Rue: (throws a huge batch of confetti into the air) It's official! (kisses just about everyone on the mouth) Isn't this wonderful! Axl actually has a friend! Zero loves him!
(The celebration, which restarted shorty after Jak's abrupt, harsh question, goes on. Oceans of confetti enter into the air, hundreds of people are dancing, embraces are abundant, and some people are even throwing themselves on the ground, sobbing tumultuously. It's the biggest party anyone has ever seen. Half of the participants are singing 'Hallelujah', and the other half is singing 'Joy to the World'.)
Kilik from Soul Calibur 2: I can't believe it. It's actually true. The poor thing actually has a friend now!
Dante of Devil May Cry: IT'S A MIRACLE! A GLORIOUS, WONDROUS MIRACLE! (screams joyously, then throws himself on the Dahaka and smothers him in kisses)
Fayt Leingod from Star Ocean 3: I know how Axl felt. I was misunderstood myself…..(bows head but is instantly raised into the air by Cliff Fittir and other friends)
Link from The Legend of Zelda: YESSSSSS! YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS! (pounds the ground while sobbing happily) YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-
(Suddenly, a mysterious guest interrupts the party. Who could it be?)
(A million pairs of eyes shoot straight to the intruder. It's none other than-)
Rovin: Hey. What's shakin'? (waves)
(Link is obviously ready to kill. He removes a huge sword, which was carved from black diamonds. His eyes become a deadly shade of red.)
Link: I'll show you what's shaking, you lowly son of a-
The magic of a calm, peaceful night fell over the entire Maverick Hunter base. The winds of tension were no longer present-the only winds that were streaming about were the winds of golden, soft and soothing happiness. Sunlight was shimmering in the eyes of and hearts of every living being inside of the base-hundreds of smiles were glowing softly, like small candle flames, and tears were flowing from many pairs of eyes silently. Missions were still being taken care of, but many Reploids were now resting inside of their own dormitories because of the tiring emotions that had consumed them such a short while ago.
Small fireflies were dancing silently throughout the base, watching over every heart their eyes fell on. The silence streaming throughout the base was soft, relaxing, harmless silence….it was the type of silence that could lull one to sleep. Many did fall asleep because of the serene winds blowing throughout the entire place…..dreams were being born with every passing second…
New, unique dreams that were created by the promise of life.
The sleeping Reploids began to dream of things they never would have dreamt of before the nightmare. New and exciting adventures were created in the hearts and souls of many Reploids-some dreamt of new hobbies to pick up, and others just dreamt of new sights to see.
Everyone knew that it was time to live life to the fullest.
When the newborn trio returned to their homebase, they were instantly greeted by both General Signas and the beautiful Navigator, Alia. The gentle Alia told them that the two Red Alert members, Wind Crowrang and Splash Wafly, were killed by Sigma because of wandering thoughts-the two of them wanted to escape from Sigma's evil grip…..
They did escape….
But not in the way they wanted to.
After she gave her dear friends the news about Crowrang and Wafly, she told them of the last Red Alert member-Vanishing Gungaroo. The Red Alert member had taken control of the Tunnel Base weapons factory, which was another part of the Maverick Hunter's underground network. Small forces of Reploid workers conducted weapon development there for the Maverick Hunters inside of the base…..but Gungaroo's latest antics were preventing them from creating even a single blade. The three of them were ready to depart right after she completed her update, but they were obviously exhausted because of everything that had occurred, and so she asked her friends to take some time off for rest.
A little rest wouldn't hurt anything, and nobody has the ability to function when they're drop-dead tired.
Ten minutes passed.
The observatory of the Maverick Hunter base possessed an unimaginable, breathtaking beauty-the wonders of outer space were locked within the windows, which were carved from translucent diamonds. The world outside of the Earth was currently filled with an endless amount of iridescent starlight...and the entire observatory was just beyond peaceful. Small groups of fireflies were making themselves at home in the placid atmosphere...enjoying the profuse, gentle warmth of love. Small streams of starlight were piercing the windows, proudly making themselves known. The air was pleasantly thick with soft, tranquil happiness...
The observatory would have been the perfect place of a sleeping infant to rest in.
Zero was standing right in front of window, gazing out at the everlasting realm with his arms folded across his chest. The great Maverick Hunter's eyes were filled with the calm flames of infinite strength...he bore the appearance of an ancient warrior-strong, silent and wise. His two dear friends, X and Axl, were sitting on the small sofa of the observatory, which was right in the very center of the room. All three of them were gazing out at the beauty of the realm beyond them...each of them holding their own thoughts...the silence streamed between the three of them for what felt like an eternity...but then Zero broke it by speaking to the ones he loved.
"So. We've only got one more step to take before we reach the top. Is that it?"
"Correct." X answered him, his mind on the words Alia had given them. "The Tunnel Base weapons factory is our last destination. We'll go and meet out old friend Sigma right after we liberate the factory."
The kindhearted Maverick Hunter could sense some uneasiness coming from the heart of his dear young friend Axl. He looked at him worriedly, his eyes indescribably soft with compassion. The young one looked like he had something to say-he was the one that wanted the three of them to spend some time in the observatory.
"Axl?"
The young Reploid stopped swinging his feet back and forth, placed his hands in his lap, and looked into the eyes of his worried friend. The look on the young one's face easily shamed the look of the smallest, cutest kitten-Alia would have been all over him if she had been present. The sound of his voice caused him to become even more adorable-he sounded like a child patiently waiting for a gift.
"Yeah?"
A warm smile bloomed on the face of X. "What's on your mind? Why did you want to come here?"
"I don't know..." Axl answered him shyly, staring at his lap. The poor thing was just too cute for words. "I guess I just wanted to talk to you guys, that's all."
"About what?" Zero asked him gently. "Anything in particular? We're all ears."
The smile on X's face told the young one that he too was ready to listen to whatever he had to say. An immeasurably endearing smile lit up Axl's face, and his eyes put every star in the universe to eternal shame. "I...guess I just wanted to...you know...ummmm...talk. About...stuff...since...I'm a part of your family now..."
"Oh. I see what this is. It's show and tell time." The look on Zero's face was just too cool for words. "No problem. Where shall we start?"
X's smile became so large that it caused his face to ache. The young Reploid sitting next to him was obviously a little nervous because he had just been accepted into a new environment-it made him think of how he felt when he first walked into the Maverick Hunter base. Axl removed his hands from his lap, but without even knowing it, he began to swing his feet back and forth again. One of his usual grins lit up his face, causing a smile to bloom on Zero's face.
"Zero?"
So I'm first.
"Yeah?"
"You said I remind you of the days you spent with Iris, right?"
"That's right."
"You told me that she was just 'someone you knew a long time ago'...but...the looks on your faces told me that she was more than just a passing stranger. Wanna tell me who she was?"
X looked at the Crimson Flame fearfully, knowing that the memories his dear friend had of Iris caused him a great deal of pain whenever they were brought to the surface. The astonishing Maverick Hunter closed his eyes, placed one hand on his hip, and sighed gently...his heart soaring through a sky of beauteous sunlight. "It's okay X. No need to worry." he told his dearest friend with a smile. His eyes were closed, but he could tell that Axl had a similar look on his face-the young one had no desire to stir up bad memories. Zero laughed at both of them kindly, appreciating their concern, and then he began the tale.
"She...was a very dear friend of mine. I met her before I became a Maverick Hunter. Everything that had between us seems like it occurred eons ago, but whenever I think about it, it feels like I just met her yesterday."
The Crimson Flame sat down next to Axl and continued. "Her brother was the Colonel of the Repliforce, which is now extinct. He shared a tight bond with me-the two of us were close companions for quite a while, even though we each had our own view on things. I met her the day I befriended the Colonel...and immediately fell in love with her. Luckily, she fell for me at the very same time, so things worked out. She loved to smile...she had a smile that made my heart melt every time it bloomed. She was just like a small rose-delicate...enchanting...and filled with the light of love. The two of us spent a great deal of time together-she loved being with me...and I loved being with her. Unfortunately...her life was cut short."
The sadness on Axl's face broke his heart. "What happened to her?"
"Well..."
Zero wiped his eyes, successfully restraining dewdrops that wanted to fall from them, and released a sigh. He thought about a response for a moment, and then gave one to his young friend with a bit of reluctance-the answer he was about to give held a fact he wasn't very proud of. "The Colonel and I fought against each other, and the fights we had didn't sit too well with her. He believed in this, I believed in that, he said this, I said that...and so we were forced to fight, and THAT was the end of THAT. Iris, in the end, decided to respect her brother's wishes, and so she too ended up fighting me. I was forced to defend myself...and...so...she died by my hands."
Zero's last words struck Axl's heart like a million arrows dipped in ice. A sharp gasp ripped itself from his throat...and his eyes filled with incalculable sorrow. His voice was a gentle, tender breeze of sympathy...
"I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have asked."
Zero's eyes flew open, and he passed a hard glare to the young Reploid. "I said it was all right, didn't I? You wanted to know, and so I told you. We're here to share, remember?"
"But...how do...how do I...remind you...of HER?"
"Simple. You've got an incredibly pure heart-one that's even more precious that every piece of gold on this Earth. Your smiles, your personality...everything about you says that you're as pure as the light of an angel. Whenever I see you, I think of her, and the times we shared together. I also think of the future, and what it'll bring. So the bottom line is: you've got a special light about your heart that draws individuals towards you. I bet X feels the same way."
X smiled at the young one warmly, confirming Zero's words. An unfathomable amount of happiness bloomed in Axl's eyes, and it caused his face to light up with the melody of ecstatic yet silent disbelief. Silence bloomed between the three of them for a few minutes...and that silence strengthened the bond the three of them shared with each other. The silence between them created a miracle...a miracle that would be forever remembered by all three of them, for all eternity...
It was the miracle of eternal love.
X's mind took a quick trip back in time...he thought of everything he had shared with the young Reploid named Axl...he thought of the promises his young friend made to him...and all of the emotions his heart had experience. Zero was absolutely right about Axl-the young one had a special light around his soul that caused everyone that came into contact with him to think of special memories...and it also caused wondrous emotions to rise to the surface. Evidently the young one had been completely clueless about that fact before Zero told him-the amount of shock on his face told both of the Hunters that. He broke the serene silence shyly, beaming with soft, tender affection.
"So...I really make you happy? I make both of you happy?"
Zero looked at the young one as if he had just asked for three green-chickens covered in brown algae, but X answered him happily, with vibrant eyes. "Of course!" he replied merrily. "Your bravery was the only thing that led me through that horrible nightmare! I was able to survive that entire ordeal because of the strength you gave me. My whole world was saved because of you-it's actually a lot better than it was because of you!"
When most people are engrossed in a heart-rending, sentimental movie, their eyes are lit with an extremely high amount of tears, and the smiles on their faces are sweeter than a river of crystallized sugar. That kind of smile lit up the face of the young Reploid. With his eyes glimmering like the mist of ocean water, he embraced both of his dear friends, wanting to explode because of the emotions flowing through his heart. X accepted the embrace with an equal amount of passion-it was like hugging a joyous puppy after a long day of work. Zero also accepted the embrace with an equal amount of passion, but his acceptance gave him the appearance of a tenderhearted, proud father...
"How did the two of you meet each other?" the young Tiger asked his friends after a long period of silence. Zero's eyes widened at the question, but a moment later, he turned away from Axl with folded arms. Confusion entered the eyes of the young Reploid, but X knew why Zero had given him such a response-the Crimson Flame didn't want to go into a long, long story...and the story of how he met X was pretty long. He knew X had the ability to shorten it, and so that was why the baton was passed to him. The legendary Maverick Hunter placed an arm behind his head, laughing warmly.
"Heh heh...to make a long story short...Zero ran into me during one of his excursions and saved my life. Our first meeting occurred while he was battling the Colonel of the Repliforce. Later on he saved my life again...and he joined us here at the Maverick Hunter base."
"Zero...did you have that virus...back then?"
"Axl, that virus was BUILT into my systems. I was BORN with that in me. And YOU removed it."
"Whoa...I'm glad I did too...I'm glad you're okay now..."
The young Reploid looked at Megaman X, his eyes shining with the light of curiosity. "X, what was your past like?"
"Ah-"
The Maverick Hunter's heart dropped about twenty miles, and so he ended up cutting off his own sentence. His eyes became filled with uneasiness...it was as if he couldn't share the memories of his past...because thinking of the past caused him too much pain. And his past was also a very, very long story...
"I...I...don't really know where to begin...I..."
"He was known as both 'Rock'and 'Mega Man' in his previous life. I'm sure you've heard of him-he was the first Reploid Dr.Light brought to life."
Axl's eyes fell onto the Crimson Flame, filled with firm, steadfast affection. X looked over at Zero, thankful for the support. Zero acknowledged the look with a wink, and continued.
"He had a family-a young sister named Roll, a dog named Rush, his brother Proto Man, and of course, his father, Dr. Thomas Light. He battled against Dr.Wily and his fiends for several years...but the battles they shared with each other can't really be described as battles, since the plans Wily created were perfectly harmless, and they really didn't do anything but play around with each other. That peace went on, until Dr. Light became ill, and Wily began to emerge from the shadows with his true colors. When the world of peace began to fall apart, Dr.Light sealed Rock within a capsule so he could live on to fight for Earth...as Mega Man X. Dr.Cain discovered the capsule...and found a new companion. He worked as Cain's assistant for about a week...BUT he became BORED so he became a Maverick Hunter."
Zero's last statement caused X's face to fall-he wasn't expecting the Crimson Flame to end the story on such a pale note. The blue Hunter's eyes widened in playful, gentle anger, and his voice became the voice of a vividly angry school-teacher. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT! How could you put it like that! I WAS LONELY!"
"Yeah yeah yeah...Axl gets it." Zero sighed gently, sounding as if he had just been forced to repeat the smallest grocery list a thousand times. X growled at his dearest friend, his eyes radiant with infinite, eternal promises...
I'm glad you're back.
"Axl...are you ready...to say good-bye?" the blue Hunter asked the young one a moment later, his eyes filled with tender concern once again. For a second, Axl was confused by the question, but then...his eyes welled up with tears...and the warmest smile fell onto his face...
"Yeah. I'm ready, thanks to the two of you. I know that the two of you will be with me if I need you. So, thank you. Both of you."
"Listen."
Zero rose from his seat and looked at both of his friends, his eyes filled with the blazing fires of eternal devotion...the living, breathing phenomenon had the appearance of a soldier that was preparing to pledge eternal allegiance to a ruler...because of his eyes...and the smile on his face. He had the appearance of a warrior honoring a general...a general he was ready to follow into death...
"Before I fall asleep, let me say this. Axl, I, Zero, Captain of the Special Zero Unit, pledge undying devotion and loyalty to you. I shall protect you with my life to honor this pledge, and I promise to stand by you until the end of time. If you ever need me for ANYTHING, ANYTHING AT ALL, just let me know, and I'll do everything I can to satisfy your request. X, I apologize for leaving you behind not once but TWICE-I hope you can forgive me for the pain I've put you through."
The magnificent Hunter's apology surprised the legendary X. A small gasp tore itself from his mouth, but then his eyes became softer than the smoothest river of buttermilk...
"Zero, it's okay. Everything's fine now, that's all that matters."
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, good night."
Those were the last words he said to either one of them. The Crimson Flame walked out of the observatory, once again proving that he was the quintessence of perfection. He was like a lone ranger, walking off into the night...
"He's just too cool for words, isn't he?"
Axl shrugged as if nothing important had occurred. "Yep. He doesn't really hesitate on anything either."
A second later the young one's eyes widened.
"Wait a minute. I'm supposed to be his roommate!"
"You'd better hurry, or you'll end up in your own dorm tonight."
Like a young child racing after his biggest brother, Axl shot up from his place and ran off after the Crimson Flame, leaving behind a silent...happy...Maverick Hunter. X closed his eyes and kept them closed for a few minutes, thinking...and then these words left his mouth...
"Thanks...Dad. For...everything."
Ten minutes later, Mega Man X left the observatory...with this thought on his mind.
I'm the luckiest guy alive.—
Review response time.
Uzu-Chan: YOU DROPPED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME YOU JUST FORGOT? THAT WAS IT? WHO CARES! AS LONG AS YOU'RE ALL RIGHT-THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS! SHEESH...i just hope you can catch up, though...should I slow down? (hugs)
Khilai: Thank you. (bows) I can't thank you enough for giving Axl a friend-Zero! Our Zeroes are pretty cool. Thank you so much. As for my descriptions, look at yours for a VERY LONG TIME...and see if you can still say the same thing. please don't make zero die...and you're still the Queen of Writers.
(Dante: If she kills Zero I'll slap her silly...
Jak from Jak3: Shut up...it's 'fan mail' time...)
MyGBAcanTalk: Hi! Good to see you! Would you REALLY like to see a sequel to this? I do have an X8 adaptation all planned out...but what do you think? Do you wanna see an X4, X5 or X6 adaptation, or should I just run to the drawing board and think of a sequel to 'Strings of Fate'? I don't know about the chicken thing though...
Star Ninja: You're very welcome! I wish I could have friends like these too. Maybe someday I will.
