Sixty Days: Boredom
"Do you ever take a break and relax?"
Zero grunted as he ended his thousandth practice swing and glanced over his shoulder, X's shimmering form directly behind him. "No. The moment I do, something will happen. Always ends up that way."
"You're being silly," X said affectionately, smiling and tilting his head slightly. His left arm draped across his stomach to grip the right at the elbow, and no Reploid ever seemed as human as X did then.
Zero shrugged and resumed his practice strokes, X content to fall into their usual comfortable silence and watch. No matter how many battles X saw Zero fight in, his graceful mastery of the saber still awed him, and he looked on in amazement as Zero performed a triple slash in quick succession.
Zero began to practice more elaborate skills, such as the rolling dash attack and the flipping air slash. Something in the room seemed to suddenly change, and by the fourth 'skill' Zero practice, X was clutching his sides in laughter and Zero was smirking.
"You show off!" X teased between chuckles, and Zero finally ceased his silly dancing display and faced X.
"Show off? Me? Hardly." Zero deactivated the blade and casually tossed the handle in the air, catching it and flipping it back up. "I have no one to impress." The look he gave X made the Cyber Elf smile widely.
"You know, there was one point where I tried to use your saber." X said, and Zero caught the handle and held it. "It was nerve-wracking, almost, to purposely let enemies get that close… and I was so clumsy with it I could only make a single downward slash with it."
"It's not that difficult,"
"Says the expert!"
Zero rolled his eyes and made his way to X. "Really, it's not. C'mere."
Zero made the move to grasp X's arm, but the Cyber Elf stepped forward before the blond's hand went through him. A quick moment of awkwardness as Zero withdrew his hand, but he shook it off and stepped behind X.
Despite being untouchable, Zero managed to at least make it look like he had his arms around X, hands over X's grasping the saber handle, and he flicked the blade on. Although he felt no body near his, and he could tell the closeness was a bit embarrassing to the Cyber Elf, Zero wasn't a teacher by talking.
"See…" Zero muttered, and he began to raise his hands. X quickly copied so their hands remained aligned, but although Zero stood in a battle ready stance, X remained awkwardly upright, and his shoulder went through Zero's face. "No, no… X, I know you've been resting and all, but you remember how to fight, don't you? Assume the correct stance. There you go…"
"Downward slash. Ready?"
X nodded, but he was too slow to keep their hands aligned when Zero brought the weapon down. He frowned even as Zero tried to realign their hands, and X threw his up in the air right through Zero. "This is silly," X admonished. "It'd be one thing if I were solid, but this is…"
"Work with me, X. You've done it before."
X blinked at Zero, looking behind and up to his face. Zero wasn't exactly interested in giving X a saber lesson, if he were in a teaching mood he'd be more progressive in teaching the Resistance. No… Zero was looking for a diversion from whatever thoughts he was having. X knew that look.
It took a bit, but even X in his untouchable Cyber Elf form once more fell in synch with Zero. It had been a hundred years since they were this close, connected, again, and X purposely messed up the most basic saber skills just to have Zero reprimand him and keep practicing. It was worthless teaching a soul how to wield a weapon, both of them knew, yet…
"Are you just bored?" X asked after a few hours.
Zero rolled his eyes. "I don't get bored."
X dropped his hands from the saber and turned around, putting his face near Zero's. Despite it being X, Zero reflexively leaned back. "Zero. I know you… quit trying to lie to me. "
"Okay, okay, but I'm not bored, per say…"
"Then what is it?"
Zero shrugged. "I felt like I was remembering something… and as we practiced, I kept remembering, we used to train together, even if we were in different Units."
X blinked, then chuckled and took a step back from Zero with a smile. "Why didn't you just say so?"
"I don't know." Zero deactivated the saber and spun in awkwardly in his hand.
X chuckled again and the blond gave him a confused look. "You relaxed," X teased, green eyes dancing, "and nothing bad happened."
Zero blinked, then sighed. "You just jinxed me, X. Thanks a ton."
X laughed again, and this time Zero just smiled. This felt familiar, and Zero hoped he could keep having these little moments of 'boredom' and relaxation with his old friend.
Zero grunted as he ended his thousandth practice swing and glanced over his shoulder, X's shimmering form directly behind him. "No. The moment I do, something will happen. Always ends up that way."
"You're being silly," X said affectionately, smiling and tilting his head slightly. His left arm draped across his stomach to grip the right at the elbow, and no Reploid ever seemed as human as X did then.
Zero shrugged and resumed his practice strokes, X content to fall into their usual comfortable silence and watch. No matter how many battles X saw Zero fight in, his graceful mastery of the saber still awed him, and he looked on in amazement as Zero performed a triple slash in quick succession.
Zero began to practice more elaborate skills, such as the rolling dash attack and the flipping air slash. Something in the room seemed to suddenly change, and by the fourth 'skill' Zero practice, X was clutching his sides in laughter and Zero was smirking.
"You show off!" X teased between chuckles, and Zero finally ceased his silly dancing display and faced X.
"Show off? Me? Hardly." Zero deactivated the blade and casually tossed the handle in the air, catching it and flipping it back up. "I have no one to impress." The look he gave X made the Cyber Elf smile widely.
"You know, there was one point where I tried to use your saber." X said, and Zero caught the handle and held it. "It was nerve-wracking, almost, to purposely let enemies get that close… and I was so clumsy with it I could only make a single downward slash with it."
"It's not that difficult,"
"Says the expert!"
Zero rolled his eyes and made his way to X. "Really, it's not. C'mere."
Zero made the move to grasp X's arm, but the Cyber Elf stepped forward before the blond's hand went through him. A quick moment of awkwardness as Zero withdrew his hand, but he shook it off and stepped behind X.
Despite being untouchable, Zero managed to at least make it look like he had his arms around X, hands over X's grasping the saber handle, and he flicked the blade on. Although he felt no body near his, and he could tell the closeness was a bit embarrassing to the Cyber Elf, Zero wasn't a teacher by talking.
"See…" Zero muttered, and he began to raise his hands. X quickly copied so their hands remained aligned, but although Zero stood in a battle ready stance, X remained awkwardly upright, and his shoulder went through Zero's face. "No, no… X, I know you've been resting and all, but you remember how to fight, don't you? Assume the correct stance. There you go…"
"Downward slash. Ready?"
X nodded, but he was too slow to keep their hands aligned when Zero brought the weapon down. He frowned even as Zero tried to realign their hands, and X threw his up in the air right through Zero. "This is silly," X admonished. "It'd be one thing if I were solid, but this is…"
"Work with me, X. You've done it before."
X blinked at Zero, looking behind and up to his face. Zero wasn't exactly interested in giving X a saber lesson, if he were in a teaching mood he'd be more progressive in teaching the Resistance. No… Zero was looking for a diversion from whatever thoughts he was having. X knew that look.
It took a bit, but even X in his untouchable Cyber Elf form once more fell in synch with Zero. It had been a hundred years since they were this close, connected, again, and X purposely messed up the most basic saber skills just to have Zero reprimand him and keep practicing. It was worthless teaching a soul how to wield a weapon, both of them knew, yet…
"Are you just bored?" X asked after a few hours.
Zero rolled his eyes. "I don't get bored."
X dropped his hands from the saber and turned around, putting his face near Zero's. Despite it being X, Zero reflexively leaned back. "Zero. I know you… quit trying to lie to me. "
"Okay, okay, but I'm not bored, per say…"
"Then what is it?"
Zero shrugged. "I felt like I was remembering something… and as we practiced, I kept remembering, we used to train together, even if we were in different Units."
X blinked, then chuckled and took a step back from Zero with a smile. "Why didn't you just say so?"
"I don't know." Zero deactivated the saber and spun in awkwardly in his hand.
X chuckled again and the blond gave him a confused look. "You relaxed," X teased, green eyes dancing, "and nothing bad happened."
Zero blinked, then sighed. "You just jinxed me, X. Thanks a ton."
X laughed again, and this time Zero just smiled. This felt familiar, and Zero hoped he could keep having these little moments of 'boredom' and relaxation with his old friend.