Prelude
Hello everyone! I'm back at it with another story, and this time it's not BNHA. I know this is quite the small fanfic community, but I fell in love with this show, and HAD to write something for it. This will be a three shot that I will be updating every once in awhile, amongst my other fics.
Note: Since Zero Two was reincarnated, She obviously wouldn't have the name "Zero Two", so I used a different name I came up for her. It's 'Jian', referring to the one-winged bird referenced in the show. Enjoy!
"It doesn't matter how long it takes. If we have souls, I swear I'll meet you again on Earth"
Hiro was what many would consider a 'good child'. He performed exceptionally well at school, and held an untarnished track record. He not only followed all the rules himself, but he pushed those around him to as well. He was a child prodigy, at least in the words of the adults.
Hiro liked to believe otherwise. He prefered to see himself as just another ordinary kid, on equal footing with his classmates. He was always one of the smartest in the class, but he didn't rub it in. Instead, he opted to help out those who needed his help. It was just who he was.
Jian was what many would consider a problematic child. She was constantly going off, doing what she wanted, with no regard to how it may affect those around her. She frequently wandered off to go exploring on her own, and it never failed to get her in trouble.
Yet, she still kept casting herself out. The world was an interesting place, filled with wonders waiting to be explored. If she didn't go delving for secrets, then who would? Certainly not her boring parents. Being tugged back once again be her wrist, Jian was reined in once more.
"Ugh! I don't want to go to History!" One of his classmates groaned. Hiro just let out a small laugh, putting up a front. History class was awfully boring, but it was one of the most important things to learn. After all, how could you move forward if you didn't learn about the mistakes your predecessors made?
Hiro walked into the history classroom with the same big smile on his face he wore in the hallway. The teacher, a young looking woman with red hair, greeted him as he walked in.
"Good morning, Hiro." She said softly, giving a short wave. Hiro tilted his head in response. Hiro walked over and took his seat, waiting patiently for class to start.
In that short time, two students had come up to him, asking for assistance with various subjects. One was asking for assistance with math, while the other asked to copy Hiro's homework.
"We musn't break the rules." Hiro said in response, apologizing that he couldn't be of help. The bell rang and the remaining students scrambled into their seats, looking to the front of the room.
Hiro had his pen and paper out, ready to take notes.
"Does anyone here know of the story of the parasites?" the teacher asked. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and Hiro noticed how they briefly stopped on him.
Of course they knew the story of the parasites. Everyone knew the story of the parasites. You could have literally been living under a rock for your entire life and you'd have heard about the story of the parasites.
"They were ancient protectors of the ancient cities!" A kid said, throwing his hand up in the air, not even waiting to get called on.
"And they fought in giant robots, just like the ones outside of the capitol!" Another kid added. The teacher tilted her head, smiling.
"Of course you know the story of the parasites. Those are basically fairy tales nowadays, aren't they…" She said it with a slightly sad look on her face, but it was gone in an instant.
"Ahem…" She cleared her throat, tapping on the front of the white board behind her. There were two words written in dry-erase marker.
"Squad thirteen." She said, "I'm sure you've all heard of them. Today, we will be learning about them much more in depth. And yes, this will be on the exam."
The rest of the class scrambled to get out their notebooks. The teacher waited for a few more moments before beginning her lecture.
"The children of squad thirteen. They were...odd for parasites. They were uncoordinated, irresponsible, and always fighting with each other. You might think that made them a bad team." Her eyes flickered, "But it was quite the opposite."
She clicked a button on the device in her hand and the white board behind her shifted. The image changed from straight white to a picture of a white Franxx with purple highlights.
"Chlorophytum. Piloted by Futoshi and Ikuno." the image shifted again, revealing a pink, tall, and slender mech this time
"Argentea, Piloted by Zorome and Miku."
"Genista, piloted by Kokoro and Mitsuru."
Hiro felt like he was developing a headache, and he didn't know why. There was a large pressure at the front part of his forehead, and it was almost painful. He had no idea where it had come from, but it was both inconvenient and bewildering. He had been fine just mere minutes ago.
"Then, we have Delphinium, piloted by Goro and squad leader Ichigo." Hiro's headache worsened, and he winced slightly. Even so, he kept writing down the notes.
"These people are responsible for the life as we know it today. Without their selflessness to keep humanity going, we would have died off shortly after the Klaxosaur war. It is thanks to the actions of these few, brave individuals that society exists as it is now." The teacher said conclusively. All that filled the classroom was the sound of pens and pencils furiously scribbling on paper.
"But there is one more." The class looked up as the screen shifted once more. It revealed a slender Franxx holding a large spear. It was red and white, and looked fearsome.
"This is Strelizia. Strelizia is the real reason that we all stand here today. It was their sacrifice that ensured the permanent safety of us here on earth." The teacher paused for a moment, and it wasn't to give the class time to catch up on notes.
"Strelizia's sacrifice is what ended the Klaxosaur war and left us with the peace we know today. They sacrificed themselves to protect those who could not protect themselves. They…" She stopped, unable to continue for some reason.
There was a moment's longer silence as the class caught up with their notes.
Hiro could feel his head pounding.
What caused this? He thought. He'd never had a headache like this one before, not one so extreme. He felt like the insides of his head were going to explode. Hiro was torn from his thoughts by the voice of one of his classmates.
"You gave us the names of the pilots of the other members o squad thirteen, but not for Strelizia." the child pointed out. The redheaded teacher smiled softly.
"Of course." She started. "Strelizia was quite unique, even among parasites. The Stamen was actually Hiro's namesake." She gestured to Hiro, who just simply gave a polite wave. "Hiro was quite an odd boy. He started off not being even able to pilot a Franxx. It was quite distressing for him, until he met his partner."
The teacher took a deep breath, preparing the second portion. Hiro's headache was becoming too much to bear.
Just a little longer until class is over. Hold off until then… He told himself.
"Hiro's partner was very special. She was actually a Klaxosaur-Human hybrid. The most fearsome, most dangerous Pistil there was. And her name was…"
"...Zero Two."
Hiro stood up immediately, holding the sides of his head. The pressure and pain was too much to handle.
"May I go to the restroom?" Hiro didn't wait for an answer, instead storming out of the classroom. Something was wrong with his head.
Hiro splashed water in his face, trying to clear his mind. The pounding from the inside of his head had begun to subside, but it was still there. He had never had headaches like that before. It was like there was a pressure behind his eyes, trying to burst out of his head.
Hiro waited a few more minutes for his headache to calm down a little more before he went back to class. Luckily for him, it was nearly over.
Jian wandered down the streets of the city alone. She didn't enjoy being told where to go when, so she tended to walk off on her own a lot. It was more relaxing that way. She had control over where she wanted to go, and her parents found her eventually anyways.
Plus, she could go to the candy store.
She wandered in, going unnoticed by the employees. Then again, a twelve year old girl walking into a busy candy store wouldn't be that hard to miss. She snuck between the legs of the adults taller than her, eyes scanning the giant racks of delicious sweets laid out before her.
Now, Jian didn't have any money. Though, In this case she didn't need to. Checking over her shoulder that all the adults were looking at her, she put her plan into action. She grabbed a handful of wrapped hard candies and stuffed them into one of her pockets. Double checking that nobody saw her, Jian made her way to the front of the room to make her mistake.
She was nearly out when a certain piece caught her eye. A simple lollipop. Reaching her hand out discreetly, she snagged it and popped it into her mouth.
Mission success she thought, leaving the store with her haul.
Jian walked carelessly down the dark concrete streets of the city. The skyscrapers towered above meanicingly, and the stars in the sky twinkled softly against the black backdrop. The giant screens projected onto the sides of buildings showed advertisements for different brands and products.
All together, it was a really pretty sight. Jian couldn't help but stare up at the sky to see the mixing of the beautiful colors. As Jian passed another pedestrian, and a light caught her eye.
It was an advertisement for a perfume brand.
"Only $12.99 a bottle!" The advertisement called out. Jian shook her head at the ridiculously overpriced bottle of smelly water, but she decided to watch the last few moments of the advert.
"Remember, Always smell like a Darling"
Suddenly, a sharp pain like a shock shot through Jian's head. It was like her brain was stabbing out at her skull. Jian's hand shot up to her head instinctively, rubbing the side. A dull headache surfaced in the front of her head, like a pressure behind her eyes.
It's getting late anyways… Jian thought, Time to go home she decided to go find her parents.
The next day at school was as normal as any other. No sudden, unexplained headaches plagued Hiro, and that was a blessing. Walking out of the school building, Hiro had two options.
The first option would to be to go home and complete his homework, then read for the rest of the night. The other option would be to enjoy the beautiful day outside. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the temperature was perfect, and there was not a trace of wind.
Looking around at the world around him, Hiro knew instantly what he was going to do. He spun on his heel and walked the opposite direction of his house.
Hiro walked the friendly streets looking for a park or something that he could sit down at. Yet, every spot he came across was taken by other park-goers. Not only that, but every time Hiro thought he found a spot, something inside him said no.
It was like a gut instinct every time. He would find a spot, only to turn around and keep walking when he didn't feel like it was the right spot. Then, he saw a pink canopy over the horizon.
The great cherry blossom tree was famous, and for good reason. It was hundreds, if not thousands of years old, and was still standing up well, despite its age. Hiro knew, based off his studies, that the average lifespan of a cherry blossom tree was a mere eighteen years, so it defied reason in that department.
Not only that, but the legends say that the tree was actually left behind by one of the ancient parasites, and some even ventured to say that one of the parasites' souls lived inside the tree. In the back of Hiro's mind, he knew there had to be an explanation for it. There was an explanation for everything. Yet, it was one of the only things that he didn't care if he had the answer to.
Hiro finally made it to the tree and sat himself down by the roots, leaning up against the trunk. He cracked open his book and began to read his book in the sun. There was an occasional gust of wind that lifted up one of his pages, but overall, it was peaceful.
When he eventually got the text from his parents that it was time to come home, he was sad to leave. For some reason, just sitting next to the tree like that had been relaxing. Like while he was at the roots, under the canopy, nothing could hurt him.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, Hiro begrudgingly got up and headed home. One thing though was for certain. He was going to be coming back to the tree.
Jian successfully snuck away from her parents once again. Free from the confines of supervision, she could once again explore the city at her own leisure.
For outings like this, Jian never really had any plans of where she was going to go. Sometimes, she would go sneak candy out of the candy shop, while others she would just see where the tide took her.
Today, it felt like the tide was pushing her in a very specific direction.
Every time she came to a crossroads, there was some gut feeling that told her to go a certain way. It was unexplainable, yet it made so much sense. It was like her legs were leading her somewhere.
She carried on like this for some time, turning down streets and cutting through alleyways. Even though she had no idea where she was going, it was relaxing. The city, even with its loud noises and large number of people, felt so...alive. Every single person was always doing something, never idle.
When Jian broke over a hill, something caught her eye. A massive park sat at the bottom of the hill, in its own little valley. Acres of grass were filled with people, and all of them were doing something. Whether it be playing a game of soccer, or chasing other children on the playground, nobody sat still.
Except for one figure. In the center of the valley, there was a small hill that was created with the great cherrygrove tree. Everyone knew the about the cherry grove tree. Sitting under the branches, up against the trunk, was a lone figure. It was the only thing on the massive field that was idle, and so it stuck out like a sore thumb.
Jian didn't know what took over her, but the next moment, she was casually skipping down the hill, towards the tree.
Turns out the tree was farther away than she had expected. By the time she was halfway there, she had to slow her pace to a walk, else she run out of breath. She walked slowly up the hill, her legs burning.
She crested the hill, expecting to see the figure from earlier, yet she was met with nothing. The spot the person had been sitting in was vacant.
Well, that was a waste of time… Jian thought, staring up at the leaves. Their color was identical to her hair, which she liked,
She walked up to the tree, placing her hand against the thick trunk. A feeling of familiarity swept through her, but at the same time, a shot of pain rang through her forehead. A headache started to form at the front of her mind, exerting the same pressure behind her eyes as the one the previous night.
Why is this so familiar?
Deciding it was time to go back and find her parents, Jian turned to leave, but something caught her eye.
On the ground where the figure had been sitting, there was a book.
Hiro came back home in a significantly better mood than he had returned with the previous day. He didn't have a headache, school was better that day, but probably most significant factor was the time he spent at the park by the tree.
Those couple hours had probably been one of the most relaxing that he'd had in a while. Hiro set his things down on his bed and realized something.
He was missing his book.
Hiro frantically searched through his backpack, seeing if he could find it, but to no avail.
I must have left it at the park. Hiro thought, putting his shoes on to run back. His plans were foiled by one look outside. In the time he had been inside, it had started raining, which meant his book was ruined.
Mood significantly soured, he crashed onto the couch with a groan.
Way to ruin a perfectly good day.
The rest of his night wasn't bad per se, but it was made worse by his foul mood. He went through the motions; he ate dinner, did his homework and went to get ready for bed.
Hiro was brushing his teeth, and while he was alone, he decided to check on something.
He parted his hair on the top of his head slightly, revealing the upper part of his forehead. Sure enough, there they were.
Two small lumps protruding out of his head. And based off his memory from the last time he checked on them, they had grown in size.
Jian held the book from the park in her arms, staring out the window at the rainy streets.
Good thing I got to this before it got destroyed… she thought, putting the book on the bed.
Whoever that figure in the distance was, for some reason, he mind wouldn't stop nagging her about it. Thus, she had resolved that she would return the book to its rightful owner, even if it was just to ask why he was reading instead of playing.
Jian rubbed her forehead, trying to clear the headache that had been there since the incident at the tree. Pulling herself out of bed, Jian made her way to the bathroom to get a drink of water.
Her...abnormality caught her eye as she tilted her head back. Two small, red protrusions, sprouting from her head. They weren't noticeable by anyone that wasn't specifically looking for them, and her hair covered them up most of the time.
She poked at the end with her finger, and the tip felt slightly poky. With a sigh, she shook her hair back into place, covering up the growth.
Going back to bed, she decided to ignore the problem once again. Whatever they were, she didn't need other people to worry about it.
Author's note: The title of this story is actually a refrence to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 OST of the same name