Disclaimer
I don't own Megaman / Rockman Zero, Capcom does.
The characters might be OOC, but I had tried my best to keep them original. The scenes at the flashback are generally from the game itself, with some adjustments to make it more dramatic.
By Shirogami
The church is filled with joy and blessings today. The bride stands and waits patiently in front of the tall but well-carved wooden double doors, Her smooth blonde long hair flows gracefully on her well-made white garment. Her thin hair dress may covers her face, but it does not hide her smile from the birds around her, chiming and hoping around her dress like little kids circle her and sing. Even the roses in her hands, the flower represents love and charm, lost its match to her pure and natural beauty.
But, Ciel tints down her eyebrows when she is thinking of the one she really cares, or to be precise, love. She keeps thinking of the time when her communicators informed her that they had lost Zero's coordinate after the satellite cannon - Ragnarok was destroyed and shattering through the world four years ago.
Four Years Ago
Ciel, believe in me, as I believe in you too…
Zero's final words still echoing in her mind. Now, her eyes never leave the monitor that was projecting the Ragnarok's entry to the Earth's atmosphere. She was waiting patiently for another message from the warrior again until she heard the report from the communicator, stating of Raganarok's dismantlement.
The footage on the monitor was disappearing slowly, due to the jamming transmission, and finally ended up with only noise and snowy screen.
"Zero! Come in Zero!"
The long silence was finally broken when Ciel reached for the nearest microphone and started calling his name loudly, she did not care if anyone doubt of her sanity, she just wanted to hear his voice, saying that he completed his mission and he was transferring back.
But, the disappointment slowly devours her weakening mind. She falls slowly and eventually kneels on the floor, with one of her hands still holds the microphone. Her forehead leans on the edge of the computer, continues whispering his name again and again.
"Ragnarok has entered the atmosphere. Most of it will burn on entry... Impact with Area Zero has been averted. Mission... successful..."
The operator tints down her head as she is reporting.
Ciel finally stands up. Without saying another word, she walked out from the trailer sadly. She could hear clearly, the cheers of the people around her, saying that Dr. Weil was gone and peace was finally coming.
However, Neige, the female journalist of Area Zero, approached to Ciel and comforts her for the lost of their red savior. But Ciel forced a smile, says that Zero is still alive and will return to them someday.
Later in the night, Ciel was standing alone on a hill, staying herself far from the celebrating party. She is not in the lightening mood, especially after she kept hearing bad news from the searching team. Her eyes kept gazing the meteor shower above and fell into her thoughts. Every moment she spent with Zero kept playing in her mind and reminded her of his personality: He might has a strict and cool character, but deep inside his heart he was caring and always concerns about her when the time comes; He fought like a soldier, but he did it to fulfill her dream to create a world where humans and reploids can co-exist.
"Zero... You believed in us... Now it's our turn to show you that your faith in us was not misplaced..."
After another shooting star fell, Ciel held her chest and tinted down her head with a smile.
"Watch over me, Zero... I'll make this world a better place... One where humans and Reploids can walk hand in hand, living in peace... Just come back someday... I... I believe in you!"
From that day onwards, Ciel put herself in achieving her dream. With the help of Resistance Base and Area Zero, she encouraged both human and reploids to learn from each other in both education and professional fields. The process took her almost three years to achieve. Although there are still Mavericks around, but with the help of the repaired guardians – Harpuia, Leviathan, Fefnir and the rebuilt Phantom, the threat did not budge the trust-worthy between both races but built even stronger friendship.
One day, after Ciel signed most of the documents, she lifted up her glasses and exhaled deeply for her tiring job. There were many things troubled her mind though, but her lips curve up a smile when she was looking at the pictures on her table. She lifted the photo and observes the man besides her in the picture.
His name is Axl and he is a CEO of Accel Industries which is manufacturing daily needs like housewares and electronic products for the citizens of the world. They met each other when Ciel was giving a speech in his building a year ago and encouraged him to take human workers. He is around 6 feet in height, has short but spiky red hair and a cross scar on his face which he got from the previous war. He was originally a combat reploid but then changed his life target into business. He shifted his armor into formal attire and erased the combat data so things comes easy on business.
They spent lots of time together by assisting each other to make Ciel's dream come true. Since Ciel was too busy to date and meeting Axl most of the time, she slowly has feeling onto him, even though knowing him is a reploid. Until one day, Axl confessed his thoughts to her and Ciel accepted it as a start of their relationship.
All of a sudden, someone was knocking her office door and the door slides open. Phantom enters to room with some reports. Ciel ordered him to leave them on the table as she would check it later. Phantom noticed her tiring figure and looking around the room.
"What's wrong, Phantom? Is there anything else to report?" Ciel noticed his action and asked.
"Nothing, Miss Ciel." Phantom stopped his action at once. "I just wonder if there is something I can do to help you ease yourself."
"You can tell?" Ciel giggled and wondered if her tiring face worried the others. "Thanks for your concern, Phantom. But I'm fine, it just that I'm too busy nowadays to even have a good rest."
"You will earn it soon, Miss Ciel. After your marriage with Mister Axl, which makes the world another step forward in believing your dream, everything will become easier." Phantom speaks.
"Thank you, Phantom. And stop calling me Miss. Even though you are assigned as my personal bodyguard until my wedding day, it does not mean that we are bound to the formalities."
Phantom's lips curved up for her words.
"Do you need something to drink? It shall do the trick." He went to the bar after getting a nod from Ciel.
By the time Phantom returned, he noticed Ciel was not looking at Axl's photo anymore, but another picture which Zero was in there. Ciel smiles firstly, but her sobbing eyes were telling another story.
"You still miss him?" the ninja reploid asked.
"Almost everyday, Phantom. If you ever have a friend who swore that he will be always by your side and protect you every time you're in trouble, I am sure you will feel the same, even though you are a reploid." Ciel stood up and walks to the pictures hang on the wall along with her milk.
"But, Ciel. It's been almost three years after that incident. Can't you just forget him and accept Mister Axl fully? You cannot waste the rest of your life for a dead." Phantom spoke out his conclusion, without noticing his words were really offending.
"WASTE you said, Phantom?" Ciel replies with tears trickle down and drops into the milk in her glass.
"Tell me, Phantom, do you think Harpuia and other guardians will ever forget you after your defeat? You'll never know or notice their faces when Cerveau told them that he can rebuild you and store your data back." Ciel words silenced Phantom immediately. He did not dare to speak or look straight into her eyes for his mistakes.
"I… I am really sorry, Ciel. But I think Zero will not feel happy if he is here, to see the one he risks his life to protect, is letting herself bound to the past." Phantom finally broke the silence after a long while, even Ciel's milk starts turning cold.
"I am not, Phantom. I never stop myself moving forward to fulfill my dream. And I even found someone for my life..." but Ciel's face did not look happy as a women-in-love when she mentioned her romance.
"Ciel, I am sorry for my words just now. On the contrary, I think Zero will be proud of you for your sacrifice in order to create a world where human and reploids are co-exist. But for this marriage matter, I will kindly request you to make up your mind for whose your heart will belong to for the rest of your life." Phantom took her glass and uses his energy to warm it back.
"I will leave for now, there is something comes in my mind about the ceremony. I will double check if there is anything else needed to make it better. Please excuse me."
Ciel stops him before Phantom was leaving the room.
"Phantom, thank you for everything. I always thought that you are cold but you prove that I am wrong."
"Ciel, I am a reploid, a robot which can think and feel like a human does. And in my memory data for human's behavior, friends always help each other. Have a nice day.".
Present day, Wedding ceremony.
Ciel, in her wedding gown, guided by Cervau, while Alloutte follows as her bridesmaid and Phantom as best man. She is entering the church and ready to be blessed by both reploid and human.
Meanwhile, while the crowd is enjoying themselves inside, three reploids are having their hard time outside. Harpuia, Leviathan and Fefnir are guarding the ceremony at the right wing, left wing and the entrance of the church.
"I can't believe that I am gonna stay here and watch guard, while the other are having their time inside!" Leviathan complains to her other two colleagues through the communicator on their helmet.
"We have our orders, remember?" Harpuia, as the eldest and their superior, explains. He is in charge of the entrance's security.
"But why can't we scout inside? I hate quiet surroundings!" Fefnir starts arguing and holding both his knuckle busters on his arms hardly. (Take note that Fefnir has one knuckle busters in each arm in this fiction, like Model F in Megaman ZX.)
"Yeah! Even Phantom can be her best man! I want to be the bridesmaid, you know?" Leviathan swings her spear and says.
"It is his duty as her bodyguard." Harpuia crosses his hand at his chest and speaks.
"Then why can't we be on that task? We are guardians too, you know?" Leviathan debates and Fefnir nods in unision.
"Ciel wished for it, that's why." Harpuia speaks with his superior tone and whenever he does, he means business. "and I personally allowed him for it, any questions?"
"No… No sir." Both red and blue guardians answer in unision.
Harpuia looks through the entrance and stares into the wedding ceremony. He notices Phantom is securing the couple and eyeing everywhere. In the meantime, Fefnir cannot stand himself from laughing about Phantom's best man attire which is a formal tuxedo, while Leviathan's face flushes for it.
"Now, I may announce both of you husband and wife. Mister Axl, you may kiss your bride." After the confessment of the couple in front of everyone, the ceremony finally comes to the end. It also means the relationship between reploids and human is become closer through this wedding. Both Ciel and Axl show their happy and yet shy faces to each other when Axl puts the ring in her finger and lifts up her headset.
The miracle bell of the church chimes as the couple kiss each other and everyone in the room applause and greet the couple.
P/S: If you guys and girls think this story is good to end here, then stop right here. The following chapter is actually an extending ending, followed after the ceremony. This follow-up is more onto action-packed and also my idea of how does the Biometals in Megaman ZX comes from. Anyway, read at your own risk, I will not take any responsibility if this follow-up makes you wanna throw tomatoes on me, but I bet you will do worse if I tell you not to read. Enjoy the extended finale, which is coming soon!