02

Icarus flew. He lived the dream. But happiness cannot last.

He

FELL

And he died.

"What is the purpose of life? It's a tough question, because everyone feels like they have different purposes. But if one had to give one universal answer, what would it be?" Professor Cain asked as the students all sat in her classroom. It was a small class, as many don't take Theory of Knowledge. But Hiro had taken it, as it seemed to be an interesting side class. There were about 10 other students, and they all sat there attentively, but with no answer.

The purpose of life? Well, there could be many answers. He certainly wished he knew his, but he did know the broad response that fit his belief.

"To reproduce," One student answered, and Professor Cain scoffed.

"Maybe biologically. But to us, what is our purpose?"

"To do whatever we can for society," Hiro answered strongly, believing in his answer. Because it was true. We all live for one purpose, and while it may differ from one to another, it is to benefit society.

Professor Cain turned to him, a smile dancing on her lips. "You really are stuck on that society stuff, hmm? Well answer this. What is your purpose?"

Hiro stared blankly at her, his mind pausing. "I don't know yet."

"And that's fine too. But the most common answer I hear is to find happiness. Do you believe that?" Professor Cain asked, staring at him curiously.

He didn't know how to answer that one either.

The question stuck with Hiro all day, and he began to wonder, was he happy? It was ridiculous to think about, given that he was surrounded by such supportive friends and he was certainly living a great life. But was he happy? In truth, Hiro felt empty. Like he was missing something. But he just didn't know what was missing. Ever since meeting that girl a few days ago, a certain part of his mind felt completely void, and he found himself spacing out multiple times.

In fact, it descended even deeper than that. At nights, Hiro would consistently dream of the same location. One large tree, under a wintry atmosphere that provided the snow to complete the setting. It overarched seemingly all of existence, yet he was just there. Unable to move, or anything. Just a spectator before the grandeur that was the tree. The dream would then end, and he would wake up in his bed, uncertain of what he just bore witness to. With no answer, he would try to go back to sleep, to no avail. Thus, he was extremely sleep deprived, and school served no help in that regard either.

Plus, since the accident, he had been left furiously in the dark. Everything seemed to just serve to impede his path, desperately stopping him from searching for the truth. He had made no progress, and it was frustrating to say the least.

Hiro contemplated all this as he walked through the mall with his friends, who were chatting amongst themselves. They had arrived just as school ended, and with the weekend upcoming, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to hang out. Goro had suggested it, and the walk there was pleasant, with Zorome and Miku setting aside differences for a whole five minutes before an argument broke out.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Ichigo asked as she fell back to walk with him, holding her hands behind her back. She wore her school uniform, a gray outfit with a large red star-like figure etched in the middle. Her hair was its normal form, with it descending downwards on one side, the other held by a silver hairclip.

A silver hairclip that he had gifted her. It had been a long time ago, for Christmas. She's worn it ever since, a sentimental gift of their friendship.

"No, I was just thinking about something from one of my classes," Hiro told her in response, offering her a light smile. "Anyways, how's school been for you so far?"

"It's been really good. I'm glad we all got in. I can tell why it's so prestigious," She adjusted her bangs as she walked alongside me, something she did quite often. She seemed to have something in mind as our conversation lulled for a second, before she shook her head. "Though, it sucks that I didn't get any classes with you."

"Better be glad you got one class with this guy though!" Zorome grinned as he pointed at himself, looking back at us.

"Not even. You guys are so lucky, I got stuck with four whole classes with this idiot!" Miku exclaimed exasperatedly, and Zorome turned to her.

"More like I'm stuck with four whole classes with you!" Zorome waved his arms in protest, and Miku sighed in utter pain.

"Really? I can tell all our teachers already absolutely hate you, but who wouldn't? You're always talking like really you think you'd be able to stop talking for one sec- "

"My ass I'm always talking it's you! God you're just so annoying like you would think that for a girl you'd be more quaint and nice but noooo you're always-"

Everyone watched in amusement as those two bickered, and Hiro turned to Futoshi, who was looking at the bakery on the side. He was tall with short brown hair, with a kind personality, but also playful. He was on the larger side of the scale, and he seemed to always obsess over food. He was close to Zorome, and the two always seemed to get into some mischievous acts together.

"Hey Futoshi, want to get a pastry with me?" Hiro asked, and Futoshi nodded enthusiastically, perking up to his attention, and they walked in together. It was a small bakery, with glass panels to showcase their various products. "I know you know a lot about these things, so tell me which one tastes the best."

"Really? Well, if that's the case, there's these killer cream cheese custards, or this red bean roll, or oh wow they even have raisin hot cross buns," Futoshi exclaimed, going on and on about the various bread-related products. Eventually, Hiro just chose to get a shortbread cookie, while Futoshi purchased things ranging from pies to rolls.

"You sure do know a lot about these things," Hiro chuckled while eating his cookie, turning to Futoshi. "You want to be a baker one day?"

"Would I! That's my dream, but I'm not sure how successful I would be at it, given I would eat everything I cook," He laughed sheepishly, and Hiro nodded acceptingly.

"Yeah but still, I bet you'd make a fantastic baker," Hiro shot him a grin, one he reciprocated happily. They walked again in silence as they slowly made their way back to the group, Hiro slowly chewing down his cookie, not noticing the fact that Futoshi, for once, was not eating.

"Hey, Hiro, do you think Kokoro would like to share these with me?" Futoshi asked after a bit, looking at the ground nervously. Kokoro? Hiro looked at him questioningly, before giving Futoshi a smirk.

"Aww, does Futoshi have a crush on Kokoro?" Hiro teased, placing his hand over his mouth mockingly, to which Futoshi reacted by turning red. "I'm just teasing you, yeah, I bet she would love it if you shared those with her."

"Really? It's just being around her makes my stomach hurl sometimes and my chest tighten," Futoshi sighed and stared forwards, his hands clutching his heart. Hiro smiled at him, glad that he was feeling such a way. Kokoro was always a nice girl, though he always had the feeling she was into more serious guys. But he didn't know her that well, and maybe Futoshi would be the perfect one for her.

Once again silence befell them, and Hiro realized that at their age, crushes and romance were the norm. He wondered who else in their group had crushes, and he internally mused over Miku and Zorome, who despite their differences, Hiro was sure they would make a great couple.

"Hey Futoshi," Hiro began, rubbing his neck slightly as he quickly pivoted the conversation. "What do you think the purpose of life is?"

Futoshi paused and stared at Hiro, confused. Hiro kept looking forwards, and his hands awkwardly fell into his pockets. Why had Hiro asked him that? Such a deep question was definitely not a part of normal conversation. So why had he asked? After some introspective thinking, Hiro realized it must have been because Futoshi already knew what he wanted to be. A baker. So, with that certainty in his life, perhaps he could provide a different perspective to Hiro's belief. In retrospect, this one moment might have been the greatest turning point of his life.

"Well for me, it's to eat. But for others, it's got to be happiness, right? To find happiness should be every human's goal," Futoshi answered concisely after a while, finally getting his food out and chomping on some bread. "Why, what do you think?"

"Happiness, huh," Hiro echoed uncertainly. The same thing Professor Cain said. "Do you think you're happy right now, Futoshi?"

"Well, yeah," Futoshi responded after a pause. "I mean, I'm surrounded by great people and we're always having fun together. Is something wrong, Hiro?"

"Nah, it's just something that's been bugging me. My Theory of Knowledge professor asked us that, so it's been on my mind," Hiro answered off-handedly, processing his answer. He feels the same way as Hiro, yet Futoshi can certainly say he's happy. Hiro wasn't sure if he could.

"Alright, that makes sense then," Futoshi said cautiously. "But yeah, I'd say it's just to find happiness. Why else are we here?"

A flash of pink caught Hiro's eye, and he turned, but didn't see anything. Hiro paused, wondering if he should check it out, hoping that it was the girl from a few days back. But the chances were slim, and Hiro decidedly just turned back to Futoshi.

"That's why I kind of admire Zorome. He's impulsive, which isn't always good, but sometimes, you just have to follow your instinct to find happiness. Which is why I want to share this with Kokoro," Futoshi lifted his bag of goods, and Hiro paused again, processing Futoshi's words. First of all, admire Zorome? Second, follow his instinct? He turned back to the flash of pink, and he could feel his feet urging him to walk that way.

What's the worst that could happen anyways? It was actually her, and she thinks its weird that Hiro's basically stalking her, so she kills him right then and there?

"Hey Futoshi, you catch up with the others. I just remembered I have to pick something up, so I'll go get it and catch up with you all," Hiro told his friend, to which Futoshi nodded.

"Alright Hiro. Thanks for the talk, it was interesting," Futoshi waved, and Hiro waved back as the brown-haired boy walked back towards where our group headed. Hiro strolled over to where he had seen the pink, looking around. Nothing. The mall was a big place, so even if the girl were here, there was no way that he'd be able to meet her here anyways.

But he still had to try, right?

Hiro kept his hand attached to his wrist as the escalator ascended to the second floor, looking at all the people. Upon reaching the second floor, he continued his search, but with each step he could feel his waning belief that he would find her.

Hiro turned the corner, finding himself face to face with an olive-brown haired teenager. He wore a uniform, one similar to Hiro's, and his hard-green eyes paused as he looked upon Hiro, his face clear of any emotion.

"Hiro," Mitsuru said simply, but with an utter lack of emotion. He seemed to be alone.

"Hey Mitsuru," Hiro gave him a smile, one that was not returned as Mitsuru's gaze left him. They stood awkwardly, as none of them felt comfortable being the first to leave. Hiro stared uncertainly back at him, reminiscing back to his childhood.

They had used to be great friends, hanging out often as children, and they would excitedly explore the bounds of their childhood, poking and prodding at any restricting set on them, much to the complaint of Ichigo.

But one day, Mitsuru came cold to Hiro. The boy decidedly stopped talking to Hiro, and their relationship shattered, just like that. Given that it was so long ago, Hiro couldn't even remember what caused it. All he knew was that he still felt guilty, though he wasn't sure exactly why.

"How's Mistilteinn been for you?" Hiro asked in a friendly manner, hoping to ease the awkward mood that had fallen onto them.

"Good. And you?" Mitsuru answered sternly, still not looking at Hiro. Mitsuru's hands were stuck in his pockets, and his still figure only made the thick atmosphere worse.

"Yeah, it's been good," Hiro bit his lip, unsure of how to continue. This was the first time he had spoken to Mitsuru in ages. A sudden lightbulb hit him, and he realized this could be an opportunity to figure out why exactly they had split. "Hey Mitsuru, -"

"I've got to go. It was nice seeing you, Hiro," Mitsuru interrupted Hiro drily, walking away quickly. Hiro could only watch him go, and Hiro's hand wrung around his wrist. Mitsuru disappeared through the escalator, and Hiro found himself continuing his quest.

It was unfortunate. Hiro didn't like how the relations between the two had broken, and he desperately wanted to fix it. But it seemed such a feeling was unreciprocated, and Hiro had to respect that. Didn't he? Hiro's hands found themselves absent-mindedly searching for his phone, before he recalled that complete destruction had occurred earlier this week, leaving him without it.

Hiro continued walking on his lonesome as the brilliant flashes of electronic billboards flashed from the ceiling and countless amounts of people walked around. Every now and then he would see a girl with pink hair, but it was never the girl Hiro was looking for.

Eventually he came to a standstill, reaching one of the dead ends of the mall. Hiro sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. Well, guess instinct didn't always lead you to happiness. Besides, she had probably just forgotten about Hiro anyways. It would be weird to try and find her, after all, he was just a high schooler.

Hiro turned back, his mind berating upon him for wasting the day trying to desperately grasp a small string of hope. Why did he even want to see her? In hopes that she would just try and kill him again? He scoffed internally at himself. Hiro knew exactly why he wanted to see her. The exhilaration. The excitement. The utter emotion she brought within him was something that he hadn't felt in so long. Of course Hiro was desperately grasping at it, it was the only hope that he might be able to find it.

Happiness.

"Hiro?" He heard his name being called, and Hiro turned around to see a large bulky man, dressed in a simple black long sleeve with khaki joggers to finish the outfit. His black hair was cleanly slicked back, and his shining white teeth glared at him as the man smiled.

"Hey Leven," Hiro greeted with a smile, bowing slightly as Leven came to stand next to him.

"No need for formalities, Hiro," Leven smiled as he perched Hiro back up to his original posture, keeping a hand on his back. "You've been handling yourself well?"

"Yeah, of course," Hiro looked away, awkwardly answering. It was a blatant lie, of course, but what else would Leven have expected with a question like that.

"Hey, meet my friends," Leven turned the conversation, gesturing to two men standing behind him. "Guys, this is Hiro. Hiro, this is Moho and Calico. They're some colleagues of mine."

Hiro shook their hands as they nodded before me, and Moho turned towards Leven. "The Strell child?" He asked quietly, though Hiro overheard. Annoyed, Hiro wondered why he had to be referred to by that last name. Did they know his parents too? Leven nodded in response. They looked at Hiro, and Calico offered the young teen a reassuring smile.

"Glad to see you here, Hiro, but you should probably be getting home soon. It's late. Here, I can call you an Uber," Leven began, but Hiro shook his head.

"It's fine, I can just walk," He said easily, shaking off Leven's offer. Strangely, the men looked between themselves, uncertainty clear in their faces as they seemed to converse through their eyes.

"Alright, just be careful. It's getting late, and some weird stuff has been happening around here," Level patted Hiro on the back, sending him off. Hiro raised an eyebrow at the second statement, questioning its integrity. Weird stuff? Like what?

He just ignored it though and waved a farewell as he began to leave, heading down the escalator. The mall was certainly clearing out as the closing time inched closer, leaving just him and various other people.

It was strange meeting Leven here. Leven used to be Hiro's parents' agent, and Hiro saw him often enough to where he knew Leven quite well. But it had been a while, at least, since the accident. Hiro had seen him a couple of times directly after, but Leven had been largely absent in Hiro's life for the past two years. That is, until today.

It was interesting to Hiro how Calico and Moho looked nearly exactly alike, just large bulky men. Similar to Leven actually. Though, a difference was that Moho had this blue tattoo etched on his hand. However, it wasn't really anything discernable. Just lines.

Hiro paused. Blue lines? Where had he seen that before? Hiro's stomach plunged as he remembered to the incident a week back, with the girl. And the three men looking for her. They each had blue lines, like the one Moho had on his hand.

Certainly coincidence, right? But Hiro's mind couldn't help but wander towards the possibility that Moho might be associated with them. What had the girl called them again? The Klax? And if Moho was a part of them, why was Leven hanging out with him?

Hiro decided to stop thinking about it, given that it was largely just assumptions. Perhaps those lines were a part of an actual tattoo that was etched on his forearm, which had been covered. Hiro closed the discussion in his head as simply coincidence and continued his way to the exit.

The night sky welcomed Hiro into its arms, the cold winds shattering all remnants of warmth Hiro had kept. He shivered underneath its wretched jabs, and stepped forwards, and immediately noticed her to his left.

She leaned against the wall, sucking on a lollipop innocently, as she gazed out towards the moon. She wore a simple white shirt overcoated by a red jacket, black leggings and boots completing her look. The arms of the jacket hung loosely to the side as she didn't wear it completely, choosing to hide her arms underneath it instead.

"Were you looking for me?" She smirked as she looked at Hiro, her chilling cyan eyes examining him, a teasing glint in them. Hiro was frozen underneath her gaze, and he felt his heart begin to accelerate. It was her… She was actually here.

"Me? Looking for you? No way, never," Hiro lied straight through his teeth, leaning against the wall in nonchalant fashion to further enforce his fib. He earned a laugh in response, and it was such a sweet sound, one that suddenly gave light to the darkness that surrounded them. He was determined to hear that laugh again.

"You don't have to lie to me darrrr-ling," She drawled out her words as she slowly walked towards Hiro. She rested the tip of her finger against his chest, slowly sliding up till it hit his chin, her eyes following it the entire time. She suddenly glanced upwards at Hiro's eyes, and they held contact. Hiro found himself struggling to restrain his beating heart, but at the same time unable to break eye contact. "So does my darling have a name, or do I have to keep calling you darling?"

Hiro reddened, finally under control as he turned his head away from her paralyzing stare. "H-Hiro. My name's Hiro," He murmured in response, and his body felt numb, a combo attack in tandem with the cold stabs of the winter.

"Hiro. Hiro, Hiro, Hiro, Hiro," She repeated, the word rolling off her lips playfully as she gave him a smirk. "I like it, Hiro,"

"What about yours? What should I call you?" Hiro asked, still trying to calm himself as his heart threatened to explode against his chest. Why did she have to be so close? Couldn't she back up some, give him some personal space or something?

"Hmmm. Some people call me Zero Two," She finally said, flicking her finger off Hiro's chin and backing up, as if she could read his mind, allowing the boy a chance to finally breathe. "It's my code."

"Your code?" Hiro questioned, raising an eyebrow. What does she mean, a code?

She turned back to him, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "Tell me, darling, what do you think about me?" She evaded his question, walking back to Hiro and placing herself against the wall, her shoulder gently brushing against his.

"Honestly? I don't know. I don't know anything about you, but…" Hiro began, pausing to collect his words. She stared curiously, and her eyes urged him to continue, nearly begging. "It's strange. I find you… alluring. I can't help but think about you. You're a mystery unsolved to me, and I want to find out more about you."

Hiro could feel his cheeks redden, and he looked away as the words he had just said began processing. Geez, was he embarrassing. She probably thought he was beyond weird now, saying something like that when this was their first real conversation.

Hiro felt her body come closer to his, a sudden warmth that Hiro's body eagerly received, and her hand gently caressed his face as she turned his chin, connecting their eyes again. "You want to know more about me, hmm?" She drawled her words again, her eyes lit with an unknown emotion. She gave him a smile, before grabbing his hand and walking away, dragging Hiro along.

"Where are we going?" He asked, stumbling as he regained his balance and began walking next to her.

"Just follow me," She said, shooting Hiro a toothy grin, her canines on full showcase. "I have something to show you."

Hiro simply followed her, unable to do anything else, mind remaining silent as his heart decidedly took the lead.

"So you wanted to know more about me? Ask me. Anything," Zero Two turned to look at Hiro as the duo waited idly in an elevator. It had been a pitch-black building they had entered, seemingly abandoned. Yet the elevator seemed to function, given that they were indeed ascending.

Hiro swallowed as he thought, wondering what he should ask her about. There were lots of things unknown about her. Hell, he only really knew her name, and that was it.

"How old are you?" Hiro decided to begin simply. She looked to be around his age, but he wasn't certain.

"16," She gave me a teasing look, a glint in her eye. "Why? You thought me to be some child predator or something?"

"I mean, you did lick me that one time," Hiro brought up with a raised eyebrow, and she just laughed happily in return. A win in his books.

"How could I not? Plus, you tasted good," She licked her lips, and her eyes sultrily glanced at his lips. "Really good."

Hiro looked away as he felt the heat rising to his face again, determined to steel his emotions. Damn. She was good. Every time she flirted with him, he fell apart like pudding in a meat grinder. "I'm 16 too, if you wanted to know," Hiro added in an effort to conceal his growing blush.

"I know. I could tell from your taste," She said simply, as if truly believing what she had just said. She was looking at her nails, and she still wore her jacket in the same way, her arms perched underneath it.

Silence befell the two as Hiro thought for his second question. It was strange. He found himself lacking them, despite his yearn to learn more about her. What could he even ask her? His mind wandered back to their initial meeting, the way she was just lying there in the alley, bleeding.

"Explain what you were doing when we first met," Hiro asked, and she looked up at him, putting her hand back down to her side. She seemed uncertain, and her jaw shifted from side to side as she seemed to think, her eyes occasionally glancing towards his.

"Do you know what kind of gangs are around here?" Her mouth finally opened after a period of silence, exempt the rumbling of the elevator. She tilted her head as she spoke, and her eyes seemed to be digging through him.

"Uhm, not really," Hiro awkwardly responded, his hands lying idly in his pockets. Gangs? Why did she bring up gangs?

"Well, there are two mostly. The Klax. Those were the guys with the blue tattoos looking for me," She explained, voice full of disgust as she mentioned the first gang. "Then there's the Franxx. That's the gang I'm a part of."

"You're a part of a gang?" Hiro spurted out, and she nodded easily.

"Of course," She said as if it were the most obvious statement she had ever made, before continuing. "Well, we've been in a gang war for a while. It began even before I was born. Before we met in the alley, the Klax tried an ambush on me, and I took down a few before taking a few scrapes. I escaped, but I must have collapsed from blood loss or the sort. That's when you found me."

A gang. Hiro nearly burst out in laughter, but the serious look on Zero Two's face instead caused him to consider the truth in her statement. A gang. She… Zero Two… a part of a gang? Well, it would certainly make sense, given that she did have those strange men looking for her. Her hard aura also complimented the guise, along with her ease towards violence.

But still, to imagine Zero Two as a… gang member. It was certainly surprising. Still uncertain as to whether she was truthful or crafting an insanely elaborate prank, Hiro decided to test her further.

"So what do you do in the gang?" Hiro asked, and she shot him a toothy grin, as if glad to answer that.

"Isn't it obvious? I kill people."

The space in the elevator seemed to grow smaller, and the glint in her eye sparked with an undetectable emotion. Hiro felt his heart pumping, and he stood there, watching her for a moment. K-kill people? Was she being serious? No way, right? Right?

The elevator dinged, and Zero Two jumped out, into the dark blanket that covered the sky. They were on the roof now. She paused for a second, before turning to look at Hiro.

"You have two options, darling," Zero Two stated, leaning back into the elevator. "You can take it back down, and I won't ever bother you again. Or…" She finished her statement by beckoning Hiro forwards, before turning around and walking further out into the roof, leaving him to himself in the elevator.

Hiro felt his stomach plummet as he already knew his answer. His mind protested in every possible way, insisting that such a decision would lead to surefire death. She even admitted it, she killed people. She was a gang member. Every single cell that made up his brain compelled him to close that elevator door and get back to the ground floor, go back home, and forget her.

Yet…

He saw Zero Two sit at the edge of the roof, looking up at the moon sky. In the large expanse of the cityscape, she looked… lonely. All alone in this huge world. It was a strange revelation, and a wild assumption on top of that. But he couldn't help but feel he had to go out there. Not just for her, but for him too. Her still form outlined by the dead city, her small body huddled in her jacket, vulnerable to the world. In that, he could see himself too.

Maybe she really was alone. But a certainty was that Hiro felt alone, and maybe she could provide the way out, the way he had been searching for.

Hiro felt his mind curse his every step as he left the elevator, marching decidedly over to Zero Two.

He sat next to her, his feet dangling towards the city streets hundreds of feet below. Cars passed by, and streetlamps dimly lit the surface. Zero Two shot him an uncertain glance. He stared back at her, and he realized she hadn't been certain whether he would come out or not. Her eyes were a soft green, warm in the hearth, as if inviting him closer.

"So you actually came out, huh," She stated simply, her fingers twirling amongst themselves, only further indicating her uneasiness. "I thought you would have headed back down."

"Nope, I'm not done figuring you out yet," Hiro smiled lightly at her, and she looked away, this time her cheeks reddening slightly as she stared out at the city. She seemed so… pure, sitting atop this roof. And, once again, Hiro found himself deciding to save his image in his mind. She truly, once again, looked beautiful.

"You're crazy then," Zero Two decided, to which Hiro laughed at. "You're beyond crazy. Fit for a mental asylum really."

"Maybe I am. But still," Hiro looked out at the city, the large expanse that surrounded him. It was so dark, with small, dim, flashing lights keeping it alive. And he realized, sitting up here, atop the entire world, with this strange pink haired girl alongside him, his heart attempting to topple the highest recorded heartbeat in human history, that maybe… this was the way towards happiness. "I'm going to be sticking around for a while."

"Are you sure? I'm annoying," She began, and she seemed to huddle even closer into her jacket, as if hiding herself from Hiro. "I'm weird, I'm scary, I'm uncertain. I'm a killer, I'm dangerous, I'm a gang member. I did mention I kill people, right? I'm… a monster."

She truly believed that. In the openness of the night sky, she seemed to pour herself out to him, and Hiro realized that his analysis was correct. Sitting out here, she was alone, despite the front she put out before, pushing her confidence onto him.

She was alone.

He was alone too.

He grabbed her hand, gently pulling at her to look at him. She turned, and he saw the guard in her eyes, the walls she had placed around herself.

"You're no monster," Hiro whispered softly, and the entire city seemed to freeze, the only sound being his voice, gently lifted by the night winds. They dutifully carried them to her, and his very words seemed to make her shiver. "Maybe you might be a gang member, maybe you might be dangerous. But I don't care. I'm staying, so you better get used to me."

"You're going to regret that," Zero Two whispered back, noticeably shaking. Her eyes remained averted from his, and her entire form emitted uncertainty.

He hesitantly raised his hand, placing it softly against her cheek, and her eyes turned to lock onto his. Her beautiful green orbs of life. They seemed to hold the answer to every question he had. A part in the back of his mind shook, as if screaming to be released.

"Make me, then."

Under the cold autumn night, only the moon watched as the duo found themselves, and the glass walls began to crack. Even the freezing winds shied away from the exploding warmth as the two connected lips.

The Princess Reveals Herself

Author's Note: Not much to say again, just that if any grammatical errors are found, especially those consisting of the use of I, me, or my instead of the correct wordage, please inform me. Otherwise, feel free to follow, rate, or review. I appreciate constructive criticism, or even just kind words if you have any to give me.