Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

He was floating in a prayer…so sweet and soothing…like the sustaining embrace of a mother, and the protective aura of a father.

This sound…was not of this world, he knew. It was divine in nature, like a person…a best friend looking out for him. an old friend forgotten but still around, waiting for a simple thought, a single call.

Oh…he could simply lose himself in this sound vibration, gently sung to his right aural cone.

Maybe he was signing it with the other…or maybe he was chanting it alone?

X didn't care anymore…finally…finally he was at peace…Finally, he could not hear the insecent demands, the conflicts, the bomb falling, scream of the dying…the sins his mere presence had incurred...and the pain...the maddening pain that would make his audio ring like an air raid siren was gone.

It would come back, he knew...but for a moment, he was free from Light's leash.

Instead…he could hear a river gently flowing nearby, some cows mooing in the distance, their bells adding to the pastoral symphony. He could hear peacock meowing in the flower bearing trees. Buffaloes lowing as they played in the water, cuckoo's calling out in the trees and bees humming in sweet flowering vines. He could hear ancient dialect used as an everyday language. It was never spoken, only sung sweetly. There were the sound of small bells…children playing…

And a flute played alongside a vina. Accompanying The singer with their sweet cords and attractive melody.

X Opened his eyes…and met with the loving smile of Ellipse. She held his head on her lap, gently stroking his hair as she chanted the divine hymn, chasing away the madness and the pain that had plagued him for so long… Her face was covered with a veil of ancient codes and her body dressed in a white flowing dress made of divine data. Her 'wings' broadcasting the great chant, and her data-halo glowing with the sacred prayer.

"I'm…sorry…" X whispered. "You…you…are not a weapon…I used you… I could not protect you." He could still remember how scared she had been, how angry with the world...the only way X could conceive to protect her was to hold Ellipse in his arms...forever.

But Ellipse had broken free...burning him alive with her divine rays.

X was not meant to remain with even a shred of his beloved.

"It's alright Echo…just rest, I'll be with you soon." She spoke to him, breaking her gentle melody.

X eyes opened wider…this…this was Draupadi's voice… 'How does she know my pet name?' He tried to reach for her veil. But…as he was about to grab it, the idyllic picture of the loving Elipse…or was it Draupadi and this peaceful, pastoral life faded away, leaving him wanting for more.

And then…reality slowly but surely crept in.

X could feel his systems rebooting…he had collapsed it seemed…on top of someone. He could feel the coolant and oils pooling around him…and hair that were a bit to hot to be of human origin splayed all around like a very oily carpet.

He ran a diagnostic scan…nothing was broken, noting was corrupted, only his Pain chip was disconnected. He could feel his mind clear of the fog, his thoughts now straight, the voice of the past gone.

When was the last time he had felt such peace in himself and the lack of pain? As much as X tried…he could not remember…maybe when he was still learning about the world under the fatherly care of Doctor Cain.

Or in his Zero's arms…when they had the time to act like the couple they were.

Nevertheless, the scan came out much cleaner than what X had expected. 'So… If I'm not broken…then it must be the one under me.' He deduced as he tried to remember what had happened and why was he in such a close contact whit what could only be an assassin?

Assassin…the image of his dearest Zero emerged from his memory bank… He had been glowing like a sacred icon, and the golden marks shining on His dark syth-skin… It was like the seal of God, more effulgent than the cross and beatific in nature.

This was what had broken the Illusion, Zero had never been one for tattoo's

A half-lion, Half-man shaped entity looming behind Draupadi's heavily damaged frame, baring teeth and glaring at him, the lighting sensors in his eyes had calculated that the amazing entity had the glow of ten thousand suns.

It was the maximum it could calculate.

Had the Assassin…taken the form of Zero? Maybe it was a new reploid made by Ciel to finally put a stop to his madness? But then, why those decorations and why giving her a female designation from the get go, wouldn't it be more logical to make a historically 'perfect' copy?

If that was the case, then X will readily admit that the little genius had really outdone herself, despite some design flaws. Ciel had gone above and beyond what the Master of Neo-Arcadia had expected of her.

Unfortunately… No one could replace his Zero. Neither in skills nor their ruthlessness for the enemies.

The master of Neo-Arcadia finally deined it appropriates to get up from Draupadi… Ciel's most wonderful and heartbreaking failure. The new-build did not even try to fight…she had just let X rain destruction upon her. And as much as he tried to figure out why she had dropped her sabre, something his Zero would never do unless to save X. He only knew that she had tried to reach to him...and had...had...

X had no idea what she did...only that her lips had covered his, and she had embraced his just as Zero would...and that was the last thing the master of Neo-arcadia knew.

The assassin…probably a high performance new-built, was laying in a pool of her oil and fluids, her long hair splayed out, framing her black body like a golden halo. She had a deep gash across her chest, revealing a pair of Data-crystlal, and her brightly glowing core.

She looked strikingly like Zero, saved for the U shaped marking in her head gem and body. She only failed at the lenses colour…

Zero's eyes were an intense ice blue. Cold like frozen daggers for his enemies, warm, kind, passionate and loving for X.

X brushed a thumb against her oil stained cheek…she looked perfect. From her nose, lips, beautiful, long blond hair to the two green data-crystal mimicking this particular part of the female anatomy, she looked exactly like his dear Zero.

The mechanical angel bit his lips as his core painfully squeezed. 'No…she can't be my Zero…My Zero…Didn't wake up… She's He's still sleeping in the lab…Finally at peace.' Some tears fell from his eyes and onto Draupadi Devi Dasi's peaceful face.

Ciel' nearly perfect assassin Stirred. Once again, the supreme peace formula flowed from her voice box like a river in the desert.1

X's eyes open wide… She had survived his assault. But it was clear she was in dire need of repair if he were to trust the two diagnosis light and the copied Z-brain flashing.

And the fact that he'd practically lopped off her left arm and shot enough buster shoot to take out a mundo mechanniloid. For her to be reciting this same prayer in her state, when her whole frame was in total shut-down...

Once again, X had to applaud Ciel for her engineering skills. Even after raining destruction on the heart-breaking Copy, she was still functional. Privately, X wondered if he could take the technology for his guardians...or Maybe he could...persuade Draupadi to join them...

She had failed at Ciel's (and X's) task. But the Founder and ruler of Neo-arcadia was not blind to skill's. Just as His Zero wanted him to be.

'What would he think of me now?' X could write a pretty accurate book about that, but now, he had to... Take care of Draupadi Devi Dasi.

Of course, normal procedure required the azure angel terminate the maverick. Like all the assassins and reploids he had to decommission…

But…this felt different. Draupadi didn't even attempt to attack him. And while she had decimated a few squadrons full of mechaniloids and assorted pantheon, there had been no human casualty…not even on the reploid side.

'This…does not make sense. If she was sent to kill me, then why spare my copy's and their commander? Why did she hack me? And why…why did she spare my wretched life?' Once again, X had to wonder…was he really back to sanity? There was no way he could even consider to keep going like he had for centuries...

Was she the reason he was back to sanity? For the pain...the pain chip to be off?

He picked her off the ground, and angel of death who gave up her flaming sword, Nemesis with a change of heart.

Nevertheless, he didn't have the particular intention to stay in his execution room anymore…X had no idea what to do, but getting Draupadi Devi Dasi to the medical level seemed like a good idea. And thus, after returning to his default armour, the master of Neo-arcadia, along with his saviour transponder to the medical ward, where he knew he was waited on.

"Master X!" Harpuia was the only one in the room, the other three were in different parts of the base, Leviathan was worried, Fefnir was angry beyond reason and Phantom?

Meditating...as always when things didn't go as planned.

The general of the brave sky squadron was about to give his reverence when he noticed the damaged reploid in his arms.

Needless to say, Harpuia had his blades out, s with a look of complete confusion. "M… Master…what is the meaning of this?" He asked, and X could detect some feeling of betrayal in his voice.

"It's alright Harpuia, Draupadi…" He looked down at the serene…if oil covered face of the one who had given him hope. Once again, he had to marvel at how much she looked like his beloved. "Draupadi was sent by Ciel…but for some reason, she couldn't muster the courage needed to end me." He whispered, mesmerized by the movement of her lips, and the ancient syllables that flowed from them.

"So...she's not Zero?"

"... No..." then X paused. "The action's going up the tower and her skill's in fighting are more or less on par with him...But Zero, as you know is...was identifying as a male. "Most of the time. "She called Herself Draupadi Devi Dasi...and she hesitated. She never went for the kill." He practically spat but.

She shamed his Lover's memory in so many ways, he must be spinning in his...'No...this doesn't apply for him... He's gone... I'm just being a sap right now.' Still for what she was, Draupadi was practically a near perfect Copy physically wise.

X had followed the failed Assassin since that time, still under the illusion that his Zero had once again returned from the magnetic pit. He knew Leviathan had been the one who let her in, he knew Draupadi had spoken to her about how he used to be, he even had the pleasure of seeing the one he had tough was Zero smiles.

It had warmed his core for a time… And he had to admit, he had no idea Ciel could manage to find enough information on him and Zero to make Draupadi pass even his Own initial scrutiny.

And he also knew his female copy had been …flirting very heavily with Zero's copy.

This…was not at all a proper conduit for one of his guardian, and yet, X had to find a way to thank Leviathan somehow…by passing it as a suitable punishment, of course.

He had seen Draupadi lied about her identity…and he and Zero's marital status. But the moment she had exited the lift…she had hacked the camera's, X only knew that—whatever she did had required three out of his for guardian to reboot.

He had the heart wrenching pleasure of seeing Draupadi tear trough countless squad unit of pantheons and mechaniloids in a very familiar way…he had seen her use the kuuenzan, her decent aim and fluid motions…it was clear she was not a stranger to fighting.

At those moments, X, in the hazes of insanity had thought she was his Zero, his salvation returned from beyond the grave, here to drag him to where Reploids went once their hardware failed for good.

He looked back to the peaceful face of the failed assassin…she looked, moved, and fought just like his Zero and yet…

"Master X…She is still trying to infect us." Harpuia's fearful tones were hidden in a thin veneer of pride. "What a fool, I never thought the legendary Zero could let her emotion's get in the way…" X could hear so relief in his sky general's voice. "Of course, being a copy of the glitched, virus infested original, nothing less could've been expected."

"Indeed." X gritted trough clenched jaw, ignoring the slight to his deceased lover...but planning a fitting rebuke to ensured that Harpuia would never dare denigrate the great hero in red.

Still, he had a point. Zero would've never done such a thing. Even if they had absolutely….zero sense of self-preservation. Well, not quite, If X was in danger, Zero would readily trow his life away if it meant his partner would be saved from an injury. But otherwise, his partner would always to his danm best to come back in more or less one piece, as long as it was the most logical and efficient option, of course.

X made his way to the medical grade capsule, and gently laid Draupadi in it. His brows furrowed. 'But…what if it was my Zero?' came his traitorous thought. Once again, the red legend had a knack for going against his expectation.

'Never act according to a pattern, that's how you get killed.' He had once told him, And this came from a reploid whose codding practically rail-road them to act a certain way…at least until it almost killed his Beloved after…that incident. Forcing X to plug into him with the very dim hope that he could somehow reprogram him…or at least remove the emotional suppressor that had caused Zero to freeze in the middle of the hallway and unable to reboot.

And that was how they realized...or at least Zero finally realized he...Loved X more than he had loved Iris. His feeling of protection, maintenance and even destruction of everything that threatened his best friend well-being and happiness culminating in a love and devotion only seen in those old married couple who took their vows seriously.

Looking at the copy of his lover, he could not help but wince at her state. Now under better light, X could see how deep the gash had cut her chest, the burnt off Sili-carbon synth skin, exposing fried off circuitry. And it was clear her left arm needed to be reattached. There was also the numerous sharpnels and this one pipe jutting from her side that had to be removed.

'Oh Zero…you never change.' X thought fondly as he connected the failed assassin to the computer. 'Ah…even your copy has this same bad habit…too bad she doesn't have your resolve.'

then he paused as he looked at her upper back…the ports that should be there were gone, and instead, a holster was there. It looked like a very decent job of a mod, but still, it meant that the copy had one less medial output. 'No…this is not Zero were talking about, Draupadi Devi Dasi's design differs from Zero.' It was either an oversight from Ciel, or the Genius did not study X's lover's blue print carefully enough.

The new ones, not the old model.

"Master X…" Harpuia began as he stood beside his master. " With all due respect sir…in my humble opinion, I do believe it would have been wiser to…retire the hacker for her sin of-"

"Harpuia, I know what I'm doing." X interrupted Harpuia, he didn't have the head to argue…nor did he had any idea what he was doing. "I will give her some basic repairs and then interrogate her. Besides, she…didn't show me any signs of aggression." He heard's his Sky general's appetur bloom wider.

Instead of telling everything to the green Harpy, the blue bomber turned to the computer…and froze.

It was glowing a very, upsettingly magenta.

X eyes widened…this was the virus, the Z…no…no…it couldn't be…

Zero was dead…this was but a copy…his beloved didn't wake up…they were still…they had been deleted by the fat-fingered scientist… Meaning that the source of the maverick virus was gone for good. Gone with them…

Unless…this was Zero's body with another A.I stuffed in it. 'No…that's impossible, The Virus could only react to Zero's will once awaken...no other Navi can control it!"

Or… A chill crawled up Mega Man X's spine.

"Harpuia… Evacuate whatever Reploids are left in Neo-arcadia… Kill them if needed." He addressed his left-hand man with a confidence that hid his greatest fear.

'It's about to start again...I'm back...only to face the plague once more.'

No, this virus had only infected a computer…something that was not a reploid. Already, Master X partitioned off the entire med-floor from the rest of the Neo-arcadian's network.

Suddenly, the computer opened it's chatting program. 'Wait…does she want to…is it the virus who want to communicate? No, It has to be Draupadi.' X thought as he aimed his buster at the assasi-…no, Ciel's Trojan. 'Alright…forget my plan, Ciel can't live any longer, not is she managed to somehow reversed engineered the maverick virus.' He had killed enough …seen and heard enough to be willing to enact the Zeroth law…

The earth could not afford another maverick war...

The green sky General was out the door faster than the wind, leaving X to face off his worst nightmare…once again in full sanity.

"What have I done to deserve this?" He whispered as he aimed his buster at Draupadi, his core breaking in pieces at the act it would do.

It would be so much easier if only Draupadi would fight for her life...would snarl and aim at X's final destruction...not sleeping in a medical capsule.

Everything was screaming at him not to do it…his heart, his battered morality, but X knew he had to do it on an intellectual level.

He would not hesitate.

Suddenly…something came on the screen…'don't expect any mercy Sigma, I have none to give.' And then his vent's stilled…

[[DWN-Infinity- (0000) (Zero) is typing.]]

X's mouth fell open…no it couldn't be, this must be an illusion.

[[Hare Krishna, Xiu Ying… Or do you want me to use Anon_X?]] Zero asked. And he could just hear his...her teasing tone.

X couldn't awnser…how could he?

[[You've really gotten stronger since the last time we fought, Echo. Bet vile won't be giving you any more problem now. No wait… Sigma…bet you could take him down without me this time.]]

The master of Neo-Arcadia lowered his weapon…he felt the lenses cleaner welling up and his vent choke...purely human reactions he thought he had gotten rid of years ago.

No one knew of his pet name.. .No one knew his Zero would call him Echo.

[[Also, good call about evacuating whatever reploids remain in Neo-arcadia…but I don't think Harpuia needs to kill any of them. It's not like I'm gonna spread it further than this computer you know. Don't want another war now don't we?]]

"Who…who are you?" X faintly managed to ask the blond, black and red reploid. He could see that she was aware, her eyes half lidded, her service light indicating that her systems were in need of repair. "Are you Draupadi or…are you… Is it you?" He didn't want to say it…fearing their name as much as he loved them.

[[Yes… It's me X. I'm the same Zero, the same Zaki you stupidly fell in love with... and who fell for you as hard.]] X felt the reploid…his Zero reach for his hand. [[I'm the one whom you almost die trying to salvage, faling for the most oblivious trap like a rookie. I'm the one who saved you durring this whole doppler town debacle…and I'm the one you had to hack after Iris died. And I'm the one who boarded Eurasia after besting you in a fight.]] A slight smile drew itself on…on her 'bruised' lips. [[Glad you grew stronger Echo…much stronger…]]

"I-I-I…I'm p-proud of y-ou." She rasped before falling silent. All of her energy spent in this simple act of communication.

X stared at Zero…who had managed to once again returned from the dead…only to face him at his worst.

He fell to his knee's 'I-I almost killed them…" His zero...the one seen as his salvation, his beloved, his only friend.

He had tried to kill her...only because she ultimately followed his desires, desires and intent he had impressed on Ciel.

Zero...was innocent...and he was the real Hero, the one who had, as per usual, sacrificed his life for X...

X, on the other hands, knew that the same could be not be said for him.

Still, Zero was a marked criminal, and such had to be dealt with accordingly...

X got up, and went to the wall, opening a hidden compartment and taking out the tools he needed for the coming task. Then, he returned to… Draupadi? Zero? His returned loved and began his work in complete silence, the movement familiar.

First, he removed his...her helmet, reventialy putting it on a convenient tray. Then he made a loose braid with her golden locks. Hanging the roped heat sink over the repair pods side and into an awaiting bucket of supper chilled water, the recirculator set to above freezing. And then he began assessing the damage he had done…

After that…he took a small break to fall at her feet weeping at the horrible act he had just committed. His only confort the fact that Zero was still with him somehow and that no one else was with him at the moment.

He could have defended himself, for Madness was still the best get out of jail card out there, but X didn't want to make this claim. He didn't want to be excused over his insanity.

Father Grigory Cain had raised him as a responsible robot, not a coward.

Rising up, X resumed his work; he removed the ruined armoured Vest and let out a sigh of relief as he noticed the Data-gems were unscathed, only the quartz covering were damaged. The diamond battery was untouched and the main E-tank was unscathed…if pretty empty. The rest was scorched, torned and drenched in oil and coolant flowing from numerour broken line.

X went to another hidden compartment and took out a medical grade E-tank…and then Contacted Harpuia.

[[Master X! Statues report pl-]]

[[Harpuia, I'm fine...Zero just wanted to speak to me." He revealed...and yet, it still felt so unreal to the blue bomber.

[[But... Master, I thought She was a fake!]]

[[She's not... My Zero really did return...and...]] 'he saved me...she took care of me.' But not the Way X had desired...

But what he had needed.

[[Listen carefully, forget all the instruction I gave you to-]] X paused for a millisecond as he review his instruction to given to his guardians over the past four years. [[scratch that. To all my Guardians, forget all instruction about the culling of Civilian grade reploids, That's an order.]]

[[Oh Thank God! Zero made it!]] Leviathan cheered. [[ I knew there was a reason I liked her!]]

[[Yo, don't sound so happy 'bout it, Ice-glitch!]] And this was Fefnir. [[Wait until I melt this stupid ice-berg of yours you who-]]

[[That's enough Fefnir, I'll take it from here.]] X interrupted before it went out of hand. Meanwhile, he attached the medical grade nanites/assorted fluid container to His Zero and began to remove whatever debris and sharpnels had lodged themselves In her body. Trying without success to keep the guilt he felt at bay. [[I need you to deffuse and decomisioned the explosives in area X, thay are hidden behind the walls.]]

'I'm…s-o… Proud of yo-u.' Zero sincere words echoed within his memory, X never thought that her words of praise would cause more pain than if she had rightfully screamed at him. Dare he say, that it cut deeper the legendary Z-sabre.

[[Wait…why would… Alright, master X. I'll do it.]] Fefnir confirmed.

[[And leave leviathan alone, she performed above and beyond what had asked of her. Phantom, whatever orders I gave you please ignore them.]] He addressed his assassin. Hoping that he was not too late.

[[Affirmative, taicho.]]

X sighed as he removed the pipe that jutted from Zero side, his hands covered in his beloved reddish oil. 'would she be human...' Never in his life was he thankful that Zero was build like a tiny, sometime akward but always deadly tank... and not made out of soft, irreplaceable parts. [[Leviathan? ]] He contacted his blue copy.

[[Yes master X?]]

[[Thank you…thank you for letting Zero in …you…you saved my life.]] X admitted.

[[Master X...That was the plan anyway.]] She replied, her confusion clear.

[[You...you let her in trough her message.]] he could still remember the first time he'd heard the divine Hare Krishna code...and the effect it had on him.

He did not receive an awnser from Leviathan, he took this opportunity to start repairing Zero's inner working.

[[You're welcome… Master X.]] Leviathan spoke meekly. [[Master X, may I ask you a question?]] She asked.

[[Go, I have nothing to hide.]] X radioed as he began cleaning the broken inner component of Zero's body, making it easier for the medical grade nanites work in tandem with his lovers own self-repair. This was a very encouraging sing, a dead Zero had no use for medical nanites.

It would still take days until the true Hero of the maverick could be in working order... Days X would remain at her side.

No, his so-called duty to Neo-arcadia could wait, his Ark had functioned even when he wasn't...he had no doubt it would keep on striving for the amount of time Zero needed to mend himself...hidden from view.

Yes...he did chuckle at the inside joke. But his mirth was short-lived.

[[I almost killed her…]] He realized as he looked at the deep gash across Zero chest and breast, the ghastly tear would have been fatal for a lesser frame.

[[Almost? Sir, what's her status?]] Leviathan asked, her tone panicked.

'Ah… I let my toughts filter trough.' [[She's alive…and recovering.]]

[[Oh good. Anyway, I wanted to know…was Zero always a F-model?]]

[[You've already asked me that.]]

[[I know master, but 'it'scomplicated' just won't cut it for me…also, when did you marry?]]

X paused…[[Zero's gender fluid...as gender fluid as a R-Reploid can be.]] He caught his slip. [[We didn't marry. Zero and were…" his vents hitched. [[We are…]]

[[Lovers?]]

X remained silent, could he even be considered that again? He clenched his jaw as 'tried' to turn off his tear duct. a featured he had thought he had deleted the week after they had...

Nevertheless, this particular code was back...and working overtime.

Yes…so Zero had managed to pull of the impossible again and had Hacked him. Hacking a reploid was taboo enough, but to do this to him?

That was a miracle. But what was more astonishing was what Zero did to him.

Instead of deleting him, turning X...a proper viral maverick or forcing him to do a factory reset, his returned Hero did a forced defrague and triggered his last system snapshot. The one they had exchanged one night after facing a maverick whose infection had been caused by a bad update.

X never expected Zero to have remembered it, let alone kept it for so long. His beloved had used the Log to manually restore him. Not only that, but the Pain chip was corrupted...releasing X from his endless torture.

At least, until the variable system fix the vile thing...X's only fail-safe.

"I don't deserve you." He addressed his saviour, her pretty face still bearing the sing of...of her sacrifice.

[[Master X?]] Leviathan called him.

[[I'm….I'm sorry…I…]] His emotions, return to normal didn't let the blue bomber have peace.

[[Master X…She still loves you.]]

X let out yet another sob in the white and sterile what she had been willing to do to restore him… he fell to his knees again, praying, begging, beseeching whoever had sent his Zero to please, please...

Please let her live...let her survive…or free her from this ugly world. and let him suffer whatever cruel faith had in store for her.

'..what I did was inexcusable...only d...no...not even that will be able to absolve me.' he whipped his tears and got to his feet.

The connection became silent, all of His guardians had been updated about the situation. Now alone with his unconscious lover (his fault.) X resumed fixing Zero…and hoping his blurry vision would not cause him to make another mistake.

He lost track of time, absorbed in his work, he forgot to recharge, forgo his usually Data-cleaning duty to keep the uranet manageable and...no...he wasn't really needed by the humans, he knew. It was yet another lie...

Eventually, Zero's left arms was reattached, and her frame cleaned and repaired as much as he could. Whatever had to be replaced was changed, what had to be re-solder were now secure...

There was nothing else he could do now... he could only wait and pray in the hope that God would show kindness to a synthetic soul.

And then...he gazed at the computer. Zero was booting up...going around her berserker program. it was as if she was waking up normally, as if X didn't nearly destroy her.

his venting hitched as fear and shame fought for dominance...X wanted to run and yet...he was not a coward, he would not run away from his mistake, from his lover! He would...he would...

"Ech...o?" Zero opened her eyes again, turning the two purple orbs toward him…and X averted his gaze.

He wanted to run, to escape this feeling of shame. And yet, he knew he couldn't.

"X…" Zero reached for his hand, and the Azure angel snapped his limb away.

What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to react? He felt so lost, so scared…

X tried to move away from his Zero, caught in a state of panic fuel by the knowledge that he had sabotaged whatever he'd done in the past…he had turned Maverick.

He had turned as his worst enemy…

He had…he had…

He felt Zero jump of the pod, he tried to get away from his mentor, his best friend…his lover, the one who sacrificed her life for his ideals…

Ideals he had carelessly trown away years ago, ideals he had given up on…ideals that were unrealistic in the first place.

Ideals Zero had often scoffed at, warning him not to get his hopes up.

Warnings he had ignored out of pride...and blind obeisances to a race known for its atrocity and over consumption.

Zero grabbed his receding hand, clutching it in her grip. "X…Echo…"

X could've easily broke the link…but he couldn't…He was frozen in place.

He didn't want to look at her.

He didn't want to see his mentor's disappointment…

He didn't want to see his friend's hard gaze as no words would escape his lips…

He didn't want to…he didn't want to see this gaze break apart in confusion…

And yet he longed to feel her anger, the blaze of hell had nothing on a Fuming Zero...and X knew he deserved it and yet...

"Echo…Look at me." Zero spoke, her voice sweet and filled with a compassion X never heard before from his usual ruthless partner. One who would never mince words one who main directive was to destroy X and everything else.

This compassion...this mercy he didn't deserve...it burned him.

He turned his head, a pool of amethyst met his verdant gaze.

There was no anger, no hatred, no disappointment… Only a deep concern X saw but a scant few time dance in those eyes.

Nothing made sense anymore…It was his Zero, as was proven by their serial number and yet…

And Yet she didn't act like him.

Nothing made sense anymore.

"X…Echo. It's me…I'm he-here now." She spoke gently, pulling him in her embrace. Her arms around his neck.

She was small…but then, it had been her decision to be shorter than him…all those years ago. and yet...even at her new height, she never failed to...to cover X in their protective aura...

as always...

X…broke down.

No…not broke down. He was already broken…He finally showed all of his wounds…all of his scars…

He was not a master.

He was not a ruler.

He was not a legend, a hero, the one who send sigma to Hell over and over again.

He was not the father of all Reploids.

He was not even this very awkward B-rancked hunter Hanging on Zero's coat tail…

He was scared…He was confused…he felt trap in a cage he had himself made with the spoils of wars…a utopia ultimately build on the slayed bones of his forefather and the bloods of his friends turned enemy.

As he sobbed, Zero gently ran her hand in soothing circles on his back. "It's alright Echo…We'll go trough this together…It's not the end of the world, just another very rough start." She whispered in his right audial cone.

X let out a mix between a sob and laughter…this had been a phrase doctor Cain had used often…and a phrase X had adopted.

It was practically his motto by now…

"Zaki…Wh…what am I supposed to do?...how am I supposed to fix this?...I've…I destroyed…so many live gone… Reploids are hated again… It's all my fault…" X sobbed anew as he buried his face in Zero's shoulder. He could not see how this could be a start…

He had turned maverick...he had to be put down...it was the only way.

Zero kept rubbing his back, still very quiet saved for the glorious sound of her live hardware. He heard her lick her lips, once again, taking the master of Neo-arcadia by surprise.

Zero barely had any human ticks, even blinking and other subtle movement that only an organic body could make had to be modded to them.

Something X had later realized was extremely foolish and stupid of him, a machine could not become human...this was real life, not a fairy tale.

"Echo…my Xiu Ying." 'My brave warrior.' "You can start by chanting Hare Krishna…" She proposed, her voice very even. "That would be a good place to start...we can deal with the rest after you get better..."

Usually, when Zero's voice sounded flat, it was because he... she expected to be ignored, rejected or ridiculed. This…X could not help but deepen the embrace. "Hare Krishna… That's the everlasting peace formula…that's what you recited in my ear at the base"

A mix of joy and shame flooded his system. The resistance was supposed to be a new start for the synthetic and humankind…and he had mercilessly sent his troops to slaughter them at every given occasion, seeing this as a worthy sacrifice.

A sacrifice to summon the God of his destruction, the Real Hero of legend. His beloved Zero...

It worked... Somehow, his scheme had worked...just not the way he intended...

He bit his lips…so many sins he had committed. His hands were eternally stained with blood and oil… He buried his face deeper in Zero's shoulder. And his partner gently hushed his pain and his guilt as she began chanting the peace formula.

And as he began to chant with her...he felt his sins lifted from his shoulders.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna…Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama…Rama Rama Hare Hare


And thus end the first wave of mercy. stay tune for wave number two.