Disclaimer; all characters in this story belong to CAPCOM, not me.
Okay, yeah, you know what guys? Screw it. I know Father's day was way back in June, but I didn't get the idea until mid-late July. I know it's really late, but I hope this chapter will make up for the lost time. I'll work on HA next!
In a realm unheard of for all but one, a fake sky shed its ominous glow upon the desolate world below. Unholy orbs of energy radiated around the lightless sun suspended in the dark sky, outlining it against the black air surrounding it. Only bursts of bright blue in the shy showed that the sun released energy, in the form of smaller spheres of black. Mindless apparitions of data and energy crackled though the air, occasionally materializing into machinations that lacked souls and wandered or attacked themselves or their brethren, dieing in the same manner that they'd been brought to life only moments before. Nothing in this land, it seemed, was meant to be. Even the angular ground could disappear at will. It was on this ground, bright green with energy, data, and some small semblance of reality, that something much different than its surroundings existed.
Imprisoned in the strange place, Omega was lying on the ground, staring. Staring at something. Staring at something so unfamiliar, so small, and yet so profound to him, that it commanded his total attention.
A bug.
One little bug. A beetle that was waving its antennae at the air in curiosity. It shone a deep blueish-green, almost black when in a shadow. It seemed to be quite pleased with taking its sweet time, as it skittered a few centimeters, stopped, waved its antennae, lay still, waved again, and moved. It repeated this ritual many times, slowly but surely heading towards the enraptured reploid.
Omega shifted, feeling the cold, bone-like hilt of his sword beside him. He moved his fingers gently along it until he found the trigger, a small groove that only he knew how to find. He picked up his weapon, hiding it behind him as he turned it off. The bug was still, but moved on after detecting no threat. Hours seemed to pass as the beetle headed towards Omega. Then, suddenly, it was in front of him. He stared at it, barely daring to breathe. With measured movements, he slowly crept his hand around the beetle. Its feelers felt around furiously, seeking a means of escape. Then...
WHACK!
Omega's other hand smashed his first hand down onto the bug's small body, crushing it. Omega raised his hand off the ground with minuscule movements, eager to see the damage done. He went to peek under it. Data suddenly streamed out from under his palm, dissipating into the air. He frowned as the last bit left and his hand was fully raised, revealing no unrecognizable mush of bug beneath. Omega pouted, cheated of his one opportunity to cause some bloodshed.
He flipped himself into a sitting position, tracing invisible patterns into the floor with his finger. Sulking with boredom, he looked around for something to do. Nothing appeared, so he decided to check his internal systems. You know, just in case some serious system malfunction had happened while he wasn't looking.
After the scan, which lasted only seconds, he came up with nothing. Well, except for the change in the date which was on his internal calender. Omega noticed, with only slight interest, that today was...
X X X X X
"Happy father's day!"
X groaned as, for the umpteenth time that day, someone hailed him. He swerved his head around to find the source, a civilian across the street. He waved patiently, his smile beginning to wane as the day wore on. People of all shapes and sizes were calling the greeting whenever they saw him with his armor. X returned to his own business. The brilliant blue armor that characterized him was held gently in his arms, except for his helmet which he wore upon his head. It was the helmet, which he only wore because his arms were too full to carry it, that caused the reaction from all the passer-bys. Never had X been so annoyed to carry the title, "the father of all reploids".
When had he gotten that nickname anyways? X tried to remember as he walked down the street. It was a good thing his apartment was only a few more blocks away. He could stash his newly cleaned armor back in its special case as soon as he got home, and this time, he would make sure to close the lid. That, and make sure Axl would never go near it with his (in)famous "peanut butter and jelly berry maple pancakes with Neapolitan icecream and caramel chocolate drizzle" ever again. Especially not when he added extra sugar... X stuck his tongue out at the thought of the eccentric prankster's meal. 100 years had passed since they'd met and he still couldn't understand how Axl ate that sort of thing...
Well, whatever. After spilling that mess onto X's armor a grand total of four times, he'd finally been given the boot. After all, he was 100 years old, it was time for him to learn to be responsible for himself... even though "responsible Axl" was an oxymoron in itself.
"Happy father's day!"
Gritting his teeth, X returned the friendly (if unwelcome) gesture from another pedestrian. Thankfully, it would be one of the last that day (from strangers, at least); X had reached his apartment building and was just entering it. He dashed past the entry hall and headed straight for the stairs. After climbing to the level his home was on, he crept his way past the other apartments and into his own, closing the door behind him with a click. He sighed with relief, then went to his bedroom to put his armor back where it belonged. It fit into its canister perfectly. He left the room, heading to his fridge for a cold can of pop. He checked the time on his clock on the wall as he went to the couch. 4:15. He flopped on the blue sofa the moment it came into view, expertly chugging down some fizzy soda as he landed. Not a drop was spilled. He reached for a book on the other side of the couch, settling himself into the cushion to read in peace and quiet for a while.
Normally the blue reploid was all for meeting other people and socializing, but today was different. After being overly greeted by everyone else on the street, all he wanted was a nice afternoon off. Of course, the four ex-generals wanted to have some fun later. But that was at 7:00. Until then, X was perfectly content to read his novel.
Even if the next chapter was about the hero's dad...
X X X X X
Fluffy and soft was the best way to describe Zero's predicament right now. Blankets and pillows were piled high in a rough pyramid on top of him. While he would normally be able to shrug off the plush objects, he had a thicker blanket wrapped tightly around him, preventing him moving. Adding insult to injury, his captor was rudely poking his nose as he giggled. Zero glared at him, scowling.
"You get off me right now, Axl. Right. NOW."
Axl shifted from his perch on Zero's back, bringing them face to face (even though his was upside-down). He grinned back at the red hero mischievously, "Nope. You know our pact could only last so long without you doing anything to... sweeten the deal. Now that X has kicked me outta his house, I've gotta find another place to live. And guess what? Yours is lookin' pretty good right about now!"
"Remind me to murder him later," Zero grumbled. He bucked, struggling to dislodge the pest on his back, "Now get off already!"
Axl wagged his finger, "Ah ah ah!" He placed his hand over Zero's face, holding it up slightly. Slowly, his hand began to glow. Zero stopped instantly, his eyes glazing over.
"Heeheehee, looks like you've gone into a trance! I betcha didn't know I could do that!" he gloated, "only works when I can get to my victim's heads, though. I paralyze 'em with some extra energy put into their systems. Doesn't do anything in the long run, but in the short one, the brain circuits activate surge protectors, effectively blocking all energy not needed to keep the basic functions running. That means that whatever functions that aren't necessary are shut down temporarily as your system corrects itself... including thought!"
Zero was still looking blankly ahead. His neck was at an awkward angle and he was stone still under the bedding.
Axl frowned, "And, of course, without thought, you have no idea what I just said. Ah well..." Axl's hand started glowing in a different colour, then stopped. He retracted it as the glow spread over his whole body. Some of Axl's features changed as he drew himself up to his full height... and higher. One bright flash later, Axl smiled down at Zero with Zero's own face. "So, buddy, how do I look now?" asked the false Zero.
The real one was too out of it to notice. Axl shrugged, then jumped. Someone was knocking at the door, possibly to enter.
"Who is it?" Axl yelled, grabbing Zero. He shoved his friend under his bed, straightening his now long hair and grabbing Zero's jacket.
"Hey, Zero, open up! It's me and Phantom!" yelled Fefnir. Axl coughed to soothe his nerves, then answered.
"Hey! Give me a minute, geeze," he answered. Adjusting his shorts, which weren't fitting as well as they used to, he walked over to the door. "Yeah?" he asked, opening the door and leaning lazily against the frame.
"So, getting ready for X's party at seven?" Fefnir inquired.
"Hmm?" Axl/Zero came up with an answer as fast as he could, "uhm, party?" He blinked his eyes slowly, attempting to look somewhat dazed or half asleep. That always covered up his lack of information whenever he did this sort of thing.
"Yeah you big idiot, X's father's day party we're planning for him! He doesn't know it's a party of course, but yeah, he's technically our dad, so I thought we'd throw him a little shindig."
Axl cuffed his head, "Who are you calling an idiot? Anyways, don't overdo it. Sometimes Father's day gets a bit hectic for him, you know, all those people irking him about the "father of all reploids" thing."
"Yes, you told us that already," Phantom added.
The impostor chuffed, curling his lip slightly, "Well, I had make sure with that guy around," he smirked, pointing his thumb at the orange reploid. Fefnir pouted as Phantom chuckled.
"Ah, true, true. Well, our business here is done, we're off to get some refreshments. Just make sure X gets to the party, alright? And if you can, find Axl, we want him there too but we can't seem to find him."
"We heard he was round here actually, one of the soldiers said he came to visit you," Fefnir added
'Zero' raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really? Thanks for the warning. I haven't seen him yet, but I'll tell him about the party if I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some preparation of my own to do."
He waved, dismissing his friends as they walked off. Then he shut the door behind him, sighing heavily in relief, "Man, I can't believe they bought it!"
"Grmmmfffrmmff!"
Axl did a double take, then realized the source of the muffled complaint. He walked over to the bed, peering under it at Zero's enraged glare. Axl grinned. Apparently, in his hurry to conceal Zero somewhere where the others couldn't see, his victim ended up with a large portion of pillow stuffed in his mouth. And was now attempting to talk through it (with very limited success).
"Oops! Sorry bro, didn't mean to do that," Axl apologized. He dragged his friend out from under the bed. Now in the middle of the room, Axl morphed back into his own form, laid Zero face-up, and sat down on his chest to prevent escape. Then, he took out the pillow.
"Psshffft! Blech! About fucking time you got that goddamn pillow out of my face you f-"
The pillow was promptly shoved back in.
Zero kept on his tirade as Axl stared down at him indignantly. It wasn't until a full two minutes had passed that Zero finally got the message in Axl's critical eye. He stopped mumbling through the fluffy gag as Axl smirked, glad that his unwilling big brother was calming down. The prankster slowly removed the pillow while Zero breathed heavily, the combination of his muted swearing and Axl's position having finally worn him down.
"Okay, ready to talk nicely? Or am I gonna have to go get some soap to wash out that filthy language?"
Zero frowned, "I'm good. Sorry, but I don't really like being tied, threatened, and pushed around like loose baggage."
"Well, I could've just acted like an idiot when Phantom and Fefnir showed up. Be glad I acted like you!" Axl lectured.
Zero blinked, then realization dawned on him, "Wait, Fefnir and Phantom were here? Crap, what did they want, what did you do!" he freaked.
"Nothing much, nothing much. They just came to ask if I was here and stuff, had no idea that I was pretending to be you. They've got some sort of party planned. What'cha know about it?"
It was Zero's turn to sigh in relief, "Oh, that's good. I was worried that there'd been a change in plans. Well, basically, we're throwing a party for X, 'cause after today, I think he'll need it. You know, all those 'father of all reploids' idiots. So, they didn't realize anything was up?"
Axl grinned widely, "Not at all! I'm too good at mimicking you for that!"
"And that's what's so scary about you..." Zero grumbled. Axl giggled, nodding in agreement. Of course, Zero had changed a bit since the last time he'd been with him, but it didn't take long to adjust.
"Hey, you know who's easier to mimic?" Axl asked jokingly.
Zero rolled his eyes, "Okay, you got me, who?
"X! 'E's always such a pacifist and so friendly, he's just so predictable!"
The two shared a good laugh. Axl was the only person who could make those sort of jokes about X around Zero, but when he did, they both enjoyed them. After all, they tended to be true...
"Although, in all seriousness," Axl started. Both his and Zero's attitudes changed immediately, "After my accident this morning, X kicked me out, so I really need somewhere to stay. And, you know, I do hate to have to threaten you, but... well, if you won't let me stay with you.." he let the sentence hang for effect.
Zero grimaced. He didn't like the thought of having to share his personal space with anyone, but he knew full well what Axl was capable of. Still, he was curious as to what kind of threat it was. "Say I don't let you stay with me... what exactly do you have planned?"
Axl folded his arms, "Well, now that I've got your DNA, let's just say that at the party tonight I won't be mimicking your personality."
Zero scowled, "Oh, you wouldn't..."
"Yeah I would! With a toga and lampshade to boot!"
Zero looked visibly paler, "Okay, you can stay for tonight, but after that, we'll discuss."
"Yay!" he cried gleefully. He unwrapped his best friend, helping him dust off some grit from under the bed. Zero regained his normal cool composure as he organized the sheets properly. Once the blankets were straight and the pillows nicely in place, he turned to Axl, "Okay, now, where are we going to put you tonight?" He glanced around, stumped for an answer. Axl answered by jumping onto Zero's bed, glancing mischievously at him.
"I don't know why you're so worried about me, it's you who has to find a bed!"
Zero pounced, grabbing Axl and proceeding to noogie him fiercely, "Hah, what do you think you're doing, runt? That's mine, no little brat's going to get my bed!"
"Ow ow ow! Yield, yield!" he yelped. Zero let him go, patting him on his back.
"Alright, I accept your surrender. Just don't do it again."
"Fat chance, I'll steal the bed any chance I get!" Axl scoffed. Zero laughed along with him.
"Hahahahaha! Okay, you snot, I get it. It's war, eh? Ah, we'd better get a cot for you when you lose, or I'll never hear the end of it," Zero taunted.
"For when I lose? Peh! Yeah right! Tell you what, I'll pay, I've got more money."
"Works for me," Zero shrugged. He looked at the time, about 4:30, "We just have to make sure we're back here before 6 o'clock, I've got to get a better outfit for the party. He indicated his faded red t-shirt and ragged jeans. Axl nodded, and they headed out to the garage.
Phantom and Fefnir were just leaving the base when they noticed the pair getting onto Zero's bike. Fefnir blinked, confused, "Hey wait, when did Axl get here?"
Phantom repeated Fefnir's gesture, just as confused, "That's odd..." then he straightened up, a thought in his head. "Hey, wait, couldn't Axl...?"
"Couldn't Axl what?" Fefnir asked.
"No, it's nothing, never mind," Phantom shook his head, putting the thought out of his head. It was probably just a coincidence.
X X X
Zero grumbled, shooting dirty looks at the innocent face behind him. Pedestrians swarmed all around and past them, heading into or out of the furniture store behind them. A bird screeched in the distance. Axl skipped around Zero, poking at his new foldable bed.
"Yay, I got a new cot! Whee!" he yipped.
Zero squinted his eyes at the eccentric reploid, his frown at an odd angle, "Yeah, you got a new cot, so how did I end up dragging it around for you?"
"Dunno." Axl ignored the hint totally. Zero sighed, heading over to his bike. He landed himself in the front seat with a whump, adjusting the object on his back so that it would neither fall off nor scratch his vehicle. Axl jumped on behind him once he was done. He reached around the cot, grabbing Zero around his waist tightly.
"Where to next, kiddo?" Zero asked, "Back home, or is there something else we need to pick up first?"
"Ooh, I can't have a bed without cushions or blankets! We need to go back to the apartment so I can get my stuff! Come on, move it move it! I wanna go get my stuff!" he began knocking his heels against the sides of the bike as if it would obey his commands like a horse.
"Whoa, hold it! No kicking the bike like that, or you're going to walk!" Zero snapped.
The prankster prince settled down, but gave Zero a sly look, "So what, does that mean I can kick you instead?"
"Like hell you can. You try that, I won't send you off walking, I'll send you flying!" the driver cracked his knuckles as he started the bike. His passenger checked to make sure he was seated securely, putting on a helmet (Zero always kept a spare). Checking his own helmet, Zero revved the engine, lifted the kickstand, and the pair were off.
Axl grinned like a puppy all the way to X's apartment. Zero was hard put, once they got there, to stop him from belting into the complex. Nonetheless, Zero was half dragged throughout the first floor and up the stairs. Axl finally let go when they were on the right floor. He left a somewhat breathless Zero behind as he dashed to X's apartment, stopping in front of it and waiting for his older brother to catch up.
"C'mon slowpoke, hurry up!"
"Who are you calling slow? You're too damn fast!"
"Nya nah!" teased the smaller reploid. Zero finally caught up, huffing as he hit Axl over the head for no particular reason. Axl whacked him on the arm, so Zero playfully pushed him flat on his back to end the matter.
He snickered, "Who's laughing now, Axl?"
"Okay okay, no hitting seniors, I get it."
Zero leaned down, grabbing him, lifting him up and delivering a powerful noogie. In the meantime, while Axl struggled to free himself, he lightly kicked the door to get X's attention. Knocking was out of the question since he needed both arms to "punish" his friend.
Footsteps were heard form the other side of the door, "Who is it?" came a familiar voice.
"Guardian correctional department, we're here to pick up this young troublemaker's belongings," Zero yelled.
Axl scowled indignantly, going along with the joke, "Lemme down, nobody's putting me in a jail! I'm a free spirit, I do what I please!"
The door cracked open, then X appeared with a sigh.. "Oh dear, is he up to his old tricks again?"
"Yup. We're thinking a life sentence this time."
"Better put him in an energy cell, this one's a true criminal."
"Oh, really? You see, I told the guys we should just hang him, but noooo, they didn't listen."
"Well, no food for him for a week ought to do it."
"You think so?"
"Ehh, maybe some acid to drink, too."
"Uhm, guys, are we still joking here?" Axl looked at the pair with wide eyes.
X and Zero looked at each other, grinning maliciously, then brought their gazes to bear down at Axl. The navy prankster stared back. Then, after a minute of this, he shuddered. The older reploids finally cracked up, finally letting Axl feel some relief.
"Of course we're joking, but you should've seen your face just now!" Zero cackled.
"No fair!"
"Alright alright, come in already. We're starting to make a scene, and it's been hard enough to keep my apartment number a secret with just myself here. Argh, those fans sometimes..." X grumbled. The trio entered, Axl on his own feet after being released by Zero. The small but tidy apartment boasted light blue walls and a single, comfy looking couch. There were only a few pictures on the wall. Most of these were of the artistic kind, but one of them featured all four guardians, X, Zero, Axl, Cerveau and Ciel. It was from the day after they'd found the transforming maverick hunter, and said hunter was wearing his new, sleeker armor that Cerveau had made for him. Cerveau, the only other reploid (apart from the other ex-maverick hunters and Phantom) who knew what Axl was capable of. Everyone else in the photo was also wearing their armor (if they had any) to keep with the spirit of the occasion. Smiles were present on every face, even Zero's, who wore a small smirk. Nostalgia swept through the crimson warrior at the sight of the picture, but it was quickly interrupted when X started to talk.
"So Axl, I see you're back for your stuff. Well, come on, we'd better go pack it up. I can't believe you managed to convince Zero to let you stay with him."
"Actually I blackmailed him," Axl peeped.
"Same difference," X waved.
Zero frowned, "Hey, it's only for one night! Besides, I've only got a bike with me, I can't take everything!"
"Meh," X shrugged, "we can bring all his stuff over to your place tomorrow. Besides Zero, he's been living with me for the last half-year or so, it's time you took care of him! It's your responsibility as his brother-"
"Which I never agreed to!"
"Which you didn't agree to Zero, but nonetheless, it's your turn to take care of him," X finished. He turned, heading towards the couch and grabbing one of the articles of clothing strewn all over it. "Now c'mon you two, I'm not doing this by myself! Start packing!"
The others complied, helping X pack. For some reason, Axl was considerably more enthused about it than Zero was. X trotted off to find a bag for Axl's clothes while the others folded the garments, putting them into piles. The Blue Bomber appeared moments later with a large travel bag slung over his shoulders.
"Oi! Think this'll work?"
"Yup!" Axl grinned. Zero glanced over, surveying the bag.
"Seems okay. Just don't put too much heavy stuff in it Axl, we still have that cot to take back as well."
Axl peered over at his long-haired friend, "Sure, gotcha. Hey, pass me that, will you?"
Zero did. Before long, the group was busy organizing clothes and other necessary things into the bag, sometimes arguing over what was or wasn't actually necessary. Axl's prank items were, to his dismay, not included in the category. Most of his other things were though, so the trio were packing for a fair amount of time. It wasn't until they were done and Zero stretched backwards that anyone took notice of the time.
"Oh whoa! Axl, get that bag, we're out of here! It's 5:45!"
"Shoot! Sorry X, we've gotta go get ready for that thing with the guardians!" Axl yelled slightly, dashing around to get the last of the things he needed.
"Oh, you're going too?" X asked.
Zero nodded, "Yup, sure are. Didn't want to leave you alone with those shitennou, who knows what could happen?"
"Hah hah, yeah, I suppose a little caution is always a good thing. Especially when it's Leviathan's birthday, eh Zero?" X nudged his best friend, referring back to the group's first big get-together. Zero shuddered at the memory, causing the cobalt reploid to smirk, "Aww come on, it wasn't that bad, Zero."
"Speak. For. Yourself." Zero ground out.
Giggles erupted from the youngest member of the group at the reaction. Little did the other two know, he knew exactly what had happened that day. Phantom had shown him the video.
"Alright, we're off. See ya in a bit, X," Zero said as he waved a goodbye. X repeated the gesture, and Axl stood dutifully behind Zero, smiling. The two guests left the apartment, heading back to the Guardian HQ. X smiled, putting some pillows back on the couch that hadn't been in their rightful place since Axl's arrival months ago. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, hypnotically counting down the time until the party.
X X X X X
The room was filled with jovial occupants chattering pleasurably with each other. A table sat off to the side, covered with various types of foods such as pastries, breads and cheeses, jams and jellies, sausages, sweetmeats, vinaigrettes, and plenty of various beverages for the guests to taste. Fruit juices, berry juices, coffees and teas to name but a few. Sandwiches sat alongside chips and vegetables. To say the spread was large would have been an outright understatement. There were only a few decorations on the walls and the large sofa in the middle of the room, as well as a couple of balloons strung to the chairs to prevent their escape. All in all, it was a festive atmosphere. The guests drunk their beverages and ate, but something was amiss.
"Darn it, where are they?" growled an irate Fefnir, clutching tightly at his glass of juice.
"Relax Fefnir," coaxed Harpuia, "I'm sure they have their reasons for being late."
Inside the entertainment room of the ex-general's lavish house, X's Father's day party was starting nowhere near as fast as it should have. Why? For some reason, both Zero and Axl had neglected to show up in time for the beginning of the party. At first, everyone barely noticed it. However, thirty minutes later, it was fairly hard to ignore.
X frowned, "Well, Axl was going to move into Zero's room today, maybe they had a complication?"
"Last time I checked, it also takes Zero about forty-five minutes to get here. But, still, it's worrisome," Ciel added.
"That jerk!" Leviathan grumbled, "thinks he can hold everything up! Ooh, if he doesn't get here in five minutes, I'll go out and drag him here!"
Phantom smirked, "No worries sister, I set up some traps in the front hall. The moment they do get here, they'll regret not being on time!"
Cerveau, who had received a last-minute invitation from the generals, scratched his chin thoughtfully as he faced away from the refreshments he was gathering, "Hmm, that'd be something to see. Well, I suppose that they'll come when they'll come, and there's not much we can do until then."
"Wise words," Harpuia nodded.
"What's the use of wise words if they can't do anything?" Fefnir scowled, taking a sip of his drink.
"They are doing something. Loosening our tempers, for one," Cerveau replied, now with a coffee in his hand.
Just then, the sound of hurried footprints echoed from outside the front door, barely audible because of the muffling effect of the portal. Two recognizable voices quarreled agitatedly with each other.
"It's your fault we're late, you stupid-"
"My fault? You're the one who took so long to find one t-shirt!"
"That's because you kept rushing around and distracting me, Axl!"
"It's not my problem that you can't focus-"
"You little twerp! Why I oughta-!"
The front door opened with a bang, Axl and Zero at each other's throats. Glaring intensely at each other, the pair failed to notice the traps Phantom had set up. As such, they walked right into them.
Bang! Crash! Wham!
Everyone in the entertainment room rushed to see the carnage that had unfolded. Axl and Zero were entangled with each other on the floor. Axl's foot was ensnared in the tripwire behind them, while thick ropes bound both of the reploids to each other and the floor which Zero had, right after walking into the trap, greeted rather uncomfortably with his face. The prankster wasn't much better off, as he'd smacked the side of his head hard against the polished wood table to his side. On top of the table, the decorative marble sculpture had been rattled into a new position. In fact, it kept moving with every struggle, coming dangerously close to the edge.
Fefnir leaped forward as the sculpture finally went over the edge. He managed to catch it just before it hit the ground.
"Watch it you two!" he scowled.
"This isn't a playground, you know," Harpuia frowned, "so perhaps you'll tell me why you're acting like children?"
Zero growled as he and Axl finally settled down, "We are not acting childish. Axl made us late because he was rushing around putting his things away while I was trying to get into something decent for tonight."
"You kept getting in my way and yelling at me!" Axl sniffed.
"Hey, you're here now, so no more arguing, got it?" Leviathan cut in, kneeling down to help separate them from each other. Phantom joined her, and they had the two apart in no time. Still disgruntled, the pair rubbed at various minor injuries, such as rope burns or scrapes. Cerveau moved forwards from the back of the group, adjusting his glasses.
"Well, now that you're here, I suppose we can start this party properly."
The group collectively nodded and hummed their approval. Heading back to the room, they resumed their chatting with each other. Axl joined in enthusiastically, but Zero, still in a foul mood, grabbed a drink and stayed in a corner. No matter who came to him, he refused to budge. So, for the most part, he went ignored as the rest enjoyed their time with each other.
Time passed as the group talked about various subjects, mostly what was happening in their lives recently or other general topics. Laughs occasionally erupted from someone in the room, especially when Fefnir got raucous and started poking fun at a fuming Leviathan. Hey, it wasn't her fault that the dolphins didn't leave her alone at her new job! Which was at a sea wall repair and maintenance company. Phantom smiled.
"Heh, I swear Leviathan, you'd make a killing selling tickets to all the people that watch you."
"Not a half bad idea there, bro," she mused, scratching her chin. This resulted in laughs from her audience. The topic moved onto what other jobs the guardians had, as well as how X's was doing. No one noticed Axl's sudden absence.
Axl... his choice to name Zero as his older brother wasn't all from the lack of a known family. Just like Zero, Axl had an inner chaos that could not be tamed. X was more of a father figure, but Zero? Axl understood more about him than anyone could ever give him credit for. And, of course, this was mostly because they both had an instinctual need for action. Sure, everyone else was happy just talking, but not them! Zero always avoided dull conversations by staying in a corner somewhere, just like he was now. Axl smiled as he headed towards Zero. How did Axl avoid boring situations? Truth be told, he didn't.
He just made the situation more interesting.
"Hey Zero, could I talk to you for a sec?" Axl asked, grinning innocently.
Zero glanced over at the others, then nodded, "Sure, not like I'm doing much anyways."
Together they left the entertainment room, sneaking off somewhere where they could speak to each other alone. The kitchen provided this. "Okay then Axl, what's up? Are you going to apologize for earlier? Or something else?"
Axl shuffled his feet, "Yeah, I wanted to say sorry for that... and for something else, in advance."
"Wait, what-?"
Axl used his stunning trick, causing Zero to flop to the ground. He dragged Zero across the room, hiding him behind the counter, then tip-toed outside to Zero's ride chaser. Bringing out the bag he'd stashed during the confusion at the Guardian base, he dashed back inside the house, no-one the wiser to his plot. Zero was still stunned when he arrived back in the kitchen. Rifling through the contents of the bag, Axl changed into the appropriate attire for his next prank. Screw his secret, it was time for some fun! And what the heck, the look on the ex-generals faces would be more than enough to make up for it.
Now, for the last part of stage one. Axl removed Zero's shirt, leaving him with just his pants (and whatever else was under them). He placed a lampshade lopsidedly on his head, then in a flash of light, it was time for stage two.
Zero began to stir. Perfect! thought the prankster. He crept out of the room slowly, just as Zero was feebly trying to get up. He'd be right as rain in a minute... but a minute was all Axl needed. With a loud whoop, he dashed jumped into the entertainment room, his long golden hair following his ridiculous movements.
"Screw this boring shit, PARTY TIME!" the fake Zero roared, hopping on one foot and twirling Zero's shirt in the opposite hand.
Completely caught off guard, everyone stared, aghast, their mouths open and their eyes as wide as possible. Then, all at once...
"What the HECK?"
"Yaahooooo!" Axl yelled, thoroughly enjoying the ridiculous expressions on the faces of the crowd. Oh, for a camera! Of course, if everything went according to plan, the moment was about to be cut short.
"AAAXXUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLL!"
Zero, the real one, slammed right into his copy. The flying tackle caused them both to fly across the room, barely missing the couch as they sprawled across the floor. The two were at it immediately, punching, kicking and rolling around as they fought. Out of the audience, those who didn't know Axl's capabilities had only one thing to say.
"WHAT THE FUCK!"
Those that did know about Axl, X, Phantom and Cerveau, all face-palmed.
"Geezus..."
"That idiot..."
"Uuurgh."
All in all, the expression that had been ridiculously funny at first were now priceless.
Harpuia managed to drag his stare away from the Zeros, turning it towards X. "What the what what's going on what is what the...?" he jabbered, unable to entirely comprehend his situation.
"Huuuuuugh," X sighed, shaking his head, "this is Axl's way of telling you his secret."
"What secret?" Ciel asked, finally out of her own stupor.
Cerveau was forced to duck the lampshade as it flew through the air. Phantom watched it smack the wall, then responded to Ciel, "Axl can transform. He can also become invisible." The lampshade rolled to rest beside his feet.
"Are you saying that that little punk Axl can change shape to whatever suits him?" Fefnir inquired, right before jumping out of the way of the two battlers.
"Nah, just whoever's DNA he can get his hands on," X stated, "and as far as I know, he can only use reploid DNA. Heh, he's quit the little rip when he wants to be, you should've seen the antics he and Zero got into in the old days." X smiled, a nostalgic look on his face, "Oh, those were good times. God, now I feel old!"
"Probably 'cause you are," Fefnir smirked. He received a cuff from Harpuia, who turned to watch Axl and Zero's fight.
"Well, Axl certainly knows how to roll with the punches... literally. Heh heh, I must admit, it's fun to watch. Don't you agree, Leviathan?"
Harpuia turned to his sister. However, he received no response. Leviathan was still in a daze, staring at the fighters.
"Uh, Leviathan, are you okay?" he waved his hand in front of her face. She did not break her gaze, but finally managed to speak.
"Phantom..."
"Yeah?" he replied, shuffling forward.
"Phantom... get your camera..."
"Huh?" Phantom raised his brow quizzically, "get my camera? Whatever for?"
Leviathan instantly swirled around, scowling, "Because there are two half-naked Zeros fighting in my house, you stupid clod! Get the damn camera already! And here I thought you were a blackmail expert!" she roared.
Phantom jumped backwards in surprise, then did a couple of little hops and raced towards his room, "Geezes, you're right! Why didn't I think of that!"
"Because he's not the evil one around here," Fefnir whispered to the others. He received a nice whack over the head despite his efforts.
"I heard that!"
"Apparently," Fefnir pouted, clutching at the new bump on his head.
"Now now," Harpuia lectured, "we have enough violence in here already without you two adding to it."
The group nodded in agreement as they jumped over the pair, who were still rolling around on the floor. Zero and Axl-Zero, indistinguishable from each other in the fray, seemed almost completely unaware of their surroundings as they dueled. In fact, they were starting to get alarmingly close to the table of refreshments.
"Perhaps we should get them outside before they damage anything in here," Cerveau noted. The others agreed, but had absolutely no clue as to what they should do about it. Phantom unwittingly provided the answer.
"Hey guys, I'm back, are they still- WHOA!" Phantom was forced to leap out of the way as one of the combatants was suddenly launched in his general direction. As one Zero crashed through the open doorway, the other followed him to cause even more damage to his enemy. Harpuia seized his chance; he dashed over the where they were duking it out (again on the ground) by the back door. Dodging their flailing limbs, he opened the door as they rolled out of it and into the ex-generals' large backyard.
As backyards go, the generals had never really bothered to spice it up. There were a few huge trees near the borders of the yard, as well as a patio just outside the door, but the rest was a large, neat field (mainly because any lavish furniture might have been destroyed whenever Fefnir or whoever he was playing with got rough during sports). And now the Zeros, past the patio, were attacking each other out on the grass. The group leaned out from the door to watch as the fight, previously consisting of mostly close range attacks, was now taking up more space due to the combatants throwing, being thrown, or countering the other as they fought.
"Heh heh, nope, they're still going at it," Phantom chortled. He aimed the camera as best he could while the others behind him shoved each other.
"Out of the way Fef, I can't see!" Leviathan complained.
"Ouch, quit shoving!" Harpuia yelped from his position against the wall.
"Hey, watch where you... whoa whoa WHOA!"
Gravity exercised its law. With a sudden lurch, every member of the group that had been struggling to get a glimpse of the fight found themselves falling to the ground. Only X and Cerveau escaped the dog-pile, having been at the back of the crowd. Ciel was on top, rubbing at a bruise on her head.
"Oww..."
"You're telling me!" came Fefnir's reply, muted because it was from the bottom of the group.
Ciel got off the pile, "Is everyone okay?"
"I think so," Phantom replied. His arm was stuck out at an odd angle, still pointing the camera at the Zeros. Harpuia rolled off of Leviathan's legs, having fallen at a different angle and trapped her. She got up after helping Phantom while X assisted the partly-squashed Fefnir. This time, there was no barging as they left the house in single file. They lined up along the patio as Cerveau closed the door.
"I wish I had some popcorn," Fefnir muttered loudly, "they're starting to get fairly intense over there." As if to echo the statement, the brawlers both went flying backwards simultaneously. It didn't take long for them to recover, and they launched themselves at each other with earnest. An elbow hit a gut, a fist punched a leg, a knee hit a chin, and so on.
"Hey, it's not like we won't be able to watch this later," Phantom smirked. Leviathan giggled along with him, mischief glinting in her eyes.
Ciel sighed, "As much fun as it is for you guys to watch, we really should stop them before one of them gets hurt."
"YEOW!"
"Too late."
Everyone sweatdropped at Fefnir's commentary.
"I meant before they got seriously hurt," Ciel groaned.
Cerveau nodded, "A good point, to be sure. But how can we stop them? One Zero is bad enough, but we have two to deal with!"
"One and one half," Harpuia tried to correct, "one of them is Axl, remember."
"Unfortunately, that doesn't make much of a difference," X explained. The others looked at him with confusion, so he elaborated, "Well, when Axl transforms, he gains all of the powers and physical traits of whomever he's transformed into. This means that, effectively, he is exactly like the copied reploid. However, what he doesn't have is experience. Even though he has the body, he does not have the knowledge to use it. So in most cases, he has the same abilities as his copied body, but not the experience necessary to wield it, and that's why he usually sticks to his own form whenever he's in a battle. Unfotunately, in Zero's case, not only has Axl been around him enough to understand how to use most, if not all of Zero's powers, he has the knowledge to effectively become Zero when he transforms. If you thought one red nutcase was bad enough, you should see two working together!"
The group stared, whether from amazement or bafflement was uncertain. Fefnir seemed particularly confused at the information he'd just been given.
"So... he is Zero, but he isn't...?" mumbled the fire reploid.
X looked at Fefnir, and decided to simplify his earlier statement, "In short, it's method acting. Axl is so good at being Zero that it can be impossible to tell the difference."
"Oh."
"If we can get them separated, we might have a chance, but..." X started, then let his sentence hang. He himself always had a hard time getting the two apart whenever they'd fought before.
Much head-scratching and feet shuffling ensued. Fefnir strutted forwards, cracking his knuckles, "Well, looks like a job for a little brute force, now doesn't it? He walked off the porch, heading for the fray.
"No, wait-!"
But it was too late. Fefnir had already walked across the lawn to where the Zeros where. X shook his head.
"3... 2... 1..."
WHAM!
Fefnir came back to the patio quite involuntarily. He sailed through the air, landing face-first on the patio. The others stared. X walked over, helping the unfortunate reploid off the ground.
"Need I remind you that we're dealing with two Zeros? They're not that easy to separate once they get going."
Harpuia nodded, "I can see that."
"Alright, time for a woman to deal with this!" Leviathan scowled. She rolled up her sleeves, stomping off towards the Zeros.
To her credit, she lasted a full five seconds longer than Fefnir.
Also unlike Fefnir, when she landed, she ended up on her posterior rather than her face.
"Gwaah!" she screeched as she hit. After she stopped, she rolled onto her stomach, taking her weight off of the sore spot. Ciel and X couldn't help but chuckle at her comically pained expression. Cerveau smirked, "Looks like that effort came to a bad end."
"Shut up."
The chuckles grew louder, and the ones who weren't laughing grinned. All except for Fefnir, who was rubbing his bleeding nose. Zero one and two ignored the whole affair. A thick dustcloud was beginning to appear, trailing the fighters like a fog.
So what do we do now, X? Any ideas?" Harpuia asked. Phantom nodded, seconding the question.
"Well, there are a couple," X stated, "but most of them are hazardous to our health. I think the best option right now is to talk them out of it. I'll do the honors." X walked forwards, heading off the patio. The others watched him go.
"Think it'll work?" Fefnir asked his friends.
X X X
"It didn't work."
X grumbled, sneering at Fefnir's version of humor, "Oh, shut it."
"No."
"C'mon you two, cut it out, we're in as much trouble as it is," Ciel moaned. She was barely able to talk because of her uncomfortable position.
Phantom peered over at X, "Um, X? Not to be rude or anything, but may I ask you some questions?"
"Sure, shoot," X nodded.
"You said there were several options to take to get those two to stop fighting..."
"Yes."
"And that talking to them would be the best option, since the other ways were supposed to be more dangerous..."
"Yes."
"So, if you can, could you please answer me this?"
"What's that?"
"How the hell did we end up in a tree?"
The group all stared at X, who was near the top of the tree. Ciel squirmed, trying to free herself from between the two top branches as leaves pelted Phantom below her. Leviathan sat holding the trunk of the tree, twisting her legs to avoid hitting Fefnir below her. Harpuia was on the other side of the tree, between the two in terms of height, but barely able to move because his tree limb was almost too thin to support his weight. Cerveau, the unluckiest, was clinging for dear life to the lowest of the inhabited branches, the one below Harpuia. He'd only been able to get into the tree due to the wind general's quick thinking. Still, it did little to console his predicament, as he was the closest to the insane wrestling match going on now.
Both Zeros were completely oblivious to their surroundings, intent on delivering powerful blows to each other. Whether or not they were still attempting to keep the blows non-fatal was a mystery. Gouges were worn in the grass from one or the other Zero being tossed into it. Dust floated everywhere like a seaside mist as limbs, flailing wildly, occasionally appeared through the dirt in the air.
X sighed, "Your guess is as good as mine... it seems I miscalculated."
"YOU THINK!"
The Blue Bomber winced as everyone yelled at him simultaneously. He decided not to respond, and was soon occupied with trying to sooth his aching ears. Ciel peered down at Fefnir from her uncomfortable perch.
"You know, I appreciate you throwing me up here out of harm's way, but... you really didn't need to throw so hard."
"Quit complaining, I did what I could," Fefnir grumbled. "Besides, you're not the worst off here. Just look at Cerveau!" he pointed to the unfortunate scientist, who was scrambling to avoid the Zeros as they dueled only a few meters below. The whole group quieted upon seeing this. Soon enough, the Zeros had rolled to elsewhere on the lawn, and they were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
"Seriously, those guys are insane. No wonder none of us could ever beat him," Harpuia frowned. Leviathan kicked her legs out in frustration, groaning in contempt for their situation. However, she accidentally hit her fiery brother on the back of his head.
"Ouch! Watch what you're doing, you klutz!"
"Who are you calling a klutz?" she sniped back.
"You, you idiot!"
"Okay, that does it!"
Fefnir and Leviathan began fighting with each other, swiping at the other whenever the opportunity presented itself. Harpuia and Phantom began yelling at them to stop when X fell of his perch and onto theirs, resulting in another brawler in the fray. Tempers that were high from being chased up a tree were now fully unleashed. Ciel and Cerveau clung for dear life to their unreliable platforms, engrossed with avoiding the fight that was right beside them.
Out in the field, both the Zeros had stopped still for a moment to study the fray. Even though they were trying to choke each other to death while in a tangled pose, they still managed to shrug at each other in confusion. Another moment later, their fight resumed.
"Okay, enough of this you two!"
X grabbed each of the combatants, holding them at arms length. They glared at each other, then at their captor. "What's the meaning of this?" Leviathan snapped.
"You guys are attacking each other for no real reason! Hello? We need all of our strength and wit to get the Zeros to stop fighting, we won't have either of the two if we fight amongst ourselves!"
The siblings looked at X, then each other. Their gazes softened as they realized that X was telling the truth. However, it did little to console their bad moods.
Fefnir grumbled, "So what do you propose we do, then?"
"Well... there might be one other thing we could try..." X started cautiously. The attention of the group was now on him, but X seemed wary of telling them what the option was.
"Pardon my curiosity," Phantom coughed, "but I would like to know what that is. If it's still an option at this point, I think it'd be worth a try."
X cleared his throat nervously, "Well, it could very well end up not working at all, maybe even making things worse than they are now..."
"Spill it," Ciel glared.
X motioned with his hands for the group to get closer to him. They complied as well as they could. "Alright then, here's the plan."
X X X
The punch connected solidly against a Zero's jaw, sending him falling backwards. He countered with a nasty kick to his foe's abdomen, causing the other Zero to double over. In doing so, the second zero head-butted his enemy, who brought his elbow down on the other's head as his legs swept underneath him, seeking purchase. One of the Zero's backs hit the ground. That Zero then brought his legs up, catching Zero in the stomach and flinging him overhead. The flyer brought his hands down into a handstand to try and control his flight, but having no luck, instead grabbed the Zero on the ground by his hair and brought him into his insane trajectory with him. They both tumbled to the ground several feet away, then proceeded to grab each other's necks with one hand and counter the other's free hand with their own. Their feet flailed in attempt to do damage or gain an advantage of footing. However, so evenly matched were they that they could not best each other no matter what.
Because of this, neither Zero noticed the positions that the group was taking, nor saw Ciel and Cerveau sneak away.
"Okay then, everyone in position?" X whispered. Nods passed throughout the bystanders, most of whom were gathered in a circle. A few tense minutes passed. Then, just as the Zeros tumbled into the center, X shouted, "NOW!"
Completely oblivious to their surroundings, the Zeros were taken by surprise. Just as they were about to slash at each other with their fingers, Phantom jumped in between them. The ninja did a spectacular split kick, planting a foot in both of their faces. Taken aback, the Zeros were sent flying.
"Good job Phantom! Now everyone, keep them separated!" X howled, his voice high pitched with anxiety.
Just as the Zeros caught onto the ruse, the others pounced. Fefnir and X took care of the Zero closest to the house while Harpuia and Leviathan battled the other one, Phantom dashing over to join them. It took everyone's full effort to keep the two apart. A fierce grappling contest took place between the Zeros and their new opponents, who were only just able to fend of the frenzied attacks of the red reploids.
Another few minutes passed, and it became clear that the Zero's demoniac energy was going to be too much for the group to handle. Just then, the defenders heard a whistle. Harpuia was able to spare a glance, and was heartened with what he saw. Ciel and Cerveau, dashing from behind the tree.
"It's stage two of the plan! It's a go!" Harpuia hollered jubilantly.
Hearing this, the group's energy was temporarily revived. Phantom and Leviathan rushed forward, catching their Zero off guard. He stumbled backwards with a snarl, preparing his counterattack. It was not to be. His foot stepped on a segment of rope hidden behind one of the tree's roots. With a twang, he shot up into the branches. The rope snapped just as a thick net fell onto him. The Zero hit the ground hard, thrashing within the confines of the net. The trio opposing him jumped into action, weighing down the corners of the nets as best they could.
It was similarly chaotic at the opposite end of the yard. X was latched onto Zero, attempting to restrain him. However, he was soon thrown off by a wayward thrash. Fefnir roared, disorganizing the Zero enough for him to charge. With all of his remaining strength, Fefnir tackled Zero into the air. The Zero did a flip, attempting to right himself as he prepared for a landing on the ground below him. Too bad he was so focused on his foe that he didn't see Ciel and Cerveau below him!
The scientists placed an object right where Zero was going to land. It was an empty steel box, borrowed from the ex-general's garage. Ciel and Cerveau had managed to get it out on the deck, where they'd left it to go set up the net in the tree. Now that they were back though, they were able to use it.
Zero landed against the inside of the box with a surprised yelp. The box followed his momentum, flipping over twice as it landed with the opening against the earth. The scientists quickly jumped onto the box, weighing it down. It hopped a few times despite their efforts, so Fefnir did a flying leap and landed on top of it as well.
Everyone stiffened in their positions, waiting for something unexpected to happen. The netted Zero had flailed so hard that he could not move anymore under the net, which was entangling him like a giant cocoon. The boxed one growled and banged against the sides of his prison.
With a heavy sigh, X smiled. "I think it worked..."
The others looked at each other, breathing hard. Then, a few nervous laughs broke out.
"It... actually worked?"
"Haha, we got 'im!"
"Yeehaaw!"
"Oh, this is just too good."
Fefnir grinned, "To think that, all those years ago, all we really had to do to catch Zero was this!" he slapped the container in amusement. He jumped when he got a bang and a muted snarl in reply.
"Tch, I hate to admit it, but we probably should have tried to capture him at least once. All we ever did was try and kill him," Harpuia gave a goofy smile.
"Honestly?" X asked. The generals nodded, blushing slightly with embarrassment. X shook his head and chuckled, "Well, with how stubborn he gets at times, I honestly can't blame ya."
Everyone (except the Zeros) laughed. But the laughter soon died down as Leviathan posed a very good question, "So, now what? We never got to a stage three with our plans..."
"Ahaha... I honestly didn't think we'd get this far, so..."
Everyone sweatdropped.
Phantom spoke up, "Well, now that they're separated, all we have to do is figure out a way to tell them apart."
X motioned "slow down" with his hands in front of him, "Hey, hey, it doesn't mean I don't know what to do now!" The group's gaze fell to him, and he continued, "you might not believe what I'm about to say, but it has worked before-"
Whump! Everyone who was sitting on the box cried out in surprise as it suddenly jumped up an inch. Disgruntled, they repositioned themselves on top. "Whatever you were about to say, I'd appreciate if you said it now!" Cerveau grunted.
"We need to tickle them."
Blank stares covered the faces of everyone in attendance. "Wait, what?"
"Tickle him?"
"Yup, you heard me, tickle him." X looked at the group sagely, then continued, "The reason this will work is simple. Axl is ticklish, Zero is not."
Hapuia frowned, "But Axl is in Zero's body, is he not? What happens if Zero's body is not susceptible to tickling? Axl will be able to stand it, and no doubt Zero will be even madder than he is now." The netted Zero growled and twitched.
"Is that even possible?" Leviathan wondered.
"I'd rather not find out."
"It's our best shot though," X said. Everyone seemed to agree, even if somewhat reluctantly. The group set to the task without further ado. Ciel hopped off the box as X took her pace, and she ran off to get more rope. The netted Zero was dragged into the center of the yard, some parts of the net cut away to allow them to see which end his head was at (it was a VERY thick net).
Ciel reappeared with the rope, and the group managed to tie up the Zero that was in the box. It took a little effort to stop him from escaping, but soon enough, both of the Zeros were captured and in the center of the yard. Both of them were scowling, refusing to show any weakness.
X started, "Alright, I'll take the one that was in the net-"
"I'll take the one that was in the box!"
X shot a look at Leviathan, who was already dashing over to "attack" the Zero. Ciel grunted, running after her.
"There's no way you're getting to do that and I'm not! Besides, as a scientist I know all the pressure points and how to tickle him even more!"
X shook his head as the girls started torturing the Zero. He grimaced as they started at the sides of his ribs, doing his best to block out the irritation.
"She does have a point about the scientist thing," Cerveau stated, walking over beside X, "we'd better start on this one."
And so they did. Phantom recovered his camera from withing the limbs of one of the trees, where it had been getting a bird's eye view of the proceedings. He aimed it at the Zeros as Harpuia and Fefnir gathered a pair of lawn chairs to sit on.
Harpuia looked at his brother, "So, which one do you think is the real one?"
"Dunno," shrugged Fefnir, "they both look like they could be it at this point."
Several minutes passed, the Zeros clenching their jaws shut to try and not laugh. Their tormentors kept up the pace of tickling. But then...
"Kuah!"
"Gah!"
The Zeros looked at each other in horror. Their captors, however, grinned maliciously at their comrades. They'd broken their prisoners' resolve!
"Okay guys, keep going!"
"Whoohoo, take this!"
"Uwaaahahaha! Stop iiiit!"
"Ahahahaha mercy, aaaah!"
Phantom grinned as his footage got better and better. The Zeros were attempting to flail and get the others away, but were failing miserably. Tears were coming to their eyes as the torture refused to cease.
"Guahuhahahahahahahah! Stop it stop it ahaha!"
"You jerks are gonna pay-aiyahahahahahahahah!"
The tickling continued despite the Zeros' protests. Ciel and Leviathan were working well together to tickle their Zero, while X and Cerveau had to hold theirs down. Barely able to breathe, much less move, the laughing Zero suddenly hiccuped.
Poof!
Cerveau crossed his arms as Axl's disguise finally gave way. The prankster grinned sheepishly as X released him. The blue bomber rolled his eyes, sighing, "Axl, how many times have I told you not to overdo your pranks? Especially when they involve you transforming into Zero?"
Axl raised his fingers one by one as if to count. He reached ten, glancing at all of his fingers with mock confusion, then smiled goofily at X, "I dunno, I lost count."
Cerveau shook his head in annoyance while X groaned.
"Eehahah! Ohooho, stopit stopit stopit ahaahee!"
Surprised, all three of the reploids turned to look at the real Zero and the girls, who were so preoccupied tickling Zero that they seemed oblivious to the fact that Axl had already been found.
"Uh, girls, you can stop now," X called. They apparently didn't hear. Fefnir, Harpuia and Phantom walked over to X, the elemental ex-generals with their arms at their sides.
"Hey pops, I thought you said Zero wasn't ticklish," Fefnir asked absent-mindedly, moving an arm to scratch his chin.
X replied, "It's news to me." He raised his voice and aimed it at the girls again, "Hey, you can stop now!"
Ciel looked up and over, but she continued to pin Zero down, "Oh, you did? Hey Leviathan, they found Axl, we don't need to continue!"
Zero managed a glance over, "Yeah Levia-a-aathan, haa haa, you can quit it! Ah!"
Leviathan took a moment to ponder, then shrugged "Hell no. After all the times you beat the crap outta me and my brothers on the battlefield, this is the least I can do to pay you back!"
"You b-!"
"Zero, watch your language around my sister," Harpuia scowled. Zero stopped. Harpuia moved forward, straightening up, "But really Leviathan, I think you've had your fun for now."
Leviathan finally stopped tickling him, then glared up at her green-haired brother. They stared at each other for several minutes. A gentle gust ruffled the leaves in trees all around them. Stray clouds of parched dust floated across the backyard, following the slight trails worn into the ground from the previous fight. The sun was slowly settling into its evening position on the horizon.
Harpuia smirked.
"After all, it's my turn now."
Everyone except the two did a double take. Zero whitened visibly as he figured out where the conversation was going. "Oh no, you aren't-!"
Leviathan sat up, her knee on Zero's back, "Why of course brother, how greedy of me. After all, I wasn't the only one who got their butt kicked." Ciel stood up and moved aside as Leviathan took her position, holding Zero down. Harpuia stepped forward, digging into his pocket for something that he'd found while in the tree. At the complete mercy of his opponents, Zero could only look on in fear as the green sage withdrew the object. Everyone, except for Zero, grinned sadistically.
Harpuia looked down at the terrified Zero, the feather poised lightly in his grip.
"Payback time."