A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter to satiate yesterday's sudden cliffhanger! My plan for this fanfic is to release new chapters everyday since I've got 28 chapters in my computer waiting to be edited and published. So please do feel free to leave a review, I'd absolutely appreciate some constructive feedback! Without further a do, enjoy ~

Please Don't Leave Me

But then... it finally happened.

The Lehman class's fist slammed into the Franxx, immediately shattering the faceplate of the cockpit and devastating the cockpit itself. The force at which the fist slammed into Strelitzia was so immense that each of the Franxx's arms were torn off due to sheer inertia alone. Strelitzia, now with a blank and shattered face plate, was sent tumbling down toward the Earth, a full kilometre freefall. As for the fate of the pilots inside, only the heavens knew what terror they were facing. Finally after what felt like an eon of free falling, Strelitzia finally crashed into the barren soil, launching dust clouds up into the air.

As for the wretched beast, it seemed that it managed to bring Strelitzia down with it before it itself gave a final roar of anguish and pain. With the grace of Strelitzia's effort and pain, the Lehman class's head finally tumbled to the ground, it's body limply following suit. It crashed into the dirt, laying there motionless, sending dust clouds hundreds of feet high.

But the question remains, where was squad 13 during all of this?

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"H-HIRO, ZERO TWO" was all Ichigo could scream as she saw the Franxx plummet to the barren landscape below.

Both the pistil and the stamen stood there, frozen, as they saw Strelitzia taking a dive into the dirt, as they saw their friends' demise. Ichigo couldn't stop the tears from streaming down. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think. She choked on her own saliva, unable to utter a single word.

Goro stammered and stuttered as his friend's name left his mouth. "H-H-Hir-r-ro..."

He grit his teeth and he closed his eyes.

"This all has to be a dream right? " he thought to himself.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA". Ichigo's cry of terror, fear, sorrow, confusion and pain broke him from his daze.

She was clutching her head, no longer gripping the pistil controls. Lumps of tears flowed down her cheeks and pooled on the sides of the pistil controls. As she continued to scream, her back arched back.

She couldn't accept it. She couldn't fathom it. She knew that their lives were finite as parasites, they were merely Papa's pawns... but she never expected the pair that just wanted to be alone and isolated from the deception of the world to be... the first to go.

"H-Hiro... Zero Two" Kokoro whispered to herself.

She was never all that close to Hiro but she still saw him as a friend, as a companion she could trust. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her reaction to the obscene horror was shared by the rest of the pistils. Even Mitsuru, who was always cold and brash with Hiro was taken aback as he was forced to absorb the situation he had the misfortune to witness.

"H-How..." he whispered.

"T-T-They're alright aren't they?" Zorome started to mutter to himself.

He couldn't fathom how the strongest Franxx in the squad was able to be defeated. Even though he was envious of Hiro and Zero Two's abilities, he still looked up to them. And to see his role models being taken out in such a horrific manner downright crushed his soul. He resisted the tears, but in the end his efforts were futile.

"S-SQUAD, L-LISTEN UP" Ichigo choked, forcing back the tears as she continued to half-weep, half-command.

"R-RENDEZVOUS ON STRELITZIA" she continued.

"W-WE'RE GONNA BRING THEM BACK HOME" she clenched her fists.

She knew well that what she said was open to interpretation. Either they brought the pair back home safe and sound, or... they'd bring them back home to rest... eternally.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The world was black, Zero Two could hear nothing. She could feel nothing. All her senses were numb.

"This must be death" she thought to herself. "We can rest forever now.. darling.."

"Zero Two..." a voice came from behind her.

"Z-Zero Two..." the voice continued to call her name.

The voice... it was her darling's voice.

"D-Darling?..." she whispered back.

"Zero Two... please... I need you..." Hiro's voice spoke again.

She noticed it was filled with sadness... and sorrow.

"D-Darling.. where are you?" she softly called out.

"Please... Zero Two.. don't leave me..", was the last thing Hiro said as a deafening ring invaded Zero Two's senses.

As the ringing grew louder, her other senses came back too. She felt some warm liquid on her hands. Slowly, she opened her eyes and she finally saw the cockpit.

The HUD was shattered, leaving the breeze from outside the Franxx to flow in. The pistil seat was destroyed, with wires and cables hanging over it. She noticed that she was lying down on the floor, right-cheek-down and left-cheek-up. One thing she didn't fail to notice however was the warm liquid from before that was pooling on her hands.

"Is that my blood?" she asked herself.

As she forced her eyelids to open even more, she made out a fuzzy black mass obstructing her view. As she focused her senses more, she could feel something long, something soft gripping her back. She mustered all her strength to get up. Using her elbows to support the weight of her upper body, she slowly pushed herself up to sit on her thighs. But as she did so, the sudden realization came to her. Her pupils dilated, her breathing became ragged.

D-D-DARLING.

HER DARLING WAS THE ONE LYING ON THE FLOOR NEXT TO HER, MOTIONLESS.

She quickly regained her senses and shifted her eyes towards the body of her lover. He was lying, face down on the floor. He was motionless. Blood was pulling around his head, where her hand had been.

"DARLING!" she screamed in terror and fear.

NONONONO DARLING DARLING DARLING DARLING'S HURT DARLING'S HURT I NEED TO HELP HIM NO PLEASE DARLING DARLING'S HURT

She immediately grabbed Hiro's shoulders and rolled him gently over onto his back. What she saw completely mortified her. In all her time in being the stamen killer, never had she ever witnessed something so horrifying. And to make matters worse, she didn't expect to see her darling like this.

His left eye was closed shut, blood streaming down from it like a waterfall. A piece of shrapnel was lodged in his chest, most likely piercing his lung. There were burn marks all over his torn stamen suit. Blood was dripping slowly out of his mouth which was left ajar. But the worst... the worst thing Hiro suffered was trauma-inducing to say the least. His right arm had a deep cut. So deep that the white of his bone could be seen. And his legs... they were twisted in the most unnatural way possible, his kneecaps pointing inwards and his bones horribly bent out of shape.

Zero Two gasped for air, closing her mouth with her hand as she stared in horror at her lover. She choked on her own saliva, trying to swallow was too much for her to handle at this moment. Tears began streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't handle it.

Her darling... her darling...

She let out a series of whimpers, inhaling sharp breaths as she did so. Her darling was hurt... Fearfully, she reached out her hand to cup Hiro's cheeks, her left palm still covering her mouth. She was choking up, fear was in her eyes and her mouth could only let out soft whimpers.

As she cupped Hiro's cheek and gently stroked it, she heard something. A sound that would knock her out of her daze and catapult her into action.

"Uugghhh", Hiro groaned as his eyelid slowly opened.

He was wheezing softly, his breaths short. He himself was choking, not because of fear, but because blood was pooling inside his mouth. He coughed the blood out as his eye did it's best to open fully.

"DARLING!" Zero Two screamed as she used both her hands to cup Hiro's cheeks. "DARLING" she sobbed. "D-DARLING YOU'RE ALIVE!".

She couldn't stop the tears. She continued to whimper as her face stood mere inches apart from Hiro's. Her tears dropped onto her lover's cheeks, slightly washing away the blood that had stained them. She whimpered and choked.

Her darling was alive.

She cried and cried, inhaling sharply to supply more oxygen to her body. The air felt thin, she couldn't think straight. But one thing she knew was that her darling was here... he was alive... and he needed her now, more than ever. She softly caressed his cheeks as she attempted to wipe the blood away. She was unable to utter a word. The emotions in her head were overwhelming. But a sound emanating from Hiro's lips brought her back to reality.

"Yu-Yukata... (That's good)", Hiro spoke softly.

His whisper would've been hard to make out if it hadn't been for Zero Two's enhanced senses. The pistil stood still for a moment as her pupils dilated.

Her darling... her darling managed to speak.

"D-Darling?" she whimpered as she shifted her eyes to meet his lone cyan eye.

As she focused on Hiro's face, she could hear him wheezing, every breath a burden for him to intake. More tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn't understand. What did her darling want to say to her?

Suddenly, something that felt like warm liquid over a rubbery material came into contact with her right cheek. It was Hiro's left hand, soaked with his own blood. Hiro gently raised his hand and cupped Zero Two's cheeks. Sensing this, Zero Two instinctively brushed her fingers over the back of Hiro's hand. She was awestruck.

But the words that left Hiro's mouth soon after would leave her frozen with a mixture of emotions.

"Y-You're okay...", he whispered softly as he cracked a small smile.

Although it was a slight smile, one could notice that it was filled with happiness.. satisfaction.. relief. Zero Two stared at him in disbelief... she was awestruck.

Even when he was in pain.. her darling only thought of her.. she was the only person that ever mattered to him.

Zero Two didn't resist the tears that continued to drip down her cheeks and onto the floor. Once again she choked and choked and whimpered and cried. She couldn't find the words to say to her darling. She herself was on the brink of a mental breakdown seeing her darling in the state that he was in.

"Would he survive? " was the one thought that seemed to boom in her mind.

But she was released from her state of shock and awe when Hiro's bloodied hand slowly fell from her face and dropped onto the floor.

Once again... he was motionless.

Zero Two took a sharp breath and gasped, even more tears welled up in her eyes.

Realizing what might've happened.. she broke.

"DARLING! DARLING!"

"AAAGH" she whimpered loudly in agony. "PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME DARLING".

She couldn't keep it in. She wailed and she wailed, hoping that the heavens would see her devastation and give her lover mercy.

"PLEASE I NEED YOU" she wailed as she proceeded to cling onto Hiro's back whilst rocking him back and forth in hopes of snapping him back to life. "PLEASE" she continued to cry, her whimpers getting louder and louder. "I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU DARLING"

Though no matter how much she rocked his body back and forth, he would not awaken from his slumber.

"AAAAGGGGHHHH" she cried, forcing every last bit of energy out of her throat as she gripped his back tightly.

Darling... her darling was gone...

"AAAAGGGGHHHH" she cried once again, this time devolving into a crying, wailing, whimpering mess as she clutched the back of Hiro's head, crying into his seemingly lifeless shoulders.

As she buried her cheeks deeper into the remnants of her lover's shoulders, her enhanced sense of hearing picked up something... a flicker of hope... a flame to ignite her spirits once again.

Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub.

Zero Two gasped, her eyes bulging and her pupils dilating once more. And once again, the tears kept flowing from her eyes but this time... this time they weren't tears of sorrow and despair. They were tears of hope. The beating of Hiro's heart was faint, unnaturally faint. But it was beating nonetheless. Sensing that her darling still had a chance... a chance at life, she gripped him tightly, not wanting to let go. Sniffling on her own mucus, she approached her lips to his ears, intending to whisper words into the unconscious boy's ears. Though he wouldn't hear them, the pistil decided to speak nonetheless.

"I-I'll get you home safely... D-Darling" she whispered, still crying and whimpering.

Still trembling, she then placed a light kiss on his left temple and embraced the boy. It didn't matter that her darling was unconscious, the embrace still spoke volumes to her. She had hope... he had hope...

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"GORO WE NEED TO GO FASTER", Ichigo bellowed her command as Delphinium whizzed through the conrad class corpses to reach Strelitzia.

"I-ICHIGO WE'RE GOING AS FAST AS WE CAN" Goro stammered.

The Franxx was already using a large portion of its magma to fuel its thrusters, which by now were operating at maximum power.

"I DON'T CARE, GORO!", was all Ichigo bothered to reply.

How could Goro not see the severity of the situation? Surely he knew that every second they spent away from the pair was a second wasted. It was a matter of life and death...

"ICHIGO OVER THERE! I SEE IT" Goro shouted to his partner.

Delphinium's eyes shifted to the position pointed out by Goro. What she saw made her freeze where she stood. Her mind raced and her heart skipped a beat. Her pupils dilated and bulged, with fear no less. The shock and awe was unbearable. Laying a hundred meters before them was Strelitzia, or what's left of her. What remained of Strelitzia was merely her torso, her bottom half nowhere to be seen. It was most probably torn off after the devastating crash. The torso of the Franxx was badly beaten, holes everywhere and the metal plates covering the outer layer of the Franxx were all but destroyed, exposing the cables and wires beneath.

The head however... it was a nightmare. Strelitzia's ribbon-like extensions were all torn off and the faceplate ... it was non-existent, leaving the inner cockpit exposed.

And to no surprise, Ichigo began to choke up again. She had to resist the tears, she had to push on and determine the pair's fate. But she couldn't. The floodgates behind her blue eyes cracked, and tears began streaming down her face like a waterfall. She clenched her fists to numb the pain, but all it did was amplify the anguish she felt.

"H-Hiro... Z-Zero Two..." she sharply took in a breath.

"AAAAAAGGGGHHHH" she whimpered in despair, clutching her temples.

"I-ICHIGO" a voice shouted from behind her. "ICHIGO PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER".

Goro was trying his best to keep his partner from breaking, but it seemed his efforts were futile as Ichigo devolved further into a crying, sobbing mess on the pistil controls.

He grit his teeth. It was up to him now to save Hiro and his lover... or to at least get some closure on their fate. He took control of Delphinium, engaging the thrusters and dashed towards Strelitzia's head.

"Every second counts" he thought to himself.

A few seconds could be the difference between life and death... and Goro knew that well. As much as he wanted to break down and let all his anguish out.. he couldn't. He had a duty to fulfill.. and he was determined to do so.

Soon after, the Franxx finally reached Strelitzia's cockpit. Goro severed the connection with Ichigo and immediately ran to the exit, bashing the door open with his foot. He couldn't waste any time, every second counted. Ichigo wasn't far behind him as they both jumped off Delphinium's faceplate and onto Strelitzia's.

"H-HIRO, ZERO TWO! WE'RE HERE" Ichigo screamed as loud as she could whilst running into the Franxx's cockpit.

There was no answer... she could feel the emotions crawling up her throat again.

NO... HIRO... ZERO TWO... PLEASE DON'T TELL ME...

She clenched her fists to numb the pain and moved on. As she entered the dark cockpit, it was eerily quiet... except for what sounded like sobbing and whimpering breaking the silence. As Ichigo's eyes adjusted to the darkness, there she spotted it... the most depressing sight she had ever seen.

There she was... Zero Two and Hiro both crouched on the ground, sitting on their thighs... but something was off... Ichigo knew that... Zero Two was embracing Hiro, her darling, as she sobbed into his shoulder, slowly rocking him back and forth. She was whimpering and gasping for air as tears ran down her cheeks, staining Hiro's stamen suit. On the other hand, Hiro seemed motionless, his arms limp and his hands lying close to the floor, bloodied from all the blood he had lost.

"H-H-H-H-Hi-r-ro" Ichigo whimpered softly, barely managing to use her voice.

She stumbled to the pair, half-running and half-stumbling until she finally fell to her knees beside them. Zero Two didn't notice her at first, but after Ichigo fell on her knees, sobbing at the sight before her, Zero Two took notice as her mind was sent back to reality.

"I-Ichigo?..." she quietly whimpered, still clutching on to her darling, one hand gripping the back of his head and the other stroking his back.

"H-Hiro... what h-h-happened to him?..." Ichigo asked softly, mustering up all her courage to ask the question she didn't want an answer to.

She knew that if Hiro was truly dead then... then she'd failed as a leader... she'd failed her best friend... the boy that she herself once loved... and failed the pair that so desperately wanted nothing but solitude and happiness.

Zero Two went silent for awhile, her silence only to be broken by more whimpering and sobbing as she clutched her darling tightly. She was broken... oh so broken.. Ichigo could see that, it was as clear as day. But what Zero Two said soon after would open the floodgates of emotions in Ichigo... the words that came out of the pistil's mouth... they were unexpected.

"D-Darling's hurt..." Zero Two whimpered, trying desperately to hold back the tears. "H-He's very h-hurt..." she continued, trying her best to make her voice audible to Ichigo, whilst the tears continued to run down her face.

"B-but... h-he's s-still alive..."

Ichigo gasped, her eyes dilating as her mind processed the words that just slipped from Zero Two's mouth.

"H-Hiro... h-he's still alive" she whispered to herself as she reached out her hand to Zero Two.

Those words... those were the three words she needed to hear to galvanise her into action. Her friend, her companion was still with them, he was alive. But she knew that wouldn't be the status quo for long if they lingered around any longer.

No... she had to act.

Reaching out, she placed her hand on Zero Two's shoulder. The pistil was still sobbing and sniffling but as she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, she looked up and realized who's digits it was.

"I-Ichigo?.." she asked confusingly, staring at the blue-haired girl in front of her who at this point was staring at the ground, her blue bangs shielding her eyes from view.

After a moment of silence and her grip on Zero Two's shoulder tightening, she mustered the courage to look at the horned girl in the eye. And what the pistil saw in the leader's eyes could only be described with one word. Conviction. As the girls both stared into each other's orbs for what felt like an eternity, a small, albeit comforting and reassuring smile crept up on Ichigo's face.

"Let's bring him home" Ichigo whispered softly to Zero Two.

All Zero Two could do was stare at the blue-haired girl. She didn't know how to react... the only thing on her mind was her darling.

"H-Hai", was all Zero Two could muster to say as more tears welled up in her eyes.

Ichigo knew that it would be a hard task to carry Hiro's beaten body out of the cockpit. Zero Two was another problem too.. she herself didn't exactly escape the ordeal unscathed. Judging by the pink-haired girl's arms, she was beaten badly, most probably having multiple muscles torn here and there. That was clearly evident judging by how she was already struggling to keep her arms around Hiro in an effort to keep him in her warm embrace. Her left foot seemed to also be worse for wear, with deep cuts around her left ankle, it seemed like it'd need a great effort for her to stand up on her feet, let alone walk. But luckily, Ichigo wasn't alone.

"GORO" she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping that her partner would hear her from outside the cockpit, where he was waiting.

"I-ICHIGO?" he asked from outside the cockpit.

He purposely didn't ask her what was happening inside the cockpit... he was too weak to stomach the severity of the situation.

"GORO COME IN QUICK AND HELP ME" Ichigo screamed once again, frustration in her voice.

But Goro noticed something different about his partner's voice... it had a noticeable element of... conviction.

"H-HAI" Goro stammered as he started stumbling into the cockpit.

As he entered, what he saw froze him in his tracks.

"H-HIRO" he shouted as he rushed to his friend's limp, motionless body that was still being embraced by Zero Two.

"H-Hiro... what happened to you.." was all he could whisper to himself as tears started cascading down his cheeks.

He seldom cried.. but now was the time when the barriers he shielded himself with were broken down one by one.

"H-HIRO" he screamed at the top of his lungs, anguish and despair filling his voice as he reached out his hand towards his friend.

Zero Two was apprehensive when she saw the blonde-haired boy reach out to grab her darling. But she knew that he could be trusted...

"He cares for darling too after all..." she thought to herself before slowly putting her lover's body on the ground, slowly releasing him from her embrace.

As she did this, Goro immediately began to grip Hiro's shoulders as the motionless boy laid there on the cold floor of the cockpit. The first thing he did was not weep and sob over his body though... Goro gently placed his ears over Hiro's chest... in the hopes of hearing his beating heart. He gasped, his eyelids opened fully and his pupils dilated.

He heard it.. Hiro's heartbeat.

And not only did he hear the heartbeat, he could feel the air escaping Hiro's nose as he very faintly wheezed.

"H-Hiro..." Goro started muttering to himself. He then lifted his head up and looked at both of the pistils and stared at them in disbelief. "H-HE'S ALIVE" he shouted.

All Zero Two could do was stare at Goro... she knew her darling was still with her.. but yet the revelation still seemed new to her.. more tears escaped her eyes.. tears of hope. But something snapped within her... a sudden galvanisation to take action.

All this while I've been crying and sobbing.. yet why haven't I made a move to get darling home?... I have to act now... I HAVE TO GET DARLING HOME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

The sudden galvanisation made all her senses come to life, the pain that she had felt in her heart was transformed into courage. The courage to trudge through all the physical pain she had and to be brave in the face of horror and despair... to be brave... for her darling.

She grit her teeth and pressed her palms against the cold floor of the cockpit, willing herself to push herself up on her feet despite the seering, throbbing pain that she was feeling in her arms and ankles. It was a slow process, but not long after, she managed to stand on her own two feet. She softly winced in pain as her arms felt like they were being sliced open by knives and her legs felt like giving out. Ichigo noticed this and quickly stood by her side, putting her hands on Zero Two's left shoulder lest she suddenly fell over. Taking her first few steps ever since the fateful crash, she approached Hiro's body which was being tended to by Goro.

Goro was awestruck by Zero Two's resolve. Never had he seen anyone stand up in the face of pain and horror like Zero Two did.

"Z-Zero Two.. you're hurt you shouldn't be walking.." he said softly to her.

Truth be told, he knew the girl could take it.. but he also knew well that Hiro wouldn't want her to get hurt in the process, which was bound to happen if Zero Two kept on pushing herself to the limit.

"D-Darling is more important... darling is more important" she muttered to herself softly, her right hand clutching her left arm, which to her felt like falling off from all the torn muscles.

She grit her teeth. Truth be told the pain was unbearable. But she would do anything for her darling, just like he did for her.

If darling can do it... so can I.

As she approached Hiro's motionless body, she crouched down, the pain in her ankles amplified as she was forced to support her body weight using her feet alone. She winced in pain, but it didn't matter. Slowly, she slid her arms underneath Hiro's body, the blood still gushing out of his wounds soaked her arms. She gently gripped onto Hiro bridal style and pulled his head closer to her chest. She was going to save her darling no matter what kind of pain she'd have to endure. Placing her lips on his right temple, she kissed him softly. Chu ~

"I promise... I'll save you D-Darling.." she whispered to Hiro. She didn't expect any response from him, just like the last time. But this time... something unexpected took her breath away.

"Uugghh" Hiro softly groaned as Zero Two could feel the air expelled by his soft wheezing graze her neck.

A small tear welled up in Hiro's good-eye and ran down his cheek. As Zero Two traced the path of the tear, she stood frozen as her eyes finally reached Hiro's lips. They were curling into a small smile. She herself couldn't help but crack a small smile as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I promise Darling... I promise" she whispered again as she nuzzled her cheeks against Hiro's.

A sign of affection... a sign that she wasn't ready to give up. Truly, when it came to Hiro... she'd never lose hope... not for him.

Gripping Hiro tightly in her arms, she turned to Ichigo, who by this point was staring at her in disbelief. She shared the same reaction as Goro. But she wasn't as awestruck as him because she knew of Zero Two's capabilities... and the lengths that one will go to protect the ones they love.

Zero Two's tired, broken eyes stared into Ichigo's giving her a knowing look. The horned girl nodded slightly and finally spoke.

"We're ready to go..."

Ichigo stood there, frozen. But this didn't last. She stared back into the pink-haired girl's cyan eyes, with conviction in her own eyes. Ichigo cracked a small smile, a reassuring one.

"Let's go save your darling.." she spoke softly.

The stoic, broken expression on Zero Two's face quickly faded and was replaced by one of relief and hope. She herself replied Ichigo's smile with one of her own, a few drops of tears cascading down her cheeks.

"H-Hai.." she faintly obliged. "Let's go save Darling.."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The atmosphere inside Delphinium's cockpit was dense... so dense that it felt like one could slice it with a knife. Goro and Ichigo, Delphinium's pilots, each focused on dashing through the barren wasteland in an effort to reach the plantation in time. They knew that Hiro's condition was bad.. no.. far from bad.. they knew that he could die any minute from his injuries. To them time was of the essence. None of them spoke a word.

The same could be said for the rest of Squad 13. None of the pilots dared to speak through the comms, knowing how serious the situation was. And although Ichigo and Goro didn't bother to update them on Hiro or Zero Two's condition, they knew that they were trudging through hot water judging by the harshness in Ichigo's tone when she ordered Argentea to alert The Doctor at once.

And thus everyone was silent, keeping their thoughts to themselves.. except for Zero Two who was softly speaking to Hiro as she tended to his wounds.

Before the Franxx had started its journey towards the plantation, Zero Two had rummaged through Delphinium's first aid kit stored beneath the panels of the cockpit. Much to her fortune, she found some bandages and antiseptic that would prove useful in helping nurse Hiro's wounds. The first wound that she tended to was the wound on his right arm... or what's left of it. The wound was deep, very deep. The white of his bones could be seen and it was obvious that if it weren't for a few pieces of ligaments holding the arm together, it would've fallen off by now.

Zero Two trembled as she used the distilled water from the first aid kit to wash off all the blood and wrap the bandage and gauze around the wound to maintain Hiro's blood pressure. Blood continued to pour out of his wound though but luckily, the bleeding stopped not long after, a product of all the maintenance Hiro underwent as a child in Garden.

After tending to his arm, she continued to nurse the wounds and cuts on his forehead. She made sure to stay far away from his right eye though, as it was obvious that it was wounded badly. She did however, take the initiative to place a bandage over his eye to stop the bleeding. Next, she moved on to wipe the deep cut on his left brow, it was deep but still manageable.

Her concentration in nursing Hiro's wounds was broken however when she felt a rush of air tickling her cheeks as she was tending to the cut on Hiro's brow. The expulsion of air came from Hiro's nose and it continued for several seconds. Hiro continued to expel more air from his nose as his wheezing grew louder and louder. His eyelids suddenly started to tremble and what seemed like water pooled up around his closed left eye.

Zero Two's hands started trembling, she didn't know what was happening.

"D-Darling? A-Are you awake?" she asked softly.

She didn't expect a reply just like before, so it was more of her muttering to herself than anything. Or so she thought.

The liquid that was pooling around Hiro's right eye began to cascade down his cheeks as his eyelids began to tremble more and more, almost as if they were shivering. Beads of sweat started running down his cheeks.

"W-W-What's happening to Darling" Zero Two thought to herself.

She was panicking. No.. panicking would be putting it lightly.. she was about to break down... again. Tears welled up in her eyes once more as her trembling hand cupped Hiro's left cheek.

That was when the words were spoken.. the words that would once again break the spirit Zero Two had tried so hard to build up.

"Z-Zero Two.. it hurts.."

She was broken again..