Author's Note: I do not own Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero, or Sword Art Online all rights to their respective companies. Relationship building time ladies and gents.
Chapter 2: Maverick Hunters
It's been two months since Zero and Asuna entered the second floor and they have both been wandering the second floor looking for any Maverick posing a threat to the players.
During their Maverick search the two not only have become closer to one another but have also been honing their skills with one another to be more in sync. Zero even told her what he really was and from where he came from and how old he really was, and surprisingly she took very well, in fact even saying how cool it was to have an almost 300 year old badass fighting cyborg hunter as her partner.
Right now however Asuna was in a raid with a raid group dealing with a pretty big maverick who she was holding its fist back with her rapier.
The area was on a cliff that was next to a waterfall as Asuna and the raid group has been dealing as much damage as they could, however she and the raid group hadn't even brought down a single bar of the Maverick's health. That and Zero wasn't with her since she did go to this raid without telling Zero she would go, as she didn't want to "rely" on Zero all the time and take down an A Class Maverick by herself. The maverick then proceeded to add more power into its punch which caused Asuna's rapier to snap.
The punch also caused her and the rest of the raid group to be pushed back, causing their health to be dangerously low.
Asuna got on her knees just in time to see the Maverick reeling it's fist back for another punch.
(Music Recommendation: Mega Man X3 Zero Theme)
However as it was about to throw it's punch, Zero came out of the waterfall and cut the Maverick's arm clean off before landing in front of Asuna.
"If there's anything I hate more than a maverick, it is a maverick who dares hurt the people I love and care about!" Zero said with a dark tone.
'Did he just confess his love for me?!' Asuna thought as she began to blush a deep shade of red as she looked at Zero.
The Maverick then went for another punch but Zero just climbed onto it's arm and while running up it's arm he began to do rapid slashes at the Mavericks arm while running up it's arm.
Zero then deflects with ease it's blaster fire and proceeds to jump on the Maverick's head before stabbing his saber into its head. Zero then ran down the maverick's body cutting it clean in half. He then sheathes his saber as the Maverick proceeds to explode.
(Music Ends)
Asuna then proceeds to hug Zero while smiling as he had saved her yet again.
However, Zero did not share the same emotion as he'd usually hug back.
When Asuna looked up she saw Zero giving her a very stern glare which made her smile nervously.
"We're heading back to the inn now." Zero said the last part in the stern and dark tone.
Floor 2 Inn
Zero was walking back and forth trying to understand why Asuna did what she did, while Asuna just looked down having a look full of guilt.
"So let me guess this straight. You went on a dangerous A Class Maverick hunting raid by yourself behind my back! Do you have any idea what would have happened to you if I didn't arrive in the nick of time?! You could have died on that raid you know that?!" Zero said as he scolded Asuna as she continued to look down.
"I-I just wanted to prove to you that I could handle Mavericks by myself and that I don't need to rely on you all the time." Asuna said as she looked up to see Zero glaring at her before he sighs.
"*sighs* You don't have to prove anything to me because I know you can take care of yourself. The only person you have something to prove to is yourself. But still what you did was both reckless and stupid. You're not ready to take care of an A Class Maverick." Zero says as Asuna looks at Zero as he sits next to her.
"I just don't know what I would do if I lose another person as important as you are to me." Zero said as he remembered Iris and all the people he lost. This caused Asuna to blush before she smiled.
"You don't have to worry about me because I'll always be by your side no matter what, and I promise you that I will live and that I won't die no matter what happens to me." Asuna said with a smile as she hugs Zero's head and begins to softly brush his hair.
The two stayed like this for a moment until Zero got up and went to a box and pulled out a hilt and proceeded to walk towards Asuna.
"Well if you're going to be an official Maverick Hunter then you're going to need a weapon that can cut clearly through them." Zero says as he hands the hilt to Asuna who examines the hilt for a while before seeing how it was shaped like a rapier.
She then flicks the switch on it and sees a yellow beam come out of it that resembled a rapier.
"How did you get this?" Asuna asked a bit surprised to see that there is another saber weapon besides the ones Zero has.
"I got it after completing a raid mission." Zero said as Asuna continues to examine the blade.
Flashback Floor 2 Cave
Zero was just finished dealing with a raid boss by himself without even breaking a sweat.
However as he was about to leave, he saw a chest appear in front of him. As he goes to the chest a cyber elf appears in front of him.
"Long time no see Zero." The cyber elf says as Zero recognized the voice.
"T-that voice it can't be." Zero says in shock as the cyber elf turned out to be Elpizo.
"I'm glad X was able to save you from Ragnarok's destruction. I'm also glad to see you finally have a partner after so long of fighting by yourself." Elpizo said as Zero saw he wasn't a threat.
"Yeah she's an amazing partner." Zero says with a smile as Elpizo smiles.
"I see as well I came here to leave you something that will help her fight Mavericks better." Elpizo says as he moves to the side to let Zero open the box, which he does and is shocked to see what's inside the box.
He picks up the hilt and turns it on to reveal a yellow beam coming out of it.
"You're giving her you're rapier?" Zero asked as Elpizo just nodded.
"It's no use to me so I thought why not give it to her since she is not only your partner but I also see how much of an expert she is with it." Elpizo says as Zero turned off the rapier and put it back in the box.
"Thank you Elpizo." Zero says as Elpizo smiles before he begins to disappear.
"Protect this world Zero. Don't let it go to shit like our world did." Elpizo says before he finally disappears.
"I will." Zero says as he takes the box and leaves the cave.
Flashback Ends
Present Time
Asuna continued to examine the saber until Zero began to talk again.
"So consider this as your official Maverick Hunter weapon." Zero says as Asuna looks at him shocked.
"You're giving this to me?" Asuna asked a bit shocked.
"You're a Maverick Hunter and every Maverick Hunter needs a weapon that defines them." Zero said as Asuna began to form tears in her eyes before hugging Zero.
"Thank you so much Zero." Asuna says as Zero hugged her back and smiled.
One Month Later
Zero has taught Asuna everything there is too know in order to handle not only a saber, but also a rapier since Zero is an expert in all forms of sword fighting, spear fighting, hand to hand combat, and you guys already know that he is in an expert with anything that has to do with a weapon.
Right now the two were heading to the floor two boss room where they will face the second floor boss.
As they made their way through the dungeon they dealt with a couple Mavericks here and there, until they made it to the entrance of the boss room.
Once they got there they saw a raid group which was pretty normal, but what surprised them was that Kirito was there and was part of a guild nonetheless.
Zero and Asuna decided to go and say hi to their old party member as they hadn't seen him since the floor one boss.
"Well. Well. Well. It looks like you actually got yourself inside of a guild." Zero said as Kirito looked behind and smiled.
"Zero. Asuna. How have you two been?" Kirito asked with a smile as Zero and Asun smiled.
"We've been doing great. Zero has taught me a lot on how to hone my rapier fighting style since the last time we teamed up." Asuna said with a smile.
"And Asuna here has taught me a lot on how to hone my almost non existent cooking skills which are now starting to shine thanks to my wonderful partner and teacher." Zero said with a smile as Asuna blushed a deep shade of red.
"I-I-I'm not t-t-that good." Asuna said in a shy tone as Zero raised a brow.
"What do you mean you're not that good? Your food is the best I've had in my entire life." Zero said as Asuna turned a deeper shade of red.
She quickly got out of it when Kirito's guild approached them (A/N: You already know who they are. Also Sachi dies in this story sorry to the Sachi fans but I already kept her alive in my other story. Also this will play a role in my future plans for Kirito).
After they chatted a bit with Kirito's guild the door for the boss room opened signaling it was time for the boss fight.
As Zero and Asuna made their way to the front they see how they are in a lava factory type of room.
Just then a bright light came down which soon died down to reveal a Phoenix looking maverick (A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen behold my most hated boss in the whole entire Zero series).
"Magnum Phoenix." Zero said with venom in his voice as he remembered the Phoenix and how he used his memories to try and psychologically torture Zero which almost worked if Zero didn't found out it was all an illusion.
"If it isn't Zero. I still remember what you did to me back at the factory. Oh it looks like you now have a partner how nice, now you can watch me tear her down limb by limb." Magnum Phoenix said as he expanded its wings.
(Music Recommendation: Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection - Reboot)
Zero and Asuna then ignite their sabers and prepare to battle against Magnum Phoenix.
Magnum Phoenix charges at Zero and Asuna who charge as well. The moment they clashed a shockwave was created by the amount of power they were putting into their blows.
Magnum Phoenix then pulls back from his clash and proceeds to turn himself into a burning spiral to then launch himself at Zero and Asuna.
The two simply dodge the attack by rolling out of the way.
"Asuna!" Zero called out as Asuna turned her attention to Zero.
"Catch!" Zero said as he threw the lightning chip to Asuna who caught it and inserted it into her saber.
Zero also got out his lightning chip and inserted it into his saber ready to battle against Magnum Phoenix.
Magnum Phoenix then appears in between Zero and Asuna which the two see and proceed to do a downward slash at Maverick who simply teleports away.
Just then multiple images of Magnum Phoenix appear all around Zero and Asuna. Asuna was very confused not knowing which was the real Magnum Phoenix.
"Which one is the real one?" Asuna asked as Zero knew exactly which was the real Magnum Phoenix.
Zero then got out his Chain Rod and caught the real Magnum Phoenix and pulled him down to the ground.
Magnum Phoenix of course teleports away before appearing above Zero and Asuna and charging his wings before releasing energy spears that went everywhere.
Zero and Asuna dodged it without a problem as did some players like Kirito and his guild. However, some players weren't so lucky and got hit.
Zero and Asuna knew they had to deal with this Maverick fast and so they went back into the offensive dealing a couple good hits on the Magnum Phoenix.
Magnum Phoenix then teleports away and appears above Zero and grabs him lifting him up.
Just then multiple blue portals start to open up and multiple holograms Zero's old enemies start to attack Zero.
But before the Colonel hologram could attack Zero, Asuna leaps up and charges her saber and cuts Magnum Phoenix in half which causes him to drop Zero.
Magnum Phoenix then blows up while letting out one final scream of pain.
(Music Ends)
Asuna then rushed over where Zero was, who had his eyes closed and was laying down on the ground.
"Zero! Zero! Come on get up! Get up, that's an order Maverick Hunter!" Asuna said while shaking Zero's shoulders, but Zero still had his eyes closed.
"Zero..." Asuna said as she started to tear up and lay her head on Zero's stomach as the rest of the players looked at the scene with sadness.
"*cough* *cough* Last time I checked you weren't my superior. You're my partner." Zero said as he sat up while holding his left arm (A/N: Zero is left handed if you need to know).
"Zero!" Asuna shouted as she hugged him while burying her face into Zero's chest.
"Easy there Asuna. I'm still hurt you know." Zero grunted as he then noticed Asuna crying.
"Don't ever do something like that again you hear me?" Asuna said as she looked up and made eye contact with Zero who had a surprised look on his face but then smiled before hugging her back.
"I promise. My auto repair systems were just taking a bit of extra time working on repairing me." Zero said as Asuna stopped crying and looked up at Zero.
"*cough* *cough* If you two want to continue this be my guest but I suggest you do it somewhere private cause everyone is looking at you." Kirito said as Zero and Asuna finally noticed how all in the player in the room had their attention fixated on them.
"Yeah we should probably get going before the bombardment of questions begins." Zero says as Asuna had a big noticeable blush on her face.
Three Days Later
After Zero and Asuna activated the portal to the third floor they saw how the Third floor had to be the darkest of all the floor since they were basically in the remains of a ruined futuristic city that looked exactly like Neo Arcadia.
'That tower. This place. It all looks exactly like Neo Arcadia.' Zero thought when he first saw the tower and the destroyed Neo Arcadia.
However there were designated underground parts of the city that had inns, markets, and restaurants but not as nice as the ones in the previous floors since they were in a destroyed city.
Currently at the moment Zero and Asuna were in an inn checking their weapons from any damage after dealing with a Rogue Mekalanoid that was killing players unlucky enough to cross it.
"My Z Saber's systems all seem to be in check. How's your A Saber (A/N: Asuna's Saber) Asuna?" Zero asked as he finished checking and his Z Saber.
"My A Saber's system seems to be all in check. I guess everything seems to be alright." Asuna said as she finished checking her A Saber.
"Alright rest up since tomorrow we're going to have to go on a raid, and seeing how this floor is basically a destroyed futuristic city, I bet there is going to be a Maverick boss." Zero said as Asuna nodded and headed to bed as Zero did the same.
Later that Night
"NOOO!" Zero heard as he was awoken by Asuna screaming from her room.
Zero rushes to her room and sees how she was tossing and turning all around while screaming and crying.
Zero goes to her and proceeds to hug her trying to calm her down.
"Hey. Hey. It's okay. It's okay. Shh. Shh. I'm here. I'm here." Zero said in a calming tone while hugging Asuna who calmed down.
Asuna opens her eyes, looks at Zero and cries into his chest while Zero still hugs her.
"I-I'm sorry I woke you up *sniff*. I *sniff* had a terrible nightmare." Asuna said as she stopped crying.
"Hey it's okay we all have nightmares once and awhile. You don't have to apologize." Zero says as he sees how Asuna calmed down and was beginning to get up until Asuna tightened her grip on Zero, thus stopping him from getting up.
"Can you please sleep with me for the night. I don't want you to leave me." Asuna said with a noticeable blush.
Zero also had a pretty noticeable blush but he knew that Asuna needed this.
"Sure I will Asuna. I will sleep with you tonight." Zero said as Asuna smiled and laid down.
'God what am I doing?' Zero thought as he laid next to Asuna who was now sound asleep.
'She looks so adorable when she sleeps.' Zero thought as he continued to look at Asuna sleeping.
Then Zero saw Asuna did something that completely shocked him.
Asuna cuddled into Zero.
Zero was at first shocked at what was happening until he relaxed and joined Asuna as he cuddled with her.
'I promise you Asuna that as long as I live I will protect you no matter what.' Zero thought as he
looked at Asuna before he smiled and fell asleep with Asuna.
The Next Day Raid
After Zero made some breakfast for him and Asuna, the two went to the raid with Zero wearing his desert cloak.
The two made it through the boss raid room and saw a player who was leading a pretty big raid group. When the player saw Zero and Asuna he looked at them intrigued as he heard about the Maverick Hunter duo before but never saw them in action.
Once they entered the boss room they heard metallic footsteps coming their way.
"Well. Well. Well. It is so nice to see an old friend am I right... Zero?" The voice said as Zero immediately recognized that voice.
"I-it can't be." Zero said as the figure came out of the shadows.
"Vile!" Zero said as Vile appeared in front of him sporting a new body as well.
"You look great Zero. As you can see I also got a new look as well. I got to say this new body is much more stylish and flexible than the old bulky ones." Vile said as Zero and Asuna had their hands on their sabers.
"Oh it looks like you got a new partner. A human partner ehh? Really a filthy human not an advanced Reploid like X or Axl?" Vile asked as Zero pointed his Z Saber at Vile
"You better shut up right now because she is more than capable of handling herself." Zero said as Vile chuckled.
"Really then let her prove it. Come on hazelnuts show me what you got." Vile said as Zero was about to interject until Asuna walked up in front of Zero and stared Vile down.
"Asuna what are you doing?" Zero asked as Asuna just stared Vile down.
"Stand back Zero I'll handle this." Asuna said as Vile just smiled.
"She's right let her handle the fight. Once I'm done with her it'll be your turn Zero." Vile said as he got into his combat position.
Asuna unsheathed her A Saber and got into her combat position.
(Music Recommendation: Mega Man X Corrupted - Opening New Version)
Asuna and Vile begin their little battle as Vile jumps up and shoots down fire tornadoes at Asuna who dodged them with ease and went to Attack Vile with her A Saber.
However once she got close enough Vile got out a Saber Knife and blocks it.
"Very impressive. I can see now why Zero chose you as his partner. However, you're still just a filthy human!" Vile said as he tried to knee Asuna who blocked it with her palm to then later kick him dealing a good amount of damage to him as he skidded a few feet back before he recomposed himself.
"You know if you weren't a filthy human then I would have just ended up asking you out on a date." Vile said with a chuckle.
"In your dreams psycho." Asuna said with a smirk as she and Vile clashed again.
The two then clashed a couple times with Vile shooting from his canon a couple times as it was pretty hard for Asuna to dodge with her getting hit a couple times.
The two then begin a saber clash as the two interlocked their blades.
Vile was slowly overwhelming Asuna until Asuna kicked his knee causing him to lose his balance before Asuna did a downward slash at Vile who dodged it, but at the price of his canon.
"You little fucking bitch! Do you know how long that is going to take in order to repai-'' But Vile couldn't finish as he saw how Asuna had her back facing him with her A Saber plunged into his stomach.
"HAAAAAAAAAA!" Asuna screamed as she changed the position her hands were on the saber before doing an upward slash cutting Vile in half.
"Heh Heh. Guess humans aren't so bad at fighting after all." Vile said before blowing as Asuna slowly sheated her saber.
(Music Ends)
After that Zero went up to her patted her on the shoulder and said, "You did great out there. Seems like my training has been paying off."
Asuna blushed and smiled before saying, "All thanks to my teacher."
"Explendid work Ms. Asuna." The player from the entrance said as he approached the two Maverick Hunters.
"Who the hell are you?" Zero asked as the man just smiled.
"I am Commander Heathcliff of the Knights of the Blood. Mr. Zero if you wouldn't mind I would like to talk to your partner for a moment." Heathcliff said as Zero shrugged and left the two talking.
After Asuna came back Zero asked while the two were heading out of the raid, "So what did he tell you?"
"He wanted me to join his guild and be vice commander. I declined, but he told me the offer stands." Asuna said as the two headed out.
Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long. Word Count: 4,004.