The Next Age Chapter Two Part Seven
It was much later in the evening when Kiara returned to the room, poking her head inside before stepping within.
"Prince Xavier?"
Her voice roused him from his thoughts and he quietly put a finger to his lips.
"Shhh..I think he's finally asleep" He whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
She crept in as quietly as one could on hooves, holding a small plate of food in one hand.
"Lord Sigma served me dinner, I saved some for you." She explained in a hushed tone.
Xavier took the plate from her, thanking her with a smile. It had been quite some time since he had eaten.
"Why didn't you return?"
"Zero needed me, he's sick." Xavier said.
"It's his own fault." Kiara sighed as she sat down beside the stool.
"No, I never should have left him alone. He gets in trouble when I do." He spoke softly.
Kiara glanced at Zero. The young kid's face was still flushed.
"You needed your rest and besides, you're not his babysitter." She remarked.
"No but I'm his best friend and part of that is looking out for him." Xavier answered. "Kiara, I'm sorry I dragged you into this, it's becoming a real mess."
"It's alright. If I wouldn't have come, I wouldn't have met you and meeting you is an honor." She said, gazing at him.
"Nah, I'm just a normal guy." He spoke, turning away and taking a few bites of the food.
"No you're not! You're a prince! The first born of a new race, the proof of Dr. Light's dream!" She exclaimed.
"That has nothing to do with who I am you know. I'm just Xavier, not some snobby prince."
"But you're the son of Roll, RockMan is your step father, you're royalty."
Xavier chuckled quietly.
"Kiara, I don't live in a golden palace and eat with a silver spoon." He said.
"I don't understand.." She replied becoming confused.
"You know, Zero's technically a prince. too"
"Him?? But..but he's an-" Kiara sputtered
"Outcast?" Xavier finished. "So was I once. I'm the offspring of a human. It took a while for people to forget that, they branded me an outcast just because of it until I got older and my father and I proved ourselves to the world. Kinda funny the way that works…I'm still the same person I was when they wouldn't accept me but now they've decided my father is an important person and that I'm a prince so all the sudden, it's okay to be nice to me. Zero's father is Blues, lord of Konranken. By all rights, he's the prince of Konranken City except for the fact his father won't accept him. So I guess that's an excuse to brand him an outcast and be mean to him. Kiara, we're both just normal guys on the inside. I guess I'm trying to say you don't need to treat me like royalty or Zero like an outcast. I'm just plain old Xavier and he's just Zero. So..um..could you please drop the prince stuff?"
Kiara drew back, a bit stunned.
"I'm sorry if I offended you and Zero, Pri-….Xavier." She apologized.
"It's okay." Xavier said, smiling.
"Can I ask you something now?" She inquired.
"Sure." He replied.
"Were you really sent here by Dr. Zor?"
"Well….um…" He replied, shifting uneasily. "No..as long as we're kinda being honest here, I..well…Zero and I came out here on our own. What about you? You seem a bit young to be out guarding alone."
Kiara's face flushed with embarrassment and she quickly turned away.
"I..I snuck out this morning. I wanted to see Wily's castle." She admitted. "But I really am a Charger!"
"I'm just a lowly first year technician." Xavier said with a sigh.
"Will you get in trouble when you go back to Hakari City?" Kiara asked, turning her gaze to him once more.
"Most definitely." He replied. "But at least I'll have one hell of a story to tell them. This could be the beginning of a whole new age you know, the return of ancient technology."
"Do you really think so?" She inquired curiously.
"I know so." He answered with certainty in his voice. "I know something big is going to happen, that's why I came out here. I wanted to be a part of it."
"Xavier..do you mind if I stay here with you? Lord Sigma offered me my own room but I'd rather not be alone." Kiara asked in a sweet tone.
"Oh no, of course not. It might be nice to have some company." He replied with a smile.
"I can sleep here, I feel really tired all of the sudden." She spoke.
Xavier nodded. He was feeling the urge to nod off as well, although he had just woken up from a long rest.
"You rest, I'll stay up and watch Zero. He may need me again."
Kiara yawned quietly and made herself comfortable on the floor. A few moments later, they were both sound asleep. Xavier had tried to fight it but eventually gave in. How were they to know their food had been laced with a sedative?
"Zero…..Zero, I want to speak with you."
The faint voice called to him in his troubled sleep, making him wonder if he was dreaming it.
"Zero, come to me."
The strange dreams faded as Zero slowly opened his eyes, finding himself lying down in a nearly pitch black room only lit by the moonlight coming in through the window. The sick feeling that had plagued him earlier was gone now and he sat up with ease, trying to remember how exactly he had gotten where he was. Last he remembered, he was in a tavern with that eagle Repliroid. How had he ended up in bed and in his human form completely dressed?
He glanced around the room noticing Xavier leaning back against the wall sleeping, Kiara off to his side. It must've been pretty late by now. Zero yawned and stretched out his body, then reached behind his head and undid his ponytail. His hair spilled free as he tossed the fastener aside, grumbling to himself about how uncomfortable the thing was. With a sigh, he ran his fingers through the golden strands and wondered who he had heard calling to him. It couldn't have been Xavier. It must've been a dream. In any case, he felt well rested now. No need to stay cooped up in a dark room the remainder of the night. Zero got up, checking to make sure Xavier and Kiara were sound asleep before he undressed and threw the clothes on the bed. His armor form was much more comfortable than being in clothes. They were just too restrictive for him.
"Zero, I need to speak to you."
He jumped at the sound of the words. It sounded like Lord Sigma's voice but it felt like it was in his head. What was going on? Well there was one way to find out. Zero tiptoed out of the room, not wanting to wake Xavier and headed to the throne room by himself.
Sigma seemed to be waiting for him when he arrived. The regal Lord stood near one of the windows, gazing out at the night sky with admiration. The room was dimly lit by softly glowing lanterns mounted on the walls. The sensation of deja vu came over Zero again. He had done this before, been here before. Sigma looked over to Zero as the young robot drew near, seeming surprised to see him.
"Zero, are you having trouble sleeping?" He asked in a calm voice.
Zero frowned in puzzlement.
"You called me." He replied.
"Well..I guess I did, didn't I?" Sigma spoke. "I wanted to speak with you about something important but first, how are you feeling?"
"Spiffy." Zero answered.
"Spiffy? I'll assume that means 'fine'." Sigma said and then paused for a moment. "Zero, I have to ask you something."
Zero cocked his head curiously.
"What?"
"Are you enjoying my city?"
"Yeah, it's okay here. Didn't see much of it from the bar though." Zero mused.
"Would you like to see more? It will be dawn soon and I'm sure Storm Eagleed wouldn't mind."
Zero stopped to think. Sure he wanted to explore the city but a guided tour sounded very boring. To him, it was akin to being on a leash. He shook his head.
"I think I'll just take a walk by myself." Zero said. "I guess it's safe."
Sigma nodded in agreement.
"Could you tell Xavier I'm out exploring when he gets up?" Zero asked.
"As you wish." Sigma replied. "But be careful, I wouldn't want to see you hurt."
There was a slight note of sarcasm that made Zero shiver. He quickly took his leave, darting out into the cool night air.
It was a beautiful summer night, the full moon shown down from above and cast a silvery light over the ruined city. Zero looked out over it with a sense of familiarity and awe. The streets were empty and Zero took the opportunity to kick in his thrusters and dash around for a bit. The wind blew back his loose hair, making it look very much like the tail of a comet, burning with yellow fire. Darting about like this made him feel free, free from the pain in his life, free to experience the thrill of being young and alive. He took the turns at high speed, making them with great accuracy and skill pressing forward until he came to a mysterious temple that struck him as interesting. He skidded to a stop before it and looked up at the designs carved on it's front. Beautiful reliefs of the Goddess, one with the sun rising behind her, another with her standing with her followers on their knees before her, decorated the entrance. Zero had never been much on religion even though his mother kept trying to constantly drill it into him that he had been a gift from the Goddess and his rather unique body was some sort of strange blessing. She was very religious in someways but Zero chose not to pay attention to any of it. If the Goddess truly was the merciful type his mother said, she wouldn't have cursed him with such a life. Still, the temple carvings were quite stunning even though most were chipped and stained from age. The area was mostly in ruins, half standing buildings and the like surrounded it. Why had this place been spared?
Zero sat down on the stone steps to rest for a moment, brushing the hair from his face. For some reason he liked this place though he wasn't sure why. Something about it felt friendly and familiar, safe and comforting. He was at a loss to explain what made him feel that way or why everyone was acting so peculiar around him. This almost felt like a place he could……belong. Yes, that was the right word. He had really enjoyed going to the bar with the Repliroids. What little of it he could remember that was. It was the only time he had ever had fun in a group without Xavier, the first time he had ever had fun in a group period. The Repliroids had seemed to really like him. In this ancient city he wasn't an outcast and there were a million new places to find and explore. He laid down on the steps and twisted a lock of hair around his finger. He felt oddly at peace lying there, at an angle, staring out at the night sky. It seemed like forever since he had arrived but he knew better, it had only been barely a day. What was going on? Zero wasn't really sure but that was typical for him, he never seemed to fully understand his life and all that went on in it let alone why it went on. He had come with Xavier purely out of curiosity. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect this. He thought back on his day..the "dragon", Lord Sigma, the glass in the bar, being drunk…didn't make much sense. He wasn't sure how he felt about Lord Sigma though. In some ways, the Repliroid frightened him, even when he was being nice. Whether it was intentional or not, Zero wasn't sure. The others almost seemed like old friends.
The sky began to lighten. It was almost sunrise. Zero got up, he'd need to find a higher vantagepoint if he wanted to fully enjoy it. He kicked in his thrusters again and jetted up to the roof. From there, he could see the whole city….well almost. The tower loomed in the distance along with more of the huge forest, it all looked rather peaceful. Zero watched the sun rise slowly over the ruined city, it was the dawn of a new day, maybe even the dawn of a new age. An age where he was not an outcast or a freak and no longer suffered in life. Zero smiled at the thought, if only….
Little did he know the pain he'd suffer to achieve that dream.
End of Chapter Two
Xavier, Kiara, Arasa and others are copyrights of ME!! =P
Sigma, Zero and others are copyrights of Capcom of Japan…release another RockMan game or else!!
Do I make money off this fic? I wish!
Mail all comments to Roll_Chan@Yahoo.com
End of Chapter Two! Now it's time to get serious as chapter three begins and Lord Sigma's true purpose is revealed! Join us then, same X time, same X channel.
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