A/N: This is NEW content! OMG! Because why not? X and Zero needed a bit more interaction in this fic, I think.
I realize that this chappy doesn't flow into Chapter 17- but I'm working on it! More added content is on the way!
Hope you enjoy!
X and Zero left the testing wing, saying nothing to one another as they strolled down the hall. X contemplated the test and Sigma's sudden decree. Why did Sigma take such measures in pushing Zero to his breaking point? Was Sigma searching for a new reason to dispose of him? If that were the case, why would Sigma promote him to officer status?
X glanced over to Zero. The Commander's capriciousness made little sense to him, yet Zero seemed unphased by his ordeal- except for the wounds that discolored Zero's face and armor.
"You should go the medical bay," X said.
"No, I'm fine," Zero replied, rubbing his jaw.
"They'll repair you faster than your system can on its own," X insisted.
"I'm fine," Zero stressed.
X pointed him towards his reflection in a nearby window pane. "You look like you fell down a flight of stairs."
Zero approached the glass and examined himself. He poked at the bruises on his face and scuffing on his chest. X huffed and crossed his arms.
Zero shrugged, saying, "They'll go away."
"Yeah, but-" X began. He felt agitated, but could not express why. That Zero seemed so blase intensified his displeasure. He felt Zero's eyes on him, and he looked up to meet them.
"Relax, X. If it will stop making you look so severe, I'll come with you and get checked out," Zero said, sighing.
Suddenly, X felt uneasy. He heard the annoyance coating Zero's words, and it terrified him.
"I think the redesign moved the medical facilities this way," X said, moving past Zero in swift steps. Zero jogged a few steps to catch up with X's pace. X glanced beside him when Zero kept silent, only to see Zero keeping his head high and giving friendly smiles to other Hunters as they passed by. For some reason, X found the smiles and shallow greetings grating on his nerves.
The medical bay doors swished open, and Zero's appearance drew every eye in the room. Some looked on with awe, others with trepidation.
"Oh, X," one of the nurses said, craning his neck to look past Zero's shoulder. "Who's this?"
Zero moved his head to catch the nurse's eyes. "I'm Zero, Class A," he said. "I can speak."
"Class A? I've never heard of you," the nurse said.
"I'm new," Zero said. "Are you able to do something about this?" he said, pointing to his bruises.
"Yes, yes of course," the nurse said. "Right this way, sir."
Zero turned to X. "You've probably got better things to do. I'll meet up with you later?"
"Yeah," X said. In reality, he had very little he needed to do. He watched as the nurse led Zero back, then turned to exit.
When the doors shut behind him, he felt his eyes twitch. His limbs, too, felt sore, as though stretched out too tight. It then occurred to him that there was one thing he needed to do: sleep. To that end, he headed for the comfort of his own quarters.
X ran. He ran over a jagged, fire-scorched plain on some sunless planet. Some steps he missed among the craters and rocks, and he held up an arm as winds blasted him with sand and soot.
"X!"
X turned to the side, and past his arm he saw a pair of red eyes flash. The whirling dust obscured the rest of the figure.
A shot rang out. The missile struck X in the chest, knocking him clear off his feet. Coughing, X regained his senses and propped himself up onto his elbows to try and get a glimpse of his assailant. The figure approached, and the sands parted around it. A Reploid, caped in red and black, stood before X with broad, spiked shoulders and lapels flaring out around the neck. The oddest sight, however, was the wolf's head. Not a mechaniloid, but a real, living wolf with black fur. Its lips pulled back and its fangs bared. Between its hands it held a long, violet saber, its tip pointed at the ground.
"What?" X breathed. He staggered to his feet. Charging his buster, he flung his weapon toward the wolf-Reploid and fired. The shot dissipated around it.
"It's time," the wolf-Reploid said, it's deep voice projecting like a thought made out loud.
"I'm here," a voice said in X's ear.
"Zero?" X thought. He heard footsteps, and looked to see Zero run up an stop next to him. He then faced the wolf-Reploid and readied his buster with renewed determination.
"You're all alone," the wolf-Reploid said.
X scrunched his brow, saying, "No. Not anymore."
The wolf-Reploid lifted its sword high above its head. The sword glowed, then shone a brilliant violet light. The wolf-Reploid then swung it downward and split the earth before its feet. The fissure snaked out from the impact and divided the ground between X and Zero, and caused an earthquake that shook X off of his footing. He landed on his backside as the fissure deepened and widened. X leaped to his feet and ran towards Zero. He stopped short of the fissure, now forming into a deadly chasm as lava spurted from the rupture.
"You'll be okay without me," Zero said, smiling.
"Zero! Come back!" X called. The land continued to part until Zero faded from X's sight and into the darkness.
X's eyes popped open when he heard the doorbell blare. The rest of him remained paralyzed as his systems transitioned to wakefulness. The doorbell rang again. His motor functions normalized, and he shot up from his maintenance bed. He stared at the closed door, wondering if he imagined the sound.
The bell sounded a third time, followed by a knock and a voice: "X? You in there?"
Zero. X blinked away the bleariness, then stood up from the bed. "Yeah," he yelled. "Come in."
Zero came through the doorway saying, "Are you alright?"
X looked him over, noting that the bruises healed. Zero looked fresh, glowing, robust. X then rubbed one of his eyes and said, "I just got up. You're back from the clinic already?"
"X, that was almost two days ago."
Stunned, X said nothing, and in his embarrassment fixed his eyes on the to the maintenance bed.
"I looked for you down in the lab when they released me. When you weren't there, I figured you had an assignment or training. Next time I checked, Doctor Cain said he had not seen you. I asked the other officers, and they hadn't seen you in training, either. In fact, they're a bit upset with the example you've set lately."
"Is this why you came here?" X said curtly.
"No," Zero sighed. "No, it isn't. You worried me is all."
X rubbed his head. If he had been resting for two days, then why did he still feel exhausted? As he took in Zero's heavy expression, his lip quivered. Images of his dream - still fresh - invaded his mind. "Sorry," he mustered out.
Zero approached him. He placed his hands on X's shoulders and examined him. "Now I feel like dragging you to the clinic. You're sure you're okay?"
Before he could think, X leaned forward. He pressed himself into Zero's chest, and embraced him.
"Sorry," X said again. "I'm just tired."
Unsure of what to do, Zero awkwardly placed his hands on X's back. "My armor can't be that comfortable."
"I really thought we'd be in the same Class. I looked forward to it," X said. X imagined himself as a weed next to a great oak. Instead of growing together, they parted ways. Yet while Zero reached towards the sky, X felt like slipping beneath the earth.
Zero closed his eyes and relaxed in X's embrace. "That's what's been on your mind? You've been so worried about that, that you forgot to be happy for me?"
"Huh?" X said, pulling away, just enough so they held each other by the elbows.
"It's lonely being the only person excited to make the A Class," Zero said. "Come on, you look as if the world ended."
"I am happy for you, Zero."
"Funny way of showing it," Zero said, pressing in X's nose with a finger. X forgot himself, and a snort of laughter escaped him.
Smiling, X said, "Okay, you're right." Shaking his head, he let go of Zero and stepped back. "I should be more supportive of you. I just can't believe the Commander promoted you to Class A just like that."
"Well, I figured it out that Sigma wasn't giving me the standard test. Therefore, the results don't have to be standard, either, do they?" Zero said, grinning. "And I took some decent hits for the trouble, according to the surgeon."
"Surgeon?" X gasped.
"They called him because of my unusual build. He seemed a little too fascinated with me for my liking, but he fixed me up fine."
X nodded. "Good."
"I feel much better. Thanks for making me go."
The gentle smile Zero gave X made the latter forget his next thought. Zero, however, seemed distracted by the surroundings. He said, "Wow, these rooms are tiny."
X glanced around himself, then said, "I never noticed."
"At least you have some walls. The Class C wing has their bunks crammed into several larger rooms. Efficient, I guess."
"Yeah," X said.
Zero said, "The officers' quarters are finished. I'm moving in today."
"You're going to be all the way up there? Wow, I'm sure you'll have a great view of the city," X said.
Zero studied him for a pause. He then said, "Want to come with me and see it?"
X snapped to. "What? Class Bs aren't permitted to go up there!"
"What if you're my guest? Can't officers have guests?" Zero said.
"Well," X started. He trailed off when he considered the loophole in policy. Still, he hesitated.
"Listen, if someone wants to start trouble, they can take it up with me. And of all the Class Bs there are, I think you're an obvious exception," Zero said. X felt that strange heat come to his cheeks once more. Zero continued, "Even though we're different Classes, X, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. One day, you'll make Class A."
X found his friend's optimism infectious. His confidence brightened, and the thought of visiting the Class A level thrilled him very much. He said, "I suppose if you're there, I won't have anything to worry about."
Zero touched him on the shoulder again, smiling. "Meet me at the elevator in five? And I don't mean five days."
X chuckled. "Hours you mean, right?" he answered playfully.
Zero lightly shoved him away, grinning as he turned toward the door. "Just get your smart ass down there."
X smiled at him as he left. To his wonderment, he no longer felt tired. He forgot about his strange nightmare as his distress converted to excitement. After a quick stretch and a circuit check, he dashed out the door.