A bombardment of laughter assailed him from all sides.
"What is this? How could this guy be better than us?"
Children let out giggles of joy but their eyes revealed envy deep within.
"Look at how slow he is! I can run circles around him!"
Brilliant blue eyes were locked onto the ground. Shoulders were hunched.
"Look at me when I talk to you! You're just a mess up!"
Tongues were laced with venom and lashed at him ceaselessly.
"You'll never be able to pilot a Franxx! Any day now you'll disappear!"
Ah. How wonderful that sounds.
Fond as you are, what could you know of hate,
the secretly clenched fists, the silent tears,
while every heartbeat drums revenge! Revenge!
And one by one our talents are enslaved,
being so fond, what do you know of hate?
-from Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire
Dainty fingers painted patterns in the shallow lake water. Ripples danced across the surface of the murky liquid, originating from the silky skin kissing its face. A pointer finger stroked as if it was a brush wielded by a royal artist, digging long trenches into the dark pool. Pink hair was muddled in the blurry, brown reflection below Zero Two. Her turquoise eyes refracted into contorted blobs, staring back at her with discontent. Dirt particles encircled her wrist like a portal into the tepid lagoon, sucking her hand into another dimension. One with her darling she hoped longingly. Moonlight fell from the sky in sheets of ice. It wrapped her in blankets of luminescent fabric, cloths made of starlight. The sun had risen and set on her many times and she still was left alone in this birdcage, confusion and yearning devouring her like a pack of wolves let loose unto a lone doe that battled dusk and dawn alike in solitude.
The retrieval team had arrived to blue-blood coated hallways, walls destroyed with countless marks from Strelitzia's razor sharp tail and claws. The mining facility was no longer operational due to the damage caused during Zero Two's blissful rampage. Masked men had taken Hiro's unconscious form away, saying he needed treatment. Zero Two wished she'd argued, but coming down from the high of her ride with him made her just drowsy enough to not fully comprehend what they were doing, simply nodding as they grabbed him. This was days ago. Zero Two tightened her grip on her knees and withdrew her finger from the lake water. Dangling her hand above the lazy lakelet, droplets of bleak liquid slipped from her digit into the water like prophets leaping from a cliff one by one, their collision with the plane of the lake exploding into fountains of somber ichor.
She closed her eyes. The moist shore below her bare feet and the frigid breeze that circled the lake crashed into her skin, nipping at her mercilessly. She had asked many questions but received no answers. The woman the children of Squad 13 referred to as Nana had dodged her questions with the dexterity of a mouse, not letting slip any clue as to the whereabouts of her darling, only responding that he was being tended to somewhere that didn't concern her. She also disappeared the day following his "kidnapping", Zero Two not being able to find her anywhere. What a joke. She slid her hands along her calves and reluctantly rose to her feet, arms hanging at her sides, eyes still casted into the depths of the water like lead weights.
The battered members of Squad 13 had remained bedridden for the past few days, none of them even conscious yet. She didn't occasionally check on them in worry or even curiosity. The possibility of them knowing something about Hiro's location was the sole reason she continued to steal glances into their infirmary. She raised her eyes to the opposite bank of the lake, her eyes searching for their partner. Nothing stared back at her across the expanse of the dreary swill. Hurry home darling, she thought painfully.
/
Maniacal laughter rang out in a dimly lit room. A perpetual, dull buzzing could be heard from the hundreds of consoles fixed onto metal desks and walls. Crimson and orange light bathed the half-metal man who had his eye pressed to a high power microscope. Vials, flasks, and pipettes lined the edge of tables like crenellations. Precise measurements of liquid compounds and vile concoctions bubbled from within test tubes. Centrifuges span quietly, the hum of their revolutions drowned out by the babbling of the scientist who was now pacing back and forth across the dark chamber.
Laying on a nearby cot, a raven haired boy with strong blue eyes was strewned out. Bandages were wrapped about his arms, covering the puncture marks from countless syringes that now laid on a nearby steel counter. Bags of his vivid red blood were sitting beside the microscope The Doctor had been operating.
"What a farce!" he howled out, his words bouncing back to him off the cold walls around him. "The secret of his blood is no mystery at all!" he declared aloud, hands meeting his hips in pride, his body quaking in a fit of cackles. He waddled over to a blue console in the corner of the room and picked up a communicator device, proceeding to ping a call to his overseers, eager to share his discoveries. "It's as you said! He's not special at all. I'll have more produced by the end of the week" he quickly summarized his work with a little more emotion that usual, his distaste for the boy showing in his tone. An affirmative grunt from the other side of the line was his cue to disconnect from the call. Fiddling with the miniature gadget in his hand, he shuffled back over to Hiro's vulnerable body. His eyes narrowed and a maleficent grin surfaced on his wrinkly face. He would preserve his creation at any cost.
/
Three more days had passed. Zero Two idly walked the empty halls of the boarding house, her steps the only movement present in the seemingly vacant building. No dust gathered on any surfaces and no spider webs appeared in any corners, the soulless servants of the plantation would ensure that the lack of life wouldn't affect the condition of their dollhouse. She strode to the dining hall, leaning around the door frames of rooms as she went, hoping to see Hiro hiding somewhere, waiting for her to find him. Naive thoughts and she knew that. Entering through the doorway of the mess room, her eyes were met with the sight of another feast present on all the wooden tables. She would be eating alone again it seemed. No creaking wood or footsteps reverberated through the silent house. The sounds of her jaw working and food being swallowed down her throat were alone the only perceptible noise. She ate methodically and mechanically, her mind elsewhere. The cusp of a cup met her lips and she tilted her head back, downing the cold refreshment in a single gulp.
It seemed she just ended up trying to kill time every day, the meals being the highlights of her currently mundane life. She aimlessly wandered around the birdcage during the daytime, mastering the forest trails and learning the area like the back of her hand until the rumbling of her stomach forced her to return to the desolate dormitory. She licked her lips of the flavorful liquid in a subconscious habit, crossing her legs casually in her seat as she did so. She was at a loss for what to do. She had no idea what steps she needed to take to get her darling back. A shattering sound from below suddenly broke the layer of silence that had encased the room, shards of glass scattering across the floor beneath her. Zero Two glanced downwards to see the cup had slipped from her fingers. Odd. She tilted her head and it felt like a force was anchoring her to the earth, her brain registering all movement as impossibly heavy. Her hands went numb and her breathing slowed. Her head was spinning unfathomably fast but at the same time was still as a stone. Falling limply from her chair, she collided with the wooden planks of the floor forcefully, her senses dulled. The world around her became a uniform gray and her eyelids gradually shut themselves, sealing her turquoise gems within crypts of nausea. Gray faded to black.
/
Hiro opened his eyes to the familiar scenery of his bedroom. Moonlight flitted through an open window and his sheets protected him from a untamed, nocturnal gust that circled around him like a vulture. Ah. He'd passed out during the mission. Again. But, he was alive. The third ride with Zero Two didn't kill him he consoled himself, a tiny, genuine smile appearing on his still drowsy face. Pulling his covers off of himself, he went through the systematic process of boarding his wheelchair. He continued to roll out into the adjacent hallway, still dressed in just sleepwear. He pushed himself along the quiet corridors of the boarding house without a goal, just seemingly moving forwards without any intentions. He rounded a corner smoothly, the carpet below his wheels suppressing the sound of his rims meeting the ground.
The normally creaky wood of the building was now taciturn, no audible noise other than his chair's frame squeaking as it moved. That was until he rolled by a door to overhear the barely perceivable sound of weeping. He checked his surroundings and realized he was in front of the boarding house's makeshift infirmary. He scooted closer to the doorway, leaning forwards to crack the already slightly opened door even further agape. Inside the decadent sick bay, the usually empty beds were all filled with the members of his squad, all but one. The former occupant of the now empty bed was kneeling beside a cot, hands on her face and her body heaving with cries of grief. Hiro opened the door fully only for the just recently muted wood of the house to creak eerily loud.
The hunched body turned immediately to the sound and locked eyes with Hiro's, tears sent careening off of her face from the quick motion. Emerald orbs were encased in a glaze of liquid anguish. Short blue hair was ruffled from bedhead and pressed against her scalp, no signature, white clip being present in the usual spot near the top of her navy colored bangs. Her cheeks were clearly red in the ashen beam that fell upon her like a lunar spotlight from the sky. Thin eyebrows rose in recognition above the long eyelashes that framed her pained eyes. She stood unsteadily on her short legs, arms wrapped around her midsection tightly, gripping her quaking sides in an effort to calm herself down it seemed.
"Hi-, Hiro" a fearful voice flew across the room to him, the wobbly tone of her voice making his eyes open in worry that was atypical of him. She took a single, shaky step towards him, her lips pressed together stiffly in a taut line.
"Ichigo?" he questioned without thinking, the syllables of the word drawled unintentionally. His unsure hands stopped their motion at his sides and he sat deathly still in the doorway of the infirmary. Ichigo brought her right leg forwards in another unstable step, her leg bending at her knee from the lack of support. She collapsed onto her front leg and dropped to her knees once more, tears flung from her cheeks onto the dry floorboards.
"Th-, this is all my fault" she accused herself harshly, her tongue suddenly caustic as if she was trying to verbally burn herself in a form of recompense. "I'm the reason, the reason they have to go through this!" she raised her voice and her fingers pushed aggressively against the hardwood beneath her, hands clenching into fists. Her right hand jumped from the boards and was brought back down in a howl of self-resentment. The sturdy wood did not give in to the weak impact of her strike. Pain shot through her mind but the sensation did little to dull the wildfire of hate spreading through her arteries.
"It might very well be" a calm voice escaped Hiro's mouth, his eyes no longer latched onto Ichigo's lamenting form. Ichigo inhaled sharply at his callous words, like she had been smacked across her cheek. He knew what she felt. He knew all too well what thoughts were throwing themselves against the sides of her mind. He looked to her again, calm. "And everyone around you might even agree with you" he pushed on his rims once more, rolling away from her gaze to the window sill, entering a shaft of white light. He looked over his shoulder back to her, "But you're here, whether you like it or not." He thought back to his own childhood. He'd spent almost his entire life blaming himself for being inadequate. How he'd always curse himself for being weaker than everyone around him. Then he'd met her. Pink hair came crashing into his universe like a wrecking ball colliding with a rotting tree. It was like destiny was a resource that humans could purchase with the currency of misfortune. Zero Two was his compensation for the childhood he spent crying alone, the youth he'd spent loathing all he was and the little he could become. Hiro didn't know the circumstances of Ichigo's sadness, but the pain that poisoned her irises and leaked from her eyes in droplets dubbed tears was all too recognizable. He paused, endeavoring to transcribe what thoughts sailed the sea of his mind into units of language. This emotion could never be labeled by the miniscule capacity that letters retained, but he would try. "Struggle. It's the only choice we have Ichigo. Just struggle as much as you can in this sick game they call life" his words were levelly spoken and it was unclear to which of the two conscious people in the room he was addressing.
Wiping tears from her eyes with her unbruised hand, she replied weakly, "What's the point? If I can't lead my squad to victory in a mission as simple as that then what's the point in even trying!" Hiro turned to her fully now, a slight, knowing smile on his face.
"Hmm, that's exactly what I thought" a breeze blew a curtain to the side, covering the window sill, shrouding him in shadows as he reminisced. "Then I found a reason" the oceans of his eyes were peaceful, no waves or ripples present. The curtain returned to the side of the window and Hiro was enveloped by moonlight once more, his pale skin shining in the silver rays, "You just need to find one too." Ichigo's shaking stopped and her mouth opened slightly in awe. Cupid took flight. The devious child had let loose an arrow upon Ichigo many years ago, but this time he returned with a mallet, hammering the bolt deep into her core. Her tears finished their journey to her chin and left her, no longer pilgrimaging from the corners of her eyes. "Ichigo?" his simple question broke her revery, her head barely visibly recoiling as she snapped out of her trance. She sniffled and ran her still functioning hand across her face, wiping the last of the manifested sadness from her features.
"Anyways, what happened?" his face was tinted a deep shade of red and he turned away from Ichigo to the window once more, the reality of the words he'd spoken to her striking him like a mace, dazing him with embarrassment. He moved a hand through his thick, black hair awkwardly. Ichigo laughed. Tears reemerged, descending across the previously carved canals on her face that were formed by the corrosive tears she had priorly shed. These droplets were of a different chemical makeup however. Her soft giggles rolled across the room to Hiro like clouds blown by a maiden's lips. She cried. Because she knew how hopelessly gone she was. How hopelessly in love she was with the cripple boy who'd shown her how to walk again.
After some five minutes of what seemed to be to Hiro, hysteria, Ichigo recalled the events of the operation. The memory of her inability to stay in control of her emotions and failing her teammates slightly dampened her mood. It occured to Hiro at this point that he still hadn't seen Zero Two, which was odd since she usually would make sure she was the first thing he'd see upon awakening. Ichigo had apparently only woken up hours prior to Hiro happening upon her. Hiro rolled by Ichigo's sitting position on her temporary bed to the one that she had been kneeling by. Miku's unconscious form was bruised and multiple bandages were applied to her body, her frame mostly concealed by cloth blankets. A long cut ran across her forehead and stitches were sutured into her creamy skin, a black wire weaving in and out of her face. Discomfort was still perceivable on her comatose form.
"And Zero Two?" he finally voiced his concern to Ichigo, who had walked over to Hiro and was now standing behind him.
"Your guess is as good as mine" her quick response not doing much to satisfy Hiro's worries. Ichigo was fiddling with her hair, her clip back in its usual spot. Steady thudding could be heard in the adjoined hallway and seconds later Nana dashed into the room, sweat rolling down her forehead.
"We need you to come with me right now! There's a klaxosaur approaching the plantation!" her urgent words were spoken briskly and as an order. As such Ichigo moved to grab the handles of Hiro's chair.
"I'll be fine, don't worry" Hiro waved her off calmly, "Good luck." Ichigo frowned and quietly withdrew her outstretched hands back to her sides, ready to run off with Nana.
"You too Hiro, we'll need you" Nana interjected their farewell suddenly. Hiro shifted his gaze to his caretaker in confusion.
"What am I going to do? Watch?" he joked in a downtrodden voice.
"You're going to pilot Delphinium, you're the only stamen here" she explained calmly, as it was the most obvious answer ever. Hiro's eyes narrowed incredulously.
"I can't fly without Zero Two" he tried to argue stubbornly.
"Oh, but you can" Nana asserted, her eyes locked onto his with intimidating power as she began to withdraw from the room. Knowing she wasn't one for histrionics he sighed loudly, following her retreating form.
/
Ichigo felt both excitement and concern as she straddled her seat within the cockpit of Delphinium, Hiro seated just behind her. She frequently stole glances back at him over her shoulder but his eyes seemed to refuse to look away from his feet. Her white piloting suit felt tighter than usual, the stagnant air in the cockpit suffocating her already nervous mind. She'd never had the chance to pilot with Hiro other than in her wildest dreams. She wouldn't mess up this time. She'd be better than her last operation, for his sake.
Hiro, on the contrary, had resigned himself to the demise of Plantation 13. If he was the only one who could save Cerasus, then it indeed had a grim fate awaiting it. He'd never get used to the stuffy cockpits of these mechs he thought as he ran a hand through his hair, squeezing his eyes shut tightly in annoyance. If only Zero Two was here. Hiro noticed that at least Ichigo seemed confident in their chances at succeeding, she was practically bubbling over with energy.
"There's only one airborne conrad-class klaxosaur, it's approaching the plantation from the west" Nana informed them over the comms, her voice making Hiro raise his eyes only to catch a glimpse of Ichigo's staring back at him.
"Let's get this over with then" he exhaled pessimistically as the clamps holding the white and blue Franxx in place released their locks. Ichigo turned her head forwards and inhaled deeply in preparation, trying to steel herself for the oncoming mission. She'd get it right this time. The lights along her spine lit up in a soft orange light and her heavy, metal helmet slid over her eyes. The Franxx whistled to life as the holographic displays around her popped up one by one. An abrupt thud from behind her caused her to yelp in surprise. She strained to look behind her from underneath her opaque visor but eventually distinguished Hiro's limp form leaning back in his seat.
"Hiro?" she questioned loudly, her heart asphyxiating briefly in panic.
"Don't worry Ichigo, everything is working as it should be" Nana reassured her before she took any irrational action. Still slightly unsure, Ichigo hesitantly began to funnel her focus into the connection between her and Hiro. She heard a blaring sound above, which unknown to her was the negative pulse meter filling up with irregular speed. Her breathing hitched and she felt like she was socked in the gut. She tried to shake her head, disregarding the heavy metal enveloping it. Then, like a landslide ripping across a mountainside, an indescribable sensation of power shot through her blood. She accidentally yelled aloud from the raw vigor electrifying her system, like she'd been injected with pure lightning.
Delphinium's massive blue helmet suddenly split into two separately colored segments, the metal screeching apart violently. The rest of the mech seemed to collapse on itself and the arms fanned out into two gigantic appendages that resembled wings. The white-blue mech's stampede mode appeared to be some sort of avian creature, the twin magma infused spears transforming into a blade like surface that covered the front of the Franxx's wings and beak, the orange material scintillating in the ever present moonlight that rained down on the desert. Ichigo was struggling to remain in control, again. Sheer willpower and determination to not make the same mistake twice led her to stalwartly retain control of the mech.
A distant shriek made the mech's head snap upwards in predatory fashion, searching for its prey. A gargantuanly sized klaxosaur, that was identical in anatomy to a butterfly, was sluggishly travelling towards them far overhead in the clouds. The claws of Delphinium's two legs pushed off against the ground and the mech effortlessly took flight, thrusters contouring the rear of the machine multiplying its momentum tenfold, propelling the dart of metal like a bullet into the stratosphere. White metal flashed and disappeared only for the air to crack seconds later, a crater left where the beast had taken off. Ichigo, and the Franxx, were both soaring.
(AN - struggling a bit to get going on any single tangent right now, so the pace is gonna slow down for releases. I hate not being satisfied with something i put out and this chapter just didn't feel like it was to my full ability. nevertheless its purpose was fufilled and I promise the next one will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than this sod. we on some transformer shit now, ty for sticking with it. discovering some things about trying to consistenly write and find the inspiration to do so well enough to fit my standards. its all for fun tho so, tytyty, and lastly, les fleurs du mal is just my favorite book so you can expect more edgy quotes)