Darling in the FranXX: The Reaper Squadron
Chapter 26: The Return
Time Skip: 10 years
Zero Two was outside water her flowers when it happened. A lot had happened in 10 years one of which was that everyone had finally been able to move out of the Birds Nest. She had taken those flowers she had gotten all those years ago and made a small flowerbed outside her and Hiro's home and made sure to water them daily. She was still unsure as to who had sent them though.
Each one of the flowers suddenly lost a petal. As they were dragged away in the wind Zero Two followed them and her eyes saw 4 black specks in the atmosphere. They were quickly growing larger. As they grew Zero Two could see them better and her eyes widened in shock.
"It can't be…"
But it was. There were four black FranXX that were falling through the atmosphere. It was hard for her to tell at this distance, but she was almost sure who it was, Reaper and his squad had returned. Pulling out her communicator, Zero Two called Hachi, Nana, and Ichigo.
"What do you need Zero Two?" Hachi asked.
"Are any of you guys outside?" Zero Two asked.
"No, why?" Ichigo asked.
"Go outside and look at the sky to the northwest and tell me if my eyes are lying to me."
"Ok?" Nana replied.
There was several minutes of silence while they went outside.
"No, Zero Two, they are not." Hachi said.
"Reaper!" Nana shouted.
"Where will it land Hachi?" Ichigo asked.
"It's only a rough estimate, but I would say about 5 miles outside of the city."
"Goro! Ready the car! I know I have meeting to attend but I need you to cancel them. This is not up for debate! We have confirmation of Reaper reentering the atmosphere!" Ichigo said before abruptly ending the call.
"I will go gather the others." Nana said before ending the call as well.
"Once I get a confirmation as to their exact coordinates I will send them to you. You best call Hiro before Nana does." Hachi said and ended the call.
Zero Two quickly called her Darling.
"What is it Zero Two?" Hiro asked.
"Reaper's back, Darling!"
"What?! When? Where? How? Nevermind, meet me at the tree!" He ended the call.
The tree was a Sakura tree that Zero Two had found in Reaper's shadow storage. He had taken a seed from one of the trees in Mistilteinn and planted it there. It was already a decent sized sapling when Zero Two found it, so she transplanted it in the park with Ichigo's permission, it had grown into a rather large tree, for some reason it never stopped blooming.
As she prepared to leave she got a text from Hachi with the coordinates for their landing. "I wonder what Reaper's reaction will be when I tell him." She thought rubbing her stomach, she hadn't told anybody except for her Darling and Ikuno. She got in her car before driving off to the park. On her way, she saw Ichigo's presidential escort pass her by.
She pulled into the park and walked over to the tree and waited, keeping her eyes on the four black comets. Hiro became running up to her a few minutes later.
"Where is he Zero Two?" Hiro asked.
She pointed at the four comets.
"Where?" He asked.
She showed him the coordinates that Hachi sent her.
"Let's go."
The two raced out of the city and were soon given a police escort courtesy of Ichigo because she was tired of waiting for them. When they caught up with them about 3 miles out, they saw everyone was there, even Ikuno, who had been confined to her bed by doctors due to her frail state.
"Ikuno?" Hiro shouted out the window.
"I'm not letting a little frailty stop me from greeting them upon their return." Ikuno said stubbornly.
"I'll keep an eye on her." Said Naomi who was in the car with her.
The group took off again to reach the crash site. The four FranXX impacted before they got there, causing the ground to shake. They arrived a few minutes after the crash and saw the damage. Black Rose and the others had taken a lot of damage during their travel through space and during the landing. They had dug a two-mile trench in the ground and destroyed a small portion of roadway. As they approached the faceplates popped open with a hiss.
…
"Oh, my head!" Were Reaper's first words when he awoke, the next were, "Squad, status."
"We are both ok over here, Reaper." James said.
"Same here." Snake said.
"Were good, too." Crow said.
"What about you guys?" Havana asked Black Rose.
"We've been better but are still functioning." She replied.
"Where did we land?" Crow asked.
"Earth." Lotus replied.
"And it looks like Reaper Beta are here to greet you." Narcissus said.
"Well then, let's go say hello. Black Rose, if you will." Reaper said.
The faceplate opened with a hiss and sunlight flooded the cockpit. Slightly blinded, Reaper held up a hand to shield his eyes and walked out. He was then glomped by Zero Two.
"Reaper!" she shouted.
"Nice to see you too, Zero Two." Reaper said.
She let go of him and went to go hug Havana. Hiro clapped Reaper on the shoulder.
"It's good to see you back in one piece."
"Glad to be back."
Ichigo then stomped up to Reaper and slapped him. She then pulled him into a hug.
"Don't you dare do that again." She whispered into his chest.
Reaper placed a hand on her head. "I won't."
As she stepped back Reaper got a good look at her. His eyebrows shot up in shock.
"Ichigo, are you pregnant?"
"What?!" Havana shouted.
She nodded.
"Congratulations." He said.
"Goro! Come here so I can punch you!" Havana said, and she ran after a fleeing Goro.
Reaper and the others laughed until Zero Two got Reaper's attention.
"Umm, Reaper?" She asked.
"Yes?" He replied.
Zero Two fidgeted in place for a moment before walking over to him and whispering in his ear,
"I'm pregnant."
Reaper looked at her in shock, the others just looked confused.
"How?" he asked. "You told us that that couldn't happen to you."
"What are you two talking about?" Cypress asked.
Reaper looked at her for permission and she nodded.
"Zero Two is pregnant." Reaper announced.
Everyone's jaws dropped. Ikuno then rolled forward and answered his question.
"It's possible due to the fact that Hiro is the same as her. Over the ten years you have been gone, Hiro has completed his transformation and is a Klaxosaur human hybrid like she is. Thus, they can reproduce."
As Ikuno spoke Reaper beheld Ikuno's state and sadness covered his eyes.
"Ikuno, what happened to you?" he asked.
"The rapid ageing that we experience caught up to me. I was able to develop a cure but," she shrugged her shoulders, "I can't undo the damage that's already been done."
"Snake, is there anything you can do?" Reaper said, turning toward him.
Snake shook his head. "This is beyond Chronos's power. I can turn back time on inanimate objects but the living…we are too complex for me to do. Unfortunately, I'm not a god."
"Master?" Reaper practically begged.
"*sigh* Fine, but just this once."
Death suddenly appeared, scaring the shit out of Reaper Beta, and placed his hands on Ikuno's head.
"Hold still."
A clock striking one was heard and Ikuno began to glow. When the glow subsided, Ikuno had regressed in age, looking like she would at the age of 20. Ikuno looked shocked.
"What…?" she asked.
"You have him to thank for this." Death said pointing at Reaper before disappearing.
Ikuno slowly stood up from her wheelchair and took a few tentative steps. When she realized there was no shakiness, she ran toward Reaper with tears in her eyes and grabbed him in a hug.
Reaper placed a hand on her head as she sobbed into his chest. "Your welcome Ikuno." He said.
She attempted to dry her tears and walked over to Snake and the two began to talk quietly. Someone then shouted Reaper's name.
"Uncle Reaperrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
Reaper grunted as a small child slammed into his legs and grabbed him in a hug. Looking down, Reaper saw a small girl that looked strikingly like Kokoro hugging his legs. Kokoro and Mitsuru soon approached over the trench that the FranXX had dug, carrying two other children.
"Ai! I told you not to run off!" Mitsuru chastised.
"But I wanted to see Uncle Reaper." She protested.
Reaper then picked her up. "So, you're the Ai I was told about. You look a lot like your mother."
"Thank you! Mama said that you were away for a long time but you're going to stay for a while, right?" Ai asked.
"Yes, yes we are." Havana said walking over.
"Aunt Havana!" Ai said, she then wiggled out of Reapers arms and ran over to her, Havana was soon fawning over the girl.
"It seems you two have been busy." Crow said to Mitsuru and Kokoro.
"We aren't the only ones, Futoshi has two with another on the way and Ichigo has one as well." Kokoro said.
"And so does Zero Two." Raven said.
"Does she now? Well I can't say I'm surprised." Kokoro responded.
Reaper then noticed Cypress was sneaking glances at the girl who arrived with Ikuno. Reaper lightly nudged Futoshi, who had walked over.
"Who is she?" He asked, jerking his head toward the girl.
"Her? Oh, that's right you guys never met her. That Naomi, Hiro's original pistil. Hachi found her along with several other parasites in a cryosleep facility. We thought she had died when her transport, which was going back to the Garden, was destroyed in a Klaxosaur attack." Futoshi explained.
"Ah. She seems to have caught Cypress's eyes." Reaper noted.
Reaper then looked around. "Where are Nana and Hachi by the way?"
"They are back in Gran Crevasse. They are waiting for us to return with you." Hiro said.
"Gran Crevasse? Wasn't that where the Apus was? How are they inside of it?" Owl asked.
"You misunderstand. Gran Crevasse is a city, one of the first ones we built. Nana and Hachi are in control of defense and security." Ichigo explained.
Everyone began to gather by the cars and looked at them.
"What about the FranXX?" James asked.
"We will be fine here James. It's not like anything can hurt us." Narcissus responded.
"We will send a crew out her to get them and bring them back, although we don't really use FranXX anymore." Goro said.
"I have an idea in mind." Reaper said.
They then got in the cars, Reaper and the others getting in vehicles that were driven by some of Ichigo's escort and drove back to Gran Crevasse. When they finally parked, Nana, Hachi and Gaia were standing outside waiting for them.
Reaper Alpha walked up to the two and saluted them.
"As ordered ma'am, we have returned." Reaper said.
Nana walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. She then said.
"Don't you dare do such a thing again." She said.
"Yes ma'am" He said.
They then walked into a meeting room and they filled each other in on what happened on their respective sides.
While Reaper Alpha was gone they had finished converting everything to renewable energy and had figured out how to generate nuclear power without harming the environment with radiation. Miku and Zorome had opened an elementary school for the children and were starting to teach classes. Futoshi had opened his own bake store and was renowned for his culinary creations. Ichigo was still the president of the world although she tried to step down multiple times the people rejected her doing so. Goro had gone to the Garden and rescued the children that were kept there and had destroyed the growth vats himself. Ikuno and Naomi were both doctors and researchers. They personally took care of each member of Reaper Beta no matter the issue. Gaia had become the resident expert on Klaxosaurs and taught several classes at the high school that Hachi ran. Kokoro and Mitsuru were just living their lives as civilians.
Reaper Beta then took Reaper Alpha back to the cars, saying that they had a surprise for them. They drove out of the city and into the suburbs.
"Where are we going?" Havana asked.
"You'll see." Zero Two said with a smile.
They pulled up in front of a set of houses and got out. Reaper and his squad looked confused.
"Why are we here?" Owl asked.
Hiro threw each of them a set of keys.
"These," Hiro said gesturing to the houses, "are yours."
"Really?" Havana said, excited.
"Yes. we built them and have taken care of them until you returned. They are yours now." Nana said with a smile.
"Thank you." Reaper said with a smile.
As Reaper Beta left them to explore the houses given to them, Zero Two called out Reaper name.
"Yes?" He replied.
"There is always room for you guys here. Never doubt that."
…
The next day the 4 FranXX were hauled through the city to a warehouse that Reaper had appropriated, and Reaper Alpha entered the building. Four days later, they emerged. When Reaper Beta arrived to look at what they had done, they were shocked. They had managed to shrink down the FranXX to human size.
"They are not quite androids, but they are as close as we can get them." Reaper said.
"This is fine Reaper, we weren't even expecting this much." Black Rose said.
"How?" Ikuno asked. "and why?"
"Well it was obvious that the FranXX are no longer in use, but we couldn't bring ourselves to destroy them. After I discovered that they were a program that could be removed we came up with this. That way they can still be of use and aren't let to decay." Havana said.
"Man, I wish we could do that to ours." Zorome said.
"You technically can. The others are the same as us they just don't like to talk." Lotus said.
"Reaper?" Kokoro was practically begging him with her eyes.
"Fine, fine." Reaper said with a laugh.
And so, Reaper and his squad repeated what they did to their FranXX to the others. Reaper Beta was overjoyed that their FranXX were still able to be of use. They became personal assistances to their pilots and this were at peace, for a time.
...
Deep within an abandoned APE facility, there was a room that was packed with sensing equipment. The sensors began to go off as space bulged and a glowing white crack appeared in the air. The crack pulsed as if something was trying to get out.
…
"Death, you know it is only a matter of time before war breaks out again." The Creator said.
"Indeed, and we all know what is going to happen then. You need to choose a side." Lucifer said.
"You both know my answer to that question. As for what my Reaper's choose however, that is their choice." Death said.
…
On the other side of the universe, a woman was slicing through hordes of enemies with her glaive. Her crimson eyes burning and her medium length brunette hair flared out behind her.
"Die!" she screamed as she enemies just kept getting back up.
…
On another distant planet, a man with light blond hair, deep blue eyes and glasses was walking through a forest of twisted trees. He wore white rouge clothing with a deep purple trim, although he was no rouge, and had two daggers at his waist. A woman dressed in white and purple appeared before him, he kneeled before her.
"My lady." He said.
"I told you that you didn't need to be so formal with me." She said gesturing for him to stand.
"Force of habit Lady Luck." He replied, standing. "Is something wrong?"
"The war has ended. You can return home." She said.
"My lady, you know that I swore to not return to Earth until I found my brother." He replied.
"I know but…" the woman then shimmered, and she changed into a woman with long black hair and black clothing.
She ran a hand along his jaw before laying her head on his shoulder. "I have found your sister-in-law. She might have some answers, yes?"
The man was looking distinctly uncomfortable and had a large blush on his face. "Yes, Madam Misfortune, she might."
"Then shall we go?" she said getting off of him and holding out her hand to him.
He nodded and took her hand. They compressed into a ball of purple light and shot into space.
"The war will begin soon love, we will have to return eventually." She said.
"I know but I need to find him, and please stop calling me that, imagine what the Creator would say if he heard you say that." He said.
"We'll be fine." She said.
To be continued in Darling in the FranXX: Gods Rising
A/N: Alright, that's it, this story is done! Not bad for my first story, if I do say so myself. As of the posting of this chapter, Reaper Squadron has 15,970 views which is much better than I was expecting. I would like to thank my brother who helped me come up with some of the ideas for this story. I would also like to thank you, my readers, for giving this story a chance. This may not be the greatest story out there, but I'm glad you found interest in it.
As you can see, however, we're not done yet! Reaper Alpha as well as Squad 13 will be joined by a host of new OC's in Darling in the FranXX: Gods Rising. With Death freed and the VIRM defeated, the gods have returned to Earth. However, with Death's release, an eons old feud begins anew, and Earth is its new battleground. Gods Rising is going to be a coop story that I write with my brother so, depending on how things go, I might have to push updates to once every two weeks. We'll see.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading Darling in the FranXX: The Reaper Squadron. As always, reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated, and flames will be used to roast marshmallows. See you in next story! Ciao!
*Camera pans to show Code 089 still lost in the white void*
Code 089: I think I'm stuck here. At least I have a desk, a computer will all my files on it, and a magically replenishing refrigerator. Although a way home would be nice.
*ominous creaking sound as millions of doors appear*
Code 089: *sweatdrops* Umm. Ok, then. One of these doors must lead home, right?
*Code 089 wanders through a random door and disappears. Off screen, a door opens*
Luck: Death, where are we?
Death: I'm not sure. Mark the door we came through, so we can find a way out of here.
Luck: Ok, why?
Death: I'm going to explore. *Goes through a random door*
Luck: You know, that might not be a bad idea. *Enters another random door*