Zero Two sat with crossed legs on the bed she'd shared with her Darling for the night, her new clothing crumpled, and pouted down at the boy.

"Dalin!"

She shook his arm, the red skin of her hands contrasting with his own.

Nothing. Just quiet breathing.

"Dalin!" She repeated, indignant, green eyes glinting.

Darling snorted and rolled over, clutching her leg as he slept. A bit of droll leaked out of his mouth onto her white pants.

Zero Two twitched.

Why wouldn't he wake up!?

She'd been up all by herself for so long already, but he was still asleep! She'd been waiting forever!

And Zero Two hated waiting. She'd spent her whole life waiting; waiting for Her, waiting for food, waiting for pain, waiting for something. She hate, hate, hated it!

She was not going to wait for Darling. Not when he was right here! Not when she didn't have to anymore!

Nope!

"DALIN!"

So she pounced. A blur of red and white flew through the air.

"Waah!"

Zero Two leapt on the boy and he jerked awake instantly, startled. Wide blue eyes blinked up at her in surprised confusion, and she grinned, all teeth.

"Z-Zero Two?"

He was up now.

"Dalin!" She cheered. "You 'ake!"

"I-I'm awake?" He shook his head, dazed. His voice was still heavy with sleep. "What's wrong?"

"'Ake!" She said insistently, leaning down. She propped herself up on his chest, and her hair fell down on his face, tickling his nose.

The boy laughed tiredly, and brushed it away.

"You wanted me to get up, huh?" He said.

"Um!" Zero Two nodded happily. Darling was Darling, and everything was better when he was with her, after all. He talked to her and held her hand and gave her hugs and made her forget all the bad, bad things from before. "Dalin up!"

"Well, if that's what you want, you need to get off." He told her and smiled, nudging her lightly. "You're kinda heavy."

She tilted her head curiously.

Another new word, but she didn't know what this one was supposed to mean. Darling was always teaching her new things!

"Evy?"

"Heavy." The boy repeated amusedly, poking her stomach gently. She giggled. "It means you weigh too much."

"Eigh?"

Darling laughed but shook his head.

"C'mon Zero Two, it's too early for that. I promise I'll teach you later, okay?" He yawned and tried to shake her off again. "Seriously, get off. I need to go to the bathroom."

Finally realizing that he wanted her to move, she rolled off of him, and bounced off the bed and onto the floor. It was cold against her bare feet, but she hardly noticed. She watched Darling stretch for a minute and yawn again, but after a moment he crawled out of bed and stood. He turned to her and gave her a small smile.

"Wait right here, okay? I'm just going to the bathroom and I'll be right back."

She blinked as he began to walk away.

Where were they going?

Hiro sighed in relief as he finished his business and pulled up his pants. It had been over a day at least since he'd last been to the bathroom, so he'd really, really had to go.

Flushing the toilet and putting the lid back down, he turned to go wash his hands, only to run into 60 pounds of red-skinned little girl.

Big green eyes looked up at him curiously.

"Z-Zero Two?" He stammered. How long had she been standing there? Had she been watching him pee?! "I told you to wait outside, what are you doing?"

"Da!" She said, and pointed downward.

Well, that answered that question.

She had.

Hiro reddened and groaned, covering his face with his hands. It was last night all over again!

"Zero Two! I told you it's rude to stare at...at..Ugh!" He sputtered. "So embarrassing…"

Zero Two, rather than being chastised, giggled uncontrollably. She obviously found his reaction amusing.

"You…" He mumbled, glaring at her half-heartedly before he sighed, his cheeks still red. He couldn't be mad at the girl, not when she was giggling like that.

"Once I teach you how to speak properly, we really need to talk about this." He said after a moment.

The girl only laughed harder.

Nana looked around the room that had been her home for years, which was barren now that all of her belongings had been packed away and set off to the side, ready for transport. She didn't have much, so it been a simple task.

Honestly, she wished it had taken longer.

Staying busy helped keep her thoughts off more unpleasant things, like her conversation with Dr. Franxx and the events of the previous day. What the man had told her still bothered her.

When she had reported back to the Doctor the evening before, she had informed him of Code 002's odd behavior and her extreme aversion to adults. He hadn't been surprised, and when she'd pressed him for answers as she needed them to do her job, he'd finally revealed what happened to the girl.

She had been kept confined for years, her only contact with others coming when she was brought in for tests, many of which had not been pleasant. The isolation was understandable given her issues, but the rest was horrendous. The Doctor had been evasive when it came to the extent of things and why they'd been done, but she was intelligent enough to fill in the blanks.

Code 002 had been all but tortured her entire life.

It...it wasn't right.

She knew and understood that sacrifices were necessary for the survival of humanity. That terrible things often had to be done for the greater good; the Parasite program stood as a testament to that.

The Children were raised to fight and die, and even if they didn't fall in battle they would inevitably succumb to the side-effects of piloting the Franxx. It was a cruel, short life, but they were the only thing that stood between humans and extinction at the hands of the Klaxosaurs.

However, they were never made to suffer needlessly. They were kept comfortable and their every need was met, and when their time came, the children were honored for their sacrifices and remembered.

What had been done to that girl, however, Klaxosaur blood or not….

It didn't feel necessary, despite what Dr. Franxx had told her. Surely there had been a better way?

She knew it was wrong of her to think like this, that she just needed to follow orders, but all she could see were those bright green eyes, so full of hate for a world that had done nothing but hurt her, and how she had clung to the boy who was probably the only person to ever be kind to her. She saw the way that the girl had looked at him…..

Don't think, obey.

The soothing thought came unbidden, washing away her uncertainties and leaving only clarity. Duty was simpler, easier. All straight lines of black and white with no shades of grey.

She only needed to follow orders. That was all that was important.

Her eyes strangely dull, Nana looked at the clock.

It was time for the Children's meeting with the Doctor. She'd have to make sure the two of them were cleaned up and dressed properly before he arrived. Afterwards, she needed to head to the hangar to ensure that everything was prepared for their trip. Hopefully Code 016 had been able to handle everything and the two were ready.

When Nana entered the children's room, the first thing she heard was giggling, but they were nowhere in sight. The sound seemed to be coming from the bathroom.

"What are those two doing?" She said to herself in exasperation. "Code 016? Code 002? It's Nana. Come out, please."

The giggling stopped. She heard the boy's quiet voice talking to the girl, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. However, it was easy enough to guess. He was probably attempting to calm her down before there was a repeat of the day before.

"Are you two alright?" Nana asked when the two still didn't emerge after a few minutes. Was the girl truly being that difficult?

"We're coming!"

Code 016 answered finally, and the two stepped out of the bathroom. They were hand in hand, and the red-skinned girl seemed better, more composed. Her eyes were still wary and her posture was tense, but she didn't look like she was moments away from going feral.

She very much considered it an improvement.

"Hello Nana." He greeted her with a small smile. Code 002 stood silent at his side, watching.

"Code 016." She returned politely, inclining her head. "The Doctor sent me to check on the two of you. He'll be here shortly to speak with you."

The boy didn't seem surprised.

"He did say we'd talk again soon. Do you know what he wants?" He asked curiously.

Nana considered her words. If the Doctor had wanted him to know anything, the man would've told her, so it was best to leave it be.

"He didn't say." She answered finally, shaking her head.

Code 016 nodded and seemed thoughtful, but he said nothing further.

"Well," Nana continued after a moment and looked the two over. They both had on the clothing she'd brought them the night before, and though it it was a bit rumpled, they were presentable. "I see you've both changed. Did you remember to shower first?"

Oddly, the boy flushed at that and looked away.

She raised a brow when he mumbled something, and she could've sworn she saw Code 002 twitch.

"Code 016?"

"Yes, we cleaned up." He answered eventually, his cheeks still dusted with red.

Really, what was wrong with the child? What had they been getting up to? She thought to press him further, but thought better of it. They both looked tidy enough, and the Doctor would be here soon. She needed to hurry and get to the rest of her tasks.

"Very well." She said absently. "Now then, we don't have time for breakfast this morning, but I should have something for both of you after you finish with Dr. Franxx. Will you be okay till then?"

The boy dipped his head.

"Alright. I have to go for now, but I'll see you both later."

The Doctor stood across from them.

He had arrived not long after Nana had left, and Hiro was glad that Zero Two had stayed relatively calm. She'd had the oddest look on her face when she first saw him, almost as if she was trying to remember if she'd seen him before, but it had faded into quiet wariness and she'd clung to his side.

The boy knew dealing with any adult wasn't easy for her after everything, and it hurt him to see that happy, silly little girl retreat back into herself when they were around. She should be smiling and laughing, not holding on to him like he was about to vanish if she let go.

Hiro squeezed her hand, glancing at her, and blue met green. He offered a small smile to remind her that it was okay, that he was here, and some of her tension seemed to ebb away, but she returned to watching the Doctor intently, her pupils gleaming crimson.

"I see you've calmed her down. Nana told me about last night, but it was to be expected." Dr. Franxx said finally, eying the girl.

Hiro nodded.

"She still expects adults to hurt her." He said sadly. "But I think she'll get better once she realizes she's safe now."

The Doctor hummed in agreement, and turned his gaze to the boy. His left and sole remaining natural eye was cool, neutral. His right, cold and mechanic like that side of his face, gleamed.

"I came to discuss your situation, and what will change moving forward."

Hiro tilted his head, curious. He had suspected that this was what the man would want to talk about.

"It's obvious to me that the Garden is no longer safe for Code 002, and I can't always be here to keep an eye on her. As such, I've decided that she will accompany me from now on, and we will be leaving later today. You may come with us if you wish."

His heart leapt in his chest. He could stay with Zero Two? Leave the Garden with her and the Doctor?

"I can really go with you?"

Dr. Franxx nodded.

"If we can reach agreement, yes."

Hiro blinked, the statement tempering his excitement.

"Agreement?"

"You've become important to Code 002, and you've already helped her a great deal. I believe it's in her best interest that you stay together." He said seriously. "But APE continues to be problematic. While I was able to...dissuade them from any further attempts against Code 002, they were adamant that you remain in Garden. However, we were eventually able to reach a compromise."

Hiro swallowed hard.

"You will be allowed to stay with Code 002, but only if you agree to be her partner and convince her to pilot when the time comes."

APE still wanted him to pilot, wanted Zero Two to pilot. The thought nearly made him sick.

"Why?" He did his best to keep his voice level. He didn't want to upset the girl beside him. "She doesn't have any training. She can't even speak. It would take years for her to catch up."

Dr. Franxx shook his head.

"APE doesn't care. They only see her as a tool, one whose only purpose is to fight."

Hiro wanted to refuse. He wanted to grab Zero Two and run and protect her and keep her far, far away from the adults and their war.

But the boy knew he didn't have a choice.

He couldn't stop APE, he had tried and failed, and it seemed even Dr. Franxx could only shield them so much. If he said no, he would be trapped in Garden with no way out, and eventually they would find another way to force her to fight and she would be all alone and it would be all because of him and what he'd failed to do.

He would die before he let that happen.

Hiro met Dr. Franxx's gaze.

"Fine. I'll be her partner. I'll pilot."

"Are you certain?"

He nodded.

"What of your friends? When we leave, we aren't likely to return." The old man warned. "You may never see them again. Are you really willing to leave them all behind for her?"

Hiro thought of them, Ichigo, Goro, Mitsuru, and the others. He'd tried for so long to get them to stand with him against the adults, to speak up, but none of them understood. They were content to accept whatever the caretakers told them, always scolding him for arguing with them and questioning what they were taught. It never seemed to matter to them that their friends were disappearing, taken away one by one, while others became dead-eyed shadows who couldn't laugh or cry or smile.

Their indifference scared him, and he couldn't help but wonder. If he disappeared one day, would they care? Or would they forget him, just like they had forgotten everyone else?

Hiro had never known the answer, and he'd felt so alone.

Yet Zero Two had changed all that.

For the first time in his life, he found someone else who fought back . Zero Two had never given up, and even as the adults had hurt her so terribly, never been broken. That defiant little girl had still been willing to take his hand that day, to follow him into a world she'd never seen despite everything she'd been through.

She was beautiful.

"Yes." Hiro said finally, looking at the girl, still so quiet.

He couldn't leave her, never would, not for them, not for anyone.

"Very well."

"Zero Two?"

She looked up at Darling nervously, clinging to his side. She didn't like this place, there were too many of...them. They were scurrying around the big room like those little creatures in the forest, and it made her insides squirm.

What if they tried to take him away again? Tried to drag her back to that room?

She couldn't fight that many, she knew she couldn't. She hadn't even been able to stop them last time, what chance did she have now?

Dalin!

Zero Two shuddered.

"Hey, come here." Darling said soothingly over the noise, and hugged her to him. She buried her face in his chest, and tried to block out the world as she soaked in his warmth. His scent, comforting and safe, filled her nose and she breathed it in. Everything else faded away. "I know you're scared, but I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

He held her for a while and she was content, but eventually he pulled away and met her eyes, smiling.

She smiled back shakily.

"Better now?" He said, and offered her his hand. She took it and nodded. He beamed.

Darling was here, he wasn't worried, and he was happy. They would be okay.

He tugged her hand, and she followed.

"We're going on a trip." He told her as they walked, pointing at the shiny thing in the middle of the room. It looked almost like the flying things she'd seen in the forest, only so much bigger. "Dr. Franxx is going to take us somewhere safe, away from Garden."

His tone was odd, like he was happy and sad at the same time, and she looked at him curiously.

"When we get there, we'll have a whole new room for ourselves at the Doctor's house." He said. "Nana will be there too, she's going to be taking care of us from now on, you know?"

Zero Two didn't, not yet. She tilted her head.

He grinned.

"Don't worry, we'll fix that too. You'll be able to understand in no time, I promise."

"Code 016! Code 002!"

Darling turned, and pulled her along.

"Coming! Let's go, Zero Two!"

"Da!"

They ran forward.