Disclaimer:
I do not own Rockman/Megaman X in any way, shape, or form. I also do not own X, Zero, Axl, Alia, or Signas. I thought up the ideas for the way the reploids' systems work and operate. Please don't sue.
Important:
This chapter is rated PG. No reason, it just is.
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Reploid Anatomy 101 – Buoyancy and Weight
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Sink or Swim...
...Yet another thrilling installment of 'Will it Float!?'
Despite the general conception that reploids, being made of mostly metal alloys, are far heavier than humans, humanoid-type reploids are generally rarely heavier than two times, and often only slightly more than, the weight of a similar-sized human. The idea that reploids generally weigh so much comes from the fact that the armor many reploids choose to wear is made of high-density metallic alloys.
Reploid armor is designed to withstand several tons of direct pressure damage as well as being capable of deflecting most bladed weapons and withstanding direct plasma-based weapons fire. The amount of damage the armor can sustain before the damage is inflicted directly upon the reploid varies depending on the type of armor and the alloys used in its construction.
Most armor is built with high-density, heavy metals and alloys. The high density materials aid in protecting the reploid from damage inflicted on it by attacks. However, these materials are quite heavy and can result in as much as quadrupling, or not more, the total weight of the reploid when worn. Making armor out of such heavy materials would be unfeasible if it weren't for the exponentially greater strength a reploid possesses. Armor designed for humans must, necessarily, be made of a much lighter material.
The reploid's body itself, without armor, is designed to be relatively lightweight considering the materials it's constructed out of. The skeletal structure is made of a lightweight, slightly flexible, and highly durable metal alloy. The internal systems casing is also made of a flexible, lightweight metal that allows for highly flexible movements on the reploid's part while maintaining protection against injury to the internal systems.
Despite being made mainly out of metallic alloys, humanoid-type reploids are almost uniformly built to have positive buoyancy when out of armor. There are multiple factors that contribute to a reploid's overall buoyancy.
While most humanoid-types are capable of floating in water, other types of reploids, most notably animal-types and humanoid-animal-types such as canine, feline, and avian builds, do not have positive buoyancy due to the synthetic fur or feathers that cover their body. The synthetic fur and feathers tend to become waterlogged and increase the reploid's base weight to the point where their buoyancy tends toward negative.
A reploid's synthetic flesh is fairly lightweight and has positive buoyancy in water. The synthflesh covers the reploid's entire body, in some places up to several inches thick. It's structured to mimic muscle mass and is imbedded with thousands of delicate tactile sensors and electro-stimulators. These stimulators respond to subconscious signals from the reploid's processor to mimic shifting and twitching muscles and flesh.
The reploid's circulatory system is another factor in their buoyancy. The mixture of coolant, nutrient-rich energy conduction fluid, and auto-repair nanites that make up reploid blood is actually lighter than water and will float to the surface, forming an oil-like slick.
Just as a metal ocean liner or military aircraft carrier can float on water due to the amount of water it displaces and its hollow nature, so does a humanoid-type reploid body displace enough water while maintaining a light enough overall weight to avoid sinking.
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High Commander Signas, head of the entire Maverick Hunters organization sat at his desk and frowned across at the three reploids filing into his office and sorting out who sat where. He sighed and turned back to the reports laid out on his desk, trying vainly to ignore the muttered complaints of the tallest of his visitors at not getting to the overstuffed armchair in the corner fast enough to snag it for himself. 'Could he go nowhere without causing some sort of incident?' He frowned mentally down at the reports and lists of expenses billed to HQ. 'Was it really too much to ask that he try to keep things in the realm of sanity?'
Finally, Signas looked up to regard the three reploids as they finished sorting out who was sitting where. Zero was sitting in a standard office chair, trying to emphasize how uncomfortable he looked and pouting over at Axl who was ensconced in the armchair. X, sitting in the center office chair across from Signas' desk, was looking put-upon and trying to ignore his two friends, who sat on either side of him, as they glared across him at each other. All three of them had an air of suppressed curiosity about them, despite the glaring contest. As well they should, considering that Signas had not given any hints as to why he had called them in to his office.
Signas cleared his throat lightly to catch the wandering attention of his three best Hunters. "So glad all of you could join me. I understand you and your unit made a late night of it." He made eye contact with Zero, who grinned and hid a yawn behind his hand. "It took quite a bit of footwork to track you down this morning, Zero. Sorry for making you two wait." Signas nodded to X and Axl. "I had considered starting without you, Zero. However, considering that most of this meeting is in regards to you, I decided it best to wait until you were all here." Signas frowned at Zero who smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
"The meeting's all about me? I'm flattered Signas. Though not sure what could be important enough to haul us all in here. Not like there's been any maverick buildups lately that require a good busting up." Zero grinned and leaned back, kicking his feet out and crossing them at the ankles while folding his hands behind his head.
Signas scowled. "Don't play dumb, Zero. We all know you're not as clueless as you usually seem."
Zero reared back, eyes wide in feigned shock. "Me? Play dumb? That's crazy talk, Signas."
X frowned and discreetly thumped Zero in the back of the head as he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward to regard Signas.
"Ouch! Hey!"
X ignored Zero's protests as he regarded Signas. "What did he do this time? And how bad was it that Axl and I need to know?"
"HEY!"
Axl snickered but abruptly straightened, and schooled his face into blank neutrality at Zero's sharp glare.
Signas sighed and picked out several reports from the ordered mess on his desk. "Not as bad as you might think, considering it is Zero we're talking about. However, the reason you two are here is only marginally connected to Zero's problem."
"Hey! I take offense at that! I do not have a problem!" Zero remained mostly ignored by the others.
Signas shook his head. "Zero, you know I'm your friend, not just your commanding officer. And I'm telling you this as a friend. You cannot keep doing this stuff!" He waved the reports at Zero in exasperation. "Have you any idea how bad this makes you look?"
Axl leaned forward in interest. "What happened? What are those?"
Signas sighed and pushed the reports across the desk to within reach of X and Axl. X scooped them up first and looked them over. Axl leaned eagerly over his shoulder.
X blinked as he read over the lists and the report summary. "Expense reports. Charges to HQ expense accounts..."
"A transport truck full of live chickens?" Axl blurted out incredulously at the list.
"A drum barrel specially filled with hot fudge..." X frowned down at the list as he ran down the items charged to HQ accounts.
"How-to video and audio databases for learning Spanish in 12 easy steps??" Axl read off in confusion.
"And four prom dresses and eight feather boas." Signas sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of his nose in a gesture picked up from dealing with stressed humans for years.
X turned bewildered eyes to Zero. "Good Lord, Zero, what were you doing?"
"Border crossing charges, hotel expenses, and bail fees from Peru!" Axl blinked and barely restrained his laughter at the possible explanations for these bills.
"Hey! I have no idea what you're talking about! I don't charge weird things to HQ expense accounts!" Zero scowled right back his arms crossed over his chest defensively.
"Well, nothing actually has Zero's name on it..." Axl trailed off as he flipped through the report that X still held.
"You see! You can't blame that on me. It's probably some hooligan's prank." Zero nodded confidently.
"Who just happened to have off-base leave that corresponds with yours." Signas frowned.
"Hey, I was never even near Peru! There's no way you can pin this on me." Zero glared right back.
"This hooligan seems to always strike during corresponding periods when you're off base. In fact, I always seem to end up with the most bizarre expense reports in the history of HQ whenever you're off-base for more than a day." Signas frowned back at Zero.
"Hey, lots of Hunters have leave at the same times I do. That's no proof." Zero nodded and leaned back, folding his arms again.
Signas sighed. "Zero, the only reason you haven't been caught is because you're smart enough not to slip up. But this has to stop. Have you any idea what a bad example you're setting for your unit? They practically worship you, Zero. Especially the rookies. Why? I have no idea, but they do."
"Hey, I'm a very likeable guy." Zero smirked confidently as he struck as heroic a pose as he could in a hard, uncomfortable office chair. Signas sighed as X shook his head and Axl tried to hide his snickering.
"Zero, I'm serious. You cannot keep doing these insane stunts. Don't even try to play the wounded innocent." Signas held up a finger warningly. "Everyone in this room knows perfectly well that you are far from innocent."
Zero shut his mouth with a snap and pouted, scowling at Signas.
"Granted, there's no evidence that can prove, without a doubt, that you pulled this stuff off. But that can't be said for some of the stuff your hero-worshipping rookies are likely to try, given half a chance. I do not want to have to give the boot to rookies who should know better, but don't, because their own commander refuses to grow up and act his age."
"Act my age?" Zero scoffed. "If I did that, I'd have to pretend I'm dead all the time. Not many humans over a hundred and twenty you know. And being dead sucks. No fun, no friends, no girls." Zero frowned. "I'd rather be like that Pete Pot guy in X's book, you know, the one who doesn't grow up." Zero nodded.
"Pan, Zero. It's Peter Pan, how can you get that wrong?" X sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."
"He doesn't grow up? I thought he just flew. And, you know, had a fairy." Axl blinked.
Signas sighed again. "I'm not asking you to act as old as you actually are, Zero. You and X are a pair of the best-kept antiques I've ever seen. All I'm saying is that you need to start acting at least as old as you look. Half the time you act like a human five-year old." Signas shook his head.
Zero pouted. "I do not. Besides, whatever happened to you're only as old as you feel, huh?"
"Zero, this isn't just because of the impressionable rookies." Signas sighed and picked up another report. "The Global U.N. Council is breathing down my neck on this. There are more bizarre expense reports coming from you alone than from any three other units combined, not counting the 17th or 0th; but everyone knows those units are full of lunatics." He leveled a knowing look at X and Zero. X had the decency to look embarrassed. "And we all know why. They'd have to be crazy to be able to put up with you two and not go out of their minds or have nervous breakdowns from all the close calls."
Zero frowned. "You have no proof that those are all from me."
"Of course not. That's why the G. U.N. Council hasn't sent anyone down here to haul you away." Signas sighed and shook his head. "Zero, just one slip-up, one mistake, and they'll come down on you so hard there won't be enough left of you to fill a bucket."
Zero blinked and looked surprised, then a darker scowl than any previous flitted across his features. "They wouldn't dare..."
Axl frowned, "Zero's a global hero, just as much as X is. The public uprising if the Council tried anything..."
"I know, I know." Signas groaned, holding his head in his hands for a second. "They suspect; they suspect very deeply that it's been Zero. I don't know where they got their information, but they all but know. The only thing that's stopped them from acting arbitrarily in the past is that you are a global hero, and well liked by humans and reploids alike. Ironically, it's your reputation that's kept the Council hounds off of you, Zero."
X scowled. "Retribution for the lost funds is not worth the political upheavals going after Zero would bring onto the Council. What are they up to?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I may have originally been intended to be the Council's puppet commander to keep the Hunters in check, but since I chose to place my loyalty fully with the Hunters and the job we do, rather than political string-pullers, most factions have been leery of sharing any information with me. The run-around every time." Signas scowled. "Even playing the factions off of each other hasn't uncovered anything that could explain this, aside from an unreasonable vengeance for misspent petty funds." Signas shook his head and tossed the documents back to the mess on his desk. "All I can think of, is that it could be inter-circle politicking; one group setting another up to fail by sending them after Zero. Frankly, you're the safer target and the only reasonable one for such a maneuver. Everyone with even a few brain cells to rub together knows trying to get rid of X would be political suicide. And despite your best efforts to the contrary, Axl, there's not enough suspicious dirt about you to make a feasible target for this mess." Signas shook his head. "I'm trying my best here, Zero, but continuing with these insane schemes of yours is not helping at all. You've got to stop doing this stuff, at the very least, for a while, until all this blows over and the Council settles down again."
"They'd never pull it off and you know it Signas." Zero frowned as he met Signas' eyes with his serious blue ones.
"Zero, you know I'd go to bat for you. No question about it. But there's not a whole lot that that would do. The Council is not going to listen to someone they still consider a puppet most of the time, a failed puppet at that. Doesn't matter that I'm Hunter High Commander. They're not going to listen once they get their hooks into you. Especially if the factions we're dealing with here are dumb enough to try to haul you off in the first place. I've done the best I can to keep these stunts internal and out of Council reports. Council usually only wants to know success rates and combat and personnel statistics, not what crazy stunt a global hero decided to pull this week. I don't know how they found out about this stuff, but they did."
"Information leak..." X scowled as he considered the possibility.
"Likely. Until it's plugged we have stick together on this. More importantly, we can't give them any openings to exploit. That means no more stunts, Zero." Signas leveled his stern gaze at the blonde hunter.
Zero frowned but nodded. "Not saying I did any of that, cause I didn't, but I'll keep an eye out for the hooligan and make sure things cool down for as long as I can."
"Good." Signas nodded, progress at last. "Now, as High Commander, it would be well within my jurisdiction to reprimand you for this sort of thing, had you done it." Signas nodded to the paper field on his desk. "However, I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to assign you a new mission that will hopefully turn your more troublesome qualities into a valuable resource."
"Oh?" Zero leaned forward in anticipation.
"Indeed. But that brings us to why you're here, X."
X blinked. "Sir?"
"X, certain things have come to my attention that cannot be allowed to continue as they have." Signas frowned at the shorter, blue-armored reploid who blinked back in complete confusion.
"Sir?"
"Ooooh. X is in trouble." Zero grinned as he chanted in a singsong voice.
"Shhh. I wanna hear." Axl interrupted as he leaned forward to keep an eye on X and Signas' expressions. X glared at the both of them with a scowl.
Signas frowned. "Quiet you two." Both immediately clammed up, but continued to watch avidly. Signas sighed. "X, you cannot keep this up."
"Signas, I don't understand. What can't I continue to do?" X was genuinely confused; as far as he knew, he hadn't done anything to get in trouble over.
"It has come to my attention that in the past six years you have only taken a single vacation off base. And a little bird told me that you had to be shanghaied just to get you off base and away to have a proper vacation."
"Sir, what does my vacation time have to do with anything?" X asked in confusion.
"X, I am your friend. But I am also High Commander. As such, I have to take into consideration not only the well being of each individual Hunter, but the entire Hunter organization as well. That's why I'm the one who wears the big tin hat. Granted, X, not only are you older and far more experienced in many ways than I am, but you are generally more respected than I. You could probably get just about every Hunter to follow your orders without question, just by asking."
X broke in with a protest on his lips. "Signas, I'd-"
Signas cut him off with a placating motion of his hand. "Calm down, X. I know you'd never pull a coup like that. You have turned down the position more than once. I've never seen anyone so eager to get out of a position of authority, except for when the position was offered to Zero." Signas smirked over at the blonde Hunter, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone run quite that fast before." Zero snorted and pretended not to have heard him. "I've had to work very hard to gain and maintain the respect and authority over the Hunters. It is not easy, especially after having been given the position with virtually no field experience, and in favor over the two best Hunters, who were not only far more experienced, but also far more liked and respected than I. I could never have pulled it off without the support of you two as advisors on my staff. A large part of making this work is making sure every Hunter is as well taken care of as can be managed with what we have to work with. Therefore, I am doing this not only as your High Commander, in the best interests of all involved, but also as your friend who thinks you definitely need it. X, I am ordering you to leave Hunter Head Quarters."
"W-wha-what!?" X stammered out in complete shock as he stared dumbfounded at Signas.
"You will pack your bags and will leave HQ by tomorrow. You will not-"Signas was abruptly cut off by the protests of the other two Hunters in the room. X just stared at him, stricken speechless in shock.
"You can't be serious!" Axl cried in horror, springing to his feet.
"You can't kick X out!" Zero shouted, uncoiling from his seat with frightening speed.
"Calm down. Calm down all of you. I am not throwing X out of the Hunters." Signas placated the two dangerously angry Hunters.
"Y-you're not?" Axl trailed off, relief and confusion mixed on his face.
"No, I am not. I am however, ordering him to take a vacation off base." Signas turned a stern, authoritative glare onto X. "And you are not to return until the end of your off-duty period, preferably well relaxed, and happy. Unless in the case of a dire emergency, and probably not even then. I'm sure the world can survive for a week without you keeping yourself too busy to relax properly, X."
"Signas, sir, you can't be serious." X sputtered bewilderedly. "You can't order me to take a vacation off base. That's just... just...." X groped vainly for words.
"I can. And I will. X, you will leave HQ and take a vacation off base. And damnit, man, you will enjoy yourself!" Signas frowned sternly at X.
"But... but..." X stammered as Zero burst into laughter and flopped back into his chair, as relaxed as he had been before his outburst.
"X, I am perfectly serious about this." Signas frowned down at the smaller reploid. "You will take a vacation, starting tomorrow, for one week, off-base. In fact, out of the city, and hopefully out of the country as well. And you will enjoy it."
"But you can't order me to do that!" X wailed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I can take my down-time on base as easily as off. What's wrong with staying at HQ?" By this time, Axl had joined in the laughter from the peanut gallery witnessing X's flustered state.
"X, have you any idea what this looks like?" Signas asked exasperatedly as he faced down the confused and somewhat frantic reploid. "Don't you see what this looks like? You cannot take all your downtime at HQ. You are supposed to be taking vacations, not hanging around, on-call, to deal with every little nothing that lazy office workers can push at you. You have to start taking your vacations as real vacations. Do you have any idea how bad you're making the Hunters look? Let alone making me look?"
"W-huh? What are you talking about?" X blinked in confusion.
"X, if it ever got out to public knowledge that Commander X, hero of humanity, savior of the world more than ten times over, has not had a proper vacation in over six years... X, if any reploid were ever deserving of vacation time, to take time off for himself, it would be you. If word got out that you hadn't left HQ for downtime away from your work more than once in six years, the public would think we were slave drivers here! We'd probably have a lynch mob on the front lawns in less than a day! For your own sake, as well as everyone else's, you have to start taking proper vacations. That means, away from HQ."
"But... but..."
X was interrupted as a laughing Zero leaned over and slung his arm around his shoulders. "Haha heheheh. I told you, you needed to start taking real vacations!"
"Glad you approve Zero. Because you're going too." Signas leveled his finger at Zero's surprised look.
"Huh? I am?"
"Yes, you are. This is your new mission, Zero. I've scheduled a corresponding week of downtime for you as well. You are in charge of making sure X leaves HQ and takes this vacation. And I want him to enjoy himself!"
"W-what! You can't be serious, Signas!" X cried in horror.
"Haha! This'll be great, X!" Zero crowed, pumping his fist in the air.
"I am serious, X. In all the time I've known you, Zero is practically the only person who can consistently get you to relax and head off base for some downtime. Granted, he is a menace. But he's our menace. This will kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. You get your vacation and placate the masses as well as having time for yourself, and Zero gets to connive and scheme a fun vacation for you both. Hopefully this will get it out of his system and prevent him from cooking up any more lunatic schemes while he's away from HQ that might bring the Council down on him."
"But... but... You can't... I mean... It just..."
"Don't you worry, Signas! I'll take good care of our little X here! We're gonna have a great time! Right X?" Zero grinned as he squeezed X's shoulders and practically clonked their heads together.
"Signas!" X wailed as Zero shook him back and forth in his one-armed hug.
Signas grinned. "Glad you approve, Zero. Now, the last item of business today. Axl." Signas turned to the redheaded, youthful reploid.
Axl quickly composed himself and straightened up. "Sir?" Axl swallowed nervously in anticipation. Considering the previous two topics, this was either going to be really good, or really bad.
"Axl, you are already scheduled for leave this week, starting tomorrow. I'm not certain what plans you have made, if any. However, I'm going to ask, not order, but ask, that you accompany X and Zero on their vacation."
Axl blinked. "Sir?"
"Hey! The more the merrier, kid!" Zero laughed. "I'll need all the help I can get, getting X to relax and have fun!"
"A-are you sure? I mean, I already made plans. I was going to go on my own, but we can upgrade the accommodations for three easily. I mean, if you guys don't mind."
"All the better! I hadn't had anywhere booked yet, hard to do that when you don't realize you're getting downtime, ya know. If you've got a place already booked, and you don't mind sharing, then that's even better!" Zero grinned, running right over any protests X might have made.
"Great!" Axl grinned enthusiastically.
"Wonderful!" Signas smiled at the three. "I'm glad you decided to go with them, Axl. While X can usually keep Zero in hand, despite all of his antics, sometimes even he doesn't realize what Zero's been up to until he's been dragged hip deep into it. If X is going to relax, then I don't want him having to worry about what insane stunt Zero will pull next."
"Hey!"
"So I want you, Axl, to go along with them and keep an eye on them. Try to make sure they don't get into too much trouble." Signas nodded to Axl.
Axl stared at him, thunderstruck for a second. "Y-you want me to keep them out of trouble? B-but..."
"Now, I understand you're a lot younger than either X or Zero, Axl. And, despite how old you actually are, you still tend to act fairly young. But honestly, most of the time you act a lot more mature than Zero. And I don't want X to have to worry about what Zero's been up to while he's relaxing."
"Hey!!" Zero cried indignantly. Everyone ignored him.
"You're the best choice for this, Axl. You know Zero better than almost everyone else. I have confidence that you'll be able to identify and defuse any situation Zero might try to stir up over the next week." Signas smiled reassuringly at the nervous youth.
X sighed heavily. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"
"Not a chance, X." Signas replied with a grin.
"Well then, all the help I can get, when it comes to Zero, is more than welcome." X smiled at Axl.
"HEY! This is totally uncalled for! I do not need a babysitter!" Zero cried as he threw his hands up.
"Of course you don't, Zero." X soothed. "You need a keeper." He grinned at Zero's indignant glare.
Signas chuckled, "Go on, all three of you, get packed and arrange the accommodations. You're to leave tomorrow, early. And I don't want to see any of you back here for at least a full week!" Signas shooed the bickering duo and the laughing redhead out of the room before chuckling and turning back to his desk to scoop up the reports and shove them into the nearest convenient folder for sorting later.
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X, Zero, and Axl headed out of Signas' office and down the hallway towards the lifts, Zero smiling and waving to Signas' secretary, Jeanne, as they passed. The various reploid and human office workers hurrying through the hallways of this level would usually step sideways in deference to let the trio pass without having to walk single file down the hall.
X shook his head ruefully and lifted off his helmet to run a hand through his hair. "I can't believe Signas actually ordered this. It's just ridiculous."
"It's not that bad, X, really. You do take too much onto yourself. You really should get away from HQ more often. There's a whole world of stuff out there that you're missing out on by staying here every downtime." Axl nodded as he kept up alongside X's left shoulder.
"Kid's right, X. There're all kinds of awesome places to visit and stuff to do for downtime. Especially since the whole Restoration really picked up speed. Hanging around HQ and the city every downtime you get, you've really been missing out on the rest of the world." Zero shook his head. "Cheer up, X. It's about time someone forced you off the compound." He reached over and ruffled X's hair. "Time for our little blue buddy to leave the nest and see the world." X ducked away from Zero's hand and glared at the taller blonde. "So, Axl, our vacation planner-man, where, oh where are we headed to?" Zero turned with a grin to Axl as they rounded the corner.
"Well, like I said earlier, I already had plans made and a room booked at a resort for this week. We probably won't be able to get any extra rooms, but I think we can manage a switch with a double room. We'd have to share though, maybe get a cot for a third bed." Axl paused and glanced over at the two reploids he looked up to most. "You guys don't mind do you?"
"Nah." Zero shook his head. "It'll be like a sleepover or something." He paused. "But if one of us brings a girl back, the other two have to clear out." Zero nodded, then paused again. "You don't snore do you?"
"No. Never had anyone tell me so." Axl shook his head. "Do you, X?"
"Huh? Do I what?" X blinked over at the redhead in surprise.
Zero reached over and rapped him on top of the head. "Pay attention, man. Nope, X doesn't snore. Least, not that I've ever heard, and we've had to share quarters for a while, on occasion."
"What'cha so distracted by, X?" Axl asked.
"Huh? Oh, I could have sworn I heard my name being called." X paused in the hall and turned to glance behind him, peering through the crowd uncertainly.
"Hehe, you hearing things now? This is orders, X, my friend. You are not getting a medical excuse to get out of your vacation." Zero grinned as he turned to face X and Axl.
"I'm not making it up!" X went pink in the cheeks and scowled at the grinning blonde. "I am not trying to get out of the trip. Signas would just order me to take another one. And then what? I'd spend all my time on vacations? That would probably get me accused of shirking my responsibilities." X frowned at Zero.
"Don't be ridiculous. Who in their right mind could accuse you of shirking your responsibilities and get anyone to believe it." Axl shook his head as he turned to face X as the three stood in a group in the hallway. "In fact, I don't think I know anyone who's more responsible than you are. I say it's about time you started being less responsible and having more fun now and then."
Zero nodded in agreement. "Now come on, the three of us have a lot of packing to do." Grinning, Zero gave X a little push forward toward the lifts at the end of this stretch of hallway.
The three headed down the hallway again and reached the lift doors. Just as they were entering, and Zero had pushed the button for the floor their personal quarters were on, they were interrupted by a breathless voice calling to them from down the hall.
"Wait! Hold the lift!"
X stepped forward onto the door track sensors to prevent the lift doors from closing and shifted to try to see who had shouted. It wasn't easy considering he was the shortest of the three and most of the office workers rushing down the hall tended to be taller. Zero stepped forward and peered over his shoulder, then started grinning.
"Can you see who it is?" X craned his neck to try to see over the latest gaggle of passing reploids.
"Yup." Zero grinned.
"Well...?" X pinned his blonde friend with a demanding gaze.
"You'll see." Zero grinned impishly. X sighed.
A moment later the owner of the voice slipped between the flow of workers and darted out of the hallway mainstream and into the lift. She nearly bumped into X as she slipped past him. X blushed slightly and stepped back out of the doorway into the lift, letting the doors slide shut behind him.
"Gah. Thanks X. It's a madhouse out there this time of day." Alia smiled as she pushed the button for her floor before leaning against the back of the lift and shifting the stack of files she was carrying.
"Good morning to you too, Alia." Zero replied with a put-out air of neglect.
Alia grinned. "Morning Zero, Axl, X. Heard Signas called you in this morning."
X nodded as Axl chuckled and rubbed the back of his helmet with one hand.
"So? Which one of you was it about this time? Hmm?" She looked pointedly at Zero.
"Hey, why are you looking at me? I didn't do anything." Zero pouted.
"Of course not." Alia smirked knowingly. "Just some good-for-nothing prankster, I'm sure."
Axl laughed. "She's definitely got you made, Zero. If I were you, I'd give up while I was ahead."
"Hmmph. Shows what you know." Zero scowled at the snickering youth.
"So, X. I heard you guys were all going on leave tomorrow." Alia turned to meet X's green eyes with a smile.
"You did?" X blinked in surprise at this.
"We just found out a few minutes ago. How'd you find out so fast?" Zero turned to regard her in surprise.
"Wow! I knew the HQ rumor mill was fast, but that's just eerie." Axl whistled in amazement.
Alia giggled. "Nothing like that. Signas asked me to rearrange your downtime schedules to get you this week off." She lifted the folders in explanation.
X chuckled. "Yeah, we're leaving tomorrow for a week."
"Got anywhere in mind?" Alia queried, glancing around at the three.
"Actually, Axl was just about to tell us where we're going." X turned inquiring eyes to the redhead leaning against the back wall of the lift. Zero regarded Alia with veiled contemplation, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Axl grinned. "You'll love it. I have a room booked at the Klonoa beachside hotel in Hawaii for the week. It's on Oahu. We're gonna try to get my reservation swapped for a double room and a cot though. It's probably too late to get two extra rooms. It's a real hotspot for vacations and tourists. One of the first reef ecosystems to return to normal is just off shore there. The Restoration efforts have really paid off on Oahu Island. The brochures say that the island ecosystem has almost recovered to pre-Eurasia levels. There's lots of tropical resort stuff for us to do too, if nature watching isn't your thing." Axl nodded toward Zero. "I've never seen a tropical reef before. I've heard it's supposed to be awesome." Axl grinned as he folded his hands behind his head.
Alia smiled. "Sounds like you guys are going to have a great time."
"Actually, that does sound fun." X smiled as Axl nodded and grinned.
Zero grinned wickedly and stepped forward. Leaning over close to Alia, he smiled winningly at her. "Sooo... Why so interested? Hmmm?"
"N-no reason." Pink tinged Alia's cheeks as she shifted nervously. Her eyes flicked briefly to X before she glanced down at her feet.
"Come on." Zero wheedled persuasively. "You can tell us."
"Did you need help with something before we left?" X asked in concern as he took a step closer to her.
Alia blushed a little deeper. "N-no. That's not it." She shifted the folders in her arms up to clutch defensively against her chest.
Zero straightened up and took a discreet step back, snagging Axl's elbow with a wink, and pulling him along to the other side of the lift car from Alia and X. They exchanged conspiratorial grins before turning back to watch the other two.
"Do you think you'll need to get in touch with us while we're away?" X persisted gently.
"N-no." Alia blushed a deeper shade of pink and ducked her head. "I- It's just that... Well... my own leave begins in three days. And... well... I was kind of hoping... since our downtime corresponds... Maybe... If you don't mind... I could join you at the resort for the rest of our vacations." Alia trailed off hopefully, raising her blue eyes to meet X's green ones.
X blushed pink across his cheeks and opened and shut his mouth soundlessly for a second. Then he straightened up slightly before stammering out a reply. "W-well... That is... I... if Zero and Axl don't mind... That is... It's your vacation... and well... if you want to come... to-to the resort... I... I-I d-don't see why not..." X ducked his head, trying vainly to hide the vividly growing blush that was threatening to flood across his entire face.
Neither of them had noticed Zero and Axl hurriedly whispering in the background, or Zero furiously scribbling on a small piece of notepaper. Glancing up, Zero noticed that both X and Alia were too busy staring at their feet to notice the vivid blushes on each other's faces. Shaking his head with a sigh, Zero stepped forward into the sudden breach of silence.
"Here you go Alia! This here's the address and number and comm. channel for the hotel. We'll send you our room number as soon as we figure it out ourselves." Zero grinned brightly at her as he presented the slip of paper. Alia accepted it, still struggling to contain her blush. "Feel free to drop in anytime! I'm sure we'll all be glad to see you, right X?" Zero clapped X on the shoulder.
X jumped and glanced up; his cheeks still a vivid pink. "R-right." He nodded.
"And be sure to let us know if you need any help picking out a swimsuit." Axl grinned from where he leaned against the wall. Alia blinked at him in confusion. Axl smiled nonchalantly. "Zero and I might be kinda busy checking out some of the girls already at the beach, but I bet X would be happy to help you pick something nice out." Axl grinned and winked at her. Alia flushed a bright pink. X blinked for a second before his own blush returned with a vengeance. Just then, the lift doors opened to the floor Alia had chosen.
"I-I have to get going. I-I need to finish... finish cataloguing the supplies in the cafeteria storerooms." Alia rushed the last part of her explanation before practically bolting from the lift car and out the doors. X blinked in surprise as she rushed past him. Before he had a chance to say anything, the doors shut behind her and the lift continued on its way.
"B-but, why would she need to do that?" X stared at the closed doors for a moment before glancing at his two friends. "Cataloguing storeroom supplies isn't part of her duties..." X trailed off as he glanced back at the doors. Zero and Axl exchanged glances. "D-do you suppose Signas is that short staffed this week? Or maybe Alia is just picking up slack to cover for someone..." X frowned slightly. "She shouldn't take on so much work. She already has a lot of tough responsibilities. She doesn't need to overwork herself..." X frowned worriedly as he gazed after her.
Zero sighed as Axl shook his head. Clueless as usual. Poor X. Zero glanced over and met Axl's eyes as they shared an unspoken agreement. They nodded slightly in unison. X definitely needed the help of those more experienced in the ways of women. Good thing he had them around.
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Early the next day, Xavier, Zane, and Ace; three, not-particularly important, vacationing Maverick Hunters; checked into the Klonoa hotel on Oahu and received keys to their double room. A cot had already been sent up in preparation for their arrival.
The first thing Zero did on entering the room was to drop his suitcase and stretch out, arms over his head. X ducked around him and dropped his own suitcase at the foot of one of the beds.
"I can take the cot, if you want." X turned to address Axl as he stepped in around Zero.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're supposed to be enjoying this vacation. You get one of the beds." Zero nodded.
"Should I take the cot?" Axl asked as he hefted his suitcase onto the floor.
"Nah, I'll take it." Zero nodded. "You rented the room in the first place, only fair." Zero lifted his suitcase and plonked it down onto the end of the cot.
"You sure?" Axl queried in surprise as he lifted his own suitcase again and headed for the second bed.
"Yup. Now, I think I'm gonna change and check out the beach. You guys gonna come too?" Zero snapped open his suitcase and flipped the lid back. "What the hell?!" Zero stared down at the contents of his suitcase in horror.
"What's wrong?" X walked over to Zero and followed his gaze. X blinked and resisted the urge to rub his eyes.
"Stupid airport staff! They gave me the wrong luggage!"
"Er... Zero, we didn't use an airliner to get here. We teleported." Axl frowned as he joined the two in staring into Zero's suitcase.
"Well, how else do you explain this... this...!" Zero waved haphazardly at the contents of his suitcase as speech failed him.
Axl and X blinked in confusion. Where there had previously been folded shirts and pants and various other articles of clothing, were now a frantic jumble of colors and patterns that left the eyes reeling with shock.
Axl reached out and lifted up the nearest item and shook it out. "What the...? Zero... I think a fiesta threw up in your suitcase."
"I don't own any of these!" Zero wailed as he lifted out another. "Where are all my clothes?"
X blinked and lifted out another loud item. A piece of paper flitted out of the folds and drifted to the bedspread. Setting down his handful of clothing, X picked up the note and unfolded it.
"Commander,
We heard you were heading for Hawaii for the week. Thought we should give you a going away gift. Sorry we weren't there to see you off. Hope you enjoy these. Have fun!
The 0th,
P.S. Tag did some research and since you're going to Hawaii, we figured these Hawaiian shirts would be appropriate beachwear. Take lots of pictures!"
"I'm going to kill them." Zero growled, "What the hell did they do with all my clothes!" X snickered as Axl started laughing.
"Calm down, Zero. I'm sure your clothes are safe back at HQ. You'll just have to wear those for now." Axl grinned as he and X headed to their own suitcases.
"I will not! Look at them! It-it... It's like a fruit stand exploded on it!!"
X chuckled as he snapped the catches on his own suitcase open and flipped the lid back. His chuckle died in his throat as he gazed on the contents of his own suitcase in horror. "Oh no... No... No, no. They didn't... They couldn't..." X moaned as he gazed on the glaringly vivid colors and patterns filling his suitcase.
Axl glanced over and blinked at X's suitcase, then regarded his own, unopened one. "Now I'm afraid to open it."
A whimper rose from Zero as he lifted a horrifically colored, nearly neon, lime green, orange, purple, and turquoise pair of shorts, depicting colorful birds, from his suitcase.
"Best to get it over with..." X sighed down at his own suitcase as he lifted out a pink, green, mauve, and brown shirt depicting some sort of beach party with women in grass skirts. "That way, we'll know how many times we have to kill them when we get back."
Axl nodded then hesitantly opened his own suitcase. Axl sighed. "How the hell did they even get at our suitcases to do this?" he moaned as he lifted out his own glaringly lavender, red, pink, and green flowered shirt.
Zero moaned, "I've taught them well... too well... I've created a monster!" he wailed as he scrabbled desperately through the clothing in his suitcase for anything that was safe to wear without contracting radiation poisoning.
"Well, at least my swim trunks are still here." X lifted a pair of dark blue swimming trunks out of the bottom of his suitcase. Yellow stripes ran down the outside of each leg from the waistband to the cuffs.
"Same here." Axl lifted out his own pair of swimming shorts, black with a red waistband and red cuffs on each leg. "How about you, Zero?"
Zero forlornly lifted out his red swim trunks and held them up. "They're here, but I'm still going shopping later. I am not wearing something that dozens of piñatas were killed to make."
"Then we'll all go later today. But first, we should check out the beach and relax some." Axl said as he tossed his swim trunks onto the bed and shut his suitcase.
X nodded. "I don't think Signas would be very happy if we teleported back to HQ to beat the scrap out of our units until they released our hostage-clothing. He did order us to relax." X sighed as he shut his own suitcase.
"Not to mention the whole, 'go away and don't come back till the end of the week! And you had better have fun!' part." Axl sighed.
Zero sighed, "Might as well, the evil clothing swappers will still be there when we get back. All the better to wait until they don't expect anything."
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Less than an hour later found the three of them trooping out of the hotel, wearing swimming trunks and sandals, towels thrown over their shoulders, as they headed for the beach, lightly populated with early-morning vacationers. After a moment of consideration, they selected a stretch of empty sand, just down the beach from a surf-shack that sold all sorts of beach gear, to dump their things while they went swimming.
Zero pushed his bangs out of his eyes and stretched slightly as he surveyed the area. "Hrm. Must be too early. There's hardly anyone out here, and even fewer in bikinis." Zero pouted as he peered down the beach at a couple of pretty girls, only to sigh and shake his head as two guys, who were obviously their boyfriends, joined them.
X shook his head as he shook out his beach towel. "Relax, Zero. We just got here, after all."
Axl nodded. "We should just relax for now. All the better that the beach is nearly empty. We've practically got it all to ourselves, for now. Besides, this place will probably be crawling later today. Much better prospects." Axl nodded sagely.
X shook his head and tossed Axl's folded towel onto the youth's head. "I thought you were here to relax and see the sights, not pick up girls."
"Hey!" Axl protested as he tugged the towel off his head. "Not everyone has a lovely special someone waiting around back at HQ you know."
"W-what? I do not!" X protested as he flushed pink across his face.
Zero grinned and nudged his best friend conspiratorially. "He never said it was you, X. Why? Do you have a special someone? Hmmm?" Zero leaned towards him with a grin.
"I-I... That is... N-no! Of course not!" X stammered, blushing furiously as he shoved Zero away from him.
"Sure, of course not." Axl nodded then tossed his towel at X's head. X ducked reflexively and glared at Axl. "You're such a horrible liar, X." Axl grinned and shook his head.
Zero chuckled. "Kid's right, X. You shouldn't bother trying."
"I do not!" X cried, blushing deeper. "No special someone! None!"
"Uh-huh. Suure." Zero nodded with a knowing smirk.
"I-I... It's not... She's... There isn't... Alia and I are just friends!" X cried and crossed his arms in a huff, glaring at them, despite his flushed cheeks.
Axl grinned and leaned forward to point his finger a few inches away from X's nose. "Who said anything about Alia?"
X turned a vivid shade of red and sputtered for a moment, unable to form coherent speech. Zero burst into laughter and stood up, tugging Axl to his feet as well. "Come on, Romeo, the water's calling. Should you care to join us, I'm sure there are some lobsters you'll blend right in with, X." X gaped at him as Axl started laughing. Zero tugged the redhead into a jog to the nearby surf, both laughing so hard they had trouble running straight.
"H-hey! Get back here! You lunatics! That's not what I meant!!" X shouted as he lunged to his feet and sprinted after them. Axl and Zero burst into laughter as they sprinted into the surf, X, hot on their heels, shouting after them.
A few minutes later, X tackled Zero from behind. They both went sprawling into the water as X repeatedly dunked Zero under the water. Axl, still laughing, tackled X from the side and all three of them pitched over under the next wave. When they came back up to the surface, Zero had X's arms pinned and Axl had caught his legs.
Holding X above the surf in between them Zero, still laughing, whooped in victory. "Haha! Admit it, X!"
"Put me down!" X thrashed in their grip, threatening to tip Axl over as he worked to keep his grip on X's ankles.
"Not until you admit it!" Zero laughed.
"No!" X whipped his body in an arc and Axl lost his footing in the sand, tumbling over under the next wave with a yelp. Before X could get his feet under him to pull away from Zero, Axl surfaced with a splutter and snatched up his feet again.
"Come on, X! Everyone knows. It's not like it's a secret." Axl grinned up at him from where he sat in the surf; legs sprawled to either side. "Come on, just admit it. At least to yourself!"
"There's nothing to admit!" X wailed as he struggled to pull free.
"Then... you're getting dunked!" Zero nodded.
"W-what!" X whipped his head around to stare at Zero.
"Until you at least admit it to yourself, you're getting dunked. Courtesy of your two bestest buds." Zero grinned down at the shorter reploid.
"What! No! Wait!" X gasped in panic as Axl laughingly got to his feet and the two started wading to deeper water. "You're lunatics! The both of you! Put me down!!" X wailed as they got to hip deep water.
"Admit it!" Zero laughed as he hefted X up higher.
"There's nothing to admit!"
"Then a-dunking we will go!" Zero laughed as he and Axl swung X back and forth between them for a second before launching him into the air.
"Zeeroooo!" X shrieked as he went airborne, only to be cut off abruptly as he vanished beneath the waves with a tremendous splash. He burst to the surface, spitting water and gasping as he paddled at the water. Kicking around to face them, X growled. "You..."
"X, this is for your own good." Zero admonished as Axl nodded from beside him.
"M-my own good! Are you insane!!" X cried as he spat out another mouthful of water.
"X, she's coming here the day after tomorrow. This is like your chance!" Axl cried enthusiastically as he kicked off the sandy bottom and swam out closer to X.
"My chance!?"
"Yeah! Oh come on, X! How can you sit there and pretend that you don't like her. It's so obvious to everyone but you! And she's gonna be here. Here. At the beach, with swimsuits, and surf, sun, and sand. And she's the one who asked, she wants to spend her vacation with you. How can you just sit there and not notice!" Axl urged as he swam closer.
Zero plunged into the water and a second later came to the surface not far from X, kicking and sweeping his hands to stay afloat. "Come on, X. This is an awesome opportunity! You guys have never vacationed in the same place before. You almost never leave HQ anyhow. This is the perfect chance for you to tell her, without having the HQ rumor mill turn it into some sort of scandal."
"Tell her? Tell her what? We're friends, Zero. I am not going to jeopardize that. Whatever you two crazies think is there... It isn't. We're just friends. Alia doesn't see me that way." X scowled at the two as he kicked lightly.
"Doesn't see you that way! Doesn't see you! Are you blind!" Zero cried as he swam forward and gripped X's shoulders to shake him slightly.
Axl leaned back in the water to semi-back float. "Hmm. Maybe we should tackle this from the other end. Wait till she gets here and then talk to her." Axl nodded to himself.
X pushed Zero off and turned to glare at Axl. "No way. You are not going to harass her about this crazy notion of yours. We've been friends for decades! Why would she ever see me that way?"
Axl rolled forward in the water to regard X like he had just told him the water they were in was actually lemonade. Zero beat him to the punch.
"Why!? Why would she see you that way!? Did Light drop your logic processor and step on it accidentally when he was building you?!" Zero stared at him incredulously. "She has every reason to like you, X! You're a great guy! Any girl worth anything would gleefully maim to be with you! Alia is no exception."
Axl frowned over at X. "You said, 'why would she see you that way.' Is that why you keep pretending? You think she doesn't like you?"
X stammered as his cheeks flushed again. "That's... That's not..."
"X, you're my best friend. And I'm telling you. She likes you. She likes you a lot. I can't understand how you could not notice it. But she does." Zero swam over to face X. "Come on, X. This is a great opportunity. Take it. When she gets here, talk to her. Tell her how you feel. She won't reject you. I'm sure of it." Zero nodded emphatically.
X shifted uncertainly, looking away from Zero's gaze. "B-but..."
"She likes you, X." Axl smiled at him reassuringly. "And it's obvious to anyone who cares that you like her too. Go for it, X. You won't regret it."
X sighed and looked away, down to his hands under the water. "I... I don't know. I don't want to ruin things."
"You won't. She likes you. No way will she turn you down." Axl grinned.
X sighed again and rolled back into a back float to stare at the sky. "I-I don't know. I... I'll think about it."
Zero sighed. "Well, I guess that's the best we'll get for now." He redoubled his kicking as he reached up to push his sopping bangs out of his eyes.
Axl nodded as he lazily stroked at the water to stay upright. He was built lighter than either X or Zero, easier to use his hover jets that way. He was having no trouble staying afloat, neither was X, but it seemed as though Zero was doing almost twice the work to stay at the surface. Axl blinked and watched Zero for a moment as the blonde looked back at the beach.
"Zero... You're not that heavy, are you?"
"Huh?" Zero turned to stare at Axl who was watching him inquisitively. "What are you talking about?"
"You're working a lot harder to stay afloat than me or X. I didn't realize you were that much heavier than X, let alone me."
"Huh?" X righted himself to regard Zero for a moment. "Zero... You're sinking." X deadpanned.
"What!? I am not!" Zero scowled at X and splashed water at him.
"Yes you are." Axl frowned as he regarded Zero. "That's really weird. You must have slightly negative buoyancy... But... I don't get it. You shouldn't. I mean... you're not that heavy. I mean; I've had to carry you before. You shouldn't be that heavy."
"I'm not! Quit staring!" Zero growled and tossed water at Axl. "So what, if I've got slightly negative buoyancy. Not like it's gonna kill me." Zero scowled at the two.
X watched him contemplatively for a moment then swam forward and slightly around behind Zero. "Hmm."
Zero twisted to follow him and frowned. "What?"
X reached out and grabbed a handful of Zero's long blonde ponytail and lifted it clear of the water for a moment. "Well, here's your problem." X nodded.
"What?! What are you talking about? What problem?" Zero demanded, snatching his hair out of X's grasp.
"Your hair, Zero. There's so much of it."
"So?!" Zero scowled.
"When it gets wet, it must add some 50 lbs to your weight. No wonder your buoyancy went negative." X nodded with a grin as he swam back around to beside Axl, in front of Zero.
Zero scowled. "Well, so what? So, I sink a little bit. Big deal. Not like a little negative buoyancy is gonna kill me or something."
Axl cocked his head to the side as he watched Zero push his hair back behind his shoulder again. Then a swift grin flashed across Axl's face before he quickly suppressed it. "Hey, guys. I'll be right back. I noticed that surf-shack had some tour brochures. I want to see when the next tour boat goes out to the reef."
"Sure, a tour sounds like fun." X grinned at Axl. "Want me to come along too?"
"Sure, if you want." Axl shrugged before starting to swim back to the beach.
"You coming, Zero? Or should we rent some diving gear to find you when we get back?" X grinned and dodged Zero's swipe at his head.
"I am not sinking!"
X laughed and struck out for the shore, Zero swimming behind him. Zero caught up to him and dunked him underwater as he passed him by. X surged back up, sputtering before heading after Zero and returning the favor. It soon degenerated into a dunking spree.
A few moments, and many dunks, later, Axl's shout from the shore caught their attention. "Hurry up you two!" With a final shove to submerge X, Zero clambered out onto the sandy bottom and waded for the beach, running his hands through his hair to wring it out as he went.
By the time they caught up with Axl, he was already at the surf-shack and looking over their tourist brochures. As X went to look over the brochures himself, Zero glanced around uninterestedly. He was distracted for a few minutes as he noticed a group of young women in swimsuits and bikinis setting up a volleyball net down the beach.
Grinning absently to himself, Zero leaned up against the wall of the surf-shack hut and waited for his friends to finish whatever they were doing. Volleyball sure was looking interesting. 'Maybe they'll need an extra player or two...'
A moment later, Axl tapped X's shoulder to get his attention. X looked up from the brochure he had been reading to see Axl holding a small purchase bag from the shop and a brochure.
"Found the reef tours. We missed the booking time for today's tour, but we can take tomorrow's." Axl held up the brochure as X nodded and set the one he'd been looking at back in its rack.
"Let's go get Zero. We can go buy some normal clothes before heading back to our hotel." X and Axl headed to the side of the surf-shack to find Zero leaning against a wall and watching the beginnings of a volleyball game down the beach. "Hey, Zero, ready to go?"
Zero looked up in surprise. "Already? That was fast." Then he blinked and looked at Axl's bag. "You buy something, kid?"
Axl grinned and shifted the small sack in his grip. "Yup."
"Hey, Zero, I decided I'm going to go on the reef boat tour with Axl tomorrow. Did you want to come too? The brochure says we'll need to book it today to be sure of a spot on the boat and the snorkeling gear."
"Huh? Snorkeling? Nah. Not my thing. Besides, it's silly. We don't even need snorkels. Water in our lungs won't hurt us." Zero shrugged and turned to watch the game again.
"It's okay, Zero. I've solved your buoyancy problem!" Axl grinned brightly.
"Huh?" Zero turned to blink at him in confusion.
Axl nodded. "You don't have to worry a bit about sinking. You won't have any trouble staying afloat while we're at the reef tomorrow. So you don't have to miss out."
"What are you talking about, kid?" Zero looked torn between exasperation and confusion.
"These!" Axl grinned triumphantly and pulled two objects out of the purchase sack he was carrying. "With these you won't have to worry about sinking at all!" Axl grinned as he held up the bright orange arm floaties. Attached to the top of each one was a yellow rubber ducky. "I rented these for you!"
Zero stared, mouth agape.
"Aren't they cute!" Axl enthused with a grin as he squeezed one of the ducks twice.
Quack. Quack.
Zero twitched.
X twitched.
Axl grinned.
X abruptly burst into laughter before clutching his sides and collapsing to the ground as he continued to howl with laughter. X gasped for breath in between paroxysms of helpless laughter as tears edged the corners of his eyes.
"Grrrrraaaaaaaarrr!!" Zero snarled and lunged forward, hands extended to catch Axl's throat.
"Ack!" Axl yelped and twisted to the side, barely avoiding Zero's tackle. Zero twisted as he landed and came back up with a growl.
"I am not wearing ducks!!!" Zero roared as he lunged for Axl again.
"Yeep!" Axl yelped and dropped the floaties. Spinning on his heel, he bolted.
Zero sprinted after him, kicking up sand in their wake. "Get back here, you!!!!"
X gasped for breath as he rolled over onto his side, still laughing too hard to stand up.
"It was just a suggestion!!!" Axl wailed in the distance.
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The End
Owari
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Whoo! Finally. This one took soo long. I had to work around school and work and homework and just bleh.
I know this was supposed to be a funny chapter. But it decided to stick in some serious stuff too. Half of this stuff wasn't in the planned out summary of this chapter I wrote up. The characters just decided to take over and do their own things.
Gah! It's so long! Over 27 pages!! And this was supposed to be the short intro chapter to the rest of the vacation!! It's not short at all!!!
Oh, for future reference. Do not attempt to achieve funny inspiration while eating breakfast. It bodes ill for all involved...
I nearly killed myself when I came up with the idea for this chapter. Seriously.
There I was, minding my own business, eating Cocoa Pebbles and wondering what I could do for this chapter that would be funny, when it hit me. Inspiration of the funny kind.
I got a mental movie of Axl and X noticing Zero was sinking because of all that wet hair. That made me giggle and chuckle. But then, the kicker. Axl presented the duckie floaties to Zero and made one go 'quack quack.'
I got some good distance on the milk. Nearly choked on the pebbles though.
Do not eat and inspirate at the same time! It is a bad thing!
Anyway, tell me what you all think of Axl, X, Zero, Signas, and Alia's personalities. How did you like the humor of this chapter? Next chapter will be more serious though. Be forewarned.
Anyway, review. Please. Make me happy.