Still don't own either series
Chapter Four: A Familiar's Day
It had been a week since Zero started his life as Louise's familiar at Tristain Magic Academy. If one were to explain an average day for Zero, it would read like the following:
First, like the majority of animals and humans in Tristain, he woke up in the morning when he chose to sleep. His bed was, as usual, the floor. the first thing Zero did every morning was to wake Louise up. Awake, Louise got changed. Dressed in her uniform, which consisted of a black cloak, a white blouse, and a grey pleated skirt, Louise then washed her face and brushed her teeth. The room didn't even have sensible things like running water installed, so Zero had to go down to the fountain and bring up water for Louise's use in a bucket. After that was breakfast, which Zero excused himself from as soon as Louise would take her seat. Then he'd visit the kitchen, where the energetic and lovely Siesta would serve him food like stew, and meat on the bone. He found the honest people working in the kitchen to be of much better temper, and alot better company than the assorted nobles. Zero, having beaten the noble Guiche at the Vestri Courts, was hugely popular there.
"'Our Sword' is here!" Boomed a lively voice as Zero entered the kitchen. The man in question was Marteau, the head chef, a well-rounded man well into his forties. Naturally, he was also a commoner himself, but with his position of head chef at the Academy, he earned as much as a lower class noble, a fact he could be proud of, even if he didn't flaunt it. Dressed in simple but fine clothes, he commanded the kitchen with a wave and a flourish of his hand. Despite his highly respectable position as head chef of a magic academy for nobles, Marteau wasn't the least bit arrogant, and surprisingly enough, disliked both magic and nobles. He had given Zero the name "Our Sword" and treated him like a king when he had laid the arrogant young noble low with his bright blade. Thanks to him, the kitchen was a place that Zero could run to when annoyed or stressed out by his summoner's volatile temper.
Zero sat down at his chair, and with a smile, Siesta promptly brought him a bowl of warm stew and soft white bread. He looked at it, and then offered her a smile and his thanks.
"Today's stew is extra special," Siesta declared, looking particularly happy.
Zero curiously lifted a spoonful to his mouth and his face instantly lit up."Wow, this is delicious!"
At this, Marteau approached the table holding a kitchen knife in one hand. "Well of course. That stew's the same stuff we serve to the noble kids."
"I can't believe this is the kind of stuff they get to eat everyday...its amazing here..."
Marteau snorted loudly at Zero's comment.
"Hmph! Sure, they can use magic. Making pots and pans and castles from dirt, conjuring up unbelievable gems, even controlling dragons - so what! But see, creating such exquisite dishes like this is a kind of magic itself. Wouldn't you agree, Zero?"
Zero shook his head, "No, I don't think so. Magic seems like a short cut. I already proved it has its downfalls. This is work. More solid and reliable, and a much better product in the end. One could say its beyond magic"
"A fine fellow! You're a good man! I'd never heard it put that way, but I like it. " the man said, a giant grin on his face.
He put an arm around Zero's shoulders.
"Here, "Our Sword"! Let me place a kiss upon your forehead! Come on! I insist!"
"No. And stop calling me that," Zero said, using his hand to keep the giant cook at bay.
"Why?"
"It's just... weird." Zero wondered how many titles he'd pick up. Legendary Reploid, God of Destruction, Hero, Our Sword.
The man let go of Zero and spread his arms out in protest.
"But you cut a mage's golem to pieces! Don't you get it?"
"I suppose."
"Say, just where did you learn to use a sword? Tell me where I can go to learn how to swing a sword like that."
Marteau stared earnestly at Zero. He asked the same thing every time Zero came to eat, and Zero's answer was the same every time, accompanied with the same blank stare every time.
"I've been fighting all my life. Its nothing special. This food you prepare is something far greater. Its much harder to create something, than to just mindlessly destroy. Stick to something like this. It brings far more honor than a blade ever could."
"You guys! Did you hear that?" he yelled, his voice echoing around the kitchen.
The younger cooks and the apprentices shouted back. "We hear you, boss!"
"This is what they call a true master! They never boast about their skill! Look and learn! A true master never boasts!"
The cooks chanted happily."A true master never boasts!"
Then Marteau turned back around to face Zero. "You know, "Our Sword," I'm starting to like you more and more!"
He was simply telling the truth, but Marteau always thought he was just being modest. It was somewhat frustrating. He felt like he was deceiving the good-natured man, he was anything but common.
Since that day, the runes hadn't glowed anymore. He wondered what effect the runes had when they glowed. He felt off yet somehow right when hey had been glowing... Even when Zero tried to make a point of staring at his own runes, Marteau thought that he was just being reserved.
The chef turned to Siesta. "Siesta!"
"Yes?" Siesta, who had been cheerfully watching the two of them get along, responded brightly.
"Bring our hero here some of Albion's finest." the loud man said with a grin on his face.
Her smile widened, and retrieving a wine bottle of the requested vintage from the rack, she poured some into Zero's glass. Siesta looked on as Zero's face grew redder and redder from the wine. These events repeated almost routinely, with Marteau occasionally asking for stories about Zero's past. Zero seldom indulged him but when he did it was often quite filtered and tame compared to what really happened.
Zero visited the kitchen, Marteau became more attached to Zero, and Siesta's respect for him deepened even further.
Although one particular day... there was a crimson shadow spying on Zero from a window of the kitchen. One of the young cooks took notice of it after Zero had already cataloged it as a non threat.
"Hey, there's something outside the window."
The shadow gave a garbled 'kyuru kyuru' and slinked away.
After breakfast, he accompanied Louise to class.
In the beginning, the lessons fascinated Zero with their marvels: turning water into wine, combining various reagents to brew special potions, materializing fireballs out of nothing, levitating boxes and sticks and balls out of the class windows for their familiars to fetch. The novelty of that wore off the moment Louise tried to get him to play fetch... The flat look he had greeted her with had caused her to blush and the rest of their class to laugh at her until he leveled the same look in their direction.
Once again, there was a crimson shadow watching Zero. Despite himself, Zero had to grudgingly admit that red probably wasn't the best color for stealth. Although he had been good enough that it hadn't mattered. He watched what he reconized as as Kirche's salamander with its belly to the floor. When it noticed his attention it stared at Zero through the gap in the row of chairs as it stopped moving.
Zero waved his hand at it. "You're Kirche's salamander, aren't you? I know you have a name. What was it... Oh yeah, it's Flame. Flame-" Zero motioned for it to come closer, but the salamander flicked its tail around and spat out a few embers before running back to its master. "Why would a lizard be so interested in me?" Zero wondered aloud.
***Break***
"You just can't listen to me, can you?" Louise demanded of Zero. "Don't you realize that as a commoner, if I can't even control you, everyone will look down on me!"
It seemed she was still upset over what happened earlier in class. Simply because he'd talked back to her when she was being irrational about something or another involving his duties as her familiar. He hadn't been paying any real attention to her at the time. "I never agreed to be a slave. I also never agreed to do half the things you do demand of me" Zero responded. While things had been more peaceful, Louise was taking baby steps to getting away from her "noble" attitude.
"In that case, you can make your bed outside this room. And since you don't get cold, you don't need to take that blanket with you either!" said Louise, arching her shapely eyebrows. What a bitter girl.
Zero shrugged and then left the room without any complaints. The moment he left the room, the door locked with a loud click. Zero sighed, and just stood looking at the door. God he wished he was home right now. Even with how absorbed she had been with research he had always been listened to.
The door to Kirche's room opened, drawing his attention.
Her salamander Flame crawled out, with its burning tail emitting a warm glow. The two stared at each other. The salamander shuffled closer to Zero.
"Hey, there. What are you doing out and about?" Zero asked, kneeling to place a hand softly on its head.
"Kyurukyuru," it growled comfortingly. It looked harmless before it clamped its jaws on Zero's arm, shaking its head as if asking him to follow it.
"Huh, want me to follow you? Not like i got anything better to do. Although you can let go. You're gonna break a tooth if you try biting into my armor." Zero scolded the creature which seemed to understand. As he followed the creature to the room it occupied with it's summoner he wondered what could Kirche possibly want from him. Zero wondered if maybe someone else was gonna give him a lecture about quarreling with Louise. Ah well might as well get it over with. Not like he couldn't leave out the window if she annoyed him.
The room was pitch dark, save for Flame's mild glow. Kirche's voice commanded from the darkness, "Close the door." Zero shrugged but obliged.
"Welcome to my room."
"It's pretty dark in here."
He heard Kirche snap her fingers. Starting from the one nearest him, lamps lit up one by one towards Kirche like lights floating above a street.
Doused in the mild glow, Kirche sat on her bed, with a look of worry on her face. She was wearing nothing but her underwear. One thing was for sure: supported only by her sexy bra, her full breasts were the size of cantaloupes.
"Don't just stand there. Come to me." Kirche cooed with her most captivating voice.
Zero now understood, and rather loudly, face palmed.
"Don't be shy, come and sit down. It isn't right how she treats you." Kirche said softly.
Zero sat by her side as he was told, although he was careful not to touch her as she leaned partially towards him. "What are your intentions?" Zero asked somewhat nervously, although he knew all to well. He had again misjudged the situation and it was going to get awkward before it was over, he predicted. Layer had pulled a few tricks like this on him as well. Kirche merely stared at him while slowly waving her fiery red hair. Under the faint lamp light, Kirche's brown skin looked wildly erotic, as if trying to capture Zero to do her bidding.
Kirche made a long sigh, and worriedly shook her head.
"You must think me a lowly, despicable woman."
"Kirche?"
"To be thought so is inevitable. Do you understand? My runic name is 'Ardent'."
"I know that."
"My lust is as flammable as hay... that's why I suddenly called you here. Don't you get it? Isn't this really bad of me?"
"It could be worse." Zero replied.
"Worse, you say?"
"Well, its not like you're trying to kill me. Its flattering really." Zero said simply, "While some might think it unseemly, what could be considered even a low form of love, can still be classified as a positive, if misplaced feeling"
Kirche looked at Zero with moist, watery eyes. Any man would show his most primitive instincts after looking at these eyes. She knew that much.
Kirche suddenly clasped Zero's hand, enveloping them with her warm palms before slowly caressing through every finger.
"Loving you, my dear is not misplaced. To you, is my love too sudden?"
"Yeah, that's sudden. I show up, out of nowhere. I do some unexpected things, and become a mysterious unknown. Believe it or not, its not too far off what happened before!" Zero laughed, remembering how the female reploids were always crushing on him or X, because of their mysterious pasts, power, and confidence.
"Your grandeur in defeating Guiche is just... so cool... like a hero of the legends. When I saw you right that moment I was in love. Can you believe it? I was attracted to you just like that! Passion! Oh, this is a passionate love!"
"Passion, huh?" Zero was at a loss, and was even getting a bit embarrassed. None of the girls in the past had professed this much in such a short time.
"My runic name, 'Ardent', is quite passionate too. I've been writing love songs since that day! Love songs! Just for you... Zero. You appear in my dreams every night, so I told Flame to see how you're doing... oh, I'm so embarrassed. But it's all because of you!"
Zero looked at her, and she seemed to see a sadness in his eyes, but he said nothing.
Kirche took his silence as acceptance, and slowly, with closed eyes, approached Zero with her lips.
Zero pushed Kirche's shoulders away
Kirche looked at Zero with surprise, as if asking "Why?" Zero looked away from her body.
"How best to put this..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm a weapon. I mean this literally. I'm not human." Zero stated,"The only woman I've ever loved died a long time ago, because of that fact. If not for me, she would still be alive even now. You want no part of me."
"What?" Kirche hadn't expected to hear that. He had a lost love? He didn't look any older than her through. "What was her name?"
"Iris" Zero stated. "She was somewhat like me. Her brother and I fought. When I killed him, she went insane. I tell myself I had no choice, that the fate of millions of people was on the line. But its never really enough. Before she died, she returned to herself, which made it even worse."
"You killed her?" Kirche couldn't believe it. "Didn't you try and stop her?"
"Yes. I tried to talk her out of it. I tried to subdue her. But she was powerful enough that it was either kill, or be killed. And as always, I'm a weapon that will complete their mission."
Kirche looked at him. He didn't look like a weapon. He looked like someone who had been forced into an action they regretted terribly. Instinctively her arms went around Zero drawing him into a protective embrace. Just what had happened to him? "If she returned to herself at the end, did she blame you?"
"She wanted to live in a world where only people like us lived. with me. That was her dying wish. I never asked for her forgiveness..." he said, voice rough with emotion.
"Then do you think she would have wanted you to be alone?" Kirche asked him, looking into his eyes.
"What?" Zero was startled at such an unexpected question.
"You're around other people, but you're always alone. Do you think she wanted you to live alone from everyone because of her?"
"I don't know. I just keep my distance because anyone I get close to gets hurt in the end anyhow. Back home, I have a lot of enemies."
"You're not back home though. You're here. You don't have to be a" Kirche wondered just what type of trials the young man had faced as she tried to comfort the young man in front of her. Unfortunately she interrupted by a thump at the window.
A beautiful playboy looked inside indignantly, annoyed that the woman he had come to see already held another in her arms. "Kirche... I came to check because you weren't there on time..."
"Berisson! We'll meet two hours later then!"
"That wasn't what we agreed on!" They were on the third floor. It looked like this Berisson guy was floating on air with some magic spell. Zero couldn't help but be impressed that with magical powers beyond normal human abilities adolescents still used them to get around the rules and see each other when they shouldn't. He stifled a laugh at that.
Kirche nonchalantly took out her wand from between her breasts, and waved it without even looking at him. Flame shot out from a nearby lamp and flew into the gentleman at the window like a snake.
"What an annoying owl." Kirche said to Zero, dismissing what had just happened.
Zero watched in shock. If she still wasn't clutching him, he'd likely have face palmed again at the absurdity of the situation. Owl, that was the best she could come up with? Not stalker, not annoying ex-lover. Owl.
"Eh... you didn't hear all that, did you?"
"Another of your passions?"
"Just a friend. Whatever... right now, that doesn't matter. We were talking..."
At that moment, they were interrupted again.
A sharp-looking man peered into the room with a sad face. "Kirche! Who is that guy? Aren't you going to heat up the night with me?"
"Styx! Leave, now! I'm in no mood for this!"
The young man demanded, the darkness and Kirche's figure keeping Zero's form from being readily identifiable,"Who is that guy, Kirche?" When she refused to answer his anger seemed to get the better of him, and as he was about to enter the room, Kirche waved her wand again. The fire flew from the lamp again, hit the man, and sent him to the ground.
"...I take it that he's your friend too? Or is he a new form of owl as well? Or a friend that is an owl. A frowl?" Zero asked, a smirk on his face.
"Instead of 'friend', lets just say that I've only heard of him. Oh well, I don't want to waste our time. Whoever said 'the night is long' didn't know how quickly the sun rises. About what I was saying, you-" And again, a groan came from the window, interrupting her. Zero turned around.
Three men looked inside, and said the same thing at the same time. "Kirche! Who the hell is this? You said you don't have any lovers!"
"Manican! Ajax! Gimli!" Kirche spoke their names in turn, her annoyance clear.
Oh wow... five completely different people showed up so far... That's actually pretty impressive Zero thought. He wondered how many more would show up. He was betting at least one more would show up. Or at least one more group. How should he count it?
"Go away! I'm busy!" Kirche waved irritably.
"But, Kirche!" the three said in unison.
"Flame." Kirche casually ordered her salamander, who was sleeping in the corner. Flame sent a blaze towards the three men at the window, and they fell to the ground together with a muffled thud and some curses that could be heard.
"And those are...?" Zero asked, laughing at the predicament.
"Them? I don't even know them. But as I was saying, you don't need to be a weapon anymore! If it's caused you so much pain, then I'll become your weapon!" she said, fiercely.
Kirche held Zero's face with her hands and went straight for his lips. Zero's eyes widened in shock. Kirche's kiss was full of passion. Zero did not resist when she pinned him to the bed.
This time it was the door. Somebody kicked it open.
Zero thought it was just another guy. He was dead wrong. Wearing her thin pajamas, Louise stood and stared at the two from the doorway. He wondered just how angry Louise would get if he asked if she was also one of the passions of Kirche. Wisely, he chose to to to keep his mouth shut.
Kirche mildly eyed Louise, and kept her lips locked with Zero's.
Louise murderously moved towards Zero and Kirche, knocking down a few lamps in the process. Louise's hands moved faster than her mouth. More impressively is that her legs moved faster than her hands.
"KIRCHE!" Louise howled as she made her way towards Kirche.
Kirche acted like she just noticed her presence, and slowly removed herself from Zero, while waving her hand indignantly. "Don't you see that we're kind of busy here, Vallière?"
"Zerbst! Whose familiar do you think you're touching?" Louise demanded.
Zero was at a loss. Louise's brown eyes glimmered with fiery anger. Then it came to him. She couldn't bare to see her property in the hands of someone else! Zero looked at her with a flat eyed gaze that made her look away.
Kirche raised her hands above her head. Stuck between the two, Zero only sighed. It seemed that letting the whole situation develop into Kirche kissing him had made Louise extraordinarily angry. Although at this point, the only reason he cared about her anger was that it was annoying.
"Hmm, I was simply comforting your pained familiar" Kirche said simply, before Zero could speak. "Turning him out like that, even though his heart is so heavy. What a cruel master you are. I wonder if you even have a heart!"
"A heavy heart huh, as if." Louise said, although her face was full of doubt, "You just wanted another notch, another trophy taken away from a Vallière!"
"Love and fire are the Zerbst family's destiny. It's a fate that burns in our bodies. It is our lifelong goal to embrace this passionate flame. You should know that." Kirche shrugged, while Louise shook in anger. "But, that wasn't what was behind that kiss we shared. For a master to care so little for their familiar? Its a shame. To not see the pain etched across their heart? A true failure, lower than a Zero. I'm sorry I have associated my love's name with one so lowly as you"
"Come here, Zero." Louise stared at her familiar.
"Oh? Louise... he is indeed your familiar, but he has his own will too, don't you think? Please respect his choice." Kirche responded.
"Wait, what?" Zero responded as he turned to look at the girl. She was a noble. This was the first time he'd heard a noble say something like that. Everyone else had just dismissed him as some mindless commoner with some unusual abilities.
Louise raised her voice. "You... by tomorrow you'll be run through by magic from at least ten nobles! Is that all right with you?"
"Oh, no problem with that. Didn't you see how good he was in the Vestri Court?"
Louise shrugged. "Hmph... so his swordsmanship is amazing, but that doesn't matter when he's attacked by fireballs from the back and whirlwinds from the front."
"No problem! I'll protect him, even if you can't!" Kirche gave Zero a passionate look. She seemed to have an iron in her eyes that she didn't before. Zero was unsure because of it.
"Protect me?" Zero laughed. His shoulders shook, and both girls looked at him puzzled at the unexpected display of mirth. "Protect me. That's... too much. To think, all it took was coming to another world for someone to wish to protect me" he said, looking out the window at the two moons. "Thank you Kirche. You have no idea how much I actually mean that" he said, smiling kindly at her, making her heart nearly miss a beat.
"Aww...are you leaving so soon? I wanted to talk more. Among other things" Kirche sadly peered at Zero who had started moving towards the door. He interested her. With everything he said, and did, it was the exact opposite of what she expected. It was so rare to find a unique man to love, among all the stupid adolescents of the academy.
"That's her usual tactic! Don't be fooled by her." Louise tugged Zero's hand, and walked out.
***Break***
Back in her room, she closed the door with a deadly silence, and faced Zero. Forcefully biting her lip, she sent him a murderous glare.
"Like some stray dog in heat..." her voice was quivering. Louise's hands move faster than her mouth, and her feet move faster than her hands. It looked like her voice would get shakier soon. Anger filled her face.
"What now?" Zero asked, simply staring out the window of her room. She had been muttering to herself for a few minutes. "Ya know, muttering to yourself like that is the first sign you're going crazy"
"I almost saw you as a person. Looks like I was wrong." Her face was contorted in rage, and her eyes were alight. She wished her for the hundredth time that she hadn't gotten such a pain for a familiar.
"Saw me as a person? If that's how you treat people, I'd hate to actually be an animal" Zero couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had she summoned someone with a weaker will than his. It would probably be a living hell. Or she'd be dead.
"And you went to wag your tail at that Zerbst witch..." Louise reached into a drawer in her desk for something. A whip.
"Wag my tail? Before she kissed me, we did nothing more than talk. It wouldn't have gone past that kiss. She just caught me off guard when she did that" Zero protested.
"Dogs must be treated like dogs. I've been too soft on you."
"A whip huh?" Zero eyed the whip in Louise's hand. It was quite well made.
"I'm going far out of my way to use a horse's whip on you. You're just a dog after all." sounding like she was actually going out of her way to help him.
"A dog, huh?" his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Louise started whipping. After the second stroke she heard a snap, and the top of the whip had been broken off in Zero's hand.
"One more time and you'll lose that hand!" Zero yelled at her, unknown to him, a light started to emit from the crystal like structure inlaid in his helmet, giving him an altogether dangerous and foreboding look.
"What? How is that girl better? What is so good about her?" Louise yelled holding the whip in both hands, apparently she was paying attention even if she seemed to be in an unthinking rage.
"Simple. She treated me like a person. I have to agree though. As a master, you're clearly second rate. In some ways, she already knows more about me than you." Zero responded lazily, although he couldn't figure out why he'd opened up to her about Iris. He hadn't even told Ciel about that. He wished that the guardians were around. He really needed a nice long fight to get some of the frustration out of his system. He hadn't had a real fight since he got here.
"What do you mean knows more about you, what did you tell her?" Louise demanded, offended that her familiar would confide in that damned Zerbst rather than her.
"It doesn't matter. Just a moment of weakness, nothing to worry about" Zero looked at her blankly. The stare unnerved her. "Besides, as you said, I'm just a dog. Therefore, you shouldn't concern yourself about my past. It would be far, far too troublesome for one who is so far above me."
Louise sat on a chair, crossing her legs, her breathing still uneven.
"You can go out with anybody you choose. But, no matter what, you must not go out with that woman."
"Why's that?"
"First, Kirche isn't a Tristainian; she's a noble from neighboring Germania. Just that makes going out with her completely unacceptable. I hate Germanians."
"What does that mean to me?"
"My house, Vallière, has estates on Germania's borders, so we're the first on the field against Germanians the moment any war starts. Even worse, right opposite to us on that border is Kirche's birthplace." Louise bit down hard on her teeth. "So basically, the Zerbst family is our sworn enemy."
"And they call themselves a passionate family. Seems yours has passion too, even if it is just in killing"
"Hers is just a low, unworthy family. Kirche's great-great-grandfather stole away my great-great-grandfather's lover! That was around 200 years ago."
"That's quite a while ago. Even by my standards."
"Plus, Zerbst constantly slanders Vallière. My great-great-grandfather's fiancé was stolen away because of that."
"Huh?"
"My great-great-grandfather's! His wife was taken away just like that."
"Okay, whatever...so basically, this is all because your family lost a lover or two to Kirche's family?"
"Not just that. We've lost count on how many family members we've lost from the wars."
"I'm just a lowly little familiar...it's not like I'm worth being stolen." Zero said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"No. I will not let Kirche steal a single bird. I'll shame my ancestors if that happens." With that, Louise poured a glass of water, and downed it in one gulp. "That is why Kirche's forbidden."
"Your ancestors have nothing to do with me." Zero said defiantly.
"Yes they do! You're my familiar, right? As long as you eat from the Vallière family, you are to follow my orders."
"As I recall I've not eaten anything you've given me" Zero stared discontentedly at Louise, "Familiar this, familiar that..."
"You have a problem with that?"
"Of course not. Why would I. Being ripped from my home. From the family I built and protected. From the world I bled for." Zero said in a controlled calm voice. The tone didn't match his words at all. "Why the hell would that be a problem!" He nearly yelled suddenly.
"You should thank me!" Louise shouted back. She wouldn't back down after what she'd seen before.
"Thank you, for what?" Zero demanded angrily.
"If the word that a commoner became Kirche's lover gets out, do you think you'll survive?"
"Louise, you have no idea what I am. You have no idea what I'm capable of. There is a reason that back home, I had many titles. I was known as Zero, the legendary reploid. I was called the hero. I was also known, in a much less complimentary fashion, as the God of Destruction. All in all, I'm a damned extinction level event waiting to happen! Hell, I've nearly been one three times that I can think of! I don't think a damned thing in this world has the ability to stand up to me!"
"Extinction level event?" Louise looked at him, unsure what that even meant. She'd never even heard of it.
"It means, that I could cause the extinction of the human race, and more likely all biological life in the world. Basically, I'm a world wide natural disaster just looking for a place to go off! And while you all have magic, you have nothing on the world when i was developed, much less the hundreds of years of progress that came after it. You've yet to see me do anything but handle my saber in a half hearted way. I do not enjoy killing, I do not revel in death. But I've been there. I've done that. And this whole academy of people who call themselves nobles are no more a threat to me than an ant. At least Kirche listened to me. She didn't lecture me, and she sure as hell didn't hit me with a whip like some animal or slave. God, you have no fucking idea how out of line you really are!" with that, Zero opened the door, walked out, slamming it behind him.
Louise stared after him, and gasped in shock. The heavy wooden door had buckled nearly in half, the hinges had been torn off the upper portion of the door, and the frame was noticeably warped.
Zero went down to the courtyard. He was shaking in rage. Damn it. He shouldn't be losing it like this. He was calm, he was collected. Damn it, he shouldn't have thought of Iris. Damn it. What was wrong with him? Standing there, looking at the two moons, he just let his mind blank. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but suddenly he screamed out loud,"Just what the hell am I fighting for?" slamming his fist into the wall, collapsing a large section of it. He'd asked that before. What was he really fighting for. He couldn't really tell now. Before being brought here, he'd always had a reason to fight. He's always had a reason to move forward. He only had the hope of getting home here. But aside from hints that things could be brought to this world, he had no real proof of anything leaving this world.
Behind him, he heard a soft response,"I'm sorry. I-" as he turned to look at her, Louise looked away "I can't claim to understand. But you don't need to fight. I'm sorry"
"Its alright. I'm sorry that I lost control like that" Zero said softly. He looked at the pile of rubble that had been part of the wall. Destruction. Was that his only legacy?
"Its funny. Kirche actually ran over to my room when you broke my door. Apparently she was concerned for me..." she said, looking sadly at the ground.
"I did what?" Zero didn't remember breaking the door.
"You slammed it hard enough to nearly break it in half and bend the frame."
Chuckling sheepishly "Ah, sorry. Sometimes i forget I'm not dealing with metal doors. Although the same thing probably would have happened. Not really sure why, but my emotions have been a lot stronger since I've been here. I'm sorry if I scared you. Well, not really sorry, but it wasn't my intention."
"Its okay. But no normal person could have done that. Not with their bare hands" Louise said quietly. "Zero, I believe you"
"What?" He looked at her. What did she believe?
"That you're not from this world. That you're a weapon. That you're over three hundred years old. I believe you. But I don't think you're a god of destruction. I mean, I'm just a failure of a mage, and if someone I didn't know had whipped me, I probably would have tried to blow them up. You only broke my door, and that was an accident. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"Give me a sword." Zero stated simply after thinking for a moment.
"Don't you have one?"
"Mine is rather, flashy some would say and can draw questions I really don't want to answer at times. It doesn't really fit with any of the weapons you have here, although it fit just fine back home. And it would be nice having a weapon that isn't as deadly. I would like a simpler weapon, that isn't universally fatal."
"Ah... I get it now..." Louise nodded in understanding. "I'll buy you a sword. You'll never have enough lives if Kirche has her eyes on you anyway. We brought that on ourselves, so we'll have to take care of it." Louise weakly said. Even she knew that Zero could see through her front.
"How rare..."
"What?" Louise stared at Zero.
"I thought you were such a miser."
"I can't let a familiar get used to luxury. It makes for bad habits. If it's absolutely necessary, I'll buy it. I'm not a stingy person." Louise said proudly.
"Huh?" Zero couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he still just "Familiar"? Maybe she really didn't understand.
"Now that you get it, lets go to sleep. Tomorrow is the Day of Void, so I'll take you shopping."
"Its fine. I feel like working off some of my frustration. I'll be back by morning" And with that, Zero ran to the edge of the academy, scaled the wall, and jumped over it, leaving multiple after images as Louise tried to follow him with her eyes. He acted like he'd done it a hundred times before, like it was no big deal.
"Maybe I should be more careful. He might just leave if we keep fighting like this" Louise said to herself. Then a sudden burst of excitement filled her. If he really was this powerful, that meant she had actually followed through on her boast. She summoned the most powerful creature with her spell! Even a dragon couldn't claim to cause the destruction of the entire human race! Although few would probably boast about it, it still was amazing to think of the required power to even think to make the claim. But that would mean he hadn't shown his true power. The conversation they had earlier came to mind and she returned to her room, troubled. Just what was Zero really capable of?
***Break***
Zero ran through the forest, jumping from large branch to large branch, then to the trail. He didn't know how long he'd do this, but there was a freedom to this speed, to this movement. The nature of this world was amazing. It seemed to help calm him. It made him want to protect this place. So that it wouldn't face the same fate as his world. A barren, nearly lifeless husk that had once been so beautiful. Especially since he himself had played a major part in the downfall of that world.
***Author's notes***
So, Zero finally got fed up. Not quite enough to cause fireworks, but more than enough to scare the hell outta some people. One would imagine that the whole building shook at least a little with that much strength thrown around.
If anyone is wondering about Zero's emotional changes, there are two reasons behind it. The first is related to something in the anime with something that is said about a certain familiar type and how it might apply to a Reploid. Its in the third season. The final thing is, in my opinion Zero has a certain condition. His main tactic is "Fight till I drop and get destroyed" and if that doesn't work, he seals himself in a pod so he doesn't have to deal with 'normal' life. In the X series he's a lighter hearted character than the MMZ series because he has more of a support cast, but he's still just a hunter. He stays on the front lines even when X takes the back seat to do more political and peaceful solutions. He's had to fight thousands of times even before MMZ. People think that being a reploid that wouldn't effect him. He's the legendary reploid Zero, and in a military or battle situation unflappable. But as is the case with most battle hardened veterans, he's got a slightly off kilter view compared to everyone else. Tying into what the rune is doing, it would have a doubling effect on Zero. So you have Zero in a situation unlike any he's ever seen before. He's in a civilian role, with his only chain of command, being an annoying girl that treats him as a useless possession half the time. He's not the type to give in, and he's not the type to attack an unarmed civilian. So he's gotta deal with it somehow. So he needs to vent. And without anything that he can blow up without good cause...
When it came to the Megaman Z games, I tended to talk to everyone at the base just for flavor if nothing else. So to me, Zero didn't seem too reserved in the MMZ series, it was just a more serious story line compared to the endless Sigma incarnations in the first series. To me, he was more social in MMZ series since he had free run of the resistance base and could talk to all the personnel at the base for all the games. He actually seemed more social by the end of MMZ4 than he had in the MMX series. He also ended the life of a human. That was a big step and a rather large plot point as well. With his realization on Weil that a human and a reploid were the same when it came to being an enemy. If they stood in his way or threatened the ones he protected, he would stab,slash, or blow them up. Or all of the above. But he wouldn't hold back.
As for Kirche, she will be a bit different after this, compared to cannon, due to the fact that Zero has just now become far, far more interesting with an actual past, rather than the kinda dead end past of "I have a laptop and mention my mother like twice" Saito had going for him. I liked him as a character, but all his development was forward, without any look into his past, and what developments he might have needed based on his past, then again that kinda fit his "average" character so it worked for him. He was a character without much tragedy, while Zero has centuries of them that in my opinion he never actually had time to face.
Also, reviewers, what normal megaman(Original Megaman Series) character would you like to see brought into this series, and why? Put this into your reviews if you care enough to.
I would also like to thank Robo reader 21 for their assistance.