I hear it in my voice - that shrillness
That poison in my blood!
I am the sinister glass in which
The Fury sees herself!
I am the knife and the wound it deals,
I am the slap and the cheek,
I am the wheel and the broken limbs,
Hangman and victim both!
I am the vampire at my own veins,
One of the great lost horde
Doomed for the rest of time, and beyond,
To laugh - but smile no more.
-from Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire
/
One by one the downtrodden members of Squad 13 shuffled into the weathered commons room. They aloofly took seats on the various couches littering the room. Wounds were rubbed and bruises were fingered curiously, fear still apparent on most of the squad's faces. Everyone's eyes were trained on the middle of the room, where a single raven-haired boy was seated in a wheelchair. Uncertainty and trauma weakened the usually colorful auras the teenagers emanated.
"Hiro, please," Goro spoke up from his position seated to Hiro's side, his head resting on the platform of his crossed hands, "what happened?" Hiro pensively rose his eyes from the ground and scanned the members of the team individually. Miku was rubbing the long scar on her forehead and her messy red hair ran freely past her shoulders in an unkempt fashion. Seated on the same sofa, Kokoro sat with her knees bent inwards, twiddling her thumbs anxiously while keeping her eyes trained to the ground. Standing behind their seat and leaning against the wall, Ikuno wiped the dusty lenses of her glasses against her white hospital gown, the freckles that dotted her skin darkened by the shadows of her downcast face, her royal purple eyes narrowed. On the other side of the room, Zorome was sprawled out across the majority of a large, curved couch, his feet dangling off the edge and his eyes cloudy from the thoughts thundering in his mind. Futoshi sat on the remainder of the couch, leaned back against the sturdy cushions behind him, eyes closed and mouth pressed into a stern line, his typically smooth skin purpled by various bruises. Lastly, Mitsuru sat alone in a wooden chair hidden away in the corner of the room, a large bandage wrapped about the majority his face and covering his left eye. He probed the wound carefully, testing the limits of the physical contact he could endure.
With a deep breath, Hiro responded monotonously to Goro's query, "We survived." Seeing an incredulous look arise on many of his peer's faces caused him to elaborate, albeit choosing to not go into too much detail about his suicide mission he'd undertaken with Ichigo.
Ichigo. The girl was still out like a light when the rest of the squad had risen from the beds, weary eyes scanning their surroundings in apparent terror. Hiro struggled to get the image of her massive scar out of his mind, the charred flesh reflected into his vision no matter where he looked. The shadows of the room, the shade of Ikuno's hair, the dark wood of the walls, he could see her suffering in all facets of the boarding house.
"So," Zorome began in a hesitant tone, " we won?"
Turning in his seat, Hiro met Zorome's worried eyes, "Yes, barely, but we succeeded. If you can call that victory." Hiro's own demeanor was certainly not confident, the pyrrhic battles he'd endured still raw in the flesh of his memory.
"We almost died" Miku rose her shaky voice, the reality of the situation continuing to bury her further and further in a tomb of anxiety. Kokoro reached out to her with unsteady hands and ran her palms across the plane of Miku's back in comforting circles, trying to reassure the quivering pistil.
"But we didn't" Goro clarified as he rose to his feet, feeling much more energetic than just hours prior when he had collapsed before Hiro. "We completed our first mission as Franxx pilots, regardless of the circumstances" his newfound confident voice rang out across the room filled with wallowing souls.
"All of us almost died to the bottom feeders of the klaxosaurs, some excuse for victory that is. What kind of Franxx squad can't kill a bunch of brain dead balls?" Mitsuru cynically joined the conversation with a dissuaded scoff and a grunt as he applied too much pressure to his forehead.
"Our Franxx squadron, Mitsuru" Goro challenged him levelly, "We've gotten through our first operation. It's only uphill from here." Ikuno's eyes darkened further and Kokoro began to fiddle with her thumbs at a more rapid pace. Futoshi sniffled a cry and wiped some stray snot from the cusp of his nostril.
Mitsuru shook his head in disagreement and uncaged his viper tongue venomously, "Had we had some actually competent leaders maybe we wouldn't have been in that situation." Goro's eyes flared up with zeal and he took a intimidating step towards Mitsuru's dark corner.
"Oh and you would've done so much better? You would've led us out of that hell hole so easily?" Goro rebutted with conviction, his self-confidence stalwart. He knew he did everything he could and he wouldn't let his snobby squad mate tag him as the scapegoat. Ikuno rubbed her right leg against her left leg subconsciously and put more of her weight against the wooden planks she was supported by. Zorome roller over so his chest was downwards and he flicked his head between Goro and Mitsuru rapidly, his eyes searching for any que as to the intentions of a face's owner.
"I know that if I led the squad, we wouldn't have had to rely on that freak to save us!" Mitsuru snapped harshly at Goro, attempting to douse him in gasoline, hoping his teammates would add to the fire. Hiro sat flabbergasted between the two barking hounds. It wasn't his problem, right? He was never part of this dysfunctional group anyways. Even if he said something, his opinion would be shunned by the majority as an irrelevant one. Another image of Ichigo flashed across his mind, causing him to doubt his position immediately. Mitsuru staggered to his feet, his unsteady toes struggling to support him on his fiery, verbal campaign. His deep olive eyes were glazed over in uncontrolled vehemence and his tongue continued to sting with precision of a scorpion's tail. "If we didn't have this waste of space in our squad, we might've had room for someone who was actually competent! Hiro is just some useless battery that gets sucked up by pistils, he has no talent at all!" Hiro's eyes closed and he took the brunt of Mitsuru's verbal assault, the words bouncing off of his trained and battle-hardened social bubble that he'd fortified for a lifetime. Mitsuru said nothing Hiro didn't already know. His words were just rocks bouncing off the frigid, metal sheets of Hiro's heart. Goro took another aggravated step towards Mitsuru, causing Futoshi to rise to his feet in tears and hold the blonde haired boy back from beating Mitsuru into a pulp.
Ikuno clenched her fists at her sides and bit her tongue, blood swelling up beneath her teeth before she wrenched her mouth open finally, "Mitsuru stop, you're just making things worse!" Miku joined Ikuno, raising her voice to Mitsuru, "They did everything they could! Stop trying to blame them!" Goro stopped struggling against Futoshi and went limp into his shoulder, the sad truth behind Miku's words striking him like a bat. It was true. That was everything he could muster. All he could manage. And it wasn't even close to enough. Maybe. Maybe Mitsuru was right?
"Everything they could?" Mitsuru's eyes flashed menacingly, "if that's everything they've got then we'll all be dead by the end of the month!" he laughed in disbelief at his teammates, "Unless we keep counting on that monster bitch to save us, despicable demon." Hiro's bubble was punctured instantly and his heart was staked by Mitsuru's words. His hands balled into fists and he rose his tumultuous, azure eyes to Mitsuru. He'd wheel over there and savagely beat him into submission, with his own two, brittle arms. Sadly. Hiro would never have the chance. Quick steps sounded out against the planks of the floor, an aggressive stride closing the distance between a newcomer who'd entered the room and Mitsuru in a few gaits. A loud crack sounded out as a pale skinned hand struck Mitsuru's cheek violently, his whole head whipping to the side, the bandage unraveling from his head and falling to the ground. All heads rose and all eyes were directed to one person. Innumerable bandages were wrapped over her once dainty arms and legs. Short blue hair flowed peacefully down to shaking shoulders. Her hand remained stretched out from where she had hit Mitsuru, her eyes locked onto Mitsuru's confused irises in absolute fury. Mitsuru turned his head slowly, his nerves on fire in pain from the slap. His eyes opened tenfold and the rest of the squad's followed suit. For the first time, they saw the gruesome scar running along the right side of Ichigo's face, partly concealed beneath her long bangs.
"Shut your mouth Mitsuru" she spoke with unusual fervor. Mitsuru froze like a spanked child, not used to Ichigo's rage induced tone. Jaws dropped, tears fell, and as always, infinitely more questions were formulated.
/
Hours had passed. Ichigo was standing before a tall mirror in her bedroom. She'd unraveled the countless gauzes that she'd been practically mummified with. Long piles of bandages rose around her tiny feet, just above where her thin toes pressed into the carpet. Ichigo didn't know how to react. It was like she was never hard wired to comprehend the horror reflected back at her in the glass. Burn marks ran across almost all of her limbs, her arms and legs warped and singed. The only still vivacious portions of skin remaining was the left side of her face, torso, and her left leg. Her mind was blank. She studied her reflection emotionlessly. The girl in the mirror before her had empty, emerald eyes. The purple skin couched the gem of her iris like a jewel wrapped in sheets of velvet. She ran a dry hand across her flaky skin, the rough complexion indescribably warm to the touch. Two knocks on her door made her snap her head back to attention, her mind still alert from the previous day's ordeals.
"Ichigo?" a low voice inquired from beyond the door frame. Ichigo saw how her reflection lit up in delight at hearing her favorite voice. He'd never sought her out in her room before. She skipped over to the door and opened it in one swift motion, eager to see the person on the other side. Hiro was met with the bare naked body of Ichigo before him. He choked as he sucked in too much air at once and his eyes shot to the back of his head, making him rocket back in his chair. He couldn't move though. Miles of scarred skin marred her body and he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, remove his eyes from the naked girl before him. The shallow plane of her toned stomach looked as smooth as petals. Her nimble frame held all her assets with pride, but Hiro couldn't pry his eyes from the burns. Curious as to what caused his reaction, she looked around outside the doorway, searching for the source of shock. She turned about confused for a dozen or so seconds before her arm brushed against the wood of the door frame. Ah cold. Her bare skin was cold against the wood. Oh. Realization hit her like a bus and she screamed in terror as she slammed the door shut on Hiro, the wooden panel stopping inches from his nose. Attempting to get a grip, he shook his head and reminded himself why he'd come here in the first place. Leaning forwards so that his forehead was pressed against the thick wood, he listened for sound on the other side. Audible gasps were discernible from Hiro's search for life signs beyond the bedroom's gate.
"Wha-, what! What did you want? Hiro!" Ichigo's panicked voice called out through the door.
Hiro smirked against the planks, "Just to check in with you." Ichigo blushed at the rarity of the situation. Hiro willingly checking up on someone. Her unreciprocated affection was finally being repaid by the banks of fate. Shuffling could be heard in the room as Ichigo hastily threw on a thin nightgown, the bland, beige fabric concealing the majority of her injuries. Seconds later the door clicked and opened again, albeit at a much more careful pace this time. Hiro eventually wheeled into the room, the chilling nocturnal breeze flowing in from an open window refreshing his embarrassed features like a bucket of freezing water. Bathed in moonlight, lunar raiments of light enveloping her like a gown, Ichigo turned face Hiro from her position at her bedside. Parsing his lips and avoiding eye contact, Hiro rolled further into the chamber. "So… how are you feeling?" he questioned awkwardly, exuding none of the confidence he had when he was around Zero Two.
"Fine. I'm ok" she answered rapidly, her shoulders squeezed together in unsureness. Hiro smiled at her body's physical earnesty, her damaged limb's shaking not leaving many questions in her comrade's minds. This was the first time they'd talked since piloting.
"Ichigo" Hiro started, his voice causing her to eep in surprise.
"Yes?" she responded meekly, eyes looking for anything other than his eyes to latch onto.
"Can you tell me what it was like? To fly with me?" he asked her honestly, his eyes unsure. Ichigo calmed down smiled warmly at his request, thankful for the topic shift. She tried to the best of her ability to articulate the experience to Hiro.
"It was like a switch in me was turned on. Something within me just triggered and flooded my body with power. It's like I was being shocked constantly, like my blood was boiling" she recalled intuitively. "But," she added solemnly, "I couldn't control it. Not matter how hard I tried I couldn't harness the power you put into me." Hiro's eyes finally darted to hers in concern.
"Zero Two could control it perfectly though" he thought out loud, picturing her unique horns and brainstorming the cause of her ability to maintain control of the mech during the special rampage. Ichigo's eyes flick away from his once again at the mention of the red-horned girl.
"Have you heard anything about her?" she asked hesitantly, bringing her hand up to fiddle with her hair clip. Hiro leaned into his chair, resting his armpit on the top of the back rest and setting his head into the crevice of his elbow, looking off to the side of his seat wistfully.
"No" he responded with a single dread infused word, his brows sinking. Ichigo recognized the pain in his voice and cringed, lowering her hand from her hair to stroke her arm rhythmically. "I don't know what to do Ichigo" he relented as he buried his face deeper into the crook of his arm. Watching his inner turmoil put her in pain as well, her hurt eyes studying his hunched form. "How do you do it Ichigo? How did you get so good on putting that smile on?" he brought his eyes over the edge of his arm, looking for a response. A smile was still present on her face, but the warmth it released banished the doubts of its genuineness. Turning her gaze to the night sky beyond the window, Ichigo replied casually, as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the universe, "It's just as you said, Hiro. All we can do is struggle. Grit our teeth and persevere. That's all we can ever really do, isn't it." His eyes narrowed at the irony of his own words being directed back at him, and raising his head he sighed a final time. He'd get her back.
/
A small splash of water erupted beneath Zero Two's feet as she landed. Her bare feet pressed against something akin to a glass pane below, a shallow ocean of clear liquid covering it as far as the eye could see. The perfectly reflective surface stretched out infinitely in every direction, the only color in otherwise drowned out purgatory being Zero Two herself. The small ripples from where she landed continued to grow in size, expanding radially about her in an ever growing fashion, until the miniature waves dissipated in the distance. Absolute silence. The taciturn universe watched her from everywhere and held its breath, releasing no gentle breeze across her alabaster void. The pink of her hair refracted in the water and a streak of rose stretched out for seemingly miles. She blinked. A sound of splashing from behind her. She pivoted and about faced to the commotion in the sanctuary. Seated before her, Hiro looked at her with the warmth of summer in his cerulean eyes. His smile magnetized her to his position, pulling her in with its comforting radiance.
"Darling" she let slip the single word. A cloud of red smoke emerged from her lips and expanded before her. The crimson haze consumed the air around her and spread far into the sky above. Questioning the verisimilitude of her situation, she stopped her examination of the clouds and turned back to Hiro. His eyes were now a solid black, irises beady white dots within his shadowy pupils. He stood from his chair and walked over to her, his steps elegant and confident. He swept her off of her feet and brought her eyes to his,faces only inches apart.
"I love you" he whispered to her. As soon as the words had left his mouth the rosy clouds enveloping the world all morphed into a downpour of rain. Blood red rain. Each droplet that struck his skin steamed and sizzled, burning away some of his figure before her very eyes. Her turquoise irises exploded in terror and she tried to reach out to Hiro. Her hands refused her heart's command. Piece by piece, her darling withered away, eventually falling to his knees from his legs being melted away. His pitch black eyes dug craters into Zero Two as he dropped her into the red swirling pool below, no longer having arms to carry her with. And he was gone. Alone and sitting in a vermillion sea, she arched her back and faced to the sky. Blood slid slickly across her moist skin, leaving strokes of sanguine waterfalls across her cheeks. Her bangs were slicked back against her head, heavily soaked through. She cried out, a harpy in an abyss. And blinked. And woke up.
Zero Two shot up in a cold sweat, gagging. She rolled over repeatedly in anguish, her whole body on fire. She smashed her fists into the concrete floor beneath her repeatedly, cracking small shards from the stones below. The bones of her hand snapped and crunched as she repeatedly crushed it into the surrounding walls and floor. Her mouth opened in agony and a steaming, red liquid spewed out of her. Excess liquid dribbled from her lips and she cried out in pain as the chemical burned her skin in a line from where it had slithered down her face. Turning to where the discharge had landed, the wall had melted in spots where the spray had landed. Her eyes widened in horror and she fiercely shut her jaws, clamping her hands over her mouth as she felt another surge rising within her. She cried out behind her hands and tears began to flow down her face. The acidic liquid burnt lines across the planes of her visage, and all she could do was scream.
(AN - trying to use lots of symbolism and dialogue to build my characters a bit more, think it's kinda working or something, eh. no worries boys hiro two will be back and boolin in no time, or willllllllllllll theyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy)