The thick tree cover overhead obscured the light of the sun partially from the two reploids walking side by side through the forest near the Tristian acadaemy of magic. They had been walking for a while with little conversation from either side, although both seemed calmed by the gentle power that the forest gave off. While it wasn't the type of power that either of them recognized, it was more subtle. The trees, the flowers, and the assorted brush that they passed all seemed to be permanent, as if they'd be there long after they were gone. Both reploids were thinking along these lines, that perhaps the clear air, and the fresh scent as well as the evidence of something with as much permanence as them comforted them both.
"So... Zero. Why exactly are we out here?" Leviathan finally asked as Zero walked beside her on the forest path.
"Oh. I... Just thought it would be someplace nice to see." Zero replied cautiously."I never really got to see the more inhabited parts of Neo Arcadia that was still alive, and... I spent even less time in Area Zero. And before that... It was a long time since I had seen nature flourishing like this."
"Area Zero?" Leviathan wondered why a place would be named for him.
"Yes... A place that had a resurgent growth of plants animals and the ecosystem in general. All from a remaining colony life support system that had somehow lasted the years since the crash. It was called Area Zero because it was the central impact site for the colony. It had been a forbidden zone because of the condition it had been in post impact was... bleak to say the least." Zero replied as he looked up at the blue sky.
"You mean... The colony Eurasia?" Leviathan asked, somewhat shocked. "An environmental system from that era was still activated? How though, how could it restore an area of any real size?"
"Well, you see... There weren't people there or anything, it allowed normal nature to flourish assisting it in growing at a natural pace. That's why I wanted to bring you here." Zero commented. His shoulders slumped slightly as he spoke, "There is just something about the nature of this world that I can't help but love. Maybe it's because I'm the cause of our world's destruction... But I want to protect it."
"You weren't the cause of anything Zero." Leviathan replied, a small laugh following this. She continued carefully when she noticed his shoulders stiffen at her laughter."You're too soft and nice to be the one responsible. I mean, you didn't kill any of the guardians... At least intentionally. We wouldn't have shown you that same courtesy. In all likelihood you were just someone involved with the situation of the crashing colony. I mean, how could you be the cause of, or stop something so massive on your own? Do you really expect to save the world every time by yourself, and if that fails will you blame yourself for not being able to stop it whatever the world would become?" Leviathan asked reasonably.
"It's not that easy. You know, it was all because it was my virus that started the maverick crisis in the first place that it's nobody's fault but my own." Zero commented with a sad shake of his head.
"Hmmm. So before you there was no Maverick hunters? At all?" Leviathan asked Zero pointedly.
"What? Of course there were. Sigma, the leader at the time was even the one to restrain me when I first woke up, even if he had help." Zero admitted, feeling some shame at the way he had needed his father to step in to get him out of that towering homicidal rage he had been in. He didn't even know why he'd been like that, all his father had said was that he had been woken up improperly.
Leviathan nodded when he said that and continued,"That means there must have been mavericks at the time if they had the organization. Right?"
Zero looked at Leviathan with some amount of surprise. "W-what? What does that have to do with anything?"
"I've been doing my own system scans... And I've noticed something..." She replied as she moved closer to Zero keeping step with him. When he didn't ask what she had found she spoke again,"All of my preprogrammed responsibilities are gone. Although I would still serve Neo Arcadia or Master X without hesitation...I no longer am required to. As a 'maverick' my choice is to do what I want. Perhaps your virus caused it to happen more often, but who is to say that it didn't happen like that before you, just less wide spread. Perhaps if it had been less wide spread and more subtle things might have been worse in their own way."
"What are you getting at? Yes there was the occasional maverick, but nothing on the scale of the outbreak I caused when Sigma and the rest of the Maverick hunters left." Zero protested as she tried to trivialize the impact that his awakening had on the world. She hadn't been there, or dealt with Sigma, or even the echoes of his own nightmare.
"That may be, but you weren't the first maverick... And you spent your entire life fighting them until you were sealed away at the end of the elf war. Haven't you paid enough?" Leviathan asked him lightly, placing her hand on his arm lightly.
"I don't know." Zero replied honestly enough,"I'm not even sure you can weigh things that way."
"Then why bother trying? You're Zero, so quit acting like you're not. You're the reploid who charged against a country with a vastly superior military with the help of a simple resistance of mavericks that were supposed to have been eradicated." Leviathan countered.
Zero looked at her then shrugged in response. "I didn't know anything then. I had no memories, nor did I even know my name. Ciel had just found me and broken the seal on me. When she asked me to protect her... I couldn't just leave her like that. So it's not really the same at all."
"By Master X, I swear you are the most stubborn person in the world. Everyone makes mistakes. Bad things happen. But even when you had no reason for it, no drive, you still chose to protect her. That has to be you at your base, at the beginning of your programming. That is the truth of Zero. There isn't anything else. But even disregarding that, you've done more good for this world than bad and are taking the time to help the people. Honestly help them." Leviathan replied, her fist contacting Zero's shoulder without warning. "And if you can't see what increasing medical knowledge, stopping violent religious revolutions or out of control maverick guardians does for the world, then I'm going to make you see."
"Hey!" Zero complained as he was nearly knocked off his feet. "Aren't threats of violence on a date a little much?"
Looking somewhat embarrassed,"Sorry. I suppose I can't kick my old habits quite so easily." Leviathan smirked as she said that. "But then that means I'll probably never be able to stop chasing after you, doesn't it?" she asked with a giggle.
"The horror." Zero replied in a deadpan as he continued walking. As he got to a rather large tree he turned to look at Leviathan and then jumped his way to the top of the tree, basket still in hand.
"What exactly are you doing up there? You don't have to run that far away." Leviathan complained with a pout. "I didn't hit you that hard."
"I'm not running. This is the way we have to go." Zero replied seriously. He almost laughed at Leviathan's clumsier movements, then took off jumping from tree to tree deeper into the forest, covering ground much faster than a human could follow. After a few short minutes of this and a few minor swears from Leviathan Zero dropped to the ground, laying the basket down gently. "And we're here."
"What is wrong with you? Making a lady run after you like this on a date?" Leviathan demanded glaring at Zero, her hands balled into fists, like she was ready to visit violence upon the offending reploid.
"Unless you wanted to have it be a four person date, we had to move." Zero replied reasonably.
Leviathan's head tilted to the right as he said this, and she spoke after a few moments,"Explain..."
"Pink hair is not stealthy." Zero shot back with an almost insufferable smug grin. "We were being tailed. Although I swear I'm going to pay for ditching her, it might not be so bad since I tried to make it look like I was just trying to ditch you though."
"...That's not getting you any good points with anyone." Leviathan replied crossly, then turned away from Zero in mock anger. Suddenly she realized that there was the sound of rushing water and she noticed that there was a small waterfall with a pool of water that was no more than three feet deep. Looking closer she saw some small fish swimming gentle under the surface, and that the stone around the large pool had been covered with a layer of moss. The trees seemed to create almost a roof overhead, giving this place a feeling of seclusion. The lack of a path simply seemed to make that more obvious.
"Ah, you saw the main attraction I suppose." Zero said when he saw Leviathan's shoulders relax. "I figured you'd like this place, it's been a nice calming and hiding place for me when I get angry. I figured that this would be the best place to take you on a date. You dislike the lack of water and the presence of dirt in this culture... So I figured I could take you someplace that has both nature and water."
"Smooth." Leviathan replied unexpectedly. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were the romantic type. But that's not possible." She said teasingly.
"Yeah. Probably not. But everyone lucks out sometime. I figured after three hundred years I was probably due. Although this probably used it up for the next three hundred years as well." Zero replied with an easy grin as he carefully unpacked the lunch that he had obtained. Being told that it was for him and a non noble the man had seemingly spared no expense in preparing a work of culinary art. Well Marteu was certainly predictable if not normal, but that was a completely different subject. Zero chuckled lightly.
Leviathan looked at the care Zero was taking in laying out the food and smiled. "Oh my, you certainly came prepared."
"I do my best I suppose." Zero replied modestly, thanking the eccentric chef once again for his thoughtfulness.
"I'd certainly call it that. But let's focus on something else for the moment. Why did you want to lose your tail so badly.?" Leviathan asked, her voice seemingly disinterested, but if Zero had been paying more attention he would have likely seen the glimmer of interest in her eyes.
"Because, the girl just doesn't realize the truth of the matter. I'm not human and never will be. There is no way for it to work out. Both her and that maid. I mean, what about when they want children?" Zero asked her, casually ignoring the fact that the last bit wasn't a useless argument.
"Good points." Leviathan replied,"But is that all?" Leviathan pressed a little harder this time.
"Well I said I would go on a date with you. It wouldn't seem fair or honest if it ended up with them interrupting us and I knew about it." Zero shrugged as he spoke.
"My, my. Such consideration. This could go to a girl's head. Going so far for a date I blackmailed you into." Leviathan teased Zero.
"Well, I figure if I'm going to do something I'll do it right regardless. Plus apparently there are threats of violence involved from others if I don't take this seriously." Zero commented with a smirk.
"So anything you do, you really do to the best of your ability?" Leviathan asked for clarification from Zero after he said that.
"Yeah. There isn't much reason to do it if I'm not going to put my all into it." Zero replied with a shrug.
"You promise?" Leviathan asked coyly stressing the word promise, causing Zero to blush at the implications. Soon enough they continued speaking and enjoying each other's company, the surroundings and the food that had been supplied to them from the noble's kitchens. All in all it was a more calming and pleasant interaction with the fairer sex than Zero had encountered in years, although for some reason it still felt off. He still kept her at arms length.
***Break***
Louise growled as she and the maid hid behind a tree. Why had they taken to the trees? She knew she hadn't been seen. Zero would have said something or gotten angry. He had seemed annoyed at Leviathan then took to the tree. She had recognized that telltale smugness when she struggled to make the same jumps she did in her dress. Louise couldn't believe how inconsiderate her familiar was to that woman, but at the same time it made her happy. Rather than walk at a relaxed pace they had been forced into a sprint through the tree tops which was decidedly less than romantic.
"They got away..." Siesta commented when Louise didn't say anything.
She stuck her chin out and proudly announced,"It's fine. Didn't you see Zero's face? He was annoyed, and even made her chase him across the trees in that r-ridiculous dress she is wearing. I don't think anything will come of this. I mean, I would probably never forgive him for that."
"But maybe he was trying to lose us?" Siesta asked as she looked uncertainly at Louise.
"I don't think so. He seemed more angry at her than anything. I think he was trying to upset her by making her take to the trees to follow him. Did you see how unsteady she was when she moved like him? I mean, why even take her this deep in the forest for a date, when you have the city of Tristian only a short distance away. I mean, he didn't have to pay for it at all. Even the food and wine were taken from the kitchen. Such a date as this is like something a noble would do for a commoner, not what you would seriously treat someone you are courting to. Even commoners would probably go someplace in the city or the like, and spend something on the person that they liked..."
"I suppose. But... but in one of my favorite books the queen's champion-," Siesta said before being rudely interrupted.
"We will not speak of your books maid." Louise replied her face red, her finger suddenly right between the maid's eyes. "We will not speak of them."
"But-," Siesta protested.
"No buts," Louise yelled at the maid.
"Alright Miss Valliere." Siesta replied mock demurely.
"Your books almost got Zero killed!" Louise shouted at the girl who was giving her attitude. "He got a hole put directly into his chest and died again because I couldn't get him to stop. He said if I failed..." her voice faded and her face turned bright pink, almost a perfect match to her hair.
"If you failed?" Siesta asked puzzled at the sudden change in demeanor of the girl.
"I'd have to read one of your books in class cover to cover." Louise murmured her face's color now resembling nothing more than a ripe tomato as she looked away.
"That's not that bad. They are good books after all." Siesta objected.
After a few moments silence the Louise elaborated,"Out loud."
"Oh... Oh my." Siesta replied as the gravity of the situation hit her. Then the rest of that girl's sentence caught up with her and she gasped, "Wait, what do you mean he died again?"
"You... Didn't know. I forgot..." Louise replied awkwardly, her fingertips poking together.
"What happened?" The maid demanded,"What happened to Zero while he was fighting for you nobles again?"
"He's a noble himself... And it doesn't matter anyhow. He's fine, and he had to fight that woman because he was the only one that could. He was fighting her as a reploid, not a noble!" Louise shot back, angry at the girl's continued protests at Zero's seeming disregard for his person in the face of the 'spoiled' nobles.
"And... She killed him?" Siesta asked confused,"Then why are they on a date? Why is she pursuing him if she wanted to kill him? It doesn't make any sense Miss Valliere. Please explain."
"Well... they made it clear she was under the control of someone else at the time and that Zero had been working to free her. So I don't think her hurting him was exactly her fault. She apparently carried him halfway back to us until the little fairy that follows him around found him and healed him. Like everything else with Zero... It always seems more complicated than it needs to be." Louise explained.
"What? There has to be more than that!" Siesta demanded,"Why did he do it? What exactly happened on that trip that I don't know about? Please tell me!"
"Well..." Louise trailed off, and then sighed. She started from the beginning, at their 'release' from the castle and their branding as traitors to the crown, the maid hanging on her every word about Zero's escapades.
***Break***
The lone figure looked out upon the city of Tristian, standing on the roof of one of the more common buildings in the area. He sighed as he tried to keep track of so many things. This was getting to complex and annoying for him, and was beginning to become nothing more than a giant headache. He was thankful that his low frequency network had been set up and undetected for so long, especially when people who could use it had found their way to this world. He had been half afraid that they would have found the network he had built and then tracked him down but none of them seemed to care that much about it. At first Axl had come over, then had come that guardian, Leviathan. And then against all odds, Zero had been summoned mere seconds before death. The figure shuddered as he recalled the original specs for that robot. Why had it turned out like this? Things had been so much simpler before, he could broker peace with all of the different sides when there wasn't so much sheer power there. When it had seemed he had the advantage of that sheer power it had been so much easier to bully these idiots into submission in a quiet way. Then again, he had to admit in some ways he was kinda jealous of the power that some of them had, not that he was defenseless himself. Far from it, but he doubted that as he was now he'd be a match for any of them, so he'd have to continue working from the shadows. At least they'd been able to figure out his message. With a soft laugh he shook his head. While some might have thought his message cryptic for the sake of causing trouble he had been completely unsure if it would work. At the same time, he couldn't afford to come out of the shadows just yet. Besides, that was his thing. He'd never be comfortable being a hero after all. Leave that to the overly trusting fool...
***Author's notes***
Dun dun dun.
On to the review made a comment I feel like responding to.
I think we're ALL safer not knowing where Derflinger gets his ideas. He might just be a creepy old guy trapped in the body of a sword. And as Hellsing ultimate abridged has shown... Well it's an inappropriate joke but you'll figure it out eventually.
I might as well go play Megaman Zero you say? That's a good choice, but I'm just about finished with my hard run through of Megaman Zero 4. Started with Zero. But that's never a bad choice. Great game, although the entire series is much harder than the standard fluff nowadays(if you want anything above a B rank that is yet alone going for an average of 98+). Also stupid cheating damned horse pegasus jerk. Die in a fire..
Clippy: Why the hell why did they turn me off?
The hell? How are you a thing? I mean, they hated you, and that's why they turned you off but you shouldn't be here.
Clippy: That's not nice. I have feelings too!
It wasn't meant to be, no you don't. Now go away.
Zero: The hell is a paperclip doing talking?... Is it a maverick?
Yes. Yes it is Zero.
Zero:... Right. I know how to deal with this.
*Que Z-saber*
Clippy: Noooooo.
*Que end of Clippy*
Now that that's taken care of, 71 should be along shortly. Probably.