rlm@0: Hi everyone! ^-^ This is a songfic I finished while I was depressed over a few 
rlm@0: things and when I was supposed to be working on my ChibiUsa & Hotaru 
rlm@0: manga story. ^^;;; It’s about Zero from Rockman X and hopefully it shows the 
rlm@0: pain a ‘hero’ endures. I really hope you like it. ^-^ It's to the song
rlm@0: 'Superman' by Five for Fighting.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Superman
rlm@0: by Amazoness Duo
rlm@0: amazonessduo@hotmail.com
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “I can’t stand to fly.
rlm@0: I’m not that naïve.
rlm@0: I’m just out to find
rlm@0: The better part of me”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Zero gazed across the ruined cityscape, his Z-saber still held firmly in 
rlm@0: his gloved hand as he surveyed the carnage. It was like some vision straight 
rlm@0: from a horrible nightmare. What made it even worse was that he knew he was 
rlm@0: responsible for a good portion of it. All in the line of duty, of course. But 
rlm@0: sometimes he wondered if that was enough. He was causing just as much 
rlm@0: damage as the Irregulars. What was the difference? Both sides were fighting for 
rlm@0: peace, but a peace that would fulfil their own objectives. And what was Zero 
rlm@0: trying to do? He was an Irregular Hunter, but did he really believe 
rlm@0: wholeheartedly in their ideals? He didn’t know anymore. They were good 
rlm@0: ideals. To protect the humans from those Repliroids that had turned against 
rlm@0: them. But the Irregulars had their own ideals. They wanted to have the freedom 
rlm@0: long denied them by their human creators.
rlm@0: 	The blond robot didn’t fool himself into thinking that he believed in all 
rlm@0: of the Irregular Hunters ideals. The truth of the matter was that he had to keep 
rlm@0: fighting. He had to keep running. From whom or what, he was uncertain. But he 
rlm@0: knew that the only solace he found, his only form of escape was deep in battle. 
rlm@0: Trying to set things right. But he had no idea how he could ever possibly put 
rlm@0: things right. Things were far too complicated for a simple battle to solve. So 
rlm@0: Zero kept scrambling from battle to battle, continuing his war against the 
rlm@0: Irregulars. No, that wasn’t what he was fighting. That was a specification of his 
rlm@0: job as the leader of Zero Unit. His personal war was being waged against Sigma. 
rlm@0: That’s what had led him this far. Whether he was running away from his 
rlm@0: problems or head on into them, he only knew he had to keep going.  
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “I’m more than a bird,
rlm@0: I’m more than a plane,
rlm@0: I’m more than some pretty face beside a train.
rlm@0: And it’s not easy to be me.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Zero was the ultimate warrior. He was strong, quick, very nearly 
rlm@0: unstoppable. A ruthless killer if he had to be. Someone who would accomplish 
rlm@0: the mission objectives no matter what the situation. But that wasn’t necessarily 
rlm@0: true. He was so much more than that. He was a lost and confused soul. He was a 
rlm@0: traveler, weary of his travels and where they might take him. He was a wounded 
rlm@0: child, hiding amidst the rubble, hoping someone would come along and save 
rlm@0: him. Yet he held up the image that he had projected around himself from very 
rlm@0: near his activation, hiding behind the strong warrior that everyone believed him 
rlm@0: to be. He could play his part well enough. It protected him in the same way he 
rlm@0: tried to protect those that he fought for. Let them believe what they wanted. It 
rlm@0: was safer that way, to be cold, to not give in to the emotions that boiled within 
rlm@0: his soul. He was calm and collected, always cool under fire.
rlm@0: 	He was inches away from the edge of chaos, dancing ever closer to the 
rlm@0: ledge and just about to plunge into madness.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “I wish that I could cry,
rlm@0: Fall upon my knees.
rlm@0: Find a way to lie,
rlm@0: About a home I’ll never see.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	His image was so close to shattering and no one noticed. Not the 
rlm@0: Irregulars that he spent so much time stalking nor his comrades back at the 
rlm@0: Irregular Hunters. In the end, they were no different. They were all lonely souls, 
rlm@0: fighting for their beliefs in an endless war that seemed to spiral out with him at 
rlm@0: it’s very core. He didn’t know how much time he could keep fighting. His will 
rlm@0: was slipping. After Iris’s death, he had to rethink just what he was fighting for. 
rlm@0: And he still didn’t know. X. But one day he would have to kill X to save 
rlm@0: everything. And he would do it in an eye blink. But in doing so, he would be 
rlm@0: killing himself as well, finally breaking the last pieces of whatever lay in his 
rlm@0: cold heart. And he would finally allow himself to cry. To fully realize the 
rlm@0: atrocities he had seen and been a part of. He still didn’t have any idea who he 
rlm@0: was. He had played so many parts over the last few years. Mentor, friend, lover, 
rlm@0: comrade, enemy. And throughout it all, he kept up the charade, always 
rlm@0: wondering how much longer he had before it slipped from his fingers entirely. 
rlm@0: He was running out of time. And he was no closer to finding out who he really 
rlm@0: was.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “It may sound absurd,
rlm@0: But don’t be naïve.
rlm@0: Even heroes have the right to bleed.
rlm@0: I may be disturbed,
rlm@0: But won’t you concede?
rlm@0: Even heroes have the right to dream.
rlm@0: And it’s not easy to be me.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Zero didn’t know how long he could keep fighting. He couldn’t run 
rlm@0: much further. The demons were right on his heels, about to drag him down and 
rlm@0: finish him, to stop him from his pointless war. He knew it was only a matter of 
rlm@0: time before it was over. He thought he had grown numb to the battles, to the 
rlm@0: war, but he found himself growing distasteful of it, getting a sick taste in his 
rlm@0: mouth at the thought of battles to come. He had tried so hard to portray himself 
rlm@0: as a warrior, but even he couldn’t last forever. He needed a rest before his weary 
rlm@0: soul collapsed entirely. The fighting had taken its toll on the blond robot. 
rlm@0: Despite his best efforts, he knew that his time was almost spent. That thought 
rlm@0: gave him pause. Should he carry on? Was this really worth the effort? If he 
rlm@0: stopped running, would he finally have to face his past and the demons inside of 
rlm@0: himself? Was it impossible for him to ever get the peace he longed for? Or did 
rlm@0: he only live to fight? In which case, he may just welcome his death.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “Up, up, and away...
rlm@0: Away from me.
rlm@0: Well it’s all right.
rlm@0: You can all sleep sound tonight.
rlm@0: I’m not crazy.
rlm@0: Or anything.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	A damaged Irregular attempting to drag itself away caught his eye as he 
rlm@0: stood on the edge. With a swift shot of his Z-Buster, the Irregular fell silent. He 
rlm@0: had accomplished his mission. But at what cost? What separated the Hunter 
rlm@0: from the hunted? When would the distinction blur to the point where it no longer 
rlm@0: existed? X was still grounded firmly in his pacifism, trying to cling to peace 
rlm@0: with all of his dear little heart. But Zero knew full well the dangerous line he 
rlm@0: was treading. He and Sigma had switched places on which side of the dance 
rlm@0: between Hunters and Irregulars they were both on, after all. Zero had originally 
rlm@0: been the Irregular, but now he was the one hunting Sigma. How long before 
rlm@0: there was nothing at all to distinguish between the two anymore? With every 
rlm@0: battle, it was an inner struggle to keep balanced on the fine line separating them. 
rlm@0: But there was something deep inside of him that he had struggled to control for 
rlm@0: years now. And his steel grip on it was weakening. He’d already lost Iris, 
rlm@0: Colonel, and Teal to the war. What would he do if he lost X? Could he afford to 
rlm@0: lose his last tie to sanity? 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “I can’t stand to fly.
rlm@0: I’m not that naïve.
rlm@0: Men weren’t meant to ride,
rlm@0: With clouds between their knees.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Every single day, Zero stepped out to confront the ugly conflict that 
rlm@0: threatened to tug the population of earth apart. He was always in the middle of 
rlm@0: the worst possible situations, getting his hands dirty in whatever needed to be 
rlm@0: solved. But he was only one man. And he was so tired... He’d already seen and 
rlm@0: done more than anyone ever should have to. It was too much. It was burying 
rlm@0: him alive and he couldn’t claw his way back to the surface. It was slowly 
rlm@0: crushing him under the immensity of it all. He knew that he would fall soon 
rlm@0: enough under that weight. It was simply too much for him to bear. He just 
rlm@0: wasn’t strong enough. All of his faith was placed in X, that the blue robot would 
rlm@0: somehow be able to put right what he couldn’t, that he could survive the trip into 
rlm@0: madness that Zero was starting to fail at. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “I’m only a man,
rlm@0: In a silly red sheet.
rlm@0: Digging for Kryptonite on this one way street.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	Holding his Z-Saber tightly, he looked down to the ruined city below. 
rlm@0: He was designed and built to be a war machine, to kill. Whoever had made him 
rlm@0: had planned for him to fight. And so that’s what he was doing. Parts could be 
rlm@0: added, pieces could be fixed. But his creator had forgotten the most important 
rlm@0: piece of all. His soul was being worn down by the constant brutality, the 
rlm@0: constant insanity that surrounded his every waking moment. No, he may be a 
rlm@0: war machine, but that didn’t mean anything about the man inside. He was 
rlm@0: foolish to be out here trying for a victory that he knew would never come. The 
rlm@0: vicious cycle would continue on forevermore. There was only so much he could 
rlm@0: take before the burden became too much. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “Only a man,
rlm@0: In a funny red sheet.
rlm@0: Looking for special things inside of me.
rlm@0: Inside of me.
rlm@0: Inside of me.
rlm@0: Yeah.
rlm@0: Inside of me.
rlm@0: Inside of me.”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	What was inside the war machine? What was he besides a killer? He 
rlm@0: knew X could answer that, but the answers eluded him in the cold night. He 
rlm@0: knew he was weak and tired. But he couldn’t rest now. There was still so much 
rlm@0: to be done. Too bad he wouldn’t be around for the end of it. He had won this 
rlm@0: battle, but it would only be a downward spiral from there. Coming forth 
rlm@0: victorious from battle didn’t always mean he had made it through unscathed. He 
rlm@0: may be able to continue winning in his fight with the Irregulars, but his mind 
rlm@0: couldn’t take much more. The shell was about to crack and get to the soft insides 
rlm@0: of his soul. Just who was he? Had he really made a difference? Was he more 
rlm@0: than the war machine that everyone presumed he was? Everyone but X. But 
rlm@0: even with the smaller robot’s faith in him, he wasn’t quite so sure of himself. He 
rlm@0: didn’t think he could last much longer. He hoped that X would understand. He 
rlm@0: couldn’t stay around for him, no matter how much he wanted to. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “I’m only a man
rlm@0: In a funny red sheet.
rlm@0: I’m only a man looking for a dream.
rlm@0: I’m only a man
rlm@0: In a funny red sheet.
rlm@0: And it’s not easy...”
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 	It was almost over. He didn’t have a lot of time left. He needed to 
rlm@0: figure things out for himself. Who he was and what was deep inside of him. His 
rlm@0: fight was almost over. But before it was, he would have to confront his past. A 
rlm@0: shiver went through him as his eyes shut tight, trying to keep back the torrent of 
rlm@0: emotions breaking through his cold exterior. Just a little further. He had to push 
rlm@0: himself a little further before he could call it quits. He didn’t know if he could 
rlm@0: last that long. But he knew he had to try. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: “It’s not easy to be me...”
rlm@0: 	
rlm@0: 	Zero turned from the flames, walking silently into the night. His helmet 
rlm@0: hung limply from his fingers. Fighting didn’t hold anymore appeal to him 
rlm@0: tonight. He was sick. All he wanted was to go back ‘home’ and rest. And try 
rlm@0: desperately to hold himself together. Just a little longer.