60 Days: Clover___MMZ

"You should try going outside," X snickered, and Zero opened one eye to find the Cyber Elf standing over his pod, looking upside down from Zero's perspective. "All you do is talk, train, and sleep."

"And all you do is flicker around and talk cryptic nonsense."

"I think I'm offended..." X pretended to sniffle. "Why, yes, I am offended. You're cruel."

Zero closed his eye, smirking. "I'm not apologizing."

X harrumphed, disappearing and reappearing on the pod next to Zero's, sitting cross-legged on its polished, glass lid. "So is the gossip going around true? You shot down Ciel?"

"For the love of... you too?" Zero jerked his upper body up, disengaging the plugs and grabbing his vest off the side of his pod. "Shut up, X, just shut up before you go any further."

"Now I'm really offended," X frowned. "What's with you? If you were honest with her, why so mad? You actually care about gossip?"

"Usually, no, but I do now because I still work with Ciel... and all you assholes throwing it in her face isn't helping her in the least." Zero shrugged on the vest, zipping it up with an angry jerk of his hand. "I'm not exactly proud of the fact I made her cry, you know."

"Didn't say you were."

"That damn brat from the first floor accused me of it," Zero growled. "I thought Reploids were above the wishy-washy behavior of humans, but now it seems like I have to deal with it on both ends. The instant you do something they don't like, even if it has nothing to do with them, it's like you're the damn... damn... I don't know! They just hate you and I am tired of being judged."

"This sounds like a rant that is coming from more than this month's drama." X noted. He vanished, then reappear in front of Zero, bending over slightly so they were eye-to-eye. "Confide in me, Zero. We're still the best partners, right?"

Zero sighed heavily. "Always were..." he murmured the usual response. "I don't know what my problem is, X. As time passes and memories come up, I've either been happy to remember who I was, or I've been scoffing at myself and trashing the memories into the Recycle Bin. Do I recover who I was, be like who I was? Or do I keep re-defining myself from nothing? Fuck if I know."

"You're just confused and agitated. That's understandable, Zero."

"And everyone just aggravates me more." Zero laid back down, crossing his arms under his head. "Reminds me of the time what's-his-face first came to the Hunters. Brat was so damn annoying, always bothering me."

"Axl."

"What?"

"His name was Axl. He was pretty young, in terms of the maturity A.I." X smiled a bit, remembering the boy himself. "He... really did idolize you."

"Who fucking doesn't?" Zero sat up again, sliding out of the pod and pacing like an agitated wolf. "I'm... so..." he threw his hands up with a frustrated snort. "I'm not a hero, X! You get sick of hearing it!"

"You're not?"

"No." Zero growled. He stalked to the door, punching the code-pad next to the frame. "I'm no hero. You are. You always were, and I was fine with that, that's what I wanted even! I don't want to be a damn hero."

X stepped toward him, worry on his face. "Zero?"

"I'm taking your advice," the door opened and Zero looked over his shoulder, but he wasn't looking at X. His eyes were on the ground instead. "I'm going outside. Sorry. I'm not... in the mood."

He stepped through the door, and when it shut, X's form flickered horribly and he hissed as if in pain, his face twisting in a grimance.

"I wanted... to start saying goodbye..."