Author's Note: I
can't guarantee anything, but I should be able to give an update to this story
about twice a month. I may do more, it
all depends on if I find myself having this intense desire to write, write,
write, and write some more, just for fun.
Oh, and did I mention writing?
Yeah. The usual. R/R and don't flame unless you can prove
that you can write this story better than I can. Real proof, too. Thanks
to all of the readers who have reviewed, it's appreciated, and I do take
advice, so don't be afraid to offer any.
Disclaimer: Once again, I will say that
I do not own any of the Mega Man X characters.
I do not, have not, and likely will not own any of them. One can only dream… The only character I do own is
Wy. She is mine and only mine. If you want to use her, ask first. My email is in my profile, so… yeah. You know the deal.
Chapter 2: Quality Bonding
It had been nearly a week, and
so far, nothing. Wy had been assigned
to the 17th for a lot of different reasons, and it seemed like
sitting around and doing nothing was on the top of the list. After Signas had given her over to X to tour
her about the MHHQ facilities and to assign her a room, that had been the last
she'd seen of X. He seemed like he was
avoiding her, and even though she really didn't know why he would be like this,
she had a pretty good idea.
That was why she had
let this go on for this long. But,
enough was enough. A girl can only take
so much of nothing. Aside from her room
and the occasional visit from Alia, there was absolutely nothing for her
to do. The firing range was off limits
to her, as she wasn't authorized yet, something about "not knowing the capacity
of her buster". Feh. It worked, that was all she needed to know,
right? And for some reason, she was
restricted from the SDR (Simulated Danger Room). All because X wouldn't get up off of his
lazy…
She decided right then and
there to get up and do something about her immense boredom and near suicidal
cabin fever. She would just have to go
talk to X himself. If she could just
find him…
X, however, was not to be
found easily. He was a busy little blue
bot. He was, after all, the commander
of the 17th unit. But, that
only leant a few things to his unavailability.
Really, what kept him from the public was his constant training in the
SDR. He had been doing it religiously
for the past week, ever since Wy had been assigned under his command.
He was determined to become
better, to beat his personal records.
He felt this insatiable need to be able to take up the "obvious" slack
that Zero's absence was creating… It
was just this overpowering need in him.
It was like he was beating out his feelings instead of bad times and
records.
X had become almost reclusive
in the past week. He only appeared in
public just long enough to give his unit orders and to grab new paper work,
while dropping off old papers. He just
could bring himself to face Wy, not yet.
He needed time to accept that Zero wasn't going to come back, not like
last time. There was no hope in this
situation. In all other scenarios,
there was a chance, and a hope. There
were no chances, and there was no hope, either. It was that simple But, X
just couldn't accept it, not really.
Zero had always been there for
him, and had never failed to be a big brother.
What was he supposed to do? How
was X supposed to feel about losing his big brother? Losing his only real family in this world, and being given this…
memorial in his place.
That was all he could see when
he looked at Wy. All X could see was
the free blonde ponytail, and the blazing green Z-saber. The look of concentration, the fierce
determination, the will. Everything
about her just made him remember Zero.
He knew that no two reploids could be the same, and that all reploids
were created with all the basics, but those basics didn't include self help.
So every day, X found himself
in the SDR, training and avoiding all his problems, like they weren't there at
all. He never had to think about Wy, or
anything when he trained. He just honed
his reflexes and his speed, no thinking involved. All action. Too fast to
think, too involved to slow down. X
would lose himself for hours and he'd wake up from his trance in the middle of
the night, not aware that he had spent almost the entire day in simulations.
And so it would have
continued, except for one thing…
"Wy." He said it with such enthusiasm. Oh, joy.
X didn't seem particularly ecstatic to see her. He shied away from her, actually. What is his problem? She couldn't really keep herself from
wondering about him, what he was doing here this early in the morning. He looked like he hadn't slept at all last
night. Poor guy…
"X. I've come to talk to you, maybe get some answers. I dunno if this is the right time, but it's
the only time I've gotten in the last week.
So, you're mine, blue boy.
Sit." She pointed at the bench
nearest them, and assumed a good stance for standing while he sat like an
obedient puppy. She stifled the urge,
and went on with her intentions. "X, I
need to know. Am I not wanted? Is there something wrong with me, or
what?! I haven't yet gotten
access to any of the restricted areas.
I'm not cleared for weapons use, and I don't have anything to do but
think, and that's gotten mighty boring by now.
I'm being treated like a prisoner!"
She didn't look finished, but she was waiting for him to answer her.
X looked stricken. He wasn't sure how to answer her, caught
between his painful perception of Wy and his responsibility to her (which was
almost as painful as his perception).
He couldn't answer her, couldn't find the words at all, so he just sat
there, silent. She, however wouldn't
take this kind of an answer. "Damn it,
X! Answer me! Is it because Zero made me?
Is it because I look like him?
Or are you trying to test my patience, because I can tell you right now,
it's tested, and I'm gettin' mad. All I
want are some damn answers, is that too much to ask?" She hadn't bothered being quiet or reserved. Then, she drew back slightly, caught off
guard by X.
He wasn't entirely certain why
he was smiling, but he was. It was as
if some damn had broken within him, and all his pent up feelings came rolling
out as if they weren't anything at all.
"Wy, you remind me of Zero, yes… But you'll never be anything like what
he was. What you're doing now proves
that." He said it without looking at
her, still smiling, his face in shadows, giving him a slightly eerie appearance. He rose from his seat, and approached her,
feeling better and more confident about dealing with her. "I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you for
this entire week, Wy. I just needed to
get my head straight. If I'd known that
all it took was for you to yell at me, I'd have done this days ago." He chuckled, blushing lightly while he
scratched at the back of his head aimlessly.
Wy saw X in a new light
now. She saw what he must have looked
like before all of this happened, what he was like with Zero around and before
Sigma… He looked so young and naïve… He looked like he didn't really have a
care in the world. It was
admirable. But… "Oh, no you don't! You're not getting out of it that
easily!"
X looked back at her, startled
out of his moment, and was puzzled for a bit, gawking at her glaring at him
with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.
He looked at her like that for a brief moment, and then he suddenly
remembered why she'd come out here to yell at him in the first place. "Oh!
You want me to get you authorized!
Heh heh heh, sorry 'bout that.
Guess I kinda spaced out there."
X said it with a sheepish look and his light blush turned a bit more
vibrant.
"Yeah, that'd be nice,
considering that I've got nothing to do here.
Of course, I could always find somewhere you guys don't use and
make it into my own, private shooting range…
Yeah! That'd be a great
idea!" She said it with a mocking tone,
only half serious. But her eyes were
gleaming the entire time, and that was what gave her away.
X lifted his hands and said,
"Whoa there! I don't think we need to go
blowing up HQ. That's what Mavericks
are for. Besides, you can get
authorized just fine. All you have to
do is pass the entrance exam…" He said
it with the barest of smiles, like it wasn't there at all.
"Oh, and what's that? Do I have to run through an obstacle course,
defend myself against hoards of simulated foes, and prove my field abilities in
the SDR?" She said it with the same
tone, only it was a bit more mocking.
She expected this. It was
probably some stupid written test, followed by a quick tutorial about how to
identify Mavericks, yada yada yada…
God, was it going to boring.
X watched her face while she
said it, and he grinned at her. He
didn't say anything for a while, he just grinned at her. Finally, creeped out by his gaze, Wy yelled
at him. "Hey, quit it you! What is it?
What?" He just laughed at her,
shaking his head. He started walking
back to the SDR room, and beckoned her to follow him. Then, as he was punching in some code, he said, "Well, you got
everything right but one thing; You
have to defend yourself against me, too."
End Notes: I hope you enjoy this
chapter. I know, I know… not a whole
lot of action yet, but as you can see, there'll be plenty of action next
chapter! It's the usual speech here…
Feedback is good, good is great, great means faster uploads, more incentive,
cause I have fans hanging to know what happens next. Thanks for reading.
