Welp, Taking The Dive may be over, but there's still plenty more to come. Here's chapter 7, enjoy!
Hiro opened his eyes for what felt like the first time in years. He could make out the bright, blurry circles that could only be lights of some kind. He could hear the distant sound of people speaking nearby, although it was too muffled to make out.
"Uggh..." Hiro groaned as he slowly sat up in the chair he was sitting in
As Hiro repeatedly blinked over and over again, his vision started to come back to him, and he found himself sitting in a strange chair surrounded by lights and machinery. Hiro looked ahead and saw a man and a woman looking at him from the other side of a massive glass window. They had what Hiro could only describe as looks of worried anticipation on their faces.
As Hiro began to regain his composure, memories slowly started to come back to him, memories of where he was and why he was there.
"I...I remember this room," Hiro said to himself as he looked around it once more
However, Hiro's attention was drawn away from the room and machines, and was drawn to the pink haired, red horned girl sitting up in the chair next to him.
Hiro remembered, he remembered everything. The memories he had regained while taking the dive suddenly hit him with full force. He remembered the Plantation, Squad 13, the VIRM and klaxosaurs. And most importantly, he remembered who Iota really was...
He remembered Zero Two...
"Zero...Two?" Hiro asked as he found himself beginning to tear up
The girl sitting next to him froze, a look of shock and disbelief visible on her face. She quickly turned her head to see Hiro looking at her, his eyes full of tears, a look of pure happiness on his face.
"My Darling?" Zero Two asked as she too began to show her earnest emotions
"Zero Two, it's really you!" Hiro said happily as he quickly stood up out of his chair
"Darling!" Zero Two said as she too stood up
Both teens quickly made their way into each other's arms, embracing one another with so much emotion, it was enough to make a grown man cry. Hiro moved his head so that he could look into Zero Two's eyes, which were filled with unmistakable happiness.
"We did it...we kept our promise," Hiro said Happily
"Yes Darling...we did," Zero Two said with equal emotion
Right there, in the middle of the room, the two kissed on another. It was a kiss that was a thousand years in the making, one that signified the reunion of two lovers who would never dare part with the other. Hiro knew they were being watched, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him in that moment was being with Zero Two again.
"HELL FUCKING YEAAAAA! HAHAHAHA!" Came a voice from behind he glass
Hiro and Zero Two quickly pulled away from each other, startled by the sudden outburst. They turned to look behind the glass to see a man literally jumping for joy, and a woman sitting in a chair next to him, looking equally surprised by his actions. The man opened the door separating the two rooms, and he entered with a smile on his face to greet Hiro and Zero two.
"I cannot believe that I actually pulled it off!" The man said as if he were speaking to someone else
"Neither can I, normally crazy shit like this doesn't work, and yet here we are," yelled the woman from behind the glass
"It worked because I was the one who planned AND designed everything," the man said with a cocky grin
"Yea, sure...that's why," the woman said sarcastically
"That woman..." the man said as he turned back to face the two confused lovers
The man looked at them with an excited smile, leaving the two to wonder just who exactly he was. And yet, despite that simple fact, they felt like they knew this man
"You're familiar...I've seen you somewhere before," Zero Two said as she got right up in the man's face
Suddenly, Hiro caught a glimpse of the man in his memory, memories that he didn't realize at first he had
"Wait...you're Mr. Kitaroshi," Hiro said without thinking
"Oh...yea that's right, you're the man who used his bodyguard to bring us here," Zero Two said while still examining the man
The man looked at Hiro and Zero Two in surprise, as if he didn't expect them to know him. The man took a couple steps back in shock before regaining his composure.
"Yes...I am Mr. Kitaroshi. I just...didn't expect you to remember me," Kitaroshi said, still clearly surprised
Zero Two and Hiro thought for a moment and realized that they didn't even know how they remembered that.
"Zero Two, how do we remember this?" Hiro asked as he looked at Zero Two
Zero Two thought for a moment until she came to her conclusion.
"We must have forgotten who we were in this world. I mean, just look at ourselves, we look about the same age as we were when we died fighting the VIRM," Zero Two said
"That is true...so that must mean that these memories were made when we didn't even remember who we were," Hiro said
"If that's true, then why don't we remember anything from those lives? I mean, I am most certainly to be with my Darling again, it's a shame that we can remember anything from before," Zero Two said with a frown
"*Ahem*...I actually have the answer to that," Kitaroshi said as he got their attention
Hiro and Zero Two both turned their attention to Kitaroshi
"You two have been alive again for seventeen and a half years, except you had no recollection of you past lives," Kitaroshi said
"Past lives...you're referring to ourselves right now. We must have acted like completely different people until now, didn't we?" Asked Zero Two
"That is correct. Until now, before I helped restore your full memories, you lived as two different people. In order to live your lives as code's 016 and 002, you lived your lives as two modern teenagers named Hiro Juuroku and Iota Nibanme. Until now, you were two people with no idea you were once saviors of the entirety of the human race."
"Saviors of the human race...I like how that sounds, don't you think Darling?" Zero Two said with a smile
"*sigh* not now Zero Two...although it does sound kinda nice. I'm just surprised that our names in our modern lives remained almost exactly the same. I mean, your name was Iota, only the 9's called you back then," Hiro said, humoring Zero Two
Zero Two gave her darling a warm smile. Hiro smiled back before turning back to Kitaroshi.
"Okay Mr. Kitaroshi...I want to know who I was before now, I want to know the kind of life I had before," Hiro said with seriousness
"I would also like to know about my life as well, along with how long its been since we defeated VIRM," Zero Two said with equal seriousness
Kitaroshi smiled before turning around to look at the woman who was still sitting behind the glass. He made a hand gesture signaling the woman to come over. The woman got up and entered the room where everyone else was.
"Before I introduce her, do you remember this woman?" Kitaroshi asked the two teenagers
"You're...I don't remember you specifically, but I do remember your face from somewhere," Hiro said
"I do recognize your face, but I don't remember your name or anything about you," Zero Two said
"Well then, allow me to introduce my assistant in this matter. This is Miahura Rokujuroku. She was the one who assisted me in helping you two regaining your memories
"Hello you two, it's a pleasure to meet you two...again," Minahura said with a smile
Zero Two and Hiro both introduced themselves to her.
"Now then...you two said you wanted to know who you were?" Kitaroshi asked Zero Two and Hiro
"Yes," they both said unanimously
Kitaroshi sighed and took a seat on a chair he had pulled up.
"Well then...I hope you both are ready for a long conversation," Kitaroshi said seriously
And thus began the long discussion, a discussion that would bridge Zero Two and Hiro together with the lives they were forgetting, their lives as Hiro and Iota...
3 hours later...
Zero Two and Hiro were both at a loss for words. Kitaroshi had told them everything they wanted to know. He told them about their lives in this new world, their families, their history, everything. Both were in utter disbelief over the fact that they had even for a brief moment, forgotten such peaceful lives.
"It's still hard to believe that everything that we went through happened one thousand years ago. I mean...it only feels like we were fighting the VIRM just the other day...and yet I have memories that go back more that a decade," Hiro said as everything sunk in
"To think that I had been with my Darling for so long...and I didnt even realize it," Zero Two said with a tinge of guilt
Hiro moved closer to Zero Two and hugged her.
"It's okay Zero Two, after all, we did live a comfortable life in this new world. We have a family, we went to school, we hung out together, we did all sorts of amazing things together. The fact that I know that I once had those memories, along with the ones from one thousand years ago, makes everything Kitaroshi told us all the more sweeter," Hiro said with a smile
Zero Two hugged Hiro back and smiled warmly.
"Of course...Darling," Zero Two said with a smile
As they hugged it out, a thought crossed Hiro's mind that he thought should be answered.
"Hang on...Kitaroshi, mind if I ask you something?" Hiro asked as he let go of Zero Two
"Sure, ask away," Kitarohsi said with a smile
"Why did you go through all of this trouble to find us? You told me you monitored us for years when we still retained our modern memories, but still, why go through all this effort just to bring us back?" Hiro asked in full seriousness
Kitaroshi gave Hiro a smile smile before hanging his head towards the floor. Kitaroshi sat there for a moment, as if he were deciding just what it was he was going to say. Kitoaroshi looked back up at the two revived saviors, a look of sincerity in his eyes.
"The answer is simple Hiro...I had a promise to keep," Kitaroshi said bluntly, yet honestly
Hiro looked at Kitaroshi with a confused expression.
"A promise? A promise to who?" Hiro asked
Kitaroshi looked at Minahura, who in turn looked at him. She gave Kitaroshi a head nod, as if she was giving the ok to do something. Kitaroshi stood up and straightened his white coat, and looked at Hiro and Zero Two with a small smile.
"Come with me, there's something I want you two to see," Kitaroshi said
Seeing as there was no other option, Hiro and Zero Two good up and followed Kitaroshi and Minahura out of the room.
Once again, they found themselves inside a massive white hallway, a hallway that was strangely familiar to them. They watched as people wearing lab attire walked passed them, going about their business. Soon, they came to a glass walkway that led them to another section of the tower, one that they had no memory of.
Franxxinus Tower was actually four separate towers that were connected together by several glass walkways. The towers themselves were positioned like a circle cut into fourths, with the edges flattened out in a set of points like that of a triangle. This view of the tower was something that Hiro and Iota hadn't been able to get a good look at it before, and with no emotional recollection of their modern lives, this was truly a magnificent sight to them.
They continued to walk until they came to a stop in front of a door labeled "records room." Kitaroshi entered a code that opened the door, and Hiro and Zero Two followed him and Minahira into the room.
The first thing that either of them noticed was that the room had a massive monitor screen against the back wall. Along the side walls, there seemed to be digital storage units of some kind.
"What is this place?" Hiro asked as he looked around
"This place is our data storage room, but I simply decided to call it the records room, and that's because every shred of recorded data is sent here. Hence the name, records room," Kitaroshi said as he pulled up a chair and sat in front of the big monitor screen
As Kitarohsi powered it on, a holographic keyboard appeared in front of him. On the screen, a login bar appeared on the screen. Kitaroshi typed in a password, which was then proceeded by a facial, thumbprint, and retinal scan. Lastly, a heart rate scan was initiated, as it was a special precaution that Kitaroshi implanted himself off record. If one's heart rate exceeded the preset limit, no data access would be permitted.
Once everything had been accepted, the giant screen lit up with bright light, and a monotone robotic voice spoke out to everyone in the room.
"User access granted: Juugo Kitaroshi, priority one access granted," The voice said
Kitaroshi smiled as the voice acknowledged him.
"Here we go..." Kitaroshi said before clearing his throat
"Request access: origin video records. Access code hotel-zulu-india-golf-foxtrot-india-mike-zulu-mike-kilo-november-thirteen."
"Access code acknowledged, retrieving origin video records," The voice said
Kitaroshi once again smiled and turned to face the two teenagers standing behind him.
"So...what exactly are we here to watch?" Hiro asked
"Oh, you'll see. All I can tell you is that these videos were left behind by the first people who made the same promise I have lived by. Besides, these videos were left specifically for you," Kitaroshi said
"For us? How could these videos be left behind for us?" Zero Two asked skeptically
"Trust me, just sit down and watch," Kitaroshi said as he gestured to the chairs he had pulled up
Hire and Zero Two went along with it and sat down in their separate chairs.
"Play all video files dating back from nine hundred eighty nine years to present day."
"Request acknowledged, beginning video playback."
The lights in the room shut off, the only light now coming from the screen in front of Hiro and Zero Two. As they watched the screen, a loading bar came into view as the video files began their playback.
"Playing origin video #_01"
Not even a second later, the video began...
Nothing could have prepared Zero Two or Hiro for what they saw...
A man soon appeared on the screen, a man who was sitting down in a chair, smiling at whatever recording device he was using.
"Ya know...I never thought I'd actually make one of these. I mean, we all sorta talked about as a "what if" sort of thing, but i still never thought I'd actually go through with it," said the man in the recording
Hiro and Zero Two immediately recognized the man's face, his voice, everything about him. It was a face that neither of them ever imagined they'd see again. It was the face of someone close to them, the face of a friend...
Who died so many centuries ago...
"Is...is that...?" Hiro asked, his voice full of shock
"I don't believe it...that's Goro..." Zero Two said, equally surprised
The man in the video was indeed Goro, although he was visibly older than the last time Hiro or Zero Two had ever seen him. The two were taken so off guard, they could only sit in silence and watch.
"Well...here goes nothing," Goro said through the screen
"Hiro, Zero Two, I hope you two are doing well. I'm not sure if you're seeing this recording, but if you are, I want you to know just how much we all miss both of you. Of course, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be making this message," Goro said with a slight chuckle
"We all decided that in the event that you two find each other again someday, we should leave something behind for you all to remember us by. Actually...we left plenty of things behind to remember us by. Of course...I'll never know myself if the signs we left you will still be around in your time, although the Franxx that we left behind should still be there."
"What am I saying...of course those would still be around, they're probably some monument to the people by now. In fact, I bet that the entirety of Squad 13 has already been turned into some kind of legendary team of saviors or something like that...I don't know how history will remember us, but I know the way that you remember us never will. I hope you two have found each other again, that you love each other again..."
"I know Hiro, that whenever you're watching this, it will be a time when the world needs you again, the both of you. Who knows...maybe one day, we'll see each other again, and Squad 13 will be complete again. Until then, this is goodbye...stay safe you two..."
"Dammit Goro...why do you have to say it like that..."Hiro said trying to hold back small tears
"I never knew he had such a sentimental side..."Zero Two said sadly
"Playing origin video #_02"
The next video began to play, and once again, the faces of people they held close to them appeared. Although this time, it was the smiling faces of Kokoro and Mitsuru.
"No way...they got back together?" Zero Two asked in slight surprise
"They did, I honestly don't believe it," Hiro said with a smile
"So...this was an idea that everyone just decided to go along with. I was fine with it, as there are a lot of things I wanted to say to you two, Hiro especially. It was funny though, Goro was pretty set on not doing this, you should have seen how embarrassed he was. He wanted to leave behind a monument or something, not a sentimental message," Mitsuru said with a smile
"Don't listen to him, he was on the same page as Goro, although he finally gave in after I gave him a talking to," Kokoro said with a sly laugh
"Kokoro, you promised you would tell them!"
"Oops, it just slipped out! I'm sorry," Kokoro said sarcastically as they both started to laugh
"Wow...they've really grown to love each other haven't they?" Zero Two said with a smile
"Yea..they remind me of how we were...are, would be, holy crap. This future and past revival stuff gives me a headache..." Hiro said with a chuckle
"Look...Kokoro and I can't thank either of you enough for the future that you gave us, that you gave everyone. Goro was the first one who made one of these messages, so his should be the first one you saw. I'm not sure of he told you, but we've been finding more and more people ever since the day you guys brought an end to VIRM. Hell, we've found so many people, we've had to reuse on of the old Plantations as temporary housing. None of this could have been done without your sacrifice," Mitsuru said with gratitude
"Because of you two, we were able to start a family together, and so were the others. Miku and Zorome still have a ways to go before they finally tie the knot, if you know what I mean," Kokoro said with a wink
"Humor aside, it was thanks to you that the world will turn out the way it did. Wherever you guys are, it must be some place I could only imagine in my dreams. Right now, me, Kokoro, and everyone else in Squad 13 is dreaming of the future. Most likely, when you two are watching this, you'll be living in that future," Mitsuru said
Mitsuru was about to say something else when a tiny yet energetic voice could be heard from somewhere off camera.
"Mommy! What are you and daddy doing?" Asked the voice
"Well, look who decided to join us," Kokoro said as she bent over to pick up the source of the voice
Suddenly, a small girl, maybe three or four years of age, came into view on the screen as she was placed on Kokoro's lap. As she did so, another voice was heard.
"Mom, have you seen Izumi, I saw her run down this way and I thought she-" said the voice as the person came into view
This time, it was an adolescent girl with the same hair color as Kokoro. As she entered, she noticed her parents and the recording
"Oh, geez I'm sorry. I didn't know you guys were doing that right now," The girl said as she began to turn away
"Oh it's no big deal honey. Here, why don't you come in and join us, you're already on the recording anyways, so you mind as well say something," Mitsuru said as he made a signaling his daughter to come over to him
"Are you sure? I mean, that is supposed to be a special message for your friends right? Besides, I'm not sure how comfortable I am leaving a recording for dead people..." The girl said
"Oh don't be silly Mai, just come here and at least thank them. After all, you wouldn't be here if it weren't for Hiro and Zero Two," Kokoro said with a smile
The girl, who had now been identified as Mai, begrudgingly came over to the screen and made sure she was in view. She gave an awkward smile and waved at the recording device.
"Ahh...well this is awkward...he he...*ahem* Hiro, Zero Two, I never got to meet you guys in person, not like mom and dad's other friends. I never got to hang out with you, I never got to play games with you...I never got to grow up with you. That being said, nothing in my life would be possible without you guys so...thank you," Mai said with a small smile
"There, was that so hard?" Mitsuru said with a smile
"No...not really," Mai admitted
"Ooo! Ooo! I want to say thank you too!" Izumi said from Kokomo's lap
"Sure honey, go right ahead," Kokoro said happily as she gestured at the recorder
"Thank you for saving mommy and daddy Hiwo and Zewo Two!" Izumi said with a big childish smile
Kokoro and Mitsuru both smiled lovingly at their daughter. Mai picked up Izumi from Kororo's lap and carried her towards the door.
"Come on you, you can't escape bath time now!" Mai said triumphantly as she made her way out the door
"Nooooo! I don't wanna!" Izumi cried as her voiced faded out of the recording
"See...this is the future that you gave us Hiro, Zero Two. We couldn't be any more grateful for you both," Mitsuru said sincerely
"One day, you two will find each other again, and maybe you'll start a family just like ours. Who knows, maybe you'll find us again too," Kokoro said with an optimistic grin
"Until we meet again guys. See ya around...someday," Mitsuru said right before the recording ended
Zero Two and Hiro sat in silence as the screen went black, both of them processing what they just saw. Hiro was clearly trying to hold back tears, seeing the lives that he had given his former squad mates. Zero Two just sat quietly, a look of happiness, and regret on her face, regret that she would never get to know the children of her friends.
"Playing origin video #_03..."
Hiro and Zero Two saw many videos, most of which were from their friends. They got to see Futoshi's video, and they got to see his wife and kids. They were a pleasant bunch, both of them knew they would have been a great auntie and uncle for them. Futoshi even went as far as recording a cooking video of him and his family baking sweets for Hiro and Zero Two. The soul crushing part of it was that no matter how good their baked goods looked, they'd never get to eat them.
They got to see a video of Ikuno, even if she was deteriorating faster than everyone else. Despite her more rapid aging, she was still the same Ikuno as she was before everything went to shit. She obviously expressed many thanks towards Hiro and Zero Two, and she even surprised them with the fact that she and Naomi got married, much like Kokoro and Mitsuru. The shock came to Hiro a bit harder, as he presumed that she had died. Nevertheless, it was a welcome surprise.
They received videos from Zorome and Miku as well, both of them showing a lot of enthusiasm in their videos. At first, their videos were separate, but at one point, they eventually started recording them together. As it became more of a regularity than a pleasant surprise, the change in their attitude towards one another became ever more apparent. Eventually, they announced that they too had gotten married. They even had a kid at one point, a sweet boy named Eren who would show up in their videos sometimes. They later had a daughter who they named Kagami.
On top of all of that, they received videos from Ichigo. Compared to everyone else, she was the most emotional in her videos. Even if she was trying to hide it, she sorely missed both Hiro and Zero Two. She would often say in the beginning how she regretted not finding another way, that she regretted that they couldn't grow up together, become adults together, raise families together. This however changed eventually, and she became more happy in her videos. She later started doing videos with Goro, announcing that they too had gotten married, no surprise there. She and Goro had a son named Ryuji and a daughter named Akane.
As the videos went on, everyone aged. As they aged, so did their children, becoming much like Hiro and Zero Two in their prime. Squad 13 got older and older, their age beginning to show. After a while, they stopped seeing videos from Ikuno, and it was later revealed a few entries later that she had peacefully passed away in her sleep. That announcement came in the only video that Naomi made for Hiro and Zero Two. The next to suddenly disappear was Futoshi. It was revealed in a video made by his children that he had died after a long battle with an unknown disease, one that caused lumps to form in his body.
Futoshi died just three months after his wife...
The next to go was Kokoro. She, like Ikuno, died peacefully with no regrets. That was announced in the last video that Mitsuru ever made. Mai and Izumi picked up where he had left off.
Mitsuru died two years after Kokoro...
After Mitsuru, Zorome died. Like Kokoro, he died peacefully of old age. His kids never made any videos.
Miku died five months after Zorome.
After Zorome died, Ichigo died next. Unlike the others, her death was not so pleasant. Despite her good health, she died of a sudden heart attack. The suddenness of it caused Goro not to make a video for a whole year. His children picked up where he left off. Before his death, Goro made one last video.
Goro was the last of Squad 13 to die. He died two years after Ichigo
The last video made by anyone that Zero Two and Hiro had been introduced to was by Goro and Ichigo's son, Eren.
"Playing origin video #_0573"
"Zero Two, Hiro...I'm not sure what to say here. I mean...what can I say, what reason is there to make these anymore? All of your friends...my father and mother and their friends...are all dead."
By this time, Hiro and Zero Two had already let plenty of tears flow...
"No...I know exactly what I have to say..."
"Hiro, Zero Two, your friends made a promise before they died. They promised that one day, they would find a way to reunite you two. The idea came to them as they made these videos. They vowed that you both would one day have the same lived that they already finished living. They may not be around anymore to fulfill that promise...but I will...all of us will..."
As Eren said that, many other people appeared in the recording. They were the children of Squad 13, the first generation to begin the mission to complete the promise.
"It doesn't matter how many years it takes, how many generations will have to put their effort into this...but it will be done. You will have the life you deserve...that is our promise...that is their promise," Eren said as he pointed to a picture of his parents
They saw many videos of these children, the first bearers of the promise. These videos had several years of time between them, and just like the ones before them, they too began to disappear.
The next videos were of people who Zero Two and Hiro had never seen. They obviously introduced themselves as the children of the former video makers, and they too had much time between videos. This cycle went on for a while, hundreds of yards passing in between each video. Soon, the last video was of a man...a mane in the same room as Hiro and Zero Two.
"Playing origin video #_6001"
"My name is Juugo Kitaroshi, descendant of Ichigo Kitaroshi and Goro Kitaroshi. If you two are watching this video, then there's a good chance I failed in bringing you two together again. If that's the case, which it most likely is...I want to apologize for my failure. However, in the unlikely case that I succeeded, and you two are watching this with me right now...I only have one thing to say..."
Hiro and Zero Two waited for the answer
...
...
"Damn I'm good!"
"End of origin video playlist"
The lights in the room turned back on, and Hiro and Zero Two both turned to look at Kitaroshi.
"You're a descendant of Ichigo and Goro?" Hiro asked in surprise
"Well...I did say I had a promise to keep, so that does mean I am somehow related to someone from the original Squad 13. Also, my first name literally just means fifteen. For that being Ichigo's code number, I'm surprised you missed that," Kitaroshi said with an amused smile
"Also, Covic's middle and last names combine to make the number six hundred sixty six," Minahura said as she joined the conversation
"Six hundred sixty six...holy crap, he's a descendent of Zorome!" Zero Two said with surprise
"Bingo! Ding ding ding! Correct you are!" Kitaroshi said over enthusiastically
Hiro and Zero Two looked at each other with surprise, but also happiness. They were happy because even in death, their friends will still be looking out for them.
"Cmon, let's get you two back to your parents. We're gonna have a lot of explaining to do," said Minahura as she lead the two teens to the door
Somewhere outside the city...
"The memory retrieval was a complete success, the saviors have been reawakened. Operation Downfall is to begin immediately," said a voice on through the communicator
"Understood, all teams are prepped and ready to engage," said the voice of a man
As the man put away his communicator, the sound of franxx could be heard all around him, firing up and preparing for battle. The man looked off in the distance toward Franxxinus Tower.
"Tonight...your tower falls. Tonight, the four points of judgment will strike you down. We serve the Emissary, we serve our superiors, we serve our saviors who were driven away a millennia ago," said the man to himself as he climbed into his franxx
...
...
"We are the Quadriad..."
...
...
"And we will take our prize. And you tower, your testament to humanity's chaotic past..."
...
...
"Will BURN..."
Well now, that was a nice chapter right? It's sad, yes, but it was necessary in my point of view. Anyways, see y'all next time.