07

Eternal Punishment. To be so close. Yet so far.

To reach out was the dream. But instead

He remained

HUNGRY

"We have to protect him, Goro,"

His mind echoed the statement from the night two days ago as he sat in class, dully dragging his pencil against his paper. A bunch of problems were sprawled out across it, a worksheet. Behind him, he could hear Zorome feistily arguing with the teacher over a math problem, in which the teacher was giving a futile attempt to explain.

He was nearly done, being on the last problem. His eyelids fluttered, desperately yearning for close as he fastened his pace, hoping for the sweet hug of sleep to hold him once he finished. Just separate the variable, reverse the fraction. Find each case of ambiguity, and…

He was done. He hastily circled his answer, and he wanted to immediately collapse atop his desk and just sleep. However, he instead kept his cool, getting up with his work. All he had to do was turn it in onto the teacher's desk, and he would be finally free. He didn't want to think anymore, about both math and the past few nights. Just rest.

"Uhm, Goro? If you don't mind, could you help me?" An embarrassed voice spoke to him as he passed by, and Goro turned. It was Futoshi, who gave a sheepish grin to him as he pointed towards his work. Completely and utterly empty. "I just didn't understand anything our professor was saying. You think you could try and explain it to me?"

Goro slightly grit his teeth as he looked down at his friend, a part of his mind groaning at Futoshi's incapability. He just wanted to sleep, was it so much to ask? He had all right to refuse and just turn it in, leaving his friend to figure it out.

"Yeah, of course I can," Goro flashed Futoshi a friendly smile, one Futoshi reciprocated gratefully. "What exactly do you not understand?"

The lunch table was strangely quiet, other than Zorome's and Miku's incessant arguing. Futoshi amusedly watched the duo, but everyone else seemed to be in their own clouds of thought. Kokoro kept whipping her head backwards, as if looking for someone. Ichigo seemed to be transfixed at her food, though none of it had been eaten. Hiro was glued to his phone, having finished his food in lightning fast speeds.

Goro didn't even have an appetite. He didn't bother getting any food, instead deciding he could use the time for desperately needed sleep. However, his body seemed to disagree as it turned away from the prospect to instead think of the blue-haired girl who sat before him.

He knew what she was thinking. She was worried about Hiro, and Goro understood the sentiment. He was worried too. If her words were truthful, something was going on. However, the extent of it wasn't exactly foreseeable, and Goro still found himself hesitating. It was hardly believable to think Hiro was in grave danger, but Goro, being one of Hiro's closest friends, couldn't just dismiss it as a falsehood.

"Ichigo," Goro said cautiously, catching the girl's attention. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "You haven't touched your food at all."

"Hmm," She simply mumbled, her eyes returning to her food as she seemed to ignore his words. Goro sighed, shaking his head slightly. Ichigo was an amazing person. Perfect in so many qualities, but yet… Sometimes, the girl was simply stubborn. When encountered with a problem, she simply shut down, as if waiting for it to resolve itself. Such a great mind, but sometimes, she just needed a little push to get started.

"Excuse us, I have to talk to Ichigo about a project in our class," Goro announced to the rest of his friends, Ichigo lifting her head sharply. Her mouth opened as if she were to retort something back, but he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, waving to his friends, who waved before returning to whatever they had been up to before.

"What do you want?" Ichigo hissed, clearly unhappy from being taken from her previous exertion. Her green eyes seemed to softly pulse, and Goro kept pulling her to the hallway, where they were finally left into a private atmosphere.

"You're worried," Goro stated, his words an obvious truth. Ichigo just raised an eyebrow, scoffing as she turned her head. Goro didn't take the discouragement and continued to speak. "I am too. So, what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Her voice was irritated, crossing her arms as she spoke. "If I did, I would have done something about it already."

"Okay, then let's figure it out, yeah?" Goro asked the girl, who gave a slow nod, expectant eyes rising to his as she waited for his plan. "Okay, well, you said we have to protect him, right? From what?"

"The girl," She rolled her eyes, irate from the questions Goro was asking. "Zero Two."

"Why?" He asked out loud, his mind racing in circles as he tried to process the information again. She had explained it to him before, but he had to try and get his mind running again.

"I don't know. It's just what they told me," She sighed, clearly as confused as he was. "But it was urgent. We have to protect him."

"From what though? Who even is the girl?" Goro seemed to be absorbing the girl's frustration as he continued, and his mind was simply boggled. Things weren't making sense. "Why'd she show up all of a sudden? Why do we have to separate her and Hiro?"

"I told you, I'm not sure. But I have a hunch," Ichigo paused, and Goro curiously turned his eyes to her. "I think she was the reason he got hurt all those years ago."

"But you aren't sure," Goro replied, turning back away from her. All these were assumptions, but there wasn't anything concrete. It was infuriating.

"No," Ichigo admitted, her foot tapping anxiously against the floor. "But I have other reasons to prove my hunch."

"Like?" His question was left hanging in the air, and he turned back to the girl, who seemed to stand before him, uncertain.

"Well… I was never told exactly why Hiro got hurt. But they had told me he had been kidnapped," Ichigo began, and Goro's ears perked at the new information. He hadn't been told this. "But that was all. But I remember hearing one word being thrown around a lot between the adults. Franxx."

"What's a Franxx?" Goro raised his eyebrow at the foreign word.

"I didn't know at the time either. But a few years ago, I had gotten some information out of my father on one of his fun nights," She began, and she moved her bangs back to her ear. "Remember Project Apus?"

"How could you even ask that?" His voice was hard as he spoke, his eyes glossing over. How could she even say something like that, given his situation?

"I didn't mean it like that," She immediately raised her hand to his shoulder, a pair of green eyes staring apologetically back at him. "I didn't mean to offend you. But back to the topic, I had asked him about stuff, and he eventually spilled some info. Project Apus had stopped because of rampant gang activity in the area. Specifically, two gangs. The Klax and… the Franxx."

"You mean to tell me that… Hiro was…" His voice trailed off as Ichigo slowly nodded, and his mind hurt as he tried to realize what she was implicating.

"I think Hiro was kidnapped by a gang. Specifically, the Franxx."

"But why? Why would they kidnap him? And what does the girl have to do with it?" His voice was rapid, blasting questions out.

"I don't know why they kidnapped him," She spoke exasperatedly, her eyes lit by a fiery spirit that hungered for answers. "But it just all clicks. When Hiro was waking in and out of his coma, he told me. He told me to remember her name, Zero Two."

"Okay. And?" His interest was seriously piqued, and he felt much more awake now than he had been all day.

"He didn't know her before he had been kidnapped. It was only once he had been, she became someone. We know that Zero Two is around our age too. I think that… that Zero Two is a girl in the Franxx gang, maybe a daughter of one of the gang members. They had met, and given she was a child at the time too, they must have talked. Hiro wanted to remember her, so he asked me to. But he forgot, and now she's back because she was ordered to kidnap him again."

Silence befell the two as Goro listened to her theory. It was… interesting, to say the least. However, the realistic possibility that such a thing was happening was slim. Life wasn't a movie after all, and this seemed to be straight out of a fiction.

"I don't know… Isn't it kind of a wild assumption?" Goro weakly said, uncertain of how to react. Ichigo simply huffed in response, turning her head to the side.

"Alright, alright. Let's say that we take this all as true. If, and that's a massive if, the girl was a gang member, and she was trying to kidnap Hiro again, how are we supposed to stop them?" Goro asked, and Ichigo shrugged.

"I don't know yet. I say we stake out his house, wait for her to show up, and tell her that Hiro's guarded now," Ichigo stated with confidence, her eyes a hard green, filled with determination.

"Ichigo," Goro said slowly, trying to get his words through to her. "If she's truly a gang member, do you think we stand a chance against her?"

A reluctant pause stopped her actions, and she seemed to realize what he was saying, a scowl entering her face.

"What else are we supposed to do? We can't leave him be," Her voice softened as she trailed off, turning her eyes to Goro. Her eyes shimmered, and Goro held out his hand to her shoulder. "We have to protect him, Goro."

"Yeah, I know," He mumbled, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly as he thought, trying to figure out a solution for the dilemma. "Perhaps we should just tell Hiro."

Ichigo seemed to consider it, before slowly nodding in agreement.

"It would make sense to do that, yeah. But I don't know," Murmuring, she looked up at Goro, biting her lip slightly as she continued. "They told me specifically to never tell Hiro about it, ever. They said it was of the upmost importance that I never told him."

"But they couldn't have known about the circumstances now, could they?" Goro tried to reason with her. "They probably told you that to prevent some repressive memories from coming back."

"Yeah, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something more to this, Goro," Ichigo said honestly, an uneasiness striking her eyes. "I think we should try to talk to our parents and see if they know anything."

"I guess you're right," Goro admitted. "I'll ask my parents about it."

"I will too, then let's reconvene," She agreed, giving a grateful smile to the sandy-haired teenager. "Thanks, Goro."

"No problem, Ichigo," Goro gave the girl a bright smile as she nodded to him, taking her leave as the bell rang, indicating that it was time for the next class to begin. She gave him a wave as she left, and he watched the girl go, a strange sensation wrapping its way around Goro's heart.

Goro felt his eyelids drooping, threatening to close as he slowly stirred the pot, yawning in the process. The rod in hand was heavier than usual, and he felt a growing sensation to drop it and take a nice long nap. Such a refreshing prospect pushed him close to doing just that, but he shook his head, determined to maintain his resolve.

"After all, he had to look after Naomi and Kio" He thought amusedly as he heard the two kids go at it in the living room, a roundabout of tussling being echoed throughout the house. He took a spoonful of the broth, taking a small sip. It was hot, but the taste seemed to be as sharp as usual. His mother's recipe.

"Naomi! Kio!" Goro called out, and a sudden pause overtook the house before a scrambling of feet and voices were heard, the children bursting their way into the kitchen. Goro gave an affectionate smile to Naomi, his 10-year-old sister, who barged in first, the glee of triumph clear in her face. She had longer hair that stretched down to her mid-back, a color much darker than Goro's. Brown eyes were matched with a longer face, a hint of freckles plastered on her cheeks. Slightly tomboyish, she was insanely competitive, striving to prove that she was the best in anything, meaning she was usually beating even the boys at her school at sports.

Right on her tail was Kio, Goro's 7-year-old brother, who rushed to his dinner seat, giving Naomi a confident grin. He was wildly short, a stark difference from Goro who had always been tall. Blond hair sat atop his head, fashioned in a longer form than Goro's.

"I win! I was the first to sit down!" Kio exclaimed happily, and Naomi opened her mouth in pure outrage.

"No way! The rules were whoever made it to the kitchen first!" She vehemently argued with her brother, who shook his head equally as aggressively.

"No! Since when has that been the rule?"

"Since forever! So, therefore, I win!"

"Who says?"

"I do, since I'm older!"

"No, Goro is older! Goro, who won?" Kio turned to his older brother, a desperate plea clear in his eyes as Goro placed his hand curiously on his chin, feigning thinking.

"Hmm," He exaggerated, taking a good look at both of his siblings. "Well Kio, I think Naomi's right on this one."

"See! Told you!" Naomi stuck her tongue out in a childish fashion, leaving Kio a grumbly mess as he gave Goro a betrayed frown. The eldest brother could only offer a shrug and a sheepish smile, pouring the broth out of the top into two bowls.

"Chicken broth! Again!" Kio let out his frustrations towards Goro through his cooking, giving his older brother the nastiest stare a seven-year-old could muster.

"Kio, we haven't had broth since last month," Goro reminded his brother, giving him a pat on the head. "Plus, I used mom's recipe."

"Hmph," Was all that came out of Kio, a reluctant approval as he picked up his spoon, taking a sip.

Naomi gave her brother a wide grateful grin as she dove into her food, shoveling the food down at inhuman speeds. Goro just shook his head, a smile stuck to his face as he left the kitchen, walking down the hall to collect his father, Ainer.

Snoring filled his ears as he got closer, and Goro stuck his head in to see his father sprawled across his bed, his arms lazily lying atop his stomach. Goro approached slowly, shaking his father lightly to wake him.

"Hnngh?" His father sounded, blinking rapidly as he slowly awoke, giving Goro a questioning glance as his eyes slowly focused.

"The food's ready, dad," Goro told him, and his father sleepily nodded, gesturing to his wheelchair. Goro went over and rolled it to his father's bedside, helping the man into it. After a brief bit of struggling, Goro began to wheel his father into the kitchen.

Kio immediately stood to attention, giving his father a salute as he stood out of his chair. "Captain Stubs, sir!" Kio said, his voice rigid and his back straight as he spoke, to the laughter of his father.

"Stand down, soldier, and eat," His father responded back, his voice becoming equally as professional as Kio gave a hard nod before sitting back down and continuing his meal.

"Captain Stubs?" Naomi asked, stifling a giggle as she gave her father a funny look.

"What? I ain't afraid to show these bad boys," Ainer proudly said, wiggling the round remnants of his leg, which had been amputated to his knees. Goro shook his head with a chuckle as he rolled his father into position, going to grab a bowl.

His father flashed him an appreciative look as Goro returned with a bowl of broth, and his father took an exaggerated sniff of it.

"Mmmmmm. Just how I like it," He proudly stated, giving Goro a good pat on the back as he began to eat, savoring each taste. Goro went to grab his own portion, eating at the dinner table with his family.

Eventually, the children left, leaving Goro and his father to the kitchen alone, the moment which Goro had been waiting for. He turned to his father, opening his mouth to speak.

"Dad?" Goro cautiously began, and the man in question nodded for him to continue. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Tell me what's on your mind then," Ainer gave an encouraging smile, and Goro paused. There were certain sensitive topics for his father that Goro definitely didn't want to poke and prod into. But he had to find answers.

"It's about Hiro," Goro said slowly, and Ainer nodded his head at the same pace, as if gesturing for him to continue. "Do you know what happened all those years ago when Hiro went into his coma?"

A pause, and Goro couldn't read the expression on his father's face, which was a blank slate. His eyes seemed to wander from his food to Goro, and it was clear he was collecting words for his answer.

"Why? Did something happen?" Ainer evaded Goro's question, instead responding with a question of his own. Goro decided to play the game for now, answering.

"No. Well, yes. We're not sure, but we think something might be going on."

"Okay, then what's going on," Ainer inquired, his hands dropping to the table in a more serious manner.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you," Goro trailed off, speaking the truth as he looked at his father, who gave him a stern stare in return.

"Goro, I'm your father. I am also an adult. If someone is in danger, you have to let me know," His father's tone had a serious hardness in it as he spoke, and Goro decided that it might be for the best to let him in on the knowledge.

"Zero Two," Goro blurted out, making sure he kept his eyes closely on his father as he looked for a reaction. Instead, he just saw confusion.

"No clue what that is, son," He sheepishly said, raising an eyebrow as if questioning Goro. It was blunt honesty, and Goro accepted his father's answer.

"Okay. What about the Franxx?" The teen questioned further, and this time his words seemed to garner a reaction. Immediately, Ainer's eyes seemed to gloss over, an expert guard that made it impossible for one to read through it.

"What about them?" The guard seemed to transfer over to his voice, a clear emotionless question, but containing a dangerous undertone that made Goro choose his words wisely.

"We have… reason to believe that Hiro's coma had been caused by the Franxx," Goro spoke slowly, thinking every word twice before he released them out to the open air. "And we also have reason that they are trying to target him again."

"Who's we?" An immediate response, one that Goro wasn't ready for. However, he knew his father, and Goro was certain the hasty response was delivered to stall for time.

"Me and Ichigo," Goro responded just as fast. "Dad, that's why you have to tell me. Do you know anything about Hiro's coma?"

Silence befell the two, accompanied by the loud noises of his siblings in the other room. He desperately waited, hoping his father would come through.

"I don't know much," Ainer finally said, his voice heavy as he spoke, a darkened look overtaking his face. "What I do know is this. The Franxx aren't a gang. They're too highly organized and powerful to be one. If anything, they're a mafia, a crime syndicate."

A crime syndicate? Goro could only furrow his eyebrows in confusion as his father continued.

"Then what do they have to do with Hiro?" Goro's voice was small as he spoke, his mind throbbing as he realized the extent to what was going on.

"I don't know," His father said, a sigh of uncertainty escaping him as he leaned back further into his chair. "I was never told the specifics of what happened to Hiro. However, I do know that the Klax aren't necessarily a gang either. In fact, they were one a part of the Franxx. Something happened, and they decided to break away into their own separate faction."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with Hiro?" Goro was beginning to get impatient, though the knowledge at hand was piquing his interest. He hadn't heard of anything like it before, but with the clock running down, Hiro was at the top of his chart of importance. His father raised his hand to pause Goro, continuing.

"The Franxx were the ones who began Project Apus," Ainer said, his voice shallow. "What exactly they were trying to create, I don't know. I worked for them, but I was just a construction worker. But when the Klax decided to leave, they wanted to destroy all the progress that had been done. So they left in a chaotic fight, resulting in many accidents and deaths. That's how… I lost my legs."

Goro's blood froze over, an icy sensation that left him numb. His father was always sensitive about the subject of how he lost his legs, only telling him that it was a construction accident during his work at Project Apus. However, if what he was saying was true…

"That's not all," His father continued, and he gave Goro an urgent look, as if what he was about to say was of the upmost importance. "The reason why this has to do with Hiro is… Hiro's parents… I think they were a part of the Klax."

"Yes, we have surveillance over the Strell household," Alpha lazily spoke as he held the phone against his ear, watching in disinterest at the simple home that stood before him. "The Strell child seems to be in the household as we speak. However, our scout teams have also spotted increased guard in the area. Specifically, the most dangerous being of a Lehmann-class, going by the name of Leven, I believe."

"Interesting. They seem to be up to something," Papa's voice rumbled through the phone, a deep sound that gleamed of an unknown undertone. "Has there been any investigations onto why they are increasing their patrol here?"

"It might be a counterreaction," Alpha theorized, hiding his yawn as he leaned against the bench he sat on. "Though, I don't believe our scouts teams have been spotted. However, it has been noted Iota has been in this area. Perhaps the sighting of her incited this."

"Has she had any interaction with the Strell child?" Papa's voice was sharp, and Alpha could detect the slight tone of worry. He suddenly remembered that Iota was never to interact with the Strell child, though informing her of such would probably give her the drive to do just that, in an act of defiance.

"We don't believe such interaction has occurred," Alpha responded, his eye locking onto a blue-haired female walking her way down the street. She looked familiar. He suddenly recalled the briefing mission a few days ago, her face being plastered on one of the images. Ichigo. "If it has, however, it would be quite obvious given that Iota would be going for our throats."

"Indeed," Papa acknowledged his sentiment, a quiet chuckle being heard from his side. "Good job, Alpha. Continue your mission. The time is coming, and we must be ready."

"Of course, Papa," Alpha said, tracking the girl that seemed to be walking towards Hiro's house. "I'll report back to you if anything occurs."

A clicking sound indicated that Papa had hung up, and Alpha deposited his phone into his pocket. Ichigo seemed to be making a beeline towards Hiro's house, and Alpha pondered on whether he should disrupt her or not, maybe make things interesting.

Though, he eventually decided that such action, while fun, wouldn't warrant anything useful to the operation and might actually hinder it. Every element had to go perfectly right for Papa's plan to work, and Alpha wasn't ever going to hinder Papa.

So he lingered at the bench, watching in curiosity as the girl waited at Hiro's home, where the door eventually opened. Though he was across the street, he could see the general look of the boy. An exact replica of the boy that they had taken all those years ago. Alpha could feel a smile rise upon his lips as the girl went into the house, closing the door.

He couldn't wait to see the reaction from Iota. To learn that her darling had been so utterly close this whole time. When she saw him, Alpha was certain that the pink-haired girl would instantly disappear, leaving the Franxx for good. Though, it is true that Hiro didn't exactly remember her, so perhaps things would go differently.

He shrugged, unsure of what outcomes were to come. All he knew was that the blowout would certainly be eventful, and a smile danced across his lips fondly as he thought of Iota, finally reunited with her darling. And the look on the Strell child's face when he realized how much of a monster she really was.

"Hiro," Ichigo began slowly, her feet shuffling awkwardly against the kitchen floor as she tried to collect her words, Hiro casting her a curious gaze. "I wanted to talk about… Zero Two."

"Do you know her?" Hiro asked, pouring them glasses of water as his voice piqued with interest.

"Not really, but…" Ichigo trailed off, cautious as she selected the words she would be using. "I have reason to believe that she's dangerous for you."

"You can't say that, you haven't even met her yet," Hiro returned with a playful smirk, pointing out the obvious.

"Okay, but that's not what I'm trying to get at," She tried to convey her words to him, but Hiro instead interrupted her.

"I get it, Ichigo. You're worried for me. I get it. But I know what I'm doing, okay? Plus, she's just a friend. Nothing's going to happen," Hiro reasoned, his voice thick with a reassuring tone. Ichigo grimaced, biting her lip as she realized this conversation wasn't heading where she had wanted it to.

"Hiro! Listen to me!" She blurted out, and her sudden outburst caused a silence to befall the kitchen. Hiro gave a slight nod, quieting down for her to continue. "I have… reason… I think that… It's just… Zero Two is dangerous because we think she's a gang member!"

A thick fog seemed to overtake the atmosphere as the two looked at each other, Ichigo desperate in her attempt to get Hiro to just understand. Instead, the teenager seemed to just chew his lip, as if wondering how to respond.

"What do you mean?" Hiro asked, giving an awkward chuckle along with it. However, Ichigo had known Hiro for years. She had memorized his every action, his every emotion. It didn't help that Hiro was the most expressive boy with his emotions. And she could clearly see that he was lying. He knew.

"You knew?" Her voice was quiet, quaking with an intensity as she asked, and Hiro conveniently decided it was time to look at the wall to the side.

"Yeah. I did. But I still decided to be around her, because she's not dangerous," Hiro stated, his voice tight.

"What do you mean she's not dangerous? Hiro, she's a gang member. A gang member!" Ichigo's voice was loud as she tried to get her words through the thick skull that Hiro had, but he seemed to not budge at all.

"So what?" Hiro turned to her, a fiery spirit in his eyes as he challenged her words. "Maybe she is a part of a gang, so what? It's not like it was her choice. She was born into a shitty situation, and it's not her fault."

"So what? Hiro, do you know what you're even saying?" She was shouting now, anger dripping from her voice. "She's going to kill you, Hiro. Kill you!"

The sound of a squeaking chair scraping against the floor echoed throughout the house as Hiro immediately stood up, his eyes lit with an electrifying passion as he looked at Ichigo.

"I don't want to fight you, Ichigo," His voice was blunt, giving off an undertone that immediately shut Ichigo up. "But she won't kill me. She's not dangerous. Zero Two… She's not like that, okay? I promise you, she's… She's sweet, caring, fun, proud, funny, she's… She's not what you think she is."

A tightening around her chest strained her breathing, and she looked down at the ground, unable to say anything back. The way he spoke about her, the passion lighting brightly in his eyes. It was intimidating, and it left an uneasy hold against her heart.

"I get it, Ichigo," Hiro's voice was soft now as he walked over to her side, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You care for me. I care for you too. I've known you for so long, it's been what, 12 years since we met? If I ever thought you were in danger, I'd come rushing over too."

She looked up, transfixed by the warm look in his eyes, the ones that she had been looking for, her heart had yearned for. She always wanted him to look at her that way, and she felt her heart begin to flutter, rapidly accelerating.

"You're like," He continued, and she leaned in ever so slightly, so desperate to hear his words for her, the ones she had wanted to hear for so long.

"You're like a sister to me, the one I never had. I know that I would be worried for you if you were in the same situation as me. But you have to trust me on this one. I know what I'm doing. Zero Two… She… She brings out something in me that I haven't felt in a long time. She would never hurt me, I know it for a fact. So just trust me on this one, okay?"

Heartbreak. She shattered into pieces, barely recognizing the words he had said after his first few words. His sister.

"Yeah, you're right," She found herself saying, her throat weak as she slowly slid out of her chair to stand. "You're like a brother to me, Hiro. I'm just worried about you, alright?"

Hiro nodded earnestly, giving her an understanding smile. "But siblings trust each other, right? So just trust me on this one, I know what I'm doing."

She nodded mindlessly, walking her way to the entrance, Hiro right behind her.

"I'm sorry Hiro," Ichigo said, her voice flat as she turned to the boy, who shook his head.

"No need," He gave her a broad grin as he opened the door for her. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright Ichigo?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Goro finally finished cleaning the house. All the dishes, all the trash, vacuuming, making sure the living room wasn't a living mess. All done. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he glanced towards the clock. 9:00 PM.

Outside, he heard the beep of a car, indicating that someone was outside. His mother. He went to the door, ready to welcome her in.

"Goro!" His mother smiled as she looked at her son, giving him a big hug. Goro embraced his mother warmly. She was quite tall, with blond short hair and light brown eyes similar to Goro's own. "How have you been today?"

"Good, mom," Goro said, noticing the lines underneath her eyes and the exhaustion that was so clearly reflected in them. After his father's accident, his mother became the sole provider of the family. Until recently, that is, when Goro got his own part-time job. "How was work?"

"Tiring," She yawned afterwards, beginning to make her way to her room. "I'm going to take the night early. Good night, Goro."

"Good night mom," Goro said to her, watching as she disappeared into the hallway. Goro then went into his own room, ready to take his much-needed sleep as well. The past two days had been beyond exhausting, and he was ready to call it a night. His manager had let him off his shift today, something that the teenager greatly appreciated.

He was in the restroom, hastily brushing his teeth, when his phone rang. Goro quickly looked to his device, seeing that it was Ichigo's mother calling. Strange.

He spit out the toothpaste, grabbing his phone and picking up.

"Hello?" He asked, and immediately Ichigo's mother began to speak, worry clear in her voice.

"Goro, have you seen Ichigo anywhere? She left the house a while back to visit Hiro, but never came back. I called, and Hiro said she had left his house about an hour ago, but she still isn't home yet," Shelly was frantic, and Goro immediately went to grab a jacket.

"No, I haven't seen her anywhere. I'll go out and look for her," Goro told Ichigo's mother, who immediately sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Goro. I'll go and see if anyone else has any idea where she is," Shelly said, thanking Goro one last time before hanging up. Goro grabbed his keys as he left the house, his eyes protesting greatly to the continued time spent awake. He was tired.

But he had to keep going.

He was pretty sure he knew where Ichigo was, after all, he knew everything about her. All the ins and outs that made her character. However, the real question in his mind was why had she visited Hiro? Hadn't they agreed to not tell him? He decided to reserve the discussion for later, instead focusing on finding the blue-haired girl.

The night covered the sky in a cold embrace, blanketing it. Given the season, autumn, it was quite often that night came far earlier than usual, giving Goro a calm setting to walk in as he made his way to the corner store.

It was one of Ichigo's favorite places to be, though not inside. No, just to sit outside and think, sitting on the curb. And there she was, sitting right outside of the store.

Except as he got closer, he noticed dried tears that had left themselves atop her cheeks, and her green eyes looked lost. He sat next to her, looking at her, unsure of what to say.

"Ichigo, what happened?" Goro asked, his voice tentative as he spoke to the girl next to him. Ichigo turned to look at the teen, her face expressionless.

"Goro… I… I'm… I'm so utterly stupid," Her voice was soft but bitter, and Goro felt an overwhelming voice tell him to hug her, to comfort her. Instead, he controlled himself, bringing his hand gently atop her knee.

"Talk to me, Ichigo," He urged her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"It's… Hiro… I tried to talk to him about it, even though I said we shouldn't. But it went all wrong. He… I… These feelings, Goro, I don't know what to do with them," She was beginning to choke up, and he could see the tears begin to well up in the corner of her eyes as he digested the words she said, ignoring the painful feeling that was arising within him. "I had a crush on him, Goro. For all these years, for so long, I've crushed on him. I… I… I loved him."

She was crying now, and Goro looked to the starry sky that stared down upon them, hoping for support. He took a deep breath before wrapping his arm around Ichigo, shaking her slightly.

"I know you do. I'm pretty sure everyone knew," Goro murmured, the softness in his voice threatening to crack by the sheer pain that was wracking against his heart. It was obvious. He had accepted it so long ago, that she loved him. But to hear it out loud…

"I'm so selfish," Ichigo whispered, her body shaking against Goro's. "When Hiro talks about the other girl, his voice gets so passionate, and the look in his eyes… I… I'm jealous. Did I want to get the girl away from Hiro because I was jealous? Is that how messed up I am?"

"Don't say that. You're not selfish," His voice was sharp as he responded to the sobbing girl, his arm wrapping even tighter against her. "You wanted to get her away because you cared. Just like how you care about everyone. Ichigo, you're one of the most selfless people I know. You tried to tell him because you cared about him, not about yourself."

"But he still didn't listen," Her voice was quiet, like she had given up.

"We still have to try though, right? Hiro's one of our closest friends. We have to keep trying, for him, right?" Goro shook her a bit, trying to get his message through to her.

Silence befell the two, and Ichigo finally looked up to him, her eyes a shimmering green as she suddenly stood up, a spark of determination lighting up those beautiful orbs of hers.

"You're right, Goro," Her voice was still shaky, like she was uncertain, but she held herself high. "We have to keep going, for Hiro. I don't know exactly what's going on, but we have to figure out, so we can keep Hiro safe."

"That's the spirit," Goro offered her a wide grin as he stood up alongside her, transfixed by the pure strength she was showing. It's how she always was. She got knocked down, but always made sure she got up, stronger than before. It was a powerful trait, one Goro greatly admired. It was one of the many reasons that he loved her.

"Thanks, Goro," Her eyes flashed with appreciation, and the smile that fell atop her lips, her very body illuminated by the moonlight, held Goro in a tight fashion, and he couldn't help but admire the girl that stood before her.

He'd have to give Hiro a piece of his mind later for hurting this beautiful girl.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?"

…

"Goro… I know that name, Zero Two. It was the one thing he asked me to remember. It was also the one thing they told me to never tell him."

…

"What… Wait… Who's they?"

…

"Hiro's parents."

…

"Why did they say to never tell him?"

…

"Because… Because she's dangerous. They told me that if she ever came around, make sure Hiro stays safe."

The Duke's Troubles

Author's Note: This one took a bit longer to get out, sorry guys! I just had to redo a lot of things about the story, and redefine what exactly I was trying to get done. Anyways, thanks you all for the reviews that have been submitted, I appreciate everyone that takes their time out of their day to leave their opinion. I hope you guys enjoyed, see you soon with another chapter!