The next morning, Ichigo awoke to the early-morning sounds of the forest around them: birds chirping, insects and other bugs chittering, and the wind gently rustling leaves and the surface of the lake. There was a soft pressure wrapped loosely around Ichigo's stomach and sides, as well as pressed up against her back. Belatedly, she realized that it was Ikuno, who had shifted to hold her at some point after they had fallen asleep. Ichigo smiled; no one had ever held her like this, and for it to be Ikuno just felt right. She remained still, enjoying the embrace and listening to Ikuno's soft breathing.

A short while later, the pressure against Ichigo's back shifted, and Ikuno let out a contented yawn. Her arm lifting from Ichigo as Ikuno stretched, Ichigo took the opportunity to turn around so that she was facing her... Friend? Darling? Ichigo didn't know what to call Ikuno, now that they were together like this. But, she decided, that was something they could discuss with each other later. Smiling, Ichigo whispered, "Hey, you."

Ikuno wasn't wearing her glasses, so there was nothing between her face and Ichigo's as she smiled and whispered back, "Hey."

Both girls blushed in their proximity to one another, and Ichigo only managed to last a few more seconds before she darted forward and quickly pecked Ikuno's lips. Ikuno giggled, and it was music to Ichigo's ears.

Then Ikuno got a devious grin and whispered, "You know, I don't think I felt that one."

A smile of her own spread across Ichigo's lips, and she whispered back, "Well, as your squad leader, I need to make sure that all of my messages are crystal-clear." She leaned in again and caught Ikuno's lips on her own, this time reveling in the pressure and movements of their mouths pressing against each other, lasting for longer than before.

They had to eventually pull apart for air, but almost immediately they were back at it again. Ikuno wrapped her arms around Ichigo again and pulled her tightly against herself, causing the smaller girl to emit an adorable squeak.

Everything around her was muted; all Ichigo could feel was Ikuno holding her, body pressed up against her, arms wrapped around and holding her; all she could smell was Ikuno, a scent she couldn't get enough of; all she could taste was Ikuno on her lips, and the little, random swipes of tongue against her own.

A feeling settled in Ichigo's...stomach? No, it felt distinctly...lower? All Ichigo knew was that she wanted to keep kissing Ikuno, to press against her as much as possible.

At some point, however, both girls needed to breathe, and so they pulled apart once again.

And as they lay there, gasping, Ichigo heard it: a distinct rustling in a bush at the forests' edge, out of time with the rest of the gently undulating vegetation. Instantly, Ichigo turned her head to listen, trying to see if she heard it again.

Next to her, most likely picking up on either the sound or Ichigo's sudden alertness, Ikuno whispered, "What is it?"

Ichigo shook her head, then mouthed silently, 'I don't know.'

The atmosphere had shifted to one of wary caution, both girls prepared to defend themselves against whatever unknown thing was in the underbrush.

Ichigo held a finger up to her lips, and a few seconds later, they both heard more rustling. Looking around, they waited, and finally Ichigo saw a bush far to their left shake gently, out of sync with the rest of the foliage surrounding it.

Motioning for Ikuno to follow her, Ichigo slowly stood – a part of her wanted to just ignore whatever it was and go back to kissing Ikuno – and began to creep towards the bush, which Ichigo noted had distinctly stopped moving. After about thirty seconds, they stood right in front of it, watching and waiting. When it remained still, the girls looked to one another. They nodded, then proceeded to quickly place their hands on the bush and push the piece of foliage out of the way.

And sitting there, face beet-red, was Zorome. He looked back at them, mouth hanging wide open and a look of abject horror spreading on his face.

Ichigo flung a hand to her mouth in shock. She didn't know how to react; she was furious that the boy had so obviously been spying on them and was worried about what he would tell the others.

Next to her, Ikuno's hands balled into fists. She growled out, "What. Were. You. Doing. CREEP!"

Seeking to regain some control over himself, Zorome hastily stood, brushing dirt off of his uniform as he did so. He opened his mouth as if to speak, looked back and forth between Ichigo and Ikuno for a couple of silent seconds, and promptly turned and sped off at top-speed.

Ichigo yelled, "Hey, wait!" But it was too late; they heard the sounds of Zorome retreating through the underbrush, back towards the house.

The girls looked to one another. They both know that if he made it back there, then he would tell the rest of the squad about what he had seen, and they weren't sure if they were ready for that.

They raced after the boy. About two minutes passed, and it was becoming clear that they wouldn't be able to catch up to him. Both girls were fit, but Zorome was small and agile, and had more energy than the entire squad combined.

They broke through the line of trees and ended up in the clearing where Zorome had retreated when he stole Miku's diary. Ichigo could see the boy; he had almost made it to the other side of the clearing. Next to her, with a burst of speed, Ikuno sped up. The taller girl was gaining ground.

Zorome didn't look back as he crashed back into the trees, the last barrier between him and the house. Ikuno followed not a second later, now almost on him. Ichigo brought up the rear, already going as fast as she could manage.

On the other side of the trees, Zorome zoomed to the front door of the house. Just as he opened it, Ikuno caught up to him. Ichigo watched as Ikuno shouted something incoherent and launched herself at the boy; she slammed into him from behind in a tackle, their momentum taking them through the entranceway. They disappeared into the interior of the house.

Just a few seconds later, Ichigo reached the door herself and followed them in. She stopped short, however, at the sight that greeted her: just inside of the entryway, Ikuno was on top of Zorome, holding him down on his stomach, flat on the ground. Beyond them, the rest of the squad looked on with expressions that ranged from confused to worried. Well, except for Zero Two, who had an arm around Hiro and simply watched, smirking.

After taking stock of the situation (and catching her breath), Ichigo reached out to Ikuno, giving her a hand and helping her into a standing position. Luckily, Ikuno didn't give any resistance, as Ichigo was worried that Ikuno had been ready to quite literally kill the boy beneath her.

Zorome groaned and shifted into a sitting position, legs sprawled out before him. Immediately, Miku rushed forward and crouched next to him, inspecting her partner for injury. Satisfied that he was all right, she looked up to Ikuno with flames in her eyes. She growled, "Why did you do that? You could have hurt him!"

She wrapped her arms around the boy in a tight, protective hug; Zorome grunted and his eyes bulged from the pressure. It seemed that the hug was doing more damage than Ikuno's tackle. He lightly slapped at her arms as he grunted out, "CAN'T. BREATHE."

Ikuno angrily shot back at Miku, "We caught him being a creep and SPYING on us!"

Miku looked at Ikuno quizzically as she slightly released the pressure on the boy in her arms. Instantly, Zorome gasped for breath, coughing. Some of the heat dissipating from her tone, she asked, "Spying on you doing what?"

Kokoro spoke up from her spot on one of the couches, next to Mitsuru, "We were all wondering where both of you went last night."

Hiro nodded and added, "We were worried."

Ikuno's eyes widened, the realization coming too late that she had essentially said that she and Ichigo had been together the night before. Just the two of them. Alone. Trying to recover, she spluttered, "Um, well, we were...were..." She trailed off, no lies or excuses coming to her.

Seeing that the situation was quickly falling apart, Ichigo made an executive decision. She turned to Ikuno, caught her gaze with her own, then raised her eyebrows. Ikuno knew what she was suggesting. For a moment, it seemed as if she would protest, but then her shoulders sagged minutely. Ikuno looked away, then back again. She assented with a small smile and nod, and Ichigo responded with a smile of her own. She reached out and caught Ikuno's hand in her own.

Futoshi had a perplexed look on his face as he regarded them questioningly, "Uh, guys...?"

Ichigo gave Ikuno's hand a squeeze, and Ikuno squeezed back. Ichigo had thought that she would have been a nervous wreck in this situation, and that it would go very differently. But in this moment, a sense of calm strength spread throughout her body, beginning at her hand interlocked with Ikuno's, and growing from there until it filled her all the way up. She wondered if Ikuno felt the same thing. Somehow, she had a feeling that Ikuno did.

A smile growing on her face, Ichigo looked to Ikuno one last time, and the other girl nodded again, as if to say, Go on. After one last deep breath, Ichigo said, "Well...last night, Ikuno and I weren't at dinner because..." she giggled, a slight blush spreading on her cheeks, "...because we were on a date, by ourselves."

Almost everyone looked confused. In the back of the room, Goro smiled to himself, happy for the new couple; that Ichigo had found love.

Nearby, Zero Two simply nodded at Hiro next to her, who quickly looked back and forth between the two girls near the entrance to the room and the horned-girl. She whispered, "That was the secret."

A moment passed, then Futoshi spoke up again, "But...what's a 'date?'"

Zero Two exasperatedly supplied the answer yet again, "A date is when two people who care deeply about one another spend time with each other to explore and solidify their relationship."

Futoshi took a moment to process this information, then his eyes widened, "Wait, but then that means..." He looked to the two girls, still holding hands at the front of the room.

Ichigo nodded, confirming Futoshi's unspoken question. "We didn't want to tell you guys before because, honestly, we weren't even sure about it ourselves at the time. And," she added, "we weren't sure how you'd all take it."

Next to her, Ikuno fidgeted. Ichigo gently stroked her hand with her thumb, and instantly Ikuno calmed. The taller girl shifted so that most of her arm was pressed against Ichigo's, which served to comfort them both.

Several long seconds passed in silence. At some point, Miku helped Zorome to his feet. They remained standing. Remained silent.

Goro looked at everyone else, gauging their responses to this development. When no one spoke further, he decided to take it upon himself to begin. He first cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, then said, "I think it's fantastic that you've begun a relationship together. If you're happy, then so am I."

Another moment of silence passed, then Zero Two said, "Yeah, I'm happy for you two. Enjoy what you have," she tightened her arm around Hiro, "and never let your Darling go."

Hiro, having finally gotten over his surprise, said with a growing smile, "What Zero Two said; I'm really happy for you guys." He punctuated his statement with an affirmative nod.

Then Kokoro said, "I think it's beautiful that the two of you are in love." She smiled sweetly.

Both Ichigo and Ikuno blushed at that.

Next to Kokoro, Mitsuru said, "I'd say it was about time, Ikuno." He nodded at his former partner, who flashed a small smile as she nodded back.

A determined look in his eye, Futoshi jumped to stand on his chair, placed his hands on his hips, and said in a loud, declarative voice, "This is great news and congratulations to both of you!"

Everyone laughed in response.

With her free hand, Ichigo reached up and wiped away some of the happy tears beginning to gather at the corners of her eyes. Looking over at Ikuno, Ichigo saw that she was holding her glasses with her free hand and using her knuckles to rub away some tears of her own.

Miku's anger over her Zorome getting tackled seeming to have mostly dissipated in the face of Ichigo's and Ikuno's admission, Miku said, "That's great news, congrats."

And finally, Zorome. He looked at the ground guiltily, then at Ichigo and Ikuno, then almost immediately back at the ground again. He mumbled something, too quietly for either girl to hear.

Ikuno leaned forward and said, "What was that, Zorome? Speak up." She was too relieved and happy to even try and sound threatening.

Nonetheless, he coughed guiltily, then looked up and made sure to maintain alternating eye-contact with both girls. "I'm sorry I was spying on you; at first I just wanted to know what you were doing, but when I saw the two of you kissing and-"

Next to him, Miku yelled, "WAIT. WHAT?! You guys were KISSING?!"

Ichigo chuckled, "Well, yeah. You of all people should know, that's what people who love each other do, right?"

Ikuno's hand squeezed her own at the word 'love.' Ichigo squeezed back.

Miku looked to Zorome with a blush, then silently nodded at Ichigo's response.

Both Ichigo and Ikuno chuckled at Miku's sudden bashfulness, then Ichigo addressed the guilty boy, "Zorome, we accept your apology."

Ikuno added, "Just don't do it again, okay?"

He nodded, then in a flash, both girls were crushed in a tight hug as Zorome wailed, "Thank-you-for-understanding-and-I'm-so-happy-for-you-guys!" In response, everyone began to laugh once again, and a general sense of joviality spread throughout the room.

As everyone took turns hugging and once again congratulating the new couple (Ikuno made sure to give Goro and Zero Two uncharacteristically tight hugs as she thanked them for all of their help), Ichigo thought to herself an echo of something Ikuno had said a while back: I wouldn't mind if things stayed like this forever.

Then she and Ikuno were pulled into a bear hug by Futoshi, and both girls couldn't help but laugh.


Far away, in a private office somewhere in the massive Bird's Nest facility, an elderly man with several cybernetic upgrades leaned back in his chair, watching the events at the boardinghouse unfold from a variety of angles on the large, wall-mounted monitors before him. Stroking his lengthy white mustache, he watched as the Parasites of his experimental Squad 13 responded to the new development with Codes 015 and 196.

It was truly fascinating. He had had so many hopes for this squad, for them to regain the emotions and free-thinking that humanity had given up in exchange for immortality so long ago; that the other Parasites were denied due to the inhibitors with which they were treated at the Garden. And now, the members of Squad 13 were pairing off, pursuing relationships built on love and trust; not just the partnership they were thrust into in order to serve a role in their forefathers' war.

His plan was coming to fruition. For the first time in a very, very long time, Werner Frank felt hope; hope for an end to this ridiculous conflict and an end to the rule of a maniac and his puppets.

His private communicator beeped, signaling a new message. Activating the device, he saw that the message came on the hidden channel; the one he had painstakingly set up to function outside of APE monitoring.

Cmdr Hachi: I assume you're watching this.

DF: Yes.

Cmdr Hachi: Should we intervene?

DF: No. Let them be; I want to observe this development further. Let it play out.

Without another word, 'Cmdr. Hachi Offline' popped up under Werner's last message. He knew the man didn't mean any disrespect; it was just his way of leaving a discussion where everything that needed saying had been said. The doctor respected Hachi's efficiency and understanding, even though Werner still hadn't fully explained the whole truth of the situation to him.

The time will come, soon, he thought to himself.

Watching for just a little while longer, he eventually turned away from the monitors and stood. With the aid of his cane, he shuffled over to one of his many filing cabinets began to rifle through physical copies of his old notes; many from the time of the original FranXX projects. After a few minutes of searching, he found what he had been looking for.

He made his way back to his desk and sat, groaning as his remaining organic joints protested, radiating in aching pain. Placing the aged manila folder down in front of him, once more he read over the words printed across its front: 'PROJECT: FRANXX S-S PILOT DEVICE.' Even though his jaw had long ago been replaced with a cybernetic enhancement, Werner Frank's features shifted into what might have been a smile.