Entering the mess hall to collect their breakfasts, Ichigo kept her eyes glued towards the plates of foods laid on the tables as she tried her best to ignore Ikuno's bloodshot eyes staring at her form.
Ikuno made a choking sound as she turned her gaze away, her body tense as she stared at her food.
"Do you know anything? Ikuno's eyes have been red and swollen all morning." Goro asked her as he noted the interaction between the both of them. "I wonder what happened to her."
Ichigo could only turn her face away from Goro's accusing eyes as she mumbled her ignorance. Picking up two plates of food, she hurried out of the mess hall.
"Hey... Don't you think the atmosphere recently has been kind of bad?" Miku pointed out as she continued. "She's even taking food out from the mess halls for Hiro. Not to mention I haven't seen Zero Two around this morning."
As Miku pointed out the elephant in the room, Kokoro tried to lighten the atmosphere with a clap.
"Lets cheer up! We're going to the beach today!"
The grimace never left Goro's face as he chewed on his fried tomatoes.
"Huh?"
Ichigo's hands paused in her task of buttering the bread roll as she found herself listening to his sudden request.
"Wanna go somewhere?"
Slumped in his chair within Ichigo's personal room at the Parasite Lodge that she possessed as privilege of her status as Team Leader, Hiro repeated his question.
"Lets ditch this Plantation."
Placing the butter knife down onto the table between them, she frowned.
"Why?"
Her head tilted as she asked.
"I dunno..." he mumbled.
Returning back to her seat and adjusting her body as she faced his slumped form, Ichigo flatly stated her disapproval.
"Because they saw us?" she pointed out as his expression tensed at her blunt reply.
His quivering lips portraying the guilt and shame he felt at that moment.
"Its no big deal. There's nothing to worry about." she reassured him.
Placing a slice of fried tomato and ham in the slit she had cut into the bread roll, Ichigo reached out towards him as she tried to feed him his breakfast.
"Here... Say ahhh!"
His blank, downcast face offered no reaction as the sandwich bumped against his closed lips.
After multiple tries and much persistence, Ichigo had finally managed to force feed him his breakfast, even though he had possessed no appetite. Leaving the cleanup to Ichigo, Hiro shut the door to her room. He really needed some fresh air after being cooped up in her room all day.
Allowing his feet to lead him via autopilot, Hiro lumbered towards the bathroom for his daily cleansing. In his daze, he had not noticed the bespectacled Pistil until she had called out his name.
"Hiro."
Jerking back at the sound of her voice, Hiro found that he couldn't bring himself to meet her red, puffy eyes. With fear and shame filling his face, he desperately looked for an escape as she confronted him.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about it." Ikuno's downcast gaze filling him with guilt as she continued,
"But I don't think that's right. It's wrong as a Parasite. Shes not even your partner anymore." her shaking legs trembled in place as wet tears splashed onto the carpet beneath her.
"I admired you, Hiro." she confessed.
"I thought you were a gentle, reliable and amazing person. A model Parasite for all to look up to." her cracking voice filled the hallway as she spoke.
Hiro could only freeze in place as he allowed Ikuno a rare moment of weakness, pouring out her emotions.
"But I'll never talk to you ever again after this!"
Her piercing voice physically hurt him as she condemned him to hell.
"I had a feeling about it. Whenever I saw the both of you interact. Thought I wished it were a mistake, my eyes told me different."
Emotionally exhausted at the recent ordeals, Hiro could only offer the only thing he had to atone for his sin.
"I'm sorry." he uttered as he struggled to find the strength within him to not break down in tears. Even though it was far too late for that, Hiro continued mumbling out loud about his childhood friend, as he had no clue what else he could say towards Ikuno's piercing gaze.
"Because we were always together for the longest time... I never realized the exact moment my mind started noticing her as a girl instead of my childhood friend."
Ichigo, hugging her stuffed rabbit as she grinned at him during their time at Garden.
"She'd become this delicate girl I couldn't recognize..."
Ichigo, brushing her bangs aside as strands of her hair got caught into her eyes.
"She made my heart race."
Ichigo, leaning over him as he awoke after an all nighter at the libraries.
"A lot of things happened, and every time I saw her as a girl."
Ichigo, patting down his bed hair every time she escorted him to breakfast.
"She isn't honest with herself."
Ichigo, jumping back in surprise as the captured Conrad-class slammed against it's glass enclosure, clinging onto him as reflex.
"But that's why whenever she relied on me... My heart raced."
Ichigo, crying into his chest when they had received their transfer orders to Plantation 13.
"It made me want to protect her."
Making a noise in her throat as she heard Hiro confess his most private feelings, Ikuno's lips parted as she tried to interrupt him from going any further, until his raised voice cut her off.
"But I had pledged myself to Zero Two a long time ago!" he firmly stated, draw a deep breath as he continued, "I just didn't remember it at that time."
"And three weeks ago, I had reunited with a lost love which I forgotten I ever had." he continued staring into Ikuno's eyes as he explained himself.
Zero Two, cornering him against a tree trunk as the falling leaves caught on her shoulders.
"Before I knew it, I fell in love with her once again."
Zero Two, her arms outstretched as she welcomed him into Strelizia.
"And as time went by, we became drunk on each other's affections."
Zero Two, embracing him so tightly he felt her heartbeat against his.
"It was as if I was living out a fairy tale, with her as my princess."
Zero Two, in the library pulling his cheeks as she demanded his love confession.
"But I was weak, passive and selfish. I didn't want to hurt anyone by outright rejecting either of them, but in the end, I hurt everyone. Including you, Ikuno." his trembling voice called himself out as he admitted his mistakes.
With a deep bow, he threw his pride to the wind.
"I'm really sorry."
Ikuno's eyes watered at his apology. Shaking her head, her footsteps rang out as she slowly approached the shivering raven-haired stamen, still locked in his bow.
Standing before him, she took in the sight of the tears that dripped from his face as his body shivered in guilt.
Looking away with a sad smile, she gently placed a hand on his head to comfort him.
"You apologized, at the very least. That's a start."
As she slowly walked away from his sobbing form, she spoke.
"It's funny sometimes how the more we try to not hurt others, the more we end up committing far worse actions."
The choking sounds emitting from him told her he had listened to her advice.
As she turned the corner to leave him be, she looked back at him, still locked into his bow of apology.
"Time is the cruelest kindness. But still, in the end it's humans that decide whether time will be cruel or kind."
"What do you mean, you're not coming?" Goro frowned at her as the squad stood at the entrance of the Parasite Lodge, ready to leave on their beach excursion.
Ichigo sighed at her partner.
"Hiro isn't feeling well, so I'll need to stay back to take care of him."
Narrowing his eyes at her excuse, Goro challenged her.
"What's he sick with?"
"A fever, he needs rest." Ichigo immediately countered.
Did she really think so lowly of his intelligence? He could easily take apart her excuse by pointing out if Hiro was really sick, he would be in the medical bay, not nursed by Ichigo. But if anyone had a say, it would have been his partner, Zero Two.
Looking towards Zero Two, who had a stony expression on her face, he asked.
"Are you really fine with this?"
Her hard eyes never met his as she continued fixing her gaze in the distance.
"I don't really care."
Growling in frustration, Goro turned away to leave as he allowed Ichigo her victory.
From the upper floor of the Parasite Lodge, Hiro watched the entire thing play out as he peered out it's windows. His dull eyes followed everything from Goro's obvious frustration to Zero Two's emotionless figure.
After the outpouring of emotions he had just endured during his encounter with Ikuno, Hiro truly felt drained of all vigor, lethargy setting itself into his bones.
His lethargy was so serious that he only answered his communicator on it's fifth tone, dully allowing it to ring for four tones before fishing it out from his pockets.
As he flipped his cracked communicator open, his eyes widened in shock at it's message.
"Gotta love the beach, huh?" Futoshi sighed contently as he stared at Kokoro playing volleyball in her swimsuit.
"Yeah. The girls look cuter than usual today, it's a mystery." his friend, Zorome replied as he leered at his partner, her twintails swishing as she hopped around, hyped as she was to challenge Kokoro to a match of volleyball.
"Hey, you guys!"
The both of them turned to look towards the source of the voice calling out towards them. Goro was waving at them, his hands full with sacks of charcoal.
"Stop fooling around! I need some help getting the barbecue set up!"
Flexing his non-existent biceps, Zorome prodded the plump stamen to follow him as they proceeded to assist Goro with his tasks.
Passing by Mitsuru on their way towards the stockpile of beach supplies, Zorome waved him off.
"Relax, your hand is still injured. Just focus on allowing it to heal. We'll take it from here!"
A sound of indignation being the only reply he received.
As Goro huffed at their lagging pace, his eyes moved towards a pink-haired figure resting under the shade of a palm tree, at an considerable distance away from the rest of the squad.
Frowning to himself, he wondered what was going on between Hiro and his partner.
"Hiro!"
Her cheerful voice calling out his name as she entered the library, awash with the light of the evening sky that had entered through it's windows, Ichigo called out to him.
"Dinner's ready!" she informed him of the meals that awaited them at her room, her favorite stuffed rabbit at her side.
Puffing her cheeks out at his lack of reply, she tried once more.
"Hiro?"
Ducking her head between bookshelves, she found him resting on a desk, his head on his arms. The only motion coming from his body was the slow paced breathing coming from his form.
"Mm? Hiro?"
At a glance, Ichigo already knew he was but pretending to be asleep. She knew him better than anyone else after all.
She also recognized the emotional stress he was suffering from.
"What's wrong?"
Hugging the stuffed rabbit close to her chest, Ichigo allowed a gentle smile to cross her face as she leaned closer into him and stroked his back in an attempt to comfort him.
"Nothing's really changed, right? It's all right." she spoke as she continued her stroking across his back, pouring reassurance into her voice.
The wood of the chair creaked in protest as Hiro immediate shot up, his posture stiff as a springboard. Ichigo found herself frowning at his blank, empty expression.
"Hiro?"
At the sound of her voice, his eyes softened with sadness, a slight quiver making itself apparent on his lips.
Ichigo found her expression softening along with his as she smiled at him. Leaning into his personal space, Ichigo did her best to comfort him.
"Let's kiss." she cooed at him, placing a hand on his shoulders as she parted her lips.
However, the sharp turning of his face in the opposite direction of hers shocked her as Hiro wordlessly rejected her advances. Biting her lips in frustration, Ichigo tried once more, this time with force behind her motions.
A hard shove sent her stumbling back to land into the sofas of the library, Hiro's panting echoing through out the silence around them. Her stuffed rabbit landing off to the side onto the ground as she was pushed back.
Recognizing the position that she had fallen into when Hiro had shoved her into the sofas, Ichigo giggled as an idea popped into her mind. Shifting her hands under her skirt she cooed at him.
"It's all right. I don't mind if you want to mess me up. If you want to, Hiro... You can."
As her fingers found the waistband of her undergarments, she froze at Hiro's wide, quivering eyes that welled with tears as he frantically flung himself at the opposite end of the library, practically fleeing from her.
He had his hands on a window, with his fingers sending out sounds of squealing as they slid down the glass. Loud, unrestrained sobbing filled the air.
"Hiro?" Ichigo called out, her voice filled with worry.
In between his sobs, his voice cried out.
"That's not it. That's not it!"
Rising up from the sofa, Ichigo fixed her gaze on him as he looked out the window. His expression hidden from her considering he had his back facing her.
In the dead silence of the library, Hiro's voice rang out loud and clear as he betrayed her feelings.
"Let's stop this."
"Eh?"
A disbelieving sound came from her throat.
"Kissing..."
"...!"
Ichigo's eyes widened at his pleading voice.
"...and everything else."
Hissing sounds came through her clenched teeth as Ichigo bared them in the shadowed library.
The sounds of furious footsteps rang out as she hurriedly approached him. Placing a hand on his shoulders, she raised her voice,
"Why?"
Hiro shook her hand off as he turned over, pressing his back against the full length window.
"Why!? Because..."
He took a deep, shuddering breath as he continued,
"...we're just childhood friends."
Snarling at his declaration, Ichigo moved to stand over him as she furiously rejected his statements.
"Hiding behind that again!? Why can't childhood friends kiss?"
Her angry green eyes glared down at him as Hiro cast his gaze away, shame and guilt flooding his face.
"Why can't they have sex!?"
His teeth chattering at her raising voice and furious tone, Hiro found himself cutoff as he tried to desperately reject her.
"That's-!"
"Because nobody will accept us?"
Gulping his saliva that had gathered in his throat, Hiro watched as Ichigo's demeanor shifted dramatically into something warm and affectionate once more as she lowered herself to match his height, her hands gently caressing his cheek.
Leaning in close, her voice matched her face in sweet kindness as she softly reassured him.
"I don't care about that." Warmth flooded her voice as she stroked his cheek.
Before her eyes hardened once more as he felt a harsh grip on his uniform top pull him close as she screamed directly into his face.
"As long I can be with you, Hiro!"
His expression contorted in stress and agony, Hiro could only mumble as he found himself unable to meet her eyes.
"I see..."
His eyes flicked to outside the window of the library, where his gaze fell on the lake that he had first met Zero Two.
It was an act that did not go unnoticed by Ichigo's perceptive eyes.
Uncomfortably frowning to herself as her eyes laid on the lake as well, Ichigo tried to reassure him.
"I know there are a lot of other problems..."
Slamming her hands on either sides of the window so harshly it made the frame rattle, Hiro flinched and shut his eyes as Ichigo screamed at him once more, her face mere inches from his, green orbs blazing with fury.
"But none of them matter! If something were to happen and we have a kid, I'll-"
At the sound of her furious declaration, Hiro sharply rose from his seated position, knocking Ichigo back on her rear as he yelled at her,
"Reality isn't so simple!" his voiced raised itself as he looked down upon her.
Baring her teeth, Ichigo rose up to meet him head on as she screamed in his face, the loudness of her voice causing Hiro to flinch away once more as his eyes found itself shutting on reflex. Her green eyes wide and furious as she glared,
"Then we should just get rid of that difficult reality-"
A sharp cracking sound rang out and echoed off the walls of the library, it's reverberations making the slap sound even harsher then it already was.
"Hyan!"
A cry of pain rang out as Ichigo found herself flung to the floor.
Soft whimpers of pain were released from the prone form of the blue-haired Pistil that had been knocked to the ground from the force of his strike. An ugly red mark began to form on her fair skin, marring it's pristine beauty.
Harshly panting at the escalation of their argument, Hiro muttered out.
"Don't say it like it's nothing..."
With tears streaming down her eyes, both from the pain and the shock of Hiro actually striking her for the first time in her entire life, Ichigo rose from the floor as she furiously grabbed her stuffed rabbit and stomped out of the library.
Hiro could only sob into his palms as she left.
"Why would you say such horrible things? Do you hate me now?" Ichigo asked as they sat opposite each other at their makeshift dinner table in her room.
Hiro could not find the strength within himself to answer her as he buried his face into his hands in frustration. The gritting of his teeth apparent from the subtle shifting of his lips.
Unable to tolerate the silent treatment from him anymore, Ichigo slammed her hands on the dinner table, silver cutlery lightly bouncing in the air as she did so.
"Hiro!" she pressed.
"The Doctor sent me a mail, okay?"
"...Eh?"
Hiro spoke, his face still buried in his hands as he recalled the message he had received from the Doctor earlier in the day.
"Apparently, Zero Two has filed a request to return to the front-lines with the Nines."
Ichigo's eyes narrowed upon hearing that.
"And what about it? She wants to drag you along as her official partner? She doesn't even have a machine to ride!" Ichigo sarcastically quipped as she sipped from her glass of tea.
Hiro's eyes met hers as he finally revealed his face from the coverage of his palms.
"No. She requested to go alone, to the sectors marked with the highest klaxosaur activities."
The glass of tea slipped from her hands as the green liquid stained the wooden floor of her room.
"That's insane! That's nothing more than suicide!" she gasped. What was Zero Two thinking, filing a crazy request like that?
Ichigo felt a pang of guilt hurt her heart as she realized the reason for her transfer request.
However, it would not compare to the pain she would soon suffer, as Hiro's determined gaze met hers, speaking the words of complete and utter betrayal.
"Let's break up."
Ichigo's world blurred as she felt a sense of vertigo overtake her, her head spinning. As her mind processed his words, Hiro hammered the final nail into the coffin of their newly discovered relationship.
"I belong to Zero Two. I don't know if she'll take me back after the things I have done, but I'll keep trying as long as it takes. Even if she hates me, even if she despises me, I will wait for the day she'll come to accept me once more." Hiro spoke, his voice firm and determined.
"So let's stop seeing each other like this, Ichigo."
Ichigo shut the door to her room as she left to take a walk for some much needed fresh air.
Exhaling loudly into his palms, Hiro surveyed the destruction and chaos of her room as food and drinks were spilt everywhere.
He knew he was being sentimental and stupid. He knew that it was nothing more than a childish act that cried over spilt milk. But he still did it anyway.
And that was how Hiro found himself by the lakeside where he had first met Zero Two in Plantation 13. The moon casting its ethereal light onto the water's surface, reflecting it.
He remembered creeping around the bushes as he heard her sing, her feet in the lake with her boots and pantyhose folded over beside her.
He remembered the stupid twig that gave him away as he stepped on it, causing it to crack.
He remembered how her smouldering gaze devoured him with it's intensity.
He remembered how she had called him darling, in full for the first time. Her previous words only managing the first syllable during her childhood with him.
He remembered loving Zero Two.
In fact that was wrong, he had never stopped loving Zero Two.
"Ah it must be nice to be young again, how I remember the follies of youth along with the constant brooding in scenic locations."
Hiro closed his eyes as he recognized that voice, distinctive as it was being altered by an mechanical auto-tuner.
"I messed up." he said simply towards the presence behind him.
"Yes, you did." his casual tone leaving no mercy as he rubbed salt into his wound.
Sighing in resignation, Hiro turned to face the Doctor.
"Are you here to beat me to death with your cane, then?" Hiro asked.
A sharp, barking laugh came through as Hiro made his joke. Shaking his head in amusement, Werner replied.
"Maybe I will when you get Strelizia blown up again." he accused.
Wincing his eyes at his tone, Hiro mumbled his apologies for getting the Doctor's favorite machine totaled.
As he allowed the followup silence to wash over them, Hiro found himself relaxing at the sounds of the crickets that dominated the night forests.
"I don't know what to do." he confessed.
The sharp look of his one remained eye fixed upon him as Werner awaited him to continue.
"I messed up big time, there's so many pieces around that I just don't know where to start."
"Well at least you know that you've messed up, I think that's step one." Werner deadpanned.
Rolling his eyes at the usual casual attitude the Doctor always carried with him, Hiro jabbed back at him.
"Sorry but earlier today someone already gave me that advice."
"Dammit, guess I'll have to pull another one out of my ass then."
Chuckling at their relaxed banter, Hiro felt the anxiety leave his body. But as fun as it was to keep throwing and returning quips with the Doctor, he had a sin to atone for.
Straightening his back as he faced the Doctor, Hiro made a deep bow as he pleaded for assistance.
"Help me. Please."
Werner found himself blinking in surprise at his request.
That boy was really serious, wasn't he?
Waving his hands at Hiro, Werner told him off.
"Hey stop that, I'm not that old yet."
"Please!"
Hiro cried out, his pride buried behind the dirt as he resolved to do anything in his power to receive Zero Two's forgiveness.
"Raise your head, boy."
Returning back to his normal posture, Hiro stood in rapt attention as he listened to the Doctor.
"Listen, and listen closely. Instead of moping around, advance forward and steel yourself to do whatever it takes to repair your mistakes. Zero Two has not left Plantation 13 yet, you can still talk things out with her." he advised.
"When is she scheduled to leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"That's not much time..." he muttered.
"More than enough. Listen, if you think love is a hundred percent smooth sailing, you're dead wrong. Your situation was more common than you think back in the old world, although that does not take away from the severity of your crimes. But my point is, it's only over if you allow it to be over." Werner spoke as he continued.
"Don't give up just yet. If you wish, you could see it as this way. Until we've seen someone's darkness, we don't really know who they are. Until we have forgiven someone's darkness, we don't really know what love is."
Fixing his hands on his shoulders, the Doctor's lone eye stared into him.
"You've seen her darkness too, haven't you?"
Mitsuru's crushed hand.
"Weaklings die. Big deal."
"Forget about him. He's done for."
"Fodder."
Hiro nodded.
"And you still love her, regardless?"
"I do."
"Then have some faith in her feelings too."
Fishing out a small red velvet box from his lab coat's pockets, he pressed it into Hiro's hands. With a sweep of his hands, he motioned for Hiro to open it.
The twin bands of platinum glinted under the moonlight, it's inscriptions making Hiro's eyes grow wide.
Werner Franxx.
Karina Milsa.
A breath hitched itself in Hiro's throat as he realized the magnitude of the gift he was receiving.
"W-why would you go so far, for someone like me?"
For the rest of his life, Hiro would never forget the scene that displayed itself in front of his eyes. He would etch it into his memories for the rest of his days.
The moonlight cast a shadow over the elderly adult before him, his single eye wet with an emotion that only a select few in this entire planet were privy too.
His voice was so soft, Hiro's ears strained to catch his ghost of a whisper.
"Karina would have wanted this as well..."
Nodding towards the Doctor, he resolved to not let him down.
"Woohoo! Food's ready!"
"Look, meat!"
Miku rolled her eyes at how simple boys could get when it came to their priorities. Grumbling to herself how a real gentleman would feed the ladies before consuming his portion of food, she glared at Zorome as he started an impromptu competition of shrimp eating with Futoshi.
Goro chuckled at his squad mates antics as he picked up a couple of skewers of roasted marshmallows and made his way to the palm tree where Zero Two sat under for the entire day. Goro felt his concern rise at the suspicious behavior of Ichigo, the disappearance of Hiro and Zero Two's melancholy all occurring at once.
Something must have happened between the three, I need to talk to Zero Two and find out.
Approaching Zero Two, he offered a skewer of roasted marshmallow.
"Here. You like sweet foods right? Have some, too."
Her face looked as if it was carved out of granite, from the way she had looked at him. Goro felt the sweat build on his forehead as he hoped he wasn't about to be eaten alive by the dangerous Partner Killer in front of him.
After an eternity of her dead eyed stare, Zero Two reached out and took the offering of peace. Slowly chewing on the gooey sweet substance, Goro tried his best to appear subtle in his interrogation.
Keyword being tried.
"Are you getting along with Hiro?"
The skewer of half chewed marshmallow dropped onto the sand as the question left Goro's lips. With a growling sound of anger, Goro found himself staring into the glowing red eyes of Zero Two.
"It's none of your business what goes on between me and darling."
Gulping in fear, Goro beat a hasty retreat back to the campfire where the rest of his squad mates didn't seem to notice their encounter. It seemed there was trouble in paradise between Hiro and his partner, but from Zero Two's reaction, it was best to let sleeping klaxosaurs lie.
When the barbecue had finished, Goro dusted off his hands as he finished putting out the hot charcoal rocks. Yawning out at the late night, he slipped into his sleeping bag as he enjoyed the cool beach air chilling his skin.
Rubbing the sleep away from his eyes, Goro yawned once more as he slipped out of his sleeping bag, performing a series of stretches as he did so, the early morning sun doing wonders to refresh him. Glancing around their makeshift camp, he noticed Zero Two sitting at the campfire, staring at the dying embers of the flames.
Her eyes had a downcast, bitter look in them as she watched the embers fizzle and die out.
Closing her eyes in resignation, Zero Two's body tensed up for some unknown reason.
A reason that he would soon come to know as the massive gales of winds blew away their makeshift camp tents and supplies all over the beach.
Using his hands to shield his eyes from the blades of wind, Goro's jaw dropped at the multiple Franxxs that had just landed on the beach, barely fifty meters away from their camp site.
"Hey, Iota. It's time to go home."
Confused at the sudden turn of events, Goro found himself moving forwards to confront them.
That was until the orange tip of a Magma Lance buried itself into the sand besides him, knocking him over with the shockwave.
Those guys... are they serious!? They could have killed someone!
"Do not interfere." The voice of Nine Alpha rang out over the external speakers of the Nines-Model Franxx.
Turning towards Zero Two who stared upwards at the Franxx in front of her as it set it's arm down onto the beach sand, it's hand opening as it did so, Nine Alpha called out.
"We're burning daylight, Iota. Lets go pack your bags and get moving." even over the external speakers, the signature drawl of Nine Alpha made itself known.
Goro pulled himself together and shook the sand out of his beach shorts, yelling at Zero Two as she lifted herself onto the palm of Nine Alpha's Franxx.
"Wait! Where are you going? Does Hiro know you're leaving? Is Hiro leaving with you? Zero Two!"
Zero Two's cold turquoise eyes never left his as Goro was blown backwards once more by the backwash of Nine Alpha's Franxx lifting off.
Hiro! You have to do something about this!
Goro prayed in his mind as he felt his body land in the cluttered pile that had used to be his sleeping tent.
Hiro felt his blood freeze as he stood in front of the Parasite Lodge's entrance. Her elongated red horns curving itself upwards as Zero Two adjusted her white APE issued greatcoat. Black suited security tailed her as they carried her luggage cases.
Fixing her gaze forward and over his shoulder, doing her best to pointedly not look at him, Zero Two walked along the path. Her hard eyes determinedly fixed forwards as she passed him.
"Come then, both your steed and your princess awaits you."
He might not have a steed at the moment, but he still thought of himself as her prince, and even though his path might have been waylaid,
He wanted everything to get back on track.
He had lost too much by being passive.
He was a sinner, but if Zero Two allowed him the grace to, he would gladly spend his remaining days atoning for her.
Her footsteps grew quieter as they increased in distance. Hiro felt his hands grip the red velvet box that held their engagement rings, providing him with the courage to proceed.
All the while, Ichigo stood from a distance, watching the entire thing play out without uttering a word.
Taking in a deep breath, he prepared himself to change the ending of that picture book. Turning around, he called out towards her retreating back.
"ZERO TWO!"
His voice rang out, such was it's volume that birds scattered away from their perches.
Zero Two halted in place. Not moving forward, but not turning to acknowledge him either.
The black suited men in shaded visors glanced at each other as they moved in to surround him. Ignoring their actions, Hiro screamed his lungs out.
"I'm sorry!"
Multiple impacts on his body forced him onto the ground as the black suited security men dogpiled him. Pressing him down against the ground through sheer numbers and raw weight. Tears spilled out from his eyes as Hiro screamed under the pile of humanity that shackled him from soaring.
"For breaking our promise!"
A punch slammed against his face, trying to force him to shut up. Hiro ignored the burning sensation of pain as he continued screaming, tears flowing freely down his face.
"Hey, let him go! He just wants five minutes to talk to her!" The screaming of Ichigo's voice added into the chaos as she desperately tugged at one of the many black suited security men that were piled upon him.
Sucking in a painful breath, Hiro screamed out for the fourth and final time.
"Please don't go, Zero Two!"
A hand clamped over his mouth, muffling any further sounds coming from him. As Hiro struggled against the human press, with Ichigo screaming her lungs out and scratching every security man she could reach, he watched through tearing eyes for Zero Two's response.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Hiro prayed to every power that existed in the world that she would turn back, hoping that his desperate plea had somehow gotten through to her.
She never did.
With her horns glowing red once more, Zero Two snarled as she left, bitterness painted all over her face.
Hiro felt his heart shatter in a million pieces as he broke down in a sobbing mess.
"Welcome home, Nine Iota."
Nine Alpha outstretched his arms mockingly as he welcomed her back.
Zero Two forced herself to keep walking towards the massive transport plane that was parked in the Departure Terminal of Plantation 13, ignoring his verbal barbs.
"Since Strelizia is destroyed, you're going to have to get used to piloting one of the Nines-Model unit, like us! Isn't that wonderful, Iota? Now we can truly be like a real squad."
Zero Two's eyes flicked towards the rows of Stamens that stood at attention, their faces emotionless and without expression.
Tracking the movement of her sight, Nine Alpha smirked as he taunted her in his singsong voice.
"Take a look. We've prepared all these fodder for you."
Zero Two gritted her teeth as she fought the urge to retch at the idea of piloting with another Stamen that wasn't her darling.
"Use as many as you like." his sneering drawl finished.
Zero Two ignored him as she sat in the furthest row of the seats in the transport plane, her eyes hard and bitter as she watched the ramp close and lock itself.
A serious look returning to his face, Nine Alpha snapped towards his squad.
"Delta, Beta and Gamma."
Three pairs of eyes turned to acknowledge him.
"Security detail around the transport. In case anyone from Plantation 13 gets any funny ideas."
"What about you, Alpha?" Delta asked.
"My unit will be in the transport plane's cargo hold, I wish to keep Zero Two company in person." he smiled.
As Nine Alpha sat himself directly across Zero Two's seat in the transport plane, he couldn't help but let a smile break across his face as the transport plane lifted off.
"Is such uncivilized behaviour really necessary? Might I remind you cogs, the Parasite you are manhandling is APE's Special Specimen."
A hard voice spoke out as Hiro found his frenzied struggling now unneeded as the black suits started to get off him, ending their human dogpile.
Coughing out harshly as air now flowed unrestricted into his burning lungs, Hiro sat up as Ichigo was immediately by his side, rubbing his back to ease his discomfort.
As a shadow loomed over him, cast by the morning sunlight, Hiro found himself looking up into the single eye of his old Commanding Officer.
Nodding to the both of them, he motioned with his cane.
"Follow me."
As they stood outside the massive steel doors of the Hangars in their piloting suits, Werner grunted as he flashed his S-Class ID with it's special update that allowed him to access this particular Hangar in Plantation 13.
The protesting of abused steel screeched itself raw as the entrance to the Hangars began it's motions. As the darkness of the unlit Hangars revealed itself, Hiro and Ichigo found their eyes squinting as they tried to peer into it.
With two quick claps of his hands, Werner activated the automatic lighting systems of the Hangar.
Harsh bright fluorescent lights lit up the entire hangar, revealing it's sole occupant.
"Strelizia...!"
Hiro and Ichigo's voices both rang out in unison as their minds processed the rebirth of the bird of paradise right before their very eyes.
"Not quite." Werner corrected them as he prepared to explain his latest creation.
"This is the FRX-02-F2 Hi-Filament Strelizia."
Hiro allowed his eyes to take in every detail of the machine that stood before him.
It retained the overall white and red color scheme and frame aesthetics of the FRX-01 Strelizia, but that was where the similarities ended.
It contained a bulkier look which included efficient placement of thrusters across it's body, finishing off with a pair of dual long boosters on it's rear providing it's main thrust and acceleration.
"It's a new machine, adding state-of-the-art technology onto a completely redesigned frame with no expense spared, as developed in secret under the direct orders of the APE Council of Humanity."
The sleek rifle with it's white and black color scheme gripped in it's right arm, a fresh Magma Cartridge loaded in it's magazine well.
"It was constructed with the data we have gathered from the original FRX-01 unit, along with it's renovated upgrade, FRX-01C Strelizia Custom."
A trio of Magma Stakes mounted on it's left forearm. A carry over from Strelizia Custom.
"It's greatest characteristics, the 'Filament System', comes from the combination of our latest flight controls, the Fly-By-Light Transmission System, along with Wing Binders to assist it's Active Mass Balance Auto-Control system. With the more efficient full body thruster layout and dual long boosters on it's rear, this unit is extremely specialized in high mobility aerial and space combat."
The four wing binders, two on each shoulder, that had the ability to extend outwards as needed and fold inwards to lay against it's back when parked in a Hangar.
"Every module has been specifically designed to maximize the unit's aerodynamics, as in line with it's speciality in aerial and space combat. When combined with our latest revision of the Magma Fuel Converter, The Hi-Filament Strelizia is able to maintain a hundred percent operational uptime in the airspace."
The shield which was mounted on it's left arm, providing full coverage from the unit's head down to it's calves on a single side. It's design sleek and aesthetically pleasing as it slightly narrowed in dimensions as the shield traveled downwards. Emblazoned on the shield was Zero Two's person emblem, the outline of a unicorn's head with a single horn, painted in red.
Below it, lay a set of numbers, inscribed in red.
02.
"A balanced set of armaments allow it to be effective at all combat ranges."
A pair of 120mm long cannons were mounted on it's back, firing either High Explosive or High-Velocity Armor Piercing shells. On it's hip, the hilt of a Magma Saber, it's blade hidden in the frame when sheathed.
Hidden in it's right forearm, a high-caliber machine gun. Serving as a close-mid range option for crowd control of lesser klaxosaur classes, it's shells were also powerful enough to destroy other Franxx units with a concentrated stream of fire.
"Remote weaponry operated by the Pistil to provide reconnaissance utility and multiple angles of fire."
Located under it's wing binders, four Armour Bits were docked, drawing it's recharge directly from the Magma Fuel Converter.
"In an emergency, the projectile weapons can be directly connected to the Magma Fuel Converter if the unit finds itself running out of munitions."
The Volcano Rifle and the Twin Long Cannons having the ability to discharge solid energy shots from the engine, at the risk of draining it's fuel supply.
"Improved life support and cockpit layout."
The cockpit being moved to the chest instead of the head, allowing extra room for dual linear seats with a 360-degree Panoramic Cockpit, with the entire cockpit able to be ejected instead of the old system of Pistils only ejection system.
"Also, while it might be larger and bulkier than the average Franxx by a small margin, it's firepower, mobility and durability has gotten a significant increase."
Stunned in muted awe, both pilots carried dumbfounded expressions on their faces as they listened to Doctor Franxx elaborate on his latest creation, the Filament Plan.
"Just what in the world is the design goal of this machine?" Hiro murmured in starstruck awe.
Werner's eyes turned towards the shield, emblazoned with Zero Two's personal emblem and name.
"This is the machine that will forge a path for you and Zero Two to the Grand Crevasse. It's her personal machine, but she does not know of it's existence yet."
"And what awaits us at the Grand Crevasse?" Hiro asked.
"The Klaxosaur Princess." his single eye bore itself into him as he spoke.
This machine was built to take on any and all classes of klaxosaur up to the Klaxosaur Princess and win?
This. Was. The. Best. Day. Of. His. Life.
Performing a quick breathing exercise to contain his giddiness, Ichigo shattered his boyish fantasies of having a custom state-of-the-art machine to call his own.
"This machine, it has just been assembled, hasn't it?" she pointed out.
"I think it might be so fresh that some of the modules might still be warm from the welding." Doctor Franxx grinned.
Ichigo facepalmed upon hearing that.
"So basically, this has not been field tested or even taken out for it's shakedown cruise? Please tell me you have at least calibrated the Operating Systems on it." Ichigo groaned out.
"Now that you mention it, I think that the OS is done installing while I was going over it's specifications." Werner nodded sagely.
Ichigo let out a shriek of surprise upon hearing his ridiculous statement.
"IT JUST GOT INSTALLED?"
"Yup, why do you think I was talking so much?" he shamelessly admitted.
Ichigo tugged her hair as she freaked out at the previous Commanding Officer's insanity.
"So basically, let me get this straight. You want us to take out this brand new machine, which by the way, has not even been biometrically locked to a pilot because the Operating System has literally been installed in the what, last thirty seconds, completely untuned and uncalibrated, zero adjustments made, with everything having to be done on the fly while we're chasing after Hiro's runaway bride that is being guarded by APE's Special Forces. Was that correct?" Ichigo sarcastically lined out their mission.
"Yes." Werner deadpanned.
Ichigo facepalmed so hard she felt her skin depress under the pressure she was applying with her hands.
"We'll do it!" Hiro pumped his fist as he wholeheartedly agreed.
"Yeah of course you're fine with that, not like I have to do all the work or anything on the shakedown cruise, which might I remind you, is going to be a combat assignment against the entire APE Special Forces squadron." Ichigo rolled her eyes.
"One last thing."
Fishing out a white keycard with Zero Two's personal emblem, Doctor Franx inserted it into the terminal besides the cage that contained Hi-Filament Strelizia. The display flashing with the blinking green screen of a biometric scan requesting a user's input.
Hiro immediately understood what the Doctor was doing, the final step before they could pilot the thing was to register it to a pilot.
He was being asked to put his hand on the sword in the stone.
"With the new Operating System, the registered pilot can be either a Pistil or Stamen, unlike the older units which were Pistil only." Werner dusted off his lab coat as he made to leave.
"I'll leave it up to you two to discuss it privately."
And with a wave of his hands and a tapping of his cane, he was gone.
Without the meditation of a third party, Hiro found himself falling back into the same awkwardness he had with Ichigo earlier in the day, their fights and arguments along with his slap making him shuffle his feet in nervousness as Ichigo too seemed as if she was deep in thought.
After an uncomfortable length of silence, Hiro decided he needed to break the ice and fast.
He had a princess to save after all.
"I think-"
"We should-"
He blinked at they both spoke at the same time, hurriedly correcting himself, Hiro spoke up once more.
"You go first-"
"No you should-"
Breaking out at their silliness, they hunched over as their throats and stomachs started to hurt from the intensity of their laughter. As the laughter settled down between them, Hiro wiped a loose tear from his eye as he felt the nervousness he was previously feeling fade away.
It's Ichigo, I've known her my whole life. There's no need to be nervous around her.
Glancing over the new unit, he mentioned to her.
"Looks amazing, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it's beautiful." she murmured, her eyes in awe.
That was until it was replaced by a sorrowful expression on her face as her gaze ran over Zero Two's personal emblem painted on it's shield.
"This isn't mine to pilot." she stated simply.
Her eyes locked on to Hiro as she spoke,
"You have different smiles, did you know that?" she softly mumbled to him, with downcast eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"You smile differently around Zero Two. No one else makes you smile that way. Not even me." she admitted.
"I never noticed that..."
Ichigo laughed at his dumbfounded look.
"Of course not, silly! No one carries a mirror around themselves." she flicked his forehead at his silliness.
Fixing a serious look on her face as she continued,
"I know because I've been watching over you all my life. Not that it made a difference." she smiled sadly.
Hiro felt his heart pang at her admission, as Ichigo continued, her hands clasped around her front.
"I get that what we did was wrong. I do know that." she spoke as her eyes were fixed on the ground, the guilt too eating her up from inside.
Gathering her courage, Ichigo lifted her eyes to meet his.
"I manipulated you, Hiro."
Returning her determined stare, Hiro countered,
"I was supposed to push you away, but I didn't."
Ichigo shook her head as she heard his self-criticism.
"I've been forcing you to put up with my selfishness the entire time." she struck back.
Feeling his heart pang at her watering eyes as Ichigo tried to draw all the blame onto herself, Hiro refused to let her martyr herself for his sake.
"And I allowed myself to be carried away, going along with everything you wanted. We're both lousy people, Ichigo. Plenty of people have been hurt by us. That's why starting from now on, we're going to apologize to everyone, as many times as it takes."
"If they'll even forgive us." she muttered.
"Better to apologize and to be rejected than to not try at all, right? Those were your words in the mock battle." he smiled.
"That's what I mean."
Hiro blinked at the fresh wave of sorrow that filled her face.
"You don't smile at me like you do with Zero Two." Ichigo pointed out, as she tried to blink away her tears.
"I like you, Ichigo." he softly said.
"But you love Zero Two." she pointed out once more.
Fixing his determined stare onto her eyes, Hiro pushed forward, unwilling to repeat his past mistakes.
He broke her heart.
"Yeah. I love Zero Two." he simply stated.
He was surprised however by the beaming smile that she flashed at him, full of joy and happiness.
"I've decided! From this moment onwards, I'll do everything I can to protect you and Zero Two, because you two are happy together." she nodded as she continued, a sly smile growing on her face.
"And if she doesn't like you anymore, I'll just have to tie the both of you together until you start talking things out."
Great, I have a matchmaker.
Hiro groaned to himself.
Following her eyes towards the shield that bore Zero Two's personal emblem, Hiro heard her muttering to herself.
"I'm borrowing this for now, Zero Two. I'll return the both of them to you as soon as I can."
Nodding to himself, Hiro turned towards the terminal and placed his hands on the display, biometrically registering Hi-Filament Strelizia to him.
Retrieving the keycard from it's terminal, Hiro was about to call out for Ichigo until he felt the bangs of his hair being brushed aside by her soft hands.
Revealing the pair of blue horns he had been trying so hard to keep hidden.
"I knew it..." she exhaled.
Turning his eyes away in guilt at being caught hiding his genetic defect towards his best friend, Hiro felt her hands stroke his horns, its growth matching Zero Two's when he had first met her at the lake.
"You know... This will probably be the last time we'll ever pilot together." sadness filled her voice as she spoke.
"Yup." he nodded in agreement, not wishing to pass on any false hope towards her.
Her green eyes locked onto his as she declared.
"Lets make it count then. Come on Hiro, lets go get your runaway bride back."
Hiro stood alongside Ichigo as the chest cockpit's hatch of Hi-Filament Strelizia opened to reveal another final set of surprises.
"There's two seats?" Hiro's eyes widened at the revelations occurring right before him.
"I finally get a seat?" Ichigo blurted out.
For some reason, Hiro found himself laughing out loud at that.
"Hey, it's not funny! You have no idea how tiring it gets for a Pistil in the Pistil Terminal sometimes!" Ichigo complained.
Hiro kept laughing at her expense.
"Hiro, be serious! Which seat do I take? Both of them have joysticks on the armrests." she continued her complaining.
"I dunno... check the manual?" he suggested.
"The manual just left." she sarcastically pointed out.
Making noises of confusion, Hiro made a snap decision.
"The front seat is slightly lowered in height, that should be the Pistil's seat."
"Should be?" She raised her eyebrows at his non-committal answer.
"We'll swap seats if it doesn't work, okay?"
Climbing into the front seat, Ichigo scowled.
"I just want to remind you, we have to fight The Nines in this." she grumbled.
"On The Job Training!" he exclaimed.
Ichigo sighed at she looked at the holographic consoles before her, her hands resting on the horizontal joysticks, her feet resting on three different pedals.
"I hate you so much." she muttered.
"We have an unknown unit on Catapult #2! Unknown unit, identify yourself! You are not cleared for launch. Return to the Plantation immediately!" The operator ordered into the communications channel as she brought the image up on the main display of the Command Center, the bulkheads of Plantation 13 sliding aside to reveal the linear rails of Catapult #2 extending out as their yellow warning lights blared it's klaxons.
"Are you sure about this? That machine hasn't even been field tested yet you know? Going up against The Nines, they'll be sitting ducks out there!" Nana worried towards the Doctor beside her.
"The Hi-Filament Strelizia specs are top-of-the-line and I will take responsibility for any damage incurred. Even if it's untested and uncalibrated for combat, we can trust the Aggressors to figure something out. Besides that boy isn't going to stop until he gets Zero Two back." his robotic eye shifted towards the third and final commander in the Command Center as he awaited his approval.
"Although, considering who the pilots of that machine are, final approval for sortie lies with Hachi. Hachi, what say you?" he grunted.
Exhaling in the chilly, temperature controlled air of Hi-Filament Strelia's cockpit. Hiro tightened his grip on the joysticks. In front of him, Ichigo was frantically rapid firing keystrokes on her holographic console as she ran through their pre-launch checklist, muttering to herself under her breath.
"Take the calibrations and reset the zero moment point and MFC. Then connect the Armor Bits control modules directly to the Magma Fuel Converter. Reconstruct the neural linkage network. Test activation of the Hyper Jammer, failed. Calibration of optics? Lets delay that we need the G-Force dampeners up as soon as possible. Reinstalling motion data patterns. System online! Main camera functional-"
Hiro gave a sideways glance of guilt as he relaxed in the Stamen seat.
"Hi-Filament Strelizia, activate!" her voice cried out.
Hiro sucked in a breath of air as he felt the synchronization-bond establish itself between the both of them, warm and comforting. The entire cockpit fell away as it was painted with the outside world colors in a full 360 degree field of view. The linear seats of him and Ichigo being the only opaque equipment in the entire cockpit.
With shimmering flashes of color, Hi-Filament Strelizia's faceplate polarized.
Focusing his attention, Hiro continued listening in to the conversation in the Command Center as they debated over their sortie.
Hiro shut his eyes as he prayed that Hachi would for once not be a complete-
A sound of amusement broke out from the Strategic Officer.
Hiro eyes cracked open in shock as he heard Hachi actually give a short "Hmmph" of amusement after Doctor Franxx's speech.
What in the world...?
"It's all right. Sometimes we should let the children do what they want. Isn't that the point of this test team in the first place?"
Hiro's jaw dropped at his approval. He could only imagine Nana's current expression in the Command Center as Hachi actually bent the rules for once in his life.
And from the sound of surprise that came from Ichigo, he assumed she was equally as shocked as he was.
Clearing his throat, Hiro's face broke out in a pure, bright smile as he personally thanked everyone for their support.
"Nana, everyone in Plantation 13, thank you for taking care of us!"
In the Command Center, Nana nodded approvingly as Hachi allowed the slightest of smiles to break across his face.
In front of him, Ichigo was slightly bouncing in her seat, unable to suppress her joy as she heard him thank their caretakers.
Tensing his body as he made two light taps on his joysticks to signal his readiness to Ichigo, a serious and determined look filled his face as he announced their departure.
"Hiro and Ichigo in the Hi-Filament Strelizia, here we go!"
In the Command Center, Nana swung out her arm as she ordered the purging of it's cage locks.
"Release!"
The sound of explosions rocked through the Hangar as the sortie locks holding Hi-Filament Strelizia broke off in pieces.
Swiping her holographic console, Ichigo's displayed their launch orders on the main display.
Upon seeing the entire world around him light up in green approvals, Hiro slammed forth the joysticks on his linear seat, as he depressed the foot pedals.
The dual long boosters on their rear whirled around as they purred with the sound of igniting flames. It's thrusters shot out bluish flames, creating a dangerous zone of fire that would have charred anything that was unlucky enough to stand in it's exhaust. In but mere moments, Hi-Filament Strelizia was tearing out of it's linear rails.
The both of them allowed their bodies to follow the recoil of the G-Forces pushing them against their seats as they repeated a process familiar to them, only this time with a single difference.
This thing's acceleration is insane, I felt that through the kinetic foam of my suit.
As they weaved through the beautiful morning skies, their wings extending out behind them as they rushed to rescue his princess, Hiro found himself staring at the twin platinum bands that he had slung across his joysticks as he declared,
"I'm not a cog in a machine. I'm a human being."
Ichigo nodded her approval as he tightened his grip on the joysticks, closing his eyes and focusing on the sensations of his own beating heart.
"And you're a machine that amplifies human abilities." he spoke to it, as he poured his entire soul into communicating with her machine.
Zero Two's machine.
With Strelizia.
The bird of paradise rushing to restore it's faithfulness. An object of love, not hate nor anger nor jealousy.
"That's what you were built for. For people who can sense other people's hearts and feel their sadness."
A smile graced her face at his words as she drew up the region's map, tracking Zero Two's transport plane, now nearly four hundred kilometers away, thirty-five thousand feet in the air.
With a firm and determined voice, Hiro declared his intentions as his body shuddered with the storm of emotions rolling though him like a wave.
"So don't let anger swallow you up."
If Hiro had a mirror, he would have noticed his eyes glowing ice blue along with his horns.
A single tear rolled down Ichigo's cheek as she clutched at her chest, enduring the stabbing sensations of pain and coppery taste of blood in her mouth.
We're coming to get you, Zero Two.
Just hang in there.
No matter what, I will secure your happiness with Hiro.
I will protect his smile.
Even if it's the last thing I do.
As Zero Two gazed at the scenery outside of her window seat in the transport plane, she felt the faintest of warm touches caress her heart, her eyes widening at that familiar sensation that she found herself still loving oh so much.
With the faintest of voices, she whispered as she brushed her fingers against the glass.
"Darling..."
Technical Specifications
Classification :
Prototype High Mobility General-Purpose Franxx
Model Number :
FRX-02-F2
Official Name :
Hi-Filament Strelizia
Overall height :
25.0m
Base weight :
49.6 t
Power Source :
Magma Fuel Converter
Armor Material :
Titanium Alloy
Crew :
2 pilots (Stamen/Pistil in ejectable linear seats in chest cockpit)
General Data
Manufacturer :
Plantation 13
Developed From:
FRX-01C Strelizia Custom
Operator :
APE Special Tactical Fighter Training Group
Equipment
Standard :
Fly-By-Light Transmission System
Hyper Jammer
Ejectable Cockpit
Optional :
2x External Propellant Tank
Vanguard Over Boost
Standard Armaments
Fixed :
2x 120mm Long Cannons
4x Armor Bit
Machine Gun
1x Magma Saber
3x Magma Stakes
Magma Horn
Handheld :
Volcano Rifle
Shield
2x Small Missile
Optional :
Queen Pike