The Deep Forest was a calm, beautiful place....it was certainly a lot calmer than the tower Tornado had inhabited. Warm golden sunlight struck the emerald green leaves of the trees....hundreds of different flowers were sprinkled all over the soft grounds of the area....and small flocks of birds were enjoying the pleasant weather. It was a paradise of halcyon beauty....

Unfortunately, the beauty was tainted by evil.

It was also tainted by the pain flowing between two hearts.

Megaman X and Axl arrived inside of the forest silently, and scanned their surroundings. The forest was a very quiet place....but, for the both of them, it was too quiet....

Was it because there was a low amount of activity, or was it because of the painful silence flowing between the two of them?

The beauty of the breathtaking paradise went by completely ignored. Both Reploids were feeling immoderately uneasy.......X felt like a slave-driver dragging along a beaten down horse......

And Axl felt like an unwanted piece of garbage.

"All right. Be on the lookout for the Ruinsman Alia warned us about. We need to get to our enemy as soon as possible, before any trouble begins. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir." Axl felt like an idiotic piece of garbage right after those words left his mouth. He was no different from a robot now-a robot with a very bad program. Those words were the only ones he could say to the Maverick Hunter-if he said anything else, even the word 'hi', he could have his life snuffed out in a hot second.

So there wasn't anything else for him to say. He was just going to have to stomach the whole robot routine.

The two of them made their way through the tranquil forest silently. Axl didn't look at X, and X didn't look at Axl-both of them felt absolutely HORRIBLE about the way things were going. The silence was beyond painful, and Zero's absence didn't make things easier. X distracted himself by scanning the elements of the environment with a tool that had been equipped inside of Buster-research WAS a part of his job, after all....

After ten years (or was it just ten minutes that had passed?), both of them came upon the Reploid Alia had informed them of. With the greatest degree of reluctance, Axl took away the reploid's DNA code and transformed.......

The disguise helped things out a little. At least he didn't have to be around X as himself.

Unfortunately, the disguise was only a temporary one.

He couldn't wear it forever.

--Twenty minutes passed....but those minutes had felt like decades. The sunshine had disappeared-silver clouds were in the sky, watching over the two silent Reploids that were heading right for their next enemy. Axl was lagging behind X, who still seemed to be incredibly upset with him-to the young Reploid, the twenty minutes had felt like decades, but to X, time meant nothing.

Time didn't exist.

Two more minutes elapsed between them, and X abruptly fell to his knees and darted behind a large group of ferns, causing Axl to become confused. The Maverick Hunter slowly looked out from behind the bright green ferns, looking like a true soldier spying on an enemy. He spoke to the young Reploid a moment later, eliminating the confusion that had wrapped itself around the young one's eyes.

"Okay. Our enemy is just up ahead. My scanner's telling me that he goes by the name of Soldier Stonekong. Another one of your ex-friends, I assume?"

Ten thousand darts shot right into Axl's heart. X's tone wasn't a pleasant one.

"Yeah.....he's a member of Red Alert."

I hope he doesn't bash on me the way Tonion did. I don't need things to become even worse.

The young one placed a hand on his forehead, closed his eyes and sighed.

"Jeez......."

"Soldier Stonekong, stop right there!"

Axl's eyes flew right open-X had left him behind.

Whatever. Why don't I just take one of my trusty pals here and shoot myself right between the eyes? That would probably make him happy.

But.....I know he's really messed up about Zero........

"I must ask you one thing-" X told his enemy, who wasn't even facing him at the moment-at the center of Stonekong's attention was some type of statue.....

"Why are you doing this?!?! Don't you understand that you're being led into a trap?! The path you have chosen is the wrong path to take. Put aside your ways of destruction!"

Those words caused Axl to narrow his eyes at X in confusion and disbelief.

Stonekong turned to face him, after he destroyed the statue that had gained so much of his attention. With the biggest grin on his face, he threw his hands in the air and laughed triumphantly, as if he had already won the upcoming battle. Putting aside his current feelings about the situation he was in with X, Axl ran up to his friend's side and unsheathed his guns. Both of his guns clicked-

He had switched from taser mode to laser mode.

(A/N: An itty bitty tribute to Uzu-Chan. Axl isn't going to shoot X, though. I'm sorry, but it's for Stonekong.)

"Ha!!" Stonekong roared at the two of them, showing them how proud he was of his domain....and everything he believed in. "Why don't the two of you put down your ways and join US instead?!?! What do you think power is about?! It's about imposing one's will on another soul!"

"No it's not. True power comes from your friends. When you have friends you can count on....you've got the best weapon at your disposal."

X gasped, lowered his Buster and looked over at Axl. The young one winked at him, surprising him even more.

The former member of Red Alert's normal behavior was returning.

And that fact made X smile on in the inside.

With one of his nonchalant smiles, Axl aimed one of his guns at Stonekong's forehead. "What you're doing is all off." the young one told him, feeling every bit of his confidence return. And speaking again felt great-he wasn't used to long periods of uneasy silence. "Red Alert isn't all about power-well, not fake power, anyway. It's all about the real stuff-you know, justice, virtuosity....the real deal. You guys are all being lead astray, and so things have changed, but my beliefs haven't changed. The ideals of Red Alert haven't changed. You guys are just being torn down."

All of that made X smile......visibly. Axl tossed him another wink.

"Let me fix you up with a hearty dose of pain, old pal-Axl style!"

With that, the younger Reploid fired both of his guns simultaneously at his enemy, but Stonekong dodged the first attack swiftly and went straight for X, screaming at the top of his lungs-

"TAKE THIS, MAVERICK HUNTER!"

Half a second later he was shot by twenty five laser balls.

Axl grinned at him victoriously, and blew on one of his guns. "How d'ya like THAT? Laser cannon mode. Didn't know I could do that, didja?"

"You're something else, Axl." X told his friend warmly, in between laughter. Axl's grin became even brighter.

"I know."

The battle continued between the three of them. X followed Stonekong's moves flawlessly, but he, like Tornado, was definitely outclassed by the enthusiastic, mettlesome Axl. The young Reploid was like a kid at a birthday party-he used every available mode on his gun to attack his former ally. He enjoyed himself when Stonekong launched himself into the air for an aerial attack-none of his aerial attacks succeeded, since he was also struck down by the young companion of Megaman X. At one point X stood back and observed the two of them, unable to hold back a huge smile.

Yeah. He's definitely something else.

Ten minutes passed. The ground beneath X and his friend rose up abruptly-Stonekong's sudden move surprised the both of them, but Axl wasn't affected by shock for very long. The two soldiers dodged the tumultuous attack successfully.....but then, something X wasn't expecting to happen occurred. Axl went right behind Stonekong and called out to him.

"X! Let's double team him, okay?! You an'me!"

"Roger!"

A really big smile lit up X's face, and he brandished his Buster. Axl's enthusiasm was rubbing off on him. "Ready to fire!" he called out to his partner, and received a thumbs-up.

What followed was a beautiful display of unity and eternal friendship.

With his guns still in laser cannon mode, Axl fired away at Stonekong....and X continuously fired his X-Buster. The light of their energy combined.....and a heavenly aura of blue light spread throughout the entire forest, purifying it.....cleansing the evil. After a few minutes....

There wasn't anything left of their enemy.

Just silence.

Axl looked at X and put away his guns. X lowered his Buster and smiled at Axl, his face practically shimmering with relief. The tension between the two of them had died off, but X was still feeling awful about the way he had treated his dear friend.

"YEAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!! STRIKE ANOTHER VICTORY FOR US!!! WOO-HOOO!"

X frowned at Axl playfully, not really used to being around someone that was totally enthusiastic about a mission. "We sure showed him, didn't we?!?!" Axl continued, twirling his guns around his fingers. "We sure did! I'll show the rest of 'em too! Nobody screws up what Red Alert's all about! Hahahahaha!"

"Cut it out before you accidentally fire at me!" X laughed at his dear friend, tears flowing down his face. "Put those away! I need to say something to you!"

Right here the young Reploid put on the most adorable facial expression-it reminded X of a really, really cute little puppy.

"What do you wanna say?"

X smiled at him through sheets of beauteous, sparkling mist. The smile was infinitely warm, just like the wings of an angel.

"I'm sorry.....about the way I treated you. I hope you can forgive me for the way I acted. I had no right to take out my frustrations on you, and you know something else? I know you don't want to share your burden with others......but I really don't want you to be alone. I don't want you to suffer. Please, if you need someone to talk to.........you can talk to me. I'm here for you, and I'll always be here for you. Understand?"

Axl's smile was a smile that defied all types of description. Drops of crystallized starlight entered his eyes......and warmth flooded throughout his whole body. He felt like was soaring through the warmest ocean of pure sunlight. "Understood, sir." he replied, no longer feeling like a lifeless drone. He happily gave X a salute, feeling relief flood his whole body in a way he couldn't have imagined before.

"Understood!"

X heard a flock of birds take spread their wings and fly right over their heads. The smile stayed on his face as he began to contact Alia-

But she got to him first.

Axl watched him worriedly and tuned in. Something was definitely up.

"X! Have the two of you completed your mission yet?!"

"Yes we have-Stonekong's activities have come to an end. I was just about to contact you. Axl and I are in perfect condition, so there's no need to contact the Infirmary."

She sounded as if a time bomb had been planted inside of the base a few seconds ago.

"X, speaking of the Infirmary......it's about Zero."

X exchanged fearful glances with Axl, then picked up the conversation.

"What about him? Is he all right?!"

"I'm afraid not........X.......I'm sorry........but......"

The hearts of Axl and X fell with each other into a blistering pit of indescribable despair.

What was she going to say?

"...........he only has two days left to live. I'm so sorry, X. Gate informed me of this just a few seconds ago. I'm so sorry."

She eliminated the connection a second later.....since it was too painful to continue......

X looked at Axl......immersed in immeasurable pain and unbreakable sorrow.

He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

He couldn't.........believe anything he had just heard.......

Axl became worried, but for a different reason. He knew time wasn't on his side-it was laughing at him, mocking him........he looked at X in the eyes, his own eyes filled with the strongest degree of determination. His voice was filled with that same determination.....

"X, listen to me. I said this to you before, and I'll say it again. There is a way to cure him-and I'm going to find out what that "way" is. Trust me on this."

X looked at him with the eyes of a lost, heartbroken puppy.......he loved Zero so much.....and he treasured his friendship......but.......

"I'm asking you to have faith in me. I swear to you, I WILL find the cure."

That was all he said before he teleported back into the Maverick Hunter base.

--Dr.Cain was in his own dormitory, thinking about the current events.....and the latest update on Zero. Time was running short....for everyone. The Maverick Hunter of Crimson Fire wasn't conscious at the moment, so no one could speak to him.....yet......and everyone was so silent, yet frantic......

No siree, my instincts are rarely ever wrong.....

But....there is a first time for on.....hurry up, will ya?"--

I hope I did an okay job on the battle. If not, please tell me, and I will try harder next time! I promise! Thank you, everyone!