Everyone on the ground covered their ears at the noise and winced. The screech was mechanical and static-filled; it pierced their ears and sent their thoughts tumbling.
"Doctor!" Nana yelled over the noise. She waited for it to stop before continuing. "What's going on? We've never seen a Franxx do this before!"
Werner was absolutely furious. How dare they do this without his permission! There were reasons for the way things were, damn it!
He leveled an imperious finger at the rogue mech. "That boy should not be in Delphinium! He is Strelizia's! He belongs to Strelizia!"
"I don't understand!" the administrator replied.
"There is a reason I brought 002 here, Nana!" the scientist raged. The parasites looked between the two adults, frozen in fear. Their years of training had never prepared them for this situation and it showed.
"She is a stamen killer!" he continued. "But he! He is a pistil killer!"
The children looked at each other in blatant shock. What the hell was going on? What was the man talking about?
"H-Hiro is a...!" Goro stammered. "But that means... Ichigo!"
"They are one and the same!" Franxx spoke. "He is the only one who can handle her, and she is the only one who can handle him. That is why I told him to fail in the test with Code 703! He terminated the connection before it got to dangerous levels, and we triggered a variant of the failsafe developed for Strelizia to lock him out of the system! But when you pull these charades, you risk causing problems with unforseen consequences!"
As if to punctuate his words, Delphinium howled again, its every movement tortured and pained. Its limbs slammed against the ground, seeking refuge from the misery but finding none. Once more, they all covered their ears.
"Just as 002 subverts the will of the stamen, 016 overwhelms the control of the pistil. He failed the parasite exam not because he was too weak, but because he was too powerful. He needed his partner! I always intended for her to be his, but those geezers on the council wanted to field test Strelizia before either of them were ready. And as a result, we lost quite a few good stamen! They cannot function properly without each other, they are too unstable!"
"Then... then that incident with the klaxosaur..." Ikuno whispered.
"It wasn't a fluke!" Futoshi sobbed.
"Why weren't we informed?" Hachi asked emotionlessly.
"He's labeled the special specimen for a reason, and that reason was classified! It was on a need to know basis only, and now you need to know! I didn't think you fools would make such a grevious error, but clearly I was wrong!"
"What happens to the pistil?" Nana questioned quickly, knowing they deserved the doctor's ire.
"There's no way to know for certain, this is the first time it's happened. With the way pistils connect to the Franxx, if she is not removed soon, Code 015 could suffer permanent damage to parts of her nervous system. She's trapped inside with no way out. She can't control the Franxx, but she can't disconnect either! She's acting as an involuntary conduit to pass on his orders to the machine and she has no choice but to accept!"
Tears welled in Goro's widening eyes. "Ichigo... Ichigo...!"
Hachi looked at the struggling machine, grimacing. "Can 016 not terminate the connection himself?"
"Unlike a pistil, a stamen cannot forcibly control a Franxx alone. With her locked out, he has no control. He can't order the system's shutdown because she's incapacitated. And without a stable connection balancing his own, he's been too heavily linked into the system. It's a negative feedback loop! I don't even know if they're conscious anymore! Strelizia's design included the same failsafes from his trials to guard against this possibility and disconnect him automatically, because he and 002 belong to Strelizia! No other Franxx has such a system installed - they were never meant to handle the kind of pressure 016 exerts!"
"Then the only way to get them out..." Nana whispered.
"Is his partner!" Werner snarled, emphasizing the word with all he could muster.
Hachi pulled out his communication device and began barking orders. "Argentium, you must secure Delphinium! Buy time so Code 002 can disconnect Delphinium's pistil and stamen!"
DARLINGtRouBleDARLINGtrOUbLeDARLINGDARLINGsAvEDARLINGDARLINGwASHboARdKiLLinGDARLINGDARLINGsAvEpROtECthELphURrYhURRyDARLINGDARLINGDARLING
She was panickingstressedpanickingnonono badbadbad hurryhurry badbadbad get to darling gettoDARLINGhebelonged to her he was hershershers she was hishishis this was wrongwrongwrongwrong!
The mech's vocalized suffering forced her to cover her ears; she felt the howling echo in the core of her being.
HurTPAiNDARLINGDARLINGiNpAInDARLINGpAINsuFFerInGHuRRYDARLINGDARLINGDARLINGSaVeDARLING
"Zorome! We need to do something!"
"R-Right! Okay, here we go!"
Hachi's orders broke Argentium out of its stunned disbelief and it finally moved to bind the Franxx. Grabbing Delphinium's arms, it maneuvered behind the robot and kicked in its knees, bringing it to the ground. Miku grabbed the back of its head and pushed it into the dirt. Though it struggled, Delphinium was subdued long enough for Zero Two to somehow manage to get to the rampaging mech's cockpit. But as she got onto its shoulder the mech broke free with a howl and reared up onto its knees again in agonized suffering. For once in her life, Zero Two was glad to have enhanced agility and strength. Her klax genes were the only thing allowing her to keep a foothold on the mech. She struggled to turn the mechanical emergency hatch release that was installed on every Franxx; after a moment it rotated and the cockpit unsealed. The static-filled faceplate went silent at last, and with a hiss it lowered itself. She jumped onto it and ran to the door. Thankfully, it opened without issue.
DARLINGDARLINGDARLINGthErehewAsDARLINGDARLING
"Darling! Darling!" She didn't even spare Ichigo's limp form a single thought as she bolted to the stamen's seat. She grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him, willing him back to life. He didn't react. Was he unconscious? Was he dead?! NonononoNOOnonONonoNOnonO!
"Hey! Hey! Heyheyheyhey!" she whimpered. Wrapping her arms around him, Zero Two rocked him back and forth in a frantic attempt to bring him out of whatever stupor he was in. He was so pale, so tense! This was horrible nono darlingdarling nononohErDARLING! She pushed his beautiful black locks away from his forehead and kissed it, tears welling in her eyes.
"C'mon, c'mon! I'm here, I'm right here! Darling!"
She looked around. Were they still connected? How would she - of course! The ejection switch! Praying it would work, she half ran, half stumbled over to the side of the pistil's control terminal, where Ichigo was mute and lifeless. She looked for the hidden release. Fumbling for a bit due to her shaking hands, she at last found it, and silently a panel revealed itself. Zero Two slammed her fist against the button and watched as the ejection mechanism rapidly coiled around Ichigo before dropping her out of the cockpit and down to the ground, far below.
A rough, pained gasp caught her attention immediately. In an instant the girl was hugging and supporting him, listening to his ragged breathing as he struggled to get his bearings. He leaned into her heavily and wrapped his arms around her back, his head on her shoulder. He coughed hoarsely several times.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here, I'm here, you're okay," she whispered, rocking him slightly and running her hand through his hair.
"Holy shit," he choked out, his face damp with sweat. "Holy shit..."
She murmured sweet nothings in his ear and rubbed his back in comfort when he tightened his grip on her.
"Where's... where's Ichigo, Zero Two?"
Nonono don't think about the stupididiot washboard shejusttriedtOkILLDARLINGDARLINGbreAThebreathecomforthim not now comfort him he's okay he's here he's here
"I ejected her. They're probably getting her right now. Don't think about her! I'm here, darling, I'm here." The tears flowed from her eyes now and she buried her head in his shoulder. She shouldn't be crying! She had to be strong, she had to comfort him! But he was alive thankyouthankyou! Her darling was okay, her darling was okay!
Hewasokayshewasokaytheywereokay.
"Good," he whispered. "Thank you for getting me, Zero Two."
"Alwaysalwaysalways!" She wrapped herself around him protectively and let him rest against her so he could regain a bit of his strength.
"I love you, Zero Two."
"I love you, darling!"
Goro and Ikuno were the first to make it to the pod. The stamen ran to the side and quickly hit the release switch, revealing the limp pistil. He grabbed at her shoulders, giving her a slight shake.
"Ichigo? Ichigo!"
She coughed and sputtered, her face twisted in pain. Ikuno went to the other side and deftly released the pistil hood and skeleton before throwing them to the ground. Goro gently rolled her over onto her back.
"Go...ro..." she muttered weakly. The relief on his face was clear as day.
"Thank Papa," he said. "I was so afraid, you stupid idiot!"
"Where's... Hiro? I need to... talk to..."
He turned and looked up at Delphinium's silent form. "He's still in there. That girl - Zero Two - she got you out. She's with him."
Goro realized his error too late and quickly twisted back to her, expecting to see rage and anger. To his surprise, he found none.
"Ah... I see..."
Ikuno was getting impatient. "Goro!"
"R-Right!" Carefully, tenderly, he collected the tiny girl in his arms. It was like she weighed nothing. How could such a small frame possibly withstand the perils of klaxosaur combat? Making sure to not shift her too much, he turned to bring her to the plantation's medical facility. Ikuno followed him closely, watching for any sudden changes in Ichigo's status.
Across the way, Kokoro looked up at Delphinium. Hiro had just vomited over the edge of the faceplate platform, his body forcibly reseting itself after... whatever it was that just happened. Genista's pistil watched as that strange girl knelt down next to the boy and rubbed his back in a consoling manner. Once the contents of his stomach were expelled, she gently pulled him back into a sitting position, brought up her arm and, with the utmost care, wiped his mouth and chin with the sleeve of her uniform. Kokoro could tell the other girl didn't care one bit about the cleanliness of her attire; her focus was solely on Hiro.
"...Mitsuru?" she asked, sensing his approach but keeping her eyes on the girl and Hiro.
"Yes, Miss Kokoro?" he returned respectfully. She felt his eyes on her. She considered it a good sensation, a calming one.
"That word she always calls Hiro - what does it mean?"
Mitsuru turned to look at them as well. Zero Two was supporting his friend as he struggled to his feet.
"It's hard to explain."
"And then, I'll be your da-"
Ichigo eyes snapped open, a cold sweat drenching her from head to toe. Her whole body was sore, her nerves on fire, her movements jerky and imprecise. She leaned over the edge of the bed, where a lidless trash can had thankfully been placed, and emptied her stomach - mostly liquid and without substance. After coughing several times she shakily brought her hands to her face and tried to rub the stress from her eyes. She painfully moved back into a reclining position, exhausted already. The only thing she felt was utter confusion. Was it a dream? Had it actually happened? It seemed so real, so authentic - but she'd never even seen such a girl at Garden! The visions were brief and sporadic; she felt like she held an incomplete jigsaw puzzle and couldn't find any of the missing pieces, no matter how hard she searched. And in all of the conversations she could remember, Hiro hadn't mentioned anything about it! What was going on? She had so many questions!
"I-Ichigo!" a tired voice exclaimed. Wincing at how stiff and sore her neck was, she turned in the sound's direction. Goro was sitting in a chair by her bed; deep bags were under his eyes, framed by the moonlight coming into the room. It looked like he hadn't slept in days. She noted they were in a hospital room, undoubtedly in the plantation's medical complex.
"Goro?" she replied hoarsely, then coughed. Carefully, he reached over to the nearby tray and grabbed a glass of water. He brought it to her mouth, tipping it towards her so she could drink. Swallowing hurt a bit, but she managed. Once she'd downed the contents he put the glass back and smiled weakly at her.
"I'm glad you're okay," he whispered.
"How long have I..." she trailed off as she painfully struggled to move to a sitting position. Goro placed his hands on her back and shoulder and supported the movement, making sure she didn't twist or bend anything.
"A few days now. You've been asleep the entire time. The medical staff said there was moderate damage to your somatic nervous system, but it's thankfully nothing permanent. You should feel sore and a bit numb or tingly here and there for a while, especially in your hands and arms," he monologued, as if reading a checklist. He leaned forward and leaned his forearms on his knees, staring at her bed.
"We were all scared there'd be some form of mental damage, but they detected no abnormalities," he continued, the relief in his voice crystal clear. "The doctors said it was as if something had shielded your mind from the system."
"It was Hiro," she whispered.
Goro stared at her. "H-Hiro?"
She nodded, looking down at her sheets. "At first it felt like I was drowning. There was so much noise everywhere. But then..." she smiled, tired. "Something grabbed me. I knew it was him. Somehow I could tell, you know? He... hugged me? And then I saw..."
Her eyes were drooping. Goro grinned, not knowing if her rambling was true or something she'd hallucinated during the event. He stood up and gently eased her back into a reclining position.
"Alright, that's enough now. You need your rest." He made to return to his seat, but paused when he heard her voice.
"Goro?"
He turned to look at her.
"You look awful," she said softly. "Go get some sleep. Squad leader's orders."
His eyes widened momentarily, but then he sighed and smiled at her. It wouldn't do to upset her and delay the recovery - and he really was tired.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, shuffling to the door. "Ikuno will probably be here tomorrow. She's bringing flowers. Goodnight, Ichigo."
She smiled at him, feeling the exhaustion taking hold. "Goodnight, Goro."
Darling's head was in her lap, which presented the perfect opportunity to engage in one of her more recently discovered favorite activities: playing with his hair! She loveloveloved the feeling of it in her hands and the way he smiled soooo cutely when she massaged his head. It was wild and untamed, a stark contrast to the soft and caring personality she adored so much. They were sitting under the tree again; it had become their de facto relaxation area, the place they escaped to when they needed to cool off and avoid all the nuisances in their lives. Really, this was all she wanted and needed. Just him and her, no pains or worries or badbad things nope nuh-uh!
If more people understood that, she thought, maybe they'd be left alone. Maybe they could have peace.
But for now, this was fine too! She had darling and that was what mattered!
"I'm tired of people toying with our lives," he grumbled, eyes still closed.
"I know. I am too," she said softly.
"You'd think they'd tell me I'd kill any other pistil. It would've been nice to have that information before I piloted with Ichigo, you know?"
She giggled and massaged his temples. He groaned in pleasure, relaxing in her lap.
"It's never that easy. I had to figure it out myself, too."
His hand reached up and around her head, gently pulling her down to him. With his other arm he propped himself up and met her halfway, gifting her with a kiss.
mmmmmmmsogood so good!
She could never get over how perfect his lips were - the taste, the texture, the way they felt against her own. It boggled her mind how one boy could be sososo incredible. Every day she asked herself what she'd done to deserve him. She fully believed he could've picked anyone in the world liKEthatStUPidwasHboanononoshhhhe's here darling's here and yet he chose her, with her ugly horns and weird eyes and gross teeth. It was like a dream!
Perfecthappy dreamdream mmm.
"I should've been there for you," he said after releasing her. "You shouldn't have gone through that."
"It wasn't your fault. How could you have known?" she asked, tracing the shape of his face with her fingers.
Those gorgeous ice blue eyes looked up at her. "Still..."
"Darling, it's fiiiine! It's over now, right? They can't just separate us again after what's happened, the doctor said so himself!"
Indeed he had. After the incident he'd pulled the two of them aside and filled their heads with stupiddumb jargon she still didn't fully understand. What she did comprehend, however, was how dangerouslybadbAdbad the situation had been. If her darling piloted with anyone else, it would happen again and that was nopenotokaynope.
darlingcursedCurSeDDARLINGmONStenononohisscent, his scent breathe.
For safety reasons, they weren't to pilot period until Strelizia was given the green light. He wasn't to link with any other pistil and she wasn't to link with any other stamen. Just them together and no buts about it yay! Doctor's orders mhm! The doctor had told them badickyAPELIARS knew and were looking forward to the "results" or something ugh whatever. She had tuned that part out, she really didn't care.
But what she did care about was how that stupidUgLYwAShbOARd SLUT hadalmost KiLLEdhErDARLINGnnnnnnnggggggTHREATVILLAIN
"Yeah, you're right. Once we finally pilot together, we'll show them," darling said, smiling up at her. His beautiful voice snapped her from her thoughts. "We'll be official partners and they'll have no choice. We'll make sure they transfer you to Squad 13, no strings attached. And then you'll be home. With me."
Zero Two smiled brightly, his positive reinforcement shifting her mind to the future. Eating breakfast with him and living in the same house as him and doing this every daaaay and no more stupidicky bureaucracy or hoMewrEckingwAShboArds trying to tear them apart andandand!
She'd like that! She'd like that a lot.
It was a few days later when Ichigo was finally given the all clear to return to the parasite house. Still a bit sore but decidedly less stiff, she'd managed to get through the door with Ikuno's assistance, only to find the majority of Squad 13 awkwardly huddled around the closed door that lead into the dining area. Goro had looked in her direction upon hearing her enter; he put a finger to his lips in a hushing motion and beckoned her over. She got the feeling that they were doing something incredibly stupid, but walked over anyway - her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Once she got closer, she began hearing muffled sounds coming from inside the dining room. Voices? And one of them sounded like... Hiro?
"Come on Zero Two, you told me you wanted to fit in more, right?"
"Y-Yeah, but..."
"People bond over food! It's when most conversation happens. If they think you're approachable, you'll have more chances to prove yourself."
"Like the candy?"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Nnnn, but it's so hard daaaaah-liiing!" she audibly pouted.
"It's alright! Here, I'll show you again. Like this, see?"
They heard the sound of clinking silverware. Goro and Ichigo shared a look. Was he teaching her how to... use utensils?
"I don't think she knows how to use a fork!" Zorome whispered harshly, his ear pressed up against the door. Miku silenced him with a quick slap and a 'shush!'.
"It makes sense," Futoshi whispered back. "She was eating with her hands, remember?"
"Wow, darling! You're so good at this!" she exclaimed, voice echoing through the doorway.
"It's... not something to be that proud of..." The exasperation in his voice was plainly evident.
Strange girl or not, Ichigo realized that eavesdropping in such a manner was incredibly rude. She cleared her throat quietly to get the attention of the squad. Once their eyes were on her, she nodded to the door leading out into the courtyard and stiffly beckoned them to follow.
They sat down in a circle on the grass outside.
"Wooooow~ daaaahling~!" Zorome mocked.
"Zorome, cut it out," Ichigo reprimanded, shutting him up with a stern look. "We owe her a ton of gratitude for what she's done so far. Not only did she rescue us from that klaxosaur attack, she got Hiro and me out of Delphinium when it was going berserk. The least we can do is treat her with a bit of respect."
Zorome huffed, looking away and crossing his arms petulantly. "Hey, we did something too," he muttered.
"Still, their behavior is strange. They act like they've known each other for quite a while," Ikuno noted. Ichigo sighed and stared at the grass by her crossed legs, thinking.
"It's so weird!" Futoshi said. "You guys have seen the way she acts around him, right? And she's always lurking around the house, too, like she's waiting for him!"
Miku sighed and rested her chin on her hand. "I can't read her at all. It's like there's two girls in the same body. She goes from bossy and aloof to considerate and caring at the drop of a hat!"
"When she's with him she sounds so nice and pleasant. It's nothing like the rumors," Kokoro agreed, smiling.
"Maybe she's trying to lure him in so she can suck out his blood or something! Like a vampire!" Zorome said conspiratorily. Miku silenced him with a glare.
Goro sighed and shook his head, arms crossed. "They've already piloted together, remember? And Hiro looks fine. He looks better than fine, even - he reminds me of how he was back in Garden. When he's with her he acts so lively and carefree."
Zorome spoke up again, this time seriously. "Well, think about it! She hasn't eaten with us since that first time, right? And Hiro always finishes his meals super fast and then scampers off. No wonder he's so into her, it's like they're obsessed with each other! It's gross!"
The group descended into silence; one by one their eyes turned to the only member of the group who had yet to contribute something. He was leaning against one of the courtyard's pillars and making a show of not participating in the conversation.
"We know you know something, Mitsuru," Goro noted, staring at the other boy. "You keep dropping these vague hints and rumors, not to mention you argued against Ichigo piloting with Hiro."
Mitsuru huffed and looked away.
Ichigo was growing frustrated at the boy's consistent refusal to share his knowledge. "Mitsuru, please! Hiro's told you something, hasn't he? You two are close! At least tell us if they know each other! Is she trustworthy? Is she using him?"
After a moment's pause, Mitsuru at last turned to face the group.
"I promised Hiro, and I don't break my promises," he said flatly. Ichigo opened her mouth to protest. "But," he continued.
"But what? C'mon, out with it!" Futoshi spoke up.
"I'll tell you one thing only. Hiro gave us all our names, correct?" Everyone nodded - except Ikuno, who was silent.
"And our names are based off of our code numbers, correct?" This time Ikuno nodded as well.
"Her code is 002. Her name is Zero Two," Mitsuru said nonchalantly. Then he looked away again, removing himself from the conversation. What he had said took a moment to register with the others; Miku was the first to break the silence.
"W-Wait. Wait! But that means...!"
"'Zero Two' isn't just a shortening of her code?" Ikuno questioned quietly.
"Eeeeh?!" Zorome shouted, his eyes wide as dinner plates. "No way! No way!"
"Hiro... named her?" Kokoro asked in disbelief.
Futoshi was pulling at his hair. "But that makes no sense! Maybe he named her after the klaxosaur attack? No one we know has pink hair, let alone horns! And all parasites come from the same place! We would've seen her for sure!"
Goro and Ichigo shared a panicked look, their minds taking them back to the same time and location: the week in Garden.
The bad week.
"M-Mitsuru, please! Just one more question! One more!" Ichigo shouted at him. She needed to know. More than anything else in her short life, she needed this answered. The visions were before her again, of a snowy day so many years ago.
A cloaked girl huddled in the corner, terror in her eyes.
A broken window, an arm outstretched.
Long red horns, gleaming in the light.
Two pieces of candy, a pair of children in a forest.
A picture book, a promise made.
"Was she-" Ichigo stammered frantically, her voice cracking. Excluding Mitsuru, everyone had turned to her, visibly concerned about her sudden emotional outburst.
"Was she there? Was she in Garden?!"
Mitsuru looked at the ground, a pained look on his face. He gathered his composure for a moment before he turned to the desperate girl and looked her in the eyes. His words were quiet and barely comprehensible, but to the squad they were as loud as a gunshot from Genista.
"Yes, she was."
A new memory flashed before Ichigo's eyes then, one she had not seen before.
A boy looking down at a bracelet over a dirty red ankle.
A girl named. A friendship's humble beginnings.
"Eo To!"
Ichigo began sobbing.