Summary: Hiro and Zero Two escaped from the Garden for longer than a day before being recaptured, but that little extra time led to a difference that changed everything. If one human child could change, could more? Doctor Franxx needed to know. Rise, Squad H-01!

Chapter 1:

The Deal

Snow beat against the windows of the Garden, the sound of the storm's howling winds piercing the glass where the matter could not. Such weather was common around the complex, so the noise did nothing to disrupt the study taking place in a distant wing of the facility, far from the rest of its occupants.

"Fascinating," Doctor Warner Franxx muttered to himself, his pencil dancing as it recorded his thoughts. He was a short man of many years, though it was hard to tell exactly how many past the whitening of what hair remained attached to his temple. Half his face was hidden by a black mask, covering his right eye, his nose, and the entirety of his mouth. Most of his clothing was covered too, a white lab coat hanging from his shoulders.

As he watched, the small subjects struggled against their bonds, straining to reach each other. The gags in their mouths muffled their voices and the blindfolds kept them from seeing, but no matter how they rearranged the tables, they still knew where the other was. He turned to the head guard that had brought them back. "Simply amazing. They were out for how long?"

"Approximately 33 hours, sir," the man answered without a shred of emotion.

"Such little time, yet the data speaks for itself." Franxx turned to the screen next to him which showed x-rays, CATscans, and statistics far outside the range of other potential Parasites. His eye drifted to the x-ray of the boy's cranium-where the front part of his hair had been sheered away-and the bumps that had formed in two places. The scan of the same area showed that his brain had moved a little, making room for a new organ forming at the bumps' bases. Another image showed the boy's teeth, which were largely the same as before, but his canines were sharper a little longer than average.

"Zero Two! Zero-!" The boy had bitten through his gag for the second time, a nurse swiftly replacing it with a new one. The blood-red girl's struggles redoubled, reaching for him.

"What would you like us to do, sir?" the guard asked. "Should we suppress their memories?"

"Do nothing of the sort," Franxx answered quickly. "I would like to see how they progress, especially with the genetic changes the boy has started to show. Have the windows of Code 002's room replaced with bulletproof glass and an extra bed added before returning them. Monitor them at all times, but make them comfortable. If they ask for food or something small, give it to them."

"Yes sir," the guard nodded, preparing to step away. He paused. "Shall I send word to Papa?"

"Not yet," Franxx hummed after a few seconds. "Allow me to once we have more data."

"Very good, sir."

[One month later]

"Just to rephrase," the council member all but growled, "you have had this boy, a double-digit Code no less, for a month and did not tell us, Doctor Franxx?"

"I could not risk the council ordering me to suppress his new DNA or order his disposal," the man argued. He could not read the expressions of the council, their golden masks prevented such. They sat in their chairs high above him, but the doctor would not be intimidated. He gestured to the holographic screens around them. "I believe I was right to do so. The data speaks for itself. His physical results are leaps and bounds above what his peers can exhibit and his aptitude scores have nearly doubled. Earlier this week, I convinced Codes 016 and 002 to test their potential as a Stamin-Pistil pair, and the results suggest they could activate a FRANXX already, and the only cost is his shift from human to hybrid."

"Yes, the data is impressive," another member said, their voice flat. "And I suppose he could not have been returned to the normal children after the mutations. What do you want from us now that you've given us this information a month late?"

"I wish to try to recreate the transformation with more children," Franxx answered. "Preferably to create a whole squad. Having Code 016 around has greatly improved 002's mental state and agreeability in addition to their scores, however she has become heavily dependant on him. I imagine it is because he is the first child she has ever met and is now the same as her. What could a whole squad of hybrids do for her and each other?"

"Such a squad could end the war," a slightly-feminine member mused, "if all of them take to the change as well as Code 016. I believe the risk to be worth it. If it fails, we would only lose six children, and it is not as dangerous as the cloning idea we discussed a few days ago."

"I would prefer to have eight," Doctor Franxx interjected. "A group of ten would allow for some leeway to account for the emotional differences the hybrids may experience. I would also need freedom with resources to earn the trust of our current hybrids. Looking forward, special FRANXX for each pair may also increase their fighting potential."

"Granted," the council's leader stated before any debate could derail them. "You have permission to give the children anything short of their freedom to earn their cooperation."

"Thank you, Papa," Doctor Franxx stated. "I will not fail you."

The door slid open to its usual scene; Codes 002 and 016 huddled together on their bed in the corner. It had been her bed, but the one they had brought in for Code 016 had been left unused the whole time it had been there. Their eyes watched the newcomer suspiciously, but they no longer held the glares they had before. Still, 016 sat in front of 002 protectively, her hands on his shoulder while pressing herself into his back. His arms were stretched out, baring sharp, blue nails. Were the doctor more sentimental, he might have found the image cute.

Code 016 had changed in the month since he tried to free 002, becoming more animalistic. Horns of a deep sapphire blue jutted from his bangs, far shorter than those of the girl next to him. The two-inch horns of his were surrounded at the base by the almost-black blue of his hair, the tiny color shift a side effect of his transformation. His pupils were the same sapphire color of the protrusions, several shades darker than they had been. There was also a slight blue discoloration around his eyes, but that was nearly unnoticeable at the moment.

002, through her changes were less, had changed more noticeably. Her skin color had paled over the past month, becoming a rosy pink rather than the blood red it had been. It was not as light as her hair, but was still fading. Her pupils were a brilliant green, the red that had framed them now white like a human's eyes with the skin around having maintained its original deep red.

Their room was sparsely furnished, but they asked for little. There were the aforementioned two beds as well as a chair and a rug. A pile of discarded candy wrappers was shoved into the corner-it seemed the Saurification process gave them a strong sweet tooth-and a picture book rested on the bed beside them.

"What do you want?" Code 016 demanded as the door slid closed behind Warner Franxx. "More tests?"

"Nothing of the sort," the old man answered, pulling the chair over to sit down, placing himself eye-level with the children. "I'm here to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" 016 blinked, surprised. Based on her expression, 002 was surprised as well. "We've done every test you wanted, whether we wanted to or not. Why make a deal with us now?"

"We need your cooperation," the doctor answered, "and I have permission to give you almost anything in exchange for it."

016 and 002's eyes widened, the boy turning to the girl. Their horns touched, a glow beginning to emanate from them. The children said nothing, but Warner didn't expect them to. Their communication when close to each other was all nonverbal through their horns, with the exception of them reading their book aloud. It was fascinating.

"Ok, we're interested," 016 said after a minute. "What do you want?"

Doctor Franxx leaned forward, the children unconsciously mirroring him.

"To be blunt, your changes, Code 016, are amazing and completely unexpected. We want to see if we can replicate them."

"Rep... icate?" 002 voiced. Her speech had improved greatly for all that she didn't speak.

"To copy it," Warner clarified. "We want to see if we can get some other children to make the change, or if you, 016, are an anomaly. If it works, there will be more children like you two and you all will form a squad. A... pack, if you will. I can assure you, none of the tests after their transformations will be as bad as what you two suffered through."

"Pack?" 002 parroted, tasting the word. "Pack, group. Ehwo Two want pack. Dah-rin want pack?"

"We have some conditions," 016 said, though his body language shouted that he wanted the same thing. "This change is permanent, right? I want the kids to be able to choose to do it with a chance to back out."

Ah, choice. An ideal both 016 and 002 seemed to value more than anything but each other. Warner shouldn't have been as surprised as he was. Making them agree to the tests without complaint had involved starving them out three times, but it made them choose. Hopefully the other candidates wouldn't be as difficult.

"That shouldn't be in issue," the old man responded. "Is that all?"

"We want to pick the other children."

Doctor Franxx started at that. He couldn't allow them to interact with all the children-this test had to be kept quiet-but he could make it work. Honestly, it was a miniscule price to pay.

"I can't let you go out," he answered carefully, 016 deflating, "but I can let you pick. I'll have pictures of the candidates brought to you tomorrow and you can choose them then. Is that acceptable?"

"We want to name them."

"You cannot change their numeral designations, but we cannot stop you from developing... alternate forms of identification for personal use like you did before."

"One more thing. We want to know what Zero Two is and what happened to me, and we want you to explain that to the others before they change."

"Very well," Franxx agreed, startling the children. "Code 002, you were the product of a test to combine human DNA with the purest Klaxosaur DNA we could get our hands on. Humanity has been fighting the Klaxosaurs for many years now, and the experiment seemed like the best choice to give us an advantage." He turned to the boy. "You, 016, were an accident with amazing consequences. Somehow, while you and 002 were on your... misadventure outside, you acquired some of her genetic code and changed to become more like her. You two are hybrids, and your future pack possibly humanity's greatest hope of survival."

016 and 002 placed their horns together once more. Their exchange lasted less than 30 seconds before they turned to him. 002 opted to speak.

"Us agree to pack!"

Codes 002 and 016 knelt on the rug of their room the next day, nearly 200 pictures laid out on the floor before them. Warner Franxx observed them from across the grid, the guards backing away from where they had arranged the images. His mechanical eye watched 016's gaze instantly move to at least three pictures.

"These are your options," the doctor began, stealing the children's attentions. "For these next few minutes as you choose, I would like you to verbally explain why you choose each child, and I would like you to choose them in pairs, one boy and one girl in each."

"How many?" 016 asked.

"Four pairs," the doctor responded. "Eight children in all."

"I want these two," the boy said quickly, his hands on two pictures. Doctor Franxx collected them from his hand.

"015 and 056," he mused, reading the numbers from the bottom of each photo. They were double-digit Codes, but Papa did say anything short of freedom. "They were in your Nursery, correct? If I remember right, you named them."

"Yeah, Ichigo and Goro," the boy nodded. 002's head whipped around to give him an almost-betrayed look. He smiled, leaning in to touch horns with her. "They're friends. You've seen them in my memories."

'Memory sharing?' Warner wondered as a smile crossed 002's face. 'Just how deep can their connection run? How could that effect their sync numbers as they grow?' He shook his head lightly before speaking. "Very well, three more pairs.

"I have one in mind," 016 said to 002. "Pick a girl to match him." 002 pointed to a picture.

The pink hybrid nodded, scanning the photos for a parasite recruit that could catch her eye. She settled on one closer to the bottom, a girl with wavy white hair. "Her!"

She lifted the photograph while 016 picked another of his Nursery-mates, a boy with brown hair. Again, Doctor Franxx collected the images.

"Codes 326 and 556," he read. "Why them?"

"His name is Mitsuru," 016 offered. "Another friend."

"Same hair," 002 said. The doctor supposed the coloring of her hair and the hair of 556 was decently close, but certainly not the same. He shrugged it off. The pair of children had already gone back to perusing their choices as he ended his musings. 002 poked the horned boy in the side. "You turn."

"Ok, I pick these two." 016 handed the half-masked doctor another pair, both brunettes. The boy had wild hair while the girl's was a little wavy. "Their eyes have the same look."

"Codes 666 and 390. Noted. One more pair."

Apparently it was the girl's turn, the hybrid selecting a slightly-chubby boy and a thin girl with glasses. She offered no reasoning other than a shrug until 016 tapped their crystalline projections together. She struggled for words before saying, "Feel right. Like family? Not Dah-rin family, but... diff'rent-same?"

Warner nodded, confused, before gesturing for the guards to remove the rest of the pictures. Their task completed, 002 grabbed the arm of the other hybrid, leaning into his side.

"I shall have the children brought after dinner, if that is fine with you," the doctor commented, his voice making the question more like a statement. 002 nodded quickly, hugging 016 tighter. The old man pushed himself to his feet, heading toward the door. "Before I go, I would like to ask something. How did you acquire each other's DNA?"

"Zero Two skinned her knee," 016 answered after a second. "I'd read somewhere that animals licked their wounds to help them heal, so I licked it clean. It reopened a few times. She did the same for me when I cut myself on a sharp branch."

"Interesting. So ingesting the DNA is enough to acquire it."

"Doctor Franxx?" 016 questioned making the man pause. The boy was silent for several seconds, probably choosing his words. "I don't regret my actions, or meeting Zero Two even though I know I wasn't supposed to. Still, thank you for this. For letting us choose."

"I expect you to work hard," the doctor responded. "Papa has allowed me to do this. Make sure he doesn't regret it." He exited the room, a giddy smile hidden under his mask, leaving the two hybrids to themselves.

Oh, the possibilities!

"What are we even doing?" Code 390 wondered aloud, walking along in the strange group the guards had assembled. Each of them had been pulled from the lines as they exited the cafeteria after dinner without much explanation. She recognized only one other kid, a larger boy from her Nursery whom she had never talked to.

"You lot have been chosen to be part of a special squad," one of the guards finally offered.

"A special squad!" Code 666 cheered, his face breaking into an eye-crinkling smile. "You hear that? Papa thinks we're special and have chosen us! I wonder what Papa wants us to do!"

"It's probably important," the soft voice of 556 muttered. Codes 015, 056, and 326 glanced at each other. Hiro had disappeared nearly a month ago, his stuff removed half-a-week after that, but each of them were something of a close friend of his. For all three of them to be picked had to be more than coincidence. Still, that did not explain the presence of the other five kids, even if Ikuno was from their Nursery.

The procession came to an end in a dim hallway far from where they'd begun. The guard in the lead placed his hand on a panel, the door opening a second afterward. "In you go," he told them, gesturing to the room. "Doctor Franxx will explain once you are inside."

Codes 666 and 390 raced to the door, pushing each other in their attempts to get ahead. 015, 056, and 326 followed them as a group before the remaining three Parasite recruits entered. The room was a dull beige, one long bench lining the right wall. The guards instructed them to sit before leaving, closing the door behind them. It was quiet for a minute, the silence broken only by the excited quivering of 666. A door on the far wall opened, allowing entry to the aged doctor.

"It's good to see the guards are nothing if not efficient," he commented, stepping before the children. "As you have either been told or could infer, the eight of you have been selected for a special test group I am creating, but there are some... risks I have been asked to inform you about beforehand. The choice lies with each of you as to if you wish to continue after being made aware. Yes, 326."

The boy lowered his hand. "What will happen if we chose not to go through with the test?"

"Why wouldn't you?" 666 interrupted, aghast. "Papa chose us! Papa's never wrong!"

"Your memories will be suppressed," Doctor Franxx answered bluntly, each of the children jerking in surprise. "Knowledge of this trial is sensitive. If you choose to pass, you will forget everything you learn during this briefing and will be returned to your Nursery. Another child will take your place."

"I don't care what the test is!" 666 declared, one hand coming to rest the bicep of his other arm. "If it's for Papa, I'll do anything!"

"Even cease to be human?" The doctor's words startled the children again, even 666's smirk faltering. "Yes, this test will be life-changing, which is why I have been asked to give you the choice. Our first subject had neither the choice nor any idea what would happen. To be honest with you, we weren't expecting it either, but you have been selected as a group in whom we will attempt to replicate what happened. If we are successful, you will be faster, stronger, and have far more potential than any of your peers, but you will no longer be human. Not fully. Yes, 556."

"I-If our memories will be t-taken if we choose to leave, d-does that mean you'll tell us what we'll t-turn into?"

"I will," the doctor nodded, "but first I'll tell you how this process came to our attention. I believe four of you know Code 016? Or as he calls himself, Hiro?"

The Parasites jumped again, but half for a different reason than the other. Codes 015, 056, 326, and 196 each raised their hands to show they knew Hiro, the first three gobsmacked. The other four were blown away at the idea that a child would choose to not go by their number.

"You said we were given the choice because the first subject didn't," 015 stated. "Hiro was the first one to change, wasn't he?"

"He... discarded his designation?" 214 muttered.

"Hiro's always been a little different," 056 chuckled, relief clear on his face. "He gave everyone in our Nursery a nickname. I'm Goro, while these are Ichigo, Mitsuru, and Ikuno."

"If that bothers you, 666" Warner began before the boy could open his mouth, "then you should leave now. 016 has been given a lot of freedom over this project for his and his partner's cooperation, and that includes naming each of you." 666 was silent, allowing the old man to continue.

"016 was a special subject for his potential as a double-digit, but chose to... explore after one of his tests had concluded." The man's words were controlled, neither complementing or damning the actions he told of. "During his wanderings, he accidentally witnessed the testing of another subject. Her designation is Code 002. She was created by combining the DNA of a human with pure Klaxosaur DNA, making her a hybrid of the two. 016 didn't approve of some of the more... extensive tests he saw. About a month ago, while returning to the Garden after one of his own tests, 016 climbed a tree, broke a window in 002's room, and took her on a... an adventure."

"Yeah, that sounds like Hiro," Code 326, Mitsuru, sighed.

"Codes 002 and 016 were outside for a total of 33 hours before the guards found them and brought them back, but by then, the changes had already started. He had ingested some of her blood in an attempt to help her recover from a skinned knee and the Klaxosaur genes reacted inside him, overpowering his human chromosomes and turning him into a hybrid as well." The eight children gaped at the adult. Finally, Code 390 recovered some of her wits.

"You want us to become hybrids, too." The brunette's statement was plain despite the mystified voice she spoke with. "That's why you mentioned not being human anymore."

"Indeed. That's also why 016 wanted me to receive your permission beforehand. You do not need to make your decision at this moment, but you will by the end of tonight. So you are not 'flying blind' as they use to say, 016 and 002 have agreed to show themselves to you, both to prove they are healthy and to show the side effects of the change. Are there any questions?"

"Why us?" Code 196, Ikuno, asked.

"Because 016 and 002 chose you." Again, Ichigo, Goro, and Mitsuru shared glances. That explained their presence.

"Alright, bring them out!" Code 666 demanded. "I wanna see these hybrids you've told us about." Franxx did not answer, walking to the door he had come from and knocking on its surface. The door opened as the doctor stepped back, allowing the children on the other side to enter.

"Hiro!" the trio of friends called, rushing from their seats to meet their wayward companion. They slowed to a stop before reaching him, the pink girl clutching Hiro's arm growling at them while baring her teeth. He turned his head, horns he hadn't had the last time they had seen him brushing against the girl's own set. She visibly calmed, but still eyed them suspiciously.

"Easy, Zero Two," the male hybrid whispered before turning to the rest of the children with a bright smile that showed his elongated canines. "Hi, everyone. I'm Code 016, but you can call me Hiro. This girl behind me is Zero Two. She's a bit shy."

"Dah-rin," the girl muttered. "This pack?"

"Yeah, Zero Two. These guys will be our pack, if they want to be."

"Woah!" 666 breathed, all but bouncing over to the pair. "Are those real? What else can you do? Would ours be the same colors, or would they each be different?"

"Of course they're real," 390 snarked, whacking the excited boy across the back of his head. "They're really pretty!"

"H-Hiro," Ichigo sniffed, tears pooling in her eyes. She stepped forward, uncaring for the hybrid clinging to her friend, and wrapped him in a hug. Though surprised, the boy had the presence of mind to keep Zero Two from attacking. "We thought you were gone. Th-That you'd vanished like the others."

"I'm fine, Ichigo," the boy smiled, his free hand coming to rest on top of the crying girl's head. "I'm better than fine, actually. I finally got a chance to see you all again, so I took it. I know I'm different, but that was my fault. Zero Two needed a friend so I did what I had to." The female hybrid redoubled her hold on the blue-horned boy.

"Dah-rin help Ehwo Two. Us 'arwee. Ehwo Two be wiff Dah-rin fo-eva."

"Is she ok?" Mitsuru questioned.

"She's great," Hiro smiled, touching his horns to Zero Two's again. "Zero Two is still learning how to speak since no one really taught her growing up."

"So, ah," Code 214 began, turning the group's attention to the larger boy. "Doctor Franxx mentioned being faster and stronger and stuff. What can you two really do?"

"A little bit of everything," Hiro answered. "Because of the Klaxosaur blood, we top out over the other recruits for just about all our scores. We can run without getting tired for a long time, pick up more than our body weight, and we don't need to use the bathroom at all! The best part, I think, are the horns, though." Hiro brought his hand up, tapping one of his. "Besides being really cool, Zero Two and I can talk without words when our horns touch."

"That's amazing," Ikuno admitted, "but aren't you afraid people will single you out because you're different?"

"It'll happen," Hiro shrugged, "but if we have a whole squad like us, we'll fit right in! We'd all be different together!"

"I'm in!" 666 called. "I want a cool pair of horns! That way Papa will know how devoted I am!"

"I'm in too!" 390 jumped. "No way will I let this loudmouth be better than me!"

"Who're you calling a loudmouth, shortstack!"

"You're short too!" 666 and 390 devolved into what would be the first of many arguments.

"What about you guys?" Hiro asked, turning to his friends. The trio shared yet another glance before Goro nudged one of Hiro's horns with a fist.

"You aren't getting rid of us that easily," the boy smiled. "We're in."

"I-I want in too," 556 stuttered. "I want to help." All eyes turned to the remaining pair of 214 and Ikuno, watching them expectantly.

"One question," 214 wondered, still unsure. "What do you eat since you're half Klaxosaur?"

"Sweets and candies, mostly," Hiro answered, Zero Two's eyes sparkling. "Doctor Franxx says it's something about sugars and energy since we some use the bathroom."

"...What the heck?" 214 questioned, smiling. "Bring on the blood!"

"Sure," Ikuno shrugged. "If not me, someone else will do it. I might as well."

"Excellent!" Warner Franxx declared. "Full acceptance! I'll have the guards retrieve your stuff. Tonight, you'll all sleep in The Cave."

"The Cave?" Ichigo asked.

"That's what Zero Two and I call our room," Hiro offered with a shrug. "Doctor Franxx got fed up with it at first, but we wore him down."

"Yes, yes," the old man waved off. "You children will receive your first dose of blue blood tomorrow morning. Be proud! You will be the first of your kind and the key to humanity's victory!"

Code 666, or Zorome as Hiro had named him last night, rolled the blue pills Doctor Franxx had handed him after breakfast in his palm. There were five of them, each smaller than a fingernail. All he had to do was bite down on them and swallow. Then the changes would start, or so the doctor said.

"These will change us forever," 214, Futoshi, muttered to his handful of pills. "No going back."

"I'll admit," 390, Miku, said, "sleeping in the same room as boys was weird, but Hiro and Zero Two looked so comfy together. So happy. If growing horns can give me that sort of smile, I'm in." She threw her head back, biting through all her pills in one go.

"Not fair!" Zorome whined, quickly downing his handful. "Ack! Tastes like metal! Not that I'm complaining or anything. I'm sure my horns will be better than yours."

"Nu-uh!" Miku denied. "You'll have ugly horns! Mine will be way better!" The brunettes butted heads, growling.

Code 556, Kokoro, was silent as she ate each pill individually, watching the rest of the group.

"I've gotta say, Hiro," Goro chuckled, studying the catalysts for his hybrid transformation. "One day ago, I thought you were dead. Now you're leading us into new territory." He threw the tiny spheres into his mouth, his face twisting. Next to him, Ichigo, Mitsuru, and Ikuno were having similar reactions to the metallic taste.

"How long do you think it will take us to catch up?" Ichigo asked, chugging a glass a water to clear her mouth.

"I'm not sure," Hiro shrugged, Zero Two clinging to him once more. The only time any of the others had seen the pink-skinned girl let go was so the two could shower that morning. "Zero Two and I met a little over a month ago, but we aren't sure when the changes will stop, if ever. The horns are in a constant state of growth."

"I can't wait!" Zorome laughed. "Do you think all the boys will have blue horns while the girls have red?"

"We don't know," Ikuno offered. "Currently, there are only two hybrids, so any part could be gender-specific or individual and we will have no way of knowing until our changes start to show. Speaking of..." The bookworm turned to the pair of hybrids. "We have some time, so why don't you detail all of the changes and in what order they happened?"

"Sure, I can do that. Zero Two was born with her traits, so I'm the only one that has gone through the Saurification change."

"Sowwy," the girl wrapped around his arm whispered. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but Hiro seemed use to this. He just smiled, touching her horns with his own. The set glowed as Hiro wiped away Zero Two's tears, a happy smile of her own replacing her guilty frown.

"What was that?" Futoshi asked.

"My horns finished developing about a week-and-a-half ago," Hiro explained. "We were reading Zero Two's book while working on her speech when our horns first touched. Suddenly, I got all these emotions and images in my head that I weren't mine. Zero Two and I have been using it to communicate ever sense. Doctor Franxx calls it Cornu Disputatio, or Horn Talk."

"We'll be able to talk to each other without words?" Ichigo wondered.

"Yeah, but you can't hide anything. When we do it, we each 'see' every one of the other's thoughts and feel all their emotions. We can share memories, too, if we want."

Ichigo faltered. That sort of communication, while cool, sounded incredibly invasive and it was a testament to how close Hiro and Zero Two had gotten in a month that they could be so open with each other.

"Anyway," the male hybrid waved off, pulling candy out of his pocket and unwrapping it. Rather than eating it, he offered the sweet to Zero Two who moaned happily. "Where was I?"

"You didn't even start," Goro answered.

"Oh, well then. I... guess the changes should start to show tomorrow?" His answer was slow, uncertain. "I was with Zero Two for 33 hours before I got these bumps on my forehead that would become my horns, but Doctor Franxx said my teeth were getting sharper by then, too."

"So the initial changes are in the face," Mitsuru commented. "We will know by the end of tomorrow if the genes have taken or not."

"I don't see why they wouldn't!" Zorome laughed. "We're gonna be the best squad ever!"

"Is that it?" Miku questioned. "Ya know, besides the inside stuff?"

"Not quite," Hiro denied. "My eyesight has gotten better and you can see these blue rings if you look close. Those are still developing. And my nails are sharp and match my horns. That started with everything else, but they have to grow in." He hummed, trying to think of anything more. "I think that's it, but we aren't sure."

"Do you regret it at all?" Ichigo asked.

"It's a little late for that now," Futoshi commented. "We already ate the pills."

"I don't regret a thing," Hiro answered, his smile causing Ichigo's heart to squeeze. "Zero Two is one of the best things to ever happen to me."

"Dah-rin best," Zero Two said, her words shaky but her conviction clear. "Will be wiff Dah-rin ahways."

"Yes yes," the old doctor said, stepping into the room where the group was eating. "The changes are very intriguing. Everyone has taken their starters, correct?"

"We have," Ikuno nodded, her words almost lost in Zorome and Miku's "Yeah! Let's go!" Warner stared at them for a second before pulling out a clipboard and making a note.

"Hybrid transformations possibly offer hypersensitive compatibility projections. Further research required."

"Uh, sir?" Kokoro asked. "What are you muttering about?"

"One of the conditions for this squad, or pack as it seems 016 and 002 want to call it, was for them to pick each of you. I asked them to do so in pairs to form your future Stamin-Pistil partnerships. 016 selected 666 and 390 as a pair with the explanation of them having the same look in their eyes."

"You mean I have to ride with him/her?!" Zorome and Miku yelled, pointing at each other.

"You see what I mean, correct?"

"What were the other pairing?" Futoshi wondered. "If you don't mind me asking?"

"No, it's not a problem," the doctor waved off. "In fact it might be best for partners to lean on each other through the transformations like 016 did on 002. The pairings are as follows. 015 is paired with 056. Code 196 shall be with 214. 326 is with 556, and finally we have 666 with 390. Please treat each other right. Are there any more questions?"

"Considering we are a special test group," Mitsuru began, "I suppose we can expect more differences in our future lifestyle than the-" He glanced at Zero Two's horns. "-obvious changes?"

"Your living quarters will be will be very different than what you are use to," the doctor admitted. "You witnessed such last night when all of you slept in the Cave, yes?"

"Yeah!" Miku answered quickly. "Hiro and Zero Two slept in the same bed while we slept on the floor! What's up with that? Boys are gross and icky!"

"I don't see what you're complaining about," Zorome muttered. "You took the other bed and left us on the floor."

"But did you see their smiles?" Kokoro interrupted. "They looked so happy."

"The sort of connection 016 and 002 have developed is the goal of every set of FRANXX pilots, and they have reached that point nearly a decade early after only a month together. As you children begin the change, we will have you start emulating them to develop those same bonds."

The children shared looks around the table, Goro finally voicing their collective thoughts.

"This is going to be weird."

End of Chapter 1

I should start off with saying this is a plot bunny that I cannot finish. The idea nagged at me while I was trying to write for my main story and would not let me concentrate until I got it into words. That being said, because I do not have the time, energy, knowledge, or drive to pull this into a full story does not mean that maybe one of you out there can't. Therefore, this story is up for adoption. While you do not need to follow my thoughts for what the future of the story could have contained, I wanted each of the characters to have their own colors, which I detailed below. If someone else wants to take over, have at it! Just send me a PM and I'll give you the full reigns and be your first follower! Either way, I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of what could have been.

Delphinium

056: Goro (yellow)

015: Ichigo (purple)

Argentia

666: Zorome (light blue)

390: Miku (pink)

Genista

326: Mitsuru (black)

556: Kokoro (white)

Chlorophytum

214: Futoshi (orange)

196: Ikuno (green)

Thanks for reading and check out my One Piece story: Coby's Choice!

-SwordOfTheGods