Disclaimer: I do not own Megami Kouhosei nor any of the characters featured there. I just borrow them for my personal recreation and, hopefully, yours.

Notes: This is a series of short/long drabbles and not an ongoing fanfiction per se. There will be 6 or 8 of them, all featuring one or more familiar characters. Mainly, they're a possible take on the future of the series and not necessarily what I really believe that will happen. Read with an open mind and I hope you enjoy it!

Pairings: Just the slightest hint of Zero/Erts. That's shounen-ai, in case anyone's bothered.

Random stuff: Again, I had to make some un-canon assumptions regarding the spirits within the Goddesses and what they could or could not do. Also, I'm second-guessing about Erts' telepathy, so bear with me.

·Telepathic interaction is marked «like this». Apologies to the readers that got to it before I realized that the chapter had been a bit screwed up on the upload.

­­»Little Fire, am very glad you approve of my efforts to follow some sense of canon! And don't worry, I'll repeat after you: "Hiead loves no one." Also, you're right about the normal clothes thing. I guess I was just trying to make a point and forgot that no one in their right mind would wear a uniform all the time... Ah well.

Erts and Zero

"Give me your hand, Erts!"

They were sitting under the cooling shade of the great three that grew in the observatory. Erts Cocteau eyed Zero warily, slightly taken aback by his friend's abruptness, but he offered the other Pilot his hand. "Erm, what for, Zero?"

"I want to show you something, in your mind, ya know? I really can't explain it with words," Zero grinned at Erts, but his eyes were serious. He took the proffered hand in his own and stared down at the other Pilot's palm. "Do I have to do something else?"

Erts shifted where he sat, acutely aware of the presence of every other person sitting nearby or passing by on the higher levels, probably because of the fact that the current Pilot of Eeva Leena was sitting across him, holding his hand and grinning hugely.

"No," Erts managed a comforting smile, "whatever you want to show me now, picture it in your mind and I will see it."

Zero seemed pleased. He leaned back on the tree trunk and closed his eyes, interlacing his fingers with Erts's and relaxing visibly.

Erts closed his eyes too and tuned out every other sensations he could pick up, either from the people around them or himself; he focused on Zero's mind: the bright, pulsating wavelength that Erts identified with Zero's psyche and he followed Zero wherever he intended to take him.

In his mind's eye, Erts saw a darkened, blue-tinged place that gave off the impression of having no floor and no walls: it was akin to being in space, but… Erts couldn't categorize it, until he perceived a distinct form just a few paces from his point of view. The figure turned around and suddenly it was Zero standing there, beckoning Erts to move closer and Erts did, feeling more and more like he ought to have known where they were.

The white in Zero's Pilot uniform gave off a hint of blue light as he started walking forward and his skin seemed tinted as well; gradually Erts came to the realization that there was only one place they could be: the core of Eeva Leena. With a thrill, Erts realized that Zero was showing him something so very intimate that couldn't, in fact, be put into words.

Yet, this was not all Zero had in mind. He was walking somewhere with clear purpose. Erts decided not to wait.

­«Zero, where are we going?» he asked, silently. Speaking in there seemed utterly out of place.

There was no reply, but the brown-haired boy came to a sudden stop, there in the middle of nowhere and rose his right hand into the air –was it air or immersion gel?- and splayed his fingers before him. As if he had spoken a clear command, their surroundings began to change, swirl, morph into real of forms of many different things.

Erts was at loss again. He blinked several times, adjusting to a source of light that he couldn't identify; when his eyes opened again, he and Zero were standing in the middle of a meadow of green grass under a very clear sky. There was a tree nearby and birds flew overhead. There seemed to be no limit to the sky, the breeze was scented –enough oxygen in it to make one feel dizzy- and exuberant flora around them swayed softly in it.

«Do you like it?» Zero's voice in Erts' mind came, crystal clear.

Erts turned round eyes on the older boy. Sunlight fell over them both and Erts felt strongly like smiling, –grinning, actually- something he hadn't felt like doing in a long time.

«It is beautiful,» he said, knowing that such a simple word could not describe what he was feeling at the moment. «But it can't be your colony, can it?»

Zero shook his head and looked around before replying. «It's Zion. As Erya sees it.»

«Erya?»

«Eeva Leena's spirit. Have I never told you about her? She showed all of this to me when I first entered her as her Pilot.» Zero spread his arms and spun around, high-spirited.

Erts' eyes widened in surprise as he processed this information. He knew of course that there was an actual spirit inside each of the Goddesses, having felt Reneighd Klein's own embracing him when he was in battle –aiding him, guiding him, holding him- but he had always thought that it was too much of a personal subject to discuss with anyone. But then, Zero was like that: open and free with everyone. Erts reminded himself that that was one of the reasons why Zero didn't fear him or draw away from him, the telepath boy.

Erts watched now as Zero whirled -danced?- around, revelling on the cool wind and the warm light. The younger boy found himself wishing –for the umpteenth time— that the war would be over soon. However, Zion had never seemed less of a dream and more of a tangible reality than now. He silently thanked Eeva Leena for this gift she had given Zero and he wanted to thank Zero himself, for sharing it with him, but he wanted to say the words. So, the telepathist withdrew himself from Zero's mind imagery and opened his corporeal eyes to find himself sitting under the tall tree of the observatory.

He observed Zero for a moment, before the other boy opened his eyes. It was an odd sight, that of a relaxed Zero. The new Pilot of Eeva Leena normally was the epitome of energetic. Erts supposed his friend now looked exactly as he did while he slept.

At last, Zero opened his eyes and focused them entirely on Erts. The blond boy squirmed a bit under the penetrating blue gaze, but spoke steadily.

"Thank you for showing that to me, Zero, it did me good. Zion seems a bit closer now," he said, a small smile forming on his lips.

Zero reciprocated it with a broad grin as he leaned back on the tree trunk, his eyelids drooping slightly. "Yeah, it really does. Wish I could show it to Kizna, though."

At that, Erts was suddenly reminded of their still joined hands and decided to give a tentative tug at his, attempting to free it from Zero's grasp. For some strange reason, Zero's fingers just curled tighter around Erts'.

At a loss for what to do, Erts just sat there, head bowed, feeling his bangs get annoyingly into his eyes and hoping to all the five Goddesses that neither feeling nor thought could get past his mental blockade and reach Zero.

"This is alright with you, isn't it, Erts?" The dark-haired Pilot asked, shattering the silence.

"What is?"

"This!" Zero suddenly sprang to life, shaking their linked hands under Erts' stunned face. "Us!"

"Us?" Erts felt his insides jolt at the sight of Zero's unrepentant and open expression.

"Yeah," Zero started, unfazed and oblivious to Erts' uneasiness. "You're one of my best friends, Erts, but not like Kizna is my best friend," he said, matter-of-factly and with much wriggling of eyebrows.

Erts simply gaped at him, momentarily forgetting to block their connection. Never had he made a sweeter mistake; during the brief fraction of time on which their minds touched, many things were made clear to both boys. No drastic changes were looming on the horizon of their friendship, but rather a long stretch of promises, green and sunlit as Zion.

"Yes, Zero. This is alright."

Comments, criticism and flames welcome.