Molten rock surrounded the blue-skinned female as she traversed through the toxic fumes that rose around the only available solid pathway. The sky far above was covered in a permanent gray smog that sat over the mountain.
The ground rumbled as she approached the volcanoe's center, but she did not falter, instead watching as the lava rose and dispersed around the massive creature. It clawed its way out of the depths revealing first its long and flat head, equipped with three rows of chainsaw-like teeth that took up most of its blackened mouth. Two eyes bulged out of the top of its skull, each radiating a solid, bright azure. Scaley limbs surfaced, pounding onto the rock in front of her, taking a humanoid form save for the lengthened claws that protruded from the klaxosaur's fingertips.
It towered over her, the creature would probably be comparable in size to multistoried building if it surfaced entirely, however, only its head and shoulders remained visible.
My patience dwindles for you, leader. Ancient and monotonous tones filled her mind.
Your assistance is required at the heart, I'm no longer afforded the option of courteousness, the princess spoke.
The creature's orbs flared brighter for a moment.
I have no interest in fighting this battle, especially not behind you who schemes among those putrid creatures. Disdain laced itself within the klaxosaur's speech.
Her annoyance grew.
I've done what I had to do, Atlas, she growled, attempting to hold back the malice creeping its way through her mind.
Atlas' hands smashed onto either side of the outing of rock on which the princess stood, his head lowering and fangs bared; she stood her ground.
'Done what you've had to do'? What is that nonsense? Your actions lead to the resurrection of a demon and the creation of a fake, it's only a matter of time before the plan you've so foolishly craft-
Enough.
Her lone horn hummed with spiteful energy, and Atlas' intimidating position collapsed into a grovel.
Playing the odds when they are stacked against us is the only option, the only foolish decision left is to make none at all.
She spread her arms.
So then, what will it be? She recognized the monster's hatred growing with every word. Will you go back on the promises made to our ancestors and continue to play the fool?
Invisible tethers snapped, limbs massive enough to kill a human her size on impact swept towards her.
She smirked.
I think I'll enjoy this...
The howling wind beat at the single-paned window which allowed the seeping cold to ooze its way into the chamber. Outdated fluorescent light flickered above, compensating for the minute amount of natural light that trickled into the room as he flipped through the faded and brittle pages of the brown, leather-backed journal. Werner Frank's wooden desk creaked with every move, as if it might break at any moment. The three drawers beneath his slouched body held nothing of interest; pens, paper, stale cigarettes, things left behind as non-essentials.
"Plantation 9: Secure, Plantation 10: Lost, Plantation 11: Lost, Plantation 12: Unknown, Plantation 13: Sec-"
He slammed the square red button the halo-ring shaped projector, having heard enough of its incessant updates, and lounged back in the leather office chair.
The squeaking of the oak door brought his attention the 26-year-old standing silent in the frame. A large, navy winter trench coat wrapped around his body concealing his arms. His shaved head matched with the stern military glare he wore permanently. Dull and calculating brown eyes met with a tired gray.
"Did Codes M-12 and M-40 enjoy their walk, Hachi?"
"Unfortunately," Hachi spoke, his cloak moved to reveal the concealed sidearm, "I seem to have lost track of them in the storm."
Dr. Franxx reached out with his mechanical arm, and Hachi deposited the weapon into his hand.
The steel had dulled from a shiny silver to a boring gray, its handle worn from years of negligence. Clicking a button on the side he released the magazine, revealing four missing bullets from the total of eight.
"I thought I taught you better, Hachi," Werner scoffed.
"I was being thorough, doctor."
Hachi's stoic expression showed no amusement in the obvious tease. The doctor coughed to dissipate the awkward silence that followed, keeping the clip and pistol separate as he slipped it into one of the ancient desk drawers, stretching his arm out to grab the cane leaned up on the wall next to him.
"Let's go check on our little assistant then, shall we?" The doctor rose, shuffling past the taller and more sturdy looking young man.
Hachi followed in suit as traversed his way through the maze of hallways that made up the single-story building. The white-tiled floors contrasted the dark gray of the concrete walls that surrounded them. Metallic doors lined the hospital-like complex, some labeled as offices, others as labs. Finally, they came to a dimly lit stairwell.
Fluorescent tubes ran parallel with the corridor downward, providing the only light to the claustrophobic enclosure. Upon reaching the bottom, one would see the hallway expand out as far as the eye could see, hundreds of rooms on either side. Lucky for the old man's aging body, their destination was set up in the room to his immediate left upon reaching the basement level.
The chamber was painted a stark white, on the far wall a large screen displayed two humanoid outlines along with corresponding vitals information. A stainless steel workbench encircled the center of the room, bent around in a U-shape and decorated with numerous multimeters, computers, and other pieces of extraneous lab equipment. A teenage girl was bent over at one computer reading through something when they walked in. She wore a lab coat that was probably two sizes too large for her with a dark undershirt; the left sleeve tied shut to prevent it from dangling unnecessarily.
Dr. Franxx gagged upon inhaling in the most grotesque smell he had ever been forced to become accustomed to.
"Doctor!" The girl stood, flustered by their sudden arrival. "I was just getting set up and I may have accidentally turned on the response systems."
Her soft face showed a sheepish expression, brown eyes turned downward in embarrassment.
A tempered glass display case stood in the center of the basketball court-sized room and was the detectable source of the foul scent. A mixture of black and blue made up the horrifying blob as it pulsated within its confines. It had responded to his presence, tiny spindles protruding and connecting, attempting to reach out to him.
"Shut it off, Hachi," Dr. Franxx spoke as he looked at the creature with distaste.
"Yes sir," Hachi returned, typing in a command on the computer the younger girl had been on just moments prior.
He watched as the monster deflated into what looked like a black puddle of oil before even that evaporated.
Taking a vial off the test-tube stand to his right, he swirled it around with his wrist. The liquid within glowed a warm gold-like color.
"Naomi," the doctor addressed the young attendant, "restart the systems, we'll start again."
"Will do!" She chirped.
"Hachi, the surveillance systems are rerouted, correct?" Franxx questioned, checking items off his list of to-dos.
"Correct, doctor."
Good.
A smile of delight grew, hidden under his gray beard. Years had gone by since he'd taken part in a true lab enviroment, it excited him, but Dr. Franxx pushed the child-like feelings of wonder down. He had work to do.
Strelizia coughed her darling up like a hairball, sending him tumbling right into Zero Two's arms who caught him at the cost of her balance. She crashed into the grass beneath her, providing a soft enough cushion for her shorter fall.
"Ow," Hiro's muted voice came out.
The beast lowered its nose, boring into the two of them with its dull orbs.
She was already annoyed, to say the least, but when that thing had the nerve to eye up her darling as if it cared about his well being, Zero Two cracked.
Get lost. A burning sensation coursed through her veins along with a familiar tingle in the tips of her horns as she transmitted the command.
Like usual, the machine just scoffed at her, unabated by her wishes. Fortunately, Strelizia seemed to take a hint that her presence wasn't wanted any longer than needed, and she circled them once more before taking off back into the black void from where they'd come from.
She took a rather difficult breath and exhaled, trying to imagine the coziest most relaxing thing she could. An hour in the springs with, darling? Now that sounded like heaven. Zero Two attempted another deep breath, and she sensed the heat drain from her skin as at faded to a more natural pale.
When Zero Two opened her eyes, she found her darling with his face resting comfortably on her chest. He was still, so much so that she would've thought he was dead were it not for the light tickle of his breathing on her sternum.
"I knew it," she concluded, "darling is a massive pervert."
He groaned as his head rose.
"I…" He trailed off.
Tired eyes looked up at her as she bit her lip to hold in the laughter that was building up. He buried his head back into its previous resting spot.
"Have no defense..." Hiro muffled out.
His exhaustion causing him to fall to a pathetic degree of resistance to her teasing. It was about this time she noticed the rank odor emanating from his body.
She pinched her nose.
"You stink too," she commented in a nasally voice.
Hiro rolled off her into the grass.
"A hot bath sounds so nice," his eyes glazed over with thoughts of the heat removing the pain from his aching body.
Zero Two propped herself up on her elbow, her trademarked devious grin painted across her face.
"I couldn't agree more, darling."
His brow rose at her implication.
"We're getting a little old to be-"
She clamped her hand over his mouth in a playful gesture.
"You won't be going anywhere without me in that state anyway…" She pointed out.
Sure enough, when he attempted to raise himself to contradict her words, Hiro couldn't work up enough strength. His muscles refusing to cooperate as his exhausted body fought for any bit of rest possible. He looked terrible by any objective standard, not that she really cared about those. His hair matted and dirty, body bruised and scraped along with his horns.
She watched as the holes from the insertions on his chest closed into raw, scarred flesh. He seemed to still be out of breath, his mouth left ajar to gulp at the air. Despite all of that, she took most notice of his now rosy cheeks that only grew brighter in response to her growing attentiveness.
He glanced away from her before speaking again.
"I suppose it's fine," he said with a wry grin.
Zero Two moved swiftly and carefully to lift him, one arm placed underneath his knees and the other to support his back as she pulled him off the ground in a move that would impress any experienced weightlifter.
"It's decided then!" She exclaimed, turning to face out toward the forest expanse below, her darling held tight to her body.
"What's all this shit about?" Zorome groaned, still half asleep.
His light brown hair had knotted into a strangled mess, and his uniform put on in a haste. Miku appeared next to him as a matching mess as they walked out of the elevator.
Ichigo watched as Futoshi and Goro followed them out into the hangar. To their right stood four massive Franxx, each colored in their own unique styles, unlike the standard mechs. The last mech of the four was left dusty and dull unlike the others which were all well kept.
The rest of the space was empty, going out a few hundred meters before opening to the filth beyond iron walls. A dust storm raged at the hangars mouth, making it difficult to see the bulky, squarish, cargo planes awaiting authorization to land.
"Cool it, Zorome, we have important guests," Ichigo chided as four of the enormous vehicles landed in sync on the far side of the space from them.
"We'll be done in like 5 minutes and you can go back to the dorms," Goro added with optimism.
"I heard it was the Nines? Is that true," Futoshi nibbled on his coat collar before Ikuno swatted it out of his mouth.
"Doesn't matter who they are, they're staying with us until Papa says otherwise," she glared at Miku and Zorome who had zoned out of the conversation, "so get your act together."
"What are you talking about?" Miku growled, staring daggers in Ikuno.
"Miku please just settle down," Ichigo finalized attempting to make peace, placing herself in the conflict's center.
"No you shut up too," Miku snapped, temper flaring, "we all know the only reason you're in ch-"
"Enough!"
The mature feminine voice was unmistakable.
Miku glared toward Ichigo one more time before dropping her gaze and returning to her uninterested self.
"Code 015, can you inform me as to why your squad is in such disarray?"
The red-headed female had her business attitude in place, and Ichigo didn't expect to get out unscathed with an unsatisfying excuse.
"I have failed to keep them in order ma'am."
Nana sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose.
"You all couldn't be further from normal children…"
Ichigo opened her mouth to comment but opted out. At least she wouldn't be punished for the mishap if Nana wasn't interested in holding her accountable.
"Man, these guys are a mess aren't they?"
A sly male voice taunted from their front, Ichigo had been so distracted by her squad mates nonsense she didn't even notice the strange group. They approached on a small airport buggy that carted them about ten feet in front of Ichigo before dropping off the assorted bunch.
Eight off-putting individuals confronted them. Colorful individuals of varying sizes comprised the main five while three female triplets stood behind, each with long gray hair and brown eyes. The triplets wore masks comprising a metal bridge that went over their noses and attached to around their ears, an odd detail Ichigo noticed.
"Sure seems that way, Alpha," the tallest, wearing a purple mop of hair, responded.
"I think they're just adorable," the female with short green hair pushed ahead of the group taking interest in Zorome, "just look at this little guy."
Zorome took a step back in surprise before pressing forward aggressively.
"Hey, who you making fun of sho-!" Miku's elbow jabbing into in his side cut him off.
At least she had some sense of the gravity of the current situation, unlike her male counterpart…
Ichigo stepped ahead of the group.
"I am Code 015 and squad leader of Squad 13, it's a pleasure to meet you," she took a stiff bow.
"You seem to be neglecting your duties, Nana of Squad 13," Alpha, the leader of the group spoke ignoring Ichigo's greeting.
She stewed in her embarrassment for a moment before a soft hand gripped her shoulder in reassurance. Looking up she found Nana giving her a weak smile.
"I only do what I'm ordered to, this squad has been given special freedoms," Nana defended herself, "I'm certain you were made of aware of that, Nine Alpha."
Futoshi made a choking sound when Nana let slip the confirmation of his fears.
Alpha's smirk disappeared, instead becoming one of disgust.
"I suppose it's no wonder we're needed here then," he pushed past the group, his squad mates filing in behind, "now if you'll excuse us, we'll be making ourselves at home."
Before passing into the elevator Alpha swiveled his head to call out one last thing.
"'Code 015', was it?" He started. "I'd recommend putting your squad on a tighter leash, else you want to see their bodies decorating the waste like the ones you replaced."
Ichigo's stomach churned at his words.
The elevator shut, leaving the space to a white silence.
"Yeesh," Goro muttered.
"At least that Alpha guy seemed cool, unlike any of you," Miku provoked, still aggravated.
"Excuse me?" Zorome confronted, concerned with his partner's loyalty in more than one aspect.
Ichigo could feel the thoughts building up in her head, so many questions but one stood out as the most important.
"Nana, why are they here?" Ichigo forced out.
Nana's eyes darkened, showing her annoyance with the query.
"They are the Nines, an elite squadron hand picked by Papa to be the saviors of humanity."
So they were a squad full of elite brats? It suited their attitude, Ichigo concluded.
"Because of the unfortunate circumstance we've had to call them in before you could all be prepared properly, but they intended the merger from the start."
Zorome jolted out of his grouchy attitude.
"Does that mean?"
Nana nodded.
Ichigo's heart sank.
"They are your new squad mates, so try your best to get along with them."
Zero Two couldn't have been happier when she discovered the small haven under the manor years prior; tucked away down a flight of stairs hidden in the back corner of the structure. Heat radiated from the cavern walls around them that glowed like a warm hearth.
"I think I can walk on my own now, Zero Two," Hiro stated.
She pulled his arm tighter around her shoulder, still detecting a slight wobble in his steps.
"No harm in being safe, is there?" She questioned, glancing over at him.
His chest was bare, and she took a moment to admire the tone he had developed. Zero Two took some credit for pushing him into shape, but their lifestyle had been the main contributor to the strength they'd both matured into. Contrary to her bold glances, Hiro seemed to try his best to avoid eye contact with any part of her exposed self.
"You really ought to be used to this by now, darling," she criticized.
"I am used to it," he insisted.
Zero Two sighed.
The corridor widened into a pool-sized room, steam rose from the liquid that took up the majority of the room. Rocky structures jutted out from the water in small portions of the subterranean spring, other than that, the water was the perfect depth for a relaxing bath.
Hiro stepped in ahead, and she kneeled to ease him into the water. He winced on initial contact, but his face became more and more relaxed as his entire body submerged.
After ensuring he was safe and comfortable, Zero Two took a few steps back from the water's edge. With a three-step running start, she leapt, pulling her legs tight to her body.
"Cannonball!" She exclaimed, crashing into spring below.
Warmth engulfed her entire body. Stresses, both physical and mental, alleviating as she fell weightless to the bottom.
Zero Two felt the pads of her feet scrape against the rocky floor, and using it as a springboard, she rocketed back to the surface. She found Hiro beaming when she reached the surface, having found amusement in her antics.
"Well?" She asked, a smile of her own on her face. "Feel better yet?"
"Yep," he pulled his arm out of the water, bending it into a joking flex, "good as new."
Hiro winced as said that, letting his limb fall limp back into the water. Zero Two's mouth turned into a lopsided frown as she narrowed her eyes at him. She approached, wading through the water until their faces were mere inches apart.
"Z-Zero Two, that's a bit too close."
She ignored him, looking deep into his oceanic eyes closing the remaining distance. He gasped as her tongue extended, dragging a trail up his neck, both of their hearts pounding from the ungodly amount of skin-on-skin contact. Zero Two ended her odd ritual by pressing her crimson horns against his, her bangs falling over her eyes as she did so.
A million pin-pricks spread all over her body and an aching concentrated on her spine lower spine. The bitter taste in her mouth amplified-he was not good as new and there was nothing she could do about it.
"That blue hag will have hell to pay when we're free," Zero Two growled, a darker expression cast over her face.
Hiro noticed a change in the tension of their conversation and relaxed, raising a shaky arm to place on the pink-haired girl's head.
"We're still freer than we ever were back then, and even like this…" He paused.
With a gentle shift of his hand on her crown, he tilted Zero Two's head up so they were eye-to-eye again.
"Even like this, I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. So there's no point and getting upset, Zero Two."
Her heart wrenched at the sight of his beaming face, it hurt her more than anything else in the world could to see that forced smile, but she kept her welling emotions in check.
"Besides," his hand moved, reaching clumsily for the small of her back.
She sensed a soft digit probing one of the four tender pieces of raw flesh that surrounded her spinal cord. His light massage loosened her stiffness and Zero Two purred, dissolving her worries in the bliss.
"I'm not the only one who's still getting used to this, right?"
Zero Two caught her eyes wondering to his lips.
Bad idea, bad idea…
"Zero Two?"
Hiro's confused expression forced her to realize how long she'd been staring at him.
"I-I guess…" Zero Two mumbled.
His horns scraped along hers, the electricity that passed between them sent shivers through her body.
"As long as we're together, we'll be alright."
She nudged her horns against his, reciprocating the gesture.
"Yeah, yeah." She murmured.
AN: Happy New Year! Time really does fly huh? Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me for the past however many months, I really appreciate it. I'll continue to try to improve on my writing going into the new year for you all and I hope you'll all continue to have patience with me as you have so far.
All your feedback is appreciated as usual. If I made any particularly bad mistakes feel free to let me know, I'm nowhere close to perfect after all.
Edit: Fixed some mistakes, thank you kind reviewer.
Edit 2: found some really weird errors with almost all inclusions of the name " " being removed, fixed along with some other miscellaneous things.
UPDATE: Gonna be honest, my motivation to write has been particularly low recently. I have portions of the upcoming chapters finished, but their release date will be indefinitely postponed. Haven't been very happy with this fandom's writing environment for while now and I'm not sure when or if my opinion on that will be swayed or not. Hopefully I'll return to writing on and off over the summer.
I apologize for not being able to continue, but I don't see a point and half-assing my way through the rest of the story in my current state of motivation.