(A/N: Why thank you! lol, I love InuYasha and Zero so reminds me of him, that's where I get a lot of my inspiration for this story and especially for his (Zero's) character. Anyway, part two!)

(The battlefield stood still as the four watched the two Mavericks were about to face off. Nothing moved, not even time itself. Sigma smirked causing Zero to jerk suddenly as Sigma lowered his guard.)

Sigma: So how about it Zero.

Zero: Hu?

Sigma: Look at you, a strong, ruthlessly blood thirsty Maverick. Look at me, I'm their leader.

Zero: So what about it?

Sigma: Join me.

Zero: What?

Sigma: You know...

(Zero growled, but then he smirked, lowering his guard. X and Garres froze from the anticipation.)

Zero: Why not, after all, you do have a point.

(He walked over and shook his hand. Sigma laughed.)

X: Oh no...

Zero: I'm in.

(Zero turned and looked at his two former comrades. He sneered before turning his back as he and Sigma walked off. Vile joined his side, followed by Neon Tiger as the four walked off. X and Garres were still frozen in shock.)

Garres: What... just...

X: No, oh no Zero...

(X couldn't help it this time, he was crying. Zero was like a full blooded Maverick now. He hadn't changed back, nothing inside him of the Hunter lived. What happened? How, why? X was so confused, he couldn't help but break down. Garres looked at him, he understood, Zero wasn't just his partner, he was his best friend.)

Garres: What should we do X, should we go back and tell everyone?

(X rubbed his eyes and looked up.)

X: No, no one must know about this. We still might have a chance, come on!

(X got up and ran.)

Garres: What, where are you going?

X: After Zero.

(Garres smiled and nodded. He got up and ran off with X. The four Mavericks were walking back when Garres and X appeared.)

Vile: Gr, you!

X: Stop right there!

(He powered up his gun.)

Zero: Not so fast.

X: Hu?

(X froze as Zero jumped in front of him and slashed his buster with his saber. X cried out as he fell back. His buster sparked.)

Garres: Oh no X, are you ok?

X: My buster, he damaged it offline!

(Zero laughed. Garres growled and got up.)

Garres: It pains me to see you like this Zero, what you've become. Look at you, I know what I said before about comrades being together, but this, I must got back on it this one time for you. I just can't take it anymore.

Zero: Ha.

X: Garres no please, don't do it.

Garres: You know it's the only way, he has to be killed, they all do. You're hurt.

X: But... wait!

Garres: I'm sorry X.

(Garres growled and ran at Zero with his gun. He shot but Zero jumped up. He landed and slashed down at Garres, destroying his gun. Garres growled and pulled out a long metal stick with a jagged sharp metal end on it. He spun it around and stabbed at Zero, but he only found air as Zero had disappeared. He reappeared behind Garres. He gasped and turned as Zero yelled, raising his light saber and doing a fast repeated slash combination on Garres. X watched in horror, his jaw dropped. Zero finally stopped and folded his arms, putting his light saber down. Garres was frozen in that position but finally he fell, scrapped. X's eyes shook.)

X: No.

Zero: Too easy! Man, if he was from the government, shows what kind of security guard they have. Heh.

(Zero began to slash at the remains of Garres, enjoying ever bit of it. Vile shivered with disgust.)

Vile: Look at him, that's no Maverick, he's far from it, no, he's just a pathetic excuse.

(Zero froze, hearing that with his keen senses.)

Zero: What did you say?

(He slowly looked up, but Vile wasn't afraid.)

Vile: You heard me. You're a Maverick, you're a Hunter, right? Wrong, you're neither, you're nothing, you're a worthless shame! You don't deserve to work with Sigma, you are far from being our equal.

Zero: Equal? Equal!

(He jumped up in front of Vile.)

Vile: Yea.

Zero: You're right, I'm not your equal. I am your superior!

(He slashed at Vile who backed away but still got hit.)

Vile: Ah!

Zero: We are far from ever being equals!

(Zero slashed at Vile but he kept dodging it. But Zero was fast and Vile was getting tired, he didn't want to admit it but he wasn't as strong as Zero at all. Finally Zero slashed his left arm off. He cried out and it sparked.)

Vile: Ah, how dare you!

(Vile grabbed his gun and pointed it at Zero who stood still. Vile shot but Zero flicked the bullet aside. Vile gasped as Zero's eyes flashed, he swung his light saber, sending out a wave of powerful energy. Vile cried out as the heated pain as it eventually demolished him to bits. The scrap fell among the rubble. Zero laughed again. The thrill was too much, the blood was pumping harder that it ever had before. X could feel his heart racing again, the beats were quick and impure. Zero had gone berserk, his face was blank as he began to slash and blow up the scrap. Sigma frowned to himself, just then Zero whirled around to face him.)

Zero: You're mine!

(Zero charged at Sigma. He sighed and raised his saber, shooting bullets of light beams from it. They repeatedly hit Zero. He fell but got back up and continued his charge. Sigma's brow furrowed as he growled at the annoyance. He swung his saber, sending out a wave of energy. Zero cried out in pain and fell, but got back up. He growled, his face still glazed over blankly.)

X: He's going to kill himself out there!

(Zero turned around at the quiet self spoken voice, and that gave Sigma his chance.)

Sigma: He's lost it, this is pathetic, I don't want this worthless excuse.

(Sigma pulled out his light saber and rushed over to the zoned out Zero. X watched in shock as Sigma approached him from behind and stabbed it through him. Zero froze and after what seemed like forever he fell off the light saber and collapsed on the ground.)

X: No!

Sigma: I've seen enough. This was a bad idea, who would've ever thought a pathetic, worthless excuse for a Maverick could ever be one of us. You're not a Hunter, or a Maverick, you're not both or either, you're in a class all your own alright, only nobody else is in it. You're an Outsider. You have no home, no family, no friends, you will never be one of us. I was a fool to think you could ever be one of us, I was a fool to ever think that you could've been a worthy advisary.

(Sigma turned and walked away. Neon Tiger had vanished off long ago, he couldn't take it, he was weaker than X when it came to will, not to mention power and everything else all together. X shivered as he stared at Zero, he was laying not moving, his demonic face was glazed over. Finally finding the power and courage to go over, X approached him.)

X: Zero?

(Zero shivered and opened his eyes. X was confused, they were blue, his body had slowly returned to normal. The Maverick within him had gone so crazy it had worn itself out, returning him back to normal.)

Zero: What, happened?

(He was in too much pain to move, almost paralyzed from the battles. X held Zero up in his lap.)

X: Don't worry, it's ok. It's all over now, you can stop, they're all dead.

(Zero looked around in shock at the bodies of Slash Beast, Vile, Wild Jango, Garres, Red and Red Alert all were dead scrap.)

Zero: Did I, do this?

(X looked up at him, there was a horrified look of disbelief in his eyes. It pained X to see Zero like this, he hated himself because he couldn't control it. Zero closed his eyes, trying not to cry.)

X: No Zero, don't.

Zero: X, I- I'm sorry.

X: It's ok, I was scared too.

(Zero opened his eyes and looked at him, was his face really that scary? Zero grabbed X's hand from off of his shoulder and held it for comfort.)

Zero: X, look at this mess, I can't control it, I lost it and look what happened. I forgot your face entirely. What were to happen if I were to come after you next with these blood maliced hands? I could never live with myself. You can't kill me even though that's your mission, you know you have to and yet you can't. You still have your self control, but where is mine? I never want to transform ever again, but I have no power, no right of what to say over it, the choice isn't mine. Please X.

(X blinked up at him.)

X: Zero...

Zero: X, I...

(Zero broke down into crying. X held him and patted his hair.)

X: Don't worry Zero, I'm here to help you. We're not partners, we're friends, together we'll make sure this will never happen again. There's just got to be a way!

Zero: Please X, stay away there's no telling what I might do next.

X: But if I'm here then we're together, I can protect you when you're going to die.

(Zero opened his eyes)

Zero: What?

X: We're a team, we stick together. A friend once told us that.

(Zero looked down at Garres's remains.)

Zero: X...

X: With me by your side, our friendship will prevail. We will end this, as soon as peace returns to the land you will be safe. You only transform when you're in danger, and if you're never alone then you'll never be in the danger of death.

(Zero blinked. Back at the base, Iris noticed the guitar on their bed and a piece of paper by her picture on the dresser nightstand. She picked it up, it looked like scribbles of a song in process. It was Zero's handwriting. The song was entitled 'Iris', she gasped, it was for her. She read the lyrics:

And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am...

Iris put it down and sighed, she knew what that song meant. Tears of joy and sorrow went down her cheeks as she sat down on her bed to cry. Signas was very pleased about the death of Vile, Slash Beast and his father of whom they were partially indifferent, but he was saddened to hear that Garres's life was lost. X didn't tell them how or why it came to pass, and for that Zero was very thankful and grateful to him. That weekend there was a service held for the death of Garres. Everyone attended to pay their respects. Still recovering from his mass injuries, Zero stood next to X as the coffin was lowered into the ground in the base courtyard. Zero was reminded of the words X quoted from Garres, it got him to thinking, he'd come to a realization.)

Zero: You're right X, I'm not alone. You know, I never came to realize it, Maverick, Hunter, it doesn't matter who or what I am. I'm able to control my own destiny, I'm able to make my own self, my own place. I found a place for myself and I'm happy there. Without even paying any mind to it, it just happened so suddenly, it felt so natural, with X there with me.

(He looked over at X and they smiled at each other. Zero put his arm over Iris and she held it tightly as they all watched Garres's remains get covered by the ground. But you can't help but wonder, with the end this inevitable, what does Sigma have planned for next time?)