To those who have left reviews and have begun following, thank you. I've been asked if there's going to be a set schedule for this, and the short answer is no. While I do already have a lot of this mapped out I do still work a full time job and am pretty much playing this story by ear in terms of posting. Basically when the chapter is done, it gets posted. I plan to try my best to remain consistent though, as I don't want to end up being what I was complaining about in chapter one, haha.

It's actually been a very interesting time trying to chart out these chapters, as the simple change of not having his memory altered makes Hiro a much more expressive character. I do mean that literally as when he had his memory wiped, it took away most everything that made him unique; he became less emotional and more obedient. Through this alternate route, he is able to grow with those emotions as he goes through a different side, Zero Two's.

Things are going to be very different in many ways but will be unaltered in many others, which you will soon start to see in the coming chapters. For now though, enjoy their innocence a little longer while it's still here...

Without any further delay, please enjoy the story.


Flight of the Jian

Chapter 3

Flap Flap

March 19 - 2133

As an optimistic and jovial child, Hiro was able to get along with practically everyone he met, the only exceptions being adults. When it came to other children, however, he was naturally charismatic and respectful. They had always been drawn to him for how kind he was and how encouraging he'd been about anything.

Hiro couldn't remember one child he'd ever had a problem with, sure there were the kids that disapproved of the way he carried himself but they always kept to themselves. There were the times when Hiro was frustrated with the other children because they never stood with him when he questioned the adults.

But despite all that, there was never a time he had felt anything but respect for the other children, after all they were just as much a prisoner in this life as he was.

That all changed one day, when he met possibly the worst child in all of Garden.

It was after one of his daily checkups with Doctor Franxx that Hiro found himself being escorted by the old man to a certain point as he had another appointment to attend to along the way.

Eventually they came to a separate wing where the doctor held his more confidential experimentations to avoid wandering curious eyes, like ones belonging to a certain boy who wound up becoming one of them. This time, it was unavoidable, and it wasn't something Franxx really believed needed hiding anyway.

Hiro's head rose up when he caught sight of a peculiar group of children that were being lead down the hall up ahead, as they came from a separate corridor around the corner.

The children were lined up and uniform as they walked evenly behind one another and followed the caretaker leading them. Each child had a unique look and hair color to them, except for three of them who looked exactly the same, but all carried themselves with confidence and grace as they went.

The way they were lined up and the way their bright hair stood out it reminded Hiro of a pastel rainbow, and he couldn't help but think it was pretty even if the children themselves had such blank expressions. Eventually they paused at the end of the hall ahead of him and Doctor Franxx.

"I've never seen them around before." The dark-haired boy said, mostly to himself but Franxx still responded to the off-handed remark.

"They just came out of their containment growth tubes a couple months ago, but remarkably they are adapting as normally as a child your age."

"Who are they, Doctor?" Hiro asked as he watched them. They didn't move a lot, or do anything really as they mostly just stood still like they were waiting for something to happen. Or perhaps for someone to tell them to do something...

"They are unique children that I created from 002's cells especially for Papa." Franxx answered as he, too, watched the children straight ahead. Hiro perked up at that tidbit of information.

"They're made from Zero Two's cells? Does that make them... her siblings?" He asked, almost hopefully.

The idea made Hiro smile slightly, thinking that if there were other children like her it might make Zero Two less lonely and more open to interacting with people other than him. Even if they didn't quite look like her she might still find comfort in their presence.

"No, they're genetic clones, nothing more. 002 was the only specimen of her kind that survived to maturity, those would have been her siblings. My hope had been to create more like her through a different method; cloning. Unfortunately, while they each took some small aspect of her through the cloning process none of them inherited her Klaxian-like features, not even her blood like you have."

Well that was a little discouraging but it didn't mean that they couldn't still get along and grow close. After all, anyone who came from Zero Two's DNA couldn't be all that bad, could they?

Hiro would come to eat those words within the next ten minutes.

"A reminder; that information about your blood, it stays between us. If anyone asks, it's Klaxosaur blood." Franxx whispered to him, though with his mechanical-like voice it came off a little louder than a normal whisper.

"Yes, sir." Hiro still didn't understand what the difference was, or what a Klaxian even was as the doctor had been elusive in providing any details about them. The only reason Hiro knew about it at all was because he was nosy and started peeking at the doctor's notes as he was being examined.

Needless to say, Franxx wasn't pleased with him when he asked about it. Merely telling him that his inquisitive nature was going to get him into some serious trouble one day.

Hiro wanted to argue it was probably too late for that, given where he was now.

He had no idea what it meant other than it was something that came from Zero Two, and he didn't particularly care what it meant so long as he knew that. As far as he was concerned, that was probably the name of the kind of species that Zero Two's DNA came from. He admitted he was curious about what they are, but was willing to wait until the doctor felt like sharing.

If he felt like sharing, that is...

That's the part that worried Hiro the most, the thought that he'd never get an answer to his questions. Just like all the other unanswered firmly questions he'd accumulated throughout his young life.

Up ahead, the line of children disappeared into the privacy of one of the examination rooms, all except for the one at the front who lingered outside of it with a caretaker at his side.

"Sir, this clone is ready for your tests whenever you are." He said as he held up the child's file in his hand.

"Excellent, leave him and that file to me." The adult nodded his head in respect, handed over the documents, before turning to enter the room the other clone children vanished into. Hiro studied the other boy left behind, tilting his head from the curiosity he emitted.

The boy was about his height, but that was where their similarities ended as he was fair-skinned with bright blonde hair and green eyes. He wore the standard outfit that all children wore, white pants and a white shirt with gold trimmings.

The thing that unnerved Hiro the most about him, though, was his smile.

It appeared like an innocent upward tilt of his mouth but Hiro could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end from the sight of it. Combined with the glassy look in his eyes, alarm bells were going off at the back of his mind.

That smile appeared sincere, yet Hiro's gut was telling him this boy was anything but.

"Dr. Franxx." The strange boy greeted with a smile, bowing forward slightly at the waist. "It's wonderful to see you again, sir."

"Good to see you well." Franxx replied before turning to introduce the two young boys. "Code 016, this is the eldest child who will be the head of a special forces unit known as the 9's; Nine Alpha."

"Nice to meet you." Hiro said as he smiled the best he could, trying his best to push away the discomfort he was feeling. Something just didn't sit right with him about this boy...

"So you are special to Papa as well?" Alpha asked in a polite tone, his smile remaining firmly planted on his face.

"I never thought to call myself special..." Hiro answered as he shift uncomfortably in place. He hated that word sometimes, given how much the adults like to throw it at his face every chance they got. What did it really mean to be 'special' in this place, anyway?

"But you possess the DNA of the Klaxosaur, do you not?" Alpha inquired with a curious tilt of his head.

How does he know that? Hiro thought with concern, but his face remained a bashful neutrality.

"I do, but I don't think that makes me any different than I was. It's not like I was born with it, I'm nothing like Zero Two, she's far more special than me." Hiro smiled genuinely to himself as he said this, something that could only be caused by thinking of his beloved.

"Still, it's an honor to be considered such an important child to Papa. You must feel proud of that, surely." The blonde went on, his eyes taking on a different shine as he gushed about Papa. It made Hiro's stomach turn at the blatant loyalty.

"Yeah, I am..." He said, but he could tell from the slight twitch in Alpha's smile that he probably caught the lie.

"Dr. Franxx, we're almost ready for you. We just need you to confirm a couple things before we are cleared." The old man nodded and looked down at the two children.

"Pardon me for one moment, boys. I'll be right back." He didn't wait for a reply and followed the other scientist to a room nearby, leaving the two boys alone with each other. Hiro wished he hadn't, honestly.

A few seconds of silence passed between the two until the glossy-eyed child broke it with an unexpected remark.

"What a disgrace." Alpha said in an icy tone, completely dropping his polite facade as his smile vanished. Hiro blanched at the sudden change, before scowling at the other boy.

"Excuse me?" He growled, keeping his tone even. His gut had been right, it seemed.

"You heard me. You're a disgrace; shunning Papa's good praises and thinking so highly of yourself to act so fickle." He looked at Hiro with nothing short of smug arrogance, clearly seeing himself as the better child solely based on his feelings for Papa.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hiro said, eyes narrowed. "I never asked for anyone's praise or expectations of me."

"Yet you don't express any value or respect in what you've received from Papa - such indecency is unbecoming of someone in his empire. Beings like you are no more comparable than that of common trash, unworthy of a second thought."

Hiro glared at him, clenching his fists at his sides as he held his tongue. He couldn't let him get under his skin, don't give him the satisfaction Hiro kept telling himself.

"You... and that disgusting creature I've had the misfortune of sharing cells with." Alpha snarled, his glassy eyes staring daggers into Hiro, who jerked in revulsion at what he'd just said about Zero Two. He took a step towards him before he knew his foot had moved.

"Why you-!"

"Alright, we've been given the go ahead for the simulation. Come along, Nine Alpha, it's time." Doctor Franxx said as he rejoined the two boys. Hiro quickly held himself back at his presence, knowing nothing good would come from acting on his instincts like he wanted to.

"Code 016, return to your quarters until further notice." Franxx ordered him, subtly looking between them and noting the dark-haired boy's tense stance. Clearly he'd missed something in the time he'd stepped away. He'd have to inquire about it later, though.

"Yes, sir..." Hiro said quietly, giving one last narrowed glare at the blonde boy.

Alpha gave a very condescending smile in return, eyes closing in an almost mocking manner. Hiro growled low to himself before turning and walking in the opposite direction towards the exit of the corridor, not caring to spare him or the doctor a look back.

He didn't want to see that jerk's smug face for one second longer.

It was one thing to belittle him, he could handle that no problem and didn't really care. It was a whole other thing to bad mouth Zero Two when she wasn't even here to defend herself, and even if she was he would still hate it to his very core as he did now. That jerk had no right to say those things about her, he didn't even know her!

It was official; Hiro disliked the boy known as Nine Alpha with a passion.

He could only hope he wouldn't have the unfortunate privilege of meeting him again too many times in the future...


April 3 - 2133

Today is the day. Hiro thought with excitement. Today was the day when Zero Two officially became twelve years old.

Well, it was a close enough date, at least. All that mattered to Hiro was that she existed in the first place, having a day to celebrate it was just a formality that he felt she deserved to have extended to her as much as anyone else.

Franxx had told him he'd make sure she got something nice on this day, though the extensive details of what that meant were lost to Hiro. True to his word, though, sometime in the late morning, when they were given their breakfast, there was also a plain cupcake with a candle in the corner of the tray. A standard gift on birthdays.

There was no note from Papa like there had been for him, but Zero Two didn't care about that at all. All of her focus had been on the sweet sugar-filled treat that the adult was carrying, and she barely managed to wait patiently enough to allow them to set the tray down before she pounced on it.

Honestly, she was lucky the adult didn't throw it at her like they'd been tempted to do with how antsy she had made them from her excitement.

This time Hiro managed to prevent her from knocking over the entire tray, saving his own meal as well as hers. He breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed the cupcake from the restriction of his arms without ruining the rest of their food in the process.

He helped her remove the candle and peel off the wrapper as she ate her cupcake, it might not hurt her but it was probably still for the best she didn't eat them. He waited until she had finished her balanced breakfast before presenting her with the extra piece of candy he'd stashed for this day.

She was so happy with all the extra treats, she didn't think it could get any better than this. Hiro also thought that was going to be the end of it, but he would later find himself pleasantly mistaken.

The door to their windowless room - the adults still didn't trust them with windows to this day - opened randomly at one point, revealing their visitor to be Doctor Franxx.

"Both of you, come with me." Was all he said before turning to proceed down the hall. Hiro and Zero Two looked at each other, confused, before reluctantly standing and following after him.

"Are we scheduled for more tests today? I thought you said you'd give us the day off...?" Hiro asked as he and Zero Two trailed behind the old man through the maze of hallways. They went down many escalation-powered stairways to the bottom floor, their guide not saying a word in response to his multiple inquiries.

Eventually Hiro just stayed quiet and let himself and Zero Two be lead to wherever they were going, making sure to hold her hand tight the entire way.

Soon they found themselves in a large open space that Hiro had never seen before, but he could see skies of blue through the windows off to the sides. He could see the large doors at the center that most likely lead to the outside, a place no child was ever allowed to go without clearance to fly.

It was bright outside from what he could tell, the sun must be out...

Suddenly, Hiro was then taken by surprise when the old man scanned his identification badge to open the huge locked doors he'd been eyeing. Franxx proceeded through them as soon as they opened, looking back to make sure the children were still following.

They hesitated, unsure if they were really allowed to do this, before taking their first step outside for the first time in almost two years.

Zero Two was looking around at everything with wild curiosity, her eyes squinting at the brightness of the natural light that surrounded her. The last time they had seen outside of the walls of Garden there was snow everywhere and the sun was hidden behind dull gray clouds.

Now, it was out shining proudly for all to see and feel, and the ground was covered in green and not blanketed solely in white.

"So bright..." She murmured, raising a hand to shade her eyes. Hiro smiled as he watched her take everything in, already appreciating this little adventure of theirs. Zero Two suddenly pulled her hand from her face and looked at it, trying to understand the strange sensation she'd felt, then she held it further out into the sunlight again.

"It feels... so warm." She said as she just took in the feeling of the sun gently warming her skin. Hiro nodded as his smile widened.

It was so wonderful hearing her talk so much more fluently now, all her time practicing bearing the sweet fruits of her metaphorical labor. After almost a year of being able to speak, she had finally reached the level of speech that all children their age were capable of, much to her happiness especially.

For her, it was so nice to be able to say what she wanted and not communicate through grunts and growls, also there was no more speech impediment.

Doctor Franxx lead them further out, then stopped at the end of the steps to the building, turning to them both.

"The cameras have been altered, so no one will see you, but I can only let you have two hours. Make the most of them." Franxx stated enigmatically.

"Sir?" Hiro said, confused. Two hours to do what?

"Consider this my gift to you both for everything you've done towards my research. Just don't venture too far or you'll set off the proximity alarms, stay within the boundary of the cherry blossoms."

It was then that Hiro understood what he was giving them; a taste of freedom. A chance to explore the natural beauties this planet held outside the blank cold walls of the world they had been forced to know.

It may not seem much, considering it was two hours compared to hundreds spent enclosed within those walls. It may seem almost cruel to some, giving them a brief taste of being free of their cage only to force them back into it right after.

But to Hiro, this opportunity was worth more than he could express, and he'd happily take it over nothing.

"Thank you, sir!" Hiro said gratefully, his happiness plastered all over his face. Franxx waved him off, looking at his pocket watch with his other hand.

"You're wasting time, you now have one hour and fifty-nine minutes."

Without wasting another precious second of this opportunity, Hiro tugged on Zero Two's hand and ran with her into the colorful terrarium they had been living in but never got the chance to see.

Werner watched them go with a somber look, feeling pleased with himself for letting them have this happy moment while also feeling guilty that it had to be this way in the first place.

Over a hundred years ago, children running around outside playing had been the norm, it was common and expected for them to go off exploring the world around them. In today's day and age, however, that concept had been completely eradicated since all children were expected to train to fight for the good of the adults they protected.

Franxx sighed heavily. When did things become so backwards for Humanity...? To where it became the responsibility of the children to watch over and protect the lives of the adults at the expense of theirs, instead of the other way around like it used to be...?

The old scientist mourned this fact, despising this deranged reality that had come to pass. However, it was something he had to force himself to remember, as it gave all the more motivation he needed to make things change again.

Change for the better of the children. For the better of the Earth.

The two children were all smiles as they ran hand in hand through the grass. Zero Two marveled at the feeling of the soft blades of grass that caressed her bare feet as she ran, she kept expecting biting pain like the cold snow but it never came.

Zero Two pointed at anything and everything while Hiro just smiled and explained what it was and it's general purpose. While she had heard of some of these things from their book, like trees and rivers, the pictures in the book could only take her imagination so far.

Now, she had the chance to see the real things, and see them when they aren't hidden by snow.

Looking up, Hiro could make out pink above the treeline, and grinned as he turned towards Zero Two.

"Come on, this way!" She followed along without question, wondering what made Darling so excited all of a sudden. Whatever it was, she was eager to find out.

They dashed through the trees, Hiro keeping mind to remember the doctor's warning to stay within the boundary up ahead. There was a break in the trees, and the children flung themselves through it as they came to a more open area that held one of loveliest sights either had ever seen.

Zero Two let out a soft gasp as her widened eyes took everything in, her mouth dropping open in awe.

There were small little pink things floating down around them, almost like snow except they swayed and danced through the air differently than snow did. There was a pleasant scent in the air as well, and it made Zero Two's nostrils flare a little as she took in a few testing whiffs of it. It smelled sweet, but not in the same way candy smelled, it was a different kind of sweetness that she'd never experienced before.

She jolted slightly as one of the pink things brushed against her cheek as it floated by, but she relaxed as she took in how soft it felt, how nice it made her feel. She smiled wide as she looked up at the trees they fell from.

"Pretty!" She exclaimed happily before spreading her arms out and spinning around, trying to touch as many of the soft pink things as she could. They caressed her exposed skin so tenderly as she played among them, her lips spread wide in a grin as she got lost in the moment.

Hiro watched her with a smile, trying to burn this picture-perfect moment into his memory to keep forever, never to let it go so long as he lived.

Hearing almost synchronized chirping from above, Hiro looked upwards to see one of the most mesmerizing things he'd ever seen. Two birds were perched together in the cherry blossom tree before him, both nestled close and nudging each other now and again.

They tweeted a song all their own together in a harmony that only nature could understand, as they sat tranquilly among the blooming flowers. It was such a beautiful sight, it made Hiro's eyes well up a little.

At the sound of Zero Two letting out a boisterous giggle right beneath them, however, the pair of birds suddenly took off in tandem. They circled around the air above them a couple times before vanishing among the sea of trees, off to find new privacy for themselves, the sound of their flapping wings echoed off the light winds.

Hiro watched them go, a feeling of envy taking over him. It must be so nice to fly wherever they wanted, to be able to just simply pick up and go whenever they felt threatened or disturbed.

Unlike them... He and Zero Two were always going to be caged birds, weren't they...?

Another giggle from Zero Two broke Hiro out of such depressing thoughts, and he shook his head at himself. Now wasn't the time to be feeling remorse over their life, this gift of freedom wouldn't last forever. Best not to ruin her day with his sad reflections.

Hiro approached the still spinning Zero Two, who was slowly coming to a stumbling halt as the dizziness started to set in. She kept laughing merrily, though, even when she stumbled into Hiro's waiting arms.

"Darling, look! Pretty!" She enthusiastically held up her hands, a few of the flower petals she'd managed to catch clutched between her fingers. The light pink color stood out and complemented her red skin quite nicely, in his opinion.

"They are, just like you." Hiro said as he tucked her long strand of hair behind her ear, the color almost blending in with all the pink surrounding them. His smile widened at the flush that came over her face, and she looked down at the ground that was covered in petals.

"I'm not as pretty as these..." She muttered dejectedly, her foot kicking lightly at the soft pink-littered grass.

"That's not true at all, you're beautiful inside and out, prettier than any flower." He affirmed strongly, making her tilt her head at the new word.

"Flou-wer?" Zero Two parroted softly, holding up the petals for inspection. Reaching up to one of the lower hanging branches, he gently plucked one of the blooms off of it, and held it up to her view.

"Flower, yes. Those are called petals, and they come from flowers. It's a plant that's a special part of nature that naturally lets off scents and can come in all kinds of shapes and colors. They can also come from different places like the ground or from bushes and trees, like this one here."

He took Zero Two's hand and placed the cherry blossom in her palm, the stray petals she'd been holding drifting slowly to the ground. She gazed at the pretty object in her hand with eyes that glistened with fascination, a soft sound escaping her as she took in the tiny stalks that emerged from the center.

"This one is called a Cherry Blossom, and they only come in Spring for a short time then they go away until next year." Hiro explained to her. Zero Two twitched at this, her expression growing sad as she stared at the fragile little pink thing, so vibrant and wonderful yet so temporary.

"They're gonna... go away?" She asked in a sad tone, making Hiro realize he needed to choose his next words carefully so he didn't upset her. Some things in life were hard to accept, but it didn't benefit anyone to sugarcoat them, either.

"All things eventually go away, Zero Two, but that doesn't mean they can't come back. Some things don't go away forever, they're a reoccurring part of nature that return with time. Like flowers; they grow, bloom, then wilt. But they always come back so long as they have the means to."

She stared at the flower, her mouth curving deeper into a frown.

"Will... Will Darling ever... have to go away?" All she could see in her mind was the final page of their book, where the Princess had to go away from the Prince in order to protect him... Would she eventually have to do the same thing?

"No, Zero Two, I'm not going anywhere. Not as long as we keep doing as we're told, which we have. We'll show them just how great of partners we are when we start flying and they'll have to keep us together, I'm sure of it." He could only hope he sounded as sure as he wanted to, because deep down he was just as scared of that possibility as her.

Perhaps it was a bit hypocritical in a way, seeing as he'd just told himself it didn't benefit to sugarcoat things, but it was something he desperately wanted to believe in as well.

Suddenly Zero Two flung herself back into his arms, burying her face in his chest as she wrapped her arms tight around him. It caught him off guard a little, but he easily returned her embrace, though he looked down at her with concern.

"I don't wanna go away from Darling... ever." Her words were muffled, but he still heard her nonetheless.

He could feel her trembling slightly, and it hurt him to see just how scared she was when she was so happy a few minutes ago. This isn't how he wanted her to be at all, especially when these precious couple hours they had to have fun were slowly dwindling down to nothing.

"You won't... and you know what? Even if something somehow managed to take one of us away, I'd never stop trying to find you. I would never stop trying to be with you again, whether it be in this life or the next."

"Promise?" She asked, her tone shaking with fragility.

"In profound sadness, the prince searched all across the land for her. But nobody had seen the princess."

The final line of the book was a haunting echo, but he shook it away the best he could. It wouldn't be like that... Not for them, he had to keep believing that.

He reached down and gently grabbed the flower from her hand, before lifting it up to place into her hair, between her ear and her horn. Beautiful...

"I promise you." He said strongly, before holding her close to his heart.

"I promise, too." Zero Two said with severity.

Hiro smiled, knowing she would fight tooth and nail to keep that promise. That was just the kind of thing that drew him to her in the first place, her tendency to fight for what she wanted. This time he would follow her example, and fight with her by his side.

For now, he almost forgot something important...

"Oh yeah... Happy birthday, Zero Two." He whispered as he held her, the cherry blossom petals silently dancing around them in the soft breeze.

She smiled, nuzzling into his shoulder. This had truly been the best day of her life, even better than that fateful day in the snow, and it wouldn't have been possible without the boy holding her.

"Thank you, Darling..." She murmured gratefully.

Hiro would ask Doctor Franxx later, when their precious little time of freedom was up, if they could make this a yearly tradition. He said he'd never ask for anything else if that was what it took to make that possible.

Franxx just shook his head.

"That's not necessary, 016. While I can't promise this will happen every year, I can promise that this won't be the last time you experience something this gratifying."

Hiro won't know until years later just how far that promise extended.


February 14 - 2134

"Does it hurt at all, Zero Two?" Hiro asked as he gently scraped a file against her horn.

Usually the caretakers would do this when they got too long for safety reasons, but Hiro had started to do it himself after one particularly bad day almost a year ago where they hadn't been gentle and Zero Two bit them in response.

Needless to say, they were not happy and had tossed both her and the nail file back into their room harshly soon after, spitting at him to do it himself before the door slammed behind them.

"Not a bit, the light vibration from it is a little odd at times but other than that it's kind of relaxing when you do it for me." Zero Two replied, watching with fascination as bright red dust sprinkled like snow in front of her face to the table below. When they caught the light just right the bigger pieces would sparkle in a pretty way, enchanting her.

Hiro smiled at her answer. "I'm glad. It's the same for me, too."

He took a cloth that was resting on the table and used it to gently rub along the freshly trimmed horns, giving them a finishing shine as the dusty remnants were wiped away.

"I like the way you polish them to be so shiny... they actually look kinda nice then." Zero Two commented as she looked at the reflective surface of the table in front of her.

"They always look nice, Zero Two. Every part of you is wonderful in it's own way." Hiro said with empathy.

Zero Two kept quiet, part of her wanting to object but another didn't want to upset Darling for disagreeing with him. She never liked her horns, or how people would stare at them whenever they saw her...

The only one she didn't feel ashamed of them in front of was Darling... and even then she still wished she didn't have them.

She wanted to be like the Princess in the book, who was able to get rid of her horns when she tore off her wings. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't do something like that, not without causing pain for herself that would inevitably be for nothing as they always grew back. It's one thing to shave them down, it's another to try and rip them off from the base.

The doctor had promised he was working on something to help maintain them better, though, so she hoped whatever it was helped.

"There we go, all done." Hiro said as he lightly brushed off the loose bits of dust in her hair.

"Thank you, Darling." Zero Two said sweetly, sitting up straight and brushing the rest of it out herself. Hiro began to clean up the dusty mess, a few larger pieces of her horn mixing in with the finer dust as he swept it up into a neat pile on the table.

He smiled as he picked up the biggest piece he could find, a thumbnail sized piece that glittered in the lighting. It looked like a gemstone, he remembered reading about stones that naturally grew like plants did, only through an entirely different and lengthy process.

"You know, your horn looks like a ruby like this." Hiro commented absentmindedly.

"What's a ruby?" Zero Two asked, once again finding herself curious over a new word.

"It's a precious gemstone that adults used to mine from the ground, a long time ago they would trade them or wear them in decorative things called 'jewelry'. You can always recognize a ruby by it's bright red color, like this one."

Now that he thought of it, there was a gemstone in their story book, too. It was a different color, but the shape was exactly like what he'd seen in his text book. It gave him an idea that he now wanted to try.

Taking the file, he tried to shave the piece of horn in his hand a little more to try and recreate the shape he'd seen the gems take in the book. If he remembered correctly, they had multiple faceted sides like this, and pointed down like this...

"There, they looked like this!" He showed her after polishing it a little bit to make it shine more.

It was a little misshapen, as Hiro is by no means a professional jeweler, but the piece of horn looked more unique and appealing to her all the same. The way it shimmered in the light, glinting a flash of red when it was turned just right, it was a contender for the prettiest thing she'd ever seen, right there with the cherry blossoms.

"Maybe one day when we're allowed out of here to go on missions, we'll find real ones somewhere." It was highly unlikely, but they would never know until tried, would they?

Zero Two took the gem-shaped piece of horn, turning and twisting it around in her fingers to watch it shine in the light some more.

Hiro wished he knew anything about making those jewelry things, then he could make them something special that they could wear together.

"This is what my horns can look like...? Something pretty?" She said with wonder as she took in everything he told her.

The concept was so foreign to her, an impossibility that was always meant to be out of reach for someone like her... Being pretty. Monsters weren't meant to be pretty, though, and no matter how many times Darling told her she was, it never really sunk in that she could feel it for herself.

Until now, that is... Maybe... maybe some parts of her could be pretty sometimes...

"Not just something pretty, Zero Two. They were something so beautiful that lots of adults sought them out to hoard them all for themselves. But they're going to be sorely disappointed to find out that this precious gem right here belongs to me, and I never plan to give her up." He said with a passion as he held her close, almost possessively.

Zero Two's eyes widened a bit at hearing this, her already crimson cheeks brightening as a gentle flush took over them. Feeling shy all of a sudden from such a bold statement, she leaned forward to hide her face in his collarbone, a cute noise of embarrassment escaping her as she did so. Hiro couldn't help but find it extremely cute, like most everything she did.

However, her forehead was perfectly aligned with his mouth from this position, pressing up against his chin as she hid herself.

It was out of pure reflex his lips lightly pursed themselves against her in a gesture he'd never done before. Zero Two gasped softly at the feeling, before looking up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm... I'm not sure why I did that..." Hiro said bashfully, his cheeks flooding with heat as they grew red in color. It was his turn to feel embarrassed now, as it must have felt weird, having his lips touch her like that...

But she didn't look at him like she'd felt uncomfortable, she looked... the opposite.

Even with her deep red skin tone, he could see the blush that blossomed beautifully across her cheeks, her eyes looking at him with a hooded gaze. She looked so alluring to him, more so in that moment than ever before.

His eyes drifted lower on her face, for some reason drawn to her mouth as she parted her lips slightly while watching him. Now that he was paying close attention to them, they were just a shade paler than the rest of her skin, but still a lovely rosy color. They looked soft too, but he couldn't quite be sure. Not unless he...

For Zero Two, feeling his lips touch her forehead like that had been so comforting of a feeling, she'd never felt anything like it. Not even from all the hugs or the times he'd held her did she feel such happiness, the only thing confusing her was the fact that it had come from his mouth of all places.

Being held in his arms always provided a feeling of happiness that stemmed from safety, but the feeling of happiness she'd felt from his lips were different. It stemmed from something else, something she couldn't name at all but wanted to know more about.

Her eyes went to his lips, which were parted in wonder as he stared at her with - unbeknownst to her - the exact same expression she gazed upon him with.

It was like a magnet had been placed between them, pulling them to lean forth slowly toward one another. They weren't quite sure what it was they were planning to do, but they were content with letting their instincts guide them to whatever it was.

Their heartbeats were pounding like drums in their ears, their breath could now be felt by the other as they grew closer, their eyes shimmering with emotion as they slowly closed.

Gently, tentatively, their lips connected together for the first time. A light pressing of his mouth to hers, so light that it was practically feather soft.

At first neither of them were quite sure of what exactly to do or what to expect, simply taking in the feeling of the other's lips on theirs. It was... nice, odd but nice. Odd in the sense that they weren't used to being touched in such a strange way, but nice in the way their lips tingled slightly from the act.

Then Hiro tilted his head just slightly, simultaneously making the experience all the more pleasurable as they both felt the kiss deepen. They could feel almost the entirety of the other's lips on their now, and it was such a pleasant feeling that they felt themselves starting to get lost in it.

They couldn't for long, however, as it soon became difficult to breathe, and the preteens were forced to part to take in much needed air. Their cheeks were almost equally crimson - one being redder for obvious reasons - as they opened their eyes to each other once more.

Zero Two ran her tongue over her lips, her eyes narrowing in desire at the taste she was experiencing.

Darling's taste... it's incredible.

She didn't quite know how to describe it, as it had no real comparative flavor, but it still gave her a rush of excitement from experiencing it. Like the feeling of adrenaline someone got from a dangerous stunt or doing something forbidden, it made her heart race.

It was addicting, and she wanted more.

"Again..." She whispered, Hiro already nodding in agreement even as she was leaning forward.

Their lips met again and Zero Two lifted her other hand to instinctively cup at his cheek to hold him to her longer, feeling his soft skin beneath her fingers. The tips of his hair caressed them as she did so, tickling slightly but adding to her joy all the same. She wanted to touch him more like this, hoping it felt as good for him as it did for her.

Hiro brought his own hand up to mimic her so it must have, holding her gently to him as he let himself get lost in his own happiness.

Once again, though, the need to breathe became urgent and they had to separate to do so, gazing at each other with so much affection for one another.

"Again." Hiro said, panting, before his lips were covered once more. This was something they could definitely keep all for themselves, this feeling far too marvelous to share with anyone else.

The ruby-like piece of horn lay forgotten beside them, having fallen from Zero Two's hand in the midst of their actions, and wouldn't be remembered until a little later.

That precious moment was one they'd come to treasure together, and would reflect on fondly for years to come, a day where they shared one of the greatest of firsts.

They wouldn't know what it was called for a while, but it didn't stop them from discovering it naturally as their bodies instinctively sought to connect in more intimate ways. By the time they knew what it was called they had already done it many times, but it was still nice to put a name to one of their favorite memories growing up.

Their first kiss...


And that's chapter 3, thank you for reading this far. This was a pretty sweet chapter to write, it actually made me remember my own first kiss... I was in first grade and it was with my first crush. I also remember other kids coming and making fun because they knew what we were doing, haha. It's still a nice memory, but I have to wonder now, what was your first kiss like? If you're comfortable sharing, I'd love to hear about it.

Yes, I did use Valentine's Day as the day of their first kiss, no real reason, just a bit of poetic irony. Thought it would suit the theme a little nicer.

Hope to see you in the next chapter, bye for now.