Hello everyone! Sorry about the wait! Things have been a bit hectic for me lately so writing had to take a backseat. That said chapter 10 is partially written so you should be seeing it in a much shorter time frame than between this and chapter 8. But that's enough from me, enjoy!
Delphinium slowly stumbles into the docking bay alongside the other FranXX of Squad 13. You and Ichigo are both completely exhausted, having been pushed mentally and physically to your limits during the course of the mission. Your experience in the nest was awful to say the least, and the only solace you find is in the fact that it is finally over.
During the trip back, your adrenaline from the impending threat of the bomb had finally worn off. As a result, you had begun to feel the injury you had sustained during your instinctual act of protecting Ichigo. The right side of your face had eventually lost all feeling and your jaw refused to move. Your throat felt unbearably hoarse, almost like someone had singed your insides and left them to cool. Ichigo had attempted to speak with you several times while you were walking, but all you could manage were a series of throaty growls in response.
There is a metallic clanking sound as the restraints close around Delphinium's wrists and ankles, securing her to the dock. You release your grip on the controls, thus severing your connection to Ichigo, and are immediately overwhelmed by a wave of exhaustion. Ichigo stands up and opens the door to the cockpit, while you choose to take a moment to slump forward in the chair to rest. You put your elbows on your knees and your head in your hands as you quietly pant from the exertion of the hours-long mission.
"(Y/N)," Ichigo frowns, turning around to look at you. "Are you alright?" You, with great effort, stand and begin to make your way over to her. Trying not to worry her, you put on half smile. Her frown quickly changes into a smile in return as you draw closer. You are just about to make it to where she stands when another wave of exhaustion washes over you, this time accompanied by excruciating pain. Your pace slows as your muscles seem to atrophy while you're using them, and you stumble forward. "(Y/N)?" Ichigo hurriedly says as her concern returns. You give her a weak smile, take another step forward, and then your world goes black.
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You wake up in a bed that you are acutely aware isn't yours. You pull yourself upright into a reclining position on top of the bed's pillows to look around. Casting your gaze around the room, you take in as much as you can to figure out where you are. The almost exclusively white room is of decent size, and your bed is one of several in a line. Beside you on a bedside table rests a box of medication. Assuming that this is not, in fact, one of the parasite's living quarters or a storage room means that you must be in the plantation's infirmary.
It's still early morning, based on the dim light seeping in through the window. While you continue to look about the room, a small rustle draws your attention. Directly across from your bed sits a chair. And in that chair, a girl with indigo hair sleeps restlessly.
Ichigo tosses and turns in the chair and her expression is one of pain. You quickly realize she is having a nightmare. "Ichigo," you call out to her. Your partner tosses to her left side, mumbling, "(Y/N)." She moves again as her features scrunch up into a ball. "Ichigo," you repeat, much louder than before. Ichigo's expression grows even darker, and this time an undercurrent of fear is present when her contorted face repeats your name. "Ichigo, wake up!" you shout. "(Y/N)!" she screams back and bolts upright in the chair.
Ichigo's hair is in disarray, as the longer locks of her bangs unevenly drape across her face. She takes several short breaths in rapid succession before looking up and seeing you staring at her. A twinge of pink flushes her cheeks and she hides her face from view by staring at the ground. A moment later she looks up at you again, the rosy color having swiftly receded.
"Good morning, (Y/N)" she offers with an awkward smile. You hesitate for just a moment before responding. "Ichigo, are you alright?" you ask. Her shoulders slump, clearly realizing you saw everything. "I'm… fine," she answers while giving you another smile. "I should be the one asking you that anyway."
"What do you-" you begin to say, but your statement is cut short by a lance of pain through your jaw. Your concern for Ichigo a moment ago had kept you from noticing the immense pain associated with opening your mouth. Instinctively you bring your hand to the location of the pain for inspection, but this only makes things worse as a stronger shot courses through you. In an instant, Ichigo is by your side.
"Don't push yourself," she urges, her hands moving protectively onto your right arm and shoulder. "You need to rest so your injuries will heal." Rather than attempt to speak again, you raise your hands in a manner showing her that you have a question. "You want to know what they are?" Ichigo asks. You nod.
She takes a deep breath and begins. "You have some pretty bad bruises on the right side of your torso, but your face is what took most of the damage. You had a very brutal impact with the walls of the cockpit. Fortunately, you still have all your teeth and you didn't bite out your tongue. According to Nana you have a contusion, your cheekbones are broken, your jaw has hairline fractures and is dislocated, and you have a crack in the frontal plate of your skull. It's a miracle, that's all. Hachi said… he said that you shouldn't even be alive." Ichigo's voice wanes as she lists your injuries, and by the end she is so quiet she can barely be heard.
Once Ichigo finishes speaking, you lightly run your hand across the right side of your face. A soft fabric greets your fingers. The wide cotton pads making up your bandages are heavily wrapped in gauze, and there's a lot of it. As you continue from your cheek up to your forehead, the bandages become damp.
"Let me," Ichigo interjects, grabbing your hand and pulling it away. You silently wait as she walks to one of the nearby cabinets and withdraws some medical supplies before returning to you. Ichigo begins by carefully unwinding the bandage and discarding it. After, she then walks over to a small sink in the corner of the room and wets a towel. She sits next to you on the bed while gently cleaning the dried blood from your face, focusing intently to ensure she doesn't touch your bruises.
After she is satisfied with your appearance, she unscrews the cap of a bottle and pours a small amount of the liquid it contains onto a cotton ball. The cotton ball is then used to clean the cuts that litter the right side of your face. You hiss when she cleans the first as the alcohol bites into your open wound. However, a moment later you regain your composure and Ichigo continues.
This continues for a bit, both of you sitting in silence as Ichigo cares for you. While she works, you attempt to figure out why she would possibly be doing something like this. Eventually, you come to the conclusion that Ichigo must feel like this is her fault. In turn, that would make you her responsibility until things were better.
You also notice that she isn't using her left arm unless she needs to. You raise your hand slightly off the bed and she pauses. You point to her left arm. She gives you a weak smile. "I'm fine, (Y/N)," she lies. You glare at her for several seconds and she exhales. "I hurt my arm when Delphinium was in Stampede. I overdid things a bit," she answers truthfully.
You shake your head as the corner of your mouth curls into a smile. "What?" she asks. You just chuckle. "Come on, what is it?" she asks you in a somewhat annoyed tone. You point to a pen and some nearby paper on the bed side table and she hands it to you. You take the pen in your hand and quickly scribble on the paper before showing it to her. 'I get hurt trying to protect you, only for you to go and hurt yourself.'
Ichigo takes the paper from you and reads. It takes her only a few seconds and she scoffs at the end. "I didn't try to hurt myself, you idiot," she complains. You can only continue to smile as Ichigo tries in vain to defend herself. Apparently, the lack of speech doesn't impede your ability to hold a conversation.
After several minutes she allows the topic to fade and returns to dressing your wounds. Now that they have been cleaned, she applies fresh gauze and additional bandages. "There, all better," Ichigo says as she finishes. You raise an eyebrow and give her a questioning look. "Well, not… you know what I meant," she huffs, picking up the extra supplies and returning them to the cupboard.
While Ichigo is preoccupied with the medication and equipment, you notice the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Click, click, click, click. The light, rhythmic footfalls make a surprising amount of noise. Listening intently, you determine that it must be Nana. No one else's shoes sounded like the Caretaker's heels. A moment later the red-headed woman appears in the doorway.
"Ah, (Y/N)," she greets you with a caring smile. "I am glad you are awake. How are you feeling?" You take up the pen and paper once more and scribble out a note before handing it to her. "So, you experience pain when trying to speak," Nana says as she skims the note. "That is probably because you are opening your mouth too much. You will need to keep it shut for the next several days at the least. You will only be able to consume liquids for the time being, so I've asked the kitchen to make sure something is prepared for you at each meal."
Nana places the notepad beside the bed and begins to examine your face. "Your bandages are fresh," she murmurs before looking to you for an explanation. You turn and point to the corner near the door where Ichigo stands silently. Nana sighs, "I should have expected it was you."
"Nana, I-" Ichigo begins but Nana holds up a hand, silencing her. "You did well," the woman praises her, causing a small amount of satisfaction to become visible in Ichigo's demeanor. It vanishes as quickly as it had appeared, but a just-barely concealed look of pride replaces it.
"Now," she addresses you, "breakfast will be served soon. (Y/N), you are free to move about the house as you normally would. For the time being, though, you will be removed from the active duty roster." Nana sees the look of terror dawning in your eyes at her statement and you see the same in Ichigo's across the room. "Don't worry," she reassures you. "It's only until you are healed, we aren't sending you away."
"Ichigo," Nana finishes, "you should go and get a change of clothes. (Y/N) is more than capable of making his way to the dining room by himself." "Yes, Nana," Ichigo replies and she hesitantly exits the room. For just a moment, she turns to gaze into your eyes before she moves out of sight.
"Seeing as you are awake and well enough to be interacting with others, I believe my job is done," Nana states. She turns and exits the room, her heels clicking as she goes. After a moment you throw your legs to the side of the bed and stand. Finding that you have no issues with the action you proceed to your room, change clothes, and make your way to the dining hall.
When you arrive, everyone is already present and preparing to eat. Many voices overlap, their owners caught up in conversation. However when you walk through the door, everyone quiets and turns to look at you. You stand there for several seconds as everyone waits for you to say something. Instead you just give a little wave.
"Don't you want to say something?" Zorome asks. "Cut it out," Miku whispers. "He can't speak, everyone," Ichigo clarifies. "Like, ever?" Futoshi asks, voice entirely one of concern. "No, just until he heals," Ichigo answers. "Because most of his injuries were to the face, it's painful for him to open his mouth." The majority of the others wince with empathy. "Goodness," Kokoro gasps, though you can see she is also sporting a brace for her right ankle.
You nod and begin to make your way toward the boy's table, only to find something strange. Instead of Zero Two being seated there like usual, Ichigo has taken one of the chairs. The one directly next to is also left open. Piecing two and two together you realize that Ichigo had not only moved to the boy's table, but she had specifically made sure that the seat beside her would be yours.
You take the empty place beside her and everyone bows their heads. After a short prayer, the meal begins. Everyone else is having scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. It all smells absolutely delicious, but unfortunately you appear to have been given a bowl of plain oatmeal.
With a sigh of disappointment you reach for your spoon, only to have it taken out of your hand. You glance over to see Ichigo dipping it into the oatmeal and offering it to you. You give her a strange look and fish through you pockets for a moment, producing the pen and paper you'd had earlier.
Ichigo lets the spoon settle back into the bowl and takes a bite of her breakfast while you scribble. 'I can feed myself.' You offer the note to her and she takes a moment to read it. "Don't worry," Ichigo says after finishing. "I don't mind." She then picks up the spoon once more and offers its contents to you. You are equal parts astounded and confused that she would play the pretense of you asking to be helped in front of the others. Without the ability to speak, and because she had tucked the note away after reading it, you have no method of letting everyone else know that this was not your intention and thus must suffer through the embarrassment of being fed like a child.
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Over the next several days, the constant pain associated with anything related to your face lessens quite considerably. In addition, you slowly gain the use of your jaw back. Speaking becomes possible, though a chore, and you can finally refute Ichigo's attempts to feed you. Thank god that's over with. Three days I had to suffer her following me around, "because I was hurt."
On the fourth day, as you return from a checkup with Nana in the infirmary, you hear hushed voices coming from the lounge. You slowly creep up the stairs, careful not to hit the one that always groans when stepped on, and slink to the door. Inside you find a very odd combination. Miku and Zorome, no surprise there, along with Ikuno and Mitsuru.
"Zorome, you're just being stubborn," Ikuno says quietly. "The others deserve to know what we found in the mine." Zorome crosses his arms and uninterestedly looks behind her. "It's not a big deal," he responds. "I'm sure that Squad 97 just misunderstood their orders."
Mitsuru scoffs. "Misunderstood?" he addresses Zorome in a patronizing tone. "What part of 'we were ordered to seal ourselves in the mine with the Klaxosaurs so they couldn't escape' sounds like a misunderstanding of orders to you?"
"The adults would never do that to us," Zorome retorts. "They need us." Ikuno restlessly shifts on her feet as he finishes. "We've seen evidence to prove otherwise," she states. "But, that doesn't make sense!" Zorome shouts. An angry Mitsuru grabs onto Zorome's shoulder. "Keep your voice down!" he hisses.
There is a moment of silence and a "huh" as Zorome returns to sitting on the couch. "Why would the adults do that if they need us?" Zorome asks. "Perhaps it is because they don't," Ikuno answers. "At least, not as much as we think they do."
"Do you remember what Code 090 said?" Mitsuru questions Zorome. "He said that there were always more parasites." Zorome looks between the two of them before he glances to Miku. "Miku, you don't believe any of this, do you?" he asks, clearly fed up with what has basically become an interrogation.
Miku, who had been silent until this point, looks conflicted. "Code 090 said that they already have replacements for us," Miku mumbles. "And 112 said it was our duty to die in service to Papa." Miku looks up from the floor at her partner. "I don't want to die, Zorome." Zorome moves to sit beside her and places his arm around the red-headed girl. "I told you I won't let that happen," he reassures her in a comforting tone.
"We need to tell the others," Ikuno reaffirms. "It's too important to not to." This time Zorome is silent, instead choosing to focus on his partner. Mitsuru nods and begins to walk out of the room toward the boys' side of the house. Before he can exit, though, you enter. "And when exactly were you planning on telling the rest of us this, Zorome?" you ask. All eyes in the room snap to you. Ikuno and Mitsuru are surprised, but not disappointed. Miku still looks scared, while Zorome's expression grows dark.
"If I thought it was something you needed to know, then I would have told you," he growls. "I had thought you were smarter than that," you reply. Before he can explode on you, you turn to the other pair in the room. "Mitsuru," you address the tall boy, "please get the others. Everyone needs to hear this."
Ten minutes later, everyone is gathered in the lounge. The girls sit on one of the couches together while Zorome and Futoshi recline on the other. Mitsuru stands at one door and you lean against the other. Hiro and Zero Two are against a wall next to one another. Ichigo stands with her back to the windows, facing all of you.
"Mitsuru, you said there was something that we needed to talk about?" Ichigo asks. "This better be important," Futoshi grumbles. "I was just about to get my snack." An icy glare from both members of team Chlorophytum causes him to shrink into the sofa.
"We found something last week during the mission in the abandoned mine," Mitsuru begins his explanation. "After we got separated, we went to the mine's control center like Ichigo had suggested. When we arrived, we found three FranXX inside. They had all sustained incredible damage and had each been killed in terrible ways. As we searched for a way to turn the facility's power back on we found a recording in one of the FranXX, left by Squad 97's leader. It turns out that Squad 97 was who had originally been sent to clear the mine. The recording said that Squad 97 had been ordered to seal the entrance to the mine in order to keep the Klaxosaurs from escaping to the surface. To do that, they had to trap themselves in the mine with them. If the Klaxosaurs hadn't killed them first, Code 085, their leader, said they would starve."
The room is deadly quiet after Mitsuru finishes speaking. "That's horrible…" Kokoro whimpers. "So they were ordered to stay even though it meant they would die," Hiro says to himself. "But why would the adults do that?" Futoshi asks.
"Right?!" Zorome shouts. "That's what I was trying to tell them," Zorome points to Ikuno and Mitsuru. "The adults would never tell us to throw our lives away. They need us too much. We protect them and their home, and without us they couldn't survive. And look at everything they give us in return. Food, clothes, we even get to live in these awesome plantations with them. Papa and the adults are amazing!"
"Yeah!" Futoshi agrees. Miku and Kokoro also appear to be rejuvenated by Zorome's words. "I don't know why I was so quick to doubt them," Miku says as a smile returns to her face.
Despite that, not everyone appears to be wholly convinced. Hiro is murmuring to himself in the corner and Zero Two had stalked out of the room as soon as Zorome began to sing praise to Papa. Ikuno and Mitsuru are deadpan as ever, leaving only you and Ichigo. Ichigo's expression returns to one of content now that the squad appears to have come back to normal. She doesn't seem overly bothered, and it's not easy to read her.
You, however, are unsure what to think. I didn't see this recording for myself, so maybe things weren't as bad as Ikuno and Mitsuru are saying. Zorome certainly doesn't seem to think so. He's right that Papa and the adults have always kept me fed and clothed, but I wouldn't call the conditions at the Replacement Division entirely humane. Maybe mine was just bad though, there are other Gardens and other Replacement Divisions along with them. Guess this is something I should just keep an eye on for a bit.
"Wait," Miku suddenly says, cocking her head to one side. "What happened to you guys while we were in the mine?" The others nod in assent. "All we know is that you killed some big Klaxosaur with the bomb and (Y/N) got hurt," Zorome adds.
Hiro and Ichigo glance at each other, then at you to see who will begin the tale. You tap your jaw several times to say you won't be speaking, so Hiro starts.
"Well, after we reached the bottom of the elevator shaft, we figured out that we wouldn't be able to make it back up on our own. So we decided to try and find another way out after completing the mission. Along the way we found this cavern that looked like some kind of storage room. The walls were lined with honeycombs filled with magma energy and there was a river of it flowing through the center of the room. After clearing it of a couple Klaxosaurs, we refueled our FranXX using the energy in the honeycombs and kept moving. A couple hours later when we had gotten close to the main chamber, Zero Two stopped us because she sensed an ambush. We killed the Klaxosaurs who set it, but only after Code 423's FranXX had its arm damaged. From there, we moved into the main chamber where we found the big one."
Hiro stops and Ichigo picks up. "The Mother was nearly the size of a plantation and it carried other Klaxosaurs inside it. We tried to kill it by dropping a stalactite on it, but that was only enough to make it angry. Delphinium got thrown into a wall and, and…" Ichigo stops momentarily, looking at you with guilt evident in her eyes. You give her a reassuring smile and nod, after which Ichigo continues. "(Y/N) pulled me from our connection so I wouldn't feel the impact against the wall. We got thrown against the cockpit and he ended up getting hurt. I… I thought I lost him. Then, I went into Stampede." Ichigo chokes up as she finishes, moving to take a seat immediately after she stops speaking.
"I wondered why you were like that," Kokoro says, drawing the room's attention to herself. Realizing that she had unintentionally nominated herself to finish the story, she resumes where Ichigo had left off. "Well… uh… we were fighting the Klaxosaurs that came out of the Mother and Genista was outnumbered. Futoshi managed to get several of them but one got to us and clawed my foot. We fell, and…" Kokoro's eyes go wide with fear remembering the experience.
"Kokoro, it's okay," Futoshi comforts her. "...Ichigo saved us," he finishes. "Then she took the bomb and ran toward the Brood Mother. We kept fighting and waiting for her. The bomb timer began to count down all of a sudden. We were just about to leave when Delphinium flew out of the Klaxosaur. We rushed through the tunnels back to you guys and then the bomb exploded."
You wonder why Futoshi left out what happened inside the Brood Mother, before realizing that he would have no reason to know. But it does serve to bring to the forefront of your mind a question you had forgotten. What was that thing Ichigo had done to you in Delphinium's cockpit?
"Do you think they knew that the Brood Mother was down there?" Hiro asks. "How could they?" Ikuno replies quietly. "Klaxosaurs are everywhere underground and we were several miles down in the mine alone." Hiro looks downwards. "I guess that's true," he mumbles, but he doesn't appear to be convinced. Rather than let the speculation continue, you decide it is time for you to speak. "All that matters now is that we're all safe, guys. As long as we continue to work together, I'm sure we can face any challenge that's thrown at us." Most of the others flash you a smile, including Ikuno. "You know," Miku grins, "you sound a lot like Ichigo."
"He's my partner for a reason," the blue-haired girl beams, while the rest of the room descends into laughter.
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After the conversation about the previous mission dies down, you tell Ichigo that you are going for a walk and invite her to join you. She readily accepts your invitation and the two of you begin another gentle stroll through Mistilteinn. Unlike your first walk, this time has much less rain.
"It's so nice out today," Ichigo says while admiring the weather. "I wish it could stay like this forever." You glance up at the clouds. "Not likely," you reply. "The forecast for next week calls for snow." Ichigo huffs before saying, "I hate snow. And the cold." Shrugging, you respond. "It's never really bothered me, but then again I did live in the Replacement Division for a couple years at the Garden. It snows there several months a year."
Ichigo doesn't answer and the two of you continue to walk in silence for a little bit. You try to admire the scenery with her, but your mind continually travels back to your moment in Delphinium's cockpit. You shake your head in a futile attempt to clear it. Alright, you tell yourself. Better get to the reason I asked her to come out here.
"So, Ichigo, there's something I wanted to tell you," you begin. She stops walking and turns to face you head on. "What is it?" she asks. "W-well…" you stutter, "I wanted to thank you for taking care of me the past several days."
Ichigo giggles in response. He hand comes to her mouth and her eyes crinkle. "Of course, (Y/N). You're my partner and my friend. Annnd it may have been my fault you got hurt in the first place." You grin back at her. "Oh, not you, Squad Leader," you joke. "You'd never let something like that happen to me." "I said I was sorry!" Ichigo pouts, looking toward her shoes..
"I tell you what," you smile. "I know how you can make it up to me." She whips her head back up to meet yours. "How?" Ichigo asks, a fire burning in her eyes. "That thing you did in Delphinium, the one where you put your mouth on mine? Tell me what it is."
In the time it takes you to start and end your sentence, Ichigo goes from playful to flustered. She avoids making eye contact with you and begins to fidget with her hands. My god, could she get more adorable? Your first thought is heartwarming, but you quickly realize that her mood has shifted to something more serious.
"W-why would you want to know that?" Ichigo asks nervously. "Well, because no one has ever done it before," you answer, choosing your words carefully now that you can see how uncomfortable Ichigo is. Several seconds pass in silence before you begin to speak again. "Sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"It's called a… a kiss," Ichigo says quietly. "What is?" you ask. You can hear Ichigo murmur "idiot" under her breath before continuing. "When two people put their mouths together, it's called a kiss. They're supposed to be a special thing shared with a special someone." As Ichigo speaks she slowly looks back up at you, likely to gauge your reaction.
Your mind is currently racing, trying to figure out what all of these things could mean. Should I know this? Is it a part of piloting? I never did it with any of my partners when we trained. It never came up when we did mock battles or defended the Garden. Did they teach the normal parasites but not us? "'Special someone,' huh," you repeat. "Like… your partner? Are you only supposed to do it with them?"
"I… I don't know," Ichigo admits. She doesn't seem to know much more than I do. "Well…uh…" you place a hand behind your head and join her in not making eye contact. "Why did you do it then?" "Huh?" Ichigo glances in your direction momentarily. You continue. "Why did you kiss me?"
"I don't know," Ichigo echoes her previous statement. "I was just so worried that you were dead… and it was my fault, and…" You can hear the rapidly increasing quiver in her voice. Knowing that she's rapidly degenerating and into a nervous mess, you stop her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
As she gazes up at you with the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes, you comfort her and speak softly. "You don't need to feel guilty, Ichigo. I did what I thought was right in that moment and I don't regret it." She stares back into your eyes. "But, why?" Ichigo's lips quiver as she speaks. "I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be hurt," you answer honestly. "Why though?" Ichigo asks. "What makes me so important? I lost Goro the same way I almost lost you."
This answers a question you had wondered since arriving over a month ago, how Goro had died. He was trying to protect her, just like me, you realize. It makes sense she fell apart back there, she thought she had lost two partners. Each because they both valued her life more than their own. Why do I, though? Is it because that's what was drilled into me in the Replacement Division… you look at Ichigo and the strange feeling that had appeared during your last mission returns. Or is it maybe something else?
"I can't quite answer that," you confess. "I just knew that I wanted to make sure you were safe." "That's it?" Ichigo giggles slightly, wiping away a tear. "You really are an idiot." "Maybe," you chuckle, "but you're stuck with me, so I'm your idiot."
After a moment, Ichigo regains her composure and the two of you continue walking. "Did it feel weird to you?" Ichigo asks. "Did what feel weird?" you question her. "The kiss," she answers. "Well…" you think back to what had gone through your head at the time. "I didn't expect it, so yeah, it did feel kind of weird. But it was a good weird, almost nice." You stop talking as your cheeks begin to feel warm. "What about you?" you direct the question back to Ichigo.
"It was… warm and… you know, maybe we should talk about something else," Ichigo stammers quickly. "But if it's for piloting the FranXX, shouldn't we figure it out?" you ask. "Maybe it's something all parasites are supposed to learn as they go." "Maybe," Ichigo says with a hint of belief, or is that enthusiasm? "Does that mean we should practice it like we do with the FranXX?" you press.
"I guess," Ichigo murmurs. "Come here." You close the distance between yourself and Ichigo, stopping less than a foot from her. "Bend down," she continues. "You're too tall otherwise." You oblige and lean over so that you are just above her.
Ichigo glances nervously from side to side and you can feel your heart rate accelerating. You don't know why. Ichigo places her hands on your shoulders and stands on the tips of her toes to bring herself closer to you. Her face is completely flushed and yours is as well as she closes the last few inches separating the both of you.
Finally, her lips touch yours and the same warm feeling that you had gotten during the first kiss washes over you. You instinctively close your eyes and drink in the sensation. You become aware of a taste that hadn't been present the first time. Sweet…cinnamon, maybe?
After what feels like only several seconds, Ichigo breaks the kiss. Each of you is just as cherry-faced as you had been a moment before and you're now gasping for air. Neither of you says a word as the two of you turn together and move to return to the house. Not because you are too embarrassed, though you are to an extent. Because neither one of you can make sense of your feelings.
As you climb the house's front steps ahead of Ichigo the door opens, revealing an excited Zorome. "You guys aren't going to believe it!" he exclaims. "We're going back to the Garden!"