Chapter 2:
The Beast and the Prince
After breakfast came nothing but physical tests for the to-be hybrids. Endurance, deadlifts, stretches, sprints. Anything and everything that that Dr. Franxx and his team could collect data on was tested and recorded. Kokoro suggested they probably wanted a "before" reference of their abilities to compare with after their transformations. Goro thought Franxx was hoping to watch one of them change before his eyes. Whatever the reason, lunch came around far too late, the ravenous Parasites tearing into their meals. They were served separately, the food being brought to them in a room refurbished to be a small cafeteria away from the normal children.
"It's not going anywhere," Hiro commented, sharing a chair with Zero Two as he watched his friends try to choke themselves. Of course he would say that; he got to laze around that morning. "You can slow down. I don't remember ever being that hungry."
"Yeah, well," Futoshi began, his mouth full. "I don' think they had you workin' as hard as they were pushin' us."
"I guess not." He paused, Zero Two tapping his arm.
"Dah-rin," she cooed, holding a piece of candied ham. "Say ahhh."
"Ahhh," he smiled, allowing the horned girl to feed him. Most of the rest of the children watched them with confusion, though Zorome was more engrossed in his food than the others.
"I don't get it," Miku admitted, catching the attention of the hybrids. "Why do you two do that kind of stuff? It's not regulation at all!"
"We'll explain it to you after lunch. Or maybe after dinner?" Hiro answered, turning to his partner. "Zero Two, is it ok if we share your book with them?"
"Why share book?" she blinked. "Book special b'tween Dah-rin an' Ehro Two."
"I know it is," Hiro responded, leaning in to initiate Horn Talk. "But that will tell them why we do the things we do."
"Ok," Zero Two smiled. "Ewro Two will share with Pack."
"I guess it's nice we'll get some explanation," Ikuno commented, "but can we please eat before we get shuffled out for more tests?"
"I get the feeling we won't need to worry about that today," Mitsuru offered, gesturing to the door where Warner Franxx entered. "Got an update for us, Doctor Franxx?"
"While I would like to rerun all the tests from this morning," he began, watching the Parasites deflate with some small sense of sadistic pleasure, "I'm afraid the caretakers don't believe it would be lucrative. More harm than good, you know. As a result, you have the next few days to yourselves to let the Saurification processes get started."
"Wahoo!" Zorome cheered. "We're growing horns~! We're growing horn~!"
"Shut up," Miku groaned. "You're so annoying."
"I am not! Not my fault you can't handle my awesomeness."
"You can take your 'awesomeness' and shove it up your-!"
Futoshi snorted, breaking the tension that had started to form. The dam broken, the children started laughing without a care, Zorome and Miku feeling the fires of embarrassment color their faces. Grumbling, the two sank into their seats.
Luckily for them, lunch ended early, and with it went the memory of their squabble. Doctor Franxx and a couple security personnel walked the group to the Cave, opening the door for them and closing the door behind.
The room had changed slightly, now holding five double beds that filled the previous emptiness. Each bed was made, piled with the belongings of the pair expected to share it.
"I'd forgotten about that," Kokoro admitted, sending a side glance at her partner. Mitsuru didn't respond, but their eyes met briefly before breaking the contact, fire burning through their cheeks.
"Feel great!" Zero Two chirped, pulling Hiro along by his hand as she dragged him to their bed. "Real warm comfy!"
"Says you," Ichigo muttered. "You're use to it."
"Alright, everyone," Hiro smiled, a spark of his natural charisma stealing the attentions of his fellow children. "I hope you're ready for a story."
"A story?" Goro questioned. "What's a story got to do with anything, Hiro?"
"Bear with me, Goro," the male hybrid insisted. "We'll explain afterward, alright?" Reaching to his right, Hiro felt Zero Two place her book in his hand. "Thank you, Zero Two. Do you want to read?"
"Want hear Dah-rin read." The pink hybrid shuffled closer to her blue-horned partner, pressing herself into his side. Hiro barely reacted, opening the book as their fellow Parasites settled onto their beds.
"Once upon a time," he began, "in the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and were beautiful, but they were what would be called Beasts. Among them was their princess, who had huge, ashen wings. Their law said that once one turned seventeen, they would be allowed to fly outside the forest. And on her seventeenth birthday, the princess took flight to the world beyond the forest. She crossed the steep mountains and the surging rivers and reached a land of humans. The moon shone brightly in the sky.
"Beckoned by the moonlight, she flew for ten days and nights before she reached the kingdom of humans. There, she hid on the edges and walls of the castle, afraid to be seen. She watched the humans go about their lives, but one entranced her more than any other. This human was the Prince, and for the first time, love bloomed in her heart. But he was clearly of a different race. A Beast and a human could never be together."
"What's that?" Futoshi asked. "Love?"
"One day," Hiro forged on, "while she watched him tend to the castle's garden, the Princess of the Beasts slipped and fell, startling the Prince. But instead of running in fear, the hurried to her side and asked if she needed help. Afraid of what the Prince might say if he knew she was a Beast, the princess covered herself with her wings and flew away.
"She flew until she came to a cabin on the edge of the forest where the Beasts lived. Inside lived a witch avoided by both humans and Beasts. Make me human, the princess told the witch. I want to spend my life with him.
"Give me your wings and you can, the witch answered, but remember this. No matter what disguise you take, you are a Beast and will never be truly human. You will drain the Prince of his life in the end. The princess didn't care. She ripped off her wings and was assaulted by pain far more intense than she had ever felt. She could never fly again. Even so, she smiled happily, with tears of joy streaming down her face. I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!"
Miku and Zorome moved to question the story. Why would someone who could fly give that up for someone they'd never talked to? But Zero Two's glowing glare shut them up before they could start.
"The princess once again set out for the land of humans, this time on foot. In the desert, she spotted a group of people. Oh, no! Is there anyone who can save him?! There lay a young man, his leg bitten by a snake. The Princess rushed to his side and sucked the venom out from his wound. Thank you, o brave lady. I am the prince of these lands. It was the same young man she had met in the castle.
"Of course it was," Zorome snarked, unable to hold in his sass. Ichigo glared at him, both her and Goro's angry expressions making the brunet surrender.
"I owe my life to you. Please marry me." Hiro continued.
"A wedding ceremony was held soon after. The priest asked the princess, clad in a wedding dress of pure white, Do you vow to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?
"I do, she answered. Then two exchanged rings, and when the priest said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss. And cheers rang out across the land. Bless the brave girl who saved our prince's life! The whole kingdom celebrated their marriage."
"Aww," every one of the girls sighed dreamily, even though they weren't quite sure what "marrying" or "kissing" was. Maybe it was related to that "love" thing mentioned earlier? Or the picture of the Prince and Beast with their lips pressed together? Zero Two redoubled her hold of Hiro's arm.
"Humans! Humans! They have neither the wings to fly nor the claws or fangs to hunt. Such weak and frail creatures, but they are so, so warm. Humans are wonderful!
"After the wedding, she lived happily as the princess of a human land. She supported the prince in his work, traveled the world, and saw oceans studded with glints of sapphire, sparkling grasslands, and auroras that swayed like raging flames.
"The princess took the prince's hand and said with a smile on her face, Grab on to me and never let go, Darling. But the princess' happiness was short-lived."
"Aww man," Mitsuru sighed, Kokoro tearing up beside him.
"She woke up one night to a pain that threatened to rend her asunder and found her body turning into one of a Beast. Why? I asked you to make me human! she cried. On her back were jet-black wings, tearing through her flesh and skin to spread. Using magic comes at a price, the witch's voice whispered. You've attained plenty of happiness as a human. Now, it is time for you to lose yourself and turn into an ugly monster. However, if you kill the person you love most, you will be freed of your curse and return to the Beast you originally were."
"That's horrible!" Ichigo sniffed.
"The princess gazed at her beloved prince as her claws reached for his throat. She loved him more than anything and anyone but the desire to rip his neck apart welled up inside her. As she desperately tried to clench her fist and stop herself, her claws dug into her skin, and blood started gushing out. If I kill the prince, I will be freed of this curse... With tears streaming down her face, she kissed the prince on the cheek."
Every one of the parasites, the hybrids excepting, sucked in a breath.
"When the prince awoke, the princess was no longer beside him. Instead, the bed was covered in jet-black feathers. In profound sadness, the prince searched all across the land for her. But nobody had seen the princess, nor did they again."
Having reached the end of the story, Hiro slowly closed the book, set it aside, and draped an arm over Zero Two's shoulders so she could snuggle deeper into him.
"Well that was sad," Futoshi stated, breaking the heavy silence that had covered the group like a blanket. "I don't get it. What does this story have to do with how you two act?"
"Something happened while you were outside the compound, didn't it?" Ikuno questioned. "Doctor Franxx said you were gone for more than a day."
"Yeah," Hiro smiled, one of those soft smile of a person reliving a beautiful moment of their life. "Zero Two shared this book with me when we were out there under this big mistletoe tree. It might have been the Klaxosaur blood at that time, but we just had this connection and I swore to be her darling and that we'd get married one day, like the Prince and Princess."
"Ero Two be wiff Dar-in fo'ever. No leave like Beast."
"That's so..." Kokoro trailed off. "So... I don't know if there's a word for it, but it's a good thing! Really cute!"
"Yeah, well, I don't know if I could stand a week with this dunce, much less forever," Miku snarked, pointing at Zorome next to her.
"Excuse you!" the boy cried. "I'm a freaking joy to be around!"
"Is that how you two became so close?" Ichigo wondered, not noticing as Goro leaned toward her on their bed. The thought caused Goro to blush, sleeping in the same bed as his childhood friend, but that was overshadowed by the way the blue-haired girl subconsciously leaned into him.
"Probably," Hiro shrugged, jostling the girl on his arm. Zero Two didn't take too kindly to that, pushing off him to drop her head into his lap. Without even looking at her, the hybrid's hand drifted to her pink hair, guiding his fingers through her follicles slowly. Zero Two purred-literally purred-at the touch, nuzzling into his hand. "We don't really understand it, but the Doc said something about pheromones, these special chemicals that animals put out that attract them together."
"So these phero-things are a thing," Futoshi commented. "That's going to happen to us?"
"It'll probably be different for each of us, but that's why we're together. We can help each other."
"What is love?" Kokoro asked. "The story said the Beast 'fell in love' with the Prince and said she 'loved him more than anything'. What's that mean?"
Zero Two shrugged, as well as she could from her position. "Do no know."
"Maybe it's a kind of strong attraction?" Ichigo wondered. "Or devotion? She wanted to be with him to the point of giving up her wings. Would she have done that for anyone else?"
"But she barely knew him," Mitsuru countered. "They'd never had a conversation before."
"I think it's cute," Kokoro offered from his side. "Whatever love is, I hope we can feel it some day."
"Who do you mean by 'we'?" Kokoro shrugged, unsure how to answer her partner's question.
"This is all weird," Zorome said, "but Papa believes in us. We'll become the best squad to come out of the Garden, no matter what! Because we love Papa!" Zorome smirked, being the first to properly use the new word.
"That's all well and good," Ikuno waved, "but I'm still tired and dirty from all those tests this morning. Think we could take a break for baths and a nap?"
"Ugh, please," Miku groaned, flopping on the bed she and Zorome were to share. "I feel nasty and this moron I'm partnered with smells awful!" Zorome opened his mouth to argue, but closed it slowly without speaking. He'd worked out enough times to know what he smelled like, even if he'd grown use to it. He wasn't too big a man to deny he smelled rank.
"Well our next course is decided," Goro clapped, startling Ichigo. She hadn't even realized she'd been leaning on his arm. "We know where the baths are. What are we waiting for, Papa's orders?"
The comment instigated a flurry of motion, the girls all rising first to head toward the female bathroom the Garden had installed for them. Zero Two moved to join them, giving Hiro a peck on the cheek before walking off to join them with a "Later, Da~rin!"
The guys moved to gather their stuff as well, moving as a herd.
"Mitsuru?" Hiro asked, the boy stopping as the others forged ahead. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
Mitsuru didn't answer, but he did turn to face the hybrid.
"Hey, I... I wanted to tell you I haven't forgotten that promise we made before you went to get the injection."
"You do...?"
"The Doc told me FRANXX can only be piloted by Stamin-Pistil pairs, so I guess working side-by-side will have to do, but I wanted to tell you how relieved I was when I saw your picture. Doc told you how Zero Two and I were in charge of choosing you all, right?"
Mitsuru nodded. "Yeah. He did."
"When I saw your picture as one of the options and I knew you'd survived, I was glad, you know. I could keep my promise to you."
"Hiro," Mitsuru almost stopped, his voice tense. "Hiro, we thought you'd died or vanished like all the other kids. You were gone for a whole month and... I won't lie to you, I started to resent you, to think I'd survived that painful injection for nothing. But here you are, better than ever and dragging us along just like back then." He smiled, nodding his head. "Come on. Let's go before they ruin the hot water."
"Thank you, Mitsuru," Hiro sighed. "Yeah, let's."
Miku couldn't sleep. Part of it was her brown-haired partner snoring away beside her, his arms flung out every which way, but that wasn't everything. It certainly wasn't stopping the others. Rising to a sitting position from where she'd been laying on her side, Miku scanned the room.
The Cave was dark, moonlight filtering through the thick glass window on one side. It wasn't much, but the light was enough to see the faces of her squadmates. Hiro and Zero Two were huddled together in their bed in the corner, her back pressed into his chest with his arm draped over her. She had a content smile on her face, hugging his arm while using the other as a pillow.
Ichigo and Goro had shifted sometime over the past couple of hours, the boy on his back while Ichigo had leaned into his side. It possibly had something to do with evolution demanding humans seek out warmth, or so they'd been taught. Neither smiled as they slept, but her head rested on his chest, slowly rising and falling with his breath.
Miku was tempted to try that with Zorome, if only because they looked comfy, but that snoring was a deal breaker.
The other two pairs slept back-to-back, sharing warmth but not in such compromising positions. Miku would have preferred that over Zorome stretching himself over most of the bed, the annoying boy. Miku watched him for a second, considering why they had been paired. They weren't that alike, were they? Sure, they were the same height and had the same hair color, but he was brash and loud and self-centered and had sharp teeth and-?
Sharp teeth?
Miku leaned in, careful not to wake her partner lest he get the wrong idea; the last thing she wanted was Zorome thinking she wanted to "kiss" him. Her hand reached out, slowly peeling his lips back to show his canines, the tips as sharp as a lance. Her tongue brushed over her own canines- yes, they were longer than she remembered. Careful not to make any sudden moves, the girl slid out of bed and padded her way toward the bathroom.
Miku studied herself in the mirror. Her eyes were the same brown they'd always been. Her body was the same shape. Her nails didn't seem to have changed. But her teeth, they had changed. Her canines in particular were almost 50% longer than they were after lunch. That wasn't bad, per say, but it meant the pills Doctor Franxx had them take were starting to show their effects.
Her eyes widening, Miku pulled her bangs back. At first, she though there was nothing new, but her eyes slowly noticed two tiny bumps pointing out from her forehead. They were miniscule, almost like the acne she'd seen on some of the older children, but they were there.
Her horns were starting to grow in.
The door slid open, someone blinking as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. The sudden entrance startled Miku and she felt an instinctive hiss slip past her lips before she could stop herself. Ikuno blinked again, this time at the blushing brunette rather than the light.
"Did... Did you just hiss at me?"
"Sorry Ikuno!" Miku whisper-yelled. "You surprised me and it just happened!"
The taller girl sighed, walking over to sit on the edge of the group bath. "It's fine. You couldn't sleep either?"
"I thought you were dead asleep," Miku admitted, joining her on the rim.
"I was, but I didn't sleep much. I'll admit, Futoshi's warm, but all this is just too new to just relax. And Zorome sounds like a Klaxosaur wielding a chainsaw."
"Don't get me started!" Miku huffed. "You aren't the one expected to sleep next to him. How can everyone else sleep so soundly?"
"I don't know," Ikuno shrugged. "I know Futoshi was tense for the first hour or so, but he managed to fake it well enough. Hiro and Zero Two were out like a light, wrapped up together."
"They're cute together. I don't know if it's the horns or what, but they just click. It looks like Ichigo and Goro will click, too."
"They were from the same nursery. What about Kokoro and Mitsuru? Those two are basically opposites... Well, maybe not opposites, but they're different enough and don't seem comfortable around each other."
"They did only meet yesterday. They're both quiet, but for different reasons. Kokoro seems shy while Mitsuru doesn't seem the type to get emotional about anything. I think they'll be fine."
"Look at us," Ikuno muttered. "Gossiping like some old Children. About our squad in the middle of the night, no less."
"Pack," Miku corrected.
"What?" Ikuno blinked, confusion written across her face.
"Hiro and Zero Two want us to call it the Pack," Miku clarified. "They didn't tell us we had to, but they clearly want us to."
"Ok, I guess so. That will take some getting use to."
"You think that's weird? Look at this." Miku pulled her lips back, baring her new teeth for her companion. Ikuno gasped, leaning in to study the sharp bone closer.
"Your Saurification has started," she noted with a bit of awe.
"Not just mine," Miku responded, letting her lips fall back into place. "Zorome too, at least. If I had to guess, everyone will have them by tomorrow's lunch at the latest. And my horns have started coming in."
"This really is happening, isn't it?" Ikuno questioned, tasting her own teeth. How has she not noticed before Miku pointed it out? "We aren't human anymore."
"Yeah, but like Hiro said, we'll all be different together!" Miku smiled, but her energy was ruined as a yawn forced itself from her throat. "Man, I'm tired now. And hungry. I could go for some candy."
"We'll get sugars at breakfast," Ikuno responded, stifling her own yawn. "Let's get some sleep while we can. I'm sure Doctor Franxx will have us attached to wires all day tomorrow."
"Yeah," the brunette groaned. "Maybe he'll let us take a nap. Anyway, it was nice talking to you, Ikuno."
"You too, Miku. Goodnight."
"Night." Miku rose, drifting out of the bathroom and back to the Cave. It was oddly quiet and, for a second, she wondered if Zorome had woken up. Her thoughts were proved false when her eyes landed on his still-sleeping form now rolled onto his side.
"So that's the trick," she whispered to herself, filing away the knowledge for later as she padded her way over to the bed and slipped under the covers, pushing her back against his so he couldn't roll onto his back again. There, with the quiet breathing of her fellow Children, Miku drifted off to sleep.
"YAHOO!" Zorome screamed, the noise startling rest of the Pack from their slumber. While most of the other Parasites simply flailed and received some superficial bruising, Ichigo, Goro, and Miku suffered the worst. Zorome threw Miku from the bed, the girl landing with a thump on the cold floor. Ichigo and Goro, however, were surprised to come face-to-face after opening their eyes, pushing each other in opposite directions past the limits of their bed.
"What the Hell?" Miku demanded, getting to her feet and grabbing Zorome by the collar of his sleeping shirt. "Why are you being so freaking loud?!"
"Yeah!" Futoshi agreed. "I nearly smacked Ikuno because you shocked us!"
"Five mo' minas..." Zero Two yawned cutely, squeezing Hiro's arm. The blue hybrid was wide awake after Zorome's screaming, but he knew better than to mess with his sleepy partner. "Darin cwomfy. No wake."
"You're lucky Zero Two is a deep sleeper," Hiro hissed over her head, unable to move. "What's got you so excited, Zorome?"
"I've got horns!" Zorome whisper-yelled, careful not to wake up the red-horned hybrid. He drew his bangs back, revealing two tiny bumps protruding from his forehead.
"Those aren't horns!" Ichigo growled, decidedly not looking at Goro across the bed. "Not yet, anyway. And certainly not worth waking us up!"
"Ichigo is right," Mitsuru commented. "If we are all sleeping in the same room, we need some guidelines about how we act around each other. At least in the mornings."
"Yeah, yeah," Zorome waved off, his grin never wavering. "But I'm the first one to change! I win!"
"You are not!" Miku denied. "Ikuno and I found our changes last night while you were snoring."
"I don't snore!"
"Yes you do!" every Parasite sans Zorome, Hiro, and Zero Two responded in tandem.
"Why Ero Two wake now?" a bestial voice growled, the noise sending shivers down the Pack members' spines as they stiffly turned. Zero Two's eyes were half-open, emitting a red glow that was terrifying, even in her morning haze.
"Shhh," Hiro placated carefully, a bead of sweat running down his forehead as he slowly tightened his hug around her. "It's nothing, Zero Two. Go back to sleep. I'm here. I'm with you. Shhh."
The pink hybrid's glare weakened until her eyes blinked shut, leaving the girl the image of a perfect little devil curled around Hiro's arm. She nuzzled into it, smiling, as she drifted back into the land of dreams. "Cwomfy Da-rin."
Hiro breathed a sigh of relief. Zero Two wasn't a monster, he'd swear that until the end of his life, but she put up a pretty good impression of one if she didn't wake up on her own terms. That was a lesson he'd beat into every other to-be hybrid if need be. To spare them-and himself-her morning wrath if nothing else.
"Listen, guys," Hiro muttered. "You can be as loud as you want after Zero Two has breakfast, but you do not want to see her before she wakes up on her own."
"Is she really that bad?" Kokoro asked as Mitsuru stretched beside her.
"You have no idea," Hiro answered. "I swore to stay with Zero Two forever, but she is the very opposite of a morning person." He paused, watching het hybrid in his arms sleeping so peacefully. "Say, how are the changes settling in?"
"Great," Miku grinned, finally releasing Zorome. "It's only our teeth so far, but that's what we expected. At least for me, Ikuno, and Zorome."
"I can taste the changes," Goro answered, an unsure expression crossing his face. "It's a weird feeling."
"I agree with Goro," Mitsuru nodded, prodding his sharpened canines with a finger.
"We should let Doctor Franxx know," Ichigo commented. "He'll want to be sure we're all good so far."
Doctor Franxx was ecstatic to hear the serum had taken as quickly as it did, eagerly studying each of the children. Miku got her wish of a nap, being allowed to sleep while Mitsuru laid wide away beside her. Both were hooked to wires and machines of all kinds so the doctor could see if the changes moved faster or slower based on several factors including gender and wakefulness. The rest of the children found themselves inspecting their faces in the mirrors the doctor had provided, getting use to their sharp smiles and adjusting their hair for when horns would finally appear. Hiro and Zero Two, long since use to their features, sat on their bed reading. Well, Zero Two was reading aloud while Hiro helped her speech.
"Da... Daaaal...Daaarli... Daaaarliiin. Daaarling. Darling?"
"That's it, Zero Two. Darling."
"Daarling. Darling! Darling best!"
"They really are perfect for each other," Ichigo noted sadly, trying to be quiet as the two full hybrids exchanged Horn Talk and smiles. Goro sat beside her, unsure of his emotions. It pained him to see Ichigo so down, knowing how she always followed Hiro, but at the same time there was a questionable sense of guilty happiness bubbling from his gut.
"From what they've told us, Zero Two has always been alone," Kokoro noted, alone on her bed since Mitsuru had taken Zorome's place as the awake subject. "It makes sense she would attach herself to the first person to be nice to her. And Hiro seems the type to care for the person who needs it most."
"Sounds tiring to me," Futoshi commented, gnawing on some honeyed bread he'd smuggled from their breakfast while lying on Zorome and Miku's bed. Zorome sat with him, Ikuno napping on the bed Futoshi would have been on otherwise. "Like, I get that she needed help, but we don't know anything about that."
"Yet here we are," Goro sighed. It was boring, waiting for the changes to happen so the pace of their lives could move past all the repetitive tests.
"We'll be great!" Zorome cheered. "We'll train hard and Papa will put us out in the field where he'll see us and be proud!"
"Yeah, well," Hiro interrupted. "Let's just survive growing up before we get into a FRANXX, alright?"
"Zero Two want get know Pack! Tell Zero Two about you!"
"I'll start!" Zorome began, launching into a dramatic, completely untrue tale that wasted the morning. On the bright side, Zero Two learned some new words to practice.
End of Chapter 2
Just building more of the concept. I don't know where I'd go with this or what other changes I might make to the universe for this story, so it's still UP FOR ADOPTION! This was just something that I kept playing with.
-SwordOfTheGods