Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix.

Note: Wow! It's been such a long time since I wrote another chapter to this almost-forgotten fic. Anyway, it's the weekend now, so I finally have time to do this. I needed to write an ending!

Pander Forever
Chapter 8: Z and I
by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)

So.

So what?

You lost.

And...? What are you trying to say?

Well, I think you lost because you were too confident.

Yeah, maybe I was.

And...? What are you gonna do now?

I...I don't know.

I sat with my head in my heads, in the lounge area of the BAG Stadium. Outside, in the arena, with thousands of people watching, Z was receiving his new honor: First Place in the Bust-A-Groove tournament.

It should have been mine. It should have been mine!

I was supposed to win! It's not fair!

I'm sure the crowd expected me to win! They wanted me to win! How could that overgrown bag of bolts defeat me? I...I...

Wait. Was I talking about Z, or...?

Z loved me. I loved him. But...did he really love me? If he loved me, then he would've let me win. But then that would be cheating. But still...

Pander, you have to get your priorities straight.

I stretched out on the couch, lying down. A blood red kimono was wrapped around my body, warming me from the slight cool that penetrated the room, courtesy of the AC being turned up too high. Capoeira had placed it around me after I descended from the helicopter. They had sat next to me as we went back to the BAG Stadium. Z didn't speak to me. He didn't even look at me.

How could this happen?

So what's my life all about, huh? Was I turned into this human-panda just to lose to some robot? Was my purpose to freak people out? I don't know what to think anymore.

I sigh and sit up. Oh Z...what's gonna happen to us now? Is this big enough to split us apart? When I thought I had finally found love...

What am I acting like this for?

I stand up and head for the door, my kimono fluttering behind me. I turned the knob when suddenly the door burst open from the other side. It reeled back and hit me on the nose.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, stepping back, rubbing the red spot on my nose.

"Pander? Did I hurt you? I am very sorry." Z stood in the doorway, wearing a medallion around his neck. Leaning forward, I could see that it read "First Place".

"Not really," I replied coldly. We stared at each other for a while. Z's metallic visor into my liquid browns.

Z finally held out his hand. "I am sorry, Pander."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah well, sorry isn't enough."

"What was I supposed to do, then? Let you win? This is not my way. If you were destined to win, then you would have."

"But...I thought you loved me."

"I...I do. But Pander, understand..." He went over to me and hugged me. I felt like pushing him away, but found I could not.

"I...I just really wanted to win. I thought I would. After all I've gone through...spending almost my whole life in the zoo, getting turned into a human...kinda...meeting everybody...I thought so."

"Pander..."

"I don't think...I don't think we can be together anymore, Z."

"What?"

"We're too different. You and I."

"Is this just cause of the tournament?"

"No...it's cause of everything. What are people gonna say? What will they think?"

"Who cares what they think?"

"I..." I didn't know what to say. I pushed him away.

"Pander...where are you going?"

"Somewhere."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Something."

"Do you not want to stay with me?"

"Not really."

"Pander, do not be foolish! When I met you, I realized that you had potential. Potential to be the greatest Groover ever."

"And I'm not!"

"Stop being so conceited!"

I was about to make a nasty retort when I realized that he was right. I was being conceited.

I sighed and sat down. "Now that BAG's over, I don't know where I'm gonna go. Or what's to become of me. Maybe I'll just end up a panda again. Maybe I'm not destined to be a human. Or a human-panda."

Z shook his head. "Pander...think about it. Dancing is important, yes...but what is more important? Dance or love?"

What's more important..."Love," I whispered.

"Exactly. So...?"

I kissed Z softly. "Yeah...I guess it is. But...still..."

"I will not hear anything of it, Pander! Come on. Let us go."

Z tugged me along as he and I walked out of the lounge, down the long hall of doors. "Where are we going?"

"I said I loved you, did I not? Well..."

I decided to ask no more questions. We had walked down the length of hallways that led to where the stage was located. It was still as busy as ever. After all, the show wasn't over. It was the post-show, when all the dancers would show off their skills once more. Directors and stage hands rushed around, making sure everything was set to go. They all stopped and stared, though, when Z passed by, pulling me along by the sleeve of my kimono. What's a champion doing pulling that loser along? They must've thought that. Indeed, I thought that.

We passed through the curtains, directly onto the center of the stage. Hiro and Comet had been performing some kind of quasi-breakdancing when we came on.

"Wasn't that great, folks? Nothing like rollar and disco breakin' to—" James, who had been standing on the outer edge of the stage, abruptly stopped.

Comet and Hiro looked to Z, then respectfully retreated into the wings. Z stepped into the middle, me behind him. The Stadium was as packed as ever. Thousands of people had arrived to witness the post-show of BAG2. There wasn't an empty seat. Cameras hovered over every location, broadcasting in several different languages. The world was watching, it seemed. Nothing new to me. I'd gotten used to it over the last few days.

Z pushed a button on his chestplate. "Attention," he began. His voice had been amplified to that of a loud microphone. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

The crowd murmured noisily among themselves. The camera crews looked nervously at each other. "Michael! What is this? Is this supposed to happen?" James muttered.

"I know that you are all aware," Z continued. "That Pander lost to me earlier this evening. That I am the new champion of BAG. But...I have something to say. Pander...even though we were enemies...I think...maybe...Pander should have won. I mean, we both practiced so hard...and why should I receive this honor? I was the one who terrorized last year's competition. And Pander...if only you knew...but I am giving up my medal to Pander."

The crowd gasped. James dropped his mic. My head spun. "Hold on! You can't do this!"

"Is this not what you wanted?"

"But..."

Z reached over his head and pulled the medallion off. He held it in his hands. "Pander...I just want everything to be okay...now..."

I stared at the shiny piece of gold that gleamed in his hands. The gold that would give me the championship of BAG. My hands ached to receive it; but could I? Could I really?

Isn't this what you wanted?

Selfish, selfish Pander.

I pushed his hand away. "Sorry Z. No way I am taking this."

"But I thought you—"

"There are more important things," I whispered. "I just realized that. Dancing isn't everything. I think...well..."

I could sense Z smile. "I'm glad you think so. Does that mean I can keep my championship?"

I threw my arms around him and kissed him.

The crowd erupted into cheers. The cameras lowered in for a close-up. The entire cast of BAG, watching from backstage, gave whistles.

Man. I've come a long way.

-

Close the book. Look up. So do you understand?

Oh yeah...that stuff about Pandemonia in the beginning...I don't really live there. I live here. In Tokyo. As I have for the past year or so.

Oh yeah. And Z was able to fix the Transforming Machine (finally!)

And guess what. I used it.

Guess what else. Z used it too.

I'm sitting on the floor right now. Kneeling, actually. My hair is long and black, down to my waist. I still have brown eyes. And I am wearing the kimono I wore on that night. Hehe, I love keeping things.

Z's lurking around somewhere. He has spiky gold hair now. His eyes are chrome blue, and he wears a metallic suit, very much like his old one.

And you...what are you wearing?

Okay, okay. Well, Z and I switch from our human forms to our non-human forms often. He's still a robot; I'm still a human-panda. We're not fully committed to our human forms; probably never will be, either.

So do I like it as a human?

Well...it's not all it's cracked up to be, but it's fun.

What happened with you and Z?

What do you think? I'll leave it up to you, then. You can guess, right?

So that's your story.

Yeah. You don't believe me, do you? See if I care, really.

Pander...

"Yeah?"

Z stands in the doorway to our house. He's in his human form. "News," he says simply.

"What?"

"Bust-A-Groove 4!"

"What?"

"Yeah! Capps told me. Isn't it great? We can compete again!"

Z's started using contractions, by the way.

"BAG4, huh?"

I snap my fingers and a fan forms in my hand.

Thought I was freaky, huh? Thought I was dumb? Yeah, well. Never was, never will be.

Pander Dumpling Li Wei Sang. That's me.

Champion of BAG2. Second place. First place in Z's heart.

Yeah. So what do you think of me now?

I snap my fingers and a fan forms in my hand.

I pull it to my face and smile.

"Let's go, Z!"

Owari

Hmm...I'm not sure about this. It's been a long time since I've written Pander Forever, and I wasn't sure how to end it. I hope this is okay. What do you all think? Do you like it? Hate it? Tell me!