Elegy of Falling Snow
Prologue: Scenery in the Window

DING DING!

When he heard the doorbell, Red got off his chair and walked to the door. When he opened it, he was face-to-face with a certain redheaded gunslinger reploid.

"Hey, Axl. What's up?"
"Red! Did you watch the livestream? X retired from the Maverick Hunters!"
"Yeah. The internet went ballistic, although I can't be bothered to watch the full thing. But you did, didn't you?"

Axl nodded, "I did. He said he was going to focus on R&D so he can find a way to purge the Maverick virus for good."
"He was always the pacifistic type," Red said with a shrug, "I saw this coming."
"I know, I know. I just… he said that he wanted to do real, actual good. But… why retire? He's already doing good by hunting Mavericks. You know what they say, the real disaster is when good people do nothing when bad people do their thing. Right?" Axl rambled.
"Well, we're not his friend or relative or whatever. We'll never know what's on his mind. Regardless, this means more work for us, but also more money." Red remarked.

Hearing what Red said, Axl nodded again in understanding.

Despite his childlike appearance, he had gone through post-Eurasia. For years he fought and struggled alongside Red Alert, and matured as time passed. Idealistic he may be, but he can no longer be considered a child.

He'd seen how the world works – as much as he idolizes the Maverick Hunters, they can't reach every nook and cranny. And sometimes the law… ties their hands. Which is where bounty hunters like Red Alert come in.

Community leaders in quiet, more isolated neighbourhoods rent their services to stand guard. Sometimes they take care of the issue faster than the Hunters can come in.

Humans in certain… situations would pay Red Alert to do dirty jobs. The targets they take care of range from abusive family members to business rivals. But of course, murder is not cheap.

While Axl prefers not to meddle in the affairs of humans, he will do his job. Fortunately, if they are not absolutely needed, high-level members like him and the Eight Generals can refuse to take on jobs.

For good reason, the world governments deem bounty hunters to be illegal. The stated reason is that they are reploids who carry arms without authorization. Like with the rest of Red Alert, Axl does not like this restriction. However, he understands that they're not completely wrong.

Still, it pains him that bounty hunters are on the Maverick Hunters' kill-on-sight list.

"Hey, Red…" Axl said, "I'm sure you've probably heard this question a thousand times already. But I still wonder why the Maverick Hunters don't just start hiring bounty hunters."
Red smiled sadly, "The same reason most humans are reluctant to hire ex-convicts. Unless you're absolutely indispensable, I don't think they can simply ignore someone's criminal history."
Axl heaved a sigh, "If you don't even give someone the chance to change, then how are they going to start a new leaf?"

At first, Red wanted to say that some risks are simply too great. But sometimes he can't help but envy the humans who have it much easier than reploids. Maybe he simply doesn't know enough. Or maybe it was his own wishful thinking. Regardless, he shooed all the thoughts away from his mind, and shrugged.

"The world is a big and scary place, that's why. Besides, I wouldn't trade the freedom we have for a government license to kill." was what Red ended up saying.
"Don't give me that." Axl replied, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance.
"Heheh. Alright, off you go now. Unless you have something else to tell me?" Red guffawed.
"Actually… can we just sit down and have a chat? I kind of want to… deal with watching X retire. It shook me pretty bad." Axl said.
"Sure, I got time."

Both of them sat together in the couch in Red's room. Red listened to Axl talk about his feelings – it haunted him to see and feel how lost X seemed to be.

As far as Axl's concerned, both he and Zero were humanity and reploidkind's unflinching protectors. Ever since the founding of the Maverick Hunters, they were the gold standard, the best partners… they've saved the world over and over.

But without any kind of warning, X "fell" just like that.

"I'm not sure if it's just me," Axl said, "But when I see X's eyes, it's like… it's like he's not even sure what's right and what's wrong anymore. Like he's not even sure why he's here and what he's fighting for."
"You've been there before, Axl. We've all been there before." Red replied.
"I know. I… I just…" Axl heaved a sigh, "It was never that bad for me. You were there. Anteator was there. Stonekong, Tonion… everyone."

Red could distantly recall the first time Axl saw one of Red Alert's murder missions. He couldn't remember what it was. Business rivals? Cutting lawsuits short? Jealousy in romance? It was so many years ago… he just knew it was one of the "dirtier" bounties. He could only remember Axl throwing a tantrum and declaring he wanted nothing to do with Red Alert.

It was only after being comforted and talked to by the gentler Generals that Axl calmed down and accepted the way things are.

"You guys were here. You guys were always so good to me. And X… I'm sure X also has a lot of good friends around him. Zero, Signas, Alia… all of them are experienced seniors. Just what hit X that he… he just broke like that?" Axl continued.
"Well… we also have to remember that he's seen way more deaths than the rest of us. Maybe even more than every single Red Alert member combined." Red responded.

At that moment, Axl went silent.

"Everyone has a breaking point. We all fall from time to time. But in the end, when you've hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up." Red stated.
Axl nodded, "You're right. I guess I'll just wish him the best from here."

After a few minutes of comfortable silence and small talk, Axl excused himself and returned to his room.

Usually when big things happen, he would be swimming in curiosity, reading news articles all over the internet. But instead of searching for articles about X's retirement, Axl put his phone away to be charged.

He's learned the follies of parasocial relationships a long time ago. Being overly invested in a stranger is not healthy, no matter how much Axl idolizes him. Seeing X look so dead inside hurt him enough already. He doesn't want to make his head spin even more.

Axl removed his armour, changed into sleepwear, and went to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and Axl needs all the rest he can get.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey... it's been a while. If you've read The Voice in Your Heart, you might have seen my notes saying that I want to move out of FFN to AO3. But... I changed my mind when I revisited FFN. It felt like... home. It felt like the good old times back when the internet wasn't so hostile. Back when most fandoms were a nice quiet place where you can easily find your circle and vibe.

When I see FFN, I see the carefree school days. I see the easygoing fandom from the past. Of course, my viewpoint is biased. AO3 is a lot better than FFN, but... FFN holds a special place in my heart. That said, I will post my story to AO3 when it's finished. FFN audiences will get it first. But if I need to retcon things, I uh, will do it without hesitation. So please take note. Things might be retconned in here.