Chapter 6: Do I know you?
"Life…" Hiro said looking at the sky sitting on the arm of Strelizia parked in front of the Mistilteinn Headquarters, "What are we even supposed to do now? I mean, there were people before who showed us what to do… But, then again what is the use of war? If we are all supposed to die one day, why can we all die peacefully when our time comes?"
"I seek an answer to the same question…" said Hatake walking past by towards Meteorix.
"Where are you going?" asked Hiro.
"Running an errand for Goro" said Hatake looking disappointed, "looks like I will be slapped again today…"
"Why?" asked Hiro.
"Let's keep that a surprise for you… Come with me!" said Hatake.
"Darling!" shouted Zero Two walking towards them waving her hand with a smile, "Where are you all going?" she asked.
"Zero Two!" said Hatake, "Good, come on, you come too!"
"But where?" asked Zero Two confused.
"That's a secret!" said Hatake with a smile, "Now, come on!"
All three of them got into Meteorix and traveled about 500 miles south and finally, a plain area with a single house and considerable vegetation and a farm beside the house could be seen.
"Well, if the coordinates are right," said Hatake looking at a piece of paper, "Then that house should be the one…"
Meteorix landed about 250 meters from the house. The house was single floored made of wood, on a platform about 1 meter high from the ground, something that could be considered as a forest officer's cabin.
"Alright let's go!" Hatake said as he got down.
They walked to the balcony of the house, Hatake took a deep breath softly knocked on the door, the door opened revealing a red-haired girl with an expression of shock upon her face.
"How are you… Nana?" asked Hatake.
She slapped him in anger before saying anything.
"Where were you Baka?!" she said as she hugged him tightly sobbing, "I was so worried…"
"Well…" Said Hatake scratching his head, "then this might cheer you up!" he said as he moved from in front of Nana revealing Hiro and Zero Two who were standing there in shock.
"Hiro… Zero Two…" she said as she ran crying towards them and hugged them together, "Is this a dream?" she said whispering.
"We couldn't leave our caretaker just like that could we?" asked Zero Two.
"Come on in!" Nana said with a smile as they entered the house. The interior of the house was completely made of wood with lights fixed on the ceiling. They sat on the sofa inside.
"But Nana, how do you know Hatake?" Zero Two asked.
"The answer is pretty simple…" said Nana as she offered tea to everyone, "I was in Squad 15 before becoming your caretaker…"
"Yeah, I was in squad 15 too before I met zero two and then flew off this planet…" said Hatake.
"Yeah…" said Nana as she took a seat on the single sofa facing others, "Hatake was just like Hiro, he never stopped asking questions, he gave us names, he made us understand what friendship was, what a team is after all, and the most important… What was… Love… They were the maddest but the best couple I had seen…"
"They?" asked Hiro confused, "Who is the other one?"
"Hilia…" said Hatake taking a sip from his cup as a clear sign of sadness dawned upon his face, "I really loved her… But this useless war even took her away…"
"I'm home!" said a voice as a person entered the room, "Hiro? Zero Two?" he said.
"Hachi!" said Nana as she got up, "I was just waiting for you, look who came back!"
"Yeah…" said Hachi shocked, "So you two did not give up huh?" he said with a smile.
"Oh!" said Nana, "You two probably haven't met, he is Hatake, he is the one who brought Zero Two and Hiro back to life!"
"So, you are Hatake…" Hachi said looking at Hatake, "Didn't expect to meet Dr. Franxx's son after such a long time!"
"Well," said Hatake, "Even I did not expect to come back here…"
"You two know each other?" asked Nana.
"Not personally…" said Hachi.
"Nana…" said Hatake, "The reason I came here…. What do you say about you two… Um… Doing something else apart from caretaker…"
"What do you mean?" asked Zero Two.
"How about…" said Hatake looking at Nana, "Riding a Franxx once more?... I mean it's okay if you say no… But you know, we need as many people as possible for the war that's coming for us…"
"I see…" Nana said with disappointment, "Alright give me time…"
"Ok then!" said Hatake getting up, "That's what Goro asked me to do, so we will be taking our leave now… Goodbye!" he said as all of them went out of the house.
Hachi and Nana waved at them as they got on to Meteorix and flew back. As they flew Hatake looked outside the glass with a clear sign of disappointment on his face.
"What's the matter?" asked Zero Two.
"Nanimonai…" said Hatake.
** 'Nanimonai' in Japanese translates to 'Nothing' in English **
"You sure?" asked Hiro, "You don't look like usual."
"Well," said Hatake, "Have you ever seen Nana laugh or cry?"
"No," said Zero Two, "Not anytime that I remember…"
"She mostly kept scolding us," said Hiro, "But I have never seen her laugh or cry."
"She…" said Hatake with sadness, "Had the most beautiful smile in the world… Until that day, when Koroshi died… She never smiled ever again, but I feel that she is happy with Hachi, so I just want that smile to come back on her face… But I know, she is afraid of losing Hachi, she fears that he might die while riding with her too…"
"Don't worry..." said Hiro, "I know her well, just give her some time, she will be back!" he said trying to cheer Hatake back up.
"Yeah…" Hatake said as Meteorix landed. All three of them came out of the Franxx and walked towards the headquarters.
"Hatake!" said a voice from the back.
"Sera!" said Hatake looking at her.
"Where were you all?" she asked
"We just went to see people we knew!" Hatake said with a smile.
"Anyways," said Hiro, "We will be going, see you all later!" he said as Hiro and Zero Two took their leave.
"I should get going too…" said Hatake looking at her clothes, "By the way Sera, why are you still wearing that spandex I gave you? I made that clothing only from that time being."
"Well," replied Sera, "These are the close from my husband, so I must wear them at all times…."
"Huh…" said Hatake with a laugh, "I seriously got to change a lot of the culture on Prismertine… But again, you know, Kokoro said we are not husband and wife on Earth. So, do as you like!" he said with a smile.
"S-Sure!" Seraphime said as her face got lit with happiness.
"Anyways, I will go then!" said Hatake as he left.
"What are we supposed to do?" said Hiro standing inside the Franxx parking area, looking at the damaged shoulder of Phoenix with Goro and Zero Two standing beside them.
"The amount of damage the recent war has done… We were barely able to stand it!" said Goro.
"Can't we repair them?" asked Zero Two.
"Muri!" said Hatake from behind, "Even if we repair it, there is no fuel for it to function, and moreover the tools here will only be able to merely patch the holes…"
** 'Muri' in Japanese translates to 'Impossible' in English**
"What do you mean there is no fuel?" asked Zero Two, "What happened to the magma fuel?"
"Well…" said Hatake, "Sera banned the use of Magma fuel as it led to all these hellish things…"
"I see…" said Zero Two.
"I will talk to Sera about it though," said Hatake, "if we can use the magma fuel even a bit…"
"Alright then we are going to meet Futoshi's children, see you later!" said Hiro as he and Zero Two left.
"Goro…" said Hatake looking down, "I know dad did a lot of bad things… But after he died, what did you-"
"We buried him in the burial grounds with the tallest stone tomb in front of his grave." Said Goro interrupting.
"I see…" said Hatake, "I will meet dad and come back then." He said as he took his leave.
"Darling," said Zero Two as she and Hiro walked an empty path late midnight with streetlights guiding them to the headquarters, "what would be the first thing you would like to do after all this is over?" she asked.
"All I want," said Hiro, "Is time to spend with you!" he said with a smile.
"Then let's promise here, shall we?" said Zero Two, "We shall always stay together… Even if death takes us apart!"
"Even in the afterlife, Zero Two…" said Hiro as they kissed, "Nothing can separate us…"
"First of all, I won't let you two die," said Hatake as he walked towards them from the way to a jungle, "and even if you really die, I swear I will bring you back."
"Thanks…" said Zero Two.
"Hatake, where are you going?" Hiro asked looking at the white-colored flower bouquet Hatake was holding in his hand.
"My father's grave…" Hatake said looking down.
"I see…" said Hiro.
"Well, I'm going to walk a bit more, why don't you go with Hatake, darling?" asked Zero Two.
"You sure you will be fine on your own?" Hiro asked.
"I was alive before I met you, it's just that I started 'really' living after I met you…" she said with a smile, "Anyways, I will be going then!" she said as she left waiving.
"No wonder she is in love with you!" said Hatake, "come on then, let's go meet my 'dead' father."
They walked to the Franxx parking area and got into Meteorix, the boosters fired up and up went Meteorix high into the sky.
"Beautiful…" said Seraphime looking at the stats in the sky sitting on the branch of a tree in the jungle at the southernmost border of Mistilteinn, "I wonder the last time I looked at the stars… How much far back in time was it-"
"Bo!" said Zero Two from behind as Seraphime slipped from the branch in shock, Zero Two caught her by hand, "You shouldn't just wander around on your own." She said with a smile as she pulled Seraphime back on the branch.
"Don't joke like that," Seraphime said angrily, "It would really hurt if I fell from here!"
"Gomennasai" said Zero Two, "you just looked very sad, so I just thought of changing the mood… What were you thinking about anyway?" she asked
** 'Gomennasai' in Japanese translates to 'I'm sorry' in English**
"Nothing much…" replied Seraphime as she sat back on the branch and looked back at the sky, "you see, about 100 years ago, after remaining underground hidden from humanity, I had finally decided to come out by changing myself into human form so that I could understand humans a bit… I was walking on a riverside, alone… That's when I saw it, the sky became full of colors, everyone was from the other side of the river was cheering so hard looking at the colors on the sky, I even asked a person what are those."
"What was it?" asked Zero Two.
"Hanabi…" Seraphime said, "Things that would burst in the sky, making it so colorful to your eyes… It was the Japanese New Year that day, I just wish I could see that again, with all of my friends I have made here…"
"Ah…" said Hatake as he got down from Meteorix, "I still remember this feeling of loneliness… Come on!"
"Where is your father's grave?" asked Hiro.
"There!" Hatake said pointing towards a stone tomb about 6 meters tall with 'Weiner Franxx' written on it, beside another one about 5 meters in height, "When Goro said they buried him with a tall stone tomb near his grave, I already knew where he was buried, I really did not think though that he would send his last will."
"What was the will?" asked Hiro.
"If he dies, his body should be buried with a tall 6 meters stone tomb facing east with a 5 meters stone tomb beside his grave which was of…" he could not utter any words as he looked towards the grave beside 'Kirina Milsa' it said, "Mom…" he whispered as he kept the flowers in between the two graves.
"I gotta go back to dad's house," said Hatake, "There may be something that can be used to fix the Franxxs, I will drop you back to Mistilteinn on the way, come on!"
"No, not again." said Hiro, "The last time you went somewhere on your own brought a war, I don't know what else will happen, I will go with you!"
"Seriously?" asked Hatake laughing, "Alright, let's go!" he said as they got inside Meteorix. They flew to that same house looking like a small piece of a plantation.
"Home…" said Hatake as they entered an underground lab inside the house, "First we need blueprints of all the Franxxs dad ever designed, it must be inside those shelves!" he said pointing towards five silver-colored shelves stacked upon one another.
"You look on these shelves, I will look inside the desk drawers," Said Hatake.
Hiro took out all the blueprints out of the shelves.
"That's all there is-" Hiro said as he got stuck on the sight of a small dusty box. He took the box and opened it, it was a Rubix cube that had one piece missing on one of its corners. The box fell from his hand.
"What happened?" asked Hatake looking towards Hiro as he heard the sound of the box falling, "This…" he said looking at the cube.
"Reminds you of something?" asked Hiro curiously.
"Yeah, it- Ahh!" Hatake got interrupted as he felt a sting inside his head.
"What is happening?!" asked Hiro tensed.
"It… Hurts…" said Hatake as he fell on the ground knocked unconscious.
"This is bad!" said Hiro, "I must tell them!" he said as he carried Hatake on his shoulder to the inside of Meteorix.
"Hatake!" shouted a voice from the intercom.
"Seraphime!" said Hiro over the intercom.
"Where are you all? There are a lot of problems here! Get her right now!" said Seraphime over the intercom.
"Well," said Hiro, "I don't know what happened, Hatake suddenly collapsed on the ground!"
"What?" asked Seraphime, "Is he okay?"
"Yeah," said Hiro, "But what happened there?"
"VIRM…" replied Seraphime, "I don't know how but they suddenly came in, we are still fighting…"
"Damn it!" said Hiro, "How do I get there?!"
"just get Hatake on the seat and you sit tight too!" said Seraphime as she took out her crown and wore it. Hiro put Hatake on the seat attached to it with a belt and he buckled up.
"Get ready!" said Seraphime as her crown glowed and Meteorix automatically activated his boosters and flew towards Mistilteinn.
"Come quickly, Darling." said Zero Two on the intercom, "I'm dying to kill them…"
"I will…" said Hiro, "Just hold on a bit longer…" he said as the call disconnected.
"Where am I..." said Hatake standing in a cold environment with freezing wind blowing past him. He looked below to see what was he standing on, "Snow?" he thought.
"The Garden?!" said Hatake shocked as he looked forward, "Wait… I remember now, this is the day I and dad came here to inspect The Garden." He got disturbed by the noise of a ship entering the landing zone.
"That's, me?" He said looking at himself coming out of the ship, "but wait, where's dad? And what is with the sad expression on my face?" Hatake walked with his past self.
"Mr. Hatake," said a scientist, "Did not come?"
"Well," Hatake's past self said playing with a Rubix cube, "he won't be coming, he has got some important work…"
"Why don't I remember all this?" Hatake thought, "Why isn't dad here…."
"I would like to explore the children especially the one with teen numbers," said Hatake's past self as he and a scientist walked thought the corridor. Hatake entered a room, children were sitting inside with no expression but sadness upon their faces, no one even uttered a word.
"I'm sorry…" said Hatake's past self, looking towards them, "I cannot do anything even if I want to…"
He looked around to see a few kids huddled around one of them.
"Hey what are you doing here?" Hatake's past self asked smiling as he approached the boy who was the center of attraction.
"Hiro!" said Hatake looking at them talk.
"Who is this? Whoever this is…. It looks like he is pretty well determined." Hiro thought.
"Do you need a name too?" asked Hiro smiling.
"Well I already have one but I would be happy to have to just in case," Hatake's past self said smiling.
"Okay then, give me a second…. Hm…. I think…. Maybe…. Ketteha? For determination?" said Hiro, "What do you say?"
**Kettei in Japanese means determined**
"I love it!" said Hatake's past self, "by the way my given name is Hata-"
"Hey you two, stop!" said a guard running towards them.
"No wait!" said Hatake's past self.
The guard took Hatake's past self's hand separating them away….
Leaving a small cube in Hiro's hand….
"What was that for?" asked Hatake's past self angrily to the guard that took him out.
"I'm sorry sir," said the guard, "But we are ordered that we do not let any outsiders interact with teen numbers."
"That's a teen number?" asked Hatake's past self, "Well, if its dad's order then I cancel it!" Hatake said as he showed his class S+ ID to the guard.
"Sure Sir!" said the guard as the door opened.
"Sorry about last time," Hatake's past self said to Hiro, "Come on, let's have a walk outside!"
Hatake followed his past self and Hiro in silence through the corridors and finally reached the courtyard.
"What do you think you are being brought upon for, Hiro?" asked Hatake's past self.
"To pilot a Franxx obviously!" said Hiro cheerfully.
"I see…" said Hatake's past self.
"Although…" said Hiro, "I sometimes think, what would happen if the Klaxosaurs are finally defeated… What would be our role then? Zorome says we will become adults, but I don't see his thought promising…"
"The Jian," said Hatake's past self, looking towards the sky, "also known as the bird that shares wings, only possesses one wing. Unless a male and female pair and lean on each other and act as one, they are incapable of flight"
"What do you mean?" asked Hiro confused.
"That's what you all are Hiro." said Hatake's past self, "That is how a pistil and stamen work together while driving a Franxx… Remember Hiro," he said patting Hiro's head, "no matter what happens, always protect your partner… Anyways, now go back, I got to go too…."
"Okay!" said Hiro, "And thanks, for making me understand!" he said as he ran back to his room.
"No, Hiro…" said Hatake's past self, "Thank you for making me understand that what I was thinking was right… There is seriously no use of raising children with no happiness but only one thing… To fight… I can't let these children have their hands dirtied with blood. I… I will destroy papa!" he said as a bullet got shot in his left leg making him fall on the ground.
"Hatake Frank," said a guard aiming his gun towards him, "You are arrested for starting a revolution and bypassing Dr. Franxx's orders!" Hatake's past self blacked out.
"That's how it happened…" said Hatake looking at his past self, lying down on the floor with blood over the floor. Suddenly the environment started changing and in a matter of seconds the surrounding that was of an open courtyard changed into and operation theatre with Hatake's past self, tied onto one of the beds and Hiro tied on to another.
"We thought that your son might start a revolution and so we placed a transmitter under his skin so that we get to know about everything, even what he is talking about." Said Papa over a video call to Dr. Frank who was standing right beside Hatake, "I order you to erase both of their memories and tomorrow again go with him to the research lab, only this time do not let him inspect or interact with any children."
"S-Sure…" said Dr. Frank as the call got disconnected.
"What should we do sir?" asked a surgeon beside him.
"That's the reason…" said Hatake as everything in front of him slowly faded away.
"Do as papa said…" said Dr. Frank with a sad expression.
"We are almost there!" said Hiro as Meteorix entered Mistilteinn, the jungle was burning with a red tint that could be seen upon the sky as the sun came up. A missile entered Mistilteinn and destroyed the Franxx landing pad.
"Damn it!" shouted Seraphime looking at the footage of the pad getting destroyed.
"What is it?!" asked Zero Two tensed.
"I set Meteorix to land upon the landing pad and the route can only be changed manually, and if the pad is destroyed…" said Seraphime, "The Franxx will crash!"
"Darling…" Zero Two said crying.
"What…" said Hiro as he heard Seraphime over the intercom. Hiro closed his eyes as Meteorix came close to the destroyed landing pad.
"It was you…" said a voice in front of him. Hiro opened his eyes to see who it was, Meteorix had stopped in the air and was flying. It was Hatake holding the controls as tears dropped down his cheeks as he smiled, "You were the reason" Hatake said, "I always hated Papa, I never knew why… Now I get it, it was because you showed me…You showed me how much wrong we were doing…"
"Hiro!" said Seraphime over the intercom, "What happened?"
"I'm back," said Hatake, "What's our current position?" asked Hatake.
"I knew you would be okay…" Seraphime said smiling, "I have summoned 50 S-class, 45 G-class, and 60 H-class Kalxosaurs. We are following a pyramid type formation, the S-classes are forming the pyramid being at the center while G-class and H-class make two right triangles face towards each other with the pyramid in the middle of them. I was unable to use the mothership as it has enough fuel only to fire the weapons for the last time."
Hatake looked on his left side, on the lifeless plain land outside Mistilteinn, VIRM ground units were approaching in a population of thousands in a formation that looked like the letter C with their mothership behind them. On the other side, that is, in front of Mistilteinn was the Klaxosapiens that Seraphime had summoned from underground. The S-classes were standing in front forming a pyramid trying to block all enemy fire. On the right side was the H-class that formed a right triangle, the G-class made a similar formation, and behind all was standing the blue war beauty… The Klaxo mothership with Strelizia standing on top of the mothership with Zero Two beside the Franxx waiting to engage in combat.
"Let's go!" said Hatake as Meteorix dashed towards the Kalxo mothership at full speed and landed near Strelizia as quickly as possible. Meteorix placed his hand over Strelizia's shoulder as both the Franxx's head opened up. Zero Two was already inside waiting for him, "Come quickly, Darling!" she said. Hiro ran over the arm of meteoric lying upon Strelizia's shoulder that made him reach directly into the cockpit.
"Sera!" said Hatake on the intercom, "That's great formation by the way!"
"HE PRAISED ME!" Seraphime screamed in her mind as she turned red.
"How much firepower can we use without using fuel of the mothership?" Hatake asked.
"N-Not much" replied Seraphime, "We will only be able to get their first line down."
"Damn it," said Hatake, "Even if we use all of our armies, there is no guarantee that we will win… But we can't back down too… There are people I want to protect… So, let's go!" shouted Hatake as Strelizia, Meteorix and the Klaxosaur army charged towards the invading VIRM.
"Fire the projectiles right in front of their front line!" shouted Hatake as missiles launched and blasted right in front of then making the dust fly over the zone. Hatake took out his crown and wore it. The dust made it difficult for the VIRM units to get visual, Hatake summoned Kalxosaurs from beneath the lifeless land right beside the first line of the VIRM units.
"For Life!" shouted Hatake as Meteorix and Strelizia charged towards the dusty battlefield killed hundreds of them.
"We are winning!" said Hiro with happiness.
"I wish I could say that…" said Hatake with sadness.
"W-What do you mean?" asked Zero Two confused.
"Look there!" Hatake said pointing towards the VIRM mothership. The mothership was making its plasma cannon ready to fire.
"We lose?" thought Hiro looking at the mothership.
The VIRM mothership fired its plasma cannons, Meteorix pushed Strelizia out of the cannon's range. The ray melted the back of Meteorix and wiped out almost all of the Klaxosaur units.
"Can't I do anything…" said Hiro looking at Meteorix as it struggled to get back on its feet.
"Please…" thought Hatake, "I just want to protect the people who gave me a reason to live… That's all I wish for…"
"Unknown aircraft with Klaxo mothership signature detected." Said the computer.
"What?" said Hatake, "Another Kalxo mothership… Here?" he said as he looked towards the dust that was still flying in the air. Through the dusty air came a Franxx coloured in white with a mix of gold on a few parts shining as the golden rays of the rising sun fell upon it with a blue coloured gem on its forehead surrounded by transparent feather-like crystals, with claws on his feet instead of having normal solid ones, 3 frontal and one claw on the back of its feet. The white and golden color in that sunlight with that perfect nanotechnological Tlahuiztli that the Franxx wore, the bulky muscular look that it had and with that serious expression on its face… Looking like a fearless warrior it came flying holding a lance with laser cutting edges and sliced through hundreds of them in one blow. The VIRM mothership was again ready to shoot its plasma cannon. But before it could, lasers shot from the dusty air directly inside the cannon itself destroying its launching mechanism. This time it was another Franxx colored pitch-black shooting lasers from her crossbow in her left hand, wearing a red fiery ruby-colored Chinese helmet with a golden dragon design on it, wearing heels made of titanium and a white-colored translucent nanotech dress that divided between a long skirt and a sleeveless long vest. And finally, to end the war came a mothership similar to that of the Kalxo mothership that bombarded the VIRM mothership causing absolute destruction to the enemy. The VIRM units retreated.
"Are you okay?!" shouted Seraphime as she came running towards the temporary landing zone on that lifeless plain land where all of the Franxxs landed.
"Yes, I'm all fine!" said Hatake as Seraphime hugged him.
"It's good that we came in time," said a person coming out of the white-colored Franxx, "Otherwise, no idea what would have happened!"
Hiro looked towards him, the person was a strange creature wearing a military uniform with three orange-colored horns on his forehead with a rebellious expression on his face.
"Those horns… I'm sorry" said Hatake looking at him as he stood in front of him, "I may be mistaken, but are you Orion?" he asked curiously.
"Y-Yes," said Orion shocked, "and who are you?" he asked.
"I'm…" Hatake replied, "The mad scientist's son!" he said with a smile.
"Ah…" said Orion, "So, you are Hatake!" he said cheering up.
-end of the chapter-
Next Chapter releasing on 21st October
PS: Sorry for the long break in between, I was a bit busy.