You slowly begin to return to consciousness, thanks to something brushing against your nose.
Pfft.
You blow some air from the corner of your mouth, trying to get whatever it is to leave you alone so you can return to sleep. Much to your satisfaction, it does. You begin to nod off once more.
Soon after, you feel the same tickling sensation on the tip of your nose. Without opening your eyes, you reach up and brush it away, only for it to return a moment later. Shaking your head, you move back several inches and your assailant disappears. For the second time, you feel sleep coming to take you.
Sometime later after you have returned to the world of dreams...
"Ah…ah…achoo!" you sneeze, your head rocketing forward until it comes to a grinding halt against something hard, absolutely crushing your nose. "Ow!" you shout, rolling back to your other side and clutching at your nose, blood seeping from your nostrils.
At the same time, Ichigo cries out in shock and pain.
Squeezing your nose to try and stem the bleeding, you look to her as she clutches the top of her head. "What did you do that for?!" she shouts. "Do what for?" you counter loudly. "Hit me!" she yells. "I didn't hit you!" you yell back. "Yes, you did!" she angrily replies. "I was sleeping until a moment ago, when you hit the top of my head." She begins to rub the spot in question before her eyes go wide. She slowly retracts her hand and looks down to find a few red stains. Looking to you, still holding your nose to avoid bleeding on anything that you can, her eyes narrow in realization.
"You got your blood in my hair!" she screams. "Well, if your hair hadn't made me sneeze, it wouldn't have happened!" you grumble. "Don't try to make this my fault!" Ichigo shouts. "You're the one who sneezed, you're the one who hit me, and you're the one who bled in my hair."
"Maybe if you hadn't been so close to me, it wouldn't have happened," you shoot back. "When I fell asleep there was plenty of space between us, so I couldn't have possibly hit you if I sneezed. That means you moved closer to me in the night!"
"And what if I did?" Ichigo redirects the blame once more. "It was cold, and you're warmer than me. Would you rather I froze? Next time you can have both sleeping bags to yourself, I'll just sleep outside!"
"I didn't say that!" you groan. "All I said is you got closer to me in the middle of the night and your hair tickled my nose. That's why I sneezed. It doesn't matter whose fault it is… even if it isn't mine."
Ichigo looks fully ready to continue the argument, but then something in her must click because she stops herself. Instead of continuing, she gets up and walks over to one of the supply chests and pulls out some cotton balls.
"Move your hand," she orders, sitting down beside you. You do as instructed and she pushes a cotton ball into your bleeding nostril. "Hold it," she says before going and getting one of the canteens and wetting another down.
While you hold the cotton ball and continue squeezing the bridge of your nose, Ichigo begins to dab at the blood that had gotten on your parasite suit. "It's not getting all of it," she mumbles to herself. "But, it's better than it was."
Several minutes later after you're sure the bleeding has stopped, you remove the cotton ball. Ichigo immediately sets about cleaning the blood from your face, forcing you to sit quietly while she works. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," she says. "I know it was an accident. I just woke up in pain so my mind when into freak-out mode."
She finishes cleaning your chin, giving you the chance to reply. "I am too. Let's just put this behind us. You and I are a team, and nothing can come between that." Ichigo smiles and nods. "Anyway," you continue. "We should be able to reach the village tonight. Let's get ready and make sure everyone is up and good to go. I'd hate to unload everything in the dark."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After a quick breakfast and checking to ensure that you hadn't been followed, you begin the final leg of your journey. It begins as each of the prior two days had, some grumbling from team Argentea about walking or having to be around each other so much, but it quickly gives way to a mostly silent trip.
Around midday, you stop for a time to eat lunch before setting off once more. There is a palpable energy today that had not been present before. Everyone knows that you should reach your new home tonight and each of you is more than ready to begin anew without Papa or the plantations.
This anticipation seems to affect you in different ways. As the day drags on, Argentea jabbers about anything and everything, not concealing her excitement in the least. Futoshi and Genista are more than happy to fantasize with her about what kind of wonderful home you will have after you've had time to establish yourselves.
Meanwhile, you and Ichigo both keep a sharp eye out for any signs of the village or danger. Making it all the way to the village only to be ambushed by Klaxosaurs, or worse, APE, would not be good. There is also the chance the village had suffered some catastrophe in your absence and been wiped out or destroyed. It isn't likely, considering it had easily stood in its current state for close to 200 years before you were sent there, but that didn't mean that you could overlook the possibility. Especially given that if anything was wrong, it would be the job of you and Ichigo to quickly find a solution.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The sun is just beginning to fade over the horizon when you catch your first glimpse of green. It stands out against the cracked ground making up the majority of what you've traveled on. It's a welcome sight.
"Hey, guys!" Argentea yells. "Do you see what I see?" "Trees!" Futoshi shouts as Genista squints. "Last one there has to sleep outside!" Zorome exclaims as Argentea takes off running.
You can't help but laugh as Genista goes after her. "Looks like we did it," Chlorophytum announces from beside you. "Can't say I'm surprised," Mitsuru adds. "When you've got squad leaders like ours, things just seem to fall in place. Ready, Ikuno?" The violet FranXX closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Yes, Mitsuru. Let's go."
As Chlorophytum begins to walk away, you notice Strelitzia smirking at you. "What is it, Zero Two?" you ask. "Just drinking in the moment," Hiro answers. "We're finally free, and now we have a home to call our own."
"I wouldn't get ahead of yourself," you chuckle. "The village could be gone, for all we know." "It's there," Strelitzia answers. "I can feel it. Now come on, Darling! I want to swim in the ocean again!"
They take off and you smile as they go. "You're quiet," you say to the image on your left. "I just can't believe it," she replies. "Just past those trees is our new home. I was sure something would go wrong and we'd lose someone or we'd get here and it would all be gone or…"
"Relax," you reassure her. "We've made it and everyone is still alive and well. Sure, there was a close call, but we got through it. Now all that's left is for us to live out our lives as we choose. So hurry up!" You push down on the controls, forcing Delphinium to begin moving forward. "You don't want everyone else taking all the good real estate, do you? Because if you think I'm sleeping in this cockpit one more night, you're out of your mind."
Delphinium smiles. "Right, let's go!" she laughs, sprinting off to join her friends.
Argentea clears the forest in a single bound and slides on her knees through the white sand of the beach. Before she has even come to a stop, the door to her cockpit opens and her pilots sprint out. Despite being fully clothed in their parasite suits, Zorome and Miku rush into the surf, laughing and splashing.
The pair have barely reached the water when Genista gingerly steps out of the trees, which only reach midway to her thighs. She takes a seat in the sand, laying her cannon against her shoulder before Kokoro and Futoshi exit. Kokoro mimics her FranXX, sitting cross-legged in the sand before taking a handful and admiring the grains against the setting sun as they run through her fingers. Meanwhile, Futoshi joins Miku and Zorome playing in the surf.
Strelitzia's excitement at seeing the ocean boils over as she dives into the deep blue water. The massive machine displaces so much water that the waves crash over the beach and into the forest beyond, drenching yourself and Ichigo as you exit Delphinium. Moments later the red and white mech reappears with the largest, goofiest grin you have seen out of Zero Two in a long time.
"So much for staying dry," Ichigo sighs from beside you. "Eh, it's not that bad," you say with a smile. "You wouldn't have been for much longer." "What do yo-" Ichigo is interrupted as you throw her over your shoulder and take off toward the water.
"(Y/N), what are you...? No! Stop! Put me down right now!" she shouts, kicking and screaming. "Please don't! No!" Having reached the sea you unceremoniously dump Ichigo into the surf and laugh.
She surfaces, cherry-faced and with a look in her eyes that could kill any other man. But you simply continue to laugh, knowing full well that even if she is angry it won't last for long. "Sorry about that," you tease. "I must have tripped on accident." You extend a hand to help her out of the cool water, but she turns her nose up at it and walks past you.
You shrug and watch your friends playing in the ocean. Miku has tired of the water and is laid out in the sand beside Kokoro. They appear to be having a conversation. Zorome and Futoshi play about twenty feet out and another two hundred or so, after the sea floor has dropped off a significant amount, Strelitzia is swimming back and forth from one end of the cove to the other. It is somewhat strange to see a three-hundred-foot-tall robot swimming like a person, but the way she laughs and smiles reminds you every bit of Zero Two when you had visited this beach for the first time.
You are so caught up on watching the others that you don't hear the splashing of someone rushing through the shallows behind you, that is, until it's too late. You are about to turn around when something slams into your upper back. The unexpected blow knocks you off balance and you tumble into the waves, but as you try to rise something keeps you down.
"This is what happens when you mess with me," a familiar voice sneers and you know in an instant who it must be. In the next instant as the wave crashes over both you and your assailant, they loosen their hold. You take this opportunity to turn the tables and throw them several feet to the left.
Jumping to your feet, you dive at the attacker. They seem to anticipate your move, intercepting your hands as you attempt to grab them and roll with your momentum, locking you against the ground again.
Ichigo gives a satisfied smirk and huffs. "Pinned you." You throw your weight to the left and the two of you tumble, this time with you ending up on top. Your lips curl into a smile as Ichigo struggles beneath you. "You were saying?"
"No fair!" she complains. "If you didn't cheat, I would have won." You raise an eyebrow and give her a questioning look. "Cheat? I didn't cheat. I'm just stronger than you are." Ichigo tries in vain a final time to break free, but you easily hold her in place.
"Attacking me when my back was turned..." you chide her. "I never thought you would stoop so low. So, what do I get for winning this little skirmish?" "I don't know," Ichigo smiles. "What do you want?" "We'll start with this," you answer, kissing her.
The kiss begins like any other, but begins to grow heated as your hands make their way into her wet hair. Meanwhile, hers trace your back. Just as you feel something pressing against your lips, attempting to gain entry to your mouth, a voice interrupts you.
"Hey (Y/N), Ichigo," Hiro shouts as he jogs toward you. "Damn it," you mumble under your breath. "Just when things were getting interesting," Ichigo agrees.
"...Am I interrupting something?" he asks after seeing you straddling Ichigo, a result of your wrestling match. For someone like him who's familiar with relationships and what comes with them, especially because of Zero Two and her antics, he can easily tell the two of you were having a moment. And as a result of his intrusion, it has passed.
"Oh, Darling," Zero Two chuckles, "can't you see they were enjoying being together? You know, like we do?" You can feel the heat rising through you cheeks as Ichigo pushes you off of her, dousing you in the incoming wave. Hiro also blushes while Zero Two doubles over laughing at the three of you.
After a couple of minutes, she calms down and you have managed to hide your embarrassment at being caught in the act. Hiro finally gets to the reason he and Zero Two had come. "I'm glad we're all having fun, but don't you think we should find somewhere to stay for the night before the sun goes down?"
Sitting up, you see he is indeed correct that the sun is beginning to sink below the horizon. "Ugh," you hop back to your feet. "You're right." You offer a hand to Ichigo, which she accepts. "We'd better get a move on."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After gathering the remaining members of your squad, you ascend the cobblestone steps through the forest and to the village waiting for you on the cliff's edge. You find the same old and crumbling buildings that had been present when you first visited several months prior. But, as you had predicted, they are still here.
"We should look around," Ikuno says, pushing her glasses up at the same time. "There must be some much we missed before." "Not yet," you tell her. "We need to worry about finding a place to stay the night first." "Somewhere that isn't cold, please," Miku shivers, the cool night winds blowing her wet hair as the sun sets in the west.
"Alright," Ichigo says, "let's get moving." "Actually, I think I know of a place," Mitsuru speaks up before everyone can walk away. "What is it?" Hiro asks. "There was a mansion of sorts that we looked at last time we were here," Mitsuru answers, turning to Zorome, Futoshi, and Ikuno, clearly expecting one of them to finish his explanation.
"You don't mean the one on the hill?" Zorome points to a three-story building just barely visible on a nearby rise. It overlooks the village and is very reminiscent of the manor you had lived in back at Plantation 13, even from this distance.
"Wasn't there a hole in the ceiling?" Futoshi asks, with a hand on his chin. "The house wasn't perfect," Mitsuru agrees, "but it will be familiar and it will keep us out of the elements." "We could actually use the hole in the ceiling to our advantage," Ikuno points out. "We'll need a fire to keep warm and to cook the food we brought. The hole would allow smoke to escape outside."
"Standing here and talking about it won't help us get any warmer," Zero Two points out. "I think we should do it," Kokoro says with a smile. "Even if we don't stay there forever, we can tonight."
"That settles it then," you declare. "Let's grab the essentials from the FranXX and move into the mansion before the sun finishes going down. Zero Two's the only one who can see in the dark and I don't want her having to do it all alone."
There is a general murmur of agreement and you quickly make your way back to the beach. The FranXX had been left kneeling in a row, their heads and shoulders still above the tree line but that was an issue for another time. They shouldn't be a problem at night, anyway. Ichigo leads you to Delphinium and you begin sifting through the supplies stored within her cockpit.
In the end, you settle on bringing the cookware, which included your matches for lighting a fire, and your sleeping bags, the two things you'd need most if another trip would be postponed until morning. After everything is gathered, you step outside to once again be greeted by the cool ocean breeze. Your parasite suits, being made of synthetic material, are mostly waterproof. Meaning, you are mostly dry after the events of earlier except for your hair, still in the process of air-drying. The wind almost feels as if someone is pouring ice water over your scalp.
You can tell Ichigo isn't a fan either as she shivers, despite having retreated behind you to hide. A "let's go" from her is all it takes for everyone to fall in line behind you as you ascend the stairs for the second time. Once you have reached the top, Mitsuru takes over as the guide, leading you toward the manor in the hill.
Walking through the village toward the manor, you realize how truly large the building is. Not only is the building big, but it's segregated from the rest of the village, having a private drive with a gate at the end. Pulling from what you have read in books, you assume this house belonged to someone who was financially well off and likely was important to this village.
Drawing closer, it is clear that the building was well-designed and that at one point it must have been beautiful. The manor has three floors, each with many windows, though a good number are broken or otherwise missing. The second floor also has a balcony that looks to wrap around the entire building, disappearing out of sight on one end before reappearing on the other. Said balcony and the columns on either side of the front door are covered in dirt and plant growth, but bits of white still shows through. Marble, if you had to guess. The wide double doors are made of a fine wood that had been treated for weather. They must be several inches thick with added reinforcements in the hinges in order for it to have remained standing this long without maintenance.
The doors creak when you open them, and as they give way you get your first look at your current lodging. Before you had assumed that this mansion belonged to someone wealthy, but now any doubt in your mind has been removed. The walls are all made of deep brown wood, reminiscent of the walnut trees you had seen during your walks in Mistilteinn. Various canvases adorn the wall, though most are faded or weathered with age but several still have lush colors depicting beautiful scenes of the sea. The icing on the cake is the crystalline chandelier. Or at least, it would be if it weren't strewn across the floor in a million pieces.
"This place is incredible," Ichigo whispers. "Yeah," you agree. "Good work Mitsuru." Helooks satisfied momentarily before taking the bags in his hand and walking up the staircase. "This way, the room Zorome mentioned is on the second floor."
You follow him, being mindful of the broken crystal on the floor to keep from cutting yourselves. The stairs creak as you ascend, but they don't give way, so any concern you might have is unfounded.
The second floor of the atrium is much like the first, with various doors and hallways on either side. As you step off the stairs to the right, you find two sets of double doors evenly spaced on each side. These doors, unlike the front door or those on the ground floor, have intricate carvings in addition to the previously shiny but now rusted handles.
Mitsuru opens the set on the right and leads you into what must be the single largest room in the house. The ceiling alone must be thirty feet high with a now-cracked and broken mural of the Muses. A balcony made from more of the white stone can be seen running down both sides of the room, meeting at the far wall which you'd estimate to be well over one hundred feet from you. The floor is a golden colored tile with intricate designs in each individual piece.
"What is this?" Hiro asks. "It's so beautiful," Kokoro wonders aloud, gazing at the mural. "See?" Zorome points to the ceiling at the room's center. You follow his direction to find a hole roughly five feet in diameter, through which the last fading traces of sunlight peek.
"I still don't know what they needed a room this big for," Miku says, "but I like it." "It's a ballroom," you answer. "Right, Ikuno?" you look to your violet-haired friend. "That's what I believe," she replies.
Futoshi scratches his head. "I don't see any balls." "Not that kind, silly," Zero Two laughs. "Yeah," you chuckle. "They probably had galas or soirees in here."
Zorome raises an eyebrow at you. "Mind using less fancy words?" "Parties," Ichigo states, running her hand down one of the columns that support the balconies. She brushes off the dust. "They would have music and food. People even danced."
Zorome now appears to be just as confused as he was initially. "What's dancing?" "I… don't know," Ichigo replies drooping her head.
"We can worry about that later," Zero Two cuts in. "We need to get the fire started so we can eat. I'm going back to get something, so if anyone else needs to they should come with me before it gets really dark." She turns and walks back out the door you had used to enter, but you know that she'll be waiting outside for at least a couple of minutes before leaving. She liked being depended on, even if she refused to admit it, so she wouldn't pass up the opportunity.
You set the box of cookware down and go to follow her before Ichigo grabs your sleeve. "Where are you going?" "Back to grab the suitcases and our winter clothes," you smile. "If we stay in here, you'll freeze as thin as your parasite suit is. You remembered to pack some pants and a heavy coat, right?"
Ichigo frowns. "We didn't have pants. Mistilteinn was kept pretty much the same temperature, year-round so we weren't given any. We did have some leggings like Zero Two, and they were warm, so I brought them."
"How about I just bring the whole suitcase, huh?" you wink before pulling away. "Won't be long, try not to miss me." You exit without waiting for her reply, but if you'd paused for just a moment then you would have her whisper quietly to herself, "I will."
The trip from the manor to the beach takes somewhere in the realm of fifteen minutes. About half the squad had joined you and Zero Two, leaving the others to prepare the fire and hopefully have something ready to eat by the time you return.
The sun has almost completely set when you leave the FranXX for the second time. As you had promised, you retrieved the bags containing your clothes as well as you partner's. In addition, you grab the first aid kit from its resting place against the back of your chair, not knowing when it might come in handy.
By the time you reach the village outskirts the sun is nowhere to be found, instead replaced by a full moon slowly rising in the east. It takes several minutes for your eyes to adjust as you walk, leading to a slower pace as you weave through the abandoned streets. Zero Two, with her eyes aglow, leads your party. As anticipated, she seems to be enjoying the reliance on her for navigation.
Upon entering the mansion you are greeted by the familiar smell of cooking meats. Climbing the stairs, your nose proves to be correct as you find Kokoro and Miku carefully watching a pot held above the small campfire. Several tables, which had not been present before, along with some chairs sit nearby. Ikuno and Hiro are hard at work dicing something up on one tabletop, green by the looks of it, so you imagine it will be going in the pot shortly.
In addition to the tables and chairs, your sleeping bags have been mostly laid out in a circle around the fire. As you drop the suitcases of yourself and Ichigo beside your respective beds, she looks up from her work of laying out the last remaining bag. You give her a gentle smile and she sighs before finishing the task ahead of her and coming over to inspect her things.
"You said you wouldn't be long," she says before undoing the first clasp of the luggage. "We weren't," you shrug. "It was at least an hour," she answers, lifting the lid and peering inside. "The sun did go down," you shoot back. "Since I can't see in the dark like her," you nod to Zero Two, who is now pestering Hiro while he tries to cut an onion, "it took a little longer to come back. Would have been worse if she wasn't along. This place is unfamiliar, doubly so in the dark."
Ichigo pulls a pair of thick black tights from within the suitcase along with her uniform. "All the more reason for you to have hurried," she concludes, closing the latch with a click. "I'm going to change. Be back in a couple minutes. And don't worry, I can keep track of time."
You watch her go. She must have actually been worried about us, you smile. Cute.
She returns several minutes later, commenting on the accurate prediction of her departure. By now dinner is ready, and everyone takes a seat in one of the chairs at a table. There are two of them set up exactly how they would have been in Mistilteinn for a meal, but something is very different from those days and it isn't just your surroundings.
The first table sits Zero Two, Hiro, yourself, Ichigo, and Ikuno. The second, Miku, Zorome, Kokoro, Futoshi, and Mitsuru. Not only has the seating arrangement changed from the norm but it was done without a word from anyone, as if each of you felt this was the correct way to sit. That is, until Kokoro spoke.
"Um…" she timidly begins, "do you think we should push the tables together? I'd like to be able to talk to everyone, but it's kind of hard like this." "We definitely should!" Zero Two agrees, shooting to her feet.
A minute later the tables have been pushed together, forming a single long table with no gap in between. Everyone is seated once again but refrains from eating, looking to Ichigo out of habit for a prayer.
For the first time in a while she looks genuinely unsure of what to do. "Hmm," she thinks for a moment. "Please bow your heads." Everyone assumes the position of prayer, bowing their heads and folding their hands, but you keep your right eye open to watch the blue-haired girl to see how she will act when no one should be looking.
Your confident partner's face betrays something you aren't accustomed to seeing from her, uncertainty, but she shakes it off and begins anyway. "Dear ….," Ichigo's lips scrunch into a frown for several seconds, and then she starts again. "Thank you for allowing us to be here today and guiding us to our new home. Please continue to watch over and protect us in all that we do, amen."
"Amen," the table repeats.
"Alright, time to dig in!" Zorome exclaims enthusiastically. He takes a spoonful of the broth and loudly slurps it down. "This stuff isn't half bad!" He turns to the platinum blonde member of your team while you take a spoonful yourself. "Did you make this yourself, Kokoro?" he asks. "You must have, because if Miku had helped there is no way it would have turned out this good."
Miku scoffs. "Excuse me, but it was my idea you jerk! Can't you for once think that something I do was good?!" "She's right," Kokoro gives a warm smile. "Miku had the idea to put the meat in the broth with the vegetables. You really should thank her."
"Hmph," Miku smiles, and her expression practically screams 'I'm waiting'. Zorome visually swallows his pride before turning and looking his partner in the eye. "It's good, Miku," he tells her. The phrase is incredibly short and to the point, but the look of happiness on Miku's face tells you it's exactly what she wanted to hear.
The rest of the meal passes without incident, and before long everyone is sitting around the fire laughing and enjoying themselves. As the evening drags on, the moon becomes visible through the hole in the ceiling, but the cold you had experienced the last several nights isn't as noticeable. Staying indoors and only several feet from a heat source seemed to be doing the trick.
As everyone begins to bed down for the night, you gather their attention.
"Alright, everyone," you begin. "Before we get to sleep tonight, there are two things I want to say. First, thank you. All of you. You put your faith in Ichigo and I by agreeing to this plan, and now we've done it. This place is far from what we want it to be but in time, things will get better. We'll make this our home, and we'll do it with our own two hands."
Glancing around the room as you speak, the faces of your squadmates tell all. Kokoro and Miku both wipe away tears while Hiro and Zero Two look to each other and smile. Even Zorome, who had been the staunchest advocate for remaining at Plantation 13, looks hopeful.
"Second, someone will need to watch the fire at all times so it doesn't go out." There is an audible groan as your speech about building a home goes to being about chores. "Everyone settle down," you regain their attention. "I will take the first shift. Does anyone want to volunteer for the second?"
Much to your surprise, Kokoro raises her hand. Before she can speak though, Futoshi cuts in. "No, Kokoro, it's alright. I'll do it so you can sleep. You worked hard cooking and staying connected to the FranXX today, so I can do this!" Kokoro smiles, betraying a slight blush. "Thank you, Futoshi."
With that settled, everyone begins to climb into their respective sleeping bags. They had been arranged around the fire in a circle with the girls on one side and the boys on the other. The two border cases were Zero Two, Hiro, yourself, and Ichigo.
As the others settle in you can't help but feel jealous of them for getting to rest earlier than you, but keeping the fire stoked was your idea and therefore your responsibility for the time being. However, what you regret more is the distance between your sleeping bag and Ichigo's. Even though last night had ended in disaster, by way of this morning it still feels like there is a chasm between you.
You sigh, leaning back against your arms and peering into the fire. Something brushes your hand, and when you investigate it turns out to be none other than your partner. Ichigo gives you a slight smile, curling her fingers around yours, and closes her beautiful emerald eyes. You give it a squeeze and continue to hold it until she soft sound of her breathing can be heard against the crackling of the fire.
Eventually enough time has passed that your shift should be over, and you wake Futoshi. He stumbles around for a minute until he becomes aware of his surroundings and your agreement. After he's set, you bid him a good night and crawl into your own sleeping bag. Sleep threatens takes you as soon as your head hits the pillow, but not before you take Ichigo's hand and enter the world of dreams with a smile.