Is it just me, or do I change the format of this thing all too much? That's okay, I guess I'm gettin' it somehow... well... anyway... on with this thing... I think I can finally cook up a plot for this. Before, it was just a thing to blow off some steam, and maybe focus some real emotion on... but now, hey, it's developing into something. Yaaay for me! Well... onward! And thanks a bunch for your reviews, guys!

Shadows on the Wall

Shadows in Disguise p1

X was on the balcony, staring down, not really having much to say to himself anymore. It was hard enough coming back without Zero, and hearing the shock from the rest of the Hunter Base. Hard enough without the Crimson One's shouts of victory, and so forth… hard enough. Keeping himself from beating himself up about it was something that was nearly impossible, but he was trying. Something told him that this was the time that Zero wasn't coming back.

What are you saying, X? Don't think like that!

He sighed a shuddering, sobbing sigh, wiping the messy tears from his face and looking into the garden underneath the moonless night outside the Base. He figured he should check up on Axl. Poor kid was probably hysterical by now.

He stood up straight, taking one last look out to the landscape below him, then walked back inside. It was hard enough keeping the scenes from replaying in his mind…

Axl's room wasn't far from his own, but he didn't want to take the chance of running into one of the other Base members on his way there. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing Alia. She held the three of them very close to her, and X didn't think he could stop himself from crying again if he saw her. He decided he'd take the long way, up the stairs, to get to Axl's room.

There wasn't much to cheer him up. He considered trying to cheer himself up as a selfish act right now. Tearing himself apart for Zero was not something he could pry himself away from. When you've been best friends with someone for nearly 300 years… you don't take it lightly. As he walked up a single flight, he was surprised to not hear anything from Axl, who's room was through the next few doors. He hoped that the young Hunter was okay.

He approached Axl's door, hesitant to knock. X leaned on the door to listen for any signs of him at all, and heard a faint sobbing from inside. Finally, he decided to come in. He typed in the passcode to Axl's door, knowing it would be locked. The door slid open slowly, and X walked in the dark room.

"Axl?"

The young Hunter looked up with his mouth partially open in mid-sob, sitting on his small bed. Fresh tears streamed down his face. The two stared at each other for a moment, each exchanging looks of sympathy and sorrow, and finally, Axl let out a cry. He buried his head into his pillow, trying to muffle his hysteric sobs and cries as X approached him.

"X! He's gone!" he screamed into the pillow. "HE'S GONE!"

X sat down on the bed with him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Him and Axl had never been very close. Well, at least not as close as him and Zero had been. Axl didn't bother to shrug him off.

"Shh, it's okay, Axl… he'll come back…"

Axl turned around, lowering his pillow, and looked up into X's emerald eyes in disbelief.

"How can you say that? YOU SAW HIM! YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED!" he shouted hysterically, biting his lip to stifle a cry. The tears started leaving X's eyes, too.

"Don't lose your faith in him, Axl. He'll come back… don't doubt him… please… don't doubt him… he'll come back, like he always does…" he murmured, wiping his tears away. Axl sighed, trying to wipe his tears away as well, and then looked back into X's eyes.

"Have you ever thought about… what if he doesn't come back?" he asked with a post-sob hiccup. X leaned his head on Axl's shoulder, sighing heavily and closing his eyes.

"Don't think about it… pray, Axl. Don't lose hope…"

"We need to find him, X! We've got to find him… we… we can help Alia scan the area-"

"Axl, it's beyond our reach. There's no direction for us to go. We didn't get the mark on that maverick, we didn't get any clues as to where he went, where he came from, why he was there, what his motives were, who he was, or anything… the only thing we can do is hope Zero will come back to us…" X answered. Axl cried out in shock.

"X! You're telling me not to give up and lose hope! You're the one who's giving up!" he shouted. "Z-Zero… you saw him… how he was… was…"

Axl's new flood of tears cut him off, and his body wracked with violent sobs once more. X held him tightly, fighting back his own tears.

"Don't worry, Axl. Please, don't worry…" he said, trying to hold his voice steady. Axl whimpered.

"I want him to come back, X…"

"So do I…"

"I… I'm going to… avenge…"

X opened his eyes, a bit shocked with what Axl had started to say. He looked into Axl's teary eyes with a soft look of sympathy.

"Axl, we don't know if he's dead… we don't know if-"

"COME ON, X! You saw him! I know you did! You were there! I'm not going to let anyone get away with what they've done!" Axl screamed, grasping onto his pillow, looking as if ready to rip it apart. He hung his head low in shame. "I don't care how bad it may be… but I know that you can't tell me, X, that you don't want to do the same thing.."

X did. He wanted so bad to rip that maverick apart with his bare hands, to tear it limb from limb, and disassemble it until it were just a pile of broken, worthless parts, and then rip them apart until he was finally satisfied. He wanted the blood to drip from the lifeless maverick just as Zero's had done. Malice wasn't in X, but now… the very thought of it heated his blood, and he flooded with fury. But he drew in a sharp breath and shook his head.

"Axl… let's… not act like this…"

"X GET OVER YOUR DAMN PACIFIST WAYS! YOUR BEST FRIEND IS-"

"He's alive, Axl! He's alive and he's coming back!"

X buried his face in Axl's shoulder, silent cries emitting from his sorrowed self. He'd hold true to himself and Zero, no matter what.

Axl looked out of his window, his tears stopping their fall down his dampened cheeks. He was in a silent contemplation as the dark backdrop covered the scene, stars invading the wisps of thought.

"What would Zero want us to do, X?" he asked, looking guilty. X was ashamed to say it, but he wasn't sure, anymore. Zero was so complex. One minute he'd be preaching to trust yourself and what you are, to never let yourself down, and the next minute he'd be telling you to never let someone get away with the harm that they've caused, no matter what.

"… What do we want to do, Axl?" X asked, now focusing on the starry night backdrop as well. Axl narrowed his eyes.

"Revenge."

Dum dum dummm... o.o; Well. Now I just gotta figure out where to go after this. Heh. Well, please review and tell me what you think! It means mucho to me:D And gives me the drive to keep on writing stuff!