A/N: So I've actually decided to just start doing these weekly, haha. If only so that I can feel confident in all that I'm writing.
Thanks again to Ambient_Riot and KingPolar for betaing.
'Preciate you guys.
Another four days flew by, with Hiro and Zero Two spending all of their time in Strelizia.
Ikuno was reaching the point in her research where she didn't need to collect any more data, and Hiro was grateful for that.
Well, more accurately, his back was. That stamen chair was uncomfortable.
What part of the wedding were they discussing today? The dress, he remembered. That was why he was wearing earplugs and a blindfold, and attempting to think of anything else - he didn't want to catch any thoughts his honey had about her attire.
Kokoro and his honey had insisted he have no knowledge of its appearance until the big day - which was in one week - because of an 'old tradition,' or so they told him. Hiro had merely sighed and let them put his new cranial accessories on, preferring that to disagreeing with his fiancée.
Some other 'cranial accessories' Hiro was having difficulties with were his horns, surprisingly enough. Although his honey had told him that they were organic, and that he'd need to file them occasionally to maintain a healthy length, maintaining them had completely slipped his mind lately.
That mistake was catching up to him now, as he was constantly hitting them against door frames. Mitsuru had started getting on his case about it, chastising him for leaving scratch marks almost everywhere he went, and Hiro really didn't want to put any more weight on his shoulders.
The man had designed, quite literally, every new building in the town. He hadn't personally installed every last inch of concrete or drywall, but Hiro knew the attachment he had to his work was strong, and he wanted to respect that.
Enough reminiscing, he thought, feeling his honey exit the pistil controls. She removed the blindfold and earplugs gently, kissing him on the forehead.
"Thanks for going along with this, darling," she whispered. "It really means a lot to me."
Hiro smiled. "It's no trouble, really," he responded. "Anything for you."
She beamed back at him, that smile instantly making his day.
During the dress preparation, Zero Two's pregnancy had come up again.
Ikuno was more surprised than anything at the fact that she hadn't experienced any symptoms minus morning sickness - or so Zero Two said.
She decided to ask Hiro about it after he exited the mech, rubbing his back.
She pulled him aside. "Hiro, has Zero Two been… different, lately? Have you noticed any changes at all?"
Hiro shook his head. "You're asking because you need to note any occurrences regarding klaxosapien pregnancy, I assume?"
The researcher nodded, sighing. "So, she's still the same as she was before the pregnancy?"
"Besides the morning sickness, she's been all over me and happy to see her friends again, if that's what you mean," he stated. "Her stomach and…" he paused, coughing, "... breasts are larger than normal, if that's any use to you."
Ikuno pulled out her PDA, typing what he said into her notes. "So, just like a human pregnancy, then. That's to be expected, seeing how similar klaxosapien genes are to a human's," she muttered to herself.
Hiro cleared his throat, getting her attention. "Hey, can I go now? We've got plans," he enunciated, bringing the researcher to smirk.
"You going out again? I heard from Miku that she saw you guys at that fancy place," she teased, the taller man starting to walk away.
"Tell her to mind her own business, or else I'll complain about her and Zorome," he called out, grabbing his honey's hand.
"What?!" She shouted back, earning a handwave from him. The scientist sighed, getting back to analyzing Strelizia's data.
"Hey," Zeta's voice sounded from behind her, startling her. "Could I ask you a favor?"
Ikuno took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes and trying to calm down. "First: don't scare me like that again. Second: sure."
Zeta rocked on the balls of her feet. "Could you… once you've figured out how Strelizia operates, could you design me a FranXX?"
Ikuno pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking for a moment. "I can't promise anything right now, but I'll look into it," she said, taking her hand away from her face. "How would you pilot it?"
Zeta stopped for a second. "Um… until I find a partner, I could just pilot it alone. Zero Two did as much before Hiro came along."
Ikuno raised her eyebrows. "You want to find someone like Hiro?" Zeta nodded. "I'm not sure how many people like him exist, but if you do find someone… you'd need to give him your blood. Otherwise, you'd kill him in three or less rides, just like Zero Two did."
"What would giving him my blood do?" Zeta asked, biting her lip.
"It would start to turn him into a klaxosapiens after the third ride with you," the researcher said.
"He'd… he'd be like me?" Zeta breathed, incredulously.
Ikuno sighed. She really didn't want to have to get into moral quandaries like this with another hybrid woman. Having Zero Two still be guilty over "what I did to Hiro" was more than enough. "Yes, he'd be like you."
Zeta thought for a moment, then smiled. "Thanks, Ikuno. You've really done so much for all of us," she told her, patting the scientist on the back.
"It honestly doesn't feel like that much," Ikuno said, laughing. "Now, get out of here! Go look for your 'darling,' or whatever nickname you'll wind up using!"
Zeta giggled, walking out of the room. "Alright, have fun looking at that data," she singsonged.
The green-horned hybrid was in a particularly good mood today.
Zero Two was excited. Her darling had suggested they go look at proper housing today - the squad dorm couldn't hold another occupant - so they'd ran out of Ikuno's lab.
They were approaching the place now, in more appropriate clothing than their piloting suits. It was a relatively small, recently-constructed, and fully-furnished two-story house that a friend of Mitsuru's had designed.
Hiro couldn't exactly remember the name of its style - Mitsuru called it "postmodern" - but it was relatively rectangular, with a part on the second floor jutting out into a small, roofed porch.
The house itself was located a short distance from the main complex, nearby the moat they'd planned to surround the spire. As they came up on the house's door, it opened and a man about their age beckoned them inside.
He showed them around the place, pointing out various rooms. They started with the kitchen, which had almost all the appliances Hiro thought it was possible to have. After that came the living room, complete with a large holoscreen and surround-sound system.
They followed the man into both of the bathrooms the place came with - each one with a shower and bathtub combination, complete with all the other bells and whistles bathrooms should have.
At last, they came up to the master bedroom. The realtor pointed out its privacy-securing features, and showing off the bed. Zero Two had immediately flopped onto it, and was seemingly impressed with its consistency. Hiro decided that he'd break it in later, seeing as they now needed to see the room that they'd even started considering this place for.
The second bedroom.
Hiro pulled his honey off the bed with some resistance, reminding her that they needed to check out the room their child would be in. Both smiled at the mention of "their child," the thought still a little foreign, but never unwelcome. They were both absolutely positive that nothing else could cause such a strong emotion in them.
The two hybrids followed the man into the next room over, its decoration surprising them. Mitsuru must've told his friend that this room should be for their child, as the space was tailored for exactly that.
The walls were painted a light purple - probably on Kokoro's suggestion, she'd pointed out that it was "a mixture of your colors" on several occasions - and the entire room followed that color scheme. A small crib sat in the corner of the room closest to the door, adorned with little models of birds that Hiro recognized as replicas of the one his honey had drawn two years ago in Mistilteinn.
It really was a perfect room. It had just the right amount of personalization without being obnoxious, and Hiro was loving the rest of the place, too. He nodded at the realtor, who took them outside.
"So, what do you think?" He asked, looking over at them.
Zero Two glanced at her darling briefly, before nodding. "We like it, but we'd still like some time to think over it before we make a decision. Is that alright?"
The realtor typed something on his PDA. "That's fine, let us know when you've chosen what you'll do. I'm glad you two enjoyed the place!"
Hiro smiled. "It really was wonderful," he stated. "How much does it cost?"
The black-haired man steeled himself for the answer. It'll probably be too much.
"For you two, we lowered the price a lot. Consider it our thanks for all you've done," the man said, looking at his PDA again. "Right now, you can buy it for about 100,000 feds."
Both hybrids' eyes went wide. "That little?" Hiro asked. That was really nothing. Ichigo had established the new currency - the Federal Reserve Voucher, or fed - as equivalent to the old Japanese yen, so this amount was quite pitiful for a house. Zero Two looked up at her darling, silently asking a question, and he nodded.
The realtor chuckled a little. "Like we said, we lowered the price a lot. That obviously doesn't cover utilities, but we figured -"
"We'll take it," Zero Two interrupted. "This house, for such a small amount? It's a steal, really."
That was… kinda easy, the realtor thought. "Well, thanks, guys. I'll get started on the requisite forms immediately," he told them, pulling up said forms on his PDA. "If you'd just sign here…"
The two hybrids smiled brightly at each other, the future they'd worked so hard to secure finally right in front of them.
It was very definitely August now, and everyone could feel it. The late summer sun cut through the air, causing sweat to form on everyone's faces.
Hiro was glad he'd made it back to his house, having just moved in with his honey. He found her setting up a computer that the doctor had in his stash, tinkering under a table.
The old man really was kind of a hoarder - they'd found everything from clothing to copies of manuscripts to technology in his vault. Hiro guessed that this was his last middle finger to APE, the conformist, unitarian future they'd tried to achieve secretly destroyed by its main researcher.
APE tried to change history, to make people forget, but Franxx had undermined that. He'd saved their past, and left their future for them.
Hiro was a little grateful for all that the doctor had done - he realized that without him, his honey wouldn't even exist.
He did ridicule the man for his beliefs, and he hated him for his methods, but even Hiro couldn't deny that the old man had helped them all out a lot in the end.
Zero Two got out from under the table and dusted herself off, turning to find her darling smiling at her. "Oh, hello there," she called, kissing him on the cheek. "I found another thing left for us from the doctor."
Hiro furrowed his eyebrows. "A computer?"
"Apparently," she said, shrugging. "Ikuno said that it's pretty advanced. It came with a bunch of goodies too - look!" She pulled him over to the table, showing him the metric ton of games that Franxx also had.
We really didn't know that much about him, did we? Hiro thought, looking the stack over. He sighed. "Well, guess we'll have a lot to do in our free time, huh?"
Zero Two grinned. "Yep, yep. You, me, and -" she stopped herself. "Darling, we really need to start thinking of names."
Hiro thought for a moment, looking outside. "Well, is now really a good time? We don't even know the little one's gender yet," he told her.
She pouted, giving him puppy dog eyes. He relented, both of them sitting on the couch.
"Do you have any ideas?" He asked, pulling out his PDA.
Zero Two thought for a moment. "Sakura?" She suggested.
Hiro paused before answering, "I don't know, it doesn't sound right to me for some reason."
Zero Two went back into thinking. "Yeah, I kinda get that feeling too. Uhm…Amefuri?"
Rainy? Hiro thought. I can see it. "That sounds good," he said. "But, let's not lock into just one at the moment. We've still got plenty of time."
A moment of silence followed, both merely enjoying the other's presence. Zero Two cut the air, exclaiming, "So, darling, are you excited? We've got two days before we get married!" Hiro nodded.
"It's hard to believe, isn't it? After all this time…" He trailed off, kissing her.
Before things could get heated, they were stopped by the ringing of their doorbell.
Hiro got up to go answer it, his honey whining at the interruption. He opened the door to find a nervously rocking Zeta. "Hello," he said, surprised. "Come in, it's sweltering."
Zero Two had gotten up to see who it was, and tilted her head at the gray-haired woman's appearance. "Zeta? What are you doing here?"
Zeta paused, breathing in. "I… uh, I came to apologize. For trying to hurt Hiro, back when I first returned. I wasn't in the best mental state - I'm still not quite there yet - but I'm trying."
"Apology accepted." Zero Two went up to her, and hugged her. "Trust me, Zeta, I know. Remember - we're always here to help. Call us!" She told her, smiling.
Zeta returned her embrace for a moment before breaking off. "Alright. Thanks, both of you," Zeta said. "Well, I'll let you two get back to it. After all, I've got your wedding to finalize."
The other hybrid walked outside, waving back at them.
"I really hope she does find happiness," Hiro mused, looking down at his fiancée and unborn child.
"Me too," Zero Two whispered. That's what they'd worked so hard for, after all - the chance to be truly happy.
Futoshi was glad for once. He'd been chosen to cater a large part of Hiro and Zero Two's wedding, and thus had little to do for a large sum.
The two of them had chosen to do a more private affair, rather than something flashy, so Futoshi only really had to bake for the rest of the squad and a few other friends of the hybrids.
As such, he was just finishing the bread that was needed when Nimina came up to him.
"Futoshi, I don't think this is enough," she said, looking down at the food.
"Why not? Seems like more than enough to me," he replied, turning around.
Nimina shook her head. "I thought so, too, but look here." She pulled up an image Ichigo had sent them, of Hiro and Zero Two with a large pile of food in front of them. The caption read, This is their normal breakfast. Make a lot more than you think you need.
Futoshi sighed. "Alright, get another batch going. Wait - two more," he ordered, defeated.
Nimina gave him a thumbs up, running back to her post. He watched as she began the next two batches, deftly tossing the flour and spinning it in the air.
She caught him staring, smirking whilst she worked. "Like what you see?"
Futoshi nodded. "You're very good at baking, Nimina," he said factually.
She sighed and continued working. Of course he's only looking at what I'm baking.
Futoshi himself got back to his task, finishing his batch and then joining Nimina with hers.
The two stood side-by-side, ensuring that the lovebirds would have enough bread to eat.
Ikuno sighed, leaning back in her chair. She'd gotten enough data from Strelizia, she thought, but she was having difficulties interpreting it. How did the mech move without any fuel left?
She couldn't ask Hiro and Zero Two to come back in - their wedding was tomorrow - and regardless, Zero Two was too pregnant to pilot.
Naomi appeared behind her, resting her arm on the researcher's shoulder. "You alright, dear? You seem tired," she noted, putting her hand on Ikuno's forehead.
"I'm fine, you know. I just wish that this was easier to understand…" Ikuno complained, overlapping their hands.
Naomi closed her eyes and smiled. "You'll get it eventually, I'm sure of it," she chuckled. "You're smart."
"Thanks," Ikuno said, leaning up to kiss her girlfriend. "You should get to bed, you know. Big day tomorrow and all."
"Could say the same for yourself," Naomi replied. "Don't stay up too late!" She called, walking back to their room.
"I won't!" Ikuno yelled back, returning to her research. Strelizia, show me your secrets…
Today's the big day, Zero Two thought.
Today, she'd get that wish that she'd had since that cold winter's journey. She and her darling would finally be married!
Miku finished placing the rose crown on her head, a sort of nostalgia filling her.
"How's it look?" The hybrid asked, fiddling with the headband a bit.
"Perfect. I'm sure Hiro will love it, too," the redhead added, looking Zero Two up and down.
The pink-haired woman looked wonderful. Her hair was up in a ponytail, with a small veil covering the back of her head to the small of her back. The dress Kokoro had made for her wasn't too fancy - it was short, the frills barely touching the ground. It wound its way up her front, laying smooth against a barely-visible baby bump.
As it passed her bosom, the dress thinned out into an intricate pattern of chevrons stacked against each other, forming a multitude of X's. This pattern ended at her collarbone, stretching around to her shoulders and leaving a small oval-shaped void in the curve of her back.
Elbow-length, fingerless gloves were complemented by unseen stockings, both made out of a silky material. Zero Two was unsure where Kokoro had found it, but she was thankful for it. She was sure she wouldn't be getting itchy anywhere anytime soon.
She was wearing small, white heels, and that was honestly her least favorite part of the whole getup. They really, really didn't feel nice.
The bride-to-be was wearing a large pendant around her neck. In it sat a large circular sapphire gem, about the size of her palm, surrounded by six smaller charoite crystals that had been left with the klaxosaur material they'd gotten a few weeks prior.
Miku and Kokoro were wearing relatively similar dresses - although they were lightly tinted pink and green, respectively - without the winding design and the chevrons.
Ichigo got a slightly more complex design, being the maid of honor: her dress was a soft blue, and it had a single line of herringbone on it.
As for Ikuno, she'd opted out of being a bridesmaid, preferring instead to surprise the hybrid couple with a duet performed by her and Naomi.
Zeta and Nimina were running last-minute coordination with regards to the timing, flowers, and food, along with a few other friends of theirs.
Miku smiled, handing her the bouquet of strelitzias. "Alright, I've gotta get going. See you out there!" She called, exiting the small tent onto the beach. Miku was slightly confused as to why they picked today, but she guessed it was because it was the same day that Squad 13 had come to this very spot three years ago.
The weather was alright - sparse clouds dotted the horizon, and it was a relatively cool evening. The sun had begun slipping into the ocean, its waves of orange and purple mixing.
We need to get this show on the road, if we want it to be over before nightfall, the redhead thought.
She ran up the side of their setup, joining Kokoro and Ichigo across from Mitsuru, Zorome, and Goro. Hiro had already made it to the middle, and was standing in front of Hachi, smiling.
They'd recruited their former supervisor without much difficulty - it seemed as if he really wanted to be involved.
Nana peeked outside from the tent, Zeta holding up her hand. Zero Two had requested her to be the one to give her away - they'd known each other for a while - and she was happy to do so.
Ikuno tapped Naomi on the shoulder, nodding to Zeta.
The gray-haired hybrid opened the tent flaps.
Hiro was… quite excited.
After all this time, almost a decade after he'd made that promise to his honey, he'd finally be following through on it.
Zorome raised an eyebrow quizzically as he made sure Hiro was looking his best. "What's that big dumb grin for?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Hiro replied dryly, trying to move as little as possible to let Zorome do his job.
The brown-haired man smoothed out a crease on his friend's jacket, standing back to look over Hiro once more.
He was in a new, smooth tuxedo. The black outer jacket's coattails came down to just above his knees, his legs covered in matching white dress pants.
Under the jacket, he had a gray, buttoned vest on over a white oxford shirt. His necktie was black, with white, countering waves of chevrons matching Zero Two's flowing across it.
On his feet were black dress shoes, ones left for him by the doctor. They'd been extensively polished, and Hiro could say that he was feeling quite uncomfortable in them.
He had a single rose in his front pocket, and a small violet on his lapel. His cufflinks were fancied up, to account for his decision not to wear gloves.
Zorome and Mitsuru were dressed similarly to Hiro, except both were wearing bowties. Zorome had an azalea in his front pocket, and Mitsuru had a chrysanthemum in his.
Goro, being Hiro's best man, had received a wardrobe upgrade akin to Ichigo's. The blonde-haired man was wearing a white tie with a single wave of black chevrons across it, in contrast to Hiro's. His flower of choice was an iris.
Futoshi was helping organize the reception along with Nimina, a job he was happy to have.
"Alright, looking sharp, man," Zorome told the groom, giving him a thumbs up. "Now, let's get out there to wait for your wife, eh?"
Hiro nodded. "Right."
Both men walked out of their own preparatory tent, this one a ways away from the beach setup.
As they approached the platform Hachi, the groomsmen, and the bridesmaids were on, Goro tapped his wrist.
Hiro nodded, seeing for himself that they might need to speed things up. The sunset was quite pretty, but it wouldn't last for much longer.
A minute or so after he'd gotten up to the platform, Miku ran up, and soon afterwards Naomi started playing Canon in D, an easy piece for her one hand. Ikuno joined her on the double bass, filling in for the low notes her girlfriend couldn't play.
Zeta opened the tent flaps, the bride walking slowly forwards with Nana.
Hiro's eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly.
His honey was radiant, positively beaming at him. He returned the gesture, warmth from the setting sun giving him a halo.
When she was about a meter away from the platform, Nana released her hand, patting her on the back and grinning.
Hiro gently extended his hand to help his wife - in a few minutes, at least - onto the platform. When she was fully onto the structure, Hiro took her other hand, and Hachi looked at the two for confirmation.
The couple nodded, and the one-eyed man began reading from a notebook.
"Dearest friends, we've come here today to celebrate the bond that saved us all. These two people, rewriters of fate, have asked us to help join them together for eternity," he paused, "I doubt marriage will be as difficult as some of the things that these two have gone through, but it must be said: life has its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows."
"When you two promise to be together forever, you must respect that - to be together no matter what, even if it means you have to defy fate," Hachi said. "Now, have you two prepared vows?" Hiro and Zero Two nodded, hands still linked in front of them. "Hiro, would you like to start us off?"
The man in question smiled, before starting his soliloquy. "Honey, it's been such a long time since we first made that promise, under the mistletoe. That day, you became my world. Even when I didn't remember as much, even when you weren't there, my soul knew. It knew that I still loved you. Life without you here is… dull. It's monochrome, without spirit," he said shakily. "I promise to always be at your side."
Zero Two had teared up a bit herself, but was still able to do her own speech. "Darling… you've always been there for me, even when I pushed you away. I made it my mission to find you again after that day, and… well, here we are. Our love conquered all," she paused, sniffling a bit. "When I was still looking for you, days were all too long. Every waking moment felt like a nightmare. Now, it always feels like a dream. I promise to never, ever let you go."
Their celebrant discretely wiped at his own eye, smiling. "Do you have the rings?"
Hiro reached into his pocket, producing two small white gold rings with an amethyst embedded in each. He gently slid it onto his honey's left ring finger, with her repeating the gesture on his hand.
Hachi's smile grew wider and he said, eye closed, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Hiro and Zero Two lunged at each other, their meager audience clapping and cheering them on. As they continued kissing, many onlookers began crying, Zeta chief among them. She really wanted something like this, eventually. It was… profoundly beautiful.
They broke apart after some time, touching their horns together, basking in the emotions they felt for each other, and enjoying the third presence making itself known among their minds.
As the sun finally sunk under the horizon, two silhouettes stood linked, illuminated under the orange and purple light.
The ceremony continued unhindered, the reception getting into full swing.
Futoshi really was glad that Ichigo had let him and Nimina know that the married couple would eat a lot, because the two alone had already gone through most of one batch.
He sat back in his chair, sighing gratefully that his food was being enjoyed.
"You enjoying the night?" Nimina's voice called from next to him. She pulled up a chair across from him, drinking some water.
Futoshi groaned. "It's alright. Nice to see those two getting their wish finally," he stated.
She laughed. "Yeah, it is nice," she agreed, looking over at the married couple dancing slowly. "Did you hear what they said in their vows? About them having waited for this for a while?"
Futoshi thought back to earlier. "Yeah, they did say that… I wonder what they meant," he pondered. Hadn't they met in Mistilteinn? Hiro said that he changed because he ingested some of her blood during the initiation ceremony… he said he licked her knee?
"That can't be right, though," Futoshi confirmed. "They met just before Squad 13's initiation ceremony."
"We'll have to find out for ourselves sometime, I guess," Nimina sighed. "For now, let's enjoy the night. Come on!" She called, dragging Futoshi up.
Mitsuru and Kokoro watched the exchange with Ai from afar, and another child along the way. They were content with their little family. After all, it was what made them want to work so hard.
"Ah, Hiro and Zero Two are dancing. Look!" Mitsuru pointed out to his daughter, as all three watched the newlyweds waltzing, having the time of their lives.
Ai giggled, bouncing on her father's lap. She didn't understand what the two pointy people were doing, but they looked like they were having fun! And she could tell that Mama and Papa were, too - and that was what was good!
Miku was standing close by the dancers, but far enough away that no one would assume she was also dancing.
The redhead sighed, unpleasant thoughts flittering into her head yet another time. Why did he leave? Was he scared?
She remembered very little of the night she went out with Zorome, other than that they had gotten very drunk and that she'd woken up naked and alone in her bed.
She could only assume that they'd done it, and that he wasn't ready for any repercussions that might have arisen from the act, or any more… long term effects.
Now that was a thought that scared her. What if she was…? Stop it, she accosted herself. You've been down this road before. If you talk to him, you can work things out.
She decided to shove these thoughts away, preferring instead to enjoy the moment. While she could, at least.
The married couple were conversing, and Zero Two shook her head. Hiro responded with a nod, going to get some more drinks.
Miku went up to the bride, wondering what just happened. "How are you doing?"
"Wonderful," she responded. Miku tilted her head, and Zero Two's eyes widened. "Oh, that? My darling asked if I wanted to do the bouquet toss or not, and I don't," she clarified. "It's… strange, honestly. It's all about fate, and we… we make our own, so…" Zero Two trailed off, seeing her darling was coming back.
Hiro joined their little huddle, handing his honey a small glass of water and kissing her. "Hi, Miku," he greeted, looking in her direction. "What brings you over here tonight?"
"The idiot," Miku sighed. Both Hiro and Zero Two groaned.
"What did he do now?" Hiro asked, exasperated.
"Well… you two remember the night you went out, right?" Miku said, shifting nervously.
"Of course. It was amazing!" Zero Two exclaimed. "Why?"
"Well… Zorome and I ended up going out to the same restaurant, and had a bit too much alcohol, I think…" she told them, Hiro raising his eyebrows.
"So, why is this an issue?" He asked.
Miku paused, composing herself. "I… I think we had sex afterwards." This brought Hiro to grin, before Miku responded, "It's not funny! He… wasn't there when I woke up."
Zero Two recoiled a little. "Oh, that's an issue. How about you take it up with him, instead of the newlyweds?" The bride growled, causing Miku to shudder a little.
She congratulated them on their wedding, going off to find Zorome.
Said man was talking with Goro about who-knows-what towards the end of the beach. As she neared them, she began hearing snippets of the conversation.
"So, how do I get back from this?" She heard Zorome ask.
"Gotta play the long game, man," Goro replied. "It's what worked for me."
Goro noticed her approaching, and tapped Zorome on the shoulder. "Good luck," he whispered, moving away to find Ichigo.
Miku came up to the now uncomfortable man, putting her hands on her hips. "So?" She began.
Zorome rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from her. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"What? I can't hear you," Miku deadpanned.
"I'm sorry, okay! I didn't know what to do!" The brown haired man yelled, throwing his hands up. "What do you think I should've done?"
"I wouldn't have left, Zorome," she stated coolly. "We were so close, you know?" She held up two fingers, barely apart. "This close! Had you stayed, we'd be together!"
Zorome's eyes went wide. "R-really?" He stammered.
"Really," Miku confirmed, sighing. "You're a gigantic idiot, you know that?"
He smiled sadly. "Yep, I do."
She exhaled. "Good, good. So, stop lying to yourself."
"What?" He asked, confused, before Miku leaned up and kissed him.
"There," she stated. "I'll be at my tent if you'd like to join me." She started walking off.
Zorome's brain reset itself, before he ran after her. "Hey, Miku! Wait up!"
Goro came out from the rocks he was hiding behind, grateful for his friends. Now he had to actually go find Ichigo.
He turned around, coming face-to-face with the bluenette, now in a two-piece.
"W-want to try some l-late night swimming?" She stuttered.
Goro nodded intently, beginning to strip out of his dress clothes.
The bluenette had also managed to convince the newlyweds to join them, the reception beginning to die down anyways.
People were getting tired, but the excitement and alcohol present had prevented exhaustion from coming to these four.
They slowly walked up to the water, reminiscing and laughing about 'the old times.'
It was nice that they would have enough free time to maybe relive those moments, without much fear of things trying to kill them.
The sound of lightly breaking waves overpowered the noise of the cicadas as they got within a few meters of the water, Hiro and Zero Two experimentally dipping their feet in.
They found the water to be… mildly warm, and waded in, going off to the side.
Ichigo tested it with her own foot, and discovered that it was pretty cold. How were Hiro and Zero Two…?
Goro laughed. "It's cold, isn't it? Maybe we should stay out of it," he said, sitting down onto the cool sand.
Ichigo murmured an agreement, seeing an… interesting opening.
She shrugged to herself, sitting down on Goro's lap.
"H-hey, what are you doing?" He asked, cheeks heating up.
"What, you don't like it?" She teased, pressing herself against him.
"I think I like it too much," he grunted, bringing Ichigo to smile.
"Hey, Hiro and Zero Two won't be back for a while…" she suggested, tilting her head back.
Goro smirked. "Oh?" He said, leaning down to kiss his girlfriend.
Meanwhile, the lovebirds were still swimming, further and further from where Ichigo and Goro were sitting.
"Let's leave those two to it," Hiro said after Zero Two suggested they go back. "This is nice, anyways."
His wife nodded, the two of them swimming slowly on their backs, hands intertwined. They continued like that for a while, the water cooling some of the warmth in their connection.
They eventually came up on some rocks, Zero Two recognizing their appearance. She was surprised they were still here, but some things never changed…
"Honey, are you alright?" Hiro asked, pulling her out of the water.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she replied, shaking herself off a little. She sat down on the rocks, in mimicry of the past. Her darling joined her, leaning against her. She reciprocated, the two incredibly happy to be there with each other.
Something caught Zero Two's eye. "Darling, what's that?" She pointed up into the bright sky, Hiro following along.
"That's Pegasus," he said, tracing the constellation's square with his finger. Zero Two asked him what that meant, and Hiro took a moment to remember the myths he'd read up on recently.
"Pegasus was the winged horse of Perseus, a legendary hero. It was born out of the Earth, nurtured by the blood of the monster he slew," he said factually, looking over at his wife.
"That's a little disgusting." She stuck out her tongue.
"A bit, yeah," Hiro chuckled. "The horse was what let him save his future wife, though."
"Oh? That's nice," Zero Two responded.
"Yeah. She was tied up as a sacrifice to stop a sea monster from ravaging her land, but Perseus killed the beast," he elaborated. "Afterwards, he went back to his home with her and became the king."
"That's a sweet story," Zero Two said, looking up at her darling. "Reminds me of why we picked today…"
Hiro smiled, grateful that she'd reminded him. "Right, the meteor shower."
The Perseids. It was what they saw three years ago, and Zero Two had said she wanted to see them again. Any moment now…
"Darling! Look, there they are!" Zero Two started, pointing up.
He looked up, smiling at the streaks of light making their way across the night sky.
The way they blazed through, the way they travelled, seemed brighter to Hiro now than it had back then.
He thought that it might be because of his enhanced vision, but he knew that a large part of it was because of the person sitting next to him.
She was his wife, the mother of his child, but more importantly…
She was Zero Two, his honey, the girl - now woman - he loved.
And Hiro knew he wouldn't have it any other way.
A/N: So, this chapter was honestly a pain in the ass to write.
Not because of any outside constraints, but moreso making sure that I wanted to include everything. (and also because of the outfits)
Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed this, and that you'll stick around for the next update.
Yours, dsw78