The battle with the Worm-class was going poorly for Squad 13, Ichigo noted with frustration.
"We can't kill it unless we find it's core."
Judging from Miku's complaining, it seemed she was feeling the same as well. They kept knocking the klaxosaur down, blasting and stabbing away with their magma weapons but to no avail as the Worm-class rose once more for the umpteen time.
And with each knockdown, the Worm-class edged ever so closer to their home, Plantation 13.
Ichigo clucked her tongue in irritation as she glared at the white and red Franxx hovering in the skies above, casually observing them. If they couldn't defeat this klaxosaur soon, they would be forced to rely on Strelizia once more, with Hiro at the controls.
If Squad 13 could only defeat the enemy on their own, then Hiro's safety was assured...!
"Genista, check that side!"
With Argentea besides her, Ichigo directed the heavy artillery based machine to search for the core near the Worm-class's rear. Meanwhile, Chlorophytum remained in position, Wing Span trained on the large enemy before them.
"Nothing here!"
Futoshi grunted as he removed the orange bayonet from the klaxosaur's flesh, blue blood gushing forth in response.
"Check properly, fatty!"
"I did, the core isn't here!"
As the boys argued, Genista never noticed the curling of the Worm-class's tail, distracted as it was by the petty argument it was engaged in.
"Rip that monster's flesh open like it was one of your bread rolls!"
"Like I said it's not-!"
Futoshi's heated voice was cut off mid sentence as the Worm-class's tail lashed forth to coil around Genista like a rattlesnake. The sounds of abused steel rang out as Genista began to contort in unnatural angles.
Gasping in pain from the crushing pressure exerted on her lithe frame, Kokoro cried out.
"Futoshi-kun, I can't break fr-AH!"
Spittle leaked from her mouth as Kokoro choked for air. Kokoro's body hunched over as the feedback from Genista passed to her as it's Pistil, her bones creaking under the strain.
"Kokoro-chan! Damn you!"
Swearing at the monster wrapped around them, Futoshi frantically tugged at the controls as he desperately fought to break free.
"We have to save them!"
Ikuno snapped as Wing Span chattered, the magma shell casings falling like a fountain besides Chlorophytum. A multitude of explosions ripped across the Worm-class's body but if anything, the pain it felt only caused it to squeeze Genista even tighter.
Argentea leapt forward, plunging Night Claw into the Worm-class's tail, attempting to free his comrades.
Screeching in pain and with it's tail occupied by crushing the black and green machine, the Worm-class turned it's head towards Delphinium in front of it.
The circular head bloomed open, exposing long razor sharp spikes embedded in it's mouth. Ichigo's eyes widened in fear as she had not accounted for the possibility of the Worm-class possessing a projectile weapon.
She'd naively assumed that klaxosaurs only possessed the means to engage in melee combat.
And it might have cost them the battle, and with it, their lives.
As Delphinium stared down the gaping maw of the Worm-class, it's razor sharp spikes glinting and warning her of it's danger, Ichigo froze.
"Hey, Ichigo! Snap out of it!"
The urgent voice of her partner behind her only served to blend in the background as Ichigo locked up.
Just like the mine, I've messed up.
That girl is going to suck Hiro dry.
And it's all my fault.
"Why'd she suddenly get so heavy?"
Goro slumped forward as the controls on Ichigo's suit automatically retracted, like it always did when the connection between a Stamen and his Pistil was broken. Goro clenched his fists in helplessness as the handles made a whirring sound as they slid in it's resting position on Ichigo's hips.
Seeing no other option available to him, Goro called for help from the knight in the sky.
"Heh. Amateurs."
Zero Two scoffed at the commotion beneath them.
As she watched Squad 13's scuffle, she wouldn't go so far as to call it a battle, for a battle implied that the combatants had a general idea of what they were doing, Zero Two found herself strangely disappointed.
If only because she felt that these customized machines were wasted on such weaklings.
Coming from the front lines, where there were no other units than the ubiquitous Standard Franxx, Zero Two would be lying if she said that she did not carry some excitement into finally seeing something other than the boring grey drab of Standard Franxxs in action.
But what was lacking in the ongoing fight, what made her lower her eyes in regret, was skill.
Yes, these customized Franxx were impressively designed and armed, when considering that every other Parasite in the world had to make do with a Standard Franxx. Even The Nines piloted identical M9 models that were frankly speaking, nothing more than cheap ripoffs of Strelizia in her eyes.
The Franxx piloted by the Parasites of Squad 13 were truly unique and one of a kind, just like Strelizia.
And yet, the excessive privilege granted to this test team made her lips curl in disgust as she watched Chlorophytum inefficiently expend an wasteful amount of magma shells on the Worm-class.
In the front lines, it had been different. Over there, there were no names, just code numbers to differentiate a person from the faceless mass. Every machine, the same grey Standard Franxx. The battles there were essentially boiled down to statistics, no fame or glory in victory nor shame in defeat.
All the adults needed to know was how many Parasites would be required to die for their victory.
Everything else sorted itself out in the mathematical equation that APE used to conduct war.
It was dehumanizing to the extreme.
Perhaps it wasn't fair to compare them to the test team known as Squad 13 because of this, but after having witnessed battles at that scale this felt more like a schoolyard scrap than an actual war.
It made Zero Two realize how sheltered these Parasites were from reality.
"They're in trouble!"
A worried voice behind her broke Zero Two from her musings. Turning around, she noted the lines of worry that creased his face. It was cute to see him this worried, she had to admit, a more hardened Stamen would have brushed it off.
His adorable reactions reminded her that maybe... being sheltered wasn't all that bad, if it produced such goodness in a person like him.
That's right, he was good and sweet.
And like the greedy, selfish monster she was, she latched onto his kindness and fell in love.
A love that went against her entire life's meaning, a love that betrayed that boy in the snow.
Zero Two knew she was making a gamble, that this one would be her True Darling. If she was correct, it would be the richest reward she would have ever received.
On the other hand, if she was wrong...
She would be spitting on the actions of her savior, in addition to becoming nothing more than a manipulative seductress that tore the heart out of this earnest soul.
A bitter smile crossed her face at the thought of that.
That was fine, it suited a monster like her anyway.
She was used to playing the villain, after all.
"They're in trouble!"
Hiro worried as he grimaced at Squad 13 struggling with the Worm-class. Try as they might, it seemed that they had trouble locating the core. Just barely three kilometers away, Plantation 13 stood, defenseless and vulnerable.
Hiro winced to himself as he watched Genista stab it's bayonet into the rear of the Worm-class, only to come up empty like the rest before him.
But that wasn't the reason for the gnawing feeling within him. Zooming in, Hiro frowned as he located the source for his insecurities. Distantly, he could feel Strelizia's hands clench in response to his unconscious feedback.
Zero Two was right all along, he could pilot. It wasn't necessary to give her up at the mines, no matter how much he tried to comfort himself that it was a logical decision.
At that time, he failed to trust her words.
Even now, as they hovered in the skies, Hiro felt a bitter taste reach the back of his throat. The knowledge that this could have all been avoided if he had stepped up instead of shirking his responsibilities.
"Having regrets?"
Cocking her head, Zero Two asked, a serious look on her face as she noticed the machine that he'd zoomed in on. Chlorophytum or to be more precise...
The Stamen who was currently it's pilot, that disgusting fodder whose arrogance made her so furious she sent him straight to the hospital ward.
Apparently, it seemed that Darling still felt slighted towards him.
"Zero Two."
The controls shook in his hands as he spoke. Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, the emotions flooding within him, threatening to spill over through their connection as he finally understood.
Ahh... so that was it, this emotion that plagued him ever since Mitsuru piloted Strelizia with Zero Two.
It wasn't anger.
It wasn't hate.
It wasn't indignation at being shown up.
It wasn't even regret like she suggested.
He was jealous.
Hiro had not realized it at that time, but now he did.
This feeling of jealousy, it wasn't common for a Parasite. Partner Shuffles were commonplace for a reason after all. If their purpose as Parasites was to pilot Franxx and to protect Papa and the Plantations, then it would only be logical that Parasites should be paired with the partner that they displayed the optimal compatibility with.
But that was for 'Partners'.
He wasn't Zero Two's partner-
He was her Darling.
And the reason he felt like this was-
He was starting to be possessive of her, as well. Somewhere along the way, Hiro had started to see Zero Two as 'someone that belonged to him.', it was just that he hadn't come to realize it until now.
Along with a yearning feeling of wanting to be embraced by Zero Two.
"I can't change the past, but I can decide the future."
He dared not open his eyes just yet, for because Hiro didn't trust himself to falter if he saw Zero Two facing him with an expression of rejection.
For Hiro wasn't a naturally brave person, that was why he required the feelings of resolve that burned inside him to carry him through. To fill him with newfound purpose, like a grounded bird discovering flight for the first time in it's life.
It was at then, something within him snapped.
Maybe it was the return of his piloting abilities.
Perhaps it was the ticklish sensation that caressed his skin, Zero Two teasing him through their connection.
Maybe it was the blood burning hot in his veins causing his mind to addle.
Or maybe he just went insane and he hadn't realized it.
But in any case, everything in the world just seemed to make sense.
"I won't reject you ever again..."
His positive pulse surged.
There was no need to hold back anymore.
After all, holding back was what got him into this mess in the first place.
"Darling?"
Zero Two marveled at the sudden, heady rush she was experiencing. As if she was a spring tightly wounded, all the power and pressure waiting to be released at the first opportunity.
"The ocean, I can feel it. Your connection... each breath you take fills my lungs. I can feel everything you have flowing through me."
Zero Two buckled in surprise at the sudden pressure wrapping around her, as if he was embracing with all of his strength.
No Stamen in history ever made her feel this way.
A regular Pistil would probably be crushed or at the very least, become terribly overworked.
But Zero Two wasn't a regular Pistil, she was special.
And it felt amazing, Zero Two thought as she grinned to herself.
It seems that Darling has been hiding some things from me.
Purring noises in the background informed him of Zero Two's eagerness to explode forwards and storm the battlefield.
Who was he to deny such an honest urge?
Cerulean revealed themselves as his eyes finally opened.
"LETS GO, ZERO TWO!"
The Knight of the Sky answered with a thunderous impact.
Moments before the Worm-class could spit forth its spiked projectiles and impale Delphinium, it was slammed with an amount of overwhelming force that smashed it's head to the ground in a massive crater.
And the cause of it was-
A diving kick by Strelizia from above.
Certainty, with it's color scheme of gleaming white and red, an oversized Queen Pike that resembled a jousting lance along with the pilot's tendency to swoop in at the last moment to rescue distressed damsels, it was not a mistake to call the maiden of steel a knight.
Following through their diving kick, Strelizia landed with a leg stretched out, causing it to form long slide marks on the brown desert soil.
Recoiling from the impact it had received, the Worm-class released it's hold on Genista, the bulky black and grey Franxx crashing to the ground in a crumpled heap. It's weapon, the heavy cannon 'Rook Sparrow', was flung in the air away from it's owner.
Noting the close proximity of the machine that contained the weakling Darling felt slighted against, Zero Two grinned as she utilized the momentum of their slide landing to transition into a spinning roundhouse kick. Sparks flew wildly as Strelizia spun on it's heel, it's right leg lashing out at the machine that had wronged the both of them.
With a snarl in her voice that reflected on her current state of fury, Zero Two spat at Chlorophytum as the spinning kick impacted it's center, sending the white and violet Franxx flying.
"Don't get cocky just because you've managed to sneak a ride through me, weakling!"
A small part of her felt bad for the poor Pistil that had to receive the incoming impact for that jerk, but Zero Two suppressed it, she only had herself to blame for being the weakling's partner.
"I'm with my Darling now! And when we're together-"
Inside Chlorophytum, Ikuno threw up as she felt the feedback from the kick against her ribs. Her glasses flung off her face, Ikuno found her skull bashing against the sides of the cockpit.
With the sounds of disconnection, Chlorophytum crash landed on the ground as Ikuno lost consciousness, blood now freely flowing down her face.
"I'M A BRAND NEW GIRL!"
Mitsuru fared better, although he did not escape Zero Two's wrath unscathed. The impact had caused the back of his head to smack against the seat. Crying out in pain from the piercing headache that was beginning to form, Mitsuru shivered in fear in his now inactive iron coffin, awaiting his execution.
Such an act did not occur however, because Strelizia had completed it's 360 degree turn, returning to face the Worm-class. Apparently, Zero Two found it beneath herself to finish them off. Her intentions were clear as day,
They had been abandoned to lie in the dirt like the garbage she saw them as.
"That weapon...!"
His eyes widening in a moment of ingenuity, Hiro watched Rook Sparrow descend from it's flight. With a surge forwards, Strelizia grabbed the ownerless weapon with it's free hand, Queen Pike held in it's left.
"So heavy...!"
Cursing out at the heavy cannon's weight, Hiro gritted his teeth as Strelizia swung Rook Sparrow around to skewer the Worm-class on it's bayonet, a bestial shriek of pain notifying him that he'd hit his mark.
Wincing at the strain he was putting Strelizia under, Hiro lifted the massive klaxosaur above them like an oversized eel that a fisherman had speared.
"Fire!"
From point blank range, Rook Sparrow roared it's defiance, the armored plating of the Worm-class cracking under it's impact.
The cylinder rotated, as Zero Two echoed his scream.
"FIRE!"
Another flash of roaring flame appeared as Rook Sparrow belched it's explosive payload, causing the cracks to deepen.
"FIRE EVERYTHING!"
Smashing the trigger with everything he had, the both of them screamed.
Mechanical clicking sounds rang out as the cylinder rotated at maximum speed. Large magma shell casings ejected themselves to crash on the ground. The heat was so immense that miniature bubbles began to form along the entire length of the Worm-class, as if it had been stricken by a case of the boils.
Rook Sparrow now completely spent and empty, Strelizia dropped the heavy cannon to crash against the ground.
Because Hiro wasn't done just yet, after all, even a child would know that were only two ways to defeat a klaxosaur.
The first was to penetrate it's core with a magma weapon, instantly killing it.
The other option, as used by humanity before the invention of the mobile humanoid weapons known as Franxx came to be was...
To utterly destroy it with such overwhelming force until it's entire physical form was ground to powder.
As impressive as emptying Rook Sparrow's entire payload in a single action had been, Hiro hadn't expected it to destroy the Worm-class on it's own. It was a pretty large klaxosaur, after all. He'd just required it's firepower to stun the Worm-class for his follow-up attack.
Because that was what Strelizia was going to do.
If he did not want to painstakingly seek out the core, then he would just merely need to inflict such overwhelming damage until the Worm-class literally ceased to exist.
It was a ridiculous plan that would have had any rational person question the sanity of it's creator.
A calmer, more tactically inclined pilot would have regrouped the squad to form up for an attack that maximized their concentration of force.
A wary, more risk averse Parasite would have recovered their wounded and called for a retreat towards their Plantation.
Unfortunately, neither of them were in control of Strelizia at the moment.
Perhaps it was the fact that, due to this being his first conscious connection and flight with Zero Two, one could have argued that Hiro was hungry to prove himself beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one else but him could draw out Strelizia's true power.
Or maybe he'd just wanted to show off to everyone watching the difference in ability when Zero Two actually piloted with a person she treasured and held dear, unlike that time with Mitsuru when she was just merely going through the motions.
Whatever the reason, the idea was remained the same.
Hiro did not want to conduct a battle.
He wanted to perform an impression.
And for that, he needed to draw upon Zero Two's full extent of her abilities as well.
With a fleeting thought cast through their connection, he felt Zero Two's amused interest.
"Fine by me, lets see if Darling can really handle me at my best."
She smirked at him through the onscreen display that allowed a Pistil to communicate with her Stamen without turning around.
Twirling Queen Pike above them, Hiro slammed it into the ground beneath them as he tapped the trigger to ignite it. Orange magma fuel rushed forth to flood the weapon, culminating into a massive explosion that bloomed upwards in a spiral, launching the Worm-class skywards along with an incredible amount of rocks of varying sizes.
"Lets fly! Zero Two!"
Boosters flared out as Strelizia hunched itself, preparing to kick off and explode into the skies.
It was fine, there was no point to Zero Two holding back for his sake. He could handle it, he was 'Darling' after all.
Whatever happened, he would surely be okay as long as it was Zero Two-
A ghost of a smile crossed Zero Two's face as she whispered the words which had doomed countless Stamens before him.
"Auto-Limiter, cut."
All at once, the world of light and colors fell away, to be replaced by a sinister darkness.
"Hooo. Seems like the boy is doing well."
Nana turned towards the musing voice besides her, a frown etched on her face as she lectured.
"Doctor! You're supposed to be in a shelter for your own safety." She chided.
Werner gave off a snort of displeasure at her words.
"I can hardly hide away when the key event of our entire experiment is occurring in real time."
His eyes flickered towards the displays before them at the Plantation's Command Center and the information they relayed.
At his unverbalized question, Nana hurried to update him on the situation.
"Their connection is established and holding stable. Hiro doesn't seem to have any difficulty in moving Strelizia, but we've yet to see if the stress of combat leaves him with any lasting damages."
"Any signs of a reaction yet?"
"Saurification levels are still minimal and within safe parameters. No physical mutations has occurred."
Werner frowned at her report, slow progress in scientific experiments was something he abhorred. But he'd learnt patience as a necessity, one would have to, in his field of research.
"Well, for now, everything still seems to be within my estimations. Ensure that you continue monitoring his status."
The ocean changed from a gentle wave into an all consuming tsunami. Murky liquid darkness surrounded him, instilling in him a sense of abject loneliness.
"...!"
A wheezing sound came from his throat as Hiro clutched at his neck, desperate for air. The world around him felt like he was being submerged into the bottom depths of the deep sea, so crushing and overwhelming her pressure was.
At the same time, he felt a force pushing him down, as if forcing him underneath the surface in an attempt to drown him.
To be crushed and drowned at the same time, that was the feeling Hiro felt at that moment.
His natural self-preservation instincts taking over, Hiro fought and struggled against the dominating presence that threatened to end his existence forever.
He pushed and flailed in panic, desperate for a break in the suffering he was experiencing.
At the very edge of his consciousness, before his mind blacked out for good, Hiro came to realize one thing as the epiphany struck him.
With his final breath, Hiro muttered to himself.
"...Ah."
It was possible that every partner that rode with Zero Two experienced this feeling.
And they might have reacted the same, lashing out in their futile struggles.
In that case, why did not such a simple thing come to mind?
Was it because of Zero Two's sudden appearance in his life?
Was it because of Zero Two's overwhelming personality that made him sometimes feel like he was merely carried along for the ride?
Was it because of Zero Two's reputation as a Partner Killer that clung to the back of his mind?
Perhaps it was because of all of these reasons. Even after recent events pushing them closer than ever before, Hiro found his thoughts to be still dominated by fear and trepidation.
If he didn't accept Zero Two, he wouldn't be able to truly move forward and trust her.
Just moments ago, he'd regarded Zero Two as an enemy and treated her as such.
But... that was wrong.
Zero Two wasn't his enemy.
It must have been painful for her as well, to be rejected countless times, lashing out in exchange and killing her partners.
A cycle of pain and rejection, endlessly repeated.
Her internal fortitude must have been truly astounding to endure something like that for her entire life.
In his overreaction, he'd almost forgotten until now.
The difference that separated a human from a beast.
Surely, a beast would blindly follow the instincts that nature instilled in it for the sake of self-preservation.
But Hiro wasn't a beast, he was a human.
And he could exercise the one fundamental right that all human beings possessed.
The right of free will, the right to choose.
That's right. As long as the person he was dealing with was Zero Two, then there was only one thing that he should have done from the beginning...!
To accept and embrace her.
Not as an enemy.
But as her other half.
Her Darling.
Her Wings.
His hands fell to his sides as Hiro relaxed, ceasing his petty resistance.
Going against his biological instincts, Hiro stopped fighting the crushing tsunami.
He rode the wave.
All of this...
The crushing pressure, the murky liquid that submerged him and flooded his lungs, depriving him of air... None of it was real.
Air bubbles came out from his mouth as Hiro breathed through the liquid, as naturally as he would if he was on the surface.
He reached out his hands into the pitch black in front of him-
Until he felt the first touches of something solid.
Gripping it as hard as he could, Hiro pulled-!
All at once, the pain, the suffering... Everything fell away.
To be replaced by a cocooning warmth that soothed him.
Floating on a bed of soft, fluffy clouds, Hiro whispered into the ears of the girl in his arms.
"Zero Two. I've found my purpose in life."
From this position, where her face was pushed into his neck, he couldn't see her expression.
"Hmm? What is it?"
But from her satisfied tone, something like that was unnecessary.
"I want to be your wings."
This position was fine, it was easier to say such embarrassing things like that if they couldn't see each other's faces.
"Though, I hope that we don't have to go through this process again next time."
The skin on his neck vibrated from her words as she murmured into it.
"If it's Darling, I think we'll be just fine."
"FLY, STRELIZIA!"
Thrusters exploded as the maiden of steel shot skywards at his order, towards the Worm-class surrounded by the blasted chunks of rock that dotted the sky. It's speed so frightening that Strelizia transformed did not merely fly, but blitzed across the dusk sky like it was a bolt of lightning, leaving trails of exhaust smoke in it's wake.
It smashed into the Worm-class, knocking it upwards before landing on an airborne chunk of rock.
"FASTER THAN LIGHTNING!"
Kicking off it's makeshift landing platform, Strelizia exploded forward towards the Worm-class once more, utilizing it's frame as a battering ram. A second smash followed, again knocking the Worm-class higher before it repeated the same landing motion on another rock.
His voice rising, Hiro snapped.
"STRONGER!"
And another.
"HARDER!" Zero Two screamed.
And another, they repeated, along with countless more slams, as if the klaxosaur was now nothing more than a glorified ping-pong ball.
Except for the fact that to execute slightly over two dozens of these ramming attacks, barely ten seconds had passed from Strelizia's initial kickoff. The sheer speed it was accelerating at blurring Strelizia and turning it into an orange streak through the skies.
Reaching the apex of their momentum, Hiro grinned along with Zero Two as they spotted their final destination.
A massive chunk of rock that could have been mistaken for a meteor.
"Darling, I'll lock down it's movement for you!"
Rearing it's arms back, Strelizia flung Queen Pike like a javelin, skewering and pinning the badly battered Worm-class onto the meteor as if it was a pinata.
"I got you! Take this!"
Targeting the handle of Queen Pike, Hiro pushed as much acceleration as possible, Strelizia's hands outstretched to grab for their weapon.
"MAXIMUM!"
Negative and Positive pulses both surged forth in tandem as Zero Two pushed Strelizia's output to the limit.
"BREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"
On it's faceplate, Strelizia's expressed mirrored Zero Two as she flashed a feral grin, it's eyes glinting red as well.
Strelizia smashed into the meteor, it's hands grabbing Queen Pike as it did so. The Worm-class squealed in pain as Strelizia drove into it, not dropped even the slightest bit of speed as it plunged through dozens of meters worth of hardened rock.
Cracks appeared on the exterior of the meteor, orange light spilling out from them.
Smashing the trigger on Queen Pike, Hiro triggered it's activation, shattering the giant meteor in a million pieces to scatter across the late afternoon sky.
With the Worm-class still skewered on Queen Pike, although now heavily reduced in size, Hiro continued their relentless skywards ascent, breaking through the clouds.
"FALL!"
Performing an overhead flip, Hiro wrenched the Worm-class off Queen Pike and flung it towards the earth.
Nana blinked in mute shock at the scene playing out in front of them on the displays. Rubbing her eyes to confirm she wasn't dreaming, she turned towards the Doctor, who to his credit, maintained a stony expression on his face as she deadpanned.
"Did you predict that as well?"
Werner coughed into his hands as he muttered out loud.
"Specimen is performing slightly above estimated values."
"Shooting... Stars?"
Ichigo murmured as she watched the heated debris shower the entire skyline, painting an artistic view for all to savor.
"That Hiro... When you promised to go see the stars with me, this was the last thing I would have expected."
Once her initial amazement from the impromptu viewing died down, Ichigo blinked as she realized something.
Strelizia was nowhere to be found.
"Where are they?"
"Ichigo, look...!"
Her voice fell away as Ichigo tracked the direction that her partner was pointing towards. Strelizia was far above them, so high up she required maximum zoom from Delphinium's cameras to even have a chance of spotting them.
But their ridiculous altitude wasn't what stunned her.
It was something else entirely.
"Wings?"
"Darling! Lets show them our wings!"
At six thousand meters up in the sky, where the clouds converged-
Strelizia found her wings.
"Yeah!"
Massive wings of light burst out on Streliza's back, blowing away the pathetic clouds that dared cover it's majesty and exposing the setting sun behind them.
Posing with Queen Pike above them such that the evening sun reflected off it, Hiro felt his blood burn as he raised his voice to it's maximum volume.
"FINISHING MOVE!"
Boosters ignited as he drew Queen Pike to it's ready position.
"Lets go! Zero Two!"
Multiple shockwaves rippled through the air along with the sound of cracking gunshots as Strelizia tore downwards at an breathtaking speed, turning into a blazing comet.
"FULL POWER!"
Zipping through the air to gather as much speed as possible, Strelizia executed a breakneck dive towards the earth.
Meanwhile, the Worm-class had completed it's journey back to earth, crash landing against a nearby mountain ridge. Slumping on the ground, it offered no further resistance.
Finally, they'd won. Ichigo thought to herself as she breathed a sigh of relief. All that was left was-
"Everyone, the klaxosaur is down! Lets quickly find the core and-"
A chilling thought stopped her before she could finish. It was true that the Worm-class was disabled and ripe for elimination, however...
Where was Strelizia?
Her eyes widened in shock as she heard the telltale cracks of a sonic boom in the distance.
"Everyone! Get down!"
Spurred into action from her panicked voice, Goro threw Delphinium to hug the dirt as Genista and Argentea quickly followed without question.
The reason for that was-
Banking at the very last moment before smashing themselves against the earth was indeed an adrenaline rush, Hiro privately admitted to himself. And from the full grin that Zero Two had plastered on her face, it seemed that she felt the same.
They were flying so low the ground cracked and tore itself up beneath them. A vortex of air formed behind them, scattering dirt, rocks and soil as they tore towards the Worm-class.
Whereas the Franxx of Squad 13 that remained in fighting condition immediate dove to the ground to avoid getting rammed by the blazing comet that was once called Strelizia, one lone machine groggily rose to it's feet, it's Pistil having awoken from the blow she'd suffered.
Directly in the path of the charging Strelizia.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL RUN YOU OVER, WEAKLING!"
Using the oversized wrist guards on Strelizia, Zero Two mercilessly backhanded Chlorophytum without slowing down as she plowed right through the white and violet machine.
The impact caused Ikuno to be knocked out once more as Chlorophytum was crumpled like a sack of bricks, Mitsuru faring no better as he was flung from his seat. His head smashing against the steel walls of the cockpit, the wounds on his head reopening and staining the bandages there crimson.
Feeling the blood in his veins boil, Hiro couldn't help but indulge himself.
"IGNITE OUR SOULS!"
The Worm-class struggled to raise itself as it helplessly watched the blazing comet rush at it, Queen Pike promising death as it sung.
With the last of it's strength, the Worm-class opened it's maw and fired every single spike it could towards Strelizia.
In but a split second, a shower of supersonic spikes were on a crash course with them.
Baring her canines in challenge, Zero Two screamed her defiance at the razor sharp projectiles as they continued their charge without deviation.
"NOTHING CAN STOP US!"
The connection between them peaking, the display on her suit retracted along with the control handles, Zero Two not requiring these implements to continue interfacing with Strelizia with their souls as intertwined as they currently were.
Zero Two detached her hands from the Pistil controls, her back upright as she reached out towards the whistling death approaching them, causing her luscious pink hair to billow outwards.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
His mind fully encased in the rush, Hiro wrapped an arm around Zero Two's waist as he pulled her close to him, her hair tickling his nose and scratching at his eyes.
Covering her outstretched hand with his, Hiro slipped his fingers between hers as he allowed his voice to join hers.
With both their eyes locked forward, neither of them noticed his glowing blue irises matching her red.
"WOOOOOOOOOAH!"
With their wings of light behind them, Strelizia met it's challenge head-on.
The razor sharp projectiles splintered across it's frame, slicing a gash into Strelizia's flank, leaking orange magma fuel down it's sides.
The feedback manifested itself on Zero Two's body, mirroring it's location on Strelizia, except crimson instead of orange spilled out.
Now completely committed to their charge, Zero Two never paused for a moment as she ignored her injury, the pain not even registering itself through her adrenaline.
Another spike got caught on Strelizia's faceplate, cutting it's cheek.
Hiro felt blood run down his face as that wound's feedback manifested itself onto him instead of Zero Two for some reason.
But at that moment, he cared not the reason why.
The rest of the spikes skimmed across Strelizia's steel hide, deflecting harmlessly to bury themselves into the ground.
It's final effort now exhausted and the distance between them rapidly closing, Hiro pushed himself to his limits. With Queen Pike aimed at the Worm-class, Hiro screamed as loud as he could, his voice cracking under the strain.
"DEYAAAAAAAA!"
Strelizia matching his roar in real time, Queen Pike slammed into the Worm-class, which then crashed against the mountain ridge behind it.
The mountain which simply vanished.
Kilometers upon kilometers of rock and dirt evaporated as Strelizia exploded out from the mountain ridge, the klaxosaur's core finally on Queen Pike's tip.
The mountain ceased to exist.
Slamming Strelizia's feet onto the ground as hard as he could for their landing, long skid marks formed as Hiro turned them away from the destruction they had wrought, their backs facing the wrecked remains of the Worm-class that was currently now buried in the dirt.
His arms still wrapped around Zero Two's waist and hand respectively, Hiro declared their new status for all to hear.
"When a male and female pair lean on each other and act as one, they can fly as high and far as they want."
Zero Two pulled Queen Pike's trigger as she finished his speech for him.
"For we are the Jian!"
As the core shattered, rolling explosions shook the earth behind them, the flames casting shadows over Strelizia as it posed with Queen Pike extended.
The mountain ridge transformed into a canyon.
"I'll contact HQ to inform them of the landscape changes in their maps."
Hachi broke the stunned silence in the Command Center with his disinterested voice.
"...Please do."
"Shit... Shit!"
Mitsuru slammed his fists against Chlorophytum's cockpit hatch as he swore.
"Why him, and not me!?"
His face twisted in rage, Mitsuru glared at the Franxx that Hiro had piloted as it stood facing the sunset.
"What's the difference between Hiro and me!?"
Behind him, still locked in the Pistil controls, Ikuno stirred.
"Why couldn't I pilot it successfully!?"
Clutching at his face, Mitsuru sobbed.
Ichigo took stock of her surroundings around her as she exited Delphinium.
Another victory achieved, but at what cost?
Genista and Chlorophytum were damaged and in need of repairs. Kokoro was doing well, all things considered but Ikuno would require rest in the medical bay to recuperate from her injuries.
Some of Mitusuru's old wounds had reopened but those were minor and of no pressing concern.
Argentea had escaped unscathed, it's pilots still eternally squabbling among themselves as usual.
All of this, all of their efforts, only to be rescued by Strelizia again.
But still, Ichigo couldn't deny the swell of pride in her heart when she replayed Hiro's performance during the battle that'd just occurred.
Truly, she was happy that Hiro succeeded in piloting once more.
Even if it was with that girl.
"What a mess."
A wry voice came from besides her, Ichigo not needing to turn towards the speaker to visually confirm his identity.
"Besides, where is our star couple anyway?" Goro asked.
Because she had her attention already taken by the pair that stood on Strelizia's faceplate, basking in the warm glow of the setting sun.
They remained like that in silence for a bit, just merely enjoying their shared presence as they soaked up the sunset.
Their current proximity was so close that the only thing that prevented their chests from touching was their linked hands pressed between them.
In fact, they were so close that he could feel the rise of her chest as it shifted.
This moment, the amber light falling on Zero Two as she peered at him with those soft eyes-
It was a memory Hiro committed to burning into his mind.
Until the end of his life, he would carry it with him.
It was that precious to him.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"Zero Two."
The distance between them was so small, he needed only to whisper and she would catch his words.
"Hmm?"
A soft, barely audible hum came from Zero Two.
But Hiro heard it as clear as day.
That was... the current distance between them.
And from now on, this distance, it would only get smaller.
The thought of that scared and exhilarated him at the same time.
"I just wanted you to know, I meant every word."
The grip on his hands tensed as Zero Two's eyes flickered downwards, to glance at their physical connection.
"Not yet. There's still one more ride to go, I can't commit-"
Her breathing quickened as the words spilt forth from her.
"Zero Two."
Whatever she said, it didn't matter, he'd seen through her.
The hypocritical way that Zero Two treated rejection.
Afraid of being rejected, yet using it as a shield to protect her heart whenever she felt threatened.
That was the foundation of Zero Two's distorted way of life.
"Say it again."
"...Eh?"
A mumble from the shivering girl in front of him, her eyes refusing to meet his.
"Those words, I want you to say them again."
This was it, with one line, Zero Two handed over the key to her heart to him.
Right now, if he'd wanted to, he could hurt Zero Two in a way she would have never recover from for the rest of her life.
That was what it meant to open your heart to someone.
But for Hiro, his motivations never changed.
Ever since that fateful day when she pulled him into Strelizia, it'd remained the same.
If Zero Two had nobody in her life-
If that was the case, then, he would just have to be that person.
"If others refuse to accept you, I'll just accept you even more."
The girl in front of him froze in fright, as if disbelieving his words.
Or more possibly, afraid that he would turn and discard her at the very last second.
"What?"
At that moment, more than anything, Hiro found himself utterly despising the people that made her grow up this way.
"If the entire world rejects you. Then, more than all of them combined... I will accept you."
Her eyes wide and quivering, Zero Two stuttered as she put up her final attempt at resistance.
"I-I'm actually just u-using you. Like f-fodder."
His hands released themselves from hers.
A shaking smile crossed Zero Two's face as she insisted.
"See! What did I tell you-"
Only to pull her close into an embrace, fixing Zero Two in place so that she wouldn't be able to escape from his upcoming words.
"I'll never let you go. I'll absolutely won't make a mistake anymore."
No matter what the future had in store for him...
One thing was for certain.
"Zero Two, I will definitely be your Darling."
Hiro stumbled backwards from the lips smashing onto his.
"Ahh... Ahh...!"
Arms wrapped around him tightly as she pressed her body against him.
Sweet and salty flavors introduced themselves as Zero Two sobbed in their messy kiss. Tears smeared themselves all over his face as Zero Two did her best in sucking him dry via her lips.
All in all, it was a kiss borne of turbulent emotions and passion.
While he would have personally preferred a more gentle approach, minus the tears-
But for now, Hiro thought to himself as he continued to hold the shivering girl in his arms and press their lips together...
This was fine as well.
Sweat dripped off his face to splatter onto the bathroom sink as Hiro panted, his breath wheezing.
Splashing cold water on his face to freshen himself up, Hiro grimaced at his reflection in the mirror.
Reaching for a hand towel to wipe his face off, Hiro made to leave the bathroom.
"Morning, Hiro. Hope you left some hot water for me."
Goro yawned as he walked past him.
"...!"
He stopped in place as the sleep in his eyes instantly evaporated.
"Hiro, stop! I told you to stop, dammit!"
Ignoring the calls of his best friend behind him, Hiro moved towards the stairwell that served as the common link for the boys and girls dormitories.
Moving quickly, he caught the faintest hint of blue before drooping his head to stare at his feet as he hurried towards the dining room for breakfast.
"Hiro..."
Her voice, filled with despair, made him cringe.
"Why do you look like that?"
As he stopped at the door that led into the dining room to gather himself, loud and eager footsteps announced Zero Two's arrival.
Only to pause before him with an emotionless look on her face, Zero Two's eyes clinically roaming him from top to bottom.
Putting a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes, Zero Two twirled the snow white locks that now streaked through left side of his hair.
"This new look suits you well, Darling."
Taking her hand in his, Hiro pushed open the door and entered the dining room.
He smiled at the dead silence that greeted his entrance.
"Good morning, everyone."
