Three days after the incident with the rogues from Albion, more musketeers as well as three mages from the manticore guard arrived. The musketeers had allowed classes for the female students to take up the first quarter of the day, while the rest of it was taken up with practice in preparation for the war that they might be pressed into. Colbert had stayed in his lab since the night he had been confronted with his past, and Zero couldn't help but feel for the man. He sighed as he watched the girls continue their practice with more effort than before. Then again, Zero couldn't help but wonder what type of effects the hostage situation would have on the girls. Thankfully Louise and Cattelya had dodged that bullet, but she still seemed to put more of herself into the training because of the danger the others had faced. With a small smirk Zero looked at his summoner and said in a lecturing tone,"Louise, if you're gonna hold that staff, don't hold it so tightly that your knuckles turn white. It will hurt your grip, and tire your hands. Hold it firmly, but not quite so tightly."
"Alright," Louise nodded as she relaxed her grip a small amount.
"Ha, what do you think you know about using a staff, familiar?" the same green haired woman asked him, to which he laughed.
"Funny you should ask that." Zero smirked as he stood up, drawing a handle that appeared much like his regular saber. "I haven't tested it out yet, and I'm no where's near as good as Cerveau at making weapons, but I think its a good approximation." As he snapped his wrist, the handle extended into a six foot long staff. "Although, I couldn't make it into a proper trident, and it doesn't recoil half as well as I wished it would..." The tip came to life in a sort of half blade, reminiscent of his old D-naginata. He swung the blade around, creating a light display, then he gripped it firmly in his hand thrusting from many angles at speeds that the eye could barely follow, occasionally switching which hand was the primary. He took a step forward pivoted and spun the staff so fast it appeared to become an almost solid shield rotating around him. Suddenly he slammed the spear into the ground, leaping atop it. The spear seemed to compact for just a moment before he was launched into the air, performing a few slashes and then rapidly spinning the spear as he fell. As he landed, the small display was finished. He took a loose stance, with the D-naginata/recoil rod hybrid held behind him in the crook of his right arm as the rest of his arm wrapped around it. His left hand held in front of himself, palm open. While for him, it served no real purpose, it looked cool, and he knew it. Judging by the look of shock on that woman's face he had accomplished what he had set out to.
"Amazing." Tabitha said as she watched the deadly and swift movements that Zero had used.
"You said it Tabitha," Kirche commented, almost drooling over Zero's show of martial prowess. Not even bringing up the amazing qualities of a weapon that he had made himself. "There is nothing my beloved can't do. He can even craft weapons that can put the finest alchemists to shame!"
Zero, hearing the compliments from Kirche laughed somewhat sheepishly,"No, that's not it. All I did was make this out of some spare parts. The design and execution was very similar to one that someone else had made for me before. I can't take credit for Cerveau's design."
"Modest," was Tabitha's response.
"How can you call him modest, after such an excessive display?" demanded the woman who had recovered from her shock.
"He's humble about anything not having to do with his battle prowess. He's always been exceedingly aware of how powerful he is in battle," Louise explained, as she remembered the conversation she had with him the first night he had been in this world with her. Or when he had threatened to sink Albion...Exceedingly aware indeed.
"Yes, but that's all because of the rune he was given. So he's only humble about the things he can do himself?" she asked, sarcasm and doubt seeming to war in her voice.
"You don't know anything about him," Louise replied laughing, although she winced inwardly as she realized that Zero's rune must be more common knowledge than she thought. She couldn't help but hope that the reason behind him having that rune was less common knowledge."I have seen him rip a bronze golem in half with his bare hands."
Suddenly the impending argument was interrupted by the sound of a manticore roaring. Up in the sky a white dragon was swooping in for a landing. The musketeers had weapons at ready, and one of the manticore mages had their wand pointed at the dragon. As it landed, a young man in silver armor jumped from the dragon's back. A shock of spiky auburn hair, and a cross shaped scar above the bridge of his nose stood out as his most notable features, but the scar didn't seem to detract at all from his obvious good looks. The scar seemed to instead give him a more serious look, that he likely wouldn't be able to have otherwise, with the clear mischief in his eyes. "Sorry for the interruption, but I have been sent here to attend what classes are being taught." He walked up to Zero, a scroll of paper in his hand and a smirk on his face. "Knight-Captain Zero, my orders. Or should I say, former Commander of the Maverick Hunters?" causing multiple gasps. While some knew, it was not common knowledge that Zero was a high ranking noble.
"Axl?" Zero demanded, his eyes open in shock. He'd not seen Axl since before he put himself to sleep! As the Musketeers and the manticore mage seemed to relax, he opened the scroll. It was written in modern English, the international language from post impact. "Its been a long time Axl. A very, very long time."
"Huh, I guess it has been a while, hasn't it old man? I see you have some fun looking war games going on here." He laughed as Zero growled at being called an old man. Axl noticed the three girls that had walked up to them. He bowed deeply and introduced himself. "My name is Axl. If it you would not consider it too uncouth of me, would it be too much of a bother to ask such beautiful noble women for their names?"
"I'm Kirche, handsome." The busty redhead said, looking the new boy up and down.
"Tabitha." the blue haired girl replied, her expression not changing.
"How do you know Zero?" Louise asked, her eyes narrowed as she inspected the young man.
"Oh, I've fought along side him a few times. He mentored me, as any good captain would do. He taught me the right way to live." He replied easily, making an elegant gesture with his hand.
"What way is that?" Louise asked, unsure what the answer might be.
"Follow what you feel is right. No matter what. Even if your comrades turn against you, even if the world turns against you, do what is right." Axl grinned at Zero.
"You're still just a stupid kid, even after all this time, but at least you listened when I talked to you," Zero returned the grin.
Kirche gasped as she realized, if he knew Zero before he came to this world... Then he wasn't from this world either! As she composed herself again, she asked cautiously, "So, Sir Axl what forms of magic do you use?"
"Oh, I don't have anything you'd term magic." Axl winked at Zero.
"Oh, then why does the dragon allow you to ride it?" Louise asked curiously.
"Because I simply tried to understand her. Isn't that right Pallette?" Axl asked the dragon, who grumbled happily as he rubbed the ridge above her eye.
"You, named your dragon after her?" Zero asked, dumbfounded.
"Of course. Why not? We were partners for a long time, right? I couldn't think of a more fitting name for so noble and beautiful a creature," Axl said as he continued giving attention to the dragon.
"Well, yes. But... never mind" Zero laughed as he shook his head.
"So, another noble who holds themselves above us yet can't even use magic?" the green haired musketeer asked her voice laced with contempt.
"Wow." Axl said as he looked at her. "For someone who's so pretty, you've got the personality of a spike pit."
Zero couldn't help but laugh at that. After he stopped laughing, a spark of mischief was lit in Zero's eye, and he said in a flippant tone,"Want to have some fun Axl? There are some wooden blades. We'll have to play nice, but we'll be able to get a little bit of exercise."
Axl looked at him. "Sure. Why not. Any chance we can get a few extra? You know how even when we play 'nice' we can still get a bit carried away. Although I'm still fully armed if you want some real fun."
"Hmm, real fun huh? that seems like a bad idea. We'll just see what we can't do with wooden swords, for now anyhow. Besides, I need to see if you're still the worst of the three of us when it comes to melee combat," Zero replied, looking as if he was considering some great matter. After a few moments he looked at the green haired woman who had yet to give her name to Zero."Excuse me, would you mind if we borrowed the rack of wooden swords for a while?"
"Whatever. You're a noble, you'll do as you please anyhow. Help yourselves to our training swords." she replied, her contempt not even veiled.
"Well, if you said no, I probably would have just gone to take a nap. Or I suppose we could have used live weapons like Axl was hoping for, but that normally causes a lot of collateral damage." Zero laughed as he walked over to the rack and lifted it up, carrying it over to an unused section of the courtyard. Zero had a little bit of trouble refraining from laughing at the gasps of the musketeers. He took out ten blades, and stuck them into the ground. "Axl, we each get five blades. First to take five hits or lose five of their swords loses the match."
"Sounds good. Shall we?" Axl grabbed a sword and tested its weight. "Too bad she didn't say no."
"And why's that?" Zero replied as he hefted his own fake blade.
"Well, it would have been a really flashy fight if we'd been able to use our real weapons. I mean, its not a real fight with Zero unless something explodes,"
"Yeah, and then we'd have to repair the damages."
"And? Showing off a little is sometimes fun! What's a little labor after a fun fight, provided everyone sees how awesome it is?" A glint in Axl's eyes as he said this, was the only hint that he was joking.
"You never change, do you?" Zero said as he rolled his eyes. Some things never changed, he supposed.
"Of course I do. I can change very well! You know that, or is your memory giving out on you after all? You know that they say its the first to go with age," Axl replied, a smirk on his face.
Zero laughed at that. "Well, I suppose that fulfills our prebattle banter?"
"Yeah, we can get down to it now." Axl said, as he dashed forward at inhuman speeds, and slashed at Zero. The fake blade swept through the area Zero's head was in but a moment ago, and the younger reploid barely managed to flip backwards as Zero's return strike nearly caught him in the chest. "Still as good as ever Zero."
"You expected any different?" Zero asked as he moved forward taking the offense. He slashed twice pushing Axl back.
"Of course not!" Axl spun as Zero went for a thrust to his head. "Although I've learned a little bit about swordplay since you left!" He rolled as Zero performed a quick jab, and swung at Zero's now exposed back.
"Oh, almost caught me there kid." Zero said as he flipped over Axl's head and landed facing him, only a few short feet separating them.
"Yeah, if I was to catch the legendary Zero that easily I'd be disappointed." Axl said, as he ran forward to meet the older hunter again. Their blades met, both cracking as the locked, forcing Axl and Zero to jump back. "Huh. Guess we can't do that." he said as he looked at the half blade he was holding.
"Nope. Next set?" Zero asked as he smiled, moving to grab a new blade.
"Sure, why not." Axl grinned like a child in a candy store, as he walked up and grabbed a sword of his own. "Never thought I'd get the chance to do this again."
"Same. Been a long time since I've had a good fight kid. So don't let me win too fast," Zero smirked as Axl pressed the attack at that comment.
"Don't worry. I won't let you win at all!" Axl said, Two more slashes and a redirected over-extension later, Zero had shattered the blade with his boot.
"Still get worked up just as easy, huh kid?" Zero commented with a smile.
"Not as easily, but yeah." Axl replied as he went to get another sword.
"Well then. Shall we try again?" Zero asked, as he pressed his attack again. Axl attempted to break his blade with a chop of his hand. Zero saw this and twisted his wrist jabbing Axl's chest with his own blade. With some surprise he realized Axl had performed a similar maneuver on him. "Nice one. That's one of my moves. One to one on hits."
"Well yeah. You don't get the crap beaten out of you so many times without knowing what you've been beaten by." Axl replied.
"Well, I suppose that's true." Zero replied his laughter filling the courtyard. "Shall we step this up a notch?"
"What do you mean?" Axl replied innocently, although his smirk grew into a wide grin.
"You know damn well what I mean. Lets stop holding back, because this is starting to get fun." Zero walked over to the swords and grabbed a second one, tossing it to Axl, then grabbing a second blade for himself.
"Ah. Fun. You sure you can still do that?" Axl said, his back left foot tapping on the ground as he took an irritatingly mocking pose with his right sword resting on his shoulder.
"Who knows?" Zero replied as he dashed forward even faster than before. Some cracks of wood on wood, could be heard, but most of the actions were too fast for any of the spectators to definitely say what was going on.
Axl kept to the defensive. He knew Zero's style. Go for the kill, move as fast as possible with the least wasted movements. That was how he'd win. He kept his guard up not letting their blades make more than partial contact. As Zero went for a double thrust to his stomach, he brought one of his blades around as hard as he could. The cracking of wood could be heard as he felt both blades hit his stomach. Zero and himself separated once the exchange was over.
"Huh, you took the hits in exchange for breaking my swords. Unfortunately you broke one of your own."
"Well yeah. That evens us out. We're both at two blades now."
"Yeah, but I have three hits on you. You only got one."
"Doesn't matter. All I need to do is break your blades and I'll win." Axl said with a smile on his face.
"Alright. So maybe you have changed. A little. Still a stupid kid though."
"Maybe I am. Who knows?" Axl replied as he charged. He pushed Zero back with a burst of speed, and swung both swords. Zero dodged both and Axl had to jump back to avoid being hit with each of his opponent's return strikes. "Damn," Axl said as he landed.
"You're way better than I remember Axl. Been practicing?" Zero asked in a slightly taunting tone, as he pressed forward and attempted to jab another blade at the young man.
"Of course." was Axl's quick reply as he dropped to the ground, rolling away and springing off the ground as he brought his fist down to the ground, propelling him farther from Zero.
"Good. Would have hated it if I wasted all that time teaching you, to have you give up on it. While X eventually learned how to handle a saber in combat, you always wanted to go double buster for some reason. Didn't think you could handle a weapon that required skill?" Zero playfully teased before he charged again, swinging at Axl's left, and rolling past two quick jabs that Axl made after he dodged. Both swung wide attempting to take the other before they could turn around, but both weapons shattered as they hit each other.
"One weapon to one weapon. Although if you hit me twice the weapons don't matter." Axl said, a smirk on his face.
"True. Shall we?" Zero and Axl slashed at each other, Zero trying to attack the young man while Axl simply tried to get their weapons to meet for a draw. The fight became more intense as each tried to fulfill the requirements of the duel, but both seemed to be nearly evenly matched. While they hadn't seen each other in over a hundred years, the two had picked up exactly where they had left off, a young man and his mentor. They grinned as they pushed themselves farther and farther past the limits of what any human could do.
***Break**
Everyone had gathered around for the duel, and much to everyone's surprise, the duel was still continuing after over twenty minutes. The endurance and speed of these two were beyond human. "Inhuman," Tabitha said simply.
"This is unreal. I never knew that someone could stand so evenly with my beloved!" Kirche said as she admired them. Although this Axl was no Zero, he was obviously above a normal commoner. Had she not been smitten with Zero there might have been some possibilities.
"He's not your beloved. He's my familiar. And although they are still fighting, Zero will win." Louise smiled as she said that.
"And why's that? He's actually fighting Zero on even terms, as near as I can tell. They're down to the same amount of weapons too, although Darling has only to land two more hits before he wins. I'm not sure if that's likely though, with how they seem to break those blades whenever they meet." Kirche replied.
"I know he's going to win because he's Zero. I believe in him, just like he believes in me." she replied. After a few moments she blinked. She'd never told him that, even though he'd been more than willing to let her know that. It was why he protected her, why he hadn't left her even after everything she'd done. After a few more moments she took a deep breath in and yelled as loudly as she could ,"Zero! You're going to win! Because I believe in you!"
***Break**
The fight was continuing. There were a number of close calls as Zero danced away from Axl's blade, trying to keep his from meeting Axl's directly, knowing that a draw was close at hand, even with his lead on hits. He had to admit Axl had improved well above what he would have expected, from his reliance on ranged attacks. It was a pleasant surprise, that his lessons with Axl had yielded results, even if they hadn't been as immediate as he would have liked. As Axl charged in at him, his blade swinging up at him, Zero nearly lost his blade when Louise yelled out to him. As Zero realized what she had said, his left hand lit up, and he twisted and brought his left hand up to intercept the blade. The wooden blade shattered in his hand. He took a hit, but his opponent's last blade was broken.
Axl laughed and shook his head, then smiled and shouted,"Damn that was fun!"
Zero chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose it was. I guess this means if I want to actually do some training I've got someone who can keep up with me."
"I didn't do too badly, huh?" Axl replied excitedly.
"Nope. Damned impressive kid. But it was my specialty. You lost when we decided to use swords. Although I suppose it was close." Zero replied nonchalantly.
"Ha, you know it wasn't. You were still holding back on me Zero," Axl said, pouting.
"Well yeah, I can't embarrass you with all the girls around. You've always been rather hopeless with that. Hell, X always spent more time trying to get you a girl, than trying to get Layer together with me!" Zero laughed as Axl's managed a blush that crept even to his ears.
"You did it!" Louise cried as she ran up to Zero and hugged him. "You're the best familiar ever!"
"You... have a girl attached to you, Zero." Axl noted, his embarrassment forgotten for the moment.
"Yes. I've noticed. It happens sometimes." Zero said as he looked away sheepishly.
"Never woulda figured you for the type to like the small cute ones, what with Layer's proportions and all. Although I can't say that she looks like a bad match for you." Axl smirked as he noticed his friend becoming more uncomfortable.
"Very funny Axl." Zero replied, playfully punching the young man. Well maybe a touch more than playfully.
"Do you really think we look like a good match?" Louise asked almost shyly.
Axl looked at the girl in surprise. Should he? He knew the risks of this, but he also couldn't help it, the look Zero was throwing him just made this so much harder to resist. Holding back his smirk, he said in a calm, kind voice,"Yeah, I really do. You two look real cute together. Almost a perfect match one could say" he tried to stifle a laugh as he noticed Zero's reaction to this. While he might pay for it later, it was totally worth it and he regretted nothing.
"So what exactly are you doing here Axl?" Zero asked him, after the musketeers had rounded up the majority of the students and forced them to continue practicing.
"What? I can't come around to help an old friend?"
"Excuse me, Sir Axl..." Louise started, "How do you know Zero?"
Axl looked at the girl who had let go of Zero and walked up to him. "Well it all started when I had to escape from a group called Red Alert. Zero arrested me."
"What? What did he arrest you for?" she asked, looking suspiciously at him.
"Nothing really, just to be safe seeing as my introduction was a little unusual to say the least. After they investigated me, it all became fairly clear I wasn't a threat, and I ran a few missions with Zero and later on X."
"Oh, you knew X?" Louise asked hesitantly. That meant Axl was probably older than he seemed. Much older...
"Yeah, good guy. Hated fighting, but did it when it was needed. He and Zero were my idols for a very long time," Axl replied.
"So, was he as powerful as Zero says?" Kirche asked curiously, wanting to know the truth of the matter from a less biased source.
"Who knows. Those two always insisted the other was stronger, more fit to protect the world. X had much better stand off capabilities, but when it came to being in close range I'd have to give the mark to Zero hands down. All depended on how you wanted to die, really. If you wanted to be melted by plasma, X was the man you went to see, if you wanted to be in a bunch of pieces it was Zero."
"So X was like Zero's support, staying in the back?" Kirche replied, some mockery in her tone.
"Of course not. On quite a few missions the two of them were doing their own things. They'd defeat the armies they'd face alone. X was just the one who regretted it."
"That's why he is more fit to protect others, he was a hero, a real one." Zero said as Axl left that hanging.
"You know you hated it too Zero," Axl said with a hard smirk. "You just have a different way of showing those things."
"Oh? How does he show it." Louise asked, curious as to what he meant. Zero hadn't shown any remorse for his actions in the past, even though he had killed over forty-thousand.
"Shut up Axl," Zero said, thankful that the other students had been herded back to work on their practice with their staves.
"Or what? You're not a bully or anything. Anyway, nameless girl, He feels responsible for all the pain and death he brings forth in wars. So he seals himself away whenever they're over. The idiot thinks if he goes to sleep he won't cause any more destruction. As if removing a powerful deterrent would make people less likely to fight." Axl said sadly.
"What do you mean a powerful deterrent?" Kirche, her head swimming with the odd things she was hearing. Sleeping, how could that prevent destruction?
"Zero has fought thousands of battles. He has destroyed hundreds of thousands of enemies. Those who rise up against him, die. This is the simple truth of the world, if you rise against Zero your life will be ended. When he goes to sleep, that threat is no longer there. You just had X and me. Neither of us were quite so effective at dealing with threats. We would wait for those threats to prove themselves as threats and endanger people. Zero doesn't like violence for the sake of violence, he has absolutely no problem using violence when it is required. He was the highest ranking of the Shinobi corp, a special operations group that dealt with the underside of the world. They lost their sleep and endangered themselves so that the normal people wouldn't even know that they were in danger, so that people could live without that burden." Axl said as he looked into Zero's eyes, a strange edge to his voice.
"You don't know what you're talking about Axl," Zero said, his eyes flashing in anger, his hands clenched into fists.
"Seems I hit close to home?" Axl replied, his humorous expression gone. He looked serious, and somewhat angry. Suddenly Axl said in a cutting tone, "Because of your owned damned guilt Weil got 'Omega'! With you sealing yourself like you keep doing too many people died. As I recall the overall count on numbers was 90% of reploids and 60% of all humans died in a four year period. Correct me if I'm wrong on the numbers Zero. The only thing that saved us was when you showed back up! On that note, I made a promise to someone and I damned well intend to see it through." Axl finished as he took a step forward and punched Zero square in the face.
Zero shook his head at the impact, glaring at the younger reploid. "What the hell was that for?"
"They made me promise that if I ever saw you to knock some sense into you if you still needed it. Apparently you do if you still can't accept or understand that simple fact," Axl said, his glare softening.
"What doesn't he understand?" Louise asked, angry at the young man, no... reploid for assaulting Zero like that.
"The same thing he never understood. Nameless girl, what would you call someone who gave their life in a final attack to save their best friend who was fighting to stop someone who's only goal was the death of humanity? Someone who spent all their time fighting to save the world, fighting and bleeding, dying for the ideal world that X wanted to bring about?" Axl asked, his voice deathly serious.
"My name is Louise!" the pink haired girl yelled, but then the words hit her. To give their life..."A hero?" She asked tentatively, and heard Zero growl at that.
"That's Zero in a nutshell. He's a hero. There is only one problem with-," Axl said, his eyes never leaving Zero's face.
"We both know I'm not a hero Axl. X was a hero. He took the path of peace, the path of creation. He was the father of a race. What was I? I was a harbinger of death. My blade and buster have claimed more lives than anyone in this world can possibly imagine. And not all of them were wrong. What about Repliforce? You don't know a damned thing Axl, so just shut the hell up," Zero shouted at him.
"Hey look, its that problem I was talking about. Mistakes happen Zero. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen. You can't blame yourself forever," Axl replied quietly.
Zero turned his back to Axl. "The hell do you know? I can blame myself until the day I'm destroyed. There is one person who can forgive me, and only one, Axl. And she's dead. If you can find a way to get her to forgive me I might just listen to you," Zero said his voice cold, professional.
Axl's laughter echoed around the mostly empty courtyard. "That's all I need to do? You should have said that from the beginning,"
Zero turned around, murder written on his features, his hand on his saber. "You'd damned well better not be thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Zero, do you understand where cyber elves come from?" Axl questioned him with that same confident smirk on his face.
"They're supposedly either a program to create assistants that power up reploids but can be consumed if used to too much of a degree. They can also be the remains of a reploid's 'soul' so to speak, but they tend to have the same ability to be consumed as the created cyber elves."
"Good. When do you think the first cyber elf was born?"
"How the hell should I know. I know the supposed first was the 'Mother Elf' but considering X became one as well, I couldn't really say." Zero answered wearily. He didn't like where this conversation was going.
"With my particular capabilities I can interact with cyber elves without destroying them. I can even use their bodies. Shall I show you the oldest cyber-elf I've encountered?" Axl replied, his voice serious.
"Axl if you're going to do what I think you're going to do, I will kill you. I promise that it won't be pleasant either." Zero answered coldly, causing a chill to run down the spines of those present.
"Who knows what I'm thinking?"Axl asked as he walked towards a corner of the courtyard that nobody from the other courtyards would be able to see. His eyes closed and his form floated up into the air for a moment. Suddenly it shifted and in his place was a being that seemed metallic, a cross between a human and an eagle. "Its been a while, Zero." A deep, proud voice said to the shock of everyone present.
"Storm eagle?" Zero's shock knocked him out of his rage. This wasn't who he had been expecting, thankfully.
"The scion of the skies himself." The deep voiced bird said as he nodded. "Although, right now I'm not fully me. Its been a very long time since we've spoken, Zero. I'm glad you seem to be doing well. I like the new color scheme you have going. Its far less gaudy than that red and white thing you were sporting back in the hunters. I never understood how you were in the Shinobi Corps with such tacky taste in colors."
"You're a cyber elf?" Zero asked, disbelief in his voice.
"Yes, although only those with a strong will were transformed into cyber elves."
"Are there any more of the old hunters?" Zero asked despite himself.
"Only Armored Armadillo is here, of the hunters that I knew. The others were either not strong willed enough, or they were just plain twisted."
"So Axl only has your two cyber elves?"
"Oh no. He's got two others. They're quite good conversation, although they argue at times. I'd never met either of them, so I have no idea if you'd even know them."
"Storm eagle... I have to know why. Why did you go maverick?"
"Its simple Zero. I confronted Sigma and lost the ensuing battle. He told me that he wanted to push X and you. He wanted to see X's true evolution. And he said with my cooperation that he wouldn't unnecessarily kill any more humans."
Zero stared at the former hunter turned maverick standing before him. "As to be expected from the scion of the skies. Nobility, even in defeat, huh?" he said, an unusual warmth in his voice. "I shoulda known."
The aerial reploid nodded, then sighed."Well, believe it or not, this is actually very tiring. I'm about at the limit I can hold my consciousness together like this, even with Axl supporting me."
"It was good talking to you Storm Eagle."
"It was good talking to you, Zero, commander of the maverick hunters. Maybe we'll talk again."
"Yeah." Zero said, a smile on his face.
Storm eagle shook his head, and then spoke,"So, cool ability huh Zero?"
"You always judge how cool something is based on how easily it causes your audience to be rendered totally speechless, don't you Axl?" Zero replied as he looked at the nearly blank faces of the three girls, although now that he thought about it, Tabitha's face wasn't that different. That whole glassy eyed thing she had going was new though. He let loose a chuckle at that.
"Hey, its not my fault that my awesomeness can't be put into words." Axl's beak clicked as he said that.
"Ha, you can't do that stupid grin while you have a beak, idiot!" Zero said, laughing.
"Yeah, well. Its an ingrained habit. I normally don't have a beak."
"So I take it that tires you out?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Its the cyber elves that get tired. They're not able to handle my body for long. I imposed a sort of limiter on my body, so that when the cyber elves are about to use themselves fully and destroy themselves, they're put into a passive mode. While its not perfect, I can give them some time out and about, which is better that cyber space. Hell, there really isn't cyber space in a world without a data network... Although I feel one here. You've become quite the scientist huh? Guess you're following in X's footsteps after all."
"Not really. Its kind of a long story. That doesn't matter for the moment though. Who else do you have with you? Storm eagle said you had three other cyber elves."
"What? Damn it, they know when I give control over to them that I don't know what's going on..." Axl muttered darkly then shouted, mostly to himself,"Damn it Storm Eagle you're grounded!"
"Did you just ground the 'voice' in your head Axl?" Zero said with a grin.
"That doesn't matter. You don't need to know who the other three are. At least not for now."
"Axl who are they? I know one is a former maverick hunter like Storm Eagle. Who are the other two." Zero said, his eyes not leaving Axl's.
"Excuse me, but I'd really like to live a while longer." Axl said laughing nervously.
Zero looked at Axl, and his eyes watered at the implication. "Axl. Did she become a cyber elf? I need to know. Please." Zero had shed all his confidence and pride. He needed this answer.
"Promise you won't go crazy and I might be willing to have this conversation." Axl replied as he cocked his head.
"I promise. I'll give you a five minute head start at the very worst." Zero said with forced humor.
"I suppose..." Axl said. "You promise you won't kill me right? I at least get that five minute head start after I'm back to being me right?"
"Compromise to three minutes with those rules?" Zero replied flippantly.
"That's about the best I'm going to get isn't it?" Axl asked hesitantly.
"Hey, I'm being more than generous. With three minutes it would be almost impossible to catch you since you can turn into Storm Eagle."
"True. Alright..."Axl shrugged and shook his head. He looked at the three girls. "You should go play some of those war games with the others."
"Why?" Louise demanded. She was learning so much about her familiar, things that he never talked about. Things that explained so much about his actions and thoughts. Things that made her love him even more...
"I agree, why should we be sent away just when we're finding out so much about Darling?" Kirche demanded hotly.
"Because. I said so of course," Axl replied flippantly as he crossed his arms in a pose that was all too familiar to Zero. "Don't these kids questioning everything get on your nerves Zero?"
"You really aren't the person to ask that question Axl..." Zero said as he shook his head. He remembered a time Storm Eagle had asked him a question very similar to that when they had been training the newest recruits in the maverick hunters... Even without the Cyber elf active as the consciousness, did taking their form have an effect Axl's personality? Zero couldn't help but think that it was the case, seeing how contrary Axl was acting to himself, body language and all.
"Tabitha, what are you doing?" Kirche asked looking confused, as Tabitha took Kirche and Louise by the hand and started pulling them away from the two.
"Private." She was the only word that she said.
As Tabitha left, Axl nodded. Smart kid, quiet and cool. Give her a few years and she'd be a great match for Zero. After the two were alone in the courtyard Axl looked at Zero. "Are you sure about this Zero?"
"Just do it Axl." Zero replied.
Axl's form floated into the air. In a similar display his form shifted into a figure that Zero knew all to well. Iris in Axl's body landed awkwardly and shook her head. A soft voice greeted Zero. "I'm awake?"
"Iris?" Zero asked tentatively.
"Zero?" Iris' voice trembled.
"Iris it's you? Is it really you?" Zero asked as he took a step forward.
"Stay away!" Iris shouted, causing Zero to step back.
"Iris?"
"Don't come any closer." Iris said.
"I'm sorry Iris. I'm so sorry." Zero apologized as his voice caught in his throat.
"For what?" Iris's voice was heavy with sadness.
"I killed you. You know what... I didn't listen to you. Because I didn't listen to you, Repliforce was branded traitors. Because I fought with your brother..." Zero couldn't find it in himself to say his worst crime aloud. "I knew I couldn't ever be forgiven. It really is too much isn't it? My actions are too horrible to be forgiven, even after all this time. I guess I was right."
"You're wrong." Iris corrected him. She shook her head and continued,"You did what you thought was right. You accused my brother because his pride blinded him to rational discourse. You fought me to save the world. You did things wrong, but we had our side in it. I didn't have to use my brother's abilities... It was my choice. I wanted to fight you. I wanted to kill you. I tried so hard." Iris shook her head. "But the battle was fought and I lost. So what did you do? You ran up to me. You still cared about me. I still remember how you held my hand at the end...I still remember how you cried out for me..."
"Iris..." Zero said her name, his face down cast.
"Zero, I'm sorry if I've caused you pain. Please forget me."
"Iris?" Zero looked at her suddenly. How could she ask that after everything. How could he just forget her?
Iris looked at Zero's face and gasped. "Z-zero. You're crying?" she asked. He looked away from her. "How? We can't cry...How Zero?"
Zero looked at her again and then shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't."
"Zero..." Iris said as she took a few tentative steps forward and embraced him. "Don't cry over me. You made me happy. I don't want this. I don't want to cause you pain. Never that Zero."
"Iris?"
"Zero, please... Don't blame yourself. I love you. Remember me for the time we spent together if you must. Do not use me as an excuse to hate yourself. I always wanted to be your navigator because... I believed in you Zero. X was so tentative, and hesitant. You Zero, you always fought as hard as you could. You did what you thought was right and never backed down. That's the Zero I love. The Zero I believe in. The Zero who would fight against the whole world if it was right...My hero..."
"What?" Zero asked in disbelief. Iris was here talking to him. She didn't blame him? This had to be a dream. This couldn't be real. A part of him hoped that he would never wake up.
"Zero...I feel myself slipping." she said, her voice sounding strained.
"No!" Zero shouted as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Please no!"
"Zero...promise me...You'll forgive yourself..." Iris said in a voice that was barely audible.
"Please. Don't go. Not yet." This was it. His dream had turned into a nightmare. She was leaving again.
A small laugh followed. "You don't hate me... I'm so glad. I followed you...I saw that woman Layer...I saw you push away her affection... I thought I had ruined love for you with my betrayal... I hated myself..."
"Iris!" Zero yelled holding her tighter.
"Promise me. You'll be happy Zero. Promise me..." Iris pleaded.
"I'll try to be happy Iris, I promise. Please don't go!"
"I'm sorry Zero... But if I stay, I'll just hurt you more. It is because I love you that I have to go. I love you...My Zero..." Iris murmured, her voice trailing off at the end.
"Iris?" Zero asked, but no answer was given. "Iris please..." he whispered. The figure in his arms stirred.
"Before this gets any more awkward... Could you kinda let me go?" Axl asked as she removed her arms from Zero.
"Axl?" Zero asked as he let go of her and jumped back.
"Yeah." Axl said looking a little awkward. As she looked at Zero she gasped. "Zero...Since when could you cry?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Zero said, his eyes never leaving Axl's face. After a few minutes Zero spoke again. "Axl, take another form." His confident exterior returning slowly.
"Only you Zero..." Axl shifted into his own form, then shook his head. "To think, you've pushed yourself closer to humanity than even X. Even he couldn't cry."
"Whatever." Zero said as he turned around. "Go keep an eye on the kids. I need to take a walk." And with that Zero started walking slowly towards the gates of the academy.
Axl watched his friend walk away, and when he was out of hearing distance, he just shook his head and said, "We're goin to hell for this."
A sad voice replied back,"When did you become religious?"
"Shut up." Axl said as he shook his head, and went to watch the girl's practicing.
***Break***
Tabitha had dragged Kirche and Louise away. As they turned the corner, she quickly chanted a levitation spell and motioned for them to be quiet as they protested. They floated up the wall and landed with a good view of Axl and Zero. After a few moments of conversation Axl shook his head, and his form blurred, shifting from the metal bird, to a softer, more feminine body. Louise and Kirche both gasped as they saw the impossible. This was, without a doubt, the woman the water spirit had taken the form of. Zero and the girl talked for a few moments before Zero took a step forward.
"Stay away!" She yelled, causing Zero to step back. The look of pain on his face was easily visible even from this distance. They continued talking, Zero looking more tortured as the conversation went on.
"How can she do this to him? He loves her. How can she hurt him like this?" Louise asked herself, angry at the brunette.
"He did kill her..." Kirche said with a sad note as she met Louise's gaze. "This isn't fair. To have his love come back to life only to hate him?"
"Look," Tabitha said quietly, and much to their surprise, Iris had stepped forward and embraced Zero. They talked for a few moments. Zero's arms shot around her suddenly.
"No!" Zero shouted while he embraced her,"Please, no!"
"What's wrong?" Kirche asked, panicking at Zero's reaction.
"Limit?" Tabitha asked.
"That 'Storm Eagle' and Axl said that they couldn't hold themselves conscious for too long..." Louise said, her eyes burning as she realized what was happening. "He's seeing her again and now she's disappearing..." As if to confirm her thoughts Zero yelled out her name.
"That's it... I'm tired of this..." Kirche grated through her teeth, her hands clenched into fists.
"What?" Tabitha asked.
"I'm tired of this. I'm not going to deal with this pain." She said, her voice deathly serious.
"Giving up?" Tabitha asked curiously.
"Of course not. I told him I'd protect him. I'll do that. I don't care what I have to do. I'll find a way to shield his heart. No matter what. He's always acting strong and fighting for others. He's saved our countries from Albion's aggression. But has anyone cared enough to fight for him?" Kirche demanded. "If I need to, I'll even join Tristian's army. I'll do anything to protect him."
Louise looked at Kirche as she made that oath. She sounded so serious. "Kirche..."
"I don't care Louise. He might be your familiar, but I still don't care. I don't care about taking him from you. But he'll be happy. He won't have to wear that mask anymore..." Kirche looked at Louise. "I don't care if our families hate each other. It doesn't matter. The man I love is more important to me than that."
Louise looked down and replied hesitantly,"I want to protect him too. Its why he's not gone, I've managed to convince the princess not to send him to war until he's absolutely needed... But he wants to go. He feels that it is his duty to protect us all. Its all he wants to do."
"Then we'll just have to go with him." Kirche said as she smiled at Louise. "If we're there he won't have to do it alone, right?"
"You're right. He might feel he has to fight, but we can make sure its not like before. He won't be facing war alone. And we will make sure he knows that there is a life after the war. He won't go to sleep again. I won't let him." Louise said as she looked at Kirche.
"I suppose that its a truce then?" Kirche asked some amusement in her voice.
"No, not at all." Louise replied back. "This is an alliance. You don't care about my family. From now on, I don't care about your family. You want to make Zero happy. So do I. He's saved our lives, and he saved my sister's life. If he decides on you Kirche... I'll accept it. As long as he can let her go."
"For once, Vallière, I agree with you wholeheartedly. No, I agree with you Louise." Kirche smiled at the other girl as she stressed her name. They nodded in agreement.
Tabitha looked on, and as Zero walked away she saw a faint rainbow glow that reminded her of the lake when the Prince of Albion had been laid to rest.
***Author's notes***
Sorry for the delay on this chapter, wasn't happy with it, still not happy with it. Its about the best I can do for it unfortunately.
The "Rip a golem in half with his bare hands" is what she saw. This was his first saber strike, which was in all actuality too fast for anyone to register what happened, other than his arms moved, and the golem was in pieces. He only took the time to swing slowly for the golems he destroyed with his elemental chips.
The English that I'm referencing to in this, is a future version of English not the current one. Its probably as close to English now as English now is comparable to the pre french shift 'middle' english(See almost not at all). English or an altered version of it, is likely to become an international language because it is a bastardized language. It literally contains thousands of words and rules that it has picked up from various other languages, which is one reason its a bit of a pain compared to other languages if it is not your first. It is also a required language for international pilots, and most countries deal with it as a second language.
Zero and Axl simply had a spar, while to everyone else it looked like a massive clash of the titans, to the reploids it was nothing of the sort. Zero brought himself down to roughly Axl's level, and then pushed him by being just a little better than him. This is the true way to teach someone, and to get results.
Some people have said that Rock and Roll both have personalities that are a bit different than in their canon characters. This is because these characters are both older. Things change, and even if they weren't reploids, they still had some changes based on things that happened around them. Roll was a housekeeper but took an interest in medicine(which is canon). What could cause that except for at least minor changes to the robot's personalities based on what has happened. I've taken the base characters and changed them based on what could have happened to them over a period of time.
On the "time stop" power of dark hold, I'd have to go with this line of thinking, how the hell do you stop time? It would be far more likely and easily done to either increase the speed of the user or possibly decrease the speed of the victim. To say that its a hold or time based thing would be a very good thing though, in that it would make people attempt to counteract it in ways that would likely not effect the real technique. Sometimes deception in a weapon can make it that much more powerful. If anyone thinks they can explain how to stop time and have it actually make sense, then tell me and I'll change it in the story.