This is the best chapter yet, at least that's what I'd like to think. Welcome to Taking The Dive Finale. Enjoy!
Hiro didn't exactly know what was wrong with him, he felt like he had just woken up from some strange dream. His head was pounding, and his vision was fuzzy and distorted. He could swear he heard a voice calling to him. A feminine voice, lovingly calling out to him, echoing in the back of his mind
"Who's voice is that?" Hiro says to himself as his vision returns to him. He looked around to see where he was.
To his relief, he was right where he remembered being.
"That's right...the blood trail," Hiro said to himself as he continued to follow it. Hiro wondered if it belonged to the bird he saw hit the glass dome earlier.
As Hiro continued to walk, he wondered to himself why he had suddenly blacked out earlier. He knew he had eaten, he knew that he was healthy and got enough sleep. Hiro had no clue as to what had happened
"I wonder what that was all about...the things I saw were...so strange," Hiro said to himself
Hiro recalled what he saw, the images that flashed through his blurry vision as he had regained his consciousness. He remembered seeing the blurry outline of tall, shining structures. He remembered hallways made of white light, with people dressed in white moving about them. He remembered being secured in a chair, next to what he could assume was another person.
"What a strange dream..." Hiro said to himself with a puzzled look on his face
Hiro continued to follow the blood trail until he arrived at a lake cloaked in fog. Hiro had never seen this area before, so he was a little surprised by this. However, his attention was drawn to a uniform had had been draped across a nearby log. Hiro walked over to the log to examine the uniform.
"This uniform isn't the same as mine...I wonder who it belongs..." Hiro said to himself as he eyes were drawn to the lake.
Standing in the lake was a woman with pink hair, completely naked. Hiro was in such a state of shock, he couldn't move. Then, to his surprise, the woman suddenly disappeared beneath the water. She didn't come back up after that.
"No way! Is she drowning?!" Hiro said in a panicked state as he quickly rushed into the water
"I've gotta help her!" He said as he waded farther into the lake
It was that that moment that the pink haired women suddenly burst out of the water, holding a fish in her mouth as she looked down at him. Hiro was in more shock than he ever had been in his life. Hiro just stared at her, and she stared back, neither of them saying a word. Soon reality came crashing in for Hiro, and he realized what kind of situation he was in. He was staring at a naked girl...and he only then just realized it.
"N-N-N-N-Naked!?" Hiro yelled as a look of embarrassed shock grew on his face as he quickly looked away
"Oh? And here I thought you were dead..." The woman said as she walked passed Hiro towards the shore
Suddenly, an Image of a girl with the same hair and horns flashed in Hiro's mind. It was the same girl, with a warm smile and tears in her eyes. As for the girl, when she walked past him, an image flashed in her mind as well, one of a boy who looked like Hiro, with a determined grin on his face.
The girl stopped and turned to face Hiro, a curious look in her eyes
"Um...have we met before?" Hiro asked curiously
The girl just stared at him for a moment before answering him.
"No," she said as she turned to walk away
"Oh...are you a parasite? Why were you bathing here" Hiro asked
"It's so weird. I heard ocean water was salty," the girl said, completely disregarding Hiro's question as she licked her arm
"Um...this isn't an ocean," Hiro said in a slightly puzzled tone
"I know that much. But this is the most ocean-like place I know," the girl said
She turned to face Hiro
"Aren't you gonna swim?" She asked him
"Huh? Me? Nah, I'm good," Hiro said in reply
"Really? But it feels so good. You were staring so hard, I thought you wanted to swim too." The girl said, pointing out Hiro's previous actions
"Th-That's because I thought you were drowning, so I jumped in to save you and..."
Hiro turned to look away with a look of slight embarrassment on his face
"S-sorry, but could you please put your clothes on?" Hiro asked in a slightly quieter voice
The girl stood there with a look of contemplation on her face, that was until a smile soon formed on it
"Oh, I get it! You're a pervert!" The girl said while pointing at him
"Eh?! Where'd that come from?" Hiro said defensively
The girl pointed down to the pair of panties Hiro was holding in his hand, the one he had picked up before when he was examining the girls clothes
Hiro had a mini freak out moment before quickly thrusting the panties back towards the girl
"Th-This isn't what it looks like!" Hiro said as he tried to preserve his dignity
The girl let out a small snort, then bust out in laughter
"Your face looks hilarious!" She said as she held her belly to contain her hard laugher. Soon she stopped laughing and looked back at Hiro with a smile
"But you jumped in to save me, huh? I appreciate that, thank you," the girl said with a smile
Hiro just looked at her, his mouth slightly agape...
And then everything went dark...
Images...
Lights...
An assortment of scenes flashed in Hiro's mind.
Tall shining towers...
People sitting in a white walled room...
A pink haired girl comforting him...
Hiro snapped back into reality not a moment to soon, as he found himself standing on a loading platform, watching the vessel carrying his former partner, Naomi, become ever more distant along the horizon.
"I blacked out again, so strange..." Hiro said as he rubbed his forehead
It was in that moment that Hiro could hear rumbling, as if the ground was breaking apart in the distance. He could see blue spikes coming from the ground near the pod
"Those things weren't there before," Hiro said in a slightly worried voice
Hiro watched as the pod fell into the ground and out of sight
"Naomi!" Hiro yelled as he gripped the handrails, watching the events unfold around him
A giant klaxosaur burst out of the ground, letting out an almost otherworldly roar. Hiro watched as the klaxosaur began its march towards the Plantation
"So that's a klaxosaur?" Hiro said in terrified amazement
Hiro watched as the Plantation unleashed a rain of explosive firepower at the klaxosaur. As it got closer, one shot managed to hit its leg, and it came toppling over into the loading ramp that Hiro was standing on. As the ramp was thrown into the air, Hiro hung on for dear life until it came crashing back down, flinging Hiro onto a nearby walkway.
Hiro watched as it began to walk away towards the other side of the plantation. A sudden realization came to Hiro. It was heading in the direction of the graduation ceremony, where all of his friends were
"Wait, that's where...damn it!" Hiro said as he got up and ran after the klaxosaur
As Hiro was running, another giant object rushed passed him.
"Another klaxosaur!?" Hiro said as he continued to run
As the klaxosaur made its way to where the graduation ceremony was, it began to break through the garage that was protecting the rest of Squad 13. As it was about to fire a shot inside, the object that Hero had seen before knocked it to the ground. The object began to tear away at the flesh of the klaxosaur until it was thrown off.
The klaxosaur readied itself for another attempt at laser fire, although this time, it would be much stronger. As it fired, the second object blocked the attack, but in doing so, was thrown right to where Hiro was
"Ow...what was that?" Hiro said as he got up
As Hiro was getting up, he saw a bloodied man fall out of the object
"Hey! Are you alright?" Hiro said as he went to examine the man
"Forget about him, he's a goner," said a female voice
Hiro looked up to see the girl he had met at the lake form before
"Wait, you're...what are you doing in there?" Hiro asked as the girl stepped out of the object
"What does it look like, I'm going monster hunting of course," The girl said with a strained smile
"You're going to pilot this thing all by yourself?" Hiro asked
"I've gotta go," the girl said, not even bothering to answer his question
"Wait! Hold on a second! You can't go like that!"
"Get off me!" The girl said angrily as she slapped Hiro across the face
"This is crazy. Besides you're on your own now, Franxx can't be piloted alone," Hiro said worriedly
The girl paused a moment before answering
"I'm always alone. It's been like that forever, I'm used to it,"
"Don't go, you'll die out there!" Hiro yelled
"Sooner or later, that thing is going to start moving again. When it does, everyone here is going to die. But I'm not afraid of death. And even if I were, I still have a job to do," the girl said
"Now if you'll excuse me..."
The girl began to climb back inside the Franxx, as Hiro stood there watching her.
"Wait...I'll pilot that robot with you. I'm not about to let you do this on your own" Hiro said
Images flashed in his mind...
Saying something self sacrificial like that seemed eerily familiar...
"Oh? And are you prepared to die?" The girl asked as she looked down at her ding partner
"I don't know that, but what I do know is that right now, I don't belong anywhere, which means I mind as well be dead. So please, take me with you!"
"Hmm...you really are just like me. You and I are very similar. I haven't seen a human cry in quite a long time. I like the look in your eye...now come to me," the girl said as she held out her hand
Once Hiro took it, the girl pulled him inside of the Franxx. The girl looked at Hiro with a smile of anticipation
"Let me get a good taste of you, because after all..."
"You are now my Darling!"
Those words seemed to echo in Hiro's mind, and not just his, but the girl's too. The each saw images that neither of them recognized.
A twinkling cityscape under the night sky...
People smiling without a care in the world...
A tower lined with pearly white hallways...
And the most important thing of all, they saw each other...
Together...
"Wait...It's you..." Hiro said
"It can't be...you're..." the girl said
And everything went dark once more...
A young boy was walking along in the snow, nothing but trees and endless bite surrounding him. This boy had many things on his mind, who he was, why he couldn't haves name, where the kids who disappeared went off to.
So many questions, all without answers
However, the one thing he did know was where he was going, and who he was trying to save...
The red skinned girl with the horns...
Hiro made his way to the tall dark tower to search for a way in. He made his way up a tree to where he could see the girl's room. Hiro had an object in his hand as well.
He knew what he was going to do with it...
"Hey, get away from the window!" Hiro yelled as he threw it
The object smashed through the window with a loud crash
Hiro got close to the widow as saw the red skinned girl cowering against the wall
"Come this way! I can get you out of here!" The boy said as he gave out his hand
The girl, who had been cowering is defensive fear, soon had a look of confusion on her face, as she looked at this boy risking himself to save her
The girl made her way over to the boy. and took his hand. As she did, the branch the boy was perched on broke, and they both fell to the ground...
The boy hadn't woken up, so the girl had been forced to carry him for some ways. She didn't recognize the area she was in, she didn't recognize the sounds she heard.
She was on edge the whole time. As she stayed on guard, some mice darted in front of her, mice that she soon began to pounce at. As she was doing this, the boy who saved her began to get up.
As the boy looked at the girl, he noticed that she was eating one of the mice that had run past her.
"What are you eating!?" The boy yelled as he ran over to her
"Wait, don't swallow it, spit it out!" The boy said as he reached out to the red skinned girl
Instinctively, the girl lashed out and but the boys hand. The boy grimaced with pain, but he kindly stroked the girl's hair to make her let go. After calming down, she eventually did
"You meanie! I was only trying to..." the boy said until he noticed the look on the girl's face
She had an apologetic look expression, and she let out a small noize as if trying to let him know that she made a mistake.
"Wait a second, do you not understand what I'm saying?" The boy asked
"..."
"I'm code 016, Hiro. What's your code number?" The boy asked as the two began to walk again
The girl didn't respond, so Hiro didn't say anything in return. However, he did notice one thing about her that was a bit odd.
"Hey, you're barefoot," Hiro said as he looked down at her feet
That was when he noticed the band around her ankle.
"002? I've never seen a code in the single digits," Hiro said
The girl let out a quiet noise signaling that she had no idea what he was talking about
"002, Hmm...Oni? Zero Two? Nah, that's not good either," Hiro said as he tried to come with a name for this strange red skinned girl
The girl began to make a sound, a sound that almost sounded like words.
"Wait, you know what names are?" Hiro asked as the girl tried to utter the words "Zero Two"
"I really should have come up with something better," said Hiro with a slightly disappointed tone
Nevertheless, Hiro smiled
"Let's go Zero Two, let's go somewhere far away," Hiro said to Zero Two
The two walked through the snow, each one enjoying each other;s company the whole way. Eventually, the two stopped to take a break by sitting against a big tree. Hiro pulled a green object out of his pocket and handed it to Zero Two.
"Here you go, its food, eat it! Oh wait..." Hiro said as he unwrapped the candy
"Now say 'ahhhhh'" Hiro said as he moved the cand closer to Zero Two's face
She did exactly as he told her, said ahhhhh, and Hiro fed her the candy. A look of pure joy washed across Zero Two's face, even going as far as letting out a small squeal of delight. He had never had something this tasty, this amazing. After doing some more joyful squealing, Zero Two pulled out the picture book she had kept within her tattered black robes.
"What? Are you sure I can look at it?" Hiro asked
Zero Two let out a grunt, almost as if trying to say "Yea!"
"Well thank you," Hiro said with a smile as he took the book from her
Hiro looked at the title of the picture book
"The beast and the prince huh?" Hiro said as he opened the book
"Wow, these pictures are so pretty!" Hiro said as he read through the book
Before they could even begin to read the book together, they could hear the voices of guards coming, so they did their best to hide from them. Hiro assured Zero Two that they would let him off, but that soon changed when he heard the guards taking about eliminating him if he resisted
"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll protect you," Hiro said as he held on to a scared Zero Two
The guards eventually left, and so they continued on into the snow. They walked and ran and walked, and then ran some more, until finally they could rest. They once again began to read the book.
"Sorry, I was just thinking how sad this story is. Is it only because of of them is human, that the prince and the princess can get married?" Hiro asked out loud
Zero Two let out a sound, trying to say the word "married"
"Yea that's what its called when to people who love each other promise to be together forever," Hiro said in response
Zero Two gave Hiro a weak smile, and he too smiled back
"Cmon, let's walk some more," Hiro said as he began to stand up
However, when Zero Two tried to stand she fell over with a painful grunt
"Are you okay? Let me see," Hero said as he knelt down
Hiro looked at Zero Two's wound and was shocked.
"It's blue?" Hmmm...anyway I need something to..." Hiro said as he looked around
There was not her to cover the wound with. Thinking quickly, Hiro knelt down and licked Zero Two's wound
"Just endure it okay? I read in a book that animals lick their wounds to heal them, and that small I've got," Hiro said
Zero Two looked down at her book and noticed that Hiro was doing the same thing as in the book.
"Mawwy?" Zero Two asked as she pointed at the book
Hiro looked at her and smiled
"Yea, once we get out of here, because I want to be with you forever."
That last word, forever, seemed to echo from everywhere. Images flashed in the minds of the two children.
Towers...
Houses...
A room with two chairs and strange equipment...
A statue of a big robot, a robot that was so familiar...
And everything once again...went dark...
"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Miku asked a depressed Hiro
"I want to keep and eye on her," Hiro said solemnly
Miku just nodded with a slight smile, and quietly left the room
Hiro looked down at Zero Two's unresponsive body, her eyes staring up at the white ceiling blankly. Hiro just looked at her, unable to understand what was wrong with her. Hiro was lost in thought, so many things running through his mind...
Zero Two...
The VIRM...
The images in his head of a world he'd never seen...
All of it was too much for him.
Hiro got up off of Zero Two's bed, and walked over to the picture book he and Zero Two shared so many memories with. He flipped through the pages until he came to a point where the pages ended
"Huh...she didn't finish it," Hiro said to himself as he looked at the blank page
Hiro looked sadly sat the book and read the words on the page
"And so she turned into a bird and took to the skies, leaving the prince all alone,"
The sad realization struck Hiro directly in his already torn heart
"You knew all along...you knew that we'd have to part like them someday...so you left the last page for me," Hiro said as he caressed Zero Two's cheek
"Why would you...that's just...Cruel" Hiro said as he pressed his forehead against Zero Two's, their horns touching each other
At that moment, Zero Two's body jerked backwards, slashes appearing on her face. Hiro looked out the window and saw the battle raging in space above. He quickly made the connection.
"No way, it can't be. Are you up there?" Hiro said out loud, looking out the window in disbelief and sadness
...
All of Squad 13 had been called in for a meeting by Goro, it was apparently something important. But something else was on Hiro's mind, something much more important to him. That's why he was the last to enter.
"Oh, Hiro!" Said Ichigo as Hiro stood in the doorway
"There you are! Heh, late again," Said Zorome happily
Hiro, who had been looking down at his feet, looked up to face his friends
"Guys, I need to talk to you..."
...
"Huh? You're going to space?" Asked Ichigo quietly
"To meet with Zero Two?" Asked Goro
"What are you even saying? Zero Two is inside her room," said Miku, who was just as confused as everyone else
"Her body is, but her mind is inside of Strelitzia. As we speak, she is fighting in space," Hiro said, his voice full of seriousness
Everyone stared at Hiro in disbelief, each person too confused and worried to say anything.
"Let's slow down, my brain can't keep up," said Goro as he brought his hand to face face to support it
"How are you going to get to space anyway? Do you even have a plan?" Asked Zorome
"There is a way, a way the klaxosaurs left us," Hiro said
Hiro told them about the ship that had been discovered by **** while he was looking for good farming land. Somehow, he was able to access the ship's systems, despite it being a klaxosaur. He also told them about where it was going.
"Mars's orbit?" Everyone asked in disbelief
"Isn't that like, stupidly far away?" Asked Zorome
"Then will you even be able to come back afterwards?" Asked Miku worriedly
"I don't know," Hiro answered bluntly
"You'll be fighting those monsters!" Zorome exclaimed
"That's right," Hiro said bluntly again
"We're saying you could lose your life if you go," Ikuno said with a slight seriousness in her voice
"I know. I know that it's reckless, but if I don't take the risk and act now, I will never be able to forgive myself...So I'm going...I just wanted to let you guys know..."
"Goodbye..." Hiro said as he turned and began to walk out of the room
"Hey wait!" Zorome said
A look of anger washed over Goro's face, and without warning, he pushed past Zorome to chase after Hiro.
"Hold it!" Goro said as he grabbed Hiro's shoulder and spun him around to face him
"Why Hiro, we need to work together, we have to start over again from scratch here! So why do you have to do this right now!" Goro said with anger in his voice
"It's Zero Two...I can't leave her alone. We made a promise. Even if we were torn apart, we would go and get the other, no matter how far. Zero Two kept up her end of the promise, so I can just sit here and do nothing! I absolutely cannot!" Hiro said with full seriousness, so much so that his horns radiated blue light
The squad could definitely grasp just how serious Hiro was about this. It was as clear as the looks on their faces when Hiro made his declaration
"I feel bad about letting you all down, but at the same time, I want you to understand," Hiro said as he looked away, a look of guilt in his eyes
"What do you mean you feel bad? What do you mean you want us to understand? Have you ever spared a thought for someone other than yourself?" Asked Goro
"What about the people who are close to you, have you ever thought about how they feel? Never...that's how you are, you run off and make your own decisions, you never stop to think about us. Papa and the adults are gone now, but forget freedom, our hands are completely tied!"
"Have you stopped to think about how worried we all are about this? When someone collapses, all we can do is watch, yet we're trying our damned hardest to live on. But here you are running off to die! What are we supposed to understand about you?! There are people doing all that they can to support you because they want you to live, and you trample their feelings as you leave!"
"The hell...DO YOU WANT UNDERSTOOD ABOUT YOU?!" Goro yelled with anger
Hiro and Goro stood silently looking at each other.
"Even so, I have to go," Hiro said quietly
"If Zero Two won't smile for me again...then I mind as well be dead."
Goro looked at Hiro with a mix of surprise, sympathy, and anger all at once. He had finally reached his limit. Goro walked over to Hiro and socked him right across the face.
"Hey Goro, knock it off!" Zorome said as he quickly walked over to hold Goro back
Hiro felt that punch, he understood why Goro did it. But still, Hiro knew what he absolutely had to do. And with that final thought...
Yet again...everything became dark once more...
2 years...two years had passed since that moment. Everything he had been through, everything he had done, was resonating within him, and yet...
He was fading away into nothing. His mind was becoming lost because of the VIRM's tricks, it's hollow words severing him from his body.
Hiro could see his memories unraveling before him, like a knot being undone. He saw memories that he held dear to him, and ones that he had no clue as to why he had them.
Memories of a shining city under blue skies, where everyone was happy and free. Hiro didn't know why he had them, why they were there. He didn't know what they meant, so why did he have them? As he faded away...there was still hope for him and Zero Two yet
"I can hear them...I can hear their voices. Darling, can you hear them too?" Zero Two said as she called out to Hiro, hearing the voices of their friends on Earth
"I hear...their voices...I," Hiro said to himself
"That's right, Humans are strong."
"Zero Two?"
"This is something you started. You've always Yelled out that you wan to be there and live together with everyone," Zero Two said
"It's not something I'm proud of. Mine was a petty, selfish wish. I thoughtlessly rushed towards everything, and I caused trouble for everyone," Hiro said solemnly
"But that's how badly you wanted to live right? That's why you yelled at me and said you wanted to be here right? You dazzled me, your pained expression and your tears, they were exactly the humanity I always wanted. And so, we were bound by a kiss, a symbol saying you're mine and one alone. You're special to me, we met by chance, and were attracted to each other by nature. Now, say my name...Darling!" Said Zero Two as she reached out her hand
"Zero...Two!" Hiro said as he clasped her hand tightly
Zero Two brought her face close, a smile etched across it.
"Now, it's time to become one!" Said Zero Two
And with that, their fates were sealed with a kiss...
Zero Two grabbed Hringhorni, which had Impaled itself into her, and ripped it out. Her and her Darling's will was unbeatable, and with that, Zero Two brought Hringhorni under her control.
"I can feel your blood, I can feel it coursing through my veins! You're dying every part of me in your colors!" Zero Two said with determined happiness
"I was so blessed...to have met you all!" Zero Two said to all who were listening as she blasted towards that VIRM home world with blazing speed
"I'm glad I was born into the world! Darling, I love you!" Zero Two happily declared as she tore through the VIRM armada and towards the planet
"Same here! Zero Two...I love you!" Hiro declaimed with equal happiness
With that, the yelled, they yelled their hardest, loudest yell as ever before. It was one filled with so much emotion, no words could describe it. They clasped onto the klaxosaur bomb and dove right for the planet, crashing into it with unimaginable force.
"Commence implanting!" Hiro yelled as Zero Two dug her arm into the bomb
However, a VIRM ship sliced her arm off, and other ships came to hold her back.
"No yet...we've got to rewrite that story...and continue it TOGETHER!" Hero yelled with defiance
Strelitzia Apus shattered apart in space, revealing the golden form of the original Strelitzia glowing in the purple background of space. It blew past the VIRM armada and right into the klaxosaur bomb.
It was over...
The battle was finished...
VIRM was defeated...
"Zero Two...I am becoming one with you. Now you are me."
"And you are me."
"So, we're probably going to disappear soon. But still, the path we've walked on will never fade. The others will take it further."
"It doesn't matter how long, if we have souls, I swear Ill meat you again, back where we started. Back on earth."
"I love you Zero Two."
"I feel the same. I love you...Darling."
…
...
"All of you so-called souls, are you going back to be caged on your bodies? You willingly choose to be shackled by pain and sorrow? VIRM shall not die. I'm sure we will face off again at the apex of evolution, so long as the universe contains a flicker of life..."
And so, everything became as white as the stars...
"Water? Why do I hear water? Wait...why do I feel water" Hiro thought to himself
Hiro could see a mix of blurry colors, white and blue mushed together. As Hilo's vision came into focus, he realized he was lying down on the ground.
Hiro sat up, the sound of water running off his back and splashing into water below sounded around him as he sat up. Hiro looked around and saw that the ground was made of a thin layer of water, water so clear and reflective, whatever ground was beneath it was unseeable.
"What is this place?" Hiro said as he looked around.
There was nothing but water, and the blue sky above was a bright shade of blue, filled with thick, fluffy white clouds. Hiro was broken out of his confusion when he heard someone getting up behind him.
Hiro turned to see Zero Two sitting up, her skin as red as the day the first met. Her hand was against her face as her surroundings came to her.
"Zero...Two?" Hiro asked happily as tears welled in his eyes
Zero Two froze for a moment, then slowly turned to look up at Hiro.
"Darling?" Zero Two asked as she too began to tear up
Zero Two quickly got up and rushed over to Hiro, embracing him the moment she came into contact with him. Hiro, through sheer happiness, embraced her as well.
"Zero Two, you're here, you're really here with me," Hiro said through his tears
"Yes Darling, I'm right here," Zero Two said through her own tears
The two stood like that for a good while, until they finally separated themselves. Zero Two looked at Hiro, his body being like hers, except he was blue and not red.
"You look wonderful Darling," Zero Two said with a smile
"As do you. I haven't seen you look this beautiful since the day we met," Hiro said with an equally sincere smile
The two stood there silently smiling at each other for a moment. It was then that Zero Two realized that she had no idea where they were.
"Darling, where are we?" Zero Two asked as she looked around
"I don't know, all I see is water and the sky," Hiro said as he looked down at his feet, which were ankle deep in water
As Zero Two looked around, she saw something that stood out to her.
"Darling, look over there!" Zero Two said as she pointed over Hilo's shoulder
As Hiro looked behind him, he saw a massive cherry tree standing alone in the sea of water.
"That wasn't there before," Hiro said in a slightly confused tone
"Let's go check it out!" Zero Two said as she grabbed Hilo's hand and dragged him along
Suddenly, a memory flashed through Hiro's mind. He saw a girl with pink hair dragging him along in a place he'd never see before. He could see other people around him, but their faces were unrecognizable.
Zero Two dragged Hiro along behind her until she came to an abrupt stop right in front of the tree.
"Zero Two, what's..." Hiro began to say until he saw what she was looking at
Hiro looked in awe as he saw the two bodies resting quietly against the tree.
"Zero Two...is that...us?" Hiro asked as he looked onward in shock
"It is Darling...but it's not...no...they are us..." Zero Two said in equal shock
Neither could wrap their head around the situation. They were looking at themselves, although it wasn't them. They were earring storage clothes, clothes they had never seen before.
"They...we look so calm," Hiro said as he corrected himself
"We do...I have to admit, I like what I'm seeing Darling," Zero Two said calmly, yet happily
Hiro smiled too. He wished he could have had this kind of life with Zero Two. As he was thinking this, the bodies suddenly began to move. Zero Two and Hiro took a step back as they stood up. The other versions of themselves look at them and smiled, a warm, kind smile.
"It's time, time for you to fulfill your promise," The other Hiro said
"This is why you are here, in this moment, to begin again," The other Zero Two said
Zero Two and Hiro looked at each other in confusion.
"Don't worry, this was always meant to happen, that's why you're here," The other Hiro said
Both Zero Two and Hiro had flashes of strange memories, memories that they never lived.
"It's time for you...it's time for us to wake up. Take our hands, and fulfill the promise you made one thousand years ago," The other Iota said ash they both stretched out their hands
Hiro and Zero Two didn't know why, but they felt the need to take their hands. As they did so, the world around them began to crumble, and everything faded to white. As soon as it did, memories came rushing into their minds, memories of the place they were their lives had restarted.
"Zero Two...I remember...I remember everything!" Hiro said as white flooded his vision
"Yes Darling...I remember too. Our promise...has already been fulfilled," Zero Two said with happiness
Soon, neither of them could see anything, but they knew that they would see each other soon.
"See you soon Zero Two."
"See you soon...Darling"
And with that, the white faded into black, and then, they awoke sitting in a room, strapped down to strange chairs. It was official...
Zero Two and Hiro were back...
Holy shit guys, this was one hell of a chapter in my opinion! Even so, now that Hiro and Zero Two are back, their new story is only just getting under way. Stay tuned for chapter 7 of DITF: 1000 Years Later! Until next time guys!