Welcome everyone to my FanFic. As you've probably guessed by now spoilers for the anime will definitely be in play. There will also be noticeable differences at times due to your presence in the story. Oh, and you have a unique one for yourself... which I won't spoil now. Please do comment any thoughts or remarks you may have after finishing. Criticism is welcome though I do prefer the constructive variety. Also, huge shoutout to DitFCodeAlpha for all of his assistance. If you haven't checked out his work be sure to do so. Anyway, that's enough from me. Please enjoy!

Blanket Disclaimer: Darling in the Franxx and it's respective elements belong to Trigger/A1 Studios. All OCs belong to me.

Transport Plane in route to Plantation 13

"Who exactly am I?" You find yourself asking that question a lot recently. "I'm Code 059, a parasite. My purpose is to protect the Plantations from Klaxosaurs. That's why I fight, to make sure Papa and the adults are safe. I used to call Plantation 39 home, but not anymore. You pause there, home. "Home is where the heart is," they used to say that, or at least the books did.

You are suddenly jolted back to reality by a hand on your shoulder. "(Y/N) are you ok? You were spaced out for a long time." You look over to see the concerned face of your partner Kyu, code 067. "I'm fine." you reply, "Just thinking."

"I wanna take a bath," Zero Two complains. "Not again, show some self-restraint," grumbles Dr. Franxx. "Why must she be so high maintenance?" he asks no one in particular. You quietly chuckle to yourself after the exchange. "How long until we arrive at Plantation 13?" Kyu asks. "Does Plantation 13 have an ocean?" Zero Two adds. "No, it doesn't, and it shouldn't be long now," Nana responds.

Zero Two leans over and speaks to her current partner Code 081, who is fast asleep. "Hey, how do I smell?" she asks. "Let him rest, that last battle took a lot out of him," Dr. Franxx insists. Zero Two then turns to you, "Friend, how do I smell?" "You smell fine Zero Two," you respond, "You shouldn't worry about it so much." "We will be landing shortly," the pilot announces. As you stare out the window at the vast, empty landscape, your mind begins to wander.

It was almost six months ago to the day that Dr. Franxx had arrived at your former home, Plantation 39. With him he had brought someone you hadn't seen in years. A girl with pink hair and red horns. Thoughts began to rush through your head at the sight of her. She's still alive? I haven't seen her since before I came to Plantation 39. You quickly shake yourself out of it as they approach. "Ah, code 059," Dr. Franxx said, "I am glad you are well. I see you recognize my companion," he muses, motioning to Zero Two. "Friend!" Zero Two exclaims as she embraces you. "It's good to see you too!" you reply, hugging her back.

"(Y/N), we're here." You look over to find Kyu standing in the aisle of the cargo plane. Returning to the real world, you gather your things and make your way off the plane following Dr. Franxx. "Can't we find some other means of transportation? These cramped cargo planes are too rough for an old man like me," Dr. Franxx complains. "Well when you're transporting two Franxx it does limit your options," Nana replies. The first was Strelitzia, Zero Two's Franxx, hailed as the most powerful Franxx in existence. Second was the Franxx you piloted with Kyu, Terraria.

"Doctor why run the test case here of all places?" Nana asks, "And with such a make shift team no less. And before I forget please do attend the startup ritual tomorrow." "Oh yes, yes," he replies with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But something has been bothering me. And in light of the circumstances with site one we are moving forward here instead. By the way, I see our problem child has gone missing."

You quickly look around and see that Zero Two has in fact disappeared. "Over there," you say just as Dr. Franxx points to a nearby catwalk, revealing Zero Two walking through one of the Plantation's many doors, a devious smile on her face. "Damn, always running off," 081 grumbles. She was looking for an ocean, you think.

Remembering Plantation 39's layout you assume that the parasite's quarters here must have a lake as well. You open your mouth to speak but Kyu beats you to it. "How do we get to the birdcage?" she asks. Nana replies with directions then you and Kyu make your way to find Zero Two.

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Squad 13 Boarding House - Lounge

"The partner killer?" Futoshi asks. "That's right, they say she has horns and fangs. And when any parasite rides with her they die after the third time without fail," Zorome replies. "I don't want to ride with her!" Futoshi exclaims in between bites of his snack. "That's just a rumor, right?" Miku responds. "I heard someone from security talking about it," Zorome replies.

"Any word from Hiro?" Goro asks entering the room. "None," Ichigo replies as she stands up. "Maybe that means he isn't staying," Futoshi muses. "I wonder where that will leave Naomi who was caught up in his issues?" Ikuno adds. Kokoro frowns, "Hiro is leaving? But that will be so sad." "I say he is showing some real integrity," Mitsuru states, "After all it is his fault in the first place." "You ok, Ichigo?" Goro asks. "He's such an idiot," she replies.

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You and Kyu found your way to Plantation 13's birdcage rather quickly, Mistilteinn, it was called. As you walk up the path toward the parasite boarding house you find yourself admiring the scenery. The verdant greens of the trees and grass and the soft chirping of birds in the distance. This is nothing like the outside world, you think.

"I can't believe she ran off again," Kyu says. "That's not true," you reply. "You're right," she answers, "but I had hoped she wouldn't do it so quickly." "On that we can agree," you add with a hint of frustration, "But if we are lucky the parasites will have seen her."

About this time, you find yourselves standing in front of the boarding house. You approach the front door and knock. After waiting close to a minute with no response you decide to let yourself in. The interior of the boarding house looks exactly as you expected. A large staircase with a grandfather clock at the top, the baths tucked beneath the stairs, study on the left and dining hall on the right. It is nearly identical to Plantation 39's layout as well as all the other plantations you've visited. As you enter you hear faint voices, investigating you believe them to be coming from the second floor's lounge.

"He's such an idiot," you hear as you enter the doorway. Taking in the room you see eight parasites in various locations. Four boys and four girls. A tall blond guy wearing glasses. Another, shorter with curly hair who is sprawled out on one of the couches. A third larger boy holds some food and has light brown hair. Finally, a boy with dark brown hair and a scowl stands in the corner.

The girls are much more pleasant. Two of them are shorter, about Kyu's height. One with fiery red hair in two pigtails, the other with short blue hair covering one of her emerald eyes. There is also a girl with wavy platinum blond hair that extends to her waist. The last has violet hair along with glasses and freckles on her face. But she seems to be absorbed in a book. Strangely, you believe that you recognize one of them.

"Excuse me, have you guys seen a girl around?" you ask. "We've got five, what kind are you looking for?" the curly haired blond responds, earning him a glare from the redhead. "Taller than most, pink hair, little red horns," Kyu responds. "Did you say horns?" the large brown-haired boy asks with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Yes," you reply.

You notice as the mood in the room suddenly shifts to be much darker. "No, we haven't," the blue haired girl responds. "Is there a lake here?" Kyu inquires. "Yeah, there is one on the west side of Mistilteinn," the tall boy answers. "Sorry to interrupt then," you say," We'll be going now." And with that you and Kyu make your way out of the house to continue your search for Zero Two.

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"Who was that?" Miku asked after you and Kyu had left. "I dunno," answered Futoshi, "But it sounds like they were looking for the partner killer Zorome was talking about." "I've never seen either of them before. But, they had to have been parasites, right?" Goro wonders aloud. "Based on their uniforms, yeah, they looked just like ours," Ikuno adds, "But why would they be here if they aren't part of our squad?"

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Following the directions given by the tall blond guy you and Kyu shortly find yourselves at Mistilteinn's lake. As you exit the forest you hear panicked chirping off to your right. Looking over you see a bloodied bird, its wing bent at a terrible angle. "Help it." Kyu begs. It flails helplessly on the ground as you approach.

You can tell that it will never fly again and based on the blood caking its feathers you doubt it has much time left. "I'm sorry," you say as you grasp its neck. There is a slight crack and the bird goes limp. You gingerly place it at the base of a nearby tree. "It's over," you say sadly, guiding Kyu away, the slightest hint of tears in her eyes.

Glancing around the edges of the lake you see on the far bank a red jacket and a mess of pink hair. "There," you point to Kyu, "let's go get her." As the two of you begin to approach you notice that Zero Two isn't alone, there is a boy standing there with her. You catch a little bit of their conversation as you get closer. "You know I think I've taken a liking to you," Zero Two says in a sweet tone. She stands over the boy, who has a look of pure wonder in his eyes. "How would you like to be my Darling?"

Before the boy can answer code 081 and the rest of Dr. Franxx's bodyguard arrive. "We've been looking for you," code 081 says in a gravelly tone, "Why do you keep running off on your own?" "It's not like there is anything to do until the ceremony tomorrow anyway," Zero Two whines. "Yes, but as your partner I'm the one who suffers for it," he replies. Noticing you standing just off to the side he says, "Codes 059, 067, what are you doing here?" "Looking for her," you answer. "Let's get back to the doctor," 081 states.

At this point the boy on the ground, who you can only assume is a parasite due to his uniform, has stood up and starts after you before being stopped by Plantation 13's guards. "Hey, wait!" he calls, "What's your name?" Zero Two stops then slowly turns to look at him. "Name? Do we parasites even have names? My code is 002 but you can call me Zero Two for short." She then turns on her heel and continues walking out of Mistilteinn.

As you near the entrance to Mistilteinn Zero Two stops and looks at you. The look in her eyes is one of longing and hurt. "I found him," she says weakly. Suddenly time seems to stand still, the noises of Mistilteinn become silent. You're trying to comprehend what Zero Two just said. him, the him? No, it can't be. She said he was dead and has been for years. She then continues walking before you have the chance to respond, her head down.

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The Next day

You shift uncomfortably, you had never liked these dress uniforms, but Nana had insisted that you wear them for the startup ceremony. "Stop fidgeting," Kyu commands from next to you, her hair swaying with the slight breeze. "But it itches," you complain. "You will be fine, big baby," she jabs. "Children," Nana scolds. You decide it's best to remain silent and return your focus to the startup ceremony hoping it will end soon.

"We will now begin the start up ritual," Papa announces, "After this you children will be official parasites," Finally, you think to yourself following Nana and Dr. Franxx outside to witness Squad 13 take their first steps as real parasites. As you walk outside your vision is obscured by a thick wall of mist. It feels refreshing against your skin after standing through the ceremony. "The fogs rolling in," Dr. Franxx says, voicing your thoughts. "This isn't good."

Suddenly there are alarms sounding. "Klaxosaur!" you hear one of the guards scream. Shit! "We need to get to Terraria!" you say to Kyu. Just as you grab her hand to start running, the Klaxosaur comes into view. You notice it resembles a T-rex from the kid's books. It crashes into the garage containing one of Squad 13's Franxx. "Garage 02 damaged. Unfit for housing Delphinium." You hear through the loud speaker. "A Moho class huh?" Dr. Franxx muses sounding intrigued, "It's big and strong with a fine look." "This is no time to be admiring its appearance Doctor!" Nana yells, "Retrieve the parasites!" "We have to get out there!" you exclaim. "Oh? Look!" Dr. Franxx responds, pointing toward the Klaxosaur.

Suddenly the Klaxosaur is sent tumbling away from the Plantation, a flash of red and white mixed with it. Strelitzia! However, you notice that it isn't the normal Strelitzia. Instead of her usual humanoid form Strelitzia looks like a mechanical lion. "Stampede? Now?" Nana groans. "Such a wretched sight," you hear from behind you, "has she devoured another stamen?" Papa dryly asks. "It's hard to tell which is the real monster here," the Vice Chairman responds. "081," Kyu says sadly, bowing her head.

The Klaxosaur recovers from Strelitzia's assault and lets out a guttural roar. Strelitzia responds with a low growl. The Klaxosaur fans out its tail into a cone shape behind it, the pieces begin to rotate as its mouth opens revealing a large cannon. It's charging for an attack, you realize.

The next few moments seem to last a lifetime. You are faintly aware of screams nearby as you grab Kyu and force her behind you just as the Klaxosaur fires. This is it, you think acknowledging your fate. But, the blast never reaches you. Strelitzia had used her tail to disperse the blast enough that it missed most of the Plantation. You see Strelitzia being flung through the air as a result, landing somewhere along the side of the Plantation. "Zero Two!" you yell, "We have to help her!"

You get about halfway across the hangar before your vision is overcome by a blinding light. "What now?" you angrily exclaim. Dr. Franxx walks slowly forward, arms raised. "When negative and positive, the male and female factors combine, and their hearts become one, the iron maiden will reveal her true form." You look out to see Strelitzia this time in her human form. "Now this is a Franxx! Beautiful isn't it? You're the best Strelitzia!" Dr. Franxx cheers.

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Strelitzia looks at the Klaxosaur and gives a disapproving huff. In a single motion Strelitzia hurls her lance into the still open mouth of the recovering Klaxosaur. Activating her boosters, she closes the distance between them almost instantly, ramming the lance even farther down its throat. "Game over!" She confidently states activating the lance. The Klaxosaur explodes into a fine blue mist, its core impaled on the tip of her lance.

As you approach Strelitzia you look up to see Zero Two leaving the cockpit, her hair flowing in the wind. Blood cakes her face and you notice she is supporting someone else. "Hiro?" the blue haired girl from earlier says in shock. You recognize the boy Zero Two is holding as the one she was talking to by the lake. "Children, allow me to introduce you to code 002," Nana announces, "she's a girl that carries Klaxosaur blood." "The partner killer?" one of the other parasites gasps. Well, you say to yourself, this will certainly be interesting.