Disclaimer: I own nothing Capcom related. OC's and story are mine.
Chapter 14- Neon Night
Almost two weeks had passed since the ordeal with Kay outside of the ruins. Aside from a standoffish video conference with the Imperium's Colonel Gainis a day later, things had been quiet. As Zero had predicted, the Imperium had no desire to stir up trouble with him, in fact they seemed more than willing to help get the base back into operational order. Teams of construction workers, techs and additional military units had arrived shortly after the communication and begun work, leaving Zero and his people mostly alone.
At one point, Samuel had suggested that Zero and Iris go and visit one of the most prominent cities under Imperium control- Neon City.
"There hasn't been any Armada activity there since Lacadian was captured." he'd said. "It would do you two some good to get out of here and see some of the world."
Iris had jumped at the idea, saying that they'd not had a 'date night' in forever. Zero pointed out, blandly, that they'd been in stasis and he should be on site to oversee the Imperium crews work.
"Don't worry 'bout that, Z. Me, Coco, Av and the Doc'll keep tabs on 'em. Any funny business, we'll handle it and send ya a message. Go take your lady out for a night on the town."
Although Zero trusted Roto, Samuel and Cordelia to take care of matters while he and Iris went into the city, he quickly pointed out that to do so would require funds, also pointing out that they didn't have any.
"Did you bank with MegaCiti National, by any chance?" Cordelia had inquired. Zero and Iris both said yes. Cordelia then explained that the banking firm had survived, and continued to thrive, throughout the war. Several mergers had been made and the name changed to 'Light&Cain Finances'.
"They never discard or close accounts if there are funds available. As long as you two had something banked with them, your accounts would still be there. Might need to reactive them, but anything that was there should still be there." Cordelia had further explained.
Skeptical, Zero visited the website for the banking conglomerate. Quickly reactivating his account, Zero almost blew a fuse when he looked into his available funds. His new friends were also quite shocked to see a fair number of zeroes in the Hunter's stash.
"HOLY SHIT! You're loaded, Boss!" Roto had exclaimed, giving a voice to Zero's inability to speak. Samuel offered up an explanation.
"Looks to me that you've been collecting interest for the last thousand years, as you were a Government employee and no record of your death was ever filed. Congratulation Zero, you're extremely wealthy."
Iris checked her account next to find much the same. She looked to Zero in shock, also unable to fathom this fortunate turn of events, and wrapped him in a hug which he returned. 'Rich...' he thought, 'What the hell do I do with all that money?' Zero had always lived by a simple tenant in regards to money: Never have more than you need and never you'll have need of more. But now he, and Iris, had way more than either of them could ever use. Roto had cracked a joke immediately.
"Hey... Ummm, ya think you could float me a million? May take me a couple hundred years to pay it back, but I'm good for it!"
"Roto, I could give you 5 and not dent the situation. But I've got a few ideas on how to spend some of it. The HQ needs some serious upgrades to bring it up to spec. Now we can do that without relying completely on the Imperium."
Zero was of a military mind, and getting things in order without assistance seemed a frugal use of the unexpected wealth. Everyone had gawked at him. However, when he began to explain his reasons, they all began to understand.
"100 million gets this place into state-of-the-art shape. And I'll not have spent a TENTH of what's there. We can do good on a scale that hasn't been seen in some time. Donate to charities, help rebuild devastated cities, help heavily war-torn areas, build orphanages and shelters and schools. We can't make everything right, but we can help it along in a big way. Between what I have, and what you have Iris, we can affect a change. We could, also, help our friends. Give the Doctor enough to become independent of the Imperium. Allow him, Roto and Cordelia to do the research THEY want to do without having to worry about some superior breathing down their necks. Hell, I could buy them all luxury mansions and not break a sweat. We can spend tons on the right things and still live well for another thousand years. Never have more than you need and you'll never need more."
No more needed to be said. Very eloquently, Zero had made irrefutable points and it seemed to enlighten his new friends to a side of the Hunter that not many knew existed. Iris simply smiled at him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she hugged him tighter. And so, Zero and Iris set out for Neon City.
As they neared the metropolis, Zero couldn't help but be amazed. Skyscrapers reached high into the heavens, some so much so that he wondered if they might need pressurization at the higher floors. The streets were alive and bustling with activity, both Humans and Reploids mingling and meandering about happily. And, of course, there were the lights.
They'd arrived in the early evening when only a few of the neon and fluorescent lights were on. As they walked around, however, the unnatural lights came to life and shone as bright as a cloudless midday sun, banishing the night. Iris had insisted they go into as many shops as possible before finding something to actually do. The first they visited was an apparel store specializing in classic clothes from the late 20th century.
Zero watched as Iris picked through the racks, showing him several articles with a big, giddy smile. As she giggled about the shop, Zero could only smile as he thought, 'I don't need anything else in the world, as long as she's happy.' He knew it was corny, but he didn't care. She made him happy, and that was enough for him. Iris collected an armful of clothes and disappeared into the dressing room, telling Zero she was going to model a few outfits for him.
The first was a knee length sundress almost as yellow as his hair. She twirled around, the dress billowing out as she did and giving her the look of a dancer. The next was a plaid skirt and black shirt with red buttons that barely contained the buxom Reploid and almost popped Zero's eyes from his head. Iris laughed at his slack jawed expression and sauntered over to him.
"You like?" She whispered coyly in his ear.
Cheeks burning and still unable to speak, Zero just nodded causing Iris to giggle harder before dipping back into the dressing room once more. Zero took a deep breath and hoped her next choice wouldn't stop his heart completely. It didn't but he was glad of the breath he'd taken as, when Iris returned, she stole it away. In the same cut as a 'little black dress' colored like her beret with heels to match, Iris did a slow 360 and Zero finally found his voice.
"You look... Amazing." he said breathlessly and Iris' blush was as red as his armor. She knew it was rare for Zero to be caught off guard or stricken stupid, and even after so many years together it still made her feel like a young girl talking to her crush for the first time when he spoke like that. Wrapping her arms around his neck, her heels making them about the same height, she kisses him deeply. As they parted from their kiss, Iris moved to reenter the dressing room, but Zero had wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Your buying that, now." he stated plainly and she blushed again. Letting her go, Zero walked over to a couple of racks and collected a pair of casual black pants, a red polo-style shirt and black and red Convra Star shoes then slipped into the dressing room and changed quickly. He stepped out after a moment and Iris smiled brightly.
"That's so you. I love it!"
They paid for the clothes and hit the streets once more. It was an awe-inspiring experience to see the progress that had been made in a thousand years. Yet the pair found themselves drawn to the simpler places that reminded them of their old lives. Deciding to leave the main avenue, they wandered down a smaller street looking for a nice, quiet place to share a romantic dinner. It didn't take long for them to find what they sought.
The old wooden sign above the door proclaimed the restaurant as 'The Midnight Rose'. Taking Zero by the hand, Iris and he walked inside. The main room was fairly large although, by the standards of the main avenue, it would've seemed small to most. The host, a squat human male, smiled pleasantly at the couple and ushered them off to a booth away from the other diners. "This looks to be a special night for you two," he'd said as they walked to their seats, "Allow me to contribute to this romantic excursion."
After seating them he returned a moment later with a candelabra and a bottle of wine. Iris' eyes lit up at the placement, causing Zero to smile again for the umpteenth time tonight and slip the host a personal 50 for his help. The host looked surprised by the tip and told them his name, saying if they needed any thing to let him know, and quickly disappeared. Zero opened the bottle and poured two glasses, handing one to Iris. He raised his in a toast.
"To the future." He said
"To the future." Iris responded as she touched her glass to his and they both drank.
Moments later a waitress came to take their orders and, with a smile, went off. Iris sipped her wine again, just staring at Zero until he decided to speak.
"Something on your mind, except me that is?" the Hunter said with a grin.
Iris giggled. "A bit full of yourself, huh? Money go to your head already?" she said jokingly. Zero laughed and she continued. "Actually, I was thinking about the past. Do you miss it?"
Zero thought for a moment then shook his head.
"Aside from you and X, my whole life was devoted to warfare and combat. After the Final Weapon incident, when we resigned, I finally thought I put that behind me. Seems thought, I'm just destined to always be fighting."
Iris frowned a little at Zero's statement.
"Is there really nothing about then that you miss? I've been missing Alia, Douglas, even Brother. Was it really all bad?"
Again, Zero shook his head.
"No, it wasn't. I remember our first date, which is one of the best memories I have. It was at that little cafe a few blocks from HQ... What was the name? The Luna, I think."
"Yeah, I remember that. We were so awkward." Iris laughed lightly, "I spilled hot cocoa all over you. I was mortified, but you said..."
"'Don't worry about it. Not the worst thing I've been covered in.'" Zero finished her sentence. "Then I got you another one and some ice cream, with one condition..."
"Keep it far away from you. I remember that! I blushed so hard I thought my face was on fire. But, you never flinched. Just kept on eating like nothing happened at all. I remember thinking 'He's never gonna talk to me again after this.'."
"Yet, here we are. A thousand years later. Inseparable. I never thought you'd be with a guy like me. Always figured you'd go for someone more 'gentlemanly', like X."
"You're a gentleman, Zero. But you also have a very strong sense of reality coupled with unrelenting logistical reasoning. You're a realist, so you come off cold. But, I've always felt there was something else under that."
Iris reached across the table to lay a hand on his and gave him a warm smile.
"And I was right. You're also caring and compassionate. You're funny. And, you're much cuter than X."
They both laughed, a bright sound denoting hope. Their food arrived not too long afterwards and they continued to reminisce as they ate, Zero regaling Iris with the story of his hair getting caught in a door while running out for a mission. She told him of the time she'd fallen into the fountain outside Memorial Hall as she tried to catch her wayward beret on a windy day. This continued long after they'd finished their meals and the candles began to burn low. Calling for the check, and leaving a sizable tip, the couple set back out into the Neon City night scape arm in arm. Although a new war waged around them unseen, both could agree that tonight wasn't for it. Tonight the universe gave them something special and, as they walked through the fluorescent inferno of city lights, nothing could've been more perfect.
A/N: This is one of the first scenes of this nature that I've ever written, so feedback would be greatly appreciated. I really hope that you all enjoyed 'date night'. I felt we needed to divert from the almost constant pace of conflict we've been in since 'Awakening'. As usual, please R&R and, again, hoped you all enjoyed. See ya soon!