Darling in the FranXX: The Reaper Squadron
Chapter 22: Starting Again
Good Lord this has been one hell of a week at work, nearly didn't get this one done in time. Anyway, Merry Christmas everybody!
As Reaper, Owl, Havana, James, and Hiro, Reaper and Hiro carrying Gaia and Zero Two respectively, trudged across the battlefield toward the Birds Nest, Death floated up to them.
"The battle is over for now. The Klaxosaurs are more focused on fighting those accursed VIRM than attacking humans, so I will retreat for now." Death then glared at Gaia. "Why is she with you?"
"She is still alive, master. She knows things about the VIRM that we do not, perhaps even where their homeworld is. We need to keep her alive so that she can tell us such things." James said.
Death looked at both him and Havana before sighing.
"You two both have an emotional attachment to her as well. Fine, she can live." Death then looked at Hiro and Zero Two. "Hiro, she is still alive so there is no need to worry on that score. A word of advice though, don't die again. I can only revive you once, since you are not one of my servants."
Hiro nodded, not trusting himself to speak to this divine entity.
"I will see what I can do for your two friends. Since I doubt that you want your friends to die temporarily I will need to call in some favors in order to return their lost memories. Give me some time and I will put them back to normal." Death then turned into a formless shadow and dived into the earth and disappeared.
As he did, the undead horse that was following the members of Reaper Alpha melted into dust and the visual changes that Reaper Alpha underwent also faded, leaving them looking like normal. Reaper and the others staggered.
"Jeez, the energy drain that causes." Owl said as her eyes tried to close.
Havana heard something approaching. Turning around, she saw Black Rose and Narcissus approaching.
"Need a lift?" Black Rose asked as she and Narcissus extended their hands down to them.
"That would be great, thanks." Hiro said.
As Black Rose and Narcissus carried them away, the ground shook. Turning around, they saw that Strelitiza Apus was taking off, along with several Klaxosaur ships.
"How?" James asked.
"I don't know and frankly, I don't care right now." Owl said.
The two FranXX then turned and continued to walk back to the Birds Nest.
…
As they entered the Birds Nest, they saw several parasites rushing back and forth as well as several adults.
"So, some adults weren't taken. That's good, they can help provide some direction for the children." Reaper muttered to Havana who nodded.
Havana gestured to Gaia. "Give her to me, she needs to get to medical." Reaper nodded and handed Gaia off to her. "Hiro, come with me. We need to get the both of you to medical as well."
Hiro walked off with Havana toward the medical ward. Reaper looked around at those passing by and saw a familiar face, Hachi.
"Good, he wasn't taken with the others. The children will need people they trust, now more than ever." Reaper thought as he and the pieces of his squad approached.
"Hachi, status." Reaper said tiredly.
Hachi's head jerked up at the sound of Reaper's voice. "The rest of your squad as well as most of Squad 13 are back in the main area packing up. Since most of the adults are gone, we are moving the parasites into the old rooms."
"That's good to know." James said.
Hachi took a good look at them. "You guys look like crap. Where are Havana, Hiro and Zero Two?"
"Medical." Owl said, holding back a yawn.
Hachi chuckled. "Go to the rest of your squad, pick a room and get some rest. There will be time to sort out the chaos once you have had some sleep." Hachi said and pointed them to the main area.
As they entered the door to the main area, a blond blur suddenly tackled Reaper.
"Reaper!" Kokoro shouted as she impacted him causing him to grunt and stagger.
"Nice to see you too, Kokoro." Reaper said.
"Good to see your still alive Ichigo, Goro." Owl said, and the two nodded sheepishly.
"Do us a favor, and don't do that again. Zero Two thought that you two had been killed." James said.
"Speaking of, where are they? They're not…?" Miku asked worriedly.
"Medical. They both had their fair share of injuries from that fight. Havana went with them to make sure they got there ok." Reaper said, as he yawned. "Now, where are we moving to?"
"Second floor." Ichigo replied. "We are just gathering the last of our stuff. You guys can get first pick of the rooms since you all look like you are about to collapse."
"Sounds good." James said.
The group gathered what remained of their stuff and moved to the second floor. Reaper and his squad then chose rooms with Reaper picking the room with a window overlooking the mountains in the distance. As much as Reaper wanted to stay awake until Havana came back, his body's cries for rest could no longer be denied. Reaper was able to kick his shoes off before he fell onto the bed, he was asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
…
When Reaper awoke, he found Havana snuggled into his chest with his arms wrapped around her. She sighed happily in her sleep and snuggled deeper into his chest. Looking out the window, he saw that it was as bright as it was when he went to sleep, meaning that either he was only asleep for a few minutes or for an entire day. Just as he was debating getting up or continuing to lay there with his wife in his arms, the door opened and Hachi walked in.
"Reaper, are you awake?"
"Yes." Reaper said quietly, gesturing to the sleeping Havana who mumbled in her sleep. "How long has it been?"
"You have been asleep for about 24 hours. Havana, a little more than 10." Hachi responded and gestured him to come out the door.
Reaper detangled himself from Havana. As he started to walk from the bed, her hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
"Don't leave me, Reaper." She mumbled in her sleep.
"I'll be back in a while, love. I promise." Reaper said petting her hair.
This caused her to let go of his arm and turn over. She mumbled something along the lines of "You work yourself too much." in her sleep.
Reaper and Hachi walked out of the door and Reaper silently closed it behind him.
"What did I miss while I was out?" Reaper asked.
"Nothing much. The remaining adults that weren't taken have been doing their best to take care of all the parasites but you all vastly outnumber us. We don't have the manpower to do everything that needs to be done, unfortunately. Ichigo has called a meeting of her squad and asked that your squad attend as well but you were the only one awake. The meeting is in 10 minutes in one of the smaller conference rooms." Hachi said.
"Very well, lead the way."
Hachi led him to one of the conference rooms in the northern section of the Birds Nest. Reaper entered and Hachi stayed outside.
"Thank you for coming Reaper, I know you must be exhausted. Where is the rest of Reaper Alpha?" Ichigo asked.
"All of my squad are still out cold. The events of yesterday really took out of us. Such transformations are extremely taxing, even for us."
Ichigo sighed. "I was hoping the rest of your squad would be awake already, but you will have to do. Please take a seat."
Reaper sat in one of the unoccupied chairs and looked at Ichigo.
"I called this meeting for two reasons. The first is that, due to Papa abandoning us and taking most of the adults away, there is an extreme leadership vacuum. Of the adults that were left behind, most are of the rank that Fake Nana and Hachi are and have no idea how to manage so many parasites. Most of the parasites are looking to us due to our combat prowess and reputation and are asking what they should do since they have no idea how to start a life where they can make choices for themselves. We are also running low on supplies. We have enough food and water to last us for a year at most. There are also sections of the Birds Nest that were damaged from the battle as well as about 100 parasites that are unaccounted for. We need to make some kind of decision on how things are going to work from now on." Ichigo said.
"You need to establish a government. That way the parasites have someone to look to for orders and the like. A democracy would be best for the current situation, as everyone would have a say in how it operates." Reaper said.
"We have a list of roles that need to be filled. Is this sort of how a democracy is set up Reaper?" Ichigo asked handing him a list of positions.
Skimming over the list, Reaper nodded and handed it back to her. "That's about right."
"Alright then, the first position that needs to be filled is the role of the President. Normally it would be an elected position," Ichigo looked at Reaper who nodded. "but right now, it needs to be filled. The president presides over the council and has the final say in all decisions. All other positions will report to the president and advise him or her of their status as well as help them handle any situations that arise. So, who would like to volunteer?"
The room was dead silent.
"Anyone? Alright," she said as her eyes landed on Reaper. "then I nominate Reaper to fill the role. He has the most experience of us and we all completely trust him." Ichigo said.
"While I thank you for nominating me, I will have to decline." Reaper said.
"What?"
"Ichigo let me be blunt, the other parasites do not trust me. On my way here, the other parasites avoided me like the plague, they are terrified of me and what I can do. I would be leading by fear if I was president because they would do as I said just because they would be afraid of what I would do to them if they refused."
The room was silent while they digested Reaper's words. Reaper then spoke again.
"I would however, like to nominate Ichigo to the position."
Ichigo looked at him shocked. "Why?"
"The other parasites trust you for one. Two, you have excellent management skills which is necessary to fill that position. Third, you have a more level head than I do, most of the time."
Ichigo was blushing at the complements that Reaper was giving her.
"All those in favor?"
Every hand in the room went up, aside from Ichigo's.
"All opposed?"
Not a hand went up.
"Very well then. By unanimous vote, Ichigo, you are now the new President."
Ichigo blushed harder, if it was possible. "Thanks for putting your faith in me. Moving on, we need to fill the positions of R&D, Engineering, and Maintenance."
"Reaper, since you built the purifier in Mistilteinn why don't you take the second one?" Kokoro said.
"Very well, I can do that. I have most of the know how to put together Snake's crazy ideas so that shouldn't be too hard."
"I will do Maintenance." Mitsuru said and Ichigo nodded.
Then the door opened, and Havana walked in. She still looked tired, but she was wide awake.
"Love, why aren't you still sleeping?" Reaper said getting up and walking over to her.
"Because you aren't there." Was her reply as Reaper guided her to a chair.
As she sat down she leaned her head against Reaper's shoulder. "So, what are we talking about?" she muttered to him.
"The children are working on setting up a government and are filling out various roles." Reaper muttered back.
"Ahem." Miku said.
"My apologies." Reaper said.
As things continued on all the roles were finally filled. Ikuno would take R&D with Snake assisting her at Havana's insistence. Goro would be Ichigo's Vice President. Zorome and Miku would take over the farming operations. James would also assist them due to his affinity for plants. Futoshi, unsurprisingly, would take over rations and food prep after some ribbing from Zorome. Kokoro would take care of the other parasites much like Nana had Reaper Beta, putting her returned motherly instincts to full use. Reaper also volunteered Cypress to assist Mitsuru with maintenance since her strength would be of great use to him. Raven and Crow would take over textile creation since Raven was good at sowing and Crow was good at designing, much to everyone's shock when they learned that. Havana would split her attention between running the medical ward and helping Futoshi cook until he was fully educated on how to cook. Reaper pitied the man, Havana could be quite the harsh teacher. Owl would be assisting in the medical ward as well, since she learned everything Havana knew when Havana died.
"Alright, on to the second matter." Ichigo said and turned toward Reaper. "We already have a general understanding from your FranXX but, who was that on the battlefield yesterday?"
Reaper sighed. "That was our master, Death. He is one of several divine beings that created the universe."
"Wait, hold on. Death is a concept, how is it also a person? And what do you mean one of several?" Zorome asked.
"Death is a concept, yes, but that concept was created by our master. He created it as a final solution, of sorts. You could be the worst person in the world, the most despicable person in the universe, but eventually you will die. You could be the ruler of a country or a world but there was always one person above you, someone you would have to answer to for your actions eventually. Our master created death so that the new could replace the old and change would occur. Eventually, the universe itself will die and the divine beings will have to start again. As for what I mean by one of several, Death is not the only divine being to exist. There are the Fates, the Creator, Lucifer, Lady Luck and Madam Misfortune just to name a few. They each hold the power to alter the universe at will. They are gods, and Papa is nothing more than a speck of dust compared to them. A wannabe who thinks that they can decide the fate of the universe. I told you several months ago, Ichigo, that your Papa was not a god. Now, you see the truth." Reaper said.
"How long have you worked for him?" Ikuno asked.
"10 years at the most." Havana replied. "Master cycles his servants as we wear out. There no doubt has been several hundred of master's servants throughout the millennia, we serve him until we are tired of fighting for him and then he releases us to the afterlife. He picks his servants in groups so there is no conflict between time periods. Had we not been frozen like we were, most likely master would have picked you guys to be his next servants." Havana said.
After the meeting ended, Havana dragged Reaper back off to their room to get more sleep. As they passed Hachi, Reaper asked,
"Hey Hachi, have you found Nana yet?"
Havana stopped dragging Reaper away to look at Hachi.
"Maybe. I received an email from the Doctor that has a set of coordinates in it."
"That man is dead. Our master collected his soul already." Havana said.
"Perhaps it's an automated email then. Either way I'm going to investigate this, so I will be gone for a few days."
"Take care of yourself Hachi, the children need you." Reaper said as Havana began to drag him away again.
…
A few weeks had passed, and things were started to look up. The crops had been planted, they had found the unaccounted-for Parasites, Reaper had built a solar array off to the side of the Birds Nest and had built a battery bank, so power was no longer an issue. Medical was starting to empty due to Havana and Owl's hard work and the food that was being made each day, while not the greatest due to being canned, tasted better than it would have.
They were just starting to eat lunch when Goro burst into the main area which had been converted into a dining hall for the parasites.
"Guys!" Goro shouted. "You need to come with me! Now!"
…
"You have got to be kidding me." Zorome said.
They were outside looking at the crops that Zorome and Miku had so painstakingly work on and planted, crops that were now dead.
"They were growing just fine." Futoshi said.
Ichigo knelt down and lifted one of the dead plants. "I don't understand. We fertilized and watered them just like the book showed us."
Reaper heard a thump behind them and turned and saw Kokoro collapse. "Havana!"
"Kokoro?! What's wrong, Kokoro?" Miku asked.
"Kokoro!" Mitsuru shouted, he then clutched his head in pain.
Havana knelt by Kokoro and quickly checked her over. "She needs to get to medical, now. Owl, help me. Mitsuru, you're coming with us a well, you have avoided medical for long enough."
As the four walked away a transport flew overhead.
"Is that…?" Miku said as they watched it fly.
"To the Docks." Reaper said and began to run.
When they arrived, the transport had just landed. The loading arm extended and off walked Hachi, behind him in an electric wheelchair, was Nana.
"Nana?!" the children said and ran toward her.
Reaper and his squad ran forward as well, concerned as to why Nana was in a wheelchair.
"Nana! I'm so glad your back!" Miku said falling to her knees and resting her head in her lap.
Miku then began trembling.
Please, help…" she said causing Nana and Hachi to look at her in shock.
"Help us!"
"Reaper. What happened?" Hachi said rounding on him.
"Come, and we will show you." James said.
They walked back to where they were and showed Hachi the dead plants.
"They were just fine until today." Crow said.
Nana couldn't get over to where they were so Reaper created a shadow bridge above the crops, so she could roll over to them.
"Thank you, Reaper." She muttered.
Reaper nodded to her and looked down at Hachi. Hachi knelt down and took a plant in his hand and inspected it.
"This is just pure conjecture, but decades of Magma Energy extraction may have depleted the soil itself of life."
"So even the planet itself has rejected us?" Ikuno asked and Miku began crying.
Reaper managed to catch Ichigo before she fell. Taking a look at her flushed face, Reaper said only one thing.
"Medical."
He then picked her up bridal style and carried her back to medical the others following. It began to rain.
…
"Well?" Goro asked as Havana emerged from the curtain surrounding Ichigo.
"She is suffering from shock and overwork. She just needs a few days rest and she will be back to normal."
"Such a fool. Worrying more about everyone else except herself." Ikuno said.
"What about Kokoro and Mitsuru?" Miku asked.
"Mitsuru is fine, I took him with us, so he could get the immunizations that I gave you guys. Kokoro however…"
Havana trailed off as she tried to figure out a way to explain what was happening.
"What is it?" Nana asked.
"When I tested her urine, I found traces of human chorionic gonadotropin."
Reaper looked at her in surprise, he knew what that meant and so did the rest of his squad.
"And what does that mean?" Ikuno asked.
"She is pregnant." Owl said walking up.
Reaper Beta still looked confused.
"She is carrying a baby." Raven said.
Reaper Beta reeled back in shock.
"Have you presented her with her options?" Cypress asked.
"I have." Havana said.
"And?" James asked.
"She has not given me an answer yet."
"What are you guys talking about?" Miku asked.
"When a woman is pregnant, she has two options. The first is to carry the child to term and let it be born into the world." Owl said.
"The second option is to perform an abortion or remove the fetus and kill the child." Reaper said darkly.
Reaper Beta gasped in horror.
"She wouldn't…" Ikuno said.
"It's her choice to make. Don't give your opinion to her unless she asks for it." Havana said. "Now, if you will excuse us we have more patients to look at." She and Owl then walked away from the group.
"If she decides to carry the child to term that boy better claim responsibility or I will cut his head off." Raven said darkly.
…
Later, Reaper was visiting Gaia.
"Come on, come on, where are you?"
Reaper had his hands on Gaia's head and they were wrapped in shadow and his eyes closed. The doctors told him that she and Zero Two had no higher brain function, similar to when a soul leaves its body, so Reaper was trying to find out where they went.
"Nothing."
He lowered his hands and opened his eyes. He would try again with Zero Two, he seemed to get a better connection with her.
"I will find you yet Gaia. I won't let you remain as a vegetable." Reaper said as he turned out the lights and closed and warded the door.
No one knew she was in medical aside from his squad and he intended to keep it that way. Walking down the hall, he heard voices coming from behind Epsilon's door. Listening in, Reaper heard Delta and Epsilon talking to each other quietly. Reaper smiled and walked away from the door, it was nice to know that Epsilon was awake. He had been unconscious since the VIRM attacked and Reaper was getting worried.
Entering Zero Two's room, Reaper saw that Hiro had stepped out for a moment. The boy had been practically glued to her side since they had returned. Zero Two was in better shape than Gaia but not by much, she wouldn't eat and just stared off into space. She also often walked off on her own to a place where she could see the sky, causing Hiro to run off in a panic whenever it happened.
She always had an odd reaction whenever he entered the room though. Like now for instance, the moment he entered her head snapped to his location and her arms rose toward him.
"Hello Zero Two, I'm back. Are ready for another session?" Reaper said as he pulled a chair over in front of her.
He sat down and cupped her face, she did the same to him and they both closed their eyes as Reaper's hands were wrapped in shadow. In his mind's eye, Reaper could see several VIRM ships firing and Klaxosaur ships returning fire. The image then shifted to show that the battle was taking place over Mars. Everything then faded to black.
"I know they are fighting in space Zero Two, but, where are you? I can't help you get back if I can't find you."
The images flashed by again and Reaper felt a feeling of frustration that wasn't coming from him. The connection became fuzzy.
"Calm down, Zero Two. Your affecting the connection. I'm having a hard time understanding what you are trying to tell me. Show me again, slowly."
The images played again, this time at a slower pace. Reaper, however still couldn't understand what she was trying to tell him.
"I'm just not getting it Zero Two."
He felt frustration then pain lance through the connection.
"Stay with me Zero Two." Reaper muttered as he took the pain, causing wounds to appear on his body.
He felt concern come through the connection.
"I'm fine Zero Two, any pain I can spare you I will be willing to take. I know! Try showing your Darling. He has a better connection to you than me, he may be able to get a better picture. Oh, by the way, Kokoro is pregnant."
He felt a rush of joy come across the connection then it felt like someone was chastising Zero Two. The presence had a rather regal feel about it.
"Gaia?"
He felt a sense of satisfaction and annoyance he then felt pain again. This caused him to grunt. He felt concern and fear.
"I will live Zero Two. Stay strong, the both of you. Zero Two, try to show your Darling where you are. The moment we find you, we will come get you. Even if it is only I who can go, I will come get you. I will never turn my back on family. That includes you as well Gaia."
He felt confusion.
"You have known nothing but war and pain in your long life, it's time that changed. Plus, your snake pet misses you."
The massive snake that they rode to Strelitiza was still alive and it missed its' mistress. Reaper was taking care of it for the moment and checking on it every few days. It seems to have taken a liking to him.
The connection weakened.
"I need to go you two. I will get to you as soon as I can."
He then broke the connection with the two and opened his eyes. Zero Two had tears in her eyes even though she was staring at him blankly. He felt there were more wounds on his body.
"There is no need to cry Zero Two, I am fine. Keep fighting, wherever you are."
Zero Two then laid back down on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Reaper walked out and closed the door. He then went searching for Hachi, he wanted to know what happened to Nana and why she was in a wheelchair.
…
Reaper found Hachi in the command center of the Birds Nest with Goro. He was using the satellites that made up the Shadow Gaze to look for something.
"Hachi! Zoom in on that part!" Goro said.
On screen, there was a green sphere in the center of the wasteland as well as the imprint of a massive hand.
"Mistilteinn." Reaper said causing the two to jump.
"Oh, hi Reaper." Goro said turning back toward the screen.
"I need to speak with you then." Reaper said looking at Hachi who nodded and turned back toward the screen as well.
"I see. I had heard that Mistilteinn contained soil from before this planet became a desert. The doctor really went all out with making you guys." Hachi said.
Goro's eyes lit up with excitement.
"So, if we start there and gradually expand them outward…" he said.
"We would stand a chance, yes." Hachi said.
"I'll go let everyone know!" Goro said and raced out of the room.
Hachi turned toward Reaper and raised an eyebrow.
"What happened to Nana? Why is she in a wheelchair?"
Hachi sighed. "Remember what happened in Mistilteinn before you left?"
Reaper nodded.
"Nana had regressed into puberty. Shortly after you all left, Papa took her away and replaced her with Code 007. As for why she is in a wheelchair, the effects of regressing despite being given the Immortality Injection have caused her body to become frail. She will recover, but it will take time."
Reaper nodded again.
"We also found something at those coordinates and since you have the most experience with it, I thought I would ask you."
"What did you find?"
"Parasites, all of the ones that had been deemed unfit to pilot, they were sealed away in cryostasis pods. We have no idea how to wake them up though."
"I would need to be there and see the controls, but I probably could wake them up. I don't want to do it now though. We don't have the supplies nor the space for several hundred new parasites. We still have to reach the Garden as well, both to reach those children as well as destroy those damn vats, but let's focus on one task at a time. You found a way to get the farms up and running so let's start with that."
Reaper then bid Hachi goodbye and walked out the door. If there was a way for these children to have a happy life, he was going to damn well take it.