Hello everyone. I apologize for how long it's been but we're back and updates should return to our regular schedule. Thank you for your patience.

"Alright everyone," you address your friends at the breakfast table, pausing momentarily to let the idle chatter die out. "In light of recent events, it's important to remember that no one is allowed to go anywhere by themselves." A few of them nod silently in response. "Miku, you did the right thing by coming to get help," Ichigo picks up where you left off. "But from now on, we need to be even more careful. Inspect the floor and ceiling of every room before entering, and if a building looks dangerous then just leave it alone. Nothing in this village is worth getting hurt for."

"And another announcement," you say as Ichigo takes a seat. She immediately shoots you a confused glance, as the two of you had only discussed one announcement. The second has caught her off guard. "Mitsuru." He nods and stands. "Yesterday, (Y/N) and I found something while we were exploring the cliffside. A pipe."

"What's so special about a pipe?" Zorome asks.

Mitsuru looks mildly annoyed at the interruption and ignores him. "This pipe lead down the cliff face. (Y/N) and I believed that it was for transporting sea water to the village for some sort of industrial use."

Behind her glasses, Ikuno's violet eyes narrow. "There isn't anything like that near the cliff. The geography is too unstable for a large factory." You nod. "We thought the same, so we followed it."

"At the base of the cliff we found something," Mitsuru informs them. "A large tunnel easily 350 feet tall had been cut in the rock. That tunnel led below the village. Inside we found a military installation, just like those that APE maintains. There was evidence that it was hastily abandoned, with overturned trucks and other debris lining a large portion of the tunnel."

"Why would they abandon a military facility?" Hiro asks as Zero Two continues eating beside him, her injury not affecting her appetite. "Our best guess is that it was kept running until the plantations were complete, to defend the surrounding area," you answer.

Kokoro tilts her head to one side. "How would they protect the village without FranXX?" "They didn't," Mitsuru says, earning him a gasp. "We didn't get the chance to look around for very long, but I'd wager that the facility is at least the size of this village, if not more." Miku throws you an incredulous look. "You mean it's below us right now?" she questions.

"Yes," you reply. "But what's most important is this: we found something down there. An early prototype of the FranXX." Several sets of silverware fall to the floor as their owners shoot to their feet. Futoshi nearly brings the table with him as he stands up.

"You found FranXX?!" the large boy practically shouts. You lift your hands and motion for everyone to return to their seats. "Everyone, calm down. Mitsuru, you can continue."

As Mitsuru begins to speak, there's a sharp pain in your right ear as you are yanked down to Ichigo. "Why didn't you tell me this?" she hisses. "There wasn't a good time," you whisper back. She shoots you an icy glare. "You still should have told me." "And so I have," you answer, hoping it will placate her.

You catch Mitsuru saying "(Y/N) and I were planning on going back today," which brings you back up to speed on the happenings of the table. "I think that we should all go." The glint in Ikuno's eye betrays her curiosity, as does the smile she is failing to hide. "Well, we can't all go," Ichigo points out. "But it would be safer if more than just the two of you went. Any volunteers?"

Ikuno's hand rockets into the air and Zero Two slowly raises her left, the three remaining fingers casting a shadow over the table reminding you once again of yesterday's accident. After Hiro notices Zero Two, he reluctantly raises his own hand as well.

"Anyone else?" Ichigo asks. No one volunteers and so you speak up. "I think that five is plenty. I'm glad to see that you feel up to it, Zero Two." She doesn't respond, instead electing to silently nod once in agreement.

"We'll head out in about an hour, everyone," you say. "Make sure you're ready."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It takes the better part of a half hour for you to reach the cove hiding the facility's entrance. The others marvel at the size of the massive hole cut in the cliff face while you and Mitsuru lead them further in.

This time, you've brought enough flashlights so that everyone has their own, a necessary precaution to ensure no one would be trapped in the darkness if you got separated. The light allows you to point out the overturned truck after passing the checkpoint, and the combined beams illuminate a much greater portion of the hall than last time you were here.

Finally, you reach the cavernous room from yesterday.

"Here they are," you announce, pointing the flashlight's beam to the faceplate of the proto-FranXX. "They?" Hiro asks. "There is more than one," Mitsuru answers, directing his light to another machine docked fifty or so feet further down.

"Unbelievable," Ikuno murmurs, her piercing green eyes running up and down the metal giant as her lips curl into a smile. "The material looks different then what our FranXX are made of, and the armor isn't as thick. Could it have been for maneuverability? No… there are no thrusters. Where's the weapon? Surely they didn't try to fight the Klaxosaurs by beating them to death…" Ikuno continues her mumbling for nearly another minute before realizing that everyone in your party is looking at her. "Oh," she glances down and a bit of color rushes to her cheeks. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away. Is this the only room?"

"Your guess is as good as ours," you reply. "Mitsuru and I took our time getting to this point, and after we found the FranXX we decided that telling you guys was more important than exploring any further."

"Then it's a good thing you brought us along," Ikuno's generally cool demeanor seems to have faded away as she thinks about what secrets could be hidden in the bowels of the facility.

"Mitsuru," you address him, "why don't you and Ikuno take the left wall and see where it leads. Hiro, Zero Two, and I will take the right. We'll meet back here in a bit and go over what we've found." "That works for me," he nods. Ikuno takes no convincing, walking off on her own immediately and leaving Mitsuru to follow her.

"Well, let's see what this place is hiding, huh?" you joke to Hiro and Zero Two, earning a chuckle from each.

"This is exciting isn't it, Darling?" she smiles leading him along. "I guess you could say that," Hiro agrees, but the words ring hollow. Despite the relative darkness, you can see the uncomfortable look on his face as his carefree partner drags him around. He's scared something else is going to happen to her.

"Hey, Zero Two," you call. "Hmm?" she turns, stopping her humming and looking over her shoulder at you. "Do the flashlights make it hard for you to see down here?" you ask. Her head tilts to the side. "What do you mean?" "I know you can see in the dark," you clarify. "That's why your eyes look like they glow. So, does having light nearby make it hard for you to see the things that are still in the dark?"

"Not really," she answers. "I can see all the way to the other end of the room." You cough. "You what?" "Mhmm," she confirms. "There are three more FranXX in docks on the wall. The direction the others went was another big tunnel. We're going towards a wall with lots of doors in it."

"How can you tell that?" you ask in amazement. The beam of your flashlight doesn't reach far enough to even illuminate the wall she is referring to, and if you swing it across the docks you can only see one of the three units she mentioned.

"I don't really know," she admits. "When it's dark, all the color goes away but I can still see."

"Incredible," you whisper. "Well, since you can see, why don't you lead the way?" "Sure!" she grins before taking the lead. "This way, Darling!"

Zero Two leads you across the docking bay for several minutes before your light begins to shine against the far wall. "You were right," you say, walking up to one of several doors that litter the wall. "Shall we have a look at what's inside?"

Zero Two is nearly through the door when Hiro grabs her hand. "Let me go first," he smiles. Zero Two steps aside, allowing her partner to enter before her. Hiro does so and is followed quickly by Zero Two and yourself. Inside is nothing special, just a hallway with more doors and an intersection that branches off in different directions.

"Looks like we found the offices," Hiro muses, shining his light onto a plate beside one of the doors, reading Company Commander. "That would be the office for someone like Hachi," you agree. Hiro tries the handle, but the door doesn't budge. He sighs. "Locked."

"Let me try, Darling," Zero Two chirps, stepping forward. "Zero Two, what are you going to…" Hiro trails off as she assumes a fighting stance. She takes a moment to ready herself before lashing out with a kick. To your surprise and amazement, there is a clang and the door flies open.

"You just kicked down a steel door," you say in shock. "It wasn't that hard," Zero Two gives a slight smile, attempting to play down her feat, before walking in. You roll your eyes and follow.

The interior of the office must have once been rather nice, but now the long wooden meeting table rests with one end on the ground, the leg missing. The walls hold pictures of men and women in military uniforms and the occasional framed medal. At the far end of the room, several monitors sit on an oaken desk. Behind the desk is a large cabinet with windows. The lights reflect off the glass bottles inside, most still full. Papers are scattered around the room and chairs have been left overturned. Furthermore, the entire room is covered in a thick layer of dust.

"It looks whoever had this office left in a hurry," Hiro says. "Just like everyone else in this place." "They must have been looking for something," Zero Two holds a picture with a cracked frame. "I hope they found it."

You approach the desk and after finding the monitors to be the only things on its surface, begin rifling through the drawers. The main drawer has pens and other writing utensils, along with additional scraps of paper. The left side yields nothing of interest, so you move to the final box drawer on the right.

There is a loud thunk as you pull it open and something hits against the handle. Shining the light inside you are surprised to find an old handgun, specifically, a revolver, and a box of shells. The firearm proves barrel heavy when you lift it, but the fine wooden inlay of the handle fits your hand perfectly. Holding the gun, even unloaded, feels incredibly strange to you.

APE soldiers carried rifles and the Military officers, handguns. You'd even seen Hachi wear one at one point, but holding one is completely different from seeing it. Guns were a popular topic in the history and strategy books you'd read at the Garden. The bows and crossbows that had come before them were rendered obsolete the moment they arrived. Hunting for food became much easier after their advent, and unfortunately so had killing.

"(Y/N), is something wrong?" Hiro asks. "You look pale," Zero Two agrees. "I found a gun," you reply, putting it on the desk for them to see.

"That's good," Zero Two says, picking it up. "We can use it to hunt for food. It'll be easier than chasing the animals to-" "Zero Two," Hiro interrupts. "Could you not explain your plan to kill the animals living in the woods with your hands again? It makes me feel nauseous."

"Oh," she covers her mouth with her free hand. "I'm sorry Darling, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Without warning she tosses the revolver back onto the desk and pulls Hiro into an embrace, his head landing against her chest. "Will you forgive me?"

You can barely make out Hiro's muffled "I forgive you." "Oh, thank you, Darling!" Zero Two shouts, squeezing him tighter. "I promise I won't talk about it again." Hiro tries to say something else, but it gets lost as Zero Two continues to shower him with affection.

Meanwhile, you laugh. "Zero Two, you're going to smother him." She cocks her head. "But Darling likes my chest, he told me so." You laugh even harder. "Yeah? Well, I think he likes breathing too. So why don't you let him go?"

Zero Two releases Hiro, who falls to his knees. "Are you alright, Darling?" she asks, kneeling beside him. "I'm fine," he coughs. The boy's cheeks burn crimson, likely a combination of struggling to breathe and embarrassment at Zero Two's admission of his interests.

"Anyways..." you stand and walk out from behind the desk, "we should probably keep looking around." "Right," Hiro readily agrees, shooting to his feet and making a beeline for the door. You chuckle to yourself once more and follow him out.

As you exit, he calls out to you from further down the hall. "Hey, I found more!" You join him and read the sign on the door, Armory. Trying the handle, you groan. "Locked. Zero Two, you want to?" "Mhmm!" she exclaims before delivering a swift kick. The locking mechanism snaps, and with a loud groan the door slowly swings open.

Inside are rows upon rows of racks, each with a variety of firearms. Upon closer inspection, the cases also prove to be locked and much emptier than you had initially thought. From the door, it appeared that each rack held its full capacity, but now it looks like only every fourth slot is filled.

"How do we get them open?" Hiro asks. "I can try and pull them open," Zero Two offers, but she doesn't look sure. "No," you flick out the revolver's cylinder and load a single bullet. "Step back and cover your ears," you order, placing the end of the barrel against the padlock.

The shot echoes throughout the room and the broken remains of the padlock clank against the floor.

"How did you know that would work?" Hiro asks. "They did it in a book I read once," you answer. "But I didn't know if it would work. Really glad it did, because otherwise, the gun might have blown up in my hand."

Hiro's expression of fear only lasts a moment until Zero Two pulls open the cage. "Rifles," she says to herself. Absentmindedly she picks one up and shoulders the weapon. "You know how to use them?" Hiro gasps. Zero Two sweeps the rifle back and forth across the room. "APE taught me when I was little."

Hiro's expression doesn't soften. "I guess that makes sense. Did they teach you too, (Y/N)?" "What do you mean?" you ask. "Look what's in your hands," he replies. You are shocked to find a rifle held firmly in your grasp, one you don't remember picking up. In your state of panic at this unexpected realization, you drop the firearm and back away.

"I have never held one of those things before today," you say, eyeing the gun suspiciously. "Are you sure?" Hiro asks. "Positive," you shoot back. "The revolver is the first gun I've ever held, let alone fired." "But Darling and I watched you," Zero Two agrees. "You grabbed the gun and loaded it correctly on the first try. There's even a round in the chamber."

You hold up your hands. "Believe me, I have never shot a gun until just now. I've read about them in books, but it was never how to use them. The books only told how guns revolutionized the military when they were first invented."

Hiro smiles. "Don't worry about it, I know you wouldn't lie to us. It must have just been a lucky guess." You remain unconvinced. "Yeah," you hesitantly nod. "Lucky guess.

Exploring the remaining area yields more offices and a single elevator. However, due to the lack of power, you are unable to access whatever may be at that top of the shaft. In light of that, you return to the docking bay and await Mitsuru and Ikuno's return.

The wait isn't terribly long. After about ten minutes of standing around and doing nothing, two beams of light appear from the tunnel leading further into the facility.

"Find anything?" you ask as they approach. "Two things," Ikuno answers. "First, we found the generator room. It looks like they run on magma fuel, so if we bring what we have inside and fill them up we might be able to get some power." Hiro gasps in response. "That's fantastic!"

"You said two," Zero Two looks at Mitsuru expectantly. Mitsuru turns to you. "We were right. They weren't just maintaining the FranXX down here, they were making them. There's a full assembly line and some partially assembled models. It'd probably take a lot of work to get the system running, and a lot more people than we have. Not to mention the power it would require."

"That's the other thing," Ikuno cuts in. "The generators might run on magma fuel, but there's something here that doesn't. We found buoys, like you'd put in the water. Attached to them were thick cables holding electric lines. They must have been used to produce some kind of wave-based power by utilizing the ocean's tides. If we were to put them out again, we should be able to get minimal power back to the facility." "Provided they still work," Mitsuru murmurs.

You clap him on the back. "It's a start, and having the lights on in the manor would be nice. Besides, we've got plenty of magma fuel so we could probably spare a little." "If we don't find a way to get more, then we'll run out," Zero Two reminds you, curbing your enthusiasm.

"Oh well," you sigh. "I guess we couldn't expect everything to just fall into place, could we?" A low rumble comes from nearby and Hiro clutches his stomach. "Darling, are you hungry?" Zero Two teases him, poking his stomach. "He isn't the only one," Ikuno says beginning to walk in the direction of the entrance. "Let's head back and get some dinner."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When you arrive back at the manor for dinner, Ichigo pulls you aside.

"Come with me," she says, leading you down a hall on the second floor. "Where are we going?" you ask. "You'll see," she replies quietly. "But I'm hungry," you groan as she opens a door and leads you inside.

The room is in surprisingly good condition. To the right of the door is a large bed and a chest of drawers. An oval-shaped full body mirror sits in the far corner, and beside it is a silken screen embroidered with a floral pattern. The setting sun is visible through the sliding glass door connecting the room to the balcony, bathing the room in reds and yellows.

"What am I looking for?" you ask Ichigo. "Wait here," she replies, releasing your hand and stepping behind the screen.

You do as instructed, glancing around the room until movement catches your attention. It turns out to be Ichigo's shadow, the sun perfectly capturing her likeness on the screen.

Snap.

A faint noise comes from behind the screen as Ichigo's figure shifts.

Snap, snap, snap.

Ichigo's right hand slowly makes its way down the front of her body until she reaches her hips. Then she rolls her shoulders and a new shadow is cast on the screen. The shadow is only visible for a moment as Ichigo hangs it over the screen. The grey fabric and a single sleeve that stick over are more than enough to prove to you that on the other side of this thin barrier, Ichigo has removed her shirt.

Your heart begins to flutter but Ichigo seems completely calm, humming to herself as she continues.

Ziiiiiip.

The shadow lifts one leg and steps out of the skirt Ichigo had been wearing.

"Uh, Ichigo…?" you say loud enough so you can be sure she'll hear it. "What are you doing?" She stops humming. "I asked you to be patient, didn't I?" "Yeah," you nervously fiddle with the collar of your shirt. "…Patient."

Ichigo resumes humming and the shadow's hands disappear behind its back.

Click.

The hands return, now holding what you are positive is her bra, causing your heart to race even faster.

"AAAAAHH!" Ichigo's high pitched scream echoes through the room and into the hall. Before you have time to process it, however, the screen that had separated the two of you comes crashing down, leaving you to gasp wide-eyed at your partner.

Ichigo, having heard the noise and knowing she knocked down the screen, blushes fiercely while covering her chest with her arms. She spins toward the windows, protecting her front but leaving her back and shoulders exposed.

You remain dumbstruck for several seconds and are unable to act as your eyes instinctually trace her body. However, that's quickly ended by her shouting at you. "Don't just stand there! Fix the screen or get out!"

"Right, sorry!" you yell, stepping out the door and slamming it shut behind you. A full minute later there is a muffled voice from within the room. "You can come in now."

When you enter the room, the screen has been righted, now standing on the corner by the window. Ichigo is once again behind it, her shadow cast on the canvas, but it appears larger than it should be.

"Are you alright?" you ask. "I'm fine," she calmly replies. "Sit down on the bed and tell me when you're done." You make your way to the bed and sit on the mattress. "Alright, I'm sitting on the bed."

You hear Ichigo take a deep breath and the shadow behind the curtain begins to emerge.

Before she comes into view there is a series of clip-clopping noises. Your mind tries to search for the source of the sound, but you hold true, keeping your eyes locked on the figure stepping out of the sunlight. But when she appears… you are woefully unprepared.

The first thing to catch your eye is the beautiful violet shade of the silken gown Ichigo wears. The gown cascades down her body, loosely covering hear from head to toe in the long, flowing robe. A sash of a complementary lighter purple runs across her midriff and disappears behind her back. The sleeves of the dress are long and flow gracefully, swaying back and forth while obscuring her hands. The dress is pocketed with random groupings of different flower buds, in whites, light blues, and dark purples, in addition to a few gently curving beige lines acting as accents.

Eventually, your gaze finds its way to Ichigo's face. Her hair has been parted like the usual, hiding her right eye beneath the blue locks. At the part, though, instead of her usual hairpin is a violet flower with heart-shaped tassels hanging down an inch or so. Her face is highlighted by the fading sunlight through a red parasol resting against her shoulder. What's most breathtaking though, is the sweet smile she offers and the radiant sparkle in her emerald eyes.

The two of you stand there in silence for a moment. You are rendered completely speechless by the sight and Ichigo waits for you to say anything.

"Well," Ichigo breaks the silence, her voice a bit shaky. "D-Do you like it?"

Still unable to speak and barely able to think, you stand there like a lovestruck idiot. Ichigo tilts her head to one side and takes a step toward you. The clip-clop sound returns as her feet appear from underneath the gown, wearing wooden sandals elevated from the ground by two thin slats.

"(Y/N)," she says looking up at you, concern now showing through. "(Y/N), breathe."

"You look…." you drift off mid-sentence, your voice barely a whisper. "I don't even know how to say it."

Ichigo's concern melts away in an instant and is replaced with a deep blush, but she can't keep from grinning. "I'm glad you like it."

You step forward. "The word 'like' doesn't even begin to describe it."

Ichigo's blush grows even deeper, but it's clear you are saying exactly what she'd hoped to hear.

"I found this the other day," Ichigo admits, turning to walk back behind the screen. She returns a moment later with a picture of a woman wearing the exact same dress. "It took me a bit to get the bow right," she twirls showing you the sash has been tied in an ornate bow across her back. "I wanted to make sure it was perfect before I showed you."

You put your arm around her and kiss the top of her head. "Oh, it is."

"I was thinking," she says. "About what?" you ask. Ichigo pats the bed beside the two of you. "Well, I was thinking that this would be a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the floor in the ballroom."

"After how last time went, you want to try that again?" you chuckle. Ichigo gives you a sly grin. "Oh, I didn't say anything about you sleeping here. But I suppose if you wanted to… I wouldn't mind."

You are about to answer when a voice rings out in the hall. "Ichigo! (Y/N)! It's time for dinner, wherever you are!"

You begin leading her out of the room, "We'd better go." Ichigo releases your hand and walks behind the screen. "I need to change first. Wait for me outside?" "Don't take too long, I might have to come in after you," you wink and close the door. Several minutes later she exits the room wearing her uniform, and the two of you make your way down the hall to join the others for dinner.