A Lost Love

Several months after Iris' death and the destruction of The Final Weapon:

"Iris! Iris."

"Zero."

"Hang in there Iris."

"Please, stay away from Repliforce. Let's live in a world where only reploids exist."

"Iris, there is no world only for reploids. It's only a fantasy."

"Yes, I know. But I wanted to believe it! I wanted to live in a world where only reploids exist, with you."

"Iris!"

The words still hung freshly in Zero's mind. He couldn't let Iris go. He thought about her everyday. He thought about all the bad things he'd done for her and all the things she'd done for him. It tortured him everyday. It was slowly driving him mad, but in a way he was happy these thoughts were still in his mind. He was happy Iris was still in his memory. She was too hard to let go.

"I'll never forget you Iris," Zero said sadly. He slowly started to cry. He cried for a long time, Iris still in his mind. He cried and cried until X came in, but even then he didn't stop crying. He couldn't stop thinking about Iris, it was too hard.

"Let her go Zero," X said as he sat down next to his friend.

"Please go X," Zero said. He didn't feel like being talked to right now.

"I can't Zero." X told him. "I hate to see you like this." Zero sighed and shook his head.

"You don't understand, X," Zero told him.

X laughed and said, "I understand Zero. She went crazy and tried to kill you. You had every right to kill her."

Zero growled and said, "You're not helping, X. Just leave."

X shook his head once more and said, "No. You have to let her go Zero. It was your mission to stop the Repliforce and kill her brother."

Zero had had it. "X, get out!" Zero said standing up from his chair. He had stopped crying and was now flushed with anger.

"I was just trying to help Zero!" X yelled at him. "I understand, Zero. Just let her go."

"You don't understand, X!" Zero snapped back at him. "Have you ever been loved, X? Have you?" X looked at the ground in shame. "I didn't think so!" Zero yelled. "You were never loved by anyone, not by the Maverick Hunters, not by Dr. Cain, and not by whoever put you in that damned capsule for 100 years! That's why they put you there X! Because nobody liked you, so your creator stuck you in a capsule. No, X! You don't understand!"

There was silence. Zero was staring at X red in the face and X was staring at the ground.

"You're right Zero," X said finally as he headed for the door. "I don't understand, I should have never interfered." And with that X left the room.

Once X had gone, Zero said nothing. He did nothing at all for a few minutes and then he finally said, "What have I done?"

Zero walked down the corridor of the new Maverick Hunter Base thinking of Iris, but mostly X. X looked really hurt, Zero thought as he continued walking. I should apologize. He thought as he continued to walk. Suddenly the alarm rang.

"Calling Zero! Calling Zero! Please report to the main computer room!" Zero nodded and ran to the computer room. There he met his captain Signas.

"What's up?" Zero said, slightly sadly. Signas didn't seem to notice though. Instead he said, "Sigma appeared by the new statue the city's building. X went there, but we haven't heard from him yet. We think he's in trouble."

Suddenly Zero's face went blank and his hands went numb. "I have to help X, I have to apologize before something bad happens to him. He's in trouble," Zero said his thoughts out loud.

"What was that, Zero?" Signas asked.

Zero looked at him and quickly said, "Nothing. I'm on my way!"

And so Zero teleported off in search of X. He was sure X and him would be fine and still be pals. "After all, he was only trying to help," Zero kept reminding himself. So everything was fine in Zero's mind, but he would always be heartbroken over Iris. He would always have a large hole in his heart for her. And he would never forget the love they had together. In his heart he would always be with Iris. Forever.

The End