Chapter 8: Triangles aren't fun
Zero isn't going to have any fun with this chapter at all...
The next morning Lilly awoke to find Zero was no longer on the couch. She peered around the room to find he had left a note saying that Leon had stopped by and he was out with him. Lilly sighed and exited the room and went down the stairs to be met by Kino.
"Hey Lilly!" Kino called.
"Yea," Lilly replied turning to face him.
"There's… Something I want… I want to tell you…" Kino muttered.
"About what?" Lilly asked.
"Well… I… I…" Kino stuttered blushing wildly.
"What?" Lilly asked again.
"Lilly I love you," Kino blurted out. Lilly was stunned by this confession; she had known that Kino liked her as a friend but not love.
"Kino…" Lilly said receiving a hug from him.
"Lilly… I love you," Kino repeated.
"Kino I… I don't know what to say…" Lilly stalled.
"You don't have to answer now I just had to get it off my chest," Kino explained.
And on to mine… Lilly thought. She broke the hug and sheepishly exited the base franticly looking for Zero. She found him talking to Max in front of Ein's house.
"Huh? Oh Hey Lilly," Zero called.
"Hi Lilly, I'm Zero's friend Max nice to meet you," Max smiled shaking her hand.
"Hey Zero can I talk to you…" Lilly asked.
"Yea sure. See you Max," Zero waved before following Lilly to the base and into Zero's private room. "What's the matter Lilly?" Zero asked.
"Kino just told me something," Lilly muttered.
"What?" Zero asked.
"He told me that he loves me," Lilly replied.
"What did you tell him?" Zero asked.
"That I needed to think about it but Zero…" Lilly said desperately.
"What?" Zero asked figuring very well what Lilly was going to say.
"I love you Zero," She replied nearly bursting into tears and burring her head in Zero's chest, the side that isn't metal.
"I… love you too Lilly, which is something I haven't said in a long time," Zero expressed.
"What am I going to do Zero I mean Kino is my friend and I don't want to break his heart," Lilly explained.
"I know… In all my years I have never dealt with anything like this so I'm not really the best person to ask Lilly," Zero explained.
"Who else could I ask?" Lilly asked.
"I don't know Lilly but I know that you should follow your heart, it will tell you what to do," Zero said.
"But Zero my heart is telling me to be with you," Lilly explained.
"I think you should talk to Kino and tell him the truth," Zero said.
"Alright…" Lilly said. She walked out of the room and into the hallway. She knocked on Kino's door and was greeted instantly.
"Lilly!" Kino said inviting her into his room.
"Kino I thought about what you said and I…" Lilly started.
"Lilly…" Kino muttered.
"I don't want you to take this the wrong way or that we still can't still be friends but I love someone else," Lilly explained. Kino's spirit was almost instantly broken.
"W… Who…" Kino said dejected.
"Kino… I'm so sorry," Lilly said reaching to him.
"No. It's alright… I- I mean its your choice but I just thought…" Kino continued.
"Kino…" Lilly started but Kino turned around and walked out of the room. She walked out of Kino's room and back up to Zero's where he was standing outside the door.
"How did he take it?" Zero asked.
"Badly… He ran off," Lilly answered.
"Do you want to go after him," Zero asked.
"No," Lilly answered, "Zero, Thank you. I love you Zero," Lilly said drifting closer and closer to him until they kissed, the first time for Lilly. Zero broke to speak,
"Lilly…" Zero murmured.
"What is it Zero?" Lilly asked.
"Did you tell Kino that its me?" Zero asked.
"No he ran off before I could," Lilly answered, "I should probably go find him." Lilly explained exiting the room.
"Knowing my luck he'll find me first..." Zero mumbled exiting as well. Lilly made her way to Serene's house while Zero stayed around the base.
"Hey Zero," Kino sheepishly called still depressed.
"Knew it," Zero laughed.
"What?" Kino asked
"Nothing, now what is it," Zero asked.
"Well… There's this girl I like but she told me she loved someone else, do you have any idea what I should do?" Kino asked. Zero remained silent. "Well?"
"I think you should go find this girl and talk to her, she might be looking for you," Zero answered carefully.
"Alright… Thanks Zero," Kino waved rushing in the direction of Serene's house.
"Well I've certainly found my self in a mess…" Zero muttered. Kino met Lilly half way to Serene's house.
"Lilly!" Kino shouted getting her attention.
"Kino! I was looking for you. I need to talk to you," Lilly explained.
"Me too," Kino said.
"Look Kino… The person I love is Zero," Lilly blurted out.
"Z-Zero!" Kino shouted.
"What?" Lilly asked.
"Nothing…" Kino said angrily.
"Kino…" Lilly muttered, "What did you have to say?"
"Nothing… I have to go," Kino said storming off. Elsewhere…
"Just one mess after another huh?" Zero muttered to himself.
"What's the deal? Chris asked.
"Nothing," Zero muttered.
"You can't fool me, Z" Chris smiled.
"Yea but I can threaten you," Zero growled.
"Good point," Chris laughed.
"I haven't seen you around much," Zero muttered.
"Yea I've been busy helping Ein train," Chris explained.
"I haven't had much time for training as of late," Zero sighed.
"We'll live," Chris continued.
"Zero!" Kino shouted, "Something's wrong in the grove of response!" Kino shouted.
"What!?! Let's go!" Zero shouted following Kino,
"I'll be seeing you!" Chris waved.
"Coward!" Zero shouted. When they arrived at the Grove Zero started to look around but after about a minute of looking, "There's nothing here," Zero stated looking at Kino.
"Nothing yet," Kino smiled.
"Huh," Zero shouted.
"Behind you!" An evil voice shouted.
"Oh its only you Omega," Zero said drawing his blade.
"Only?" Omega asked. Zero didn't have any time to react; he was skewered through the head by a sword damaging his left eye.
"GYAAAHHHH! Damn it!" Zero shouted ripping his eye patch off.
"Like I said I'm not alone, your friend Kino here sold you out," Omega laughed as Zero removed the sword from his head. Kino remained silent. (Zero is really durable it takes a lot to kill him)
"Sold me out or not your still Lilly's friend and I won't kill you," Zero shouted.
"Wait what?" Omega shouted.
"You're the only one I'll be killing," Zero shouted
"Coming from a man with only one eye," Omega laughed charging and slashing Zero across the chest.
"Idiot! I always have one eye! Excalibur! Senki Senbonzo," Zero shouted making his sword glow a brilliant white light.
"Uh oh," Omega cowered.
"Be gone!" Zero shouted sending a massive shockwave towards Omega destroying his body fairly quickly.
"I will return!" Omega shouted weakly before disappearing.
"That takes-" Zero said being skewered again this time through the neck.
"…" Kino remained silent but had his sword ready. Zero's vocal cords had been pierced rendering Zero speechless literally. Kino continued to take slashes at Zero until some help arrived.
"Zero!" Leon shouted.
"Kino! What the hell!" Serene shouted.
"Leave!" Kino shouted pointing his blade at them. "Oof!" Kino fell to the ground unconscious because of the punch to the head Zero delivered.
"What the hell happened?" Leon shouted. Zero poured an elixir down his thought healing his injured neck.
"Kino set me up to die, oh and if I yell when I pour this on my eye don't laugh because this stuff really hurts," Zero explained pouring another elixir in his eye.
"Ow… What's Lilly going to say?" Leon asked.
"That she loves me!" Kino shouted slashing Zero and Leon across the chest.
"Issues," Leon murmured.
"Kino Stop!" Lilly shouted surprising the group.
"Lilly…" Kino called rushing towards her only to be slapped.
"How could you Kino!" She shouted.
"He was blinded by love," Zero explained. His left eye still hadn't healed completely.
"Zero are you alright," Lilly asked.
"Yea," Zero answered shifting his eye patch to his left eye instead of his right.
"All you care about is Zero! We've been friends forever and you pick this stranger over me!" Kino yelled.
"And you wonder why…" Serene snickered
"Quiet you!" Kino shouted taking a swipe at Serene but meeting Leon's blade instead.
"Touch her and you die," Leon threatened. Kino took his advice and backed off.
"But Lilly!" Kino started.
"No Kino the very fact that you'll work with Omega to get what you want means you're too selfish!" Lilly scolded.
"Lilly I'm not thinking! All I can think about is you!" Kino shouted.
"Of course you can think! You thought well enough to set an elaborate trap, nearly kill me, and almost lead darkness to victory over light!" Zero shouted angrily.
"Shut up Zero!" Kino yelled in rage
"That's enough Kino!" Lilly shouted in tears.
"L-Lilly…" Kino muttered before being slapped again.
"Kino…" Lilly started, "Right now I wouldn't care if I never saw you again!" With that Lilly stormed off.
"Lilly!" Zero shouted running after her. Kino only walked off in the opposite direction.
"Who should we follow?" Serene asked.
"Kino, Zero can take care of himself," Leon explained rushing after Kino.
"Lilly wait!" Zero called finally catching up to her.
"Why… Why would he do something so stupid?" Lilly cried latching onto Zero.
"Because he loves you Lilly, and so do I," Zero explained.
"Kino is one of my best friends, and he betrayed my trust like that," Lilly murmured.
"We should get you back to the base you've had a long day," Zero said guiding her towards their home. They arrived in on the base in short order but, Lilly had fallen asleep, by the time the couple had reached the hallway to Kino's room Kino was standing in front of his room.
"Is Lilly?" Kino asked desperately.
"She's alright, just sad and tired," Zero explained slightly on guard.
"I'm sorry Zero… I don't know what came over me," Kino said sighing.
"A broken heart always calls the darkness," Zero said.
"Thanks for not killing me Zero," Kino replied.
"If I had it would have broken Lilly's heart. She loves you as a friend but that's all. Unfortunately her trust is not as easily gained as mine," Zero continued.
"Thanks…" Kino said looking at the ground.
"Good night Kino," Zero announced walking up the stairs with the sleeping Lilly in his arms. Zero reached his room and placed Lilly down on the bed letting her sleep comfortably. Zero then went to the chair in front of the door and drifted to sleep as well.
Poor Zero and Lilly, and maybe Kino but I don't like him enough. Anyway R&R
Chapter 9 Scath
The group learns a terrible secret the General has been harboring