Special note: This is technically episode 13. In order to make the reworked plot flow a tad bit smoother, I've rearranged the order a bit and switched some things around. I'll post more reminders at episodes 12 and 14 to mitigate confusion, as we aren't going through the flashback episode this time!

Huhwhatwhere?

Where was she?

She was drifting through emptiness, nothing but grey and static. Feelweirdicky! Ugh! There was a degree of separation, like she was looking through a one-way window, into another life. So blurry! Blurry! She heard a heartbeat, but it wasn't her own. She saw hands, reaching up to grab her head. But they didn't belong to her, they had a different owner - a familiar owner.

Looks like... DARLINGhands yOunGDARLING interestinterest!

"Dalin?" She winced as the sharp static ripped through her. OwPAINOWowowow-

"Aagh!" A scream pierced her ears; Zero Two found herself in white-washed room, a bunch of children crowding around her. They were all wearing the same clothing. WhAtnoNObADplAcEBADpLAcEscAreDfeArFEar baaaadplacenoNOnoDARLINGDARLINGhElpCoMFoRTfeAR

A young girl pushed through the small group, frantic worry on her face. She clutched a stuffed animal in her arms.

"H-Hiro? Hiro!"

Hiro? HiroDARLINGDARLINGDARLING coMfORtscAredDARLINGhELp!

"Are you okay? What's wrong?! Hiro!" The girl looked exhausted, heavy bags underneath her eyes from the lack of sleep. This clearly wasn't the first time the event had happened.

"I-Ichigo, stop, wait!" A boy with glasses grabbed her shoulder tiredly. He too looked pale, almost sickly. "The noise is hurting him. Let him - let him rest. Come on, let's go check on Mitsuru."

"B-But..." She let herself get dragged off, her eyes still on Hiro's hunched over form.

"Dalin! DALIN!" Static. PainpainPAINPAIN. DARLINGpain, DARLINGpAiN feARno NONoDARLINGPaINprOTeCTDARLING!

Hiro's eyes screwed shut, clenched fists nearly pulling out his own hair. He rolled onto the floor in obvious agony. DARLINGpainpainPAIN! BADbadbadBADprOTECT! She reached out to him desperately, but nothing happened. The anguish latched onto her heart. Cruel! Verybad badbadbad! ProtectDARLINGhelpSAVE whywhy musTpROtectcan'tprotect!

"Come on Mitsuru, please!" the same girl's voice lamented from across the room. "He was saying your name a little while ago! Just go talk to him, maybe you can get through-"

"NO!" a new voice screamed in rage. "He's a liar! He broke his promise!"

Still clutching his head, Hiro heard the word loud as day - his eyes flew open. "P-Promise? We - we promised...!"

The tornado that was her darling's emotions and memories tore through Zero Two. Everything from his eyes: her torture, his emotions; her rescue, his emotions; their journey, his emotions.

Their separation. His emotions.

Waitwhatwhat nono badvisions DARLINGhurt DARLINGsad nonono-

His reclamation. His emotions.

Darling fought? DARLINGfought! Nevertold why nevertold APE LIEDLIED-

His remembrance. His emotions.

DARLINGknewDARLINGknewDARLINGknEW nEvERtOLD whyWHY NEveRTolD-

Her.

DARLINGDARLINGknew! Her! DARLINGknew her! He knew! Her darling knew!

She covered her mouth with her hands, staring, weeping, as their childhood played back in front of her. Admittedly, part of her had always been curious. Why had he gone so far? Why did he think she was worth saving? What made him do what he did? But this - she wasn't expecting this.

Gentle! Kind! Caring! Caringforher! DARLINGhappykindloving! Saved her! AsSumPTionNO FACT - fact! FACT! Darling loved her, fact!

And he had never forgotten.

"Mitsu..." he gasped.

They had lied to her. bAstARDSheATHenSMONSTERSMONSTERSMONSTERSevILwItchESDEmoNS KiLLiNGklAxesLIESLIESLIESKillTHeM DARLINGkePTfROm SlAughTErAPEmaIm kEpTfRomDARLINGbeAUtiFULpERfecTDARLING heRmATeHErMaTEbEAutiFuLperFECTDARLINGmaRRywiLLmarryKILLAPE

"The... picture...!"

With a sudden burst of strength, he bit into his right hand - a hand that was covered in rough bruises and bite marks. He keeled over into the fetal position, pushing his head against the cold metal floor as the pain washed over him, as he felt her teeth pierce his skin.

"Z-Zero..." he mumbled into the bloody flesh. DARLINGcrYIngNONObADBADcoMfOrtDARLINGwhywHYwHycAn'TcOmfORThUGDARLINGhugPRotEctKISS

The static pierced her, then faded. They were by the window again, by the cage that had trapped her for so many years. The glass was shattered, the hand extended. From his eyes she felt his desperation, his agony as he watched her cower in the corner. She felt his hope and joy and compassion as she weakly extended her hand. His relief as he brought her into the world.

"...Twoooo..."

DARLINGrEmemberedDARLINGreMEMbEredDARLINGrEmEmBERedloVelOVeLOveLoVelovelovelovelovelovelo-

"Code 016."

"Where is she?! What did you do!" a small child's voice raged.

She slammed on the window in anguish, but nothing happened. This was a new scene from his memories. She was still locked out, still crying. Getinnow! Need in! Need to protect darling always! Why couldn't she geTiNgETinGEtInrIGHthEreDARLINGDARLINGDARLING

They were in a room, a small confined space, with a single table and two chairs on opposite sides. A drawer was in the corner, dusty and nondescript. The young boy was seated there, angrily gripping the table's edges, a look of raw fury twisting his face. Her protective urges rising, Zero Two turned around, to look at his object of attention. Standing in front of the single exit was the doctor, Franxx. The elderly man wasn't looking at the parasite; his single eye was trained on a clipboard, its contents unknown.

"Good, good," Werner mumbled. "It seems the effects have worn off. I was afraid they'd have lasted longer. The blood, perhaps? Hmm."

"WHERE IS SHE?!"

The doctor sighed. "Code 016, please, relax. If my intent was to permanently separate you from Code 002, we wouldn't be having this conversation. She is fine and you will be reunited with her. Eventually. But only if you follow my instructions and cooperate. All of your questions will be answered in due time, I assure you."

The boy mashed his teeth together; clearly, he was not calming down. But then he relented and sat back in the chair. After closing and locking the door, the doctor walked to the drawer, opening and pulling out a stack of objects. He circled around and deposited them on the table, in front of the boy. They were books - large, heavy and obviously suffering from a lack of use. Franxx then sat down in the chair opposite and folded his hands on the table, eyeing the young parasite expectantly.

"I've heard rumors from the staff that you were naming your fellow children, Code 016."

"What... what of it?" he asked, staring at the scientist warily.

"Would you tell me what you named yourself?"

The boy's eyes flashed with insidious determination. "Only if you give me something first."

"Oh?" Werner's visible eyebrow cocked itself. Was the boy trying to bargain? Incredible! Where did he learn this behavior? How did he learn this behavior?

016 leaned forward, pressing his palms flat against the table's cold, dusty surface. His brows narrowed, his lips sneered.

"Those tests you were doing on her, the painful ones. Stop them! Never again! Treat her normally!" Zero Two lurched forward, a particularly ugly sob escaping her lips. It felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Darlinghad...! ProTECteDhER protectedher he had protectedher DARLING protected, her darling saved her!

Didn't deserve! Darling pure! Darling beautiful! uGlYmONstERwhywhysAVeDARLING whywhywhy?!

Werner's face was a mask, but inside his mind was racing. Such a display of empathy, in this day and age? How was this boy so extraordinary? Such a variable, so far removed from the average parasite! He had grown so much! His decision to lower the yellow blood cell treatments was having fantastic results! But could he afford the exchange? Would it benefit him? Yes, yes, it would. He had more than enough information on 002's biological attributes at this point. If he secured the boy's trust, the data he could gain, the research potential!

"Very well," he replied. "You have my word. The testing will stop immediately."

A look of relief shot across 016's face; clearly, he hadn't been expecting to get his way, or at least not so easily. He slumped back in the chair and stared at the books.

"H-Hiro. My name's Hiro."

Werner understood the name's origin immediately. Creativity as well! Marvelous!

"Hiro, then," the doctor replied. He gestured to one of the books. Its title was faded, but was still faintly legible in the dim light: On The Origin of Species By Means Of Natural Selection, By Charles Darwin, M.A.

"Tell me, Hiro. Are you ready to learn?"

Hiro swallowed, nodded hesitantly, and reached for the suggested book. There was a flash, and the world went white.

When Hiro came to again, Strelizia was offline and the cockpit was dark; he was sitting in the stamen seat. He rubbed his head and quickly wiped away the remnants of his tears, wincing slightly. The journey through her mind had been something else, but it explained her initial behavior quite a bit. She hadn't lost her memories either, it would seem. He applied that info to their previous interaction, by the lake. Had that all been an act to try and get him to remember? But if that were true, it would mean she didn't-

He was suddenly very aware of the arms wrapped tightly around his torso and the head buried in his chest. He looked down to find Zero Two kneeling on the seat's footrest, her upper torso mashed against him in an attempt to maximize body contact. And it didn't seem like she wanted to move. He reached out and gently rubbed her head, smiling.

"Hey, Zero Two."

Her grip only tightening in response. She choked out a moan.

"It's okay. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere."

She lifted her head; misty, pale green eyes greeted him, her cheeks stained by dried tears. Staring up at him, she rested her chin on his chest and sniffled, lips quivering.

What the hell? Even in such a state! Why was she so cute?!

Shoving that mystery of life aside, he flashed her a bright, happy grin in an attempt to comfort her. He was a bit surprised at how easily he fell back into the role and how comfortable he already was with this, but it was by no means a bad thing. They were picking up right where they left off; it was almost like they'd never been separated. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

In an instant she was at his level and her lips slammed into his own. He returned her passion until they ran out of breath and separated for air. Her hands came up, trailing from his chest, up to his neck, then his face and finally his hair. He felt her gently drag her fingers through his black locks, as if making sure he wasn't a ghost. He smiled softly at her. When she was at last satisfied, she dropped her hands to his shoulders and beamed at him. It was the toothiest, happiest smile he'd ever seen.

"DARLING!"

His smile turned to a laugh as she lunged at him again, burying her face into the crook of his neck. She giggled and then inhaled his scent, sighing. Hiro brought his arms up and wrapped them around the small of her waist, holding her to him.

"Words can't describe how happy I am to see you," he said. He leaned down and kissed her head through her hair. She nuzzled his neck in response, making a noise of content agreement.

"I saw your memories," he continued, voice lowering to a whisper. "I'm sorry, Zero Two. I'm so sorry. I'm here now."

He felt her kiss his neck gently, before raising her head to look at him. She put her hands on his chest.

"I saw yours too," she replied, voice equally as quiet. "I had thought..." she lowered her gaze, trailing off. Hiro leaned forward and bumped his forehead against hers, already knowing what she was going to say.

"It's alright. The idiot doctor didn't tell either of us. He knew we'd have tried even harder otherwise."

She smiled at him, relief evident on her blood-stained face. "I was so scared when I saw you. I thought you didn't recognize me! I was trying to jog your memories but those idiots found me sooner than I thought they would."

"When you said darling, I knew," he said. He brought his hands up and ran them through her hair, cupping her face. "It's why I asked for your name. The suppression almost worked, but they couldn't erase that word. I never forgot it."

He rubbed his nose against hers, beaming broadly. "How could I? It's my name, after all!"

Her eyes widened, then she returned his smile and closed the tiny distance separating them, kissing him gently, tenderly.

"I missed you so much!" she said.

"I missed you too," he replied. "We'll figure something out. We'll find a way to get out."

"P-Promise?" Her eyes were hopeful.

"Promise." His eyes were determined.

It was at that moment that the hatch door unlocked itself. Light poured into the dim space; the two of them separated, hands intertwined tightly as a masked tech officer glanced inside and then beckoned them out.

Anyone personally acquainted with Werner Frank would see the giddy excitement written all over his face.

Sadly, all the people fitting that description were either dead or immortal zombies.

But that didn't matter anymore. No, not at all! The only two things that mattered in the world had just climbed out of Strelizia's cockpit and onto the walkway, hands intertwined and distrust for the world written all over their faces. That was expected - it was all expected. Maintenance techs were already surrounding them and Strelizia's entrance, no doubt to figure out the cause of such a dramatic incident. He prepared to do damage control as he approached the duo, Nana and Hachi by his side. Zero Two noticed his approach, her eyes narrowing, and she gently nudged her mate, whispering something unheard. Werner watched as his eyes immediately snapped to where she was looking. He was fine with the glares they were giving him; he didn't deserve or need forgiveness for what he'd done. But he'd chosen his path now and all he could do was follow it to the end. Maybe one day they'd understand the deranged hopes of an old man.

"Her partner was... Code 016?!" Nana exclaimed, somewhat startled. She pointed quickly at two plantation guards, who snapped to attention. "You there! Escort Code 016 to the medical bloc immediately, for full physiological and psychological evaluation!"

The two guards nodded and began their approach. The two parasites took a few steps back; the scientist watched in barely suppressed glee as Zero Two protectively moved in front of Hiro. He mentally noted the reaction and then spoke up, making sure all in the general vicinity could hear him.

"That won't be necessary."

Nana turned to him in surprise. "D-Doctor?!"

He looked up at the woman, tutting in disapproval. "Honestly, my dear Nana, always so rash and impulsive. Didn't we train you better?"

"E-Eh?"

Werner's gaze shifted to his two valuable subjects. "Code 002, Code 016." They focused on him, clearly suspicious. "You are to return to Mistleteinn. You will have two hours of free time, after which you will report to the medical bloc for physical examination only."

He then turned, looking at the other administrator. "Hachi." The man looked at him robotically. "See to it that they receive physiological evaluations, but psychological testing is off-limits. They are not to be tampered with. Understood?"

The man nodded, no reaction showing on his face. "Understood, doctor."

Nodding in return, Werner turned towards his life's greatest works. His one eye winked at them, then he waved them off. "That's all," he said. "Have fun, you two."

Their eyes had widened in surprise, but they didn't risk asking questions. They looked at each other and made a run for it, their hands still laced together tightly; the various adults watched them go but said or did nothing, knowing the doctor's control over Plantation 13 could only be superceded by the council itself. Werner watched them leave, then turned to return the parasite trials after sparing a moment to glance at Strelizia.

Nana was the embodiment of confusion as the three of them walked back to the original testing location, where the members of Squad 13 were still gathered. "Doctor, I don't understand. Code 016 just rode with her! Strelizia's reaction was unprecedented! Shouldn't we be testing him as soon as possible? Won't this affect your experiment? We should be preventing further interaction!"

"My dear Nana," Werner said, stopping. The administrators halted a few paces ahead of him, turning around and waiting. "Your concern is appreciated, but ultimately unneeded. After all..."

His eye shimmered with something devious. Something unholy, unsanctioned, unprecedented. Something hopeful.

Something human.

"They are the experiment."

"No way!" Zorome exclaimed.

"I understand your disbelief, but it's true. Code 016 was inside Strelizia when it activated," Nana continued.

"But..." The group turned to Kokoro, her expression one of worry. "Isn't the pistil of that Franxx the partner killer?"

"Yes, its pistil is Code 002, a pilot serving in APE's special forces unit, under Papa's direct control. She's a girl with klaxosaur blood," the administrator replied. The group fell silent; their emotions ran the gambit from fear to concern to-

"Ah, that explains it then."

"Eh?" the other parasites questioned, turning to the new voice. It was Mitsuru. The boy's arms were crossed, his eyes closed, his posture relaxed and utterly nonplussed. It was a decided departure from the norm, given the situation.

"What do you mean, Mitsuru?" Ichigo asked. "What does that explain?"

"Everything," he replied vaguely. The faintest of grins gracing his features, he raised his head and looked past the group to the black, scorched ground, where the klaxosaur had been utterly vaporized by Strelizia's crimson fury. The group stared at him, clearly disapproving of his nonanswer. But he shrugged off their prodding, not giving any insights into his supposed knowledge of the situation.

"Even so, I've never seen a Franxx behave so oddly," Goro spoke up. "Those movements were almost inhuman."

Miku shivered. "I don't like it. It was too powerful, like some sort of demon."

"It was red like one, too," Ikuno said softly, arms crossed. "I almost feel bad for that klaxosaur, it never stood a chance..."

"Alright, that's enough!" Nana ordered, stopping any remaining conversation. "Due to the ongoing cleanup procedures, your trials have been postponed. Be here first thing tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"

The parasites glanced at each other, grumbling. It was clear they still had questions and concerns, but the answers would apparently have to come another day.

It was normal for Zero Two to take long showers, especially after sorties. They were some of the few moments she got to herself; privacy in her life was a rarity. Normally, she'd take this time to formulate her plans: how many klaxosaurs to kill, what to say to him, the works! Clear mind! Avoid ickies! No fodder, no bad Nines, nopenope nonenone washwash scrubscrub! Mmm! Daaaarling, daaaarling! Kill klaxo - wait no! Nopenope! Evil APE liars, nope! Gut like fishes, feed to klaxes! Ask darling help? Yay! Darling would enjoy! Right, jog darling's memor - wait no! Nopenope! Darling's perfect, remembered all! Darling is darling, said so himself! Mmmmm! So great, darling great! Yayyay! Oh! Quick scrub, darling waiting! Waiting bad, time wasting! More time, more darling!

Needless to say, all of that had gone out the window - and that wasn't a bad thing!

Smiling proudly to herself, she turned off the water. It was the fastest shower she'd ever taken; there was no time to lose! Darling was waiting, and the faster she got ready the more time she'd be able to spend with him. They had to make every second count before those stupid tests. Getting dressed reminded her of her new plans: she'd need to ask for a different colored pistil suit for starters, and definitely a new regular uniform. The Nines one was gross - she'd much prefer a normal parasite version, like darling's! At least until they escaped, that is; after that, they'd be able to wear whatever they wanted!

She hummed joyfully as she put on her headband, then rummaged in one of her pockets. Only eaten one! Always keep three! Surely had - eeeeee! Share with darling, give to darling! Darling happy, darling happy! She show she remembers, he proud! Proud of her! Verygood muchgood! He happy she happy! Happyhappy! Nearly squealing with joy, she grabbed the items and raced to the exit. Darling was leaning against the wall directly opposite the door, patiently waiting. He straightened his posture as the door slid open; her heart did a backflip at the way his eyes lit up when he saw her. She bounded over to him, hands behind her back.

"Darling! Guess what!"

He gave her an innocent, curious look. "What?"

She beamed at him and revealed her hands. She was holding two lollipops. Darling blinked, his eyes widening. "Zero Two, are those...?"

She said nothing in reply and merely unwrapped the first. She held it in front of him.

"Say 'Ahh'!"

Her darling laughed - very cutely, she might add! - and opened his mouth. "Ahh!" Grinning ear to ear, she gently placed it on his tongue. He made a noise of approval as he wrapped his lips around the candy, mimicking the one she'd made all those years ago. She unwrapped her own next, plopped it in her mouth gleefully, and then grabbed his hand and began to drag him down the hallway.

"Let's go, darling! Hurry, hurry!"

"H-Hey, what's the rush?"

She looked back at him, pouting, the lollipop's stick hanging from the corner of her mouth. "You know what! The longer it takes us to get out of here, the less time we'll have before those stupid tests! Let's go hang out in the forest!"

He grunted in understanding. "Oh yeah, right! Let's go, Zero Two!"

They grinned at each other and dashed off.

It didn't take them that long to reach the forest, in part because her darling had actually managed to keep up with her pace. That wasn't a knock against him, either; Zero Two was quite aware of her body's more superhuman characteristics. Indeed, the fact that her darling didn't seem even slightly winded only fueled her suspicions. Should she solve alone? But... butbutbut! Darling said to talk to darling! Nnnn. Can't talk no! Tell darling he can't pilot with her, darling will get mad! Nonono! Notokay! Darling should be happy, not mad! But how? Thinkthink! Save darling protect, how?

They threw the used lollipop sticks in the trash by the entrance of the forest and slowed to a walk. She quickly lost herself in thought, considering her options.

It was a few minutes later when she felt him tighten his grip on her hand. "What's the matter, Zero Two?"

She turned to him in surprise, blushing slightly. H-Huh? Obvious! Darling noticed nono notokay badbadbad! Protect darling, darling death is BADBADNOnObAd. Supermegabad! ShedieDARLINGlive alwaysalways, sheMoNSter DARLINGpure protectprotectprotect! Her darling was staring at her intently, those icy blue eyes she remembered so fondly piercing right through her. She turned away quickly, biting her lip.

"It's... it's nothing."

His hand squeezed hers. "Zero Two."

He wasn't gonna take 'no' for an answer. She groaned and began pulling him off the path, deeper into the woods. He let her lead him, following wordlessly but not loosening his grip. She spent some time finding a suitable tree they could sit under and then pulled him to the ground, so they were both sitting. Zero Two felt herself struggling for words and wouldn't meet his eyes; she occupied herself by tracing the creases of his palm. After a moment's silence, her darling spoke up.

"It has to do with your previous partner, doesn't it?"

Nnnnnnnnnn. Read like doctor's books! Annoyed? Emotional walls important! Guard self! Waitno, darling. Darling knows always, yupyup. Her darling! Exception yup. Nnnn. Okay if it's darling? Talk? Of course! It's darling, silly! But still! Convince! No pilot nono darling death nopenopeNOPEnOpE nooooooope badBAdbAD. Bad wrong bad! Love darling, must protect! Protect him, love him! Scared! Scaredscared, need tasteneedtasteDARLINGtAstEhUrrYhurry!

Gently, she pushed him up against the trunk of the tree and then climbed on top of him, sitting in his lap. Leaning down, she licked from the corner of his jawline to his chin, shivering as his taste coated her tongue. Sogoodsoooooogood sogoodsogood aaahhh. DARLINGtaste okay. Okay, okay, it's okay. Darling's here, talk to him. Talk to darling.

Calmed down once more, she moved to his lips and gave him a light kiss, which he returned immediately.

He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Listen, you don't have to talk about it if it makes you that uncomfor-"

"N-No! No," she interrupted. Darling's perfect! So beautiful! Protect him! "You deserve to know, darling."

She leaned back in his lap, sighing and collecting her thoughts. "They... everyone calls me the 'partner killer'."

Darling's brow furrowed immediately, eyes flashing. "They call you what?"

"It's true!" she replied quickly, before lowering her voice. "It is, it's true. None of my partners have ever lasted more than three rides. I... I suck the life out of them. Eventually I got used to it, you know? Because I'm a monster."

She gripped his hands tightly, squeezing her eyes shut and looking down. The fear of the unthinkable welled up inside her breast, choking the air from her lungs. "But - but that's why we can't! You can't...!"

He grabbed her, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug and holding her tightly against him.

"Stop it," he ordered, cutting her off. "Don't you dare say that, Zero Two. You're not a monster. You weren't then and you aren't now." He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back, staring at her. She looked at him, dumbfounded, tears welling in her eyes. Wha? NononoDARLINGno! SheMONstErmonstermonSTEr badbad! KillerMURdErerdeMOnwitch! Darling should be angry! DARLINGnotANgrywhy?

"Did you ever intentionally kill those stamen? Or did it just keep happening?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Eh? WAiTwAItwait wait think. Think. Darling wanted her to think. Darling's right? She didn't kill, always died. One-two-three at most. Sometimes one or one-two. Not her, always ride. Darling's right.

"N-No... It would always just..."

"And who ordered those stamen to ride with you, knowing full well what would happen?"

Her eyes widened. Wha - icky APE said kiLLklAx sAvEDARLINGgAvEpARtnersKillKLAx wAitLIARSLIARSLIARSkEpTDARLINGkePTDARLINGawAYfRom hATeHATEwait waitwait no no okay, okay. No, wait, okayokay. Darlinghere. Darling's here. It's okay. Remember taste. Remember his taste. He's here, it's okay. "APE!"

His gaze softened. Gently, he brought up his finger and wiped away her tears. "Don't blame yourself for something that was never your fault to begin with. The crime lies with them. They used you and your past partners."

But darling's in danger! Nononono no ride! Still! APE lies but partners still dead! DARLINGpArTnErnoNO DARLINGdeathBADBADBAD noBADno scAredSCarEdnonono!

She grabbed onto him, her face laced with fear. "You still can't pilot with me, darling! You'll die!" she wailed. He smiled sadly, reaching around and rubbing her back.

"What were the symptoms of those stamen after the first piloting session?" he questioned gently.

FeARscAREdnono wait DARLINGthink saidthink thinkthink. Darling said to think. Think, work through problem. Hmm? Hmm. Hmmmmmmmmmm!

"They... the stronger ones were exhausted afterwards, bedridden for at least a few days at least, sometimes more. Others were already..." Zero Two leaned back suddenly, staring at him. Wait! DARLINGnotSIck! Darling's not dead! Waitwait what! Darling's okay? Checkcheckcheck quickly check! Important! Important! Leaning in to get a better look at him, she ran her hands along his cheeks, searching him for any signs but finding none. She quickly sniffed him, burying her nose in his throat. Scent's good! Checkcheck hurry! Okay! Leaning back again, she extended her tongue and licked his cheek. Taste's good! Checkcheck. Okay!

He really wasn't injured. He was the opposite, in fact; he seemed positively radiant, the epitome of health. Eh? Darling's okay?! Darling's okay, he's okay!

He smiled at her while she continued her ministrations. "I feel fine, Zero Two. Better than fine, even. I feel like I could run a marathon!"

"But... but how..."

Darling shrugged at her, not knowing the answer himself. A long silence came over them. They thought of all available explanations, any possible answer for the sudden twist of fate, the spontaneous change in fortune. And then, at last, their minds brought them both back to an act of goodwill on a snowy day and a promise between a beast and a boy. Their eyes snapped to their other half, and in unison they spoke.

"The blood!"

The princess lept into her prince's waiting arms. Under that tree, in that forest, they sealed their renewed bond with a kiss.

Partner killer? Partner killer?

If the most beautiful girl in the world wasn't leaning against him and dozing comfortably right then, Hiro might've piloted her mech into APE's headquarters and crushed them all himself. He had never been more insulted in his life! The Zero Two he knew would never hurt a fly!

He silently fumed. Just what had they put her through during their separation? What had they made her do? Was she always fighting? How many stamen had they made her suck dry? And judging from her earlier breakdown, the experiences had obviously given her a great deal of trauma and stress. Why hadn't that asshole doctor done anything about it? No matter, it made no difference now that he was here. He'd shoulder any burdens she had. He'd have to pay attention and help her work through it. Her integration into the squad was important as well, he'd have to help her work through her trust issues and make sure the other members didn't-

"Darling?"

He lowered his head to look at her. She was looking up at him with worry from her position against his shoulder, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Shit! Had he woken her up? He wanted to let her rest before the testing!

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You're so stressed..."

"It's nothing," he replied quickly.

"Hey!" She gave him a pointed look and wrapped herself tightly around him. "If I can talk with you, you can talk with me! We're in this together!"

He opened his mouth to retort, to say that she already had enough to worry about and that she didn't need more stress, but she cut him off before he could even say anything.

"To-ge-ther!" she emphasized, lightly poking his stomach.

His rebuttal fell away into a sigh and sheepish grin. Yeah, she was right. It was wrong of him to try and shoulder everything alone. With her, he could get through anything. He leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree.

"It's just... 'partner killer'? Those rotten bastards! They forced so much on you." His voice dimmed. "I can't even imagine. While I was here, trapped in a plantation, they were making my Zero Two fight and suffer and..."

Hiro lost his train of thought when he felt her grab and squeeze his hand. A momentary silence fell over them before she spoke up, her voice almost a whisper.

"...Your Zero Two?"

Crap! How could he be so rude? He couldn't just say something like that, like she was some sort of object to be owned! He looked to her to apologize-

Later in life, Hiro would remember that moment fondly: how she was nestled against his chest and arm; the way she looked at him through her bangs, those cheeks stained crimson; the happy surprise written all over her face.

He swallowed, his heart pounding. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. "Y-Yeah."

Straightening, she leaned up and gently pecked the corner of his mouth before returning to her former position.

"I suppose I am," she agreed bashfully. She looked away and smiled. "You're my darling, after all."

In ironic mimicry of their first meeting, he again felt like he was going to have a heart attack; but instead of stunned disbelief, this time he felt like he could move mountains. His mind took him back to that mistletoe tree, to a lonely little girl sitting in the snow, asking him the question of a lifetime. Zero Two almost certainly could hear and feel the hammering in his chest from the way she was sitting against him, but if she noticed she didn't say anything. He took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm down. Yeah, this was alright. Like this, he - they - could do anything.

No, more than alright. This was heaven. This was what he needed to protect, always. No matter what.

"I... I was trying to figure out what to do, trying to come up with a plan so they'd keep us together and make us official partners," he continued after a moment. "So they wouldn't ship you off again."

Zero Two chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "We need to prove it wasn't a fluke..." Her eyes lit up suddenly. "Oh! I have an idea!"

"Eh?" he asked, glancing down at her. She met his gaze, sporting a positively devious grin.

"Once I'd found you, I was gonna unlock your memories," she explained.

He gave her a questioning look. "You mean, like earlier? How were you planning on doing that?"

"Shameless flirting!" she announced proudly.

"H-HUH?" For a quick second, a small part of him actually wished the memory suppression had held, just so he could experience such a thing. Zero Two, flirting? Did she even know how to flirt, outside of being naturally adorable?

"That, and quoting our childhood! I figured if I made a show of demonstrating how attached we are, they wouldn't dare separate us! And then I'd have more than enough time to get darling out of his cage! But instead of that, we can ride together and show them! Once we beat the rule they'll have no choice!" Hiro couldn't help but marvel at her spunky rambling, at the way her eyes shone as she stared off into space. He could almost picture the gears turning in her head. Naturally adorable, indeed. He wondered if she was even aware of what she did to him.

"After that, I'll be darling's official partner! Then they'll finally let me ditch this stupid Nines uniform and I'll get a new pistil suit and we can fool around every day and-!"

Hiro couldn't help but grin in exasperation. He wasn't sure that was how it worked... but this was Zero Two he was talking about. He knew how resourceful she could be when she put her mind to it; he was reminded of her hunting those rodents in the forest, all those years ago.

And it wasn't like he objected to her oddly specific vision of the future, either. She really disliked her uniform that much? He thought it complimented her fiery personality.

"Alright!" he interrupted, rolling his eyes and petting her head. She leaned into his touch happily. "We'll try it out and then play it by ear. One day at a time, right? Then we'll stab APE in the back as soon as we're able and hightail it out of here."

From her position against him, Zero Two pumped her fist in the air and cheered. Her enthusiasm was infectious; Hiro felt his mood improving already. Laughing, he leaned down to sneak another kiss.