MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Strings of Fate ❯ The Black Tiger ( Chapter 8 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Deya_X
Axl makes a vow-Zero's life is hanging by a thread and he intends to save it. The doutbful X and Gate struggle with their emotions....and the battle begins.

Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.28.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 516 | Status: Completed

Gate's heart dropped a million miles into a vault of endless pain. Along with a few of his crewmembers, he looked upon the body of Zero, one of the greatest Maverick Hunters. His soft green eyes became excruciatingly heavy with fear as he desperately waited for one of his companions to deliver at least a sliver of good news....
But only silence could be found.
Cold, deadly silence.
The faces of his loyal crewmembers were filled to the rims with pain. No one said anything...for there was nothing to be said. No optimism, no smiles...
Only pain.
A young Reploid shattered the silence after several long minutes, but his words weren't glowing with happiness. His face bore a great resemblance to the face of a saddened puppy, and his voice was burdened with apprehension.
“Captain Zero......I can't believe this. I can't believe this at all. There's....nothing we can do for him.”
“So we're supposed to just watch him die?!” A female Reploid shouted in disbelief, not wanting to believe what was going on. The idea of watching someone drift away disgusted her, but she received no positive reaction to her outburst.
“I'm afraid.......that's right......Sophitia. We've lost all hope. The virus cannot be removed from Zero's heart.” Gate told her sadly, placing a hand over his eyes. The emotion called despair overwhelmed his entire body....he could actually taste the sadness within his heart....
And it was an awful taste.
More silence passed by...and it passed by slowly. Every single Reploid inside of the Infirmary felt uneasy...uncomfortable....Sophitia wasn't the only one that was uncomfortable with thought of watching a friend's life end.....
But nothing could be done.
Ten minutes elapsed, and then a small sigh left Gate's lips.
“Cameo, open the tube, please. Release our dear friend.”
The one called Cameo followed his commander's orders, even though his body felt as if it were a sack of iron because of the sorrow flowing through every inch of it. He felt cold, lost, desperate...and lonely. The Maverick Hunter called Zero was his idol-actually, the Crimson Flame was idolized all throughout the Maverick Hunter Headquarters. Watching the flame die out wasn't something that pleased him......
But nothing could be done.
“Nothing can be done.”
That horrible, ugly sentence was like the poison of a cobra.. And everyone kept saying it.
Slowly, the weakened Maverick Hunter called Zero descended from the analyses tube and looked upon the faces of his friends, bearing a resemblance to a newborn child. Not a single smile met his eyes-none of them were happy about anything that was going on. Gate looked into the Hunter's eyes sadly, wanting to say something positive.....
But there was nothing that could be said.
Well, there WAS something that could be said.
“Zero?”
“Yeah?” the handsome Hunter asked Gate, with a warm smile.
Gate sighed heavily, and hung his head. The words within his heart were slowly eating away at his soul.....but.....he wanted them to be heard. They needed to be said.
“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Zero.”
Immeasurable sadness fell into Zero's beautiful eyes for a minute. They were transformed into solid pools of ethereal beauty.....and their beauty caused tears to enter Gate's eyes. The researcher's heart fell into a world of dark, impenetrable grief.....and he fell to his knees in agony. The look in his friend's eyes shattered him completely.....looking at him was like trying to look at a dying kitten. The Maverick Hunter didn't want to die-there was so much that needed to be done.....needed to be said....
“Zero.....”
An affectionate smile lit up the handsome Reploid's face. He threw Gate a wink, looking as if the world was filled with golden sunshine.
“Hey. It's all right. Thanks a lot.....all of you....for trying to help. I appreciate your efforts, really.”
Not a single word was said after that. Gate didn't move....he could barely breathe. None of his crewmembers said anything, for they were also paralyzed by grief.
Zero wasn't the only one with a virus.
Sigma had also given all of his friends a virus.
And it was a well-known virus-
Pain.
The Maverick Hunter left the Infirmary....and pristine dewdrops streamed from the eyes of a Reploid named Strike. Gate's ally fell to the ground, pounding the cold, hard ground in frusteration....
“Damn it....damn everything......”
--Silence wasn't just in the Infirmary. It was flowing throughout the entire Maverick Hunter base, like dark mists of destruction. The entire base was than the very surface of the moon. The hearts of the Reploids were painfully drenched in darkness.....and sorrow was consuming each and every soul......
Well, not every soul was being consumed by everlasting pain.
There was one soul that refused to be taken down by the hands of evil.
There was one soul that believed in hope.
There was a Reploid......that could still smile....that could still dream.—
“Why are you two so quiet?”
Mega Man X and Axl gasped at the sound of Zero's voice. The two of them were standing right outside of the Infirmary, and the Crimson Flame was right behind them, wearing a warm yet cocky smile. Axl's face lit up and shamed the face of the cutest infant.
“Zero!”
“Hey pal.” The blonde-haired Maverick Hunter patted Axl on the shoulder, smiling at him as if he had known Axl his whole life. X, on the other hand, was unable to smile-he looked like someone that had just been coaxed into throwing away a million dollars on the state lottery.
“X, what's up? Something wrong with you two?”
“Not really.” Axl replied happily, his eyes shining like two young flames. “Everything's okay here. Ready t'go, Zero?”
“You bet. Let's get this show on the road.”
The Crimson Hunter looked over at X, but his dearest friend's expression did not change. The Blue Bomber looked like he was unsure of something......
“X?”
“Yeah, I'm ready. Are you sure about this, Zero? Axl and I can handle ourselves.”
For a second, Zero looked offended-X wanted to leave him out of everything. But then his smile returned....and it was warmer than the warmest summer night.
“I'm not staying behind. No way, Jose. I'm going with you two, and that's THAT. Got it?”
Mega Man X hung his head, defeated.....lost....still uneasy.....
“Got it. Let's go and get information from Alia. I'm sure she'll have our mission data ready.”
The three friends silently made their way back into the main room of the base...each with their own thoughts and emotions. One Reploid was lost in the depths of unbreakable despair......one Reploid was determined to stay with his friends until the very end........and the other Reploid was ready to restore the lost song of hope......
There was one soul that believed in the light called “hope”.
And that soul's name....was Axl.
Don't you worry about a thing, X. Everything's gonna be fine.
I'll find a way to save him.
I promise.
--Axl from X8: Better watch out, X. I might just steal your spotlight!
TOO KAWAII!!!! CUTE CUTE CUTE-I LOVE HIS VOICE!
he's cute beyond belief!