A/N: This chapter I rewrote somewhat to keep in X's perspective.

X stood, he sat, he paced- but he remained at Zero's side well into the evening. Dr. Cain returned only once to check on X, but left him alone soon after. As the hour grew late, Zero's eyes flickered erratically- a clear indication that his reserve battery neared total depletion. When X noticed it, he kneeled by Zero's feet. He slipped a hand into Zero's, and he rested his head along the lip of the capsule.

X felt heavy, and his cognition slowed. X widened his eyes, fighting his body. He knew his body required maintenance, but refused to allow a shutdown. Without a maintenance bed, he had little idea of when he might wake up. As Zero's life faded, did not want to miss his final moments because of something as mundane as his maintenance schedule. He looked up to Zero's face and squeezed his hand.

The light in Zero's eyes flickered again. Then suddenly, his irises flashed red. The red glow brightened.

With some alarm, X rose to his feet, unnerved by the change. But as quickly as its onset, the red glow then drained from Zero's eyes. The light dimmed and dimmed until it switched off to a dead black.

X relaxed, and donned a solemn expression.

"Goodbye, Zero," he said. He resumed his place next to Zero, resting his head once more against the capsule. He closed his eyes, forcing the tears there to roll down his cheeks. He felt his sensory interface go offline, and his consciousness faded soon after.

How long X took himself offline, he could not say. That fact mattered little, however, when his system performed an emergency restart and jolted him awake. He wondered if he malfunctioned- the chronic stress on his systems may have created some troublesome glitches. Then, his senses came back online, and he froze in fear.

Next to him, the Maverick stirred.

"What the !" X yelped reflexively. He tumbled backward and landed heavily on his rear. The thought that a Reploid could come back from the dead passed through his head, but he had little desire to dwell on it at the moment.

Zero's eyes flew open, perhaps startled by the clatter of X's armor hitting the floor. X noted the green glow of his irises, which then faded to a normal brightness. His breath hitched when Zero trained those eyes on him.

Paralyzed with fright, X sputtered nonsense before saying, "How? Zero?"

Zero opened his mouth, then closed it. With confusion marring his features, Zero sat up, lifting his hands. He took several seconds to examine himself. He opened his mouth again without speaking, causing X to wonder whether Zero knew how to communicate. X could tell his mind was already working furiously to figure out his surroundings, and to make sense of who and where he was.

With care to avoid any sudden movements, X rolled onto his feet and stood up. The motion regained him the attention of Zero, who then studied him intensely. X stepped forward. Seeing that Zero remained calm, X continued to approach him.

"It's alright," X said softly. "You're safe. I won't hurt you." He reached out a shaky hand, but withdrew it with a start when Zero furrowed his brow and leaned away from him. "Sorry," X said.

Words spilled out from Zero: "What is this? Who are you?"

X hesitated. "How are you able to speak?" he asked.

Zero looked to the floor and appeared to be trying to access an answer for him. He drew a blank, shaking his head.

As X watched Zero manage his confusion, his tension melted away. He said, "It doesn't matter." He then took a step forward and gestured to himself saying, "My name's X. Welcome back!" He smiled broadly.

Zero furrowed his brow, trying to recall anything at all. He said, "I can't remember a thing about you. Or anything at all."

"You were very sick. In order to save your life, we had to wipe your memory banks as part of the treatment. I know you're scared and confused- when I first woke up, I felt the same way."

"When you first woke up?" Zero repeated.

"When the humans first found and activated me- but I can tell you about that later. I can't believe this. I can't believe that you're alive, and awake, and that I'm having a conversation with you."

"I must have been in pretty bad shape," Zero guessed, quirking a brow.

"That's an understatement," X replied bluntly. "I thought you were as good as dead."

X reached out again, but this time Zero did not move away. X touched him on his rounded shoulder where the 'Z' marking was etched. Zero was about to reply, but stopped when he saw a glint in X's eye. "You're leaking," he stated.

X chuckled, saying, "Leaking, yes," and wiped his face with a hand. "I didn't know I could do this while I'm happy. Usually it happens when I'm sad." X pressed the hand to his face, willing the tears to stop. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"Maybe you should get that fixed," Zero suggested.

X chuckled at that remark. Confusion once again showed on Zero's face, but as X continued to laugh, he smiled.

"No offense," X said, removing his hand from his face but still very much amused. "But my leakiness has always been a part of who I am."

Zero softened and said, "Guess that'll be the first fact I will relearn about you." He paused, looking X over. He then said, "You must have been a good friend of mine before I was sick. I feel at ease with you."

X felt an unfamiliar sensation: heat growing in his cheeks. He attributed it to being off his maintenance schedule. However, the heat did not fade even though several silent moments had passed. In fact, the sensation seemed to become more intense when Zero met his eyes.

A disheartening fact then dawned on X. He realized he had no idea of what to do next as this turn of events blindsided him. After he informed Dr. Cain, then what? Worries entered his mind about how Zero would integrate with society, and what Sigma might do. Sigma would have to know of this eventually.

"What's wrong?" Zero asked. X noticed then that he was scowling.

"Nothing," X said. "But if you're feeling okay, I would like for you to meet someone."

X moved to go call Dr. Cain, but Zero's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him instantly. He looked over his shoulder to see Zero attempting to hoist himself out of the capsule.

"Zero, I think you should stay here just in case. I'll only be a second," X assured. He gently pushed him back in, leaning over with hands on Zero's shoulders. The heat in his cheeks came roaring back again at the unavoidable contact.

"I want to stand," Zero said, protesting. X then received a taste of Zero's strength and determination as he pushed X aside so he could hop out of the device instead. Zero leaned on each leg, testing them. He then performed a few squats. A sigh of satisfaction escaped him. Confident, he proceeded to flex the rest of his joints.

X, meanwhile, looked as though he believed Zero to fall apart any minute. Zero smirked and said, "Relax, I feel fine. Great, even."

X nodded, still unsure, but said, "Well, okay. Just stay here. I'll go get Dr. Cain."

"Understood," Zero said. He watched as X made a hasty retreat from the lab, and he smiled.