Z felt so empty now that Haruki wasn't there anymore. Their time together was short—not even a blink of an eye from an Ultra's point of view—but that didn't make it any easier. It felt like he had suddenly been split in half and was left to hobble about alone. Master Zero would just think he was being dramatic if he dared to voice that thought (or so Z thought) but for someone like him who gave almost everything 110%, including his own emotions, it still felt that way. He hadn't realized it would be like this. It was somehow even worse than the first time.

Z had heard countless stories about Ultras merging with humans and fighting to protect the peace both on Earth and among the stars, but no one ever said anything about what happened after that. About what happened when the fighting was done and that bond had to be severed. The lifespan of a human was already so short, too. It still seemed unbelievable that many wouldn't even live to be 100 years old. Z had already lived fifty times that! It was so unfair.

"Z."

Just how long would it take before he could get back to Earth?

"Z!"

What if by that time Haruki was already...

"Listen to me," stressed Zero, his voice coming out more firmly than sharply.

While Zero had momentarily spared him from the kind of harsh reprimand that he was already used to receiving, Z was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he yelped out of surprise anyway.

"W-w-w-what is it, Master? I'm fine!"

Z heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue. That right there was the sound of Zero's patience already reaching its limit. Not that Z knew that from experience or anything.

"The hell you are! Look which direction you're going!"

Z finally directed his attention to the vast expanse of space around him and realized that Zero wasn't in his immediate vicinity. How could that be? He had to be around somewhere if he could still hear Zero's voice. After coming to an abrupt halt and turning all the way around, Z realized something important. He was flying away from Zero at an increasingly obtuse angle. Whoops. It was also a trajectory that would have lead him right back to Earth if his flight path was left unchecked. Zero had stopped to wait for him despite Z's little detour, but his arms were crossed. Uh oh. It was almost painful to force himself not to look back in Earth's direction before flying back over to Zero.

"If you can't stay focused, go back to Earth."

It was like Z had been slapped in the face. Go back? Sure, that would solve his worries, but how could he do that when the Absolutians were becoming even more a threat than they already were? What was the point of joining the Inter Galactic Defence Force in the first place if he was going to stay behind instead of protecting not only the Land of Light's peace, but everyone in it? The last hero wouldn't run away at a time like this, even if it hurt.

No, that wasn't right. That kind of hero couldn't run away. He would never live up to Brother Ace's wishes if he went back now.

"I can't—!"

Zero cut him off. "Then choose. You can either go back to Haruki, or fight."

"I have to fight!" Z shouted.

Zero jumped at his sudden shouting, and to be honest, it startled Z too. The words had just come out before any of his worries could get to them. Of course, with Zero being Zero, he just gave a nod of approval as if he hadn't been caught off guard only seconds before. Z let out a sigh with his entire body and hunched over.

Zero had already explained why things had to be this way. This was a dangerous mission, and bringing Haruki also meant putting him in danger. That wasn't anything new, but fighting kaiju and fighting the Absolutians just weren't the same thing. Was it okay to pull humans into a conflict between the Absolutians and the Ultras, especially when they didn't have to? The harder Z thought about that ethical dilemma the more his head spun, but the answer he eventually arrived on with Zero's help was that separating was the better idea. Unfortunately, Haruki hadn't found it nearly as convincing.

Let me help you this time, Mr. Z!

That right there was all it had taken for Z's already cobbled together resolve to start crumbling. If Zero hadn't been there to keep him in check he almost certainly would have given in. After all, they had already separated once thanks to the D4 Ray, and Z wasn't in a hurry to do that again. It wasn't that Z didn't fully recognize the gravity of the situation either. The real problem here was that seeing Haruki's look of utter disappointment at being left behind was a little too familiar, and Z knew what it felt like for people to not take you seriously. Needing to refuse anyway went against every single thought, feeling, and instinct he had! Maybe that was why the response he finally settled on had come from that same emotional place.

I want you to keep your promise!

Haruki had been taken aback at what Z suddenly blurted out. Z remembered his expression very clearly, as if it had only happened moments before.

My promise?

You said you were going to be back on Earth for summer holidays and New Year's. If you come with me, you might not be able to keep it.

Keeping your promises was important. Z knew that much. Haruki hadn't been happy about that reasoning either, but it was one he accepted. The memory of Haruki's almost frantic waving as Z and Zero flew off was also one that refused to leave his mind. Thankfully, Z was released from his thoughts when Zero passed by and gave him a pat on the shoulder as he did so.

"No one said it was gonna be easy," he said, pausing for just long enough for someone to notice but just short enough for someone to shrug off. "We'll get this done quick, just watch."

"Master..." Z began to sniffle. "I'm ultra-moved...!"

"Wha—?! What are you crying for? At least wait until we've done something first," grumbled Zero as he turned away. "C'mon, hurry up!"

That was all the warning Zero gave before taking off. Normally Z would have rushed off just as quickly, but instead he turned to look in Earth's direction just one more time. There was no going back now. There couldn't be any more 'what ifs' or 'maybes' in his mind from here on out. The only thing to do now was make it back in time to see Haruki and everyone else again, no matter what! All that was left to do was making it happen. Easy, right? Right. The 'how' part could come later.

After being reassured through his own brand of logic, Z realized that Zero really wasn't kidding about hurrying up. (Was that Zero or some space debris in the distance?) Just because he could get back to the Land of Light on his own didn't mean he wanted to! Z took off like a shot in an attempt to catch up, but that was going about as well as every other time he had to chase after Zero.

"Wait for me!"

Zero did not wait.

EXTRA:

Z was as much of an open book as he always was, so it was really only a matter of time before Mebius heard about the whole thing during one of Z's visits to Hikari's lab.

"So that's what he said, huh?"

It was a small miracle that Mebius was able to keep a straight face. Oh Zero. Things would be so much easier for him if he was just honest instead of twisting himself into knots over things like this. Was he still going to tease Zero about this later? Oh, absolutely.