A big hello to everyone out there! Since I was able to get so much off of my chest last time, I feel much better now! About the review guideline thing-I only made up those rules because of the review Miss Voldemort posted in Khilai's story. If anyone wants to stop by and say something about my story, then they can go right ahead, but I want REAL reasons behind the opinions. AND THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE EXACT COPY OF THE X7 GAME SCRIPT, SO IF ANY NEWBIES OUT THERE ARE EXPECTING THIS TO BE EXACTLY LIKE THE GAME, FORGET IT.
It's a fanfic.
I hoped that the characters I chose for the last intermission would turn out to be familiar. I hope that everyone else can recognize them too. And once again, I apologize for question marks that are M.I.A. I don't know why most of mine aren't showing up in the final project, but I hope no one's confused or anything by the missing ones.
Rue: All right kiddies. I just finished reading the latest chapter of Miss Khilai's story. Axl's finally getting some love! Zero's saving him! Let's celebrate!
(Hundreds of individuals celebrate in unique ways. It's as if the entire world is celebrating-torches are releasing their thunderous light to the skies, wild applause pierces the air, and passionate embraces are tossed about. Dante, the hero of Devil May Cry, pounces on and smothers Jak from Jak 3 in kisses.)
Dante: ALL RIGHT! YES! IT'S ABOUT TIME!
(Confetti is thrown in the air. It looks like a huge New Year's Eve party in the middle of New York city. The 'I Need a Hero' song from Shrek 2 plays during the party, and hundreds of voices sing to the tune.)
Zidane from Final Fantasy 9: Wicked awesome! I was hoping that the kid would get a break.
Cloud from Final Fantasy 7: I was on the same boat-nobody understood me either-
Riku from Kingdom Hearts: (avoids confused glances as he massacres Rovin with his own Keyblade) What? I'm not doing anything.
Axl: Let me join you. (whips out whoop-ass guns)
X: Don't leave me out. (puts on Ultimate Armor)
Jak: Wait a minute. What if this Zero guy dies or something?
(Silence instantly crashes onto the party. Time freezes.)
Zero: (in black armor) Don't jinx anything, you son of-
The world of Vanishing Gungaroo was absorbed in the magic of an enchanting night-hundreds of golden stars were releasing all of their glory in the sky, which was a captivating, striking shade of blue. Cool, invigorating winds were dancing through the mystical night sky, and an aurora borealis was smiling down on every pure heart. The beauty of Gungaroo's domain was unbelievably wondrous, but at the same time, the two Maverick Hunters knew why they were surrounded by such beauty. The world knew of the happiness they had fallen into just a short while ago, and it decided to show its emotions to both of the Hunters.
The two of them felt as if they were lost in a dream.
Endless strength was streaming through both of their bodies-they felt like ancient gods that had the power to control an entire planet. They were both invincible and invulnerable to the spells of eternal evil-nothing could touch them, nothing could bring them down, nothing could destroy their spirits and their hearts. The nightmare had ended-it was all over now, and nothing could bring them out the clear blue sky of happiness….
And nothing could definitely bring down Axl, who was just OVERFLOWING with energy.
The mission they had been given was this: there were twenty bombs that needed to be eliminated before they had the chance to create massive destruction. All three of them were soaring through the streets on Ride Chasers, moving at incredible speeds while taking care of their duties, but it was hard for X to take his eyes off of Axl, who was like a child that had eaten WAY too much chocolate. It was hard for Zero to do the same. The young Reploid was way ahead of both of them, firing both of his guns like crazy-
"YAHOOO! I'LL SHOW ALL OF YOU WHAT I'M MADE OF! HA HA, TAKE THIS!"
The Crimson Flame looked over at X, wearing the look of an annoyed General in his eyes. The long, golden yellow ponytail of the Maverick Hunter was like a banner in the cool winds, and his armor glimmered like pearls because of the warmth of the night-Zero was just too damn cool for words.
"Should we have left him behind?"
X smiled at his dear friend warmly, feeling as if he had never lost Zero at all. The nightmare he had been lost in felt as if it had truly been nothing more than a nightmare. His dearest treasure, the coolest Reploid of all, was looking right at him-the nightmare was so distant now….
"No! I enjoy seeing him like this! Don't you?"
"Yes, to tell you the truth, but if he keeps this up he'll end up hurting himself."
"YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!"
The Crimson Flame closed his eyes and shook his head, then placed his eyes on the road. He looked like a phantom, but at the same time, he looked like an ethereal angel riding though the night-calm, collected, strong, confident, and downright amazing. "Th' kid's something else." he told his best friend gently, bearing the light of a sage within his eyes. "I never thought I would meet someone like him."
"Same here. I'm really glad he's all right now. Thanks for cheering him up."
"Oh. And you think you have nothing to do with THAT?" Zero asked him sharply, pointing out at the jubilant young Reploid, who seemed to be lightyears away from both of them. "Get real. You contributed to that too, you know."
Those were the great Reploid's last words. Zero took off after Axl, bearing the appearance of a wise and powerful guardian. Truthfully, the Maverick Hunter's physical appearance was just too hard to describe properly-the only that could be said was this-
He was the quintessence of perfection.
"Well, I guess I'll cover the two of you." X said to himself quietly, unable to hold back a wide grin. The Hunter released a soft sigh, sounding like a mother that had just allowed her children to run wild.
"Those two are truly out of this world."
A moment later, something extraordinary occurred. Extremely bright light blinded the Maverick Hunter, and the sound of a bomb exploding scorched his ears. He regained the ability to see a few seconds after the bomb had been destroyed, and what greeted his eyes amazed him. Axl soared out from the explosion, perfectly unharmed and triumphant. An indescribably bright smile was on the young one's face, and his eyes were brighter than the stars in the sky, which were shimmering happily in the ocean of blue dreams. Zero was right behind him, even though he had chosen to dodge the explosion, silent and vigilant……
Both of them looked just too damn cool for words, riding out into the night.
"YEAH! YAAAHOOOOOO! THAT WAS BEYOND AWESOME!"
"Never a dull moment with you around, is there?"
"You got that right, pal! Here I go-yeeee-haaaa!"
"WATCH YOURSELF OR YOU'LL DIVE RIGHT OFF THE COURSE!"
X closed his own eyes and sighed.
"I guess I'm the only mature one here."
Time flew away with the winds of the night in swift, ephemeral flashes of crystallized rhapsody. The stars continued their silent vigil over the newborn trio, smiling and emitting the warmth of loving, caring protectors. The winds remained cool and refreshing, striking all three of them with the bright, everlasting melodies of new promises and new beginnings. The world truly was aware of everything that had developed between the three of them, and because the nightmare had ended, it was truly happy. None of them felt as if they could be taken down-everything was right with the beloved world they were in, and not a single slice of evil could tamper with anything. The stars were sharing their power with the three Reploids willingly, causing them to feel not only invincible, but strong and confident as well.
The elimination of the bombs went down without a single hitch. Every single bomb was destroyed (most of them were destroyed by a certain young Reploid that was unable to stop moving, even just for a second), and the Special Defense Force was successfully rescued. The 'underground network' of Reploids, who had been forced to hide out within a nearby building, delivered profuse gratitude to the three Reploids-smiles and embraces broke out the very second X stepped into the building, which was almost covered in flames. With the fashion of a true, protective mother, the legendary blue Maverick Hunter hurriedly told the Defense force to locate shelter, and they rushed out of there without a moment of hesitation.
There was only one thing left to do.
An hour soared right on by.
The three Reploids removed themselves from their Ride Chasers and scanned their surroundings. Silence was in the air, soft, serene and gentle, just like the winds that were flowing through their hearts. Each of them bore different facial expressions-Axl looked like the tiniest puppy wandering around in a new home, X had the look of a vigilant Sergeant on his face, and Zero was no different from a silent, watchful falcon. The awesome Crimson Flame conducted some activity on his wrist communicator and paced around for a bit-it was safe to assume that he was checking things out on his scanner. The one that broke the silence was the young Axl, who had gone from being the Black Tiger to the cutest little kitten.
"Zero?"
"What is it?"
"He's here. I can feel him."
"You can?" Zero asked him, his eyes widening in confusion. Axl nodded with a smile.
"Yep, I sure can. He should be right through this door."
"Hmph." The Crimson Flame deactivated his scanner, then folded his arms, wearing another rare smile on his face. "What are you trying to do, make me look bad?"
"No! Not really! Heh heh. Sorry."
Zero placed his attention on the door Axl had pointed at, which was no more than a few inches away from him. "Hmm. It's all right. It's not like everyone can sense energy levels. You're just special, that's all."
Zero spoke that last sentence in a way that caused the young one to gasp, and divine dewdrops filled his eyes. A halcyon smile blossomed on his face and in his heart as he realized something-
His two friends really did care for him.
"So what now?" X asked the two of them, placing his hands on his hips. "Should we take him by surprise, or-"
"I-"
"Shut up Axl." Zero shot out at the young Reploid, his eyes glimmering like the eyes of a black panther. The Crimson Flame evidently did not want Axl to do anything on his own, and neither did X. The blue Maverick Hunter's next words told the young one so.
"The three of us are going in together, and that's final."
"But that's three against one. A little unfair, don't you think?"
Zero looked back at the young Axl, beaming with the greatest amount of affection and pride. He knew that Axl really didn't care about their enemy's well-being. The young one just enjoyed joking around with his new friends…..
And there wasn't anything wrong with that.
"I guess you're right, since you've got the strength of ten Reploids, but I think he'll be able to handle himself. Don't you, X?"
"Well…….Axl and I could always just sit back and watch you take care of him-"
Zero gave X a hard yet comical glare, then walked right through the door. Axl and X stayed behind for a moment and exchanged smiles with each other, and then the young Reploid spoke, sounding as if he was at a warm, peaceful picnic in the middle of a park.
"Heh. He talks about me as if I'm the strongest Reploid around."
"Well….."
X's next words sent Axl's heart into a warm field of never-ending, warm and golden happiness.
"You are."
The Maverick Hunter went after his dearest friend right after those words left his mouth, leaving behind a shocked Axl. The young one's eyes fell to the ground and glued themselves there, and his heart began to slowly beat on the drums of disbelief….starlight filled his vibrant eyes, which were beautiful and filled with the energy of life…..
X and Zero really did care for him.
It was as if he had just saved the Earth from total devastation.
And just a short while ago, he felt lonely.
Lonely…..
The word caused a grin to bloom on Axl's face.
Lonely?
That word no longer existed.
"I think it's time for me to work my magic."
The young one unsheathed both of his guns, glanced at both of them proudly, and went after both of his friends……
Thinking about how lucky he was to have them by his side.
The location of Ride Boarski struck the three of them as a surprise-darkness was abundant, but the temperature of the place wasn't immoderately low, and it didn't possess a blood chilling aura of evil. That last fact told the three of them that their newest enemy wasn't going to be an enormous threat….and since all three of them felt immeasurably powerful, the battle wasn't going to be a long and arduous one. The trio walked around the place slowly, brandishing their weapons with the desire for adventure in their eyes…
All three of them were ready to fight….
As one.
Zero, the Crimson Flame, was the one responsible for breaking the silence. His gentle voice drifted into the air like a white feather lingering in the summer skies, and his eyes emitted iridescent warmth.
"Axl. You're actually quiet. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's up. Just looking at something."
The eyes of both X and Zero fell onto him, and the same word left both of their mouths at the very same time.
"What?"
Abruptly, the young one aimed and fired both of his guns at an object hidden in the depths of the darkness with a phenomenal amount of elegance and speed. A scream pierced the calm, warm air right after the shots had been fired-
"HEY!"
A triumphant smile lit up the young one's face, and his eyes shimmered with a joyful, incandescent melody. "Found you, Boarski." he said, bearing the nonchalance X had come to know so well. Axl had the appearance and attitude of someone enjoying the peace of bird watching, but the same time he was like a lion, ready to strike. Both of the Maverick Hunters exchanged glances with each other, looking like twins-both of them had on the very same facial expression.
Neither one of them saw anything, but Axl was able to pick up on Boarski's location right away.
"Playing hide-and-seek with him would be pointless." Zero said to his dearest friend softly, wearing a very warm smile in his eyes, which were shimmering with mischief. X nodded, ignoring the temptation to embrace the one that meant so much to him.
"You got that right. I can't believe it-he was able to see Boarski but neither one of us picked up anything."
Ride Boarski descended from the shadows he had been hiding in, bearing the facial expression of a child that had just been treated unfairly by his family. His eyes were red-hot stones of anger, and steam seemed to be streaming from both of his ears-
"Hm. He reminds me of a train."
Zero's remark caused X to place a hand right over his own mouth, in order to hold back laughter. Axl eyed the Crimson Flame silently, his eyes sparkling with every ounce of affection he had for him. Zero returned his look swiftly, and then placed his attention back on Boarski, who was literally fuming with fury.
"So! I've got guests tonight! The world famous, S-Class Hunter Zero, the legendary X, and my dear old friend Axl! But hey, isn't this three-on-one setup a little unfair?"
"I told you…." Axl muttered under his breath, darting his eyes in Zero's direction. Zero caught the look, tossed back his head and released a soft sigh. He unsheathed his Z-Saber, wearing the look a triumphant cat had on its face when it located a huge meal.
"Come now. Don't you want to become acquainted with me and my friend here?"
Boarski was confused by Zero's question-the Crimson Flame obviously wasn't speaking of the two Reploids standing by his side.
But then, which friend was he speaking of?
The armor of the Crimson Flame was exuding an inexpressible amount of blazing light-he looked as if he was lost among small yet powerful flames of annihilation. The look within his eyes surpassed the look of a deadly samurai's eyes…..and there was a small yet dangerous smile lurking on his face. The Maverick Hunter was a harbinger of death….that was painfully clear to the Reploid named Ride Boarski. The messenger of death unsheated his weapon, which glimmered with a light that was equal to the light of his armor, and he spoke to his enemy, his voice bearing the power of poison.
"I'm speaking of THIS friend, in case you're wondering. Here, I'll introduce him to you."
Those words ignited a magnificent battle, a battle that would be forever remembered by the three friends.
Boarski furiously shot out at the Maverick Hunter called Zero and launched an attack, but the attack was unsuccessful-it struck nothing but air since the Crimson Flame dodged it at the speed of light. The battle arrangements were settled in an instant-Zero was in charge of the short-range combat, and the other two had the abilities to back him up easily.
Like a bolt of thunder Boarski soared all over the place, like a falcon chasing down a desired meal, but not a single attack could affect any of his enemies. Zero fought with the strength and finesse of an unparalleled samurai….but Boarski didn't focus on only the Crimson Flame. Whenever he lunged out at the other two, he was always greeted by failure-X either attacked him with his X-Buster, or Axl proudly fired several rounds at him.
Ten long minutes passed between the combatants, surprising the three Reploids from the Maverick Hunter base. None of them expected a long battle, but none of them decided to complain, since the battle they were engaged in was quite fun. However, things were different in the eyes of Ride Boarski. The battle he was involved was anything BUT fun for him-the trio he was fighting against seemed to be unstoppable. All three of them were being driven by a powerful, unbeatable force….
But what force could bring eternal strength to any individual?
It was the force…….
Of love.
The eyes of Zero were on him, fiery yet silent. The eyes of X were on him, blazing with the determination of a valiant General. The eyes of Axl were on him, filled with the mischief of a child that was waiting for a present to be delivered into his hands. None of them had fear swimming around on their faces-all of them looked as if they wanted to take on the most powerful deities alive…..
With a loud cry of deep frustration, Boarski lunged out at the Crimson Flame, who sidestepped him with both hands behind his back, and with closed eyes. Axl took the opportunity Zero gave him with great enthusiasm-he shot up into the air and fired several rounds of enormous energy balls at the enemy, still wearing a mischievous smile on his youthful features. Unfortunately, the young one had the ability to hover in the air for only a few moments, so he fell out of the sky and landed perfectly after he had completed the aerial attack. Right after he had completed his landing, Boarski shot out at him like a missile, causing the desire to lead him on a goose chase to build up within the young one's heart. With astounding agility and speed, Axl spread out both of his arms and ran onto the walls, closely followed by the Reploid that used to be a dear friend of his. After about two minutes, the young one looked back at his enemy and laughed, then fired a huge beam of light at a breathtaking speed at him. The sudden, unexpected attack caused Boarski to fall from the wall he had been running on….
The attack also presented a golden opportunity to both X and Zero.
The Crimson Flame launched out at Boarski with his Saber and brought his Saber down on him the way a butcher would bring down his knife on a piece of meat. A scream tore itself from Boarski's throat but was completely ignored by the great Maverick Hunter. A second later, X delivered the finishing blow with his faithful X-Buster, still amazed by what Axl had done, and thinking of how lucky he was to have such wondrous friends near to his heart. Their enemy fell to the ground, his entire body burning with pain….
The eyes of the trio fell on the body of Boarski, filled with the same levels of determination, courage and devotion. The three of them were standing side by side, bearing the appearance of a true team-strong, unified and unbeatable. Boarski stared at them long and hard, unable to figure out why he had been defeated by those that were beneath him….
"How……why…..why did this happen?"
The three of them exchanged glances with each other, and then Axl shrugged.
They all knew something Boarski didn't know-
And would NEVER know.
"I don't believe this…..after….Sigma…..shared…..his power…..with us…..I thought……"
A sad, regretful smile fell onto the face of the young Axl. He placed both of his arms behind his back, closed his eyes and beamed at Boarski….his voice was gentle and warm, but at the same time, it was also filled with…..
Regret.
"Sorry buddy, but you were wrong. Sigma knows nothing of true power."
Those were the last words Boarski heard before he closed his eyes. Awkward silence lingered in the room for a minute-Zero and X became worried about their young friend because of the emotions soaring through his eyes. Axl looked a little sad…..it was as if a part of him didn't want to down Boarski….
X placed a hand on his friend's shoulder softly.
"Are you all right?"
A jubilant smile replaced the sadness in an instant when X's words reached his heart. The eyes of his two friends were soft, fragile stars of affection and concern…..both of them were worried about him.
Both of them really cared about him.
His world was at peace. There wasn't anything but golden sunlight shimmering within his young soul….and the light was warm, gentle…..unlike anything he had ever felt before in his life. He spoke to both of them with the nonchalance both of them had become used to, causing both of them to smile.
"I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be? I've got the two of you."
Another beautiful smile bloomed on Zero's face, and dewdrops shot into the gentle eyes of X. The Crimson Flame ignored the temptation to embrace the young Reploid and decided to just speak to him instead.
"You make me think of the days I spent with Iris."
Once again, Axl's eyes became like the eyes of the smallest puppy-bright, innocent and captivating. He turned to the smiling Zero and tilted his head in confusion-
"Who's Iris?"
The response he received caused his heart to fall into the most beautiful realm of warmth…..and it also caused dewdrops to fall into the precious gemstones of his heart.
"Just someone I knew a long time ago."
X smiled at the young one with the highest amount of gratitude, his own eyes shining with teardrops. He knew all about the days Zero spent with Iris, and he knew that the Maverick Hunter loved and cared for her deeply. Hearing him say something like that to Axl brought him a great amount of joy. Silence flowed between the three of them for what felt like an eternity, but then Zero said three words that made all of them enter a world of unending happiness.
"Thank you, Axl."
Golden beams of crystallized starlight broke out over the silent city, and showered the world with everlasting melodies of light and love. The silence engulfing the city was warm and harmless…unlike the silence that had consumed the world before. The winds were no longer rushing about-everything was at ease……the world was resting for a moment, enjoying the light of new bonds that had just been created. Three shooting stars shot through the sky and entered the heavens, entangled in an everlasting bond of serenity…..
And, of course, love.-
