Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the horde of klaxosaurs in the distance. Or more particularly at the gigantic cube at the center of the Conrad-class pack. All the time she had spent studying the klaxosaurs at her previous squadron made her come up with a simple rule regarding them.
The larger they were, the more danger they posed.
Switching her communications systems to get a direct line with command, Ichigo offered her expertise.
"Hachi, from the size of that thing, all ground units should be prepared to engage a high-tier class of klaxosaur."
"We can't get any reliable information about that thing since it's still hiding away in it's alt form. But, from your intuition, provide me with your estimation."
"I would say..."
Ichigo grimaced as she found herself being the bearer of bad news. Licking her dry lips, she continued,
"Gutenberg-class. Minimum."
Frowning to himself at the new influx of information he was provided with, Hachi proceeded to relay his orders.
"We have updated intel on the klaxosaurs. Aside from the numerous Conrad-classes currently on the field, we've also detected a large, tightly packed unit. We suspect it to be a Gutenberg-class level of klaxosaur and have codenamed it Target Beta. All units should take note and proceed with caution regarding Target Beta."
As the horde of klaxosaurs barreled towards their objective, the Parasites of Squad 13 couldn't help but vocalize their reservations.
"Gutenberg-class!?" Futoshi exclaimed.
"Hey, this has to be a joke right...? That's something even me, The Great Zorome, would struggle with!" Zorome cried out.
"There are so many of the smaller ones, too." Miku noted.
"Attacking the large klaxosaur while being bogged down by the smaller Conrads would be reckless. As such, prioritize wiping out the Conrad-class pack once you engage before reforming your squads to tackle the large unknown. 090 will have field command." Hachi continued.
"Understood." Squad 26's leader responded.
"It's time. All Franxx, commence operation. Strelizia to remain in reserve."
"Roger!" The combined voices of both squads sounded off in unison.
"Let's go, Squad 26." Code 090 called out as they began their advance to contact towards the pack of klaxosaurs.
Spreading out into an flying wedge formation, Squad 26 crashed into the flank of the Conrad-class pack. Their first kills came from the wet smacks of Conrads being crushed by the tightly packed mass of iron as Squad 26 made their initial impact. Herding the nearby Conrads around them as if they were sheep, Squad 26 lifted their spears, proceeding to systematically begin the elimination of the Conrads, one at a time. All the while, the entire squad remained in close proximity with each other, offering mutual support and assistance if required.
While not flashy or stylish by any means, their efficient and pragmatic method of eliminating klaxosaurs was without question as the soil turned into mush from the amount of blue blood seeping into it.
However, focusing on such a systemic method of slaughter came with it's downsides. Squad 26 found that they were unable to prevent a couple of stragglers from breaching their Main Line of Resistance towards the two Plantations.
As a group of four Conrads continued on their path towards the magma pipeline , Code 090 called for backup with a click of his tongue in annoyance.
"Take care of them, Squad 13!" he ordered. "But be careful not to stray too far ahead. If you move around haphazardly, you could affect our coordination, as well."
"If you think we're a hindrance, come out and say it! Damn it..." Zorome complained.
"Everyone, don't let your emotions control you. Let's all focus on the getting those stragglers!" Goro reassured.
"It's the truth, we're understrength and inexperienced. I wouldn't trust us as well, if I were him." Miku grumbled.
"Cut the chatter! Here they come." Ichigo cut off the rest of her squad as she motioned for them to form up behind her as they prepared to engage the incoming Conrads.
"Bombard them, break up their formation!" Ichigo ordered.
The roar of Rook Sparrow announced their compliance to her orders. The shelling by Genista worked magnificently as the Conrads scattered to avoid the heavy caliber shells.
Swooping into close quarters to engage the artillery focused Franxx, a pair of Conrads reared on their hind legs as they prepared to leap onto Genista.
Unknowing that they had played right into Ichigo's hands.
If the klaxosaurs possessed even the slighted modicum of intelligence, they would have noticed that Ichigo had already arrayed the remainder of Squad 13 around Genista to provide security for it.
Diving in with all the grace of an expert ace pilot, Envy Shop magma-tipped points sizzled in the cold night air as Delphinium scored the first kill on Squad 13's tally.
"Hold still, damn it!" Futoshi yelled as Genista found itself grappling a Conrad. Meanwhile, Argentea was desperately trying to pull off the second Conrad that had currently latched onto Genista's back.
"Come on bread boy! We can do this! PUSH!" Zorome encouraged as he put all of Argentea's strength into overpower the Conrads trying to bring down Genista.
A quick flash of blue along with a twin shimmer of glinting orange points answered his cry for help.
Delphinium had took the opportunity to sail over the confused melee and made two quick stabs as she landed with the classic twist of a ballerina. Despite the successful kills, Ichigo complained in her head.
That was way too slow! The landing was off by three degrees! Not to mention that if Goro had faster reflexes, she could have gotten the entire pack on her initial charge.
Hiro would have done better.
With jealousy bubbling in her heart, Ichigo turned back and looked towards the pipeline where Strelizia Custom awaited in reserve. Memories of the mock battle came rushing back to her as Ichigo found herself craving for Hiro to be her Stamen once more.
That could have been me up there.
Bitterly enduring her downgrade, Ichigo returned her focus on the battle at hand.
Back at the Main Line of Resistance, Code 090 whistled at Delphinium's flashy solo elimination of three Conrads.
"Code 015, huh? What's the Special Tactical Fighter Training Group even doing, being attached to a backwater Plantation in the rear like this? Even the Aggressor Flight Leader is here." he mumbled to no one in particular as an incoming call from Nana broke through his musings.
"Second wave approaching."
Code 090 snapped out of his wondering as he took stock of the incoming hostiles bearing down on them.
"Here they come. Don't let them through!" He ordered as Squad 26 loaded fresh cartridges into their magma spears.
"Take a look, darling."
Hiro lifted his head and peered towards the distant explosions as they continued to cuddle, seated on Strelizia's faceplate.
"Their tactics are all over the place. A huge contrast to the precision of the other squad." Zero Two said.
"Yeah, they're being pushed back. Even with Ichigo out there, they're barely hanging in there." Hiro grimaced, glancing towards Zero Two as she continued her attempt to seduce him with her shining eyes.
"Seems like you didn't educate them well enough, Teacher~" She teased.
Hiro chuckled at that.
"It's a little difficult to teach them how to pilot Franxx when you're swallowed in depression and unable to even boot up a Standard Franxx." Hiro wryly noted. He felt a flick on his head once more as Zero Two huffed at his bad joke. Hiro nuzzled her hair in return and indulged in the scent of her shampoo as Zero Two giggled at the sensation.
They spent the next moments in comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth and closeness of their bodies. The rise of her chest as she rested her head on his shoulders, the softness of her body fat as she coiled her arm around his waist along with a slight tickling sensation on his tummy as Zero Two gently scratched it. Hiro savored it all as he nuzzled against her, enjoying their physical act of mutual affection.
"Hah... Hahh..."
...Wait a second. That didn't sound right.
Glancing over towards Zero Two to determine the reason for her shallow breathing, Hiro couldn't help but facepalm as he recognized the unfocused look in her eyes.
She blinked once more and Hiro noted the familiar haze that started to coat her turquoise orbs. This was occurring more often than not, lately, whenever they spent prolonged periods physically close together like this.
"Hey, after the battle today-"
"You want to say 'let me sleep with you'."
"Wanna come to my room and sleep together...huh?"
Zero Two widened her eyes in surprise, a cute motion if he ever saw one, Hiro noted. It was a rare sight to see her so openly caught off guard like this.
Aha! Finally got you for once!
However, he only managed to predict her actions because Zero Two's behavior recently had been too easy to see through.
As she continued to stare at him with watery, lustful eyes. Hiro groaned to himself at that look.
Stop staring at me like that, are you that thirsty?
"You don't wanna?"
At the sound of Zero Two's childish whine, Hiro couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"It's not that I don't want to, but you have to forgive me if I find myself unable to get turned on in the middle of a life or death battle like-"
A surge of pain filled Hiro's body as his crappy joke was cut off by the harsh sounds of coughing. The searing pain in his chest tore him apart as he clutched his chest, holding on for dear life, his heart squeezing itself to the point where Hiro worried it would simply burst on him like an inflated balloon of blood. There was a slick, disgusting crawling feeling on his face as Hiro felt blue pulsing veins creep up his neck.
Unable to control the heaves that his body forced upon him, Hiro could only cover his mouth as the unrestrained coughs poured out from him. No matter how much he gritted his teeth, his body betrayed him as the pulsating cancer festered within him.
In an instant, Zero Two was by his side once more, the warm rubs on his back and the gentle massaging of the blue tumor assisted his body into recovering as the coughs, and the pain eventually settled down enough for him to function normally once more.
Pulling his hand away from his mouth, Hiro noted the globs of bright red blood that stained the glove of his Stamen suit.
The chunky texture of it being a tell-tale sign that it wasn't purely liquid. It seemed some of his lung tissue was in there as well.
Hiro winced at the sight.
He felt a warm pair of hands tilt his head into locking gazes with a pair of worried turquoise orbs.
"Let's go back, darling. Your body can't take much more of this."
Hiro froze at her suggestion. Go back? Return to the sidelines and be grounded once again?
Never.
"I can't go back, everyone's counting on me. If I return to those grey, lifeless days, I might as well be dead!"
His anguished declaration filled the silence of the night.
Zero Two frowned at the sound of that. For the longest time, she was bothered by a nagging feeling that her darling was hiding some emotional luggage away from her. An outburst like that only served to deepen her suspicions. It seemed, she wasn't the only one with skeletons to hide in their closet. Her darling had a black cloud that ate away at him at times like this.
While she already had an inkling of her darling's core troubles from simple deduction, she now possessed confirmation of his flawed ideals.
Stretching her body and savoring the feel of the chilly night air on her skin, Zero Two prepared to fix her broken darling. Just as he had saved her in the past, now was her turn to save him from his angst.
Stroking his cheek, she noted with a hint of sadness how he refused to meet her piercing gaze.
"There's been something eating away inside of you for the longest time, hasn't it?" she softly accused.
"I'm not a normal Parasite, as you noticed."
"Mmm, Darling is a celebrity. The legendary ace pilot of the regular Ground Forces. What about it?"
With a raised eyebrow, Zero Two questioned.
"I took on this role with the ideal of preserving the lives of the common Parasite. And yet, I've become nothing more than a propaganda tool for APE, shackled in a backwater Plantation at the rear while the less privileged graduates of Garden are assigned to combat units on the front line. Each time I returned to file my latest reports at Garden, I had to endure the beaming faces of the children who placed their hopes in me. While I settled into the role of a Franxx trainer, the real heroes were the ones on the front lines buying time with their blood." Hiro continued as he confessed, feeling the weight of his wings crushing him flat into the ground.
"Everyone looks up to me, they call me a hero, but the truth is, I've failed to make any appreciable difference in this world."
Ace Pilot. Franxx Trainer. Aggressor Flight Leader. Special Specimen.
Wings on his shoulders along with an S-class ID that allowed him free access to restricted areas of the Plantation.
Even with all the privileges and titles granted to him, had he really made a difference for the common Parasite?
Hiro couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze as the shame flooded his body. Hot tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks as he imagine how pathetic he must have seemed towards her.
Breaking down in front of a girl. Hiro truly felt like he had hit rock bottom as he choked out his sobs, holding his face in his hands as he desperately tried to avoid the shame of Zero Two looking at his sorry state.
The caress of a soft finger wicking away his tears provided a soothing sensation as Hiro felt a gentle, but firm hand forcing him to lock his gaze onto her loving, compassionate orbs.
"That's not true at all. I do admire you for your convictions. After all, darling never quits when he set his mind towards something."
"But that's the problem. Every time I think, "But... Even so," everything blows up in my face. No matter how hard I try, it always..."
Zero Two shook her head as her serious gaze locked on to his face.
"But thanks to that, I'm sitting here talking to you like this. The way you feel isn't wrong. 'Trust in your convictions within, and try with all your might to do what you feel you ought to do.' The darling I remembered lived his life the same way. Never knowing for sure, simply believing it was right. Your current situation isn't a curse. Even if you might not remember, you saved me."
"That image you carry of me sounds so irresponsible. Not seeing it through on his own..." he muttered.
"That might be true. But still. Even so...I was lucky to be able to entrust my dreams to someone like you. Even if you don't achieve anything else for the rest of your life, you can rest easy knowing that the person standing here right before you, owes her life to you."
Zero Two brought their interlaced hands together to rest on her chest as she blazed forth with her declaration. The feeling of her rapid heartbeats told Hiro countless words about the sincerity contained within Zero Two's feelings.
With a determined stare, she spoke.
"I believe, if we hold on tight to our dreams, if we never give up, if we never become closed-minded... I know our chance will come. To find our happy ending, together."
Shuddering from the emotions rolling through his body, Hiro latched on to the beacon of hope that Zero Two offered towards him, reigniting the flame of destiny in his heart. He had made a difference after all. Zero Two was living proof of that.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself after the emotional exchange they had just shared, Hiro nodded as he found his resolve restored by his personal guardian angel.
"Let's go, Zero Two. We'll beat the odds, together."
"Yup."
The rumbling of the earth signaled it's arrival.
"We're tracking a fast moving target entering the AO!" Nana cried out as ripples of red flashed all over the command center's displays.
The Parasites of Squad 26 shook in their cockpits as the tremors overtook their Standard Franxx. Teeth rattled in their skulls as Squad 26 desperately struggled to maintain their footing in the shifting earth, stabbing their spears into the soil as they held on for dear life.
"Where is it!? The radar is going crazy!" Code 090 cried out as he tried to obtain a visual sighting of the new arrival. He would not need to look much longer.
For the new arrival would soon show itself.
An unlucky Franxx of Squad 26 would be it's first victim. It's separated halves flying off in different directions as orange magma fuel sprayed in the air, showering the area in a drizzle of orange and red that coated the exterior of their Franxxs.
Code 090 gaped in fear at the humongous length that had revealed itself from the bowels of the earth. It's sheer size dwarfing the stunned Franxx beneath it in it's shadow.
"Worm...Class?" he mumbled.
A Worm-Class along with a Gutenberg. They were outmatched in every way. Not to mention, his squad had already lost an entire unit in the blink of an eye.
Victory was impossible, survival even less so.
As it reared skywards, Code 090 could only stare in mute fascination as the Worm-Class revealed a multitude of pods that began to open, as if it were a flower blooming in spring. The sharp spikes that shimmered beautifully served to signal his oncoming demise. His Pistil fared no better as she too was stuck in a trance of fear and shock.
Idyllically, 090 wondered how many days had passed since his graduation from Garden.
The whistling sounds that rung in his ears sung a sweet, dangerous melody as the spikes fired towards him in slow motion. 090 mused on the gruesomeness of his end once the spikes had pierced and shredded him to ribbons. Resigning himself to his fate, 090 shut his eyes and imagined Papa thanking him for his service.
Time to die, 090.
However, it seemed the afterlife had decided to trade another life for his.
"Leader!"
Ah, Code 812. You always looked up to me as a double digit, didn't you? I'm sorry I disappointed you.
A forceful shove knocked Code 090 out of the line of fire as Code 812's Standard Franxx was torn to pieces by the razor sharp spikes. Sacrificing his life to save his Squad Leader. His Franxx was systematically dismembered as the spikes ripped limbs off it's sockets and holes were carved into it's frame. A set of spikes ramming through the Franxx's faceplate sealed Code 812's fate as the orange and red mixture soaked the ground beneath.
Jerking awake from his trance, Code 090 was determined to make Code 812's sacrifice count. He brought up the vital signs of his squad and immediately assessed the situation.
Squad 26 had suffered forty percent casualties in less than half a minute.
They were combat ineffective, the only remaining course of action was to salvage what was left. With a heavy heart, he relayed his next orders.
"Squad 26, retreat back to the Plantations!"
As he scrambled towards the safety of the secondary defense line. Code 090 tried to ignore the wrenching feeling in his heart as they abandoned their dead to be trampled into the ground by the remaining klaxosaurs.
Squad 13, it's up to you now.
Ichigo chewed on her lip as she watched the broken remnants of Squad 26 flee towards them. The Primary Defense Line had fallen. Squad 13 was the only thing that stood between the klaxosaurs and the magma pipeline.
Exhaling from the stress building up within her, Ichigo glanced at the tactical map as she proceeded to align her units to meet the Worm-class bearing down upon them. Noting that the Worm-class was not supported by any other klaxosaurs, Ichigo offered her thanks to Papa for that small respite they were given. Furrowing her eyebrows, Ichigo started to formulate a plan for tackling the Worm-class.
We'll need someone to distract it while the other units carve away at it by sections, beginning from the rear.
Genista was too slow and clunky, meanwhile, Argentea's pilots were too inexperienced and volatile.
That meant Delphinium had to play the role of bait.
Grimacing at the idea of putting her life in the hands of green Parasites, Ichigo nodded as she finalized her plan. She would merely have to compensate by putting her entire heart into her skills at evasive maneuvers, something that she always held pride in. Her evasion scores were superior to even Hiro's, assuming the engagement range extended beyond 150 meters. Any closer and Hiro's superior reaction times in close quarters dominated her.
Smiling to herself, Ichigo looked forward to the idea of finally getting a chance to show off her hard work. The thought of it pleased her greatly, she realized.
After all, many had the tendency to forget that she was assigned a lower Piloting Code than even Hiro, for good reasons. For she was the technical expert between the two of them. Hiro might have been talented, creative and possess superior reflexes, but, in terms of raw proficiency, Ichigo considered herself his superior.
And it showed. Their complementary skill sets produced the stuff of legends in the Ground Forces.
Preparing herself to relay her orders, Ichigo focused on the upcoming task that loomed before her. That was until she felt a casual tap on Delphinium's shoulders.
The confident smile on Strelizia's face along with it's carefree wave greeted her as it strutted forward to confront the rushing Worm-class head-on, Queen Pike casually gripped in hand.
"That's a big one! Darling, let's go get it!"
Zero Two licked her lips in anticipation at the juicy target that awaited them, the Worm-class which was currently barreling down upon them. Deep down, Zero Two was a flashy girl and enjoyed the attention she received. Especially if it meant showing off the results of piloting with her beloved darling. After all, what better way was there to impress the rookies than to swoop in at critical moments and take out major threats with ease? Zero Two couldn't stop the grin forming on her face as she prepared to add another kill to her tally.
Meanwhile, Strelizia Custom continued walking towards the Worm-Class, now only 2500 meters away.
Zero Two noted through their shared synchronization-bond that something felt off about her darling. An intensifying buildup of an unknown emotion made itself known beneath his calm surface. Zero Two frowned, all previous elation now rapidly disappearing.
She had a bad feeling about this.
"...Darling?"
No reply came forth. Strelizia Custom continued it's march forwards. Bearing down on a collision course with the Worm-class.
2000 meters remained between them and the Worm-class.
Zero Two glanced behind her to figure out what was going on with her darling. What she saw caused a creeping feeling of unease to churn in her tummy. Not because of his expression.
But because of the lack of said expression.
His face looked had a serene quality to it, with his green-blue orbs eerily calm. A lack of tilt to his lips added to the mystery that was the disconnect between what she felt from their shared bond and his current expressionless face.
For some reason, darling was scaring her.
1500 meters.
"Darling! It's getting closer!" she worried in an attempt to break him out of his trance.
Shifting his gaze away from the main display, his tranquil eyes met hers.
"...Zero Two."
She blinked in confusion at his whisper, so soft it was almost inaudible in the building tension between them. If Zero Two had any uncertainties that something was amiss regarding her darling, she now knew for sure.
A surging force caused her to jerk in place as she felt the controls to Strelizia ripped away from her and transferred towards her darling, reverting Strelizia to the conventional control scheme of a Stamen pilot with the Pistil in support.
"Sorry, Zero Two. Please bear with my selfishness for a little bit."
Zero Two couldn't help but feel a pleasurable shiver roll down her spine at the dominance he displayed, taking the controls for himself without permission. Biting her lip, she found herself not disliking the idea of a dominant darling. With her mind drifting to less savory thoughts, she wondered if she could goad him into similar actions during their private time together.
Grinning to herself, the thought of darling cutting loose and annihilating a klaxosaur sounded amazing idea to her! After all, it was only on rare occasions she could get the privilege of watching her darling display his full range of piloting skills.
Refocusing on the upcoming engagement with the Worm-class, she awaited her darling to take the lead.
1000 meters.
...Hey, why are we still casually walking forward? It's getting real close, shouldn't darling be doing something?
"Let's attack it from above! We'll take to the skies, execute a dive and pierce it's skull!" she suggested.
"Zero Two."
That soft whisper came back once more. Upon hearing that, Zero Two felt the unease within her surge forth to the forefront. She turned behind to try and get a better read on her darling. His face still retained the serenity from before, along with clear, eerily calm eyes.
Zero Two gulped as she awaited him to continue.
"If you don't mind-"
His eyes locked on to hers, a furious fire now blazing forth, coating his once clear eyes.
"I'm going to release my pent-up emotions here."
500 meters.
The rumbling of the earth now penetrated even the cockpit as the vibrations washed over Strelizia Custom.
Ah, so that's what it was. The unknown emotion that she felt building up beneath his calm veneer.
Darling was pissed.
Ichigo's eyes widened at Strelizia's seemingly suicidal intentions. Were they insane?! They were directly in the path of the charging Worm-class! At this rate, they were going to be trampled to death!
She prepared to drive Delphinium forward and rescue the white and red Franxx.
"Goro! We need to save them!"
Delphinium limbs refused to obey her as Goro fought with her over the controls. Jerking, erratic movements came from Delphinium as both it's pilots struggled against each other.
"It's useless! They're way too close to the Worm! If we go now, all four of us will be killed!"
Ichigo snarled at his perceived cowardice. Death? Death meant nothing to her when it came to Hiro. If there was even a one percent chance of success to save Hiro, she would gladly take those odds.
"Hiro is in danger! Stop resisting me! We can still make it if we go now!"
Goro groaned under the weight the pressure that Ichigo exerted on their synchronization-bond. Why was she always so emotional and irrational whenever it came to Hiro? Didn't she see? If they went right now, all four of them would be slammed by the Worm-class, they simply did not have the time to execute a save!
Besides, Hiro must have had a plan in mind, considered the way Strelizia Custom casually walked forwards to confront the Worm-class. They just needed to trust Hiro to see it through.
"Just trust Hiro! Ichigo, you have to put your faith in him!"
Ceasing her struggles as she calculated that the Worm-class had already closed in to the point where it was mathematically impossible for Delphinium to execute a diving save during the wasted time of their struggling, Ichigo turned around as she fixed the harshest glare she could onto the blonde.
"Goro, I just want you to know. Right now, I absolutely despise you."
Ignoring the tears welling up in his eyes, Ichigo returned her focus on the clash before her. Zooming in with Delphinium's optics, Ichigo gasped as she noticed Queen Pike still hanging by Strelizia's side. Hiro wasn't even bringing up his main weapon to attack the Worm-class! Her heart clenched in worry as Strelizia Custom seemed moments away from being run over by the Worm-Class.
That was until she saw the reason for Queen Pike's lack of use.
Strelizia Custom had it's left fist cocked, with the air around it sizzling as the Magma Stakes crackled to life.
"I love you, Hiro!"
Her heartfelt, earnest confession clung to him and infected his thoughts. But, no matter how much his heart fluttered in happiness, they weren't destined to be together. No matter how much their chemistry sparked between their racing hearts, they weren't meant to be. He had already pledged himself to Zero Two. He belonged to her, as did she to him. It was a simple, straightforward situation.
Or so it seemed.
So why didn't I push her away?
Deep within him, Hiro already knew the reason. He could block it out, cover it up or run from it but the truth remained the same. He understood the reason for not outright rejecting her advances. It wasn't because he wanted to avoid breaking Ichigo's heart. Hiro did not possess such a noble goal like that, for the truth was far baser than that.
It was because Hiro realized he was attracted to Ichigo. He began to see her not as a childhood friend anymore, but as a woman vying for his affections. In a normal scenario, the only thing that he had to worry about was her reciprocation or lack thereof. But he wasn't in a normal scenario, because he had a major problem throwing a wrench into his fate.
The problem being that he loved the both of them.
Zero Two and Ichigo, both compromised essential pieces that completed the jigsaw puzzle which was currently masquerading as his life.
Together, they represented his wings.
All of this boy and girl stuff is such a pain.
As Hiro raged at his heart for having the audacity to fall in love with two girls at once, he resolved to take out his frustrations on the approaching Worm-class.
Well you stupid klaxosaur, I guess you're out of luck, because I'm having a really shitty day.
Zero Two was looking at him the entire time, he noted.
Good. Alright, Doctor, let's test the performance of your new modifications.
Lowering his gaze to lock on to her watery turquoise orbs, Hiro felt his teeth crack from the amount of force he was currently applying to them. The raw intensity of his glare made Zero Two feel like he was boring a hole into her very being. Distantly, she felt the rising heat from their shared synchronization-bond begin to spike.
Shifting in place, Zero Two found herself liking this new side of her darling. The clenching of her core informed her that yes, he was turning her on.
"D-Darling...!" She couldn't help but breathlessly whimper his name. The pulsating walls of her most shameful place betraying her newfound need.
"Zero Two-"
His voice had deepened as the furious blaze of his eyes sparked to life. Rolling waves of pleasure washed over Zero Two's body as she quivered in anticipation. Her baser instincts preparing herself to be taken by her darling. Subconsciously, her hips started to sway in alluring motions, her biological instincts putting forth it's best efforts in seducing her mate.
"Give me everything you have."
At that moment, Zero Two thanked the genius who designed the Pistil suits to be proof against liquids.
"! I-I know, just like this, right!?" her silly lizard brain now reduced to mush, Zero Two found herself squealing out her reply as she immediately closed the distance and embraced his throbbing red core greedily into her.
A plume of dust exploded outwards from Strelizia Custom as their sync rates instantly spiked and capped out at the measurable limits of the pulse tracker. A familiar tint of red colored the exterior of Strelizia Custom, power and might in excess.
"Ignition!"
The Magma Stakes roared to life as Hiro cocked Strelizia Custom's left fist.
Not that Zero Two had the cognitive faculties to notice, considering she was fighting a losing struggle to contain the drool that trailed down her chin as she felt her mind and soul penetrated all over by her darling.
Yessssss. Take me. Take me. Take me. Make me yours. Claim me.
Own me.
Zero Two lost her mind in the fog of pleasure as a jet of hot, sticky fluid sprayed forth from within her depths to pool at the crotch of her Pistil suit, rivulets of her pleasure running down her thighs. Her traitorous, shameless body merely executing it's natural biological reactions to the overwhelming sensations of ecstasy she was currently experiencing.
Unaware of the effect that he was currently having on his partner, Hiro snarled as he slammed his fist head-on into the rushing Worm-class. Grinding Strelizia Custom's feet into the dirt beneath them, Hiro roared his defiance as large cracks began to appear in the earth around them. Pouring all of his fury, rage and pain into this one single blow.
Every booster on Strelizia Custom exploded outwards in roaring flames as he refused to give ground against the might of the Worm-class. Long, ugly marks began to form in the dirt as Strelizia Custom was forced back by the sheer bulk of the Worm-class.
Red alerts painted Strelizia's cockpit wall to wall as the OS warned of their structural integrity teetering on the brink of collapse.
He ignored them.
"Darling! You have to stop! This machine can't take much more of this!"
He ignored her.
"Darling, stop! At this rate, Strelizia is going to be torn apart!"
He pressed on harder, the painful twisting of steel causing his ears to ring.
"I'm going to break! I'M GOING TO BREAK! I'M BREAKING! YOU'RE BREAKING ME! DARLIIIIING!"
Her screams added to the groans of steel emanating from Strelizia Custom as they both protested at being pushed to their very limits. Static began to flicker on the cockpit's main display, with fizzles and pops providing interruptions to the swarm of red alerts that now coated their entire surroundings.
Hiro's roar drowned out the world around him. The boosters on Strelizia Custom switched from orange to blue, and finally to white. Representing the very last moment before the boosters exploded from the strain it was currently enduring. The Magma Fuel Converter was redlining from it's overload as Hiro put his entire existence behind his fist, ignoring the protests of his stabbing heart, his shrieking Pistil and the flashing red world as he drove forward.
A gargantuan, earth-filling crash announced the grounding of the Worm-class. A giant plume of dust rolling outwards in waves as it laid helpless, it's tail coiled harmlessly as it shivered and moaned in pain. A stream of blue blood endlessly flowed from the crack in it's skull, washing over Strelizia Custom's feet and staining it.
Hiro hunched over as he panted in exhaustion. Stretching out his aching arms, he lovingly ruffled Zero Two's hair as she laid splayed across the Pistil Terminal, her body seemingly having lost all motor functions. A string of drool slowly rolled down her chin as she emptily giggled.
"Ehehe, Dah-ling brooooke me~" The ramblings of a post-pleasured girl filled the air.
Hiro rolled his eyes.
"I'm brooooken. I've been dirtieeeeed."
Huffing to himself at her overdramatic acting, Hiro cracked his knuckles.
"No one's gonna marry me nooooow. I'm used goods~"
Closing his fist into a hammer, Hiro proceeded to conduct percussive maintenance on his whining princess.
"Uweh!? Darling!?"
As his heart secretly melted at how her tongue cutely rolled out as he bopped her head, Hiro deadpanned,
"Are you just about done?"
Making overdramatic exaggerated sniffs, Zero Two childishly complained,
"Darling is so cruel, not respecting the sacred preciousness of a girl's first time. Sob, sob."
Putting his face in his palms, Hiro couldn't help but groan out as Zero Two tried her best to blackmail him with her crappy acting skills.
"But we didn't we even do anything of the sort- GACK!"
His throat constricted and pleaded for air as Zero Two had decided that now was a great time to teasingly strangle him. Her warm, soft fingers maintaining a pleasing grip while simultaneously massaging his neck.
Cooing dangerous honey in the sweetest voice she could muster, Zero Two took her revenge.
"Darling is going to take responsibility, isn't he?"
Frantically, he nodded, the hairs on his neck rising from her sudden contralto.
"I'm gonna let go now, I suggest you consider your next words very carefully." she purred.
Releasing her grip on his throat, Hiro grinned at her mistake.
If he was going to die, he would go out like a legend.
"There's a really sweet scent coming from you, right now."
That's the first time I've seen her blush so heavily. Totally worth it.
Hiro petted himself on the back as he surrendered his neck to her furious bites. Allowing himself the indulgence of sharing her giggles as they affectionately cuddle-wrestled on the floor of Strelizia Custom's cockpit.
A wet, stabbing sound interrupted their alone time.
"What are you doing? Don't relax until the core is crushed."
Ichigo spoke as Delphinium retracted Envy Shop from the corpse of the now dead Worm-class, mechanically swiping them off of blue blood.
Growling to herself at the third wheel that had interrupted her darling time, Zero Two proceeded to give that kill-stealer a piece of her mind.
"I don't take orders from you."
"You might not, but Hiro's in there as well, isn't he? Don't pull a stunt like that ever again."
Baring her teeth, Zero Two hammered the nail in the coffin.
"Darling was in full control the entire time. By the way, if you wish to know, he felt amazing."
Hiro buried his face in his hands and fled to his mental safe space as the two jealous Pistils continued their verbal spar.
"Hey, cut it out! We still have the Gutenberg to deal with. Let's stay focused!"
Team Dad to the rescue once more! Goro, you truly are too good for this world.
With impeccable timing, Hachi's voice came over the communication channels, ending their spat.
"Target Beta has reached the Secondary Defense Line. Strelizia, eliminate Target Beta. All other units are to provide security for Strelizia."
Grumbling to herself, Ichigo found herself replying in unison along with the rest of Squad 13.
"Roger that!"
As Strelizia Custom prepared to make it's way towards the massive bipedaled klaxosaur, Zero Two found a trembling grip on her wrist from Delphinium stopping her. Turning around, Zero Two met with the sorrowful eyes of Delphinium, brimming with unshed tears.
With quivering lips, Ichigo threw her pride to the wind as she pleaded with her romantic rival.
"Please keep Hiro safe, I beg of you."
Zero Two's eyes widened at her honest request. Even though they had clashed more than ever in recent times over darling, Zero Two's heart went out for the blue-haired Pistil.
In the gentlest voice she could muster, Zero Two tried her best to reassure Ichigo.
"You don't have to tell me twice. He's my darling after all."
Her enhanced hearing caught the beginnings of a sniffle.
"...Thank you."
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Zero Two looked away as she tried her best to "get along" as darling always told her to.
"Yup."
Maybe Ichigo wasn't so bad after all.
With a final shared nod between them, they parted ways towards their objectives.
As they sped off into the coldness of the night, little did Ichigo know, their newly found friendship was about to be shattered in a mere couple of moments.