Author Notes: I'm back. There are four major things that I have to discuss before we begin the chapter.
First, let me say oops. I accidentally uploaded the wrong version of the first chapter. There aren't any major differences, but when I resaved the file from .doc to .html, I made a few changes because of some formatting and grammar errors. As soon as I reread the chapter online, I recognized what had happened. However, when I went to change the chapter to the correct file, Fanfiction.net gave me an error message, so I don't know if it will get fixed.
Secondly, thank you to those of you reviewed. Your positive feedback restored some of my faith in this fandom.
Thirdly, I was a little disappointed in the reviews for their lack of flames. I know there are people out there who read this story, realized that it pertained to them, hated it, and went away. Why? The whole point of the review system is to voice your opinion. I know there are some junior high kids out there who read the last chapter, swore aloud (though quietly enough so that their parents did not to hear them) in an attempt for the curse to go through the broadband, out of my modem, and strike me down where I typed. Well, it didn't work, and I doubted that you believed that it would work. So why didn't you just flame me? If you're going to write crappy stories, the least you could do is defend them. Please, I'm begging you to flame me. Jam that Caps Lock key down and proceed to tell me how horrible I am. You're not going to hurt my feelings. I promise.
Finally, the first chapter was direct smack to the face (or at least it was suppose to be). The next chapters will also have forthright main points, but there will be some subtle jabs. Watch out or you may miss them, and end up thinking this story is really weird (which it is, but it also should contain at least some high level thinking).
Wow, that was a really long author note. There is one more thing, though, that I must say before we begin. To the best of my knowledge, Kizna is an only child. Now, let us get on with the show.
~*~
Just Another Day - Chapter Two
By The Irritated Observer
~*~
The mysterious girl had somehow escaped Hiead's homicidal rage. However, the furious candidate was still stalking the halls in a methodical search pattern. In the end, there would be no escape…
Elsewhere, the candidates and repairers of GOA were spending the last of their free time before lessons began, blissfully unaware of the terror that would strike them next. It was the calm before the storm.
Kizna hummed a song to herself as she recalibrated the PRO-ING's reaction settings. Zero had improved, again, in the simulation training by about .001 seconds. In a matter of life and death, even a small hitch in reaction could be fatal. Kizna knew that most repairers were not forced to spend what seemed like every waking moment readjusting their PRO-ING's settings, but, then again, most candidates didn't improve as fast as Zero did.
Besides, Kizna enjoyed her time in the PRO-ING docking bay. The steady buzz of work provided the perfect backdrop, allowing her to completely focus on the task at hand. The hanger was her place of refuge, where she could go and know that she would not be disturbed. Everything seemed clearer when you were working with solid wires and circuits.
"KIZNA!" After Kizna recovered from her temporary hearing loss, she was able to identify the last person that she thought would disturb her at this time. The cat-eared girl spun around to take in her partner.
"Zero, what are you doing here?" While she spoke, Kizna's mind was rapidly taking note of subtle differences in Zero that had not been there a few hours ago. The first thing that she noticed was that his eyes seemed to possess a bewildered expression at odds with everything else. The second thing she noted was that his grin was so wide it looked forced and slightly insane.
"CAN'T something I is CHECK wrong UP can't ON stop MY no FAVORITE control PARTNER?" Kizna frowned in concern. Zero's voice had shifted radically between each word and the sentence as a whole had been completely incomprehensible. Perhaps Zero had been injured in the simulation and had not told anyone.
"Maybe we should go to see Dr. Rill. You don't sound too good, literally." Zero shook his head.
"IT'S this SUCH stock AN dialog AWESOME is DAY!" Zero took a deep breath, as if he was struggling with himself. "I getting WOULDN'T to WANT me TO please MISS help IT." Zero looked expectantly at his partner, but Kizna was still trying to puzzle out exactly what he had said. The thought of paper and pen crossed her mind.
"Zero, this isn't very funny." If this was some weird joke, she would kill him…or at least kick him around a bit. "Just talk like a normal person, or at least as normally as you usually do. I can't understand you." Zero grounded his teeth in frustration. Kizna was his final hope; there was no one else that he could think of to turn to.
"I can't DON'T if KNOW think WHAT too YOU'RE hard TALKING thoughts ABOUT." Kizna discreetly looked out of the corner of her eyes for a spare pad of paper. The way Zero's voice fluctuated between words made his speech impossible to understand by ear alone. Zero, however, was not finished. "ISN'T vanish IT as A if NICE taken DAY?"
"You already talked about the day," Kizna murmured, now opening searching for a writing utensil.
"KIZNA!" Zero rushed forwards, grabbing his partner's arms to force her to understand.
And then, everything changed. For one thing, Kizna could have sworn she heard the air go "twang". However, nothing so trivial mattered anymore.
Kizna stared at her partner in open admiration. How could she have not seen how deep his gray eyes were? Why had she never noticed how strong he was and how handsome his features were? What had possessed her to act so violent towards such a caring, dedicated partner? Like a flash of lightning, Kizna's true feelings were revealed to her. She was in love with her partner and everything would turn out alright if she could only express her feelings.
Zero, meanwhile, was staring at his partner in equal amazement. Why had he never noticed how her hair curled around her cheek just so? How could he have overlooked how adorable those cat ears were? Why had he never noticed how rosy her cheeks were and how deep her gaze was? What had made him treat her like a sibling, when she so obviously deserved her deepest love? Because, suddenly, Zero knew that love was exactly what he felt for his pink haired repairer. Zero knew that everything would turn out alright if he could only express his feelings.
Swept up by the moment, the partners leaned together into a kiss of true and passionate love. As their lips touched, however, they soon came to realize that something was utterly wrong. The infatuation which had lead them to this moment, disintegrated into nothing, leaving the candidate and repairer in a very compromising position.
Blushing furiously, both pushed the other back out to arms lengths. It was Zero who broke the silence first.
"What the hell just happened?!"
Kizna wiped her mouth on the back of her uniform sleeve before answering. "I think we just…kissed. It was like what kissing my brother would be like." Kizna shook her head as if to rid herself of the image. "Coincidentally, little brother is coming to GOA in two weeks where he will immediately take the place of Clay and challenge you for Top position of second troop."
Zero followed suit and wiped his mouth of on the back of his hand. "I'm sure it would be like kissing my sister if I had one," he agreed.
"What is wrong with you people?" a voice cried out from behind them. Zero and Kizna spun together to notice a young girl in archaic clothing standing behind them. Kizna was confused, upset, and in no mood for dealing with a child who had obviously just gotten off a shuttle.
"Look, I don't know how you got here, but this is not a place you're supposed to be. Retrace your steps, find your group, and follow your escort's directions. We don't have time to deal with you right now."
The girl frowned. "You were much nicer in the seventh episode," she accused. At Kizna's blank expression, she decided to elaborate. "I saw this show last night called Pilot Candidate on Cartoon Network. It was so cool that I just had to come and write fan fiction for it right away. I had this great idea for a Zero and Kizna romance, but you two just stopped, why?"
Zero took this time to join the conversation. "You knew we were going to kiss? How?"
The girl sighed as if the answer was obvious. "Because I made you two kiss, of course. I also tried to improve your attitude, but that seems to have not worked out either. You shouldn't swear, its bad for the soul."
"You made us kiss? You were the one making Zero talk like that?" Kizna's incredulous tone was edged with accusation.
The junior high school student, however, mistook Kizna's red face for embarrassment. Smiling in what she thought to be a benign expression, the girl proceeded to try and comfort the stricken repairer. "Oh, don't worry about being embarrassed. I'm sure after a few kisses there will be no need to make such a fuss and you can declare your love openly to the world."
"More kisses?" Kizna's mind latched onto the idea with growing horror.
"No, there will not be anymore kisses." Zero's voice was firm and his face was set with determination. "You are going back to wherever you came from and leaving us alone, forever." Each word was punctuated with a step taken towards the twelve-year-old.
The girl, realizing that she may have gotten into trouble again, quickly began to babble of excuses. "But, I don't know how I got here. I had logged on to Fanfiction.net to upload my story, when suddenly I was here. I don't know why I'm here or why I can change everything." The girl held up here hands in a peace gesture. However, Zero took it as a sign that she was about to do something to them. The memory of complete lack of control still strong in his mind, Zero lunged forwards. Releasing a small scream of terror, the girl turned and began to flee the hanger with Zero right behind her.
"You were definitely a lot nicer in episode seven," she called over her shoulder.
"Yes, but I bet that in episode seven, whatever it is, I was not forced to act like a raving lunatic and kiss my repairer," Zero retorted.
Kizna took one wistful look back at her almost completed repairs. However, she doubted that introspection would solve anything in this case. With a small sigh, Kizna took off after the chase. She had a score to settle.
~*~
Wow, this chapter was even more biting that the first chapter. I didn't think that would be possible. If you didn't think this chapter was more mocking than the first chapter, you missed a lot of points (subtlety, remember?). This chapter was so cutting, however, that I feel an explanation is needed.
Actually, of all of the non-canon couples in MK, Zero and Kizna are probably my favorite. I admit that when I saw my first episode of MK, my first thought was Zero and Kizna would make a great couple. Of course, then I learned more about their characters and how slim the probability of them getting together was. Then I met Erts, who has more hints with Zero then anyone else in the series and desperately needs someone, but even after all of that I don't mind Zero and Kizna stories. The "moral" of the chapter is in the more subtle comments. It was in the characters falling in love in two seconds for no good reason; it was in the stock dialog and the out-of-character actions; it was in too many pokes and jabs to list here. Zero and Kizna were the only couple with which I could accurately portray this commentary. However, I'm now beginning to fear that the subtleties were ignored for the larger picture. So, I would really appreciate your input.