially if X was the one in control of that very truth.

He rubbed his eyes and got up. Zero checked the door, but found it locked. He tried unlocking it with a scan of his finger, but his DNA went unrecognised. Sighing, he threw his head back and walked off dejectedly. Phantom hadn't lied— he was locked up for now.

Snatching the E-can off the nightstand, Zero collapsed onto the side of the bed again, this time looking out the window at the utopia of X's creation. His vision, finally in physical form. He pulled on the tab of his drink, cracking it open with a snap and bringing it to his lips. Sigma was gone, Weil and Omega banished. They had everything they could've ever wanted in life. He and X had always fought for peace, and now that they had it...

Zero couldn't help but feel ill at ease. Harpuia's answer from before didn't comfort him. What was he now?

He tugged at the neckbrace again, finding it to be just as sturdy as it was when he tried pulling it off before. He looked over his shoulder at the locked door, then turned his gaze to his feet.

And instinctively, he patted the outside of his thigh, feeling for his holsters, looking for his saber, his blaster, anything. He found nothing. No equipment appeared in his HUD, either.

With a sigh, Zero laid down, arm and E-can hanging off the side of the mattress. As much as it hurt him to admit, being locked away, disarmed, unsure of his future… It reminded him of being admitted to that research facility all those years ago, where he was isolated and contained for research, all in a bid to develop the Mother Elf.

Of course, it reminded him of worse, too… like inpatient. He shivered. The neckbrace was about as strong as patient identification bands.

He had to stop thinking about it. He could already smell the sterile air of a laboratory coming back to him. Zero felt around for a remote, finding one in a nightstand drawer and turning on the television, flicking through channels with a blank stare.

Whatever he was now, he wasn't sure if he wanted it. Was this what X wanted?

No longer able to ward off his own fatigue, Zero's anxious thoughts finally relented as he succumbed to sleep, lulled by the droning of the television and the soft bed enveloping him.

"Zeeeeero."

The voice of X stirred Zero from his sleep. Again.

Zero rolled onto his back, groaning, and rubbed his face with the back of his hand. "...You're always waking me up too early, babe," Zero lamented. X let out a sweet laugh at his turmoil.

"And you're always sleeping in." X dropped himself on the side of Zero's bed, jostling the lighter reploid as the mattress buckled under his far greater weight. Zero opened one eye to glare at X.

"Some things never change…" Zero grumbled, hiding his face away in the inside of his elbow. "Like you being annoying in the morning."

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's see some skin, get up." X set his hand on his shoulder and shoved him around, earning him a groan, and Zero turned his back to him.

"I'm tired," Zero moaned.

"I know. But I've finished the preparations to announce your return to Neo Arcadia," X said, "so get up."

Zero looked over his shoulder with a frown. "Already?"

"Yes."

With that, Zero sat against the headboard, rubbing his eyes of sleep. "How long did I sleep?"

X chuckled. "Long enough," he answered snidely, "but if you're wondering, it's been a day."

"Shit." Zero threw the covers off his legs and slid off the bed. "Like, do we have to go right now?"

"I'd like you to." X got to his feet and crossed his arms. Zero licked his fingers and patted down his hair.

"How do I look?" Zero asked. X grinned.

"Lovely. Beautiful," he replied with a cheeky smirk. Zero pouted at him incredulously.

"You're lying." He slipped off his helmet and ran his fingers through his locks in the absence of a comb.

"I am. You look like shit," X admitted. Zero harrumphed and clipped his helmet back into place.

"Thanks," Zero mumbled. X unfolded his arms and offered Zero a hand, the red reploid taking it graciously. "If they have a problem with it, they can fuck themselves. It's not like I've been asleep for a century or anything."

"You can have a shower afterwards," X assured as they walked out the door and through the numerous hallways that hid the residential sector from the rest of the tower. "Phantom's got you in the system, by the way, so you can explore the citadel if you want."

"Oh, goodie." Zero checked his saved frequencies, finding X and his children, listed alongside the old contact frequencies of Maverick Hunters… Alia, Layer, Signas… Axl. It looked like they were long since abandoned. There was a map of the citadel and its many floors in his databanks, too. "Your kids are… they're…"

"Esoteric?" X concluded. He scanned himself into the trans server room, guarded by a mass-produced soldier that was a striking mirror image of X, aside from the lack of a face. He gave Zero a slow once-over with the single red optic at the center of his helm. "I know. They'll settle down in time. They're excited to meet you. I can't say I didn't talk about you often..."

A soldier by the main trans server stood upright at their entrance, offering a salute to his king. The old operator stole a tired glance at the two heroes before returning to her work.

"Take us to the city hall podium," X commanded. The operator nodded languidly, setting her pen and tablet aside to enter a set of coordinates.

"Go ahead." She pointed to the trans server platform. X stepped up onto it, helping Zero up and pulling him close with an arm around his waist.

"Look presentable, dear. The world is watching," X advised. Zero frowned, not comforted in the slightest, as the operator entered the teleportation command on her console. The trans server warped him from the citadel, and in the next second, he and X appeared before the Neo Arcadian people in a flash of light, standing atop an open air terrace raised high above the city center.

Hundreds… no, thousands of humans and reploids alike stood and watched, their crowds stretching as far as Zero's eyes could see. They gazed up at him in disbelief, as if they were watching a spectre walk among them. Massive display monitors built into the bases of towers projected a live feed of the podium, of the Four Guardians who stood dutifully at X's side, ready to protect him with their life, of the countless, faceless soldiers wielding assault blasters held tight to their chests, and of he and X, standing before their city.

Zero was never exactly shy, nor was he exceedingly humble like X was (or used to be), but feeling the stares of so many bearing down on him began to make him feel nauseous, his nerves getting to him. He shuffled closer to X, feeling for his hand and grabbing a hold of it.

From the ground, the sheer scale of Neo Arcadia's towering skyscrapers became much more apparent to Zero, their spires reaching far into the heavens. At he and X's appearance, the noisy crowd came to a hush, the eerie lull persisting as X made his way to the podium.

"Citizens of Neo Arcadia," came X's resounding voice, booming over dozens of speakers. His words over the microphone rattled Zero's very core. "This year marks nearly a century since the Machine Wars came to a close, and the beginning of an era of endless peace on prosperity for mankind." X paused for respite. "And nearly a century since your hero, and my dear friend and partner, Zero, disappeared."

Just how long that century really felt was never going to be easy for Zero to understand.

"But I have called you good people here for an announcement long in the making. I know many of you had long given up hope at the prospect of Zero's return, but I knew he was still out there, waiting for me as my vision of Neo Arcadia came to be," X continued. "I've worked tirelessly to uncover the truth of my dear Zero's fate… a reploid of his caliber couldn't have met such a quiet death so easily." He turned to Zero, gripping his hand tighter. "And when I found out I was right to have never given up on him, well… well, I was beyond words. I'm sure you will all be as happy as I was to know Zero is still with us. I am pleased to announce the return of Neo Arcadia's greatest warrior, Master Zero, who from here on out shall rule at my side as your king!"

Joyous fanfare erupted from the endless crowds as X lifted their intertwined hands up towards the heavens, drawing in the admiration of the people. Zero's breath caught in his throat. He didn't at all have a say in that, but with the way the city reacted… it seems that maybe they needed his presence for one reason or another.

X cast a loving gaze towards Zero, the azure hero's heart full with pride and accomplishment.

It made Zero smile, but apprehension still lingered in the back of his mind. The longer he met X's gaze, the more he found himself missing X's gentle hazel eyes.

Now, it was the piercing crimson glare of a proud king that burned through him.