AmazonessDuo amazonessduo@hotmail.com Silence reigned as the two men looked at each other from across the devastated landscape. This was the hardest battle of their lives not because of the sheer desperation of the battle, but because neither wanted to fight the other. The former comrades said nothing for a long moment, both trying to decide just what the other might do next. X was the first to speak, taking a step forward,his weary body protesting. "Zero, why are we doing this? What can we hope to achieve by fighting each other." A slight pause as he looks across at his old companion. "Zero, come back to me..." The blonde robot shook his head, his Z-saber still held menacingly in front of him. "Don't you see, X? It's a viscious cycle. The pain and destruction will only last as long as we do. How many more friends do we have to lose? How many more people have to die for us, X?" 'Iris...' The smiling image of the beautiful girl flashes through his mind, deepening the pain within him. "Zero, we can't bring them back, but we can't just give up on them. We can't make their sacrifices in vain. You gave me the chance to stop Sigma when you sacrificed yourself to keep Vile from killing me. Should I just have given up?" X is practically pleading now, taking a few more steps forward. Zero obviously notices, slashing at him. X takes a quick step to the side but still feels the burning in his side where the saber nearly cerrated him. "You don't understand, do you? As long as we keep fighting, our struggle will continue. This endless war will never be resolved until you and I are dead and gone. How long must our fighting continue, X? You never wanted to fight in the first place." Zero continues to stare at his counterpart, the one he'd been created to kill. "Why did you choose to fight?" X flashes back to when he'd first made that decision, back when Sigma had declared war on the humans. Why had he decided to? Dr. Light had said himself that X could choose his own future. "Because I couldn't let all those people suffer. Because I couldn't stand back while it was all happening. Because I wanted to fight with you. I couldn't let you go on your own agaisnt those odds, Zero. Maybe it was just the two of us, but I knew that it was enough." Zero manages to laugh a little. "The two of us against the world, eh?" His expression becomes serious after a moment. "You never wanted to fight, X. You shouldn't have to. You're soul isn't that of a warrior. All you want is peace. But it'll never come as long as we live!" Another few slashes from his Z-Saber just miss the dodging blue armored robot. "Zero!" X finally jumps back, barely missing getting slashed in two. "I don't want to fight, but if I don't, who will? I can't sit back and do nothing." Zero nods. "Exactly. But you can't keep fighting either. X, we're both at an impasse. If we continue, the fighting will never end. If we go back to the way things were, so many more will have to die because of us. We can end the cycle now. We can stop all the death and pain." X's shoulders slumped as he heard his crimson friend's words. "Zero, you're wrong. Giving up... killing each other, that won't solve anything. It won't stop the Mavericks or Sigma or anyone." Zero merely shook his head sadly as he took a step forward himself, the cracking ground echoing through the surrounding area. "I'm sorry, X." X closed his eyes, trying to keep his composure from slipping as it was so danerously close to doing. "Me too. Goodbye, Zero." He raised his X-Buster at his partner. "Goodbye, X." Zero lifted his Z-Saber as he prepared to lunge forward.