Alright, A bit of a... Character Introduction.
Spoiler-heavy.
Karuna-Sindhu das Adhikari is none other than the twenty-year-old Krishna-Kripa das. The reason for his name change is because he got his first initiation recently. Also, Krishna-Kripa is Nanashi from the SMT; apocalypse... but instead of being born of normal parents, his Mother is Kaazami Yuuka from Touhou Project and Toyosatomimi no Miko... from the same game.
Yes... He's op... and an unapologetic Hare Krishna Queer... Because yes, we do have those. Nothing can stop Bhakti devi, nothing at all.
Yavata is... Alright, plenty of Spoiler from my other story, but Krishna from SMT: apocalypse too... but He's not the Original supreme personality of Godhead, Sri-Krishna. He's Makoto Yuki, now freed from the influence of a certain crawling Chaos.
Yes... Door-kun is alive and well... and a Hare Krishna.
Mukhara is Toyosatomimi no Miko who lost all limbs, for Yokais almost ate her after she tried preaching Krishna-consciousness in Gensokyo.
I like to give more depth to characters than they need... especially those mute protagonists Altus loves to stuff down our gullets.
All glories to Roy L. Fortune. And my Spiritual master.
Rain…with wind and lightening…mud…trash…bio-waste… Omega Zero in a dark alleyway... the light bulb was not on...
The mad reploid had propped him up on the step of some back door…he was speaking to him.
"Can you stop being so Pathetic?" he asked. "You used to be so fun. Now…what the hell am I supposed to do with you?"
Kill him?
"I could kill you; I want to kill you…but I can't." Omega looked very disappointed, frustrated, And soaking wet. He grabbed his braid; it had a frilly magenta ribbon at the end. Glaring at the piece of fabric with his angry red eyes. He dropped it after he tried removing the simple knot without success.
Again, to prove his point, omega grabbed Zero by the neck… lifting him from the concrete stairs.
"See? I can't even rip your head off" Omega gave Zero a shake. "I'm sure it's those women...they must have done something. I can't even kill a human…or a rat." Omega dropped him on the steps again. Looking at his hands, flexing them. He looked upset.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he asked Zero…
"Can't you speak copy-Z?"
"…'
Omega went to zero again. He picked him up from the steps and began shaking his body…causing some error messages. And pain...more pain than usual.
This was...a very well-made dream...he could feel pain...and yet he still dreamed...he still slept.
This was new...
If it was new...it was not real...
Omega dropped him again, but this time, he fell in the mud.
"Get up!" Omega barked. "C'mon, you piece of faulty hardware. GET UP!" he stomped by Zero's head, sending mud and water spraying everywhere.
…this was not real…nothing was real…Zero was but a bunch of code made for fighting attached to a body made for fighting…
he had no more reasons to fight…He never had a reason to fight…His reason to fight was as good as dead…over and over again…
Fighting meant living…he had no reason to live…
He didn't want to live…
He should never have lived…
Omega sighed… "What am I supposed to do now? I don't have my armour; I can't access my power, can't even hurt a fly…." Omega began passing back and forth the alley they were in. the rain had turned into a drizzle. "And then there's you…what am I supposed to do with you now? You're…your as good as dead." Omega nudged Zero with his boot. "Common…move, make a noise just…do something!"
"…"
Omega had never been in this type of situation before…usually, Zero would move. He would dodge his projectile, his attack, his blade strike…he would jump around the battlefield and be overall fun to slap around until the Guardians showed up.
Or until Omega's hardware would start failing.
But now…All that fighting spirit was gone.
The crimson death ex-vented as he ran a hand on his helmet. Even this was weird; Omega had assumed his helmet was unmovable…he had been wrong.
He wished he would be back to his normal…back to serve the grovelling Weil, back to killing millions…
Not…this…
He looked back at the collapsed form of his pathetic copy. Wet, muddied, Unmoving, still arm-less…completely useless.
It made him sick, Omega had no idea he could feel like this, but he did…there was just something inherently wrong with seeing Zero so utterly broken, defeated…
Omega knelled beside the fallen hero…he felt something in his chest squeezing painfully. 'Great, now I also have some hardware malfunction on top of it…'
What should he do? Should he leave the broken Zero in the trash where he belonged? Maybe he would be found and fixed, and maybe he would hunt Omega again…
No…The crimson death doubted any of those primitive humans would have the technology even to begin understanding a reploid. Once again, no robots, no reploids, not even alone mechalinoid could be sensed. Just a bunch of computers with no power.
He put a hand on Zero's back. His broken copy was still functioning…on a very basic level. Omega wondered if the broken puppet had even enough will to live to have his remaining nanite fix whatever was broken…
'Nah, probably not…he can't even muster to vent. ' Really, the crimson death had never seen anyone so pathetic. He had seen people being horrified, terrified, angry beyond reasons…but never had he seen someone void of a will to live.
Omega sighed…well, Zero was broken. There was only one thing left to do with the glitchy, useless knock-off; throw it away…recycle it if possible.
Or he could have Zero be found and hopefully repaired. And then he would have a worthy opponent again!
'Once again, not likely.'
Suddenly, he heard the door unlocked. Unwilling to be found just yet, Omega hoisted Zero onto his right shoulder and climbed the nearest wall and onto the convenient flat roof.
As he hopped away, Omega concluded that, with nothing better to do, he could always keep the knock-off until he stopped functioning. Then he would destroy the body, making sure no one could rebuild him…
He had no idea what to do after that…Maybe find this dhama the Yoshima spoke of…
Also, he didn't really care about Zero…he just didn't want the heroic knock-off to be put in a display case, or worst…
Better yet would be for Zero to recover, then Omega would still have him around…Zero was fun. And he was the only one Omega knew of in this damn place.
No, he was not…oh, alright. Omega didn't want zero to go…he didn't know why; it was just how it went.
Every time he would wake up, Zero was there, sometimes with X; sometimes alone…Zero was the only constant in his life, the only thing familiar…
Well, there was copy X, but…that kid just kept whining. And then there was Weill…He was…fun at first until his rage-filled spiel repeated one time too often.
And the dark-elf just kept moaning and crying all the time...and she was a traitor.
'Now…where is this Mayapur.' He wondered as he cleared yet another gap between houses. The sky was still blackish blue, and Omega could hear the cloud rumble with the promises of another downpour.
A few days passed after his unceremonious dumping; Omega had run out of ideas as to how to rouse Zero from his torpor. The red Reploid was about as entertaining as an empty energen can.
Omega had tried everything…everything to elicit a reaction from Zero. Many of those things he would never do again, and others…maybe with someone other than Zero. But still, the broken reploid had no will to live…
And Omega had no desire to let him go…Growing more and more attached to the broken Reploid as time went on.
The rain did not let up; it actually got worst with lightning, high wind and curtains of water falling from the sky every hour… sometimes stopping, but always looming. Worst, the bad weather means that the city was in complete blackout, and the thick covering of cloud hid the sun.
And it was humid...and blazing hot.
Not that Omega needed a charge, Doctor Weil had upgraded him in such a way that a little bit of sunshine was all Omega needed. Zero, on the other hand, needed more than a few dim rays.
The old legend was in recovery mode, his self-repair working overtime to fix what the blond Youkai had left…but without any desire to live and no power source… Zero needed more than just sunshine and fresh air; he needed to be plugged-in…or was it stuffed in a repair pod?
Omega had no idea; he had never been treated as a normal android, nor did he ever had to take care of another one in dire need of repair. He had checked Zero's charge level…it was well below fifty percent at this point and would keep going lower, even if the Crimson death would boost him some time.
Omega…had never lived anything like this; he was used to killing and destruction…not restoration and maintenance. Especially of Zero, an enemy...a rival. Right now, the red copy could not even be considered a treat, except if he would suffer a fatal hardware failure.
The rain kept falling, now with lightning dancing across the darkened sky. He found shelter under a tin roof on top of a well-built building, under which colourful clothing hung dry.
Of course, with how saturated the air was with humidity, it would take a few days to have everything somewhat dry. And not very clean, with the smog and the dust and whatever else floated in the polluted air. Under his feet, Omega could feel and hear some pleasant sound…music, maybe?
Omega never knew what Music was; he thought it was just some noise humans would do for entertainment. He never expected to be…pleasant to his audios.
"Humans are pretty interesting, don't' you think? I guess that's why you and X were protecting them from me, huh? To let them play and frolic?" He addressed the knock-off, still silent, his eyes still half-lidded and cracked. And he was still listless, unmoving yet still active…for now. So Omega had taken to speak to him…
He didn't like silence; silence meant he was alone, silence meant no action…it meant staying in one place without moving or speaking. It meant being stuck in the armour for years on end without any interaction, without feeling anything…
Of course, with how Zero was at the moment, it was the same as speaking to a wall. Or a fancy-looking carpet. He had no place to prop the dead weight, so omega just laid the copy on the wet ground...
"Hey! I'm speaking to you." He called out louder over the pouring rain.
"…"
Omega rolled his eyes as he returned at the other activities he had undertaken, rain watching. "Zero… You see this, right? Have you ever seen so much water falling from the sky? I can't even hear properly…It's…kind of scary, to be honest." This type of rainfall could destroy mechalinoid; Omega was sure of it.
"…"
"Do you think it's the end of the world?" He asked with a crooked smile; he could see the eerie glow of his crimson eyes reflecting on Zero's head gem. "I hope your waterproof Copy-Z. I know I am."
Still, nothing, only the sound of the music and the rain returns his query.
Omega sigh…he was out of his armour, freed from Weil's so-called control, free to do as he liked. And yet he could not part with the dead weight and could not destroy to his heart content.
He walked back to where he had dropped Zero. The reploid lay on his back, his hair now filthy from the mud and soaked with dirty water. .. like the rest of him." You look so pathetic copy-Z…" Omega spoke as he knelled beside zero. "A legend, a great warrior, he who survived the unsurvivable, the red Hero…now but a mere, broken doll."
No answers…obliviously. But Omega now noticed something…Zero had moved. Not a whole l; hehe had just turned his neck so that his right audio receptor was pressed to the ground. He had also closed his eyes…the good one that is, the cracked optic could not even close properly.
"So…you moved." A genuine smile appeared on Omega's lips. "Heh, some progress…can you hear the music playing under us?"
Zero vented out once…it was something he rarely did, his systems running sub-optimally. But, Omega chose to see this as an answer from the broken reploids. He put a hand onto Zero's chest, feeling the gentle yet intermittent hum of his core. "So…what is those humans'
Omega silently gazed at the prone from or Zero…he could feel a sort of serenity emanating from his copy… "Hey, Copy-Z…Mind sharing what you're hearing?" He asked with a smirk…he had no idea why, but he felt happy.
Really happy…without death, without destruction, without war. It was such a novel experience, something new and fresh…
When was the last time Omega had experienced something new? Something that didn't involve violence?
Practically never…
His smile fell as he remembered the words of Yamuna Yakumo…His life had been useless until now. He had never really lived…
Deep in thought, he almost didn't hear the young man coming up the step…but his sensor did pick him up…as a plant, a potent plant.
Omega whirled around, not sure of what he would find. But ready for everything. He may not have his 0-sabre with him; the crimson death was confident he could kill or at least incapacitate whatever monstrosity was coming his way. Hiding behind a purple and pink cloth, the mad reploid looked at the stairwell with all attention.
Then he realized he didn't have his buster option.
'Oh, rust this chip!' Bah, he didn't need any weapons to rain devastation of a walking bush.
Would it be a plant-reploid? A moving techno-organic being of untold power? And abomination unfit for his eyes?
Eventually, the…being that should not exist emerged from the curtain of water; he was rather…heavy set.
Scratch that; it was just a teen (still a bit taller than him, annoyingly enough.) with green hair carrying a pail of wet cloth. He had golden eyes; green hair shaved at both sides of his head saved from a strip in the middle, and a pair of horn-like tuft; above his left audio was a pink, fluffy flower that glowed. He had a green mark on his right cheek; his pierced ears bore a pair of rather big and ornate wooden earrings. His white T-shirt was decorated with some English text. (I lost my heart in Vrindaban.) And a colourful towel covered his hips and legs. He was barefooted; one foot looked as if it had been broken and not set properly.
The youth didn't seem to notice anything amiss, his ears plugged by some earbuds. He was listening to a song in a language unknown to Omega.
The human-shaped plant went to some empty lines…the place where he had dropped Zero and began to hang the cloth to dry, blissfully ignorant of the Crimson death and the prone Copy.
As he worked, he chanted…
~Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare~
Omega had no idea what those words meant, but…it called to him on a very primordial level, something beyond his programming, beyond his CPU…right his DNA-soul…It was the same song the little abomination named Gargi had sung as she braided his hair.'
Omega could have lost himself to the song. If not that the being was dangerously close to Zero.
What would he do? How would he react to the catatonic red legend? Did he even know who it was?
The green-haired teen just kept putting cloth off the line as Omega waited with the bated breath for the discovery.
And then, it happened! In the bliss of the song he was hearing, the young man began to dance, and during one of his graceful pirouettes, His right foot bumps Zero's forehead. Causing greeny to emit a very high pitch scream.
"AH KRISHNA!" He jumped back and fell on his back size, staring in horror at Zero. "Oh…Oh Krishna…ah…the hell?" He held his hand to his heart as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
"Oh my God, Is that…no, it can't be. Krishna, this can't be Zero…" He spoke in Japanese to…no one in particular. He turned to his invisible partner while he gestured to the prone reploid. "But he's a videogame character!" he exclaimed…and then paused….
"Crap, no. your right…" he crawled to where Zero was lying. " He Bhagawan…he looks so messed up. Hey! HEY! Zero…" He clapped his hands by the catatonic reploid audio receptor. "Wake up, man…c'mon, Uto uto, Jago jago!"
'What are those words? 'Omega wondered…He could get out of his hiding spot and attack the guy. His body may be powerful, but Omega had yet to meet a plant that could attack back.
No…it was not to protect his obsolete copy. He just wanted to check if he could kill a plant.
And then zero reacted…he opened his eyes and looked at the youth.
"Zero! Holy cow,…you're alive. I can't believe it…Krishna, you're starting us on another adventure, aren't you…I can't believe he's here… Zero, you are safe, no one will hurt you…oh crab apple, what am I supposed to do!?" The youth babbled on, keeping a hand on Zero's unmoving chest…and yet the broken reploid remained silent…still looking at the youth.
He pauses, putting his right hand on Zero's cracked helmet. "Hey…Zero, what happened to you?"
No answers.
"Krishna…He's not speaking...do you know what happened to him?" he paused, listening for an answer. "Oh hell…yeah. No, I remember now, Ragnarock…" he ran a thumb on the Z-brain. "Dang, and I thought I had it hard. Zero, don't worry, I know some people who will help you. You won't have to face any more crazies in this lifetime…C'mere bud." He lifted the unresponsive reploid off the ground. "Up you go…Huh; I thought you'd be heavier. C'mon, let's get you out of the rain…" the youth turned his heels and came face to face with Omega.
Both robot and plant stared at each other… Or he was staring at the colourful silk cloth Omega was hiding behind.
"…and you are?" The youth asked.
Omega stepped out from behind his hiding place, trying to appear as intimidating as possible. "I am Omega Zero…." He curled his lips and intensified the red glow of his eyes. "The God of Destruction."
The youth stared…again. Before making an o shape with his mouth…and making the sound also."Oh yeah… I remember you. "ware wa Messiah Nari!' Your Weil's puppet!"
Omega bristle. "NO, I'M NOT!" He exclaimed. "I am his Messiah!"
The greenette blinked… and then gave a small smile. "Right…join the club then. Anyway, just come with me out of this weather; I doubt the rain's good for you…Or zero."
Omega clenched his fist and sneered. "Why should I follow you?"
"Because you're made out of metal and were standing on a roof without any lightning rod. Zero's already in a pretty rough shape, and I don't want you to be in the same way." The youth kindly explained. "I'm Karuna-Sindhu das, by the way…sorry I can't shake your hand at the moment."
Omega grunted…he had never been in such a situation in his life…violence he could deal with, hatred, anger, murderous intent, grovelling, and solitude were practically all of his life, but this…kindness…
Karuna-Sindhu shrugged and ran back inside, leaving a trail of…
'Are those buster shots? Why are they not moving? Why are they staying? What the hell is that plant-guy?' Omega stared at the anomaly, trying to grasp…to make sense of what he had just seen.
"Omega! C'mon man, get inside!" Karuna-Sindhu yelled over the din of the falling rain. "I can already feel the electricity in the air; hurry up!"
With no other option and unwilling to leave the only familiar face he knew, the crimson reploid followed the human-shaped plant to a somewhat drier stairwell.
"There you ar-"
-BOOM-
White light filled their collective vision as an explosion occurred on the roof…a lightning bolt had struck the tin 'shed where he and Zero had previously taken shelter.
Omega stared, the shed was completely destroyed and the place the lightning had struck appeared to have been blown apart….the place in question just so happened to coincide with his hiding spot.
He had been hit by many fully charged Haddoken…but never lightning. The amount of energy that had been released would have been enough to inflict some pretty heavy damage on his current frame…
He took a moment to gather himself…no, he had not been scared just…just…
"Oh, Krishna…" He heard Karuna whispered. "Are you ok there, Omega?" the greenette asked, his voice high pitched.
"…yes…I'm…" he vented out. And Karuna began to laugh. Omega whirled around to face the youth, how dared he-
Karuna was kneeling on the floor; his eyes were wide open, and Omega could hear that his pulse had quickened. He had tucked Zero's head protective under his chin, and four wings had sprouted from his back, wrapping protectively around Zero. He had a…very nervous smile on his face.
"Damn Indra…He's not even armed." He got up from the floor and, the four extra appendages receded and went down the stair as fast as he could…and Omega followed suit.
He was in a room…it was dry. The wall were of a cream colour. He was lying on a piece of fabric.
Four overly powerful presence were in the room; one had blue hair and his skin was as dark as the other three…three more humans were there; as was Omega…they stared at him, speaking in Hindi to one another.
The green-haired youth…Karuna-Sindhu came back, he was soaking wet and carrying some items. Two towels, some sponges and a bucket of water.
The song kept playing…the Hare Krishna song…
It was soothing. He quite liked it...
He would have liked it.
Karuna-Sindhu spoke in Hindi…and then kneeled beside him. Omega was nearby…no knowing what to do with himself. He kept looking at the people like Alouette, a new Cyber-elf.
He looked so innocent…like Alouette…
'was she real?... was it all real?'
"What are you looking at, Copy-Z?"
Copy-Z…
Maybe he was a copy…but then, why did he remember so much…
X, Sigma, Doppler, colonel, Iris…Eurasia…
He didn't want to remember…
Karuna-Sindhu, threw a towel to Omega and kneeled beside Zero, he began cleaning the mud off of his body…still humming the soothing song.
~Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare~
Zero closed his eyes…just listening to the song as Karuna-Sindhu manipulate d his damaged body, cleansing him of the mud and water that had accumulated.
Zero would never have expected he could feel so at peace.
Omega had never been in such a place…a 'home.' It really was but a few rooms that were quite overcrowded with a man, a woman and…a smaller human, Karuna-Sindhu, Himself, Zero and that other guy.
It was also another powerful human-like being; he had messy blue hair and very dark skin. His eyes were of a bluish grey, and he was 'talking' to Karuna-Sindhu with his hands. He felt like death…and yet glowed with life and bliss.
Karuna-Sindhu had called him Yavata, and he seemed to be a connection between the two. A connection that ran relatively deeply.
Kind of like X and Zero…
Omega turned his attention back to Karuna-Sindhu and Zero. A.K.A the useless doll, the dead weight, the obsolete copy.
His only link back to normality, now as good as deactivated.
Karuna sung as he gently brushed away dry-ish mud and dirt from Zero while Yavata held the limp reploid in a sitting position. absentmindedly removing whatever twigs, leaves and whatever else had managed to lodged itself in the legendary copy's…
'Is it a heat sink? A universal, multi-stranded gold connector like I have? A fancy-looking antenna?' to be honest, Omega had never stopped to think about why he had such long, blond, beautiful hair in the first place…and why did no one thought of using the oblivious design flaw against him…and Zero. 'No matter, once we get back, I'll have fun plucking them!' it would be interesting to see what process would go into fatal error once those golden strands were gone.
But for this to even is a possibility, Zero needed to stop his extreme moping and start moving again. And Omega would do everything in his power to see this happen. No, the walking apocalypse did not care about his double…at all. He just wanted a good challenge, a good fight.
He didn't care about Zero's well-being, He didn't care whether he lived or died like the dog he was…Omega just wanted his best challenge, his best thrill, the one who had mercilessly slaughtered him to pick up his sword and fight…not stay down like a broken doll!
Omega didn't like this broken Zero…maybe he'd fought with a broken Zero, but…not that broken!
It was wrong!
"Hey, Baba…Omega. Is everything alright? You look upset." Karuna noticed as he was fiddling with Zero's helmet, trying to pull it off by force. "C'mon…get off you!"
Omega winced…those helmets were not meant to be removed by force, and he feared for Zero's neck joint.
Yavat caught Karuna's attention and managed to find a latch hidden behind one to the audio protector/radio booster. The blue-haired youth easily released it, and Zero's own helmet was off.
"Thank, Yav'."
Yavat beamed and singed back.
"Yeah…wouldn't want his head to pop off…especially in our host presence." Karuna chuckled to himself, and Omega's fluid lines turned to ice.
Zero had almost died…
"Omega?"
The crimson reploid remained silent…never in his life had he been…he never felt so many conflicting emotions in his life. Emotions triggered by none-violent interaction with living entities other than Doctor Weil. It was the first time he was in a human dwelling, the first time he had been given a place to sit, some water to drink…
It was the first time…he had been treated as something else than a mere weapon of mass destruction.
And it was the first time...For the first time in his life, Omega realized that he cared for someone other than himself...
He cared for Zero...he didn't want him to die...he didn't want him to get hurt...
Omega…didn't know what to make of it, nor what to make of Zero's condition and how it seemingly affected him.
As much as he loathed to admit…
Karuna turned to Yavat. "Can you finish up yourself?"
Yavat Nodded with a gentle smile as Karuna-Sindhu got up and went to the far-off corner where Omega lurked.
"Omega…is everything alright?" the somewhat taller boy asked as gently as possible. Putting a gentle hand on the reploids shoulder.
"Why do you ask?" Omega moved away from that hand… and incalculable power that course through it.
He hated it; Karuna-Sindhu was more powerful then he…it should be the opposite.
"Because you almost got struck by lightning and...You're shaking like a leaf."
Omega turned his red eyes toward the youth and glanced at his hands…he was.
He gave a very shaky ex-vent…the events of the past few days…maybe even years…
It all came crashing down like the rain outside.
Omega…slid down the wall and buried his face in his knees…this was too much…too…too much…
"Hey, mom?" Karuna spoke on his phone. The rain had subsided, and he knew he had a few hours before it would be back. It had taken some time to calm Omega down to a point where he would stop shaking. It was now late afternoon, and the sun was setting behind the clouds, giving the Krishna blue banks a Radharani-gold hue.
He felt a pang in his heart…every single moment without his Krishna and the Queen of his heartfelt like a millennium…He missed Them…Their supreme divinity be damned.
"Yes, Beta? Is everything alright? How is Yavata?" His mother answered at the other end of the line.
"Yeah, the trip back to India was alright. Customs didn't stop us this time, and the taxi ride was…as smooth as one could expect in India. The week was uneventful, the Delhi temple is still as amazing as ever, and Balaram Prabhu still sees me like a son. Yavat's fine…no complaint from him." He told his mother, the saintly Mukhara. "Mom…I'm calling because...he Krishna."
"Just tell her plainly, my dear. It's not the first time she had faced such an event." Krishna spoke to him kindly.
"Mom…I just found Zero and Omega Zero at the top of the roof where I'm stopping by."
There was a pause.
"…are they from an Anime?"
"No ma, they're from this old Game-boy advance game called Mega Man zero. They are... I guess you can call them Robots."
"Robots…you can't be serious. How do they feel? Like Yavat? Kinari, Mayuri or-"
"They feel like Mayuri a bit." and they also felt like his mom...not something the old Shikaisen would like to hear.
Another pause.
"Anyway…Zero was the main Character and…he's not doing all that great, to be honest."
"Can you give me more details?"
"Yeah, basically, he's a habituated self-sacrificer. Last game I played, he 'died' do prevent a monster from crashing a kill sat on the last green place on earth." Karuna massaged his nose, trying to remember the event of his most played game…second really. He leaned his back to the railing, looking at the soaking wreck of what used to be the drying shed... and his mother's ruined gift from Ethiopia. "Physically, his arms are gone, his left eye is completely cracked, and he's…not completely unresponsive, but otherwise…yeah, he's pretty much done with this sh-"
"Beta!"
"Sorry, mom. But yeah, Zero's done with the game. Completely, and absolutely done…. I think we should try to contact Phalguni."
"I will also contact your sister, Kamala…Oh Krishna, I just realized; My Godsister Mandodari will be here in India; she's supposed to arrive tomorrow. I will try to see if she would be willing to make a detour from Vrindavana to Mayapur."
"Dang, Kanu really made sure Zero would be well surrounded. An animal psychologist, a youkai who can control emotion and a very potent mystic. "Karuna-Sindhu smiled; he couldn't wait to see the old Vaishnavi…and Fly-Phalguni. "Zero will be in good hands."
"Indeed…I wish we had this team when you, your friend and Yavata got extracted; it would've made the healing process easier."
"Mom, We had what we deserved. And it wasn't that bad! I had you, Radha and G-…Gurudev for a while."
"I know, But it's a mother's sacred duty to want the best for her son…especially a hero such as you."
"Mom, I'm no hero, Phalguni's the one who did everything. He's the hero ."
" Yes... a Hero and an Avatar." Mukhara paused for a bit. "Ah-ha! Alright, I just managed to find his page on Netopedia... And from what I can see, Zero carries his title of hero justly.." Mukhara closed the subject, moving back onto the new emergent.
Karuna snorted. "Yeah…yeah, he'll finally get the hero's respite he so desperately deserves."
"More like the main victim rescued," Mukhara whispered. Her pain was very clear to Karuna's ears.
"Yeah…and then there's Omega. He's basically the final boss of the third game; he's in Zero's original body and…well, he's a murderous machine of war. In the story, he, empowered by a corrupted Mother-elf…basically, a bunch of sentient Data so condense it had a physical form…also from Zero, Destroyed over ninety percent of the world's sentient life…and 99% of all plant life." Karuna explainwd with a grin, now knowing how ridiculous it sounded.
Only Parasurama and Sri Shiva could do something like that, and Kala. Not whatever Omega was. 'And that's not even half the problems with their scenario…I don't even think they had any interaction with a vanilla human yet.'
Karuna's smile fell."Ma, Omega's like a child that knows only war, pain, hatred and destruction. He just had a mental breakdown just from being treated like another human being…" he whispered, he could still feel the reploid's uncontrollable shaking.
The Dryad remembered the first week out of Stephen's hermitage…many up where had…and many downs. But at least he had some more or less normal life with the boss and his adopted sister at the start, and then with his mother more recently…Omega and Zero...X and everyone else never had this luxury.
"He Radhe…" His mother whisper. Having somehow heard her son's thought.
"Yeah, well…he's actually functional. Omega was on the front page a few time you know; he had been lugging Zero all around Delhi, trying to hide him from people…he was sort of trying to make his way to Mayapur but...well, his GPS ain't all that great in India."
"How did he know about Mayapur?" Mukhara asked.
"Well, I think he met the Yamuna; she's the only one who can spirit people away from almost anywhere under the Sapta-rishi."
"Oh…Krishna Bhagavan." Karuna heard his mother…not cursed, but seek the shelter of the Lord.
"Yeah, so…Omega was trying to find it. He told me he tried to find Mayapur, but he got lost instead."
He heard his mother chuckle; some lightness had returned to the conversation. "Delhi just the worst. Anyway, from what I have gathered, we now have two more sparrows to take care of. Try to find a way to bring them with you; I will try to book you a ticket for tomorrow's night train. Not that you mind, I hope?."
"Oh no, not at all…it'll be great if we could get Zero to move by himself…but realistically, we may need to sneak him in. I have an idea how but…." Karuna licked his lips. "Ma, can we have two pieces of big luggage with us on the train?"
"…do you think they will tolerate being stuff in a luggage for eight hours straight?" Mukhara pointedly asked.
"Ma, Zero's not moving…he kind of reacting to Prabhupada and Harinama-Prabhu, but otherwise, he's not breathing, he's not moving, and I would rather not have to explain myself to security about lugging a corps in a public place." He explained…He had to do this once, not his finest moment. "And Omega has the fangs, the red glowing eyes and the jumpiness of a cornered Rakshasha. I may be able to soften him up so we can get him on the train with us, but we would need a miracle for Zero. And yes, I have already prayed, and Krishna's…well, He Has a Plan, and He's keeping mum about it."
"As always." He could hear his mother smile. She was the definition of 'in God we trust.'
Meanwhile, Yavata came up the stairs to be with his Bhakti-partner and saviour. He looked tired and worried.
"Hey, Yav! How are they doing? And how are our hosts about the whole ordeal?" Nanashi asked quickly.
Yavat, dressed in a dark green gamsha and a plain T-shirt, began to sign, his blue-gray eyes tired. : Mother Ranga's taking it like a champ. Calling them auspicious guests... Gupta-Narayana. Mister Ashok Prabhu's a bit leery. I think he thinks Zero may be a corps and Omega a Rakshasha.:
"I wouldn't blame him; Om's got the glowing red eyes and the teeth to match…and the attitude also."
: Well…I've met pricklier people; he will get over it. He's very protective of his twin, though, kind of like how you and Koromaru were protective of me after my attempt.: Yavat explained. : He's scary…but he's also very scared himself."
"Yeah. Hey, Can you give me a sec'? I need to end my call with mom."
: can you tell her hi for me? :
"Ma, Yavat tells you hi." He informed his mother, who chuckled at the end of the connection.
A wave of gratitude washed over him…five years ago; he used to be an orphan name Nanashi, nameless. Now…
He had found his birth Mother. No, his birth mother had found him back…he had never been unwanted, never abandoned. And God, Krishna had preserved him…and gave the ex-hunter his life back. More than a simple resurrection, He had given him everything.
"Kripa?"
"Oh, sorry, mom…I just realized how fortunate I am." He rasped… "Ma…what can I give Krishna?"
"Beta, you already gave yourself to him…"
"I…that's not enough."
"Then make sure those two 'robots' make it back home, back to Godhead in this life-time."
Karuna-Sindhu closed his eyes and prayed to his Guru, Gauranga, and Nityananda to send their rain of Mercy upon those two souls. "Yes, mom…listens, I need to go to bed, and I don't want Yavat to suffer more jet-lag than necessary."
"Alright K.K., rest well, and I will see you in two days. And please keep me posted on Zero's and Omega's progress."
"Will do."
"Love you, son."
"Love you too, mom." He bade, unashamed at the open show of affection. Then he closed the line and pocketed his phone. Yavat then came and sat on the balustrade, unafraid of the height…not that he could fall to his death anymore than Karuna-Sindhu could.
: So, what's the plan, Karun?: Yavat signed.
"The plan is, we go to bed, you sleep until its morning, and I keep an eye on those two for now. Then tomorrow, we do some shopping, and we try to prepare them for a violence-free train ride." He clapped his partner on his back. "Come, the floor mat is calling."
In the room they were staying in, Zero had yet to move, and Omega was at his side…seemingly sleeping.
Well, not quite at his side, the red-eyed reploid had shifted his position so that he would be situated onto and across Zero's chest, protecting the broken hero with his own body.
Omega may have been a menace in his scenario…but now Karuna wondered how much of a monster he really was. And how he really viewed Zero.
: Poor twins…I don't know how Omega managed to cope seeing his brother like this…: Yavat sadly signed as he gazed at the two 'robots.'
: Yav…they are not brothers.: Karuna Signed back. : I'll try to explain what little I understand…but basically, they are from a hermitage that's the basis for the Mega man X Seri-:
Yavat caught Karuna's hands. : Say no more…I knew I recognized Zero from somewhere."
"You do?" Karuna (very quietly) exclaimed.
: Yes, I used to be a fan of the series…: Yavat eyes shone with unshed tears. : Between Zero and I…I dare say his scenario was worst. Did you know he had to kill his love interest? He also died trice, all of them in vain self-sacrifices. He also suffered from amnesia twice. Oh, and he was…is the premier carrier of the pure Zero viruses, the most powerful strain.:
Karuna winced, "ouch…"
Omega made a noise and began stirring. Noticing this, Karuna covered his mouth.
: I also know Omega is the 'original' body and Zero the Original in a copy body.: Yavat resumed, too tired to write an essay about the most unfortunate robot master in history. : But since both of them are Identical...and how Omega is attached to Zero despite being enemies, I'm calling them twins and brothers…, it's easier than always signing Omega and Zero.:
: I bet Omega's in the 'copied' body and Zero's in the original …: Karuna signed as he went to the yoga math on the floor.
: So true...: Yavat concluded as he let out a jaw-cracking yawn. : Damn... I thought those were just made-up stories... more hermit victims.: The Yaksha gave a very heavy frown... and another, jaw-cracker of a yawn.
: Yav…I thought you would have Jet-lag.: Karuna-Sindhu mildly accused as he laid on the thin mat. : I feel so useless now.
: Don't worry, Karun, the world's strongest sleeping pill can't knock me out…that's still your job.: he sloppily signed as he took his usual position behind the green-headed youth, curling around the somewhat taller boy as he buried his nose is Karuna's hair. After a minute, Yavat was out like a light, free from his usual nightmares and insomnia.
Before closing his eyes, Karuna sends some prayers to the lord of his heart.
One was for Zero's recovery, the other was for Omega's welfare, one was for Yavat, and another was for the world and the last…
'Oh my dear Radhe, oh queen of Krishna's butter-like heart. Please, tonight, if you so desire, engage me in your service to Him.'
And then he grabbed his Japa-beads and began chanting the Maha-mantra, savouring every syllable that danced on his tongue.
He was with His Krishna, for His name was no different from Him. Karuna could have gone deeper in his meditation, but he knew Krishna wanted him to keep an eye on those two souls confined in a mechanical cage.
'Like I was, all those years ago.'
And thus he chanted as the moon crossed the sky and the rain and lightning fell.
"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare."