The spiritual orbs of Zero Two and Hiro drift down into their bodies which were presently by the lakeside, in the birdcage for the parasites. Hiro's eyes drifted out to the silhouette of a girl swimming in the lake. Her body fully nude as she swam. He remembered being disturbed by this in the past but now, he knew that it was his beloved that was out there and all of his worries and misgivings were gone. He looked over to the fallen tree where Zero Two's uniform sat.

It had felt like years since he had been here but now he was back. Had Virm done this? Why? He felt a resolve burn back in his heart. He would never be separated from his beloved again.

He stared out at the lake, watching Zero Two swim. Thick fog obscured his view, and the sunlight from outside the plantation shone down on the lake, causing the lake to shimmer and dance in the rays from the sun. Hiro felt his eyes staring, for the second time.

He gazed out at the lake, only to see his beloved vanish beneath the shining water. In his past life he had thought she had drowned. He knew better this time around. All of a sudden fish began flying up out of the water, as if to escape something. The fish were panicked and seemed to be trying to fly into the sky to escape. He waded out into the water to see the spectacle of the fish flying high into the air.

A sudden rush of water could be hear and large ripples were made in the water as a large object suddenly bolted towards him. Hiro remembered this and was ready for it. Red horns poked out of the water ominously before the water in front of him seemingly exploded upwards. The nude body of Zero Two flew upwards within inches of Hiro. Hiro in his previous life had screamed in shock, but this Hiro knew what was happening, he only took a sharp breath in as his eyes probed the naked body of Zero Two. Her light pink hair framing her beautiful body. Fish in her mouth and red horns glowing alluringly, Hiro suddenly remembered. This was when he became addicted to Zero Two. He was still addicted.

A thought lingered in the back of Hiro's mind. Did she remember their previous run at life? Did she get her soul sent back as well. His heart raced. He was worried now, this might not be as easy as he would have liked.

Zero Two landed back down and stood inches away from Hiro. The fish in her mouth still thrashing violently in a death struggle. Zero Two spit out the fish and moved to make her way past Hiro. Hiro quickly grabbed her hand and stopped her from brushing past him. This was the moment, this was the moment where he found out if she remembered him.

"Does the word darling mean anything to you?" Zero Two's face turned around in surprise before she suddenly seemed to have an epiphany. She tackled him into the water, his parasite uniform getting wet. "Darling!" She cried, her eyes tearing up. She licked his cheeks many times, and seemed to be in bliss at his taste. He had to be sure though and his heart raced. "Does the word Virm mean anything to you?" Asked Hiro.

Zero Two Cried even further "It's me Darling! It's me Zero Two!" The two lay in the water, Zero Two straddling him. "I love you Hiro! You are my Darling!" She screamed, relieved at the reunion between the two lovers.

Hiro smiled at this unusual amount of affection out of Zero Two. "Zero Two! I thought I might have lost you!" The two stood up out of the water, hearts racing as they stood together. Zero Two quickly got changed into the parasite uniform that lay on that branch. She turned to face Hiro after getting changed, who out of decency averted his eyes.

"Darling, do you think the others will remember us?" Asked Zero Two. She was thinking now, finger pressed against her cheek in thought.

Hiro smiled sadly, "Probably not, but they at least got a good ending to their lives back then, unlike us." He then grinned. "But at least I get to be with you!"

Sounds could be heard from the woods as the soldiers zeroed in on their location. Zero quickly clicked her headpiece into place around her horns and it turned on with a robotic chirp. She quickly got real close to Hiro and whispered into his ear "Play stupid, act like you don't know me." She then turned around to face the woods as bushes could be heard rustling. APE special forces units and plantation guards soon came into the clearing. Her temporary stamen entered the clearing, flanked by the soldiers.

"We've been looking for you." Said her temporary stamen, stepping into the sunlight. Hiro now got a real good look at the man and realized that the man looked in the worst condition possible. His arm was in a sling, his head was in a neck brace, he had a mask on his face to assist his breathing, an eyepatch and a bandage were wrapped around his head. "Why do you keep running off alone." Questioned her temporary stamen, towering over her, it was a wonder that she managed to do so much damage to the man.

"It's not like there's anything else to do until tomorrow's welcoming ceremony." Retorted Zero Two, remembering her boredom. However, she now had her darling, she could never be bored.

The man slapped her white hat onto her head, covering her horns. "Well, as your partner, I'm the one who suffers the consequences," he said. Hiro stood up from his spot by the lake side, brushing dirt off of himself. The man turned to Hiro, looking at Hiro's uniform he said "Are you a parasite cadet? Your welcoming ceremonies tomorrow, right?" He then continued as Hiro watched a large trench coat be put on Zero Two. "Sorry if she did anything to bother you."

Hiro turned back to the man, "Where's she going?" He asked, trying to figure out how to rescue Zero Two from APE.

The man gave a look to Hiro, "Let me give you some advice cadet, stay far away from this whole matter, she's not the kid of pistil that just anyone can handle."

Hiro wanted to scream, he had died with Zero Two but now he couldn't be with her. He would have to wait, he wasn't just anyone, he was the one to handle Zero Two.

Hiro was dragged off by the standard guards and was told that Mistilteinn issued a search request for him after he disappeared. Something was bothering Hiro though and he felt a throbbing pain, it was as if his body was trying to change. He felt his very bones seem to move. He suddenly gasped and touched the top of his head, two small nubs were protruding from his head, and he suddenly remembered the two blue horns he had gained before he had died. His muscles grew and his bones hardened, all in an excruciating couple of seconds as he was dragged by the guards.

Hiro now stood in front of Hachi, who was finishing up his final words with Hiro, "Code 016, HQ has given you special permission to remain here." Hiro was thankful in that he could at least stick around to see Zero Two.

"Tell HQ I am thankful for their decision." Said Hiro as he left Hachi's room.

As Hiro left the room he saw a girl sitting on one of the benches outside of one of the rooms. Hiro immediately remembered the fate of Naomi, he knew she would survive but he still feared for her at the hands of the Klaxosaur that would attack later that day.

Hiro and Naomi were outside now, she was holding a small suitcase in her hands. The parasites were given few possessions so they could fit everything they owned into a small case. Hiro said nothing and only stared glassy eyed out to the fields where he knew the klaxosaur would emerge, he needed to find Zero Two.

Zero Two stood atop the hinged door that extended downwards off of the pilot's capsule of the Franxx. "I smell Klaxosaur." She said, giving the air a few experimental sniffs.

All of the cadets were now suiting up and were beginning the sequence to start up their Franxx. A heavy fog rolled in, and the Doctor made a comment on the nature of the fog. The fog blocked the view of the spectators and outlooks, who knew what lurked beyond the fog.

Hiro gazed out before he saw the two large blue spikes sticking up out of the ground. They lifted up and began destroying transports that lay in its way. The large klaxosaur emerged, heading straight for the plantation.

The look out that stood next to Hiro immediately began screaming orders, "It's a Klacosaur! Ready intercepting fire!"

Hiro knew what would happen next, he needed to figure out where Strelitzia would land. He needed to find Zero Two. Hiro felt his head, his head hurting with a splitting headache. Small blue nubs had now grown larger, almost visible blue horns were in his hair now, they were growing to the point where if one looked close enough they could slowly watch them grow.

All along the grayed walls of the plantation, canons extended and began firing on the Klaxosaur, barely slowing it down. Deafening bangs could be heard from the canons as they fired, nearly startling Hiro, nearly.

The Klaxosaur stumbled it's way through the canon fire and made it to the garages of the Plantation. With a booming cry, it rammed it's head into the garage that held Delphinium, workers scrambled inside the garage, running for their lives.

"Garage 02 damaged. Unfit for housing delphinium." Chirped an automated robotic voice.

The Klaxosaur with it's head nor firmly pressed into the garage door began to charge up it's canon in its mouth, the blue light shone blindingly, Ichigo and Goro, who were both in Delphinium recoiled, thinking it was the end, Ichigo's eyes began to well with tears. She didn't want to die. However, before the beast could fire it's canon, something slammed into it, knocking it away from the garage.

It flew through the air, and everyone could get a good look at what had just slammed into the enraged beast. The new combatant was a Franxx; Strelitzia, however it was not in it's iron maiden form, but rather stampede form. It was on all fours, and took the form of a metallic lion. It's tail was equipped with an orange lance. Hiro's mind cheered, he needed to figure out how he was going to get into Strelitzia, but then he remembered, Strelitzia is thrown into a wall, he would get to them then.

Strelitzia was atop the creature, biting at the back of the monster and rending flesh, trying to kill the beast in some sort of primal ferocity. The beast thrashed, but the metallic lion held on for dear life and keep tearing and biting at the back of the beast it rode on.

Onlookers watched in horror and disgust at what they were witnessing. However, Nana who was watching alongside with Dr. Franxx was worried. "A Stampede, now?" Not even APE could stop themselves from commenting at the sight of what they were witnessing.

"What an ugly sight." Said Papa in disgust, "Did she devour her stamen again?" The APE councilmen behind Papa was in agreement, "It's hard to tell which is the real monster here."

Strelitzia finally ripped a chunk of Klaxosaur off so large that it began to charge it's canon and try to fire blindly at the plantation. It's usually pointed tail extended out, forming three concentric circles that hovered behind it, which began rotating, charging up it's canon's beam. With the sudden transformation, it threw Strelitzia off. Strelitzia bounced hard off the ground and landed on its feet, tail up like a scorpion, lance at the ready to stab at the monster.

Hiro ran along a walkway outside the plantation, watching the fight in anticipation. He was addicted to piloting with Zero Two. No, he was addicted to Zero Two.

The Klaxosaur finally finished charging up it's raw energy, and fired it's blue canon towards the plantation. Strelitzia moved in front of it and used it's now aglow magma lance to block the beam and deflect it in different directions, rather than towards the plantation. The beam may not have hit the plantation though but, Strelitzia was thrown, it's body slamming into the wall of the plantation, and landed near Hiro.

"Zero Two!" Cried Hiro, trying to get to the cockpit of the hulking behemoth that was Strelitzia. The body of Zero Two's now ex-stamen fell to the ground, his body bloodied and a wet gurgle escaped his lips. Hiro then looked up at Zero Two who was standing in the door to the cockpit. "Let's go already Darling!" Hiro looked excited to pilot with Zero Two once more. He lept into the cockpit without a second's hesitation.

Zero Two noticed something as he flew by, "Darling, your horns! How will you explain that." She knew that after this fight, it would be a struggle to try and lie to Nana, Hachi, and the other adults.

"Don't worry Zero Two, I've got a plan." Said Hiro, flashing a grin at her that made her heart race. He lept into the stamen seat, and Zero Two got into the Pistil position. The hand guards extended up from her suit and Hiro grabbed them immediately. Just as Zero Two's hood slid into place, the numbers on the screen immediately jumped up, both of them went up to about 110 on the scale.

"Zero Two, It feels like it's been ages since I've piloted with you!" Cried Hiro, he felt himself sliding into Zero Two's mind.

"In these bodies we've never ridden together!" Yelled Zero Two. "Let's go monster hunting ~ Darling!" She cried.

The Klaxosaur suddenly recovered from it's cannon barrage and began charging towards the fallen Strelitzia, only to get picked up by the now transforming mech and thrown. Strelitzia went from a rampaging lion to the true Iron Maiden herself. Jets fell down into some sort of skirt, paws morphed into hands, and the jaw of the lion suddenly snapped shut, forming the eyes of the Iron Maiden. Gold Braids extended from the back of strelizia's head, signifying the end of the transformation.

The Klaxosaur landed roughly, and kicked up a small cloud of dust. Dr. Franxx in his robotic toned voice began speaking, much to the shock of everyone around him. "When the negative and positive-Male and Female factors combine, and their hearts become one, the Iron Maiden will reveal her true form." A blue spike then extended from the head of Strelitzia and fell into place at the center of the head like a horn. Eyes formed on the face plate as the final piece locked into place. "Now this is a Franxx! You're the best, Strelitzia!" Cried the Doctor in his proudest voice. "But who's piloting it?" Questioned Nana.

The Klaxosaur began charging up again, but strelitzia moved, and the magma lance fell from her back into her hands. Magma energy began to flow and churn through a pipe to the glistening spear. Strelitzia then threw the spear into the awaiting mouth of the Klaxosaur, straight down it's throat and destroying it's canon. Strelitzia then launched herself after her spear, using her thrusters to amplify her speed. She grabbed the handle of the spear and the added wait of her body drove the spear even further into the Klaxosaur. "Game Over." The mech said, as she fired her spear, a single magma shell flew into the sky, and by the time it landed, the Klaxosaur had exploded in a blue mist, raining Klax guts onto onlookers who were outside. A blue sphere that glowed yellow inside slowly slid off of the spear, the last remnants of the Klaxosaur.

"That's a Franxx, the kind of robot we'll pilot." Said Kokoro as the Parasite watched Strelitzia in fascination as the mech-now covered in guts, stood there in front of the plantation.

The Mech hulked over parasites as they looked up at the two pilots coming out of the Mech. To try and prevent suspicion, Hiro put on a fake limp, as if that battle had strained him somehow, he didn't need them not to think he was special just yet. He leaned against Zero Two as they exited the Franxx. "I love you…" He whispered into her ear making her heart skip a beat., as they waved to the parasites below.

"Hiro?!" Cried Ichigo in shock, surprised to find out that it was her friend that was in there. "What's he doing in there?" Questioned Zorome. "There's someone else there too!" Said Goro, pointing to Zero Two. "Are those horns?" Question Miku, both in relation to Zero Two and Hiro's new feature. "The partner killer…" Whispered Ichigo. "Interesting…" Murmured the Doctor, staring at the new features adorning Hiro's head.

Nana Stepped forward. "Let me introduce you, This is code number 002, a special forces pistil, under the direct jurisdiction of APE." She also added as she looked up to see Zero Two licking some blood off her hands, she is a girl that has Klaxosaur blood."

Zero Two turned to face her Darling, who had done the same, with that Hiro then leaned his head forwards and so did Zero Two, their horns touched and they felt their hearts light aflame with love.