Hello. To those who are new, welcome, and to those who have been reading since the beginning, welcome back.
I feel that this chapter is more of a linking one to the main story, as I am still using it as a minor guideline after all.
Please leave any comments or thoughts you have, as I do read everything and very much appreciate hearing from you.
I hope you enjoy.
_
We were seated at our normal gender corresponding tables.
There was a noticeable flat mood in the room due to less light being present than usual. The food in front of us, that looked it came from a plantation rations container, had been prepared by Ichigo and Kokoro.
Contact with Hachii and Nana had been unsuccessful, and our ever mysterious caretakers, the ones that usually provided us with warm meals and clean clothes, were absent.
We were told to save water and power, but had no other knowledge about the situation below.
Had Papa forgotten about us?
It reminded me of the past, I had questions, but lacked answers.
At this moment however, I felt that didn't matter as much as I was with her again.
In front of me Zorome and Futoshi were chatting about the events of yesterday, the battle that we had made it though together.
Goro was eating quietly, from time to time glancing over in the direction of where Ichigo was sitting, but then quickly returning his attention to what was in front of him.
His affection for her continued to show itself, even after his action of leaving Delphinium's cockpit for my sake.
Hey really was good person.
On the other side of the room, the pink haired girl was seated next to Ikuno.
Her posture was a bit slumped while she refrained from making much eye contact.
She acted meekly, only occasionally picking at the food in front of her, assumably still feeling that she didn't fit in.
This had been noticed by those surrounding her.
After a few minutes Ikuno broke the impending silence.
"ZeroTwo, You like sweet things don't you? Would you like my honey?"
In her hand she held out a small sqeezable packet that was included with the rations we were eating.
The girl looked at her with suprised face but nodded slighty moments afterward.
She took the small packet from Ikuno whose lips were making a warm, satisfied smile.
It was then opened where there were markings indicating where it could be torn.
Sluggishly the golden liquid began to pour out from the excess pressure applied to the rear of the container by her fingers.
She promptly layed out a biscuit on her tray and allowed the liquid to cover the top, giving it a golden sheen.
Then still with a timid demeanor, she put it into her mouth and ate it.
Her face lit up with elation and bounced up and down on her seat faintly.
The other girls at her table, amused by her reaction, chuckled.
Their relationship seemed to be improving already.
"Why is it that you like sweets so much ZeroTwo?~"
Kokoro, who was sitting on the other side of Ikuno, passed her packet of honey down towards the opposite end of the table as well.
The girl with pink hair seemed to ponder the question momentarily, attempting to remember the past.
A smug grin then arose from her lips.
"That's a secret!~"
Her gaze briefly turned to me and continued to smile splendidly.
I had remembered it all too well now.
That important part of my life that had been forcibly forgotten.
We had walked through the snow covered forest without any knowledge about the outside world.
Although I couldn't communicate with her I felt, like myself at one point, that she was hungry.
At one moment when we had stopped to rest by a tree I took out from my pocket two pieces of candy, one green and one yellow.
She looked at the green piece that I showed her with curiousity, unknowing of what it was meant for.
I took it out of the wrapper, told her to open her mouth, and put it in.
Her reaction was that of ecstasy, expreiencing a feeling that had never been felt before.
"Its just why you like sweets so much, why is it a secret?"
Miku, who had been listening, seemed somewhat unsatisfied with the response that the girl with pink hair gave.
Before answering the girl had put another biscuit layered with honey in her mouth, she spoke while chewing.
"It is a very special memory for me. I was shown a whole new part of life that I had never seen before. Not going to say.~"
The girl with pigtails crossed her arms, still unsatisfied.
"Fine then"
Breakfast continued until we all finished.
The trays we ate off of were left in a pile on the end of one of the tables.
We were going to have to clean them later but at the moment there were more important issues that had to be taken care of.
The first one was water.
What we had at the building was nowhere near enough to keep us going so we would have to use the ponds located within the Mistilteinn.
Our survival would depend on us.