"We have a confirmed kill of a Mohorovicic-class at Plantation 13."
The council members sat upright in their seats. A Moho-class encountered so far away from the front? Had the Klaxosaurs managed to infiltrate units into their rear in an attempt to target their supply lines?
"Was the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group involved in it's suppression?"
They needed to know if their prized propaganda pieces were still unharmed.
"Positive. But not in the way you think. Strelizia was the unit that intercepted and neutralized it." Papa's eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Explain."
"The Stamen piloting Strelizia was Code 016."
Now that was interesting. And in a way morbidly hilarious. If Code 016 piloting abilities had returned only to be matched up with the hybrid specimen that drained the life of her partners...
Maybe Code 016 would have wished that he had remained on the inactive roster if he knew what he'd gotten himself into.
But still, they needed to confirm it's validity with a series of tests. If his return of piloting abilities applied to all other Franxx and not just Strelizia, it would be interesting. It would provide them with more options in this war. The voice of the operator broke through Papa's musings.
"Papa? Do you have any specific instructions regarding Code 016 and Strelizia?"
What should he do...? Looking at the numbers, Strelizia displayed it's highest performance in history with Code 016 at it's helm. The Aggressor Flight Leader with a Nines's Pistil piloting the highest performing Franxx in their entire arsenal.
That sounded like a war winning combination if anyone heard one.
But it came with the risks of killing off Code 016 and taking a big hit to their troops morale along with the according loss of piloting talent. He also needed to verify if Code 016 could pilot regular units and not just Strelizia.
Well, he guessed it was time to take a gamble. But it never hurt to look for alternative options. First he would verify if his piloting ability had actually fully returned by having him trial another unit and Pistil combination. If that failed, he would have them try another start-up trial, this time with Code 002 and Strelizia to check if it was just an anomaly with that particular combination that allowed Code 016 pilot once more. If that failed as well, they could safely conclude that the performance they saw was just merely a freak accident.
"Instruct Plantation 13 to initiate a start-up trial in a live Franxx with Code 016. They are allowed to use any unit with any Pistil except for Code 002 and Strelizia. If the start-up trials fails, perform another start-up trial with Code 016 in Strelizia with Code 002 as his Pistil. Afterwards, report all findings to me."
"Understood, Papa."
"Are you sure about this Papa? What if Code 016 is only able to pilot with the cursed Pistil?"
His vice-chair man spoke up.
"If that happens, then the least we could do is to see this tragedy unfold until the very end."
A smile creeped across his face as he said that.
"I'm amazed you managed to beat that Klaxosaur, we saw how huge it was and it made us freeze up in that Garage. How did it feel defeating it?"
Even though Goro asked casually as they were changing into their underwear for their suits, he noticed how everyone was listening in to hear his answer. He knew he needed to answer his question tactfully to make it as least painful as possible.
"I don't have much to say. Zero Two did most of the work."
"I see. Either way, I'm glad you made it out alive."
"Goro..."
As if on cue, the good atmosphere between Hiro and his best friend was immediately interrupted by Zorome shoulder checking him as he passed by.
"Out of my way dude!"
Hiro winced and rubbed the spot where he was shoulder checked. His muscles were still sore from yesterday's battle with the Moho-class.
"I don't believe for one bit that you defeated it. Got that, you washed up loser?"
Zorome gave a huff as he marched out of the Stamen changing rooms. Hiro merely frowned and tugged at his collar at the awkwardness of it all.
On the opposite side where the Pistil's changing rooms lay, a similar conversation played out.
"Hey Ichigo?" Miku was looking at Ichigo as she stood in the suiting pod where the 3D printer would assemble their Pistil suits from feet to neck.
"Does it ever stop being cool?" Ichigo cocked her head at the question.
"Well you know, when the printing laser reaches your shoulders on it's way up and it paints the symbol of the STFG. Don't you ever think like that's super cool? None of us ever had to experience that feeling of being in a different class like that."
Ichigo grimaced, she didn't like talking about her status as an Aggressor if it meant putting out the idea that she was an untouchable elite up in her ivory towers.
"Well...I don't feel anything, I'm used to it I guess." Seeing how Ichigo was obviously uncomfortable with the flow of the conversation, Miku tactfully changed the subject to something she knew Ichigo would be interested in, Miku thought with a silly smile on her face.
"Speaking of elite, how about that Hiro? He brings home a girl out of nowhere, and she's already calling him 'darling'!" Miku giggled as she spun around in her suiting pod.
Unaware of Ichigo's darkening expression, Miku continued,
"Who knows, maybe you have a rival-"
The sound of ringing steel broke off Miku's tease. A mark was beginning to form on the pod where Ichigo slammed her hand against it as Ikuno whistled at the force behind the impact.
Ichigo paid her no heed as she stormed out of the Pistil changing room.
She felt so frustrated. Why was Miku treating this like a joke? Hiro's life was at stake here. Did she not know who Zero Two was?
But as much as she tried to pretend these were the reasons for her frustration, she found out that she couldn't lie to herself any further and had to admit that the reasons for her frustrations were much more personal and petty.
She didn't like how Zero Two looked at Hiro with unabashed desire. She didn't like how she stretched out the word "darling" like she was a savoring a particularly delicious morsel. She didn't like the way Zero Two carried him out of Strelizia and touched their cheeks together afterwards. She didn't like Zero Two for ignoring all social norms and pursuing her target of attraction without giving a damn about anyone else around them.
Because she wanted to do it too, she was just too shy to actually go through with it.
She didn't like Zero Two, period.
And she didn't think she would ever will.
"I understand. When do you wish it to be done? As soon as possible?" Nana replied into the landline at the Plantation's command center.
"I will arrange it immediately."
The phone clicked back into it's holder as she looked for her communicator.
"I'm this close to figure out the trick to connecting. Do you have any tips, Ichigo?"
"Clear your mind and open your heart. It's easiest if you don't overthink it or stress about the idea of failing."
"That's easy for someone like you to say."
Goro grumbled to Ichigo as she tried to give him pointers on how to handle Delphnium.
A swish of pink hair crossed her path and Ichigo's left eye twitched in irritation. Just as she was about to let it slide and continue her walk with Goro, the clenching in her heart demanded her to turn and engage Zero Two.
"Hey, tell me something." Zero Two continued walking, pretending that she didn't hear a word Ichigo was saying, but Ichigo wasn't giving up so easily.
Not when it came to Hiro.
"Why'd it have to be Hiro?"
Now that made her stop in her tracks. It seemed Hiro was the one thing that could cause her pause.
And that annoyed her greatly.
Zero Two turned around and faced Ichigo with a lolipop in her mouth.
"Hiro? You mean my darling?"
Ichigo's eye twitched at that word, the sound of it sending a tick of irritation through her.
"There you go, calling him that word again. Look, I'm grateful to you for saving our lives by defeating that Moho-Class. But I want you to stay away from Hiro from now on."
Zero Two eyes narrowed as Ichigo finished her speech.
Ahhh so this is what its about.
Zero Two already had an inkling of what was going on between this blue haired girl and her darling, but now she knew for sure.
"What's it to you?"
She knew she was taunting her with passive-aggressiveness, but she couldn't help herself. To her credit, Ichigo didn't back down. If she backed down meekly, Zero Two would have at least felt a little bit bad. She wasn't THAT heartless to be a bully.
She enjoyed conflict and fighting and domination of darling, in no particular order. Outright malicious bullying wasn't something she enjoyed.
Well maybe she enjoyed bullying darling juuuuuust a little bit to see his cute reactions. Just a bit though! Just.
And she made sure to pepper him with plenty of cuddles and kisses to make up for her aggressive approach.
"Because you're not part of our squad. Pilots should only work with their assigned partners."
She tried to cover it under the guise of being a Team Leader. But Ichigo knew she was being hypocritical when she said that.
Zero Two deemed it unnecessary to reply and decided to breach her personal space and start sniffing her instead.
"Wha... What are you doing?"
"I smell a liar~"
At the sound of her tease, The petite body of darling's fangirl tensed up, something which Zero Two noted with a hint of triumph.
"I'm just speaking from the perspective of a Team Leader. If you're gonna up and leave one day, don't get Hiro's hopes up."
With frost in her words, Ichigo shot back.
"Nope, I'm still smelling a liar here. Say, what are you to my darling?"
Finally deciding it was time to engage her head on, Ichigo flatly stated their relationship.
"I'm his childhood friend who cares a lot about him."
Hmm, time to figure out the truth.
"Eeek!?"
Grabbed her face in surprise as Zero Two moved in and licked her cheek, Ichigo shrieked. A sticky warm feeling rolled over her cheeks that left her feeling sick to her stomach.
What was this person doing!? Who does something like that to a stranger!?
Licking her lips to savor the taste of the clingy Pistil in front of her, Zero Two nodded to herself.
Jackpot. Time to deliver the finishing blow.
"Hmmm... Nope, don't taste nor smell darling on you. So either... you're lying or..."
Zero Two smirked at her as she delivered a cruel blow to Ichigo's heart.
"Or there's trouble in paradise between you and darling."
Ichigo's heart felt like it was staked on a cross as she finished her sentence.
But it didn't compare to the fury bubbling within her against this... this... this homewrecker! This shameless hussy! What did she know about Hiro?
Compared to her who spent her entire life around Hiro, memorizing his likes and dislikes. Ever since she was a child she tried to match herself to his interest and ideals that he carried. She had worked hard and put in consistent effort to try and further their relationship!
She would bring him hot coffee during the late nights at the STFG base library and urge him to get some sleep instead of overworking himself. She would ignore his requests for her to turn in early instead of waiting up for him. They would both fall asleep together with their arms draped over the library books. She would wake up to see the sun rays landing on his face that framed his messy black hair in a way that made her heart race. She was the only one in the world who experienced the privilege of shaking him awake in the mornings so that he wouldn't miss breakfast at their squadron mess hall.
And then this homewrecker had barged into their peaceful lives seducing Hiro with her shameless overdeveloped body! Give her a few years and she would develop nicely too! She had seen the way Hiro stole glances at Zero Two whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Hiro used to do that to her as well!
That was until they came to this damned Plantation.
I had enough of this. I'm taking back what's mine!
"Says the one-night stand." She snapped.
Jerking back in shock at the furious barb that was fired her way, Zero Two found herself blinking in surprise at the sudden escalation the blue-haired Pistil had committed to. Such a forceful statement from her wasn't what she had expected from her initial assessment of Ichigo's personality, but Zero Two refused to back down when she defended her territory.
When she defended her darling from the pawing claws of this thieving cat!
"Oh that's rich, coming from the jealous ex that he ditched aside after realizing he could do much better than you." She snarled.
Scrunching her nose at the implication that she was nothing more than Hiro's ex, Ichigo fired back.
"I've been with Hiro my entire life, you've been with him one day. We'll see who gets the last laugh."
That's right! This stupid, clingy Pistil said it herself, she had been with darling her entire life and yet darling had not made a move on her. That alone stated how complete her failure was when it came to attracting darling's attentions!
Allowing a sound of irritation to break loose, Zero Two stepped forward, her hands reaching out towards the equally furious 'Team Leader' before her.
"Why you..!"
Quickly intervened before the pair came to blows, Goro cried out.
Oh it looked really bad for a moment, he thought. So bad that he actually inserted himself between the pair as a buffer and desperately tried to call for a ceasefire between the two catfighting Pistils.
Dammit Hiro, this is all your fault.
He groaned to himself.
"Woah woah woah! Hey look! It's dinnertime! I'm starving, lets go Ichigo! I heard it's curry today!"
With that made up flimsy excuse that any person with common sense would have poked holes in since they would have astutely noticed it was 3.30pm in the afternoon, Goro grabbed Ichigo by her shoulders and overpowered her away in the direction opposite of Zero Two.
As far away from Zero Two as possible in fact.
He wondered if he could submit a request to HQ for a restraining order for the two of them. For everyone's sanity.
"Say, you think we can be like Hiro one day? You know where he defeated that giant Klaxosaur in one hit?"
"Huuuuuh!? Say what? Everyone know's Zero Two did most of the work, that washed up loser said so himself. Zero Two is a single digit right? That mean's she's far beyond even a double digit like Hiro or Goro. I bet she's just so good she can be awesome with any stamen, Hiro was just carried along for the ride."
"But even Papa is giving him his orders directly nowadays."
"That's because of the stupid patch on his shoulders, nothing more!"
Futoshi and Zorome exchanged words as they tossed a ball around between themselves in the courtyard outside. Mitsuru was off to the side listening in when he chipped in as well.
"I hear the Pistil called Zero Two has the ability to pilot a Franxx all by herself. You two saw it's four-legged form didn't you? So basically, Hiro was only taken along for the ride."
"See, I told you he was a sham!"
Zorome sneered as he watched Hiro walk past his line of sight on the edges of the courtyard.
"Don't think you're better than us, you hear me?"
He spiked the ball as forcefully as he could towards Hiro's back.
Hiro stumbled forward and found himself wincing from the pain, the ball having hit the back of his head.
"BINGO! I'm the best! Sorry, my leg slipped. Heh, were you crying under your blue haired fangirl's skirt again? I hope you're paying her for the amount of comfort she's giving you these days. That would be perfect for someone like you, a loser who just hitched a ride from a girl! Ahahahaha."
Picking up the ball as he stomped his feet towards Zorome, Hiro couldn't suppress the burning glare on his face as his eyes were locked-on towards Zorome, the entire time.
"What? You wanna go?"
"Here's your ball."
Shoving the ball into Zorome's chest as he walked away to search for a better way to spend his time, Hiro found himself stopped in his tracks by Zorome's hand on his shoulder. His left shoulder that carried the patch of the Aggressors.
"...Putting your hands on that is a chargeable offense by APE military law, you know."
Hiro warned Zorome.
"Well I'm not touching it aren't I? My hand's on your actual shoulder blade so you can stop being a wuss and running away behind your fangirls and your shoulder patches!"
"Once I get another chance, I'll show you I can pilot." Hiro glared at Zorome.
"You? Or Zero Two?" He sniggered.
Zorome was seriously starting to get on his nerves. Fine, he was sick of ignoring Zorome anyway. Ignoring him never seemed to work because he was always hungry for an excuse to clash with him.
"Challenge accepted! I will pilot a Franxx without Zero Two and show you that I can stand on my own power."
"Hey asshole... I don't like your tone." Zorome advanced towards Hiro with his fists clenched. Mitsuru merely watched with interest out of the corner of his eyes from beyond the shade he was resting in.
Just as Hiro prepared himself for an outright physical confrontation with Zorome, the courtyard door opened to reveal Goro and Ichigo who saw the dangerous situation between the two of them. Hiro was tensed up and glaring at Zorome with his dominant half of his body facing him. It was a classic pose that Ichigo recognized from the stance his Franxx took before he engaged in close quarters combat. Zorome was much easier to read, he was outright about to charge at Hiro with his fists raised.
With a quick glance at each other, Goro and Ichigo nodded and split up to handle each individual time bomb as they both rushed to break up the incoming fight.
Goro tackled Zorome from the back and put him in an Nelson Lock in order to restrict his movements. Zorome yelled and struggled but the taller boy had a firm grip on Zorome and his struggling was useless.
Ichigo used a gentler approach where she slammed herself into a cooldown hug to the black haired boy who seemed ready to pounce. As Ichigo hugged Hiro tightly, she was whispering to him in his ears , telling him to calm down, that everything would be ok, that he didn't need to do this right now. Eventually, Hiro released the tension he was holding in his body and relaxed into Ichigo's hug. However his eyes were still sharp and furious as he looked at Ichigo.
"Ichigo. Lets pilo-"
The ringing of her communicator cut Hiro off as Ichigo fished out her communicator from her pockets, sighing as she did so.
"It's Nana."
"A mock battle with me in a Franxx?"
Hiro queried in the briefing room.
"That's right." Nana replied.
"We have orders from APE to conduct a mock battle with Code 016 in order to verify your return of your piloting capabilities. If successful, we're considering putting you back on the active duty roster." Hachi finished.
Hiro gasped.
This was it!
"Grats, Hiro!" Goro shot a thumbs up at him.
His eyes lit up with a joy and eagerness to succeed. This was his big break!
"Alright then, time to select your partner."
Remembering Zorome's jab at being carried by Zero Two. Hiro immediately thought of his old pistil in Ichigo, she was a known pistil that he had experience piloting with for most of his Franxx career. Before he could speak up, he was interrupted by a voice that sent chills down his neck.
And not in a bad way.
"I'll do it."
"Zero Two..."
This was bad, how would he reject her? If he went into Strelizia and succeeded, it wouldn't change Zorome beliefs at all that he was just a burden which Zero Two just dragged across the finish line.
"I mean...you are my darling, aren't you?"
This was really really bad. He needed to find an excuse and it had to be an amazing one!
As he desperately searched for one, Ichigo spoke up with her hand raised and rescued him from his dilemma.
"Let me be his partner."
"Ichigo..."
Hiro murmured her name in relief. This wasn't lost on Zero Two's enhanced hearing thanks to her Klaxosaur genes. However, those genes soon proved to be a curse as she immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion at her darling's tone towards Ichigo volunteering herself. Chewing her nails in frustration, Zero Two panicked.
Was she really just a fling for him?
Ichigo confidence was boosted by Hiro's apparent support in her and she pushed on to relentlessly advertise herself as the perfect pistil for Hiro.
As she should be.
"Firstly, she doesn't belong to our squad. Also, if you're only measuring Hiro's aptitude, I am the perfect choice for being Hiro's partner. Not only do we have two years worth of experience working together as a Stamen-Pistil relationship from the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group. We have over 87 logged excursions in a Franxx together."
It wasn't necessary to go into such detail about their past. Everyone already knew of their previous working relationship at the STFG. But Ichigo felt a vindictiveness from the earlier encounter she had today with Zero Two that pushed her to state just how long and how many times she had piloted with Hiro towards Zero Two who currently sat in the same briefing room as them.
Upon hearing this, Zero Two nails started chipping from the force at which she was biting them. However, Ichigo did not have any intention of showing her even the slightest bit of mercy.
"Finally, as I've known Hiro the longest of all the pistils in this room, I believe you will not find a better match in terms of our compatibility."
Relentlessly. Mercilessly. Cruelly.
Ichigo drove the stakes into Zero Two's bleeding heart without pause.
Just as Zero Two was about to stand up and give that thieving-cat what she deserved. Mitsuru spoke out with his voice dripping with scorn for Ichigo.
"You already have Goro for a partner but yet you seem to be more interested in Hiro all the time. One wonders the reliability of such an unfaithful pistil."
Ichigo felt a shiver of fear rush through her body as she found herself turning her head towards Hiro to plead her innocence.
Surely he didn't think she was an unfaithful woman? She was always Hiro's pistil in her heart. Her current arrangement with Goro was merely a product of circumstance and not by her own choice.
Ichigo hoped that Hiro didn't think lowly of her for piloting with another Stamen.
The glare that Hiro leveled at Mitsuru for his toxic words reassured Ichigo and made her racing heart settle down. Deep down, she felt overjoyed that Hiro was defending her. She liked it when Hiro defended her! It made her feel like she was the most important thing to him!
However, her happiness was not to last. She forgot that there was one more jackal that thirsted for her blood and failure.
"Wow, Look at this guy. I'm so jealous, he has two beautiful Pistils fighting over him. An Aggressor and a Special Forces pilot from The Nines. Truly, you must teach us your secret, Hiro-sama~"
If Mitsuru's voice was dripping with scorn, Zorome's voice was flooded with sarcasm.
"Alright, quiet down you all. Zero Two." Nana looked at her.
She looked towards Nana for support. However, what followed was more of an execution than support.
"HQ has made it absolutely clear neither you nor Strelizia are to be used in today's mock battle for Hiro. Sorry, but orders are orders."
Zero Two ground her teeth together so harshly she tasted the coppery tang of blood.
Fine then. It's your win you thieving-cat.
Zero Two stood up to relay some final words to Ichigo to remind her of her limits around darling. As she placed her hand on Ichigo's shoulder, Zero Two squeezed tightly as she whispered in Ichigo's ears.
"Don't get too comfortable now."
"Don't worry, I'm used to it. It's only going to be the eighty-eighth time we've connected after all."
Zero Two wanted to claw her eyes out so badly, but darling's concerned gaze stopped her from doing so.
Stupid darling with his stupid cute eyes and his stupid cute clueless face that made her want to kiss it senseless as she tore off his clothes and-
Zero Two inhaled the deepest breath she could and with all the self discipline she could muster, she stormed out of the room to go smash some tree trunks to pieces. Or something.
But something was getting smashed.
Except Ichigo's face, because that would get her jailed. And jail had no darling. Even if she was part of The Nines that weren't under regular military justice, she wasn't doing so hot right now with Papa and the other Nines, they would find any excuse to throw her under the bus or limit her freedom.
Just get him arrested too so they could be together.
Her mind grumpily suggested.
If it's with darling, jail is just a room anyway.
Time to go smash something to pieces.
The briefing room door sealed shut once more and Hiro felt the tension lower slightly. He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Does anyone want to be their opponents?"
Oh come on Hachi, why am I NOT surprised nothing fazes you. At this point I'm surprised by me being surprised that you are not surprised. If that makes sense.
"Me!"
"Ack!"
Two voices sounded off in near unison.
"Hey! Who died and made you boss?" Miku screeched at Zorome.
"I gotta be the one that tears down their charade."
Scooting closer to Zorome to whisper in his ear, glanced nervously towards Ichigo as she did so, Miku panicked.
"They're the Aggressors you know? We're totally gonna get our asses kicked!" She worried.
Giving her a dismissive wave, Zorome rolled his eyes.
"Shush, you've seen those losers, remember the activation incident? They couldn't even boot up a Standard Franxx."
Miku pondered his rationale, giving Ichigo one last nervous glance before she nodded her approval.
"We'll do it."
"Alright. The pairs are selected. The mock battle shall be held at the Training Yard, tomorrow morning." Hachi announced.
"Wait wait wait! Let's just get it over with right now! I've got to wash my hair tomorrow morning so lets just beat these shams and call it a day!"
"Zorome's still mad at you from today's fight."
"When isn't he ever not mad at me?"
Hiro pointed out.
"Ack... well..."
Goro winced as he tried to defend Zorome since he knew the caustic Stamen still possessed some decent qualities buried deep down.
Verrrrrrry deep down.
"I'm sorry Goro, I know how Ichigo is your partner and all."
"Don't beat yourself up over it. Besides, she was your partner for longer anyway. You two go way back."
"Goro..."
"It's alright. Really. If it's the two of you, I know you can win. I believe in the both of you, now go get them, Hiro."
As Hiro left their room for the mock battle, Goro felt a slight pang of sadness creep into his heart.
The sight of Hiro and Ichigo walking side-by-side in their pilot suits towards Delphinium was a sight worthy of an APE propaganda highlight reel. The original Aggressor duo returning to pilot together from a year long hiatus. Aggressor-1 was being reformed. If anyone saw the two sets of wings and daggers walking towards a Franxx together, they would call over every surveillance bot in the region to take as many photos as possible to spread it around in a newsletter for the troops.
Maybe even make them do some cheesy pose. Like a side shot of them back to back with their Aggressor patches visible.
Hiro scrunched his nose in disgust at the thought. He didn't want to make this moment into some propaganda mouthpiece. He was more concerned about the mounting pressure and stress that was building up inside him from the sheer nervousness he was feeling into entering a cockpit with Ichigo once more.
The last time he had entered a Franxx cockpit with Ichigo had ended in total, utter failure and humiliation.
He tried not to think too hard about that.
He tried realllllllllly hard not to think about it.
Utter humiliation once more if he failed. Not just for him, but for Ichigo as well.
Hiro didn't realize that he had started to hyperventilate until he felt a soothing warmth encase his right hand.
"It's OK Hiro. There's nothing to be worried about. Just like usual, right?"
He started to calm down. His breathing slowed to a normal rate and he closed his eyes as he felt his right hand being squeezed.
"No matter what happens out there, I'll be right there with you."
Ichigo was really good at knowing exactly what to say to calm him down. That was the scary power of a childhood friend for you.
"Let go get them then."
"Yup."
He squeezed her hand back.
The skylights of the plantation burnt away the darkness of the Training Yard. Hiro looked around him. He wanted to know exactly who was watching this.
Nana and Hachi. Of course. Plantation Strategic Officer and Doctor Franxx's Aide.
Doctor Franxx. Of course. Nana was here after all, you chased butts, not the other way around.
A medical team on standby. Of course. APE safety regulations at work.
A surveillance drone to officially record the events. Of course. Both for safety reasons and post battle analysis.
Goro. Mitsuru. Futoshi. Kokoro. Ikuno. Oh come on don't you guys have something better to do. Go socialize or something.
And finally, standing on a ledge leaning on the rails as if she was a sailor's wife awaiting her beloved to return home,
Zero Two.
Well, it wasn't that many people. Just basically everyone that he knew or knows him was here to watch the mock battle.
This could be amazing or a disaster depending on what happens.
Hiro groaned to himself, and not because Zorome was already on his comms channel ranting at him on Delphinium's main display,
"-you got that wuss?"
"Yeah yeah..."
Hiro groaned out again. Ichigo shot him a weird look from her kneeling position as she prepared her entry into the Pistil terminal.
"Sorry Ichigo, I'm just overwhelmed at the moment."
Ichigo placed her hand upon his as she reassured him,
"Just focus on concentrating. I'll handle the rest."
"Are you sure you can rely on him to even do that much? Considering who your partner is, 'Great Leader', I just might beat you this time."
Great... now even Miku was joining in. He glanced at Ichigo, noticing she had not deemed Miku's boast barely worth a reply. Because she was currently completely focused on making sure they succeeded instead. She needed to make sure the world knew Hiro could pilot a Franxx.
If she could make that happen, she wouldn't mind bearing all the insults in the world for Hiro ten times over, no a hundred times over, nay, a million times over if she had to.
Hiro looked at the concentration on Ichigo's face while Miku insulted her and thought to himself,
Ichigo being reliable as always. Was there a time she was never there for him?
For a moment, Hiro felt his heart pang with guilt. Because he felt like he was letting her down. That he didn't deserve her kindness. He started to feel the black clouds starting to form over his head once more. As he dully gripped the extending handles from Ichigo's pistil suit. Hiro didn't even realize he was beginning to brood once more.
It didn't occur when he was with Zero Two as she was like a whirlwind of force and affection that blew away anything that tried to cling to him. She had so much sheer force of personality and aggressiveness that he couldn't help but be swept along the currents with it. It was like he had barely time to think whenever he was with Zero Two. Just the sound of "darling" alone made his body tense up in anticipation of what was going to happen.
It felt like she had him all wrapped around her little finger. A single "Darling" and a wiggling finger beckon and the next thing he knew, he was already rushing to be by her side.
With Ichigo though? It was like he was forced to slow down, contemplate every decision, mull over every action. The time he spent with Ichigo, if he were to compare it with the time he spent with Zero Two, they were like total opposites. If his mind didn't think enough when he was with Zero Two, his mind overthought itself to the point of brooding whenever he was with Ichigo.
But it wasn't always a bad thing.
With Ichigo, he felt like he could breath, relax, slow things down and enjoy the more detailed things in life. And he knew that Ichigo always provided him with a sense of security, no matter what.
To the point where sometimes, he felt like he was taking Ichigo for granted.
Ichigo...
She was always there for him. Wherever he went, Ichigo wasn't far away. No matter how he tried to hide away from the world on most days, Ichigo always knew how to find him. She always knew what to say to cheer him up. She always wore that hair clip he gifted her day in and day out without fail. She always made sure he slept enough, ate on time and had proper hydration.
She was always watching over him from somewhere.
Why didn't he realize it till now? All he did for the past year was ignore her, brush her aside, give her the cold shoulder. If he looked back, wasn't he acting like a total jerk to her all the time? Why would she put up with that? Why did he never notice he was being so cruel towards Ichigo's feelings?
BECAUSE YOU'RE SO FUCKING SELFISH!
A familiar voice screamed at him. And he realized, even though he boasted internally how much he had changed after her death. He never really took her words to heart. He merely assumed that he had changed for the better and never bothered to ensure he did so. Nor did he even bother to reflect or think about his actions. He told himself that reflecting was for whiners, it was for depressed raven haired stamens that ignored the world around them as they wallowed in their self pity.
He allowed himself to be carried away by Zero Two because he wanted to
Because she made him forget all his pains and fears and troubles in a single word
It was as if she was a drug and he was an addict
It was as if he was hiding behind Zero Two and her displays of affections.
The rebirth he was so proud of with Zero Two?
A lie.
The glory that he clung on to while he was in her embrace in Strelizia?
A sham.
The achievements he was so proud of?
It wouldn't have been possible without Ichigo being his rock, his pillar of support. His foundation. And what did he do with such a thing? Ignore her, cold shoulder her, wave her off and tell her not to worry so much. All the while he abused the fact that no matter what happened, he could count on Ichigo to be there for him at least. He abused it unknowingly.
He felt like a complete jackass.
Hiro was so deep back into his depression that he barely felt the probing lance pierce his mind.
It's alright, I know Hiro better than anyone in this world. If there's anyone who can draw out his ability, it's me.
I'm entering Hiro's mind now.
Wha...? What's all this darkness? It's pitch black. I can't see anything. Hiro? Hiro? Where are you?
No matter.
I will break through.
For his sake.
Ichigo mentally sharpened herself into a single point and thrust her consciousness into the oily black darkness.
A unnoticed hiss of pain was her only reply.
I'm inside! I feel the connection! We can start Delphinium now!
Initializing startup sequence!
Delphinium, ACTIVATE!
His shriek of pain echoed off the cockpit's walls.
In her ecstasy at having achieved her goal, Ichigo never noticed the fact that Hiro was suffering a fit in the stamen seat behind her as she brutalized her way into his mind.
As the entire cockpit lit up, Ichigo never realized she was hurting him.
Hurting the one person she loved the most in pursuit of his happiness. How ironic.
"Uwah, the face plate activated... Hey, Zorome, are you serious about this?"
"I'm telling you, it's fine. Look! They can't even walk!"
And Zorome was right.
Just take one step at a time. Right step. Slowly. Gently. Softly.
As she unconsciously took over the controls of Delphinium on her own, she didn't realize Hiro was hitting his physical limits right behind her.
Delphinium lifted it's right leg and gingerly started to move it forward.
"Alright! Time to attack! Their Franxx is activated and they're moving! They're free game now!"
"Hey! Stop it, Zorome! Something's wrong with Delphinium!"
"Nooooope, I'm going in! Take this!"
With a burst of speed that left dust kicking up from the soil around it's feet, Argentea slammed into Delphinium and rammed it into the Plantation's walls with a loud crash.
Delphinium slowly slid to the ground as sparks flew from where it was scraping the steel of the Plantation's walls. As it's behind finally touched the soil, it lay there immobile as it rested against the Plantation's walls like a puppet with it's strings cut off.
Zorome looked absolutely disgusted.
"Special Tactical Fighter Training Group my fucking ass... you guys are pathetic. PATHETIC!" He screamed.
He rammed Argentea's feet into Delphinum's belly as he kicked it repeatedly.
"HEY! STOP! WE'RE SERIOUSLY LOOKING LIKE BULLIES HERE ZOROME!"
"Like I care! They deserve it for taking us for fools! What's all this about a trainer squadron huh? They're nothing more than frauds! Garbage! Trash! Scum! Con artists! Liars! FUCKING ASSHOLES!"
Zorome punctuated every insult with a kick from Argentea.
Mercifully, the initial ram by Argentea that slammed Delphinium into the Plantation's walls disconnected Ichigo from her Pistil terminal as the temporary bond between Hiro and her was severed. Thus she did not feel any pain from the follow up kicks from Zorome's Argentea.
She merely had to feel Delphinium rumble with the screeching of twisting metal as Zorome's ranted profanities at them.
She would have preferred the pain of the kicks. This was humiliating.
But Ichigo pulled herself together.
She refused to break.
Because Hiro needed her help. Hiro who was slumped over in his stamen chair with a small amount of red froth leaking out the sides of his lips. His eyes were glassy. He wasn't dead. The twitching of his chest and body were proof of that.
She did this to him. She hurt him. She hurt Hiro. She was a bad person. She was a terrible person.
Ichigo dry heaved onto the ground of Delphinium. The rattling of Delphinium's cockpit not helping her stomach in anyway as the kicks continued. She felt like the luckiest person in the world for skipping dinner due to the stress of the upcoming mock battle ruining her appetite. Because of that decision, the only thing that exited from her was a mercifully small amount of saliva.
She dry heaved again whenever she saw Hiro's body twitch once more.
Can't... Break... Hiro needs help... Call medical... Then break down...
As she willed herself to stop dry heaving. Ichigo pushed herself back up on shaking arms that felt like twigs to her. The kicking had stopped. It seemed Miku had finally managed to wrest control away from Zorome or at least resist enough to make him stop the attacks. With Delphinium's cockpit now still, It gave her much needed stability to try and piece herself together and figure out her next course of action.
Her next course of action was determined however, by the appearance of Zorome once more. Well, not appearance. Considering Delphinium had powered down from the broken connection, the only lights available were the eerie red emergency lights that flashed in the darkness. So a more accurate term was that she heard Zorome.
"How does the Earth feel? Much different from your STFG ivory towers huh?"
She knew what his plan was. He wanted her to break down and cry on the comm channels for everyone to hear. To hear her admit her defeat and grovel between his kicks. He wanted to grind Argentea's boot on Delphinium's skull until it's forehead touched the ground. He wanted to stomp on her, piss on her, spit on her and leave her broken, humiliated corpse as an example of what it meant to go against him. He wanted to bring the humiliation to its peak and finish her off.
He wanted to feel the thrill of breaking an Aggressor.
Ichigo sat on her knees and steeled herself for the incoming abuse. She couldn't lose to him. Even if it was something as mere as crying.
"Did you like strutting around with your wings, you show-off bitch?"
She glanced at the left shoulder of her pistil suit that carried the namesake of the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group.
The Aggressors.
They poured their blood and sweat and tears into improving Humanity's chances of surviving the Human-Klaxo war. Their Doctrine. Their brain. Their Franxx. Their Steel. Their Pilots. Their flesh and bone.
Every mistake they made could cost potential lives. So they refused to make any. A 100% success rate wasn't exceptional. It was expected.
Every piece of false information could cost lives. So they studied until their eyeballs felt like it would burst on desperate nights.
Even a 3 percent increase could mean a reduced reaction time of 0.1 seconds which could mean the different between a dodge or a hit, it could cost lives. So they recorded motion data until their muscles screamed and their bones creaked.
They weren't allowed to make major redesigns on the Standard Fraxx that pushed production costs up. But even a 1% mobility increase could save lives. So they worked on the Franxx until their hair and clothes were slick with monkey grease trying to find something to optimize.
Every Aggressor was considered a Strategic-class level asset by APE. They weren't allowed to even put their lives in the tiniest bit of danger lest they lose thousands of man-hours worth of invaluable knowledge. So they had to watch by the sidelines as their security team were torn to pieces whenever they had to capture a Klaxosaur for the Aggressors to study. Everything had to be earned over a mountain of corpses and sacrifices. Nothing was ever easy.
The average lifespan of a Franxx pilot on the front lines was 26 days.
Whenever they returned to Garden to file their reports, they would look at the sea of faces who carried nothing but awe whenever they passed by the legendary Wings and Daggers. They felt sick to their stomachs that the best they could do for these pure souls was a 26 day lifespan when they graduated from Garden. So they made it 27days. Even an extra day added to the mortality rate was considered a victory.
And they did all this not for glory, pride or a paycheck.
They just wanted to show the world that their wings were earned, not given.
Ichigo sniffed as the stream of abuse continued. Her heart was being smashed to pieces one square inch at a time.
"Who the fuck do you think you are? You couldn't even activate a Standard Franxx when you first came here, you shams!"
He wanted to make this Aggressor bitch beg for forgiveness.
Ichigo sniffed again.
"Being handed team leader on a silver platter just because of that fucking lie you call a patch!"
He wanted to make the Aggressors an example of what would happen if you went against the Great Zorome.
Ichigo sniffed again.
"When all you did all day was chase your Aggressor boyfriend around all day. Did you even realize you had an actual assigned stamen?", Zorome continued in a false stiletto, "Pilots should work with their assigned partners" he then finished,
"While you were sucking Hiro off whenever he disappeared for even a single second."
He wanted Papa to know how much he had messed up by choosing these failures as Aggressors.
Ichigo sniffed again.
"You should be glad Franxx don't come with any way to expel fluids, because if it could, I would be spitting on your shitty Delphinium right now."
Because, deep down, Zorome wanted to be an Aggressor himself.
Ichigo choked.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Closing on the edge of her face where it threatened to fall.
"Should we call it?"
"No. Give them a chance."
Zero Two frowned at the doctors decision, she didn't agree with what was happening right now and she swore that the next time she saw Zorome, she would rip him to pieces for touching darling like that. But to her, it felt good for that blue haired thieving-cat to be taken down a peg. She looked around to the Plantation 13 Squad watching the entire thing play out.
Or what was left of them.
Kokoro had left, she felt physically ill and registered herself to the medical team where she was brought to the infirmary. Futoshi followed her.
Goro was physically being held back by black armored security troops as he screamed himself hoarse at Zorome to stop.
Ikuno pointedly started facing a wall and stared at it as if it would offer some dignity and privacy to the victims.
Mitsuru looked bored, as usual.
Zero Two just wished it would all end soon so she could cuddle and nurse her darling back to health.
It was comfortable here.
There was no noise or disturbances.
He could rest here forever.
It was warm and comforting.
He wanted to rest here forever.
Until he heard a sound.
A sound that he only heard once in his entire life.
It was a very. very. very. very. very
Long time since he heard that sound.
But he promised someone important that he would never let her make that sound ever again.
And thus, he approached the source.
Ichigo had failed. She had broken to Zorome's torrent of abuse. The world had seen how a broken Aggressor looked like. The burning shame flushed hot against her skin and made her choke for air.
The sign of her failure was rolling down it's unstoppable descent down her face where it would drip down to the cockpit floor of Delphinium.
Just a few more seconds until it was over.
She emptied her mind, froze her body still, and waited for the end.
Except the end didn't come.
As she held her breath-
Ichigo felt a warm touch brush against her cheek.
The drop of liquid was being wicked away.
"I told you that your crying face looked terrible."
His green-blue eyes shone in the darkness.
"It even tastes the same as back then. You never do change at all, do you?"
With the lips that were clear of the red froth, he spoke those carefree words as if he was making casual conversation in the mess hall.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Her parched throat croaked out,
"HIRO!"
"Ouch, hey... stop! It still hurts there, hey not so hard! Ichigo come on, it seriously hurts ow, stop that. Ah whatever, do whatever you want like you always do."
He complained as Ichigo choked out her sobs into the crook of his neck.
"Oh come on, you were doing so well just now holding yourself together and now you burst like a dam. What was the point of all the hard work you just did if you were going to gush tears anyway?"
A loud smacking sound echoed in Delphinium's cockpit.
Damn, nice hands on this one.
"STUPID HIRO!"
"Hey stop!"
Another smack rang out along the cockpit walls, Hiro wincing at the pain.
"Hey that's SERIOUSLY starting to hurt real bad, please stop."
"I don't care! Just go and die!"
"But I just came back! You want me to go die again?!"
Hiro rubbed his cheeks at her third, and final slap.
"If you keep doing that I am SERIOUSLY going back to where I came from!" He snapped at her.
Her choking sobs cried out, pain and grief spilling forth.
"Why don't you understand? I don't like guys that think they can drop dead and then come back with a cool line at the very end and think that makes it all okay! I want someone reliable and there for me everyday of the week! I don't like guys who think that putting a lot of effort in a short period of time makes them entitled to everything because they think they worked hard! That's not working hard! That's worst than being lazy! That's arrogance!"
Hiro blinked at her emotional outburst.
"Ichigo..."
Shutting her eyes as she poured her heart out to her childhood friend, Ichigo continued. The unspoken words she was carrying her entire life burst out from within her as she confessed everything she had kept so well hidden her entire life.
Not anymore.
"I want someone who puts in effort everyday, even if its a little bit! I don't believe in lopsided stuff like birthdays where you go all out for one day then ignore the person for the rest of the year! I want everyday to be special! So Hiro... stop scaring me all the time."
With a guilty, sideways glance, Hiro apologized for worrying the closest person he had in his life.
"...Sorry."
"It's better to apologize and look embarrassed then to never apologize at all thinking you're always the correct one. Just because you never apologize doesn't mean you're right. It just makes you seem like a jerk. I have more respect for an idiot than a jerk." Ichigo sniffed out, blinking away her tears as she did so.
"I'm sorry I made you cry. Even though I made a promise that I would never let you cry again."
"Well you better start getting ready to make it up to me then."
"Where do I start?"
With her mind nearly delirious from her outpouring of emotions. Ichigo blurted out her deepest desires.
"You can start by kissing me for once, dummy."
Freezing at the bombshell she had just dropped on him, Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the burning shame light up her cheeks. Her body turned away as she shifted in embarrassment.
A soft, wetness grazed her lips, breaking through the frazzled state of her mind.
Did he just...?
Was this really happening? This wasn't real right? What was going on?
He actually kissed me-
And as quickly as it began, it ended. The physical contact had ended so quickly Ichigo couldn't even gather the necessary time to process the sensation that had graced her lips. But as she brushed her lips in muted amazement, idyllically enjoying the taste as she did so, Ichigo found herself smiling at the relationship upgrade that had occurred between them.
"Will this serve as my down payment?" He teased.
Unfortunately, all that earned him was a glare from Ichigo.
"What did I just say about cool lines? I hate that." Irritation filled her voice as she spoke.
"Fine. Lets just go beat up Zorome then. That sound any better for you?"
"It's a date then."
Rolling his eyes at their banter, Hiro shook his head.
"You are such a hypocrite."
Ichigo laughed at that.
After allowing herself to indulge in the fluffy warmth of their shared in-joke, a serious expression filled Ichigo's face once more.
"We can't activate Delphinium. We still failed, Hiro." she pointed out.
"We didn't try yet."
"We tried countless of times, all of them didn't work. And even if we did, Delphinium is damaged and we're both still recovering. There's no way we'll win. And there's no way we'll ever pilot together ever again after this." Ichigo spoke, as she resigned herself to their failure.
The silence in the cockpit was punishing as the red emergency lights only added to the reservations clouding Ichigo's mind.
However, Hiro's green-blue orbs blazed forth as he spoke in a confident voice.
"We will win. Because we're Aggressors."
Confusion flooded Ichigo's mind at his declaration. Just what was Hiro talking about? They were in a damaged Franxx that couldn't even boot up.
Did she break something in his brain from slapping him too much?
"Hiro, we're specialized to fight Klaxosaurs, our enemy is a Franxx, we're out of our field here." she worried.
Hiro laughed, a sharp piercing laugh as if Ichigo had told the funniest joke in the world. Out of their field? Hilarious!
Maybe I shouldn't have slapped him that much.
Hiro's laughing died down and he looked at her once more with utmost seriousness.
Definitely should not have slapped him that much.
"I'm telling you the very reason we will win is because the target is a Franxx, not a Klaxosaur. It's within our lineage and heritage to defeat enemy Franxx. That's why I think it's time we fulfilled the original mission of an Aggressor Squadron."
Ichigo cocked her head at him in puzzlement, as if he was speaking an alien language.
Hiro sighed to himself. This girl could be so smart and yet so oblivious sometimes.
Classic Ichigo.
Hiro found himself rolling his eyes at the cute puzzlement displayed on her face.
And that was exactly what he found so endearing about her.
He pointed to the direction where Argentea was waiting outside of Delphinium's cockpit. Ichigo's head turned to match his finger movements and her eyes followed to the place where he was pointing.
"...He's OPFOR."
Ichigo's mouth opened in an silent "oh" shape.
Now everything made sense.
Ichigo's eyes glinted in the darkness as everything clicked together at once and a flip was switched in her head. A dangerous smile crossed her lips as she did so.
She turned towards the Pistil Terminal and inserted herself into it. Her arms and legs slid in with a hiss as they locked themselves in place. Her rear neck display clicked in the eerie silence of the cockpit as it unfolded itself. Every mechanical click seemed to signal the incoming doom of Argentea.
As the display on the rear of the Pistil suit fully unfurled and snapped in place, little did the pilots of Argentea realize that they had just signed their own death warrant.
The display was a blank screen. But it would change soon enough.
Then she waited for the callout that she only heard from Hiro whenever they did "those" type of field exercises during their time in the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group.
And even then, the only times he made that callout was when they absolutely wanted to utterly wreck someone's day.
Someone.
Not something.
A human pilot of flesh and blood. Like Hiro had pointed out, it was the original mission of all Aggressor Squadrons in history.
Finally, the order came loud and clear from behind her.
The moment she was waiting for to unleash her true nature.
Little did her fellow Plantation 13 squad mates knew that there consisted a dual nature to her true self.
Code 015, the anxious team leader that was prone to overthinking and worrying about Hiro.
Aggressor-1B, the living nightmare of enemy pilots.
"Ichigo!"
Her entire body froze as she prepared to mentally shift gears and invert everything she had. Already, she was flexing the mental switch state from Ichigo, Franxx Piloting Code 015 to Ichigo, Aggressor-1B.
The glint in her eyes shimmered dangerously in the flashing red lights of Delphinium's cockpit.
"Last Showdown! Let's finish it off!"
That was it.
The switch was flipped.
The gears in her brain shifted to something forbidden.
Her blood flow in her veins inverted. Her base thinking processes changed to something more primal, feral and dangerous.
Her entire aura seemed to change.
Her eyes narrowed into slits as her back arched inwards. Her shoulders lifted closer to her head, emphasizing the wings she bore on them that glinted in the pulsing red lights of Delphinium's cockpit. Every muscle group in her body tensed as if it was a loaded gun ready to go off. Her nose scrunched as she bared her teeth towards her enemy.
She shifted her position in the Pistil Terminal to take up a position that one might identify as an attack stance in feral quadrupled canines.
In just a mere instant, Ichigo had transformed into a hunter of Humans instead of Klaxosaurs.
Mentally speaking, Code 015 existed no more for the moment. There was only Aggressor-1B primed to destroy the enemy pilots that lay in front of her.
The only step that remained was to verbalize her confirmation of the order spoken by her Flight Leader. From Hiro. That gave him the green light that they were ready to annihilate any enemy pilots that stood in their way. Breathing in, Ichigo filled her lungs with air as she prepared to complete her mental transformation.
This was the part she loved the most.
"Behold..."
In a deep and husky voice that Ichigo saved just for this occasion,
"The sprint of these wings."
By the end of that spoken line, she was outright growling.
In the Training Yard, Delphinium's face place activated and colorized as it smoothly dusted itself off the dirt and stood facing Argentea with a smirk on it's face. That damned smirk that had Miku's body shivering in fear as Zorome nervously gripped the handles of the pistil suit so tightly he heard his knuckles pop.
Zero Two's jaw dropped as she shot the doctor an accusing stare. Pushing down his elation at the successful activation procedure, Werner steadied his voice as he deadpanned to her,
"I wished you good luck back on the transport plane for a reason you know."