"Let's confirm the mission."

The lights dimmed at Hachi's voice as the large screen at the front of the briefing room came to life. All eyes present fixed themselves on the commander of Plantation 13 as he began his briefing.

Hiro glanced around him, the rest of Squad 13 were haphazardly assembled around the conference area. Stamens and Pistils were intermixed freely, although they generally kept themselves within arms length of their assigned partners, with some choosing to receive their briefing standing.

His eyes studying his surroundings, Hiro noted that Kokoro was one exception to this unspoken rule, she was seated besides Mitsuru for some reason. Futoshi on the other hand was at the far end of the conference area.

As for the other troublesome person...

Ichigo was seated on his left, a couple of meters away, her back straight as she focused on the briefing before her. Normally that would be fine, no one would bat an eye at her behavior since they were childhood friends after all. But the problem was when he had entered the briefing room after his conversation with Ichigo, Hiro had made his way to the lonely figure slouched against the east wall all by her lonesome and joined her.

Which placed Ichigo at least half a dozen rows away from her assigned partner, Goro, who was at the center of the room.

But Hiro had more pressing issues than his social image.

"A large, subterranean klaxosaur is closing in on Plantation 13." Hachi continued.

Hiro shivered from the warm, ticklish feeling on his ears as the girl standing behind him exhaled. Zero Two standing so close to him that Hiro could faintly feel the warmth of her body heat caressing him even though there was technically no contact between them.

She had been silent the entire time ever since he joined her, but the dominating pressure engulfing him couldn't be ignored.

"Stop it."

Hiro mumbled under his breath as the taller girl behind him continued to engage in their little, unspoken game.

A soft hum released itself behind him as Hachi's emotionless droning continued unopposed.

"Our sensors failed to detect the Worm-Class further out due to it's unique method of travel, the estimated time of contact is approximately fifteen minutes from now."

Surprised gasps were heard from Squad 13 as Hachi relayed the information.

"It's that close already?" Futoshi worried.

Futoshi's worries about giant klaxosaurs killing them all were the least of his concerns for Hiro, who felt the beginnings of sweat beads form on his face as Zero Two continued to blow air into his ears.

"I didn't do anything."

Hiro could only vocalize his complains in a low whisper as he wished to not draw any more attention to his precarious situation.

"Oh?" Zero Two smirked. "But I've yet to accuse you of something?"

The smugness of her voice, as if it was savoring every bit of his current nervousness, declared victory.

"The plan is simple. We'll set up a last line of defence as far out as possible and eliminate the klaxosaur before it crosses that line."

Light, ticklish sensations crept across his back as Zero Two's arms wrapped themselves over his shoulders to cross over his chest. Hiro's right shoulder tensed as Zero Two rested her head on it, licking her lips as she prepared to finish off her prey.

"Perhaps, Darling is feeling guilty?"

"Zero Two, you're scaring me." He muttered.

A creeping smirk grew on her face as Zero Two pounced at his weakness.

"But didn't Darling declare that he wasn't afraid of me?" Zero Two bared her fangs as she purred sweet, dangerous honey into his ears. "Or were you lying to me?"

Hiro turned his head to glance at the smug, confident girl who had the edges of her lips curled as if she was mocking him.

"You do scare me." Hiro admitted, unable to help the slight dusting of pink that appeared on his cheeks as he confessed. "But in a good way."

The teasing smile of mockery fell away as Zero Two blinked in honest confusion at his unexpected reply. A softer, more sincere expression crossed her face as Zero Two smiled at him.

"Pervert."

Hiro could only roll his eyes at her jab. But he couldn't help but match the smile on Zero Two's face as he enjoyed her teasing.

In a way, they complimented each other like that. Zero Two liked to tease, and he found himself liking to be teased.

Zero Two liked to push, and he liked to be pushed.

It was the little things between them that made Hiro's heartbeat quicken and his face redden whenever he found himself interacting with the horned girl.

And it seemed, that Zero Two wasn't as invulnerable to flustering as she portrayed herself to be, judging from the coloring cheeks that afflicted Zero Two whenever he smiled at her.

A smile that she always returned in kind, not a bitter or mocking one nor a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes. But a genuine, honest smile that made his heart skip a beat and cause the breath in his throat to hitch.

The multifaceted, complex puzzle of the girl behind him... Bit by bit, Hiro felt like he understood her better.

And the glossy, pink lips that allured him, despite it's danger.

Hiro gulped down the nervousness paralysing him.

"Zero Two."

"Yes, Darling?"

Her breathy voice made butterflies flutter in his stomach as Zero Two licked her lips, staring at him with those wide, glistening orbs of turquoise that seemed to engulf his entire world.

"About our ki-"

Ichigo's voice broke the duo from their staring contest as she pointed towards the circular icon on the display.

"What about that other Plantation near us?"

"We've requested assistance from Plantation 26 but their Squad Leader regretfully informs us that their Parasites are exhausted from a recent mine clearing operation." Hachi frowned.

"That means you children will be on your own for this one."

Nana cut in from the sides, a serious expression on her face as she continued.

"We understand that this is a high level klaxosaur, but we don't have a choice. All flights are cancelled due to klaxosaur activity, and APE is anxious that Doctor Franxx is able to be safely evacuated."

Frowns were plastered across the faces of Squad 13 as Nana spoke.

"Therefore, Strelizia will be part of this joint operation."

Hiro's eyes snapped towards Nana as the sound of Strelizia being mentioned jerked him awake from his fluffy daze. And it seemed, from the curling fingers that gripped at his chest, Zero Two was aware of it as well.

"Hiro! Are you watching this? We're in perfect harmony!"

His cheeks tensed themselves at the disgusting memory that haunted him, the sounds of molars grinding against themselves coming off from him.

"Zero Two..."

"I can pilot Strelizia as I please, without losing consciousness!"

The grip on his chest relaxed and released themselves, Zero Two taking her arms from the cross she had looped around his neck to turn it into an regular embrace. As Zero Two hugged him from behind, she signaled that in her own way, his feelings were understood.

"Yeah."

"If you want, I don't mind being your official partner. We'd make the greatest duo, don't you think?"

Hiro tasted copper in his mouth as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

"This time, I won't fail you."

A hand rose to touch at his taut cheeks. With gentle motions, Zero Two massaged his tightly wound face muscles. Eventually, the tension passed and Hiro released the breath he was unconsciously holding, his expression relaxing.

"I believe you." She murmured.

"Regarding Strelizia's Stamen-"

Nana's eyes flickered towards Mitsuru who flinched away at the implications she was getting at. The rest of Squad 13 stared at the injured Stamen whose bandages were so extensive that they even peeked out of his piloting suit.

The coiled arms around him retracted as Zero Two released him from her hug, Hiro immediately finding himself missing the warmth and softness of her touch. With a gentle push, Zero Two urged him forward.

Hiro drew in a deep breath as he steeled himself, taking a confident step forward as he drew the entire room's attention onto him.

"Please wait a moment!"

Doing his best to ignore the fact that every pair of eyes were firmly on him as he strode to the front of the briefing room, Hiro continued, fixing his gaze onto Nana as he spoke.

"I will pilot with Zero Two!"

Murmurs filled the air at his declaration.

"He's gonna end up like Mitsuru..."

"No one can handle the Partner Killer..."

A fearful, shaking voice screamed out, silencing the entire room.

"YOU'RE INSANE!"

The squeaking sounds of tightly squeezed latex was Hiro's only reply as his fists involuntarily clenched in frustration. With a frown on his face, Hiro turned to meet the owner of the voice, the one who haunted his memories of stealing Zero Two from right under his nose...

Mitsuru.

His eyes narrowing, Hiro glared at him to continue.

"That girl tried to devour everything I had." His eyes quivering in fear, Mitsuru began his rant. "My blood, my flesh, and my soul... All of it!"

Wide, terrified eyes stared at trembling hands as Mitsuru continued.

"Everything was normal at first, but after a point..."

A stutter entered his voice as it cracked from the fear and stress overwhelming him.

"Sh-She was out to kill me!"

His voice rising, Mitsuru's rant turned into frantic rambling. The boy known as Mitsuru existed no longer, replaced by a wretched, terrified shell that masqueraded as him in it's place.

"What's worse, she had a smile on her face! She was smiling the entire time!"

At the back of the conference area, Zero Two grinned, baring her pearly canines in satisfaction.

"It'll happen to you too! You aren't special!" Mitsuru heaved as he gestured towards his bandages. "You'll end up like me too! You're out of your mind if you think you're the sole exception! Because that girl is a-!"

The irritation he had been feeling this past week returned, except this time it burned in his chest.

Because Hiro already knew what Mitsuru was about to scream out.

But that didn't mean he had to accept it.

"SHE'S A MONSTER!"

"Zero Two is a normal girl!"

A firm voice that booked no discussion released itself from his throat.

"And you're wrong!"

A thumping sound rang out as Hiro slammed his fist on his chest, his voice loud and determined, as if daring anyone else to disagree.

"When I piloted with her, that didn't happen!"

The emasculating memory of him refusing to meet Zero Two's disbelieving gaze tinged with disgust as he told her to ride with Mitsuru humiliated him with it's incessant mocking.

"And we defeated the klaxosaur without Strelizia losing control!"

He never wanted to return to those days ever again.

"Mitsuru... Your injuries only happened because you weren't anything special to Zero Two! Unlike me!"

Ever again.

"I know that I can pilot! I have the ability! Zero Two told me that herself!"

In the background, Zero Two nodded approvingly at his speech, her arms folded across her chest.

His voice rising to a fever pitch and shutting down every detractor, Hiro locked his resolute gaze towards the one person in the entire room who held authority regarding Strelizia and Zero Two, who seemed shocked speechless by the turn of events.

"So...! Send me out and I'll prove myself!"

Because Strelizia belonged to neither Zero Two nor him...

"NANA!"

It belonged to them.

And he would not let Zero Two slip away through his fingers ever again.

A coy smile crossed Zero Two's face.

"Well said, Darling."

With a single motion, Zero Two leapt over the rows of the conference area, Goro having to hastily duck out of the way to avoid getting booted in the head, to land besides him. Inserting a graceful twist to draw herself to her full height, Zero Two drew a seductive finger across his chest as she smirked.

"Don't worry. Nothing will go wrong." Zero Two purred, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. "The two of us are perfectly compatible."

A bright blush lit up his cheeks at her declaration, Zero Two cheesing at him as she noticed his embarrassment. Her finger trailing itself away from his chest, the grin on Zero Two's face dropped off, to be replaced by a cold, hard glare as she narrowed her eyes at Squad 13, daring them to interfere.

Her gaze landing on the shivering, wretched form of the weakling that piloted with her in the mines, a feral grin came across Zero Two's face as she stalked towards her prey.

"But if anyone wants to get a taste of piloting with me..."

Mitsuru's eyes darted around the place maniacally, as if searching for an escape route as Zero Two loomed over him, a smirk on her face as she bragged.

"You're welcome to try. I'll send you back in a body bag."

A dark cloud of fear loomed over the briefing room at her chilling tone.

Choking sounds of terror manifested themselves as Mitsuru scrambled as far away as possible from the infamous Partner Killer. Kokoro followed him, concern etched on her face.

Zero Two grinned at the effect she had towards the weaklings, the Stamens glancing at her in barely concealed fright along with the Pistils uncomfortably shifting in their seats.

That's right, stay away. Only Darling can handle me.

That was except for the lone exception, the Squad Leader who merely possessed a cool, relaxed look on her face at the scene before her.

The sounds of clapping broke apart the tension in the air.

"That's enough, Zero Two." Nana sighed as she glanced towards Hiro with an annoyed look on her face. "You too, Hiro. We were going to sortie you in Strelizia anyways, so none of this was needed."

"Eh?" Hiro blinked at her.

"All you had to do was to let me finish..." She grumbled.

Hiro smiled sheepishly as he scratched at his cheek.

Viewing the exchange between them, Mitsuru couldn't help but feel the welling resentment build up within him, causing him to grimace.

Why...?

Why do the adults have such high expectations of him? He's no different than me!

Hiro is just a failure!

Clearing her throat, Nana switched back to her official sounding voice, causing the flustered Squad 13's attention to snap towards her as they straightened their backs.

"Doctor Franxx is currently in a shelter inside Plantation 13. Needless to say, he's a strategic asset whose value is regarded as absolute by APE. As such, we're readying as much firepower as possible for this operation. The rest will be up to you."

Nana nodded towards Hachi to take over.

"Squad 13 will be sortieing with their full complement of machines. Code 326 will be piloting Chlorophytum in their usual configuration. They are to coordinate efforts with Strelizia and defeat the enemy klaxosaur."

At the sound of that, Mitsuru breathed a sigh of relief.

Raising her hand, Ichigo spoke, her eyes determined as she stared at Hachi.

"I have a request."

"Code 015." Hachi acknowledged.

"For this mission, I would like to request that Squad 13 takes the vanguard." Ichigo frowned as she recited her prepared speech. "Zero Two isn't part of our squad, and Squad 13 needs to learn how to defeat klaxosaurs on their own."

Seconds passed as Hachi silently considered her request, during which Ichigo prayed with all her heart that her appeal would work. Her plan was simple, all she had to do was to defeat the klaxosaur on her own, in that case, Hiro's life wouldn't be at risk.

With furrowed eyebrows, Hachi relented as he turned towards the display, making deployment adjustments of the units on the field. Drawing two sets of lines instead of one, he stated his finalized mission orders.

"Squad 13 will attack in the first echelon. Strelizia to conduct final close in defence of Plantation 13 if necessary."

At the sound of that, Zero Two made a sound of annoyance as she scrunched her nose.

"Tch. Spoilsport."

Zero Two's bad mood however, was not to last for long as Hiro reassured her.

"It's alright."

"But Daaaaarling!" Zero Two complained, a childish whine coming from her. "We might not get a chance to fight!"

"We can still connect."

Doing his best to cheer up Zero Two, Hiro smiled.

"Well, if you insist on flashing those perfect teeth at me all the time..." Zero Two grinned at him, causing Hiro to blush once more. "How can I say no?"

Nodding to himself, Hachi announced.

"All hands, prepare to board." With a serious expression on his face, he glanced at each Parasite in turn. "Good luck."


As the Parasites of Squad 13 left the briefing room, barring the pilots of Strelizia who lingered a while longer back inside, Ichigo made to gather the entire squad around her for a pep talk. By doing this, Ichigo was leaving her comfort zone but, if it meant a better chance of success for Hiro's sake, she didn't mind pushing herself.

Looking at the rest of Squad 13 huddled around her, Ichigo drew a breath as she steadied herself.

"Everyone! Let's give it our all for this mission!" She encouraged. "We're a team, so let's fight like one!"

"Heh, don't worry! You've got your ace pilot right here!"

Ichigo rolled her eyes at Zorome's bragging, but allowed it to slide. It'll do no good to dampen their spirits right before a battle.

"I'll do my best so I'm counting on you as well, Kokoro-chan!"

"Yes..."

Kokoro flashed an awkward smile and uncomfortably murmured, not that Futoshi noticed during his fawning.

"Don't push yourself too hard." Ikuno pointed out towards her partner. "Your injuries aren't fully healed yet."

Mitsuru's face contorted into a snarl upon hearing that.

"I'll be fine." He spat out. "This is nothing."

"Such an awkward boy." She sighed.

Goro could only quietly watch over his partner, as he always did, noting the markedly different behavior she displayed. With a soft, sad smile, Goro understood the reason for Ichigo's effort.

And it pained him to realize that Hiro inspired her, instead of him.

Extending her hand forward, Ichigo motioned towards the rest of Squad 13 to place their palms on top of hers. One by one, Squad 13 moved in turn, even Mitsuru who caved in to the peer pressure and reluctantly followed.

Inhaling deeply, Ichigo cheered.

"SQUAD 13!"

"HURRAH!"

Hands were thrown in the air as Squad 13 hyped themselves up for the upcoming battle. With happiness openly displaying itself on her face, Ichigo thought to herself-

Maybe this could work, after all.

With their ritual done, the huddled crowd of teenage Parasites dispersed as they began to make their way towards the hangers, where their Franxxs were stored. Ichigo's eyes following them with a hint of pride at their confident forms.

A teasing voice came from her side.

"Look at you, getting all fired up like this." Goro jabbed at her. "Did Hiro really affect you that much?"

"E-Eh!?"

Furiously blushing, Ichigo stuttered out.

"W-Well, it's just that, I thought it would be good for the team if we didn't have to rely on Strelizia like always. It won't be good for Hiro's condition if he's forced to pilot with that girl." Ichigo stammered, embarrassment painted on her face. "You too as well, Goro! I'm counting on you as my reliable partner."

In her nervousness, Ichigo never noticed the flickers of a bitter smile briefly appearing on his face.

That's right, that's all I'll ever be. A 'reliable partner' in her eyes.

Forcing himself to seem unaffected by her unknowingly hurtful words, Goro smiled at her.

"You can count on me."


The sounds of roaring boosters filled the hangar as Squad 13 launched in turn. Distantly, Hiro could hear Miku's indignant screeching as Argentea blasted off the launch catapult.

"Hey waaaaaait! We weren't given the go ahead yet!"

"Whatever! I'm the best pilot so I get to go first!"

That wasn't what concerned Hiro though, it was something else entirely that occupied his mind. In fact, it had bothered him ever since he left for the hangars.

Zero Two had grown distant towards him again, after the intimacy they shared in the briefing room.

He immediately knew something was up when it was their turn to leave for the hangars. Noticing that Zero Two had fallen silent, an oddity for the noisy, larger than life girl, Hiro tried to sneak his hand into hers as they always did whenever they seemed to be together nowadays.

Only to have Zero Two pull her hands away when she felt him brush against her fingers, shooting him a inscrutable look as she did so. Their walk proceeded with a distance separating them, Hiro firing every cylinder in his mind the entire way trying to figure out the puzzle that was Zero Two.

They talked with each other, sharing mutual smiles.

And he knew that somewhere, deep down, Zero Two felt a connection with him. She wasn't this cold, frosty person that she made herself out to be.

Zero Two smiled, cried and laughed just like any other normal girl.

Zero Two was a normal girl, with normal feelings, along with normal hopes, fears and dreams.

Upon reaching Strelizia in it's cage, Zero Two silently unlocked the access hatch where she moved to the cockpit entrance, wordlessly slouching against it.

Her turquoise eyes emanated an illusory shine as they stared down at him in an melancholic half-open state, their owner seemingly in a daze.

Boosters roared again, this time, Hiro did not know which unit had launched, and he realized that he cared not in the least. The light from the boosters illuminated her body, dyeing her in orange for a moment as if the setting sun was behind her back.

In an instant, the Zero Two he knew changed once more. Back into a mysterious, distant figure that eluded him. But one who stole the breath and cognitive abilities of anyone who laid their eyes on her.

A beautiful and strong figure, that frightened and allured him in equal measures... And one that seemed inexplicably sad.

Unconsciously, Hiro began to grit his teeth in frustration.

Ah... So that was it.

At that very moment, Hiro finally understood the reason for the ticking irritation gnawing within him. It's wasn't because she was ignoring him or refused to join their hands. It wasn't even the fact that she was giving him the silent, cold shoulder treatment.

"That face again..."

It was the fact that Zero Two had that expression on that face again.

This wasn't the first time he was faced with it. In fact, it was the second.

He had seen the same expression on her face during that fated day, when the Moho-Class attacked Plantation 13 during the startup ceremony.

Raising his eyes to meet hers, Hiro glared at Zero Two.


"Kuh...!"

A pathetic cry of pain came from the broken Stamen unceremoniously tossed on the ground besides him, as if he was nothing more than garbage to be chucked away. In the distance, screaming sirens blared.

"Huh? H-Hey..."

Gasping in surprise, Hiro moved towards the heavily injured silver-haired Stamen, tugging at his collar in a panic. His labored breathing fogging the medical rebreather he had attached to his face.

"Forget about him. He's done for."

A feminine voice, harsh and cruel, bluntly stated.

"You're..."

Hiro's eyes widened at the horned girl before him, slouching against the cockpit's entry hatch, except this time she was donning a Pistil suit dyed in red.

"What are you doing in there?" He gasped. "Don't tell me, you're the pilot of this robot!?"

With the right half of her face streaked with blood, the mysterious horned girl that he had met before at the lake frowned at him, seemingly unhindered by the obvious injuries on her body as her turquoise eyes intensely studied him.

Ignoring his question, the girl approached him with slow and steady steps.

"We have met before, haven't we?"

Answering his question with one of her own, she continued closing the gap between them.

"Y-Yeah. At the lake, I believe."

"Ohh."

As if remembering, the horned girl lightly hit her hands together, then returned to her previous posture.

"I remember now! You're the pervert who tried to steal my panties!"

"W-What-!?" He shrieked.

Seeing that a slight amount of harshness had been removed from the horned girl's eyes, Hiro's nervousness diminished for the moment.

However, it was not to last.

Just a moment later, with a quickstep, Hiro's raven bangs were grabbed as she forced his head to tilt upwards to face her.

"And what are you doing here, hanging around during an attack?" The girl before him mocked. "Hmmph, I see through you. Perhaps, you wished to see the infamous Partner Killer at work in person?"

Hiro furrowed his eyebrows, biting down hard on his teeth at her words.

It was not because he feared the girl or her horns.

Her tone of voice, the demeanor she carried and the self-scorn she so easily heaped upon herself-

It was because this girl had been exposed to an environment where it warped her way of life.

At the thought of that, Hiro felt sick to his stomach, unable to stand it.

"I don't believe-"

Involuntarily, Hiro let out his voice.

"That you kill your partners on purpose."

The horned girl's eyes grew round with surprise at his words as she removed her grip on his hair. A short while later, her lips parted as she threw a questioning gaze towards him.

"Is that so?" A frown appeared on her face as she continued. "But everyone I've piloted with, they all died in the end."

"No way...!"

Disbelief leaked through his voice as Hiro spoke.

"That... can't be true."

Making an extremely melancholic expression, the girl before him spoke, her eyes haunting in it's dissonance.

"It's true. That's why I'm always alone in the end."

Hiro swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"That face again..."

Hiro's cheeks tightened in frustration at the sight of that, his eyes narrowing.

In that moment, the hesitation and fear he felt up till now faded as his heart quickened.

Ah, that was it, it was this expression that made him feel this way.

This expression, which Hiro utterly despised.

As if considering themselves unaccepted by all, an expression showing the loss of faith in the world.

A heart that had closed itself off from the outside world because all it knew from that broken reality was pain and loneliness.

This girl who cut a beautiful and proud figure, that seemingly had the ability to pilot a Franxx alone...

And yet, she seemed inexplicably sad.

For all her strength, this girl had somehow managed to forsook happiness.

In a way, they were alike, rejected and without purpose, lost in the world around them.

Except that shouldn't have been the case.

Someone with her pride and beauty...

Should be different than a pathetic failure like himself. A powerless person who lacked the ability to help his friends or fight a klaxosaur.

Unconsciously, Hiro's throat shook.

"I don't know your past or what made you this way."

I won't let you make that expression.

"It doesn't matter if you choose not to listen to me. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care if you ignore me."

A smile would suit you better.

"But, there's one thing I want you to know!"

The rational part in his brain warned him to stop. But Hiro shoved it aside and ignored it. At that moment, nothing could have stopped his outburst.

After all, until now, this girl before him had nobody who would reach out their hand to her.

After all, with just one sentence, she could have been in a completely different situation. But that person who would tell her that single sentence, did not exist.

For Hiro, he was blessed with his best friends, Goro and Ichigo, along with Nana, his caretaker.

But, this horned girl in front of him had nobody.

If that was the case, then-

He would have to be that person.

Taking a heavy step forward, Hiro declared towards the stunned girl before him.

"You're not the only one unable to fly!"

Turquoise eyes widened in shock as she froze. After a short silence, her lips parted, breaking the silence that had settled between them after his heavy declaration.

"Heh. You're an amusing one." She murmured.

Any potential words that could have else came from her mouth was cancelled by the bestial roar in the distance.

"Tch." She clicked her tongue as she muttered. "Persistent monster."

"I'll pilot that robot with you. I won't let you be alone any longer."

An amused sound released itself from her throat.

"Huh... Aren't you afraid of death?"

"I'll prove it to you, that you aren't a monster that kills her partners."

An nostalgic smile crossed the horned girl's face as she murmured.

"It's been a long time since someone made me feel this way." Making her decision, she smiled at him with confidence. "I like you."

Offering a hand towards him, the horned girl beckoned.

"Now come to me."

Hiro reciprocated, his hands moving to join hers. Feeling a sharp tug pulling him inside the dark cockpit, Hiro allowed himself to follow her fall as the horned girl fell backwards, her arms spread open invitingly as if she was urging him into her private bedchambers.

"Let me get a taste of you."

A sultry smile lured him in deeper.

"You are now... My-!"


"I'm not the same as the others."

Hiro called out towards her.

"Hey, Darling." Zero Two smiled at him, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Did you know? Over four fifths of my partners couldn't make it past the second ride."

Her eyes narrowing in a gesture of challenge, Zero Two finished.

"What'll it be? If you want off this ride, now's your chance."

Hiro took a step forward, approaching her as he spoke.

If it was a wall, he would smash right through it.

If it was a test, he would pass it with flying colors.

If the path before him was murky, all he needed to do was to forge onwards.

"Those were your partners."

He was different, because he was 'Darling'.

"I'm different."

And 'Darling' was special.

He reached out his hand towards her, for the final test of faith to secure a wavering Zero Two.

"And why should I believe you, one ride wonder?" She mocked, her hand coming forth to graze his.

She had to ask, because in this broken world, she couldn't tell black from white.

If his kindness was just merely an act.

"Because I'm your Darling. And Darling..."

Cerulean orbs narrowed as Hiro swore his oath.

"Always keeps his promises."

"Well done."

An overwhelming force sucked him in, the hatch slamming shut and sealing his fate. Rendered blind by the darkness, Hiro could only frantically grab at random locations in an attempt to find his footing.

A loud, shameless moan cried out from Zero Two as Hiro firmly latched on the first solid object he could find.

For some reason, the surface he had found was soft and squishy. Intrigued, he squeezed, trying to figure out which part of the cockpit he had managed to latch on to.

Zero Two gave off a hard, sharp hissing sound as Hiro felt himself roughly shoved into the Stamen seat. He cried out in shock as his back slammed against the seat, causing it to slightly rock.

Twin orbs of ruby lit up the darkness as he heard Zero Two harshly pant out, the gleaming white of her canines dazzling him.

"So, Darling likes it rough does he?" Zero Two growled, a feral grin forming on her face. "It's a shame, I wanted your first conscious connection with me to be a gentle affair."

This was bad, Zero Two actually growled at him like he was a piece of meat she was about to consume. With no other option available, Hiro did the one thing he'd hope would spare him.

He begged for mercy.

"I messed up, please forgive me."

At the start, Zero Two hadn't planned on escalating things so far with him. It would have been the usual tease and touch game she had perfected around him. But...

The sound of her darling pleading with her made something snap inside Zero Two.

"Ah, ah." She smirked at him. "No takebacks. I'm going to suck you dry."

Inserting herself into the Pistil terminal with the hissing sounds of locks sealing her in, the controls on her suit flipping into the ready position as Zero Two grinned at him, promising plenty of surprises in store for him.

"I'm scared."

Hiro muttered as he gripped the controls.

"Don't worry." Zero Two sing-songed, dragging the words out as she did so. "I'll never hurt someone special to me."

"Such a liar." He mumbled.


"Squad 13 has been fully deployed." Hachi noted. "How's Strelizia doing?"

Nana glanced at the readings on the monitors. It had been a couple of minutes ever since Hiro and Zero Two had entered Strelizia, but there was no sign of a successful connection just yet.

She grimaced at the thought of Hiro failing once more, after the mock battle debacle, Hiro was running short on APE's patience, Special Specimen or no. A failure now would basically guarantee Hiro's forced return to Garden.

"Should we call it and send Code 002 out alone?" Hachi suggested.

"Give it a few moments more... Ah, there we go."

Nana smiled at the positive and negative pulses that appeared on the screen.

Good job, Hiro.

Hachi gestured for her to do the honors. Allowing a slight smile to cross her face, Nana indulged herself in one of her hidden guilty pleasures.

Overdramatic launch sequences of Franxxs.

Clearing her throat out loud, Nana filled her lungs with air as she prepared to play her role. Swinging her around out sideways, she ordered.

"STRELIZIA, LAUNCH!"

Moments passed, but the Plantation did not have the distant booming sounds of a Franxx being hurled through the linear rails.

"Eh? They're connected aren't they?" Nana blinked in confusion. "Maybe they didn't hear me."

Checking on the intercoms to ensure that she was still on the line with Strelizia, Nana cleared her throat again as she prepared to order their sortie once more.

With an dramatic flaring of her arms, she cried out.

"STRELIZIA, LAUNCH!"

More time passed, but nothing happened again. Her confusion reaching it's peak at Strelizia's lack of activity, Nana finally threw in the towel and decided to call the pilots directly.

As she patched herself into Strelizia's comms channel, Nana would soon find out the reason for her charges's inactivity.

"...Ahn! Those aren't where the controls are! Darling is a pervert! Naughty! Lewd!"

Lusty, unrestrained moans filled the air. It's volume irritating Nana as she felt the beginnings of an eye tick form.

"It's not my fault! Stop moving your hips, Zero Two!"

"I can't help it, my hips are moving on their own!"

Nana pressed her face into her palms so hard she felt her skin depress. To his credit, Hachi maintained a stony, professional silence as they continued to listen in on the two teenagers.

"So deep...! I feel Darling burying himself inside of me! I can't tell where you end and where I begin anymore! "

"It's like you're sucking me in, Zero Two!"

"Hey, wait...! Ahn...! That place is sensitive! You gotta ask for permission before coming inside me like that!"

"Sorry...! I'll just-!"

"No! Don't pull out!"

"Zero Two, you're wrapping around me so tightly...! I'm being squeezed dry!"

The eye tick on Nana's face became a reality as she massaged her temples to ward off the coming migraine.

"You're filling me up with your essence, Darling! Oh crap... I think I'm gonna get addicted to this..."

"I feel good too, Zero Two!"

"I'm glad you feel good! I'm so happy!"

"Is this what it means to connect with someone!?"

"I don't know! I can't think! My head is getting all fuzzy and stupid!"

"I'm blanking out... It's like I'm cradled in warm, fluffy clouds..."

Satisfied groans came forth to vocalize their enjoyment.

"Darling..."

"Zero Two..."

Her patience shot to pieces, Nana blew a metaphorical gasket, screaming at the irresponsible pilots.

"ARE THE BOTH OF YOU JUST ABOUT DONE!?"

"Eheheh. We got a little carried away, didn't we, Zero Two?"

Unintelligible slurring was heard in the background as Hiro apologized.

"Ack! We'll be out in a minute!"

Hastily cutting the comms, Hiro winced to himself as Strelizia stumbled out into the open world outside of Plantation 13, the signs of clashing battle ongoing in the distance.

With all of his heart, Hiro prayed that his friends in Squad 13 were safe.