The massive transport plane hummed with the vibrations of its engines as it carried its passengers and cargo towards its destination. Zero Two didn't understand how her current stamen could sleep in such an environment.
Stretching her legs out, she complained,
"I wanna take a bath."
"Not again. Have some self-control."
Was the reply she received from the grumpy old man seated near the front row. He then looked away and gave her no more attention. Quickly falling into boredom, she shifted to a different target of her interest.
"Hey, how do I smell?"
Zero Two lifted the back of her hand to her nose and sniffed as she directed her question to the heavily injured young man sleeping in a seat across the aisle from her.
"Leave him alone, he's heavily injured, he needs his rest."
"Well, just a bit more to cross the line and he can sleep all he wants since he seems to be half dead anyway."
Zero Two snarked back at the doctor.
"I wonder how long we'll be at this Plantation this time before we return the front lines. I wonder if I could get a swim in. Hey, is there a lake anywhere near here?"
"There's none, won't a shower suffice?"
"Ehhhh? But I wanna swim..."
Nana rolled her eyes, used as she was to Zero Two's personality by this point and didn't skip a beat to suggest showering as an alternative. Not allowing anything to bother her as Zero Two rejected her suggestion in favor of even more complaining.
"I think when we get there, you'll have more things to be concerned about than your swim, this Plantation is different. I'm here to hold up my end of the bargain."
Zero Two immediately made a sound of surprise and jerked upright in her seat. Her neck turned so quickly towards the doctor she heard it crick.
"What do you mean? Am I finally going to meet my da-"
Werner cut her off immediately before she could compromise anything important.
"Nana, give us some privacy please."
"Well then, I'll just go check on the pilot and ask him how much longer to landing."
As Nana walked out of the passenger cabin, Zero Two focused her full attention onto the doctor. She was not going to miss a word that came out of his mouth no matter what.
"Yes. Your darling that you've searched for all your life is here. Code 016 is attached to Plantation 13's Franxx squad. You've held up your end of the bargain magnificently over the years, now it's my turn to pay up."
A million questions started running through Zero Two's head and she couldn't stop herself from rapid firing questions to the doctor, who replied to everything in turn.
"He's really here, then? This isn't another of your pranks?"
"Yes, Code 016 is currently assigned to Plantation 13. And I don't do pranks."
"How much time do I get to spend with my darling at Plantation 13? I don't want to go to the front again without my darling."
"As much time as you want. I've pulled you from The Nines for the foreseeable future using my contacts in APE."
"Then make him my permanent stamen. I will never pilot with anyone else other than darling EVER again!"
Upon hearing that, Werner raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"You know, back in my day , you had to ask the other person. Youths these days..."
"What are you talking about, you stupid old geezer?"
Werner sighed, he really should just give up and stop talking about the old world.
"It's up to him, Zero Two. Good luck."
He deadpanned.
"It's alright, once I meet him, he's going to remember the promise we made and everything will fall into place."
"He will not."
Zero Two blood froze. What did that mean? "He will not"? What was going on? Why couldn't she stop the creeping feeling of unease crawling on her skin?
Zero Two's stomach churned from the sheer impact those 3 words the doctor uttered and the implications they carried.
"Wha...What do you mean?"
Despite her best efforts, she couldn't control her voice from shaking.
"Your Klaxosaur biology proved surprisingly resistant to the memory alteration. We couldn't even make a dent in your memories no matter how much we tried. Code 016 however, was not. I've erased all memories he had pertaining to your meeting in Garden. He remembers nothing of the time you and him spent together."
Zero Two felt the white hot fury surge through her body, her muscles primed and got ready to rip her target to pieces, to shred him to bloody ribbons, to pound him into ground meat. Zero Two stood up as she prepared to tear apart the doctor for his false promises.
"YOU LIED TO ME!"
Werner remained calm despite the sheer hostility radiating from Zero Two. He already knew that this would happen and continued on as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Zero Two, sit down and listen to me. It was either a mindwipe or an APE firing squad for Code 016. It was absolutely the only way to keep him alive for the transgression he committed by making contact and attempting to escape with you, the hybrid speciment. I saved his life with that mindwipe, Zero Two. Without that mindwipe, your precious darling would be dead in a ditch somewhere with a round in his brain."
Zero Two closed her eyes and forced herself to slow down her breathing in an attempt to calm herself. What the doctor said made sense. No matter what, alive darling beats dead darling any day of the week. He had been open and honest with her the entire time, no reason to believe he would start lying now.
'Focus, you still have important questions that needs to be answered.'
"How much have you erased from his memory?"
"I was careful. I only removed the memories where he interacted with you. Nothing more, nothing less."
With no more questions, Zero Two returned to her seat and settled down, processing all the information that she had gained over the plane ride. Darling didn't remember her. But that was fine. She had all the time in the world and she had confirmation from the doctor that this boy was her one and only darling.
So what if he didn't remember her? She'll just have to make new memories with him then.
No matter what, she would not give up.
No matter what, she will chase darling even if it means going to the ends of the earth.
No matter what, he will be hers in the end. There is no other acceptable outcome for the being called Zero Two.
Glancing outside the window, Zero Two noticed a familiar raven-haired boy look up towards the transport plane from the ground below.
Touching the window gently, she whispered her promise.
"I'm coming, darling."
Just you wait.
The office of the Plantation 13's administrator reflected the person that occupied it. Plain. Spartan. Drab. Everything screamed of utility and nothing else.
Hiro bet he didn't even have a secret bottle of whisky hidden somewhere to crack open if they ever won the war. Hachi was that straight-laced.
"Code 016"
Hachi's voice pierces his train of thoughts and he immediately focused himself for what he knew was already going to happen.
"Effective immediately, you are being released from active duty. The reason being your constant failures to activate a Franxx for the past 12 months. However, due to your prestigious service record with the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group, you are being granted special permission from APE to stay on with Plantation 13 and assist with the development of their Franxx squad. Your response is required by the end of the week. Barring that you will be forced to relocate back to Garden."
A part of Hiro's mind wanted to reject the offer and run away back to Garden to hide in a hole for the rest of his life, but Ichigo and Goro were both here as well. He owed both of them. It wouldn't be right to just turn into a coward and run away from his problems. He carefully considered his next words towards Hachi.
"I accept APE's generosity and will remain at Plantation 13 to assist in the development of it's Franxx squad."
"I also have some extra information to share with you that you might be involved in."
"Go ahead."
"We've received confirmed reports that Aggressor-2 and Aggressor-3 have been KIA on the Gran Crevasse front. You and Code 015 are the last surviving members of the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group."
"It's no big loss anyway, the STFG wasn't really fulfilling it's original roles for the past year. Ever since it got broken up and each member got their reassignments from APE."
The coldness that seeped through Hiro's voice surprised even Hiro himself, but it was what he generally felt these days. Apathy and bitterness seemed to be the norm more and more often for him. He shook his head to shoo away the gathering dark clouds.
"You sound bitter for some reason."
"I wonder why."
Hiro sarcastically replied. To that Hachi tilted his head in confusion which made Hiro groan. Did Hachi really not understand sarcasm as well?
Truly he is a straight shooter if you ever saw one.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? That Ichigo and me are the last surviving members of the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group. That's not a coincidence. When the STFG was broken up, the other members were posted to combat units on the front line while the both of us got posted to a rear echelon area like Plantation 13 where all APE did was treat us like trophies they could show around. For what? Just so they could avoid the morale shock if they had the Aggressor Flight Leader killed on the front, that's all. Can you imagine how the morale of the ground forces regulars would tank if they knew the reality where even an elite pilot could get torn to pieces on the front line?"
The bottle had been uncorked. There was no stopping Hiro from now dangerously approaching treason by his slander against APE. The same APE which made a conscious effort to allow Hiro and Ichigo to laze their carefree days away in a rear echelon Plantation eating honey soaked bread and reading the entire library catalogue.
If Hiro allowed himself to be particularly cynical, he would have thought that it would have been more prudent to shut up, keep his head down, show off the wings on his left shoulder when prompted to while APE took great care to tuck it's prized Aggressor poster boy behind in the rear safe and sound. Ichigo, in particular, was outright enjoying the privilege of spending carefree days with the boy she loved the most.
But he couldn't hide from the truth anymore. Beyond the walls, there was a war raging. A war for the survival of the human race. Every morning when he saw Ichigo dip her bread in honey. He always thought of the pitcher being filled with the blood shed by his comrades on the front line that allowed him to enjoy this decadent lifestyle.
For obvious reasons, he never ate much at breakfast.
"It's hypocritical of APE, we're all Parasites in a war against the Klaxosaurs. We all know the risks. We all know death is a possibility. That's why we take pride in our service. That's why we talk about the ultimate sacrifice to allow humanity just one more day to see the sun rise. But APE took that away from me as well. While the both of us relax and eat honey soaked bread in the rear, our fellow Aggressors were sent to the front and killed." Hiro voice rose as he found himself unable to control his emotions.
"You know Hachi, nowadays, I feel more like a propaganda piece rather than an actual Parasite."
Hiro panted for breath after that torrent of emotion he'd just released. Although he felt lighter from finally uncorking the bottle of troubles he was saving up, hearing himself spell out APE's hypocrisy plainly for all to see merely served to show him how messed up his life was.
"Not every life has the same value, Hiro."
There's an oppressive silence for a good minute or so as the weight of what Hachi said was digested by Hiro. Hachi for his part, remained expressionless and passive as ever, waiting for Hiro to either leave or ask another question.
"When is Naomi leaving?"
"Later today, will you be seeing her off?"
Hiro left the room without a word.
The bright sunshine and the sounds of flowing water in Mistilteinn did nothing to lighten the dark clouds hanging over Hiro. While brooding over his conversation earlier with Hachi, Hiro was presented with a contrasting image that went against the bright cheeriness of the controlled atmosphere and weather of Mistilteinn.
A bird with his wings broken and bloody was gasping its last breaths in the mortal world. It's blood, a bright red crimson, stained the grass beneath it.
Hiro looked up to the sky and imagined it flying just moments ago before it was forced to the ground in a harsh awakening towards the cruel reality it had lived in.
Just like him.
In a twisted way, he felt happy for the dying bird. Because it would die soon and all it's troubles would end.
"Look what we got here, and I was wondering what stank of egoistical moping."
Hiro knew that sneering drawl anywhere. Unconsciously, he tensed himself for the upcoming confrontation.
"Wow, what a good reflection of you that you got there. You know this is gold. This shitty bird about to die in a pile of it's own blood and shit is poetic in a way for a washed up celebrity like you. You know, you should be careful around these parts. You aren't in your fancy STFG postings anymore."
Hiro fixed his gaze on the distant scenery and waited for Zorome to run out of steam and leave. Zorome pointed to the bloody broken bird on the ground.
"You see this? We're on Earth now. Earth runs on it's own set of rules unlike your STFG ivory towers. And those who don't fall in line on Earth-"
Zorome stomped hard on the bird with his boot. Killing it with a sickening crunch.
"Gets crushed. Watch your back... Aggressor."
Stomping away from the scene, Zorome hurried to put as much distance to Hiro as possible while emanating an aura of disgust as if he would be contaminated by a virus if he had stayed there any longer.
Hiro glanced at his left shoulder.
A patch with an emblem of a Valkyrie's wings and a dagger crossing down the middle.
The unit patch which stated that one belonged to the absolute cream of the crop of APE's regular Ground Forces.
The APE Special Tactical Fighter Training Group.
AKA: The Aggressors.
Only one person other than him wore this patch on this base.
On this planet.
He mentally corrected himself.
His wings felt heavier than ever before.
If Hiro thought he had black clouds over his head before that interaction with Zorome, he was 100% sure of that now. No matter how much he walked or how much he stomped his shoes onto the grass, he found it impossible to clear his mind nor calm down.
Until he heard singing.
It was a female voice, otherworldly and enrapturing.
Like a sailor being drawn to a siren's trap, Hiro tracked down the source of the singing.
Ducking into some bushes as he came closer to the sound of the singing, he looked around for the source.
Finally, he saw her.
A pink haired girl in a red uniform in a style he didn't recognize. Those weren't standard issue Parasite uniforms. But what grabbed his attention the most was the pair of red horns on the top of her head framed by a white band. While one would question why was there a pair of horns on anyone or recoil in disgust, for some reason...
He thought those horns were absolutely beautiful.
She had her back facing towards him as she sat on the lake's edge. Her white boots and black pantyhose were neatly folded beside her as she swished her feet in the lake. The soft sounds of swirling water enticed him to go closer.
And so he did.
A cracking sound from beneath him betrayed his intentions.
Stupid Twig!
"Who's there?"
Her voice was sharp and tense as she turned her head towards the source of her noise. But when she laid her eyes on to the cause of the disturbance, Zero Two's entire world froze.
It was him. The one person she saw every time she closed her eyes. The first and the last thing that went through her mind every single day of her life was her darling. When she woke in the mornings, she wondered if darling remembered her. Before sleep overtook her, she wondered if darling thought about her before he slept as well.
Zero Two was not a quitter.
She never gave up. Not even in the darkest days of her life when Streliza was covered in Klaxo gore and her stamen was an unmoving corpse-bag of meat. Not even as she screamed her throat raw when Streliza was dogpiled by more Klaxosaurs than she could count, she would always return alive for darling.
She wasn't allowed to die before darling did. She would bite and claw her way through a mountain of Klaxosaurs if she had to, just to survive. She never stopped hoping to meet him. She never stopped searching. She never stopped thinking about him.
Over time, the Hiro in Zero Two's mind became something less than an actual person. But an ideal which she put on a pedestal and worshipped.
And craved for oh so much.
Her body was made for this one person. Her heart was made for that one person. Her very soul was made for that one person.
Her savior.
Her darling.
Darling.
Darling.
Darling.
Darling.
Darling. Darling. Darling. Darling. Darling.
Darling
Is
Right
There!
A lascivious grin broke out on Zero Two's face as she purred under her breath.
"Thank you for the meal."
She leapt up with the force of an exploding firecracker. Not caring if the water splashed on her boots and pantyhose that she left behind as she immediately made a beeline to darling. Her intense gaze locked onto Hiro's worried ones.
Scared darling is kinda cute too
Hiro froze like a deer in the headlights when the twig snapped under his shoes. The violence of how the pink haired girl leapt up from the lake's edge broke him out of his daze. Her intense, smoldering gaze had a glint of hunger, passion and just the tiniest bit of danger. Hiro realized that he found it scary.
And also kinda hot at the same time
Hiro started to back away from the incoming pink haired wrecking ball coming straight for him. Until his back hit the trunk of a tree with a thump and his heart sank as he realized, this was it. It was happening whether if he wanted it or not. His heart raced in fear and anticipation at what was going to happen next. His breathing sped up until the pink haired girl finally breached his personal space and slammed her palm onto the tree trunk at the same time his heart slammed against his ribcage.
The tree shook and deposited some falling leaves, one which caught onto her shoulder. Near the crook of her neck.
Which looked so smooth and so white and so alluring
And all this time, her eyes never left his for even.
one.
second.
Hiro's entire body froze up like it was dipped into a tank of liquid nitrogen and dared not move an inch nor squeak a decibel of sound, lest he trigger the hungry
And oh so hot
Creature that stood barely two inches away from his face.
All this while, not a single word had been exchanged between the two. Leaning close into the crook of his neck, the pink haired girl indulged herself as she gulped down deep lungfuls of his scent.
Hiro heard another inhalation from beside him.
And once again.
And again.
She kept repeating this action for an uncomfortably long time until he realized, she was actually sniffing him and savoring his scent. Feeling a rush of heat flood his face, Hiro froze as his mind struggled to cope with shamelessness of the pink-haired girl's open want towards him.
Treat her like a bear, just don't move and she'll leave once she's had her fill
He heard a guttural groan come from the pink haired girl's throat and a soft repeating noise that took him some time to identify but completely blindsided him the moment he figured it out.
She was panting!
Okay! That's enough of that!
As Hiro moved to push her away, he made a crucial error that he would come to (not)regret. Every time Hiro had to physically push someone away while they were clowning around, it was always a guy.
Which meant his palm would have touched the person's chest to push them away.
A warm, soft squishing sensation filled his palms.
Hiro heard a sharp intake of breath emit from the girl before he felt a wetness coat his cheek, his mind dully realizing that she had just licked his cheek. Immediately diving to nuzzle her own cheek against the spot she had just licked, Hiro found himself being nuzzled so furiously he felt the heat generated from the friction their skin caused as they rubbed on each other.
At this point, Hiro's mind simply rolled over and gave up from the absurdity of the situation.
He was stuck with his back to a tree trunk, pressed against the contrasting texture of soft warm female flesh in his front and hard tree bark on his back, with the only sounds filling the air being the high pitched moans of pleasure the female lizard in front of him was giving out. Not to mention his hand was on the breasts of this crazy pink-haired girl who had touched him more in three minutes than everyone else in his entire life combined.
That he still had not exchanged a single word with. By the way.
And he was enjoying every second of it.
It was happening anyway so, lets just roll over, give up and just go with it.
I wonder if she's a good conversationalist.
Maybe today wasn't so bad after all, Hiro thought to himself.