The Jian is also known as the bird that shares wings, without a partner the bird alone cannot fly only having one wing. They are imperfect, incomplete creatures, but for some reason their existence struck me as profoundly beautiful.
~~With Zerotwo~~
The Jian is known as the bird that shares wings. An all too common thought amongst the many the troubled girl possesses.
It's said without a partner they are incapable of flight, They're pathetic creatures. Its said they have to cower away until they meet a partner amongst the tree leaves.
Zerotwo lays in the dense forest with her lengthy, pink hair spread across the grass, finding comfort only in this place, a warm familiarity that can't be explained. The sun beams down through the cracks in the canopy. The hot sensation hitting her porcelain face emulating a fatiguing sentiment. This is, unfortunately, abruptly shattered by a dawning conundrum as a thought resurfaces, remembering her main reason for taking refuge on the emerald bedding. Finding an excuse to stay a mist her comrades. As if forcing herself to become energised she opens the holographic phone hidden inside a pocket in her skirt to see Ichigo's insistent attempts to conquer her attention. All ranging from "You better come to the welcoming ceremony!" to "I'm here for you…"
Realising precious time alone is over she stumbles up the hill to the building known as 'home'. A seizable building with various rooms, none of which the lonesome girl feels welcome in. Upon meeting the summit of the hill thoughts that once plagued her mind are vanquished by a monotone thud sounding into her brain.
A crimson splatter trickles down the reflection of her face in the window of the building Zerotwo has grown to dislike and at her feet lies the injured bird, coloured obsidian black and angelic white, juxtaposing each other exponentially. The contradictory bird squirms on the grass fighting unconsciousness profusely. Slowly crouching down to get a closer look she reaches out her hand attempting to offer aid only for the helpless bird to flutter into the dense forest, barely staying air-born.
"Coward…"
The word is fallen flat by wind howling and engines roaring overhead just beyond the glass dome that cages the inhabitants, blocking all opposing sounds from the rustling of leaves to the ambient noises of insects. Zerotwo's surroundings are enveloped by the carrier-jets ominous shadow. Carrier jets are often used to carry Franxx as well as their corresponding pilots and maybe a few tag-a-longs. Rumours already spread of the 'Partner Killer'.
~~With Code 000~~
A lean boy wearing a blue uniform shrouded in a raven-black cloak stares out the air crafts window with little interest, absorbing the view. His hair almost matching the colour of his cloak can be seen covering his sapphire blue eyes at brief moments before being blown up by his own gust of air, his mostly grey hat placed hastily upon his head. Meanwhile he juggles a lime lollipop with his tongue.
"I wanna take a bath." The boy exclaims rather unexpectedly to those around him. The man in front of him, huffs in annoyance. Curiously his face is half covered in oil-black steel, a sapphire eye amongst it.
"Again?" His annoyance only to be laced with more annoyance.
"Control yourself a little." Discarding the doctors response the boy, Code 000, shuffles to the seat closest to the ally and leans over the arm of the chair.
"Hey! Why do you look so glum?" Who he was questioning was a petite girl with golden hair curled up into a bun at the back of her head of which was rested against her seat. She wore a similar uniform but red without a cloak and hat. She herself wasn't in what you would call pristine condition. She wore an arm brace to support the broken limb, she had bandages around her head with a neck brace and a breathing support system on her face.
"Leave the girl alone, that last fight took a lot out of her" The boy simply shifts back to the window returning to his initial position.
"Doesn't this plantation 13 have an ocean?" Still refusing to give in a red-haired woman turns and gives an agitated expression, this woman was called Nana.
"No but can't you just take a shower?"
"But I wanna go for a swim." This reply comes out like a spoilt child with his broken toy. The conversation, if you could even label it as such, was cut short by the intercoms warning of landing and orders to fasten seat belts.
"God you're all dull…"
~~With Squad 13~~
"Partner killer?" The larger child, Futoshi questions as Zorome, an egoistical, energetic boy rabbits on about the infamous 'Partner Killer'
"That's right. They say that the guy has horns and fangs, some people going as far to call him a vampire. Apparently the third time someone rides with him they have their blood sucked out and dies no questions asked." Zorome ends his trivia with a fragment of laughter.
"Come on that's just a rumour isn't it?" This comes from Miku, someone with enthusiasm to even rival her partner Zorome. The boy in question simply dismisses this retorting evidence on how a 'friend' overheard an adult say so.
Meanwhile Ichigo is stood by the door as her partner, Goro enters the room.
"Any word from ZeroTwo?" he questions as Ichigo flips her phone off and tucks her hairpin in her ocean blue hair that goes only just shy of her shoulders. She replies an exasperated "No",
"Speaking of, is she going to stay with us after all?" a silver haired girl, Kokoro questions as her partner, Futoshi shuffles forward in his seat and replies after finishing the bite of bread.
"Well she didn't show up for briefing if that's worth anything."
"If she doesn't take up the offer, what happens with Niroku?" The girl, Ikuno retorts regarding ZeroTwo's incompatible stamen.
"I think she's showing real initiative, besides, she must feel isolated, I kinda feel sorry for her…" Mitsuru, Ikuno's partner says this as he walks from the window and grips the velvet sofa from behind Futoshi. Everyone retorts with some form of hum implying agreement however Ichigo holds a sour look.
Dammit Zerotwo…
~~With Code 000~~
The air around the diverse group comprised of a demon, a wounded girl, a prude, a pervert and mindless soldiers is disturbed by the engine raving as the aircraft lands, casting it's shadow over the landing bay. To make matters worse they all get to listen to the doctors, a pervert, complaints on air travel and his sexual advances towards Nana, a prude.
What a pain…
The group continue down the bland hallways reaching a large opening with countless floors and every inch covered in that same steel colour. For the most part code 000 has remained silent hoping he'll remain ignored. Moments he listens in he hear fragments of conversation about new tests on children, as if they are lab rats. Then again, that's all they've ever been to the 'adults'.
Yep I'm out of here
"On that thought please attend the start up ceremony doctor."
The man in front cranes his head back in annoyance, wanting to be anywhere else.
"Yes I know, by the way, It seems our problem child has ran off."
Everyone shuffles in panic thinking to the last time they saw him, Nana especially. This is followed by the doctor nonchalantly raising his cane, pointing to a lower floor. Once everyone looks over they are just in time to see the horned boy glance back with a mischievous grin, clearly pleased with himself, hastily discarding his hat to the right of him, disappearing off through a nearby door. The petite girl looks down with her usual composed look being thrown off balance.
"Why can't he just stay put."
~~With Zerotwo~~
Much to Zerotwo's embarrassed she concluded in following the 'Coward'. The trees constructing the forest all look similar yet the curious girl can somehow tell she's never been to this area of the forest. Light shines through some oncoming trees and as she breaks through Zerotwo is greeted with a vast lake reflecting the radiance of the sun. Contradicting this beauty the lake is lined with a layer of fog, masking the far reaches of the lake. Averting attention from the lake it is placed upon some clothes carelessly discarded on a knocked down tree. The uniform isn't of what commonly recognised by the children, opposed to their light grey uniform with aspects of blue covering the chest region and a red star in the centre of the chest. Zerotwo picks up an article of clothing she doesn't recognise to only have an abrupt splash rip her attention back to the lake, gradually noticing a masculine silhouette emerge from the lake. Then realising she,s ever so creepily watching a person swimming, possibly naked, pulls her gaze elsewhere to notice all sounds of noise have dropped dead.
"He's drowning!" leaping into the water beginning a sprint a rush of water approaches the seemingly defenceless girl at an immense velocity and seeing this she abruptly halts to moments later see a boy fly out the water. Deep blue horns like sapphires transfixing her gaze, simply unable to move, his horns being the height of beauty. She found herself hardly able to divert her eyes, the first boy she'd seen naked and his eyes mirroring the elegance of his horns compelling her to not look away. It took all too long to notice the still squirming fish impaled by his snow-white fangs.
The 'pretty boy' spat aside the poor animal and strode even closer to the paralysed onlooker, able to feel his warm breath on the awaiting lips of the girl in question. She finally snaps out of the hypnosis and almost has a heart attack, suddenly registering the situation.
"Why are you naked?!" as if this was simply natural he passed her with barely any regard for her presence, making his way to the lake edge.
"Well I wasn't going to swim in uniform was I?" yet again finding no discomfort in the situation.
"True true, but...Who even are you?" She says this in a clearly annoyed tone. He continues back towards the downed tree glancing at the questioner every so often out the corner of his eye.
"You're full of questions aren't you, let me ask one first, what's your name?"
As the questioning transpires the candy-haired girl makes her way round to the lake edge also and resumes to looking into the raven-haired boys eyes.
"My names Zerotwo, or at least that's what I go by. Oh and you're still naked…" This is said as a feint ruby glazes her cheeks. He looks her up and down as if figuring out a remark to instate.
"I'd love to pervert, hand me back your safety blanket then." The judgemental boy voices this as he points to Zerotwo's hand firmly grasped around his underwear. Noticing this she almost squeals as she struggles to not drop it in a frenzy. Finally returning to her usual composure she looks straight into his eyes trying to suppress the temptation to let her eyes wander before presenting the 'safety blanket' back to him. The ruby in her cheeks now turning to a searing blaze. Returning the eye contact a large grin appears on his face before instead of grabbing his underwear, grasping her wrist and pulling her right up to his face. Enough to feel her erratic breathing against his jawline. This only intensifies the blush creeping under her cheeks.
"Awww you're blushing, don't be embarrassed I'm flattered."
Zerotwo, snapping out of her trance, abruptly pushes his still damp chest and stumbles backwards.
"Quit messing with me."
Precariously the candy-haired girl turns towards the lake sitting at its edge waiting for the mysterious boy to change back into his cloths. After some awkward silence it is broken by the boy gently kicking Zerotwo into the water. Before hitting the water she turns to face her attacker so she didn't land face first. He edged closer, hovering over her, close enough to feel the light breathing from his nose.
"Your a parasite right?" caught off guard she stumbles over her word like a child would with its first steps.
"N-no, well kinda, I can't… pilot, I'm not compatible with my partner."
Giving a sympathetic look the demon-like boy raises to his feet looking down on her with a kind smile.
"So we're the same, I'm not what you'd call compatible, I mean look at me." As this is said he gestures to his horns as he continues to fiddle with the carbon ring with a glowing blue going round the middle on his forefinger. With no sense of warning the downed girl swipes the off-guard demons legs and shoved his waist, finally finding herself straddling him with a devilish smile.
"How the tables have turned pretty boy." The boy in question can't help but let out a little giggle in response. They snap back into eye contact getting lost in each others gaze, something they seem to be doing a lot.
"Y'know, I think I like you. What do you say to being my darling?" The petite girl looks down into his deep, blue eyes and questions, well, the question. His smile grows to one of more joy, showing pearl, white teeth, fangs among them, yet that smile felt so inviting to Zerotwo.
"Darling? Is that like a partner?" He sits up, in result slipping Zerotwo onto his lap. Lifting her and himself up to their feet.
"Your ability will still be there, I think I can wake it up, and… It was nice you weren't freaked out by my horns." He said the latter of that sentence quite nervously, gently scratching his cheek with his forefinger to further enforce the adjective.
Between his peculiar but alluring horns and a personality to match, she could only find herself reaching for his offer. Before she makes the contract with the demon, rustling is heard in the tree line. Upon hearing this the boys smile fades to one of stone and a hint of sorrow.
Even with others he looks so lonely.
"Never mind…" Breaking through the trees was a group of soldiers with a parasite leading the unit. The mysterious demon had now straightened up and turned to the noise, talking steps out the water. The girl ahead was the same one on the aircraft, with her golden hair. She strides over to the rouge code and grabs his collar to bring his head down to her height, firmly placing his previously discarded hat on his head.
"Quit running off, as your partner I get flak for it." She says this in a very demanding tone, a tone moulded as if this has happened many many times before.
"I got bored waiting around." After this transaction the quite agitated girl acknowledges Zerotwo standing in the lake as she trudges out of the lake. The 'partner' confronts her apologising for what has transpired as she walks away tugging the problem child along by his recently reunited cloak, provided by personnel.
Zerotwo just stands there in daze as her only opportunity is taken away from her. Realising this she quickly gathers her thoughts and without much thought questions after him.
"Hey! You never gave me your name." clearly gaining his attention he turns around slipping from the parasites grip and curiously raises an eyebrow at her with his previously holy smile plagued from his face replaced with no emotion to it only barley visible behind his cloak collar. The cloak itself shrouding his entire body like a safety blanket.
"My name? My code is 000 but I do prefer being called Hiro." After the long awaited introduction he flaps his cloak by casting his arm to the side and walks back into the dense forest.
As Zerotwo is later escorted to a nearby transport only one train of thought is driving through her mind. The thought of piloting with the recently dubbed Hiro and as she sees the contradictory bird trampled and bloodied on the dirt the thought is derailed. Knowing that a flightless bird belongs nowhere.
Chapter 2 may take some time so I know If people enjoy this idea. Constructive criticism is appreciated.