Doctor Franxx stood leaning on his cane in front of the large screen that took up most of the wall in his personal lab. He was analyzing the recorded data regarding Strelitzia's most recent startup. Though he knew that the Franxx would break out of stampede once the boy entered it, the Doctor wanted to take a look at the finer details that witnessing the transformation didn't reveal.

On the screen was a diagram of Strelitzia with displays showing paracapacity scores and vital signs. At this point in the recording, the late Code 086's vitals began to flatline, followed by the Franxx deactivating. Shame he had to die in this fashion, but sacrifices had to be made to keep prying eyes away from the Doctor's project.

Strelitzia remained inactive for several minutes, presumably picking up a new stamen—the boy. Suddenly the information panels regarding Strelitzia's pilots light up once more, signalling that the mech has activated once again. The pistil's—Zero Two—paracapacity score immediately shot up to her usual levels. The newfound stamen's—Hiro—followed right behind, achieving the same exact score as hers. His vitals showed no signs of immediate degradation as Zero Two's other partners did, but Doctor Franxx was unsurprised by this.

At the front of the room, the sliding door opens as an all to familiar figure walks in.

"What is it, Nana?" Doctor Franxx demands already knowing who it was, not turning away from the screen. Does she never knock?

"I came to report that Hiro has left the medical bay," Nana answers.

"And?"

Nana pauses to recall the boy's condition. "He only had minor scrapes and bruises, nothing serious."

The Doctor remains quiet, as he continues to stare at the screen. Nana sees what's on the screen, and walks over to his side.

"That's from earlier?" Nana asks, taking in some of the plentiful information that lays on the screen. "I'm still surprised that Hiro, out of all the children, managed to calm that girl down. I guess he's still special after all."

"There's more to it then that, Nana."

Through his vague statement, it's enough to give Nana an answer. "Then it's not a coincidence that you brought Zero Two here, to all places. The Council is going to want to know why you pulled their favorite pilot from the frontlines to here."

For once during their conversation, Doctor Franxx takes his vision off the screen to face Nana. "Bah, those geezers think they control everything. If they want her back badly enough, they'll have to go through me."

Back in the early days, Doctor Franxx was viewed as an uncaring and distant man; and that remains mostly true to this day. He only ever showed happiness if it was a new breakthrough in a scientific field or if it there were results to be happy about. But something, someone, made a change in him.

After that day.

Nowadays, he seems to make strides in protecting the wellbeing of Zero Two—almost like a parent would. A dysfunctional, cold, and callous parent, but a parent nonetheless. Maybe it's the time he spent with the girl during her development at the Garden, or making sure APE didn't overstep their boundaries regarding his subject. The last time those geezers and their attack dogs had their way with her—behind the Doctor's back, no less—there were numerous losses and casualties. Though his body might be old, he'd beat them all to death with his cane if they laid their pretentious hands on her again.

"So she'll be staying here, I take it," Nana says tiredly, not wanting to argue with the older man.

With his point made, Doctor Franxx turns back to the orange screen filled with information. Nana makes her way back to the open door, but not before the Doctor speaks up.

"I'll make arrangements for the boy to become her official partner, and tell her if you wish. She needs some good news for once in her life. But first, I wish to address a hypothesis I have."

Nana stops near the open door, turning back to the Doctor with a puzzled look.

"I want the boy to pilot with a different pistil in their respective Franxx, at least once. How you do it, it's up to you and Hachi," Doctor Franxx requests, as he stares at Hiro's paracapacity score. "Something's been bothering me."

Nana nods in acceptance, soft heels clacking as she exits the otherwise silent room.

Throughout the recording, Hiro's paracapacity score would randomly jump to a higher level for several seconds, then settle back down to match Zero Two's—higher than anything recorded during a stampeding Strelitzia, and those numbers got high. Doctor Franxx wondered if this was just a result of him piloting with the girl, or if it was because of that day. Hopefully due to Hiro's more passive personality compared to that of Zero Two, if anything happens to the pistil he chooses to pilot with, he wouldn't intentionally harm them.

Hopefully.

The previous night, Hiro left the plantation's medical bay after being treated for minor injuries. As he left, the caretakers insisted that he remained for the night, to watch over him as a precaution from piloting with Zero Two. Hiro persisted in leaving, claiming that he felt much better than he did as of recent and that his bed was far superior to that of the hospital beds. If anything did happen, Goro would be there for him. The caretakers did nothing to stop him as he climbed back up top to the boarding house.

Under the night sky that showered the forest in darkness, Hiro reached the front door of the house. He hoped that no one would be awake by this time, as the trek through the forest drained him of any energy he had left. His bed was practically calling out to him.

Reaching for the doorknob, Hiro looks down to see a suitcase sitting parallel to the outer wall of the house. Though it was too dark to read whatever was on the suitcase, he already knew who it once belonged it.

Something for me…? Hiro thought to himself, remembering one of Naomi's final words to him.

Hiro was too tired to try and think any further about the day's events, so he picked the suitcase up by the handle and opened the front door with ease. Thankfully, all the lights were turned off signalling that everyone was either asleep or in their bed. Walking up the grand staircase, he made his way towards the boy's dorms and his room, which he shared with Goro.

Opening the door, Goro lies on his bed sound asleep. Good, no questions for to answer.

Setting the suitcase down next to his bed, he slowly takes his uniform off and throws it off to the side. Sitting on the bed and preparing to slip on the covers, Goro shifts in his bed a little and murmurs something under his breath.

"Ichi…go…"

Finishing his murmurs, he settles back down with a gentle snore. Hiro gives off a silent chuckle at his friends' sleep talking, before lying down and being claimed by restfulness himself.

The next morning, Hiro awakens to sunlight penetrating through the window. He rubs his eyes before turning to his side, seeing that Goro's bed was empty—possibly already getting ready for the day.

Hiro climbs out of the bed, walking towards the dresser for a fresh uniform to wear for the day. Pulling one out, he carelessly throws it on like he always has. Ichigo was going to nag at him about it, but he didn't care in the slightest.

Before leaving the room, he looks down to the side of his bed where a suitcase with the numbers '703' printed on the side sits. There was no doubt that it belonged to Naomi now. Hiro could only wish that she either survived the destruction or was killed painlessly.

Sitting back down on his bed, Hiro grabs the suitcase and plants it on his lap. With the sound of two clicks, the latches that held the suitcase are undone, revealing its contents. Inside there are several trinkets, oddities, and other personal items thrown about. There were two things that stuck out to him: an elegant hand mirror that reflected his face and an ornately carved box that fit snugly against the suitcases' fabric to the side.

This box stood out from anything else, almost as if it didn't belong in the suitcase in the first place. Holding the suitcase firm with one hand, Hiro uses his other to pull the box out. With enough force, it slides out from the suitcase. He sets the suitcase to the side to better inspect this odd box.

The box itself is about a forearm in length and on the edges and corners is gold trimming, with the corners bearing intricate golden carvings of nothing in particular. The wood that makes up the majority of the box is a dark mahogany with beautiful, delicate carvings of trees and flowers engraved within.

Hiro rotates the box around for a way to open it—a latch, button, lever, anything. The only thing resembling an opening mechanism is a small keyhole, right under the lid of the box. Only a key could open it, but he didn't see anything like a key within the suitcase. He sets the box to the side and grabs the suitcase once more. Hiro moves items around and shakes them out, all in search for the key. Whatever was in that box, it had to be important enough to be kept locked up.

With no luck searching, he sets the suitcase back down in defeat. Maybe the box was some sort of puzzle? Hiro grabs the box once more, shaking it right next to his ear. There was no sound coming from inside, and whatever was inside was held in there tight. Hiro sets the box back down on his lap, sighing in defeat.

Quietly, the door to the room opens causing Hiro to look up from the ornate box.

"Hey Hiro," Goro says as he enters, stopping once he looks at the box in Hiro's lap. "Oh, what's that?"

Hiro shrugs his shoulders. "Don't know, and I don't know what's in it. It was in Naomi's suitcase, before, well you know…"

"You don't need to say anymore, I get it. The adults said she survived, so we can at least be grateful for that. Anyways, I came to tell you breakfast's ready," Goro pauses for a moment. "And that strange girl's down there too."

That peaked Hiro's interest, pulling him out of the well filled with somber thoughts. Why was Zero Two up in the house, out of all places? With other questions plaguing his mind surrounding the girl, he sets the ornate box on the nightstand to come back to it later. Maybe one of the girls knew something about the box or a way to open it, or see if Zorome could work his way into the box.

Standing up from the bed, he follows Goro out from the room and down the grand staircase. Entering the dining hall, all the boys occupied their respective table and the girls to their own. Oddly enough, Zero Two sat at her own table far removed from the others, the table once being filled with food now reduced to half its original size. She was too busy gorging herself with honey soaked hands on a honeyed slab of meat to take notice to the two boys entering the room.

Hiro and Goro made their way over to their respective table, sitting next to each other opposite the other three boys. While everyone had food on their plates, they couldn't stop staring at the horned girl—Hiro especially. Everyone in the room was either disgusted or confused by the way Zero Two ate her food without any mannerisms. Meat, vegetables, and other foodstuff was all completely drenched in honey, causing Miku to gag as Zero Two gulfs down another slab.

"Why is she still here?" Miku whispers to the other girls at the table.

"What a strange person," Kokoro chimes in, commenting on the girl's affinity for honey. "I wonder if she likes sweets."

Miku whispers back, using her hand to shield her words from the pink haired girl at the lone table—though the girl did not care about her comments at all. "She's not a person, not with those things on her head," she whispers, using her fingers to emulate horns.

"Cut it out," Ichigo warns cutting away at her food, causing Miku to get back in her seat. "She's our savior, you know."

Ichigo was probably the only person in the room to refrain from staring at the pistil. One would assume she didn't care at all about the girl's presence; yet that simply isn't true.

Ichigo cared a lot.

It wasn't just her mere presence that bothered her, it was more the fact that Hiro had some attraction to her. Like a magnet of some sorts. It was a miracle that she hasn't said anything else to the girl, but that could be chalked up to her need to fill the Squad Leader role.

"Do you think she really has klaxosaur blood?" Ikuno speaks up as she picks apart of piece of bread. "Besides, I thought no one had single digit codes."

Over at the boy's table, Futoshi is rather surprised by how the vicious 'partner killer' acts. "She's nothing like the rumors said."

"She's ruining her good looks by the way she's eating," Goro notes as he turns to face Hiro, giving him a teasing glare.

With nothing else to add, Hiro states one of the more obvious things. "I'm surprised by how fast her injuries healed up."

In their chatter, none of them realized that Zorome had gotten up from his seat and now approaching Zero Two. Leaning on the table with an overzealous posture, he introduces himself to the otherwise disinterested girl.

"Hey there! It was a real treat to watch your skills in action. I, Zorome the Great, shall graciously ride with you if you so desire."

Zero Two wasn't paying too much attention to the boy, as the honeyed slab of meat in her hand had more worth than the egotistical boy.

"I'm sure I can do a much better than that wuss," Zorome proclaims, gesturing to Hiro without taking his eyes off her. "Why don't we try– eek!"

Zorome yelps in surprise, seeing that Zero Two was wiping her honey soaked hands all over his uniform. Everyone in the room was getting tired of hearing his ego, so seeing him being humiliated in such a way brightened up the mood a bit.

"What are you doing?! Ah, it's my Sunday best!" Zorome squeals in surprise, trying to clean off his uniform. "What are you going to do about this?!"

With her work done, Zero Two leaves her table in search of a better spot. That spot was at the boys' table, right on Hiro's lap. In response to her rather seductive moves, Hiro lets a quiet yelp of surprise. Before he knew it, Zero Two was pouring honey all over his food, like she had done to her own.

"This is really nice and sweet," she coos softly. "Let's eat together, okay?"

Regaining his composure from the otherwise taboo act of a girl sitting at the boy's table, Hiro finally has a chance to ask what has been on his mind since last night. "Tell me, did I actually manage to pilot back then?"

After taste testing the golden liquid covering the food, Zero Two seemed almost surprised by the question, before the surprise melted into a devious grin. Hiro just needed affirmation to his skills as a pilot, nothing more.

"You sure did," Zero Two hums. "You were incredible, dar-ling."

The way that word rolled off her tongue stirred all kinds of emotions in Hiro. He knew that word had a lot of meaning, and felt much more than a mere label to call someone by—especially for her to call him that.

"Darling?"

Almost everyone in the dining hall repeated the word in confusion, struggling to find its meaning. Was it a food? Was it an object of some kind? Whatever it was, the way Zero Two said it had deeper implications of some sort, none that anyone else could figure out—all besides three.

The first held it deep within her heart.

The second welcomed it as another name.

The third, with or without knowing its meaning, resented it.

Amidst the commotion, and Zorome's cries from his stained uniform, the door to the dining hall opens and in walks a tall woman with brunette hair.

"Keep it down, kids," she requests, gathering everyone's attention.

"Nana!" Kokoro exclaims, excited to see their caretaker from the Garden once again.

With everyone's eyes turned towards her—except one pair from a particular pink haired girl—Nana greets everyone and explains her role. "My name is Nana and I'll be your caretaker, just like I was at the Garden. APE HQ has assigned me to this plantation. I look forward to your cooperation."

As she finishes, there are many cheers of joy over Nana heralding her role as their caretaker. Ichigo, however, has different thoughts clouding her mind.

"Is she going to be staying here, Nana?" Ichigo asks with a layer of worry.

"Zero Two will be remaining here, yes," Nana answers, pausing shortly after to think about her next words. "Regarding her involvement in your squad, we're awaiting orders from HQ."

Looking over to the girl that was practically stradling Hiro at this point, Nana gestures her to follow. "You know the rules, Zero Two. Now come, I need to speak with you, then you can finish your breakfast."

Zero Two groans, as she slowly removes herself from Hiro's rather warm lap.

"Ahh, but it's more comfortable with darling," she sighs apathetically.

As she begins to walk away towards the door, Hiro jumps up from his seat, trying to get Zero Two's attention.

"Wait! Zero Two!" Hiro exclaims, successful in getting her to stop. "Let me ride with you again. There's something I need to be sure of."

"That's not for you to decide," Nana suddenly cuts in. "You'll be given your orders in due time, Hiro. And to the rest of you, the startup ritual will continue after breakfast, followed by some basic training."

As both Zero Two and Nana left the dining hall, everyone went back to finishing their breakfast in preparation for the continuation of the ritual, which was rudely interrupted yesterday. Waiting several seconds after the two left the room, Ichigo silently excuses herself from the table. All the girls at the table had questioning looks, but whenever it came to something regarding Hiro, they knew to stay silent.

Ichigo wanted to know more about this girl that mysteriously appears, pilots with Hiro of all people, and who knows what is going to happen next. It's her duty as Squad Leader to know everything that happens with her squad, afterall.

Quietly shutting the door behind her to the dining hall, she crosses the foyer over to the front door to where she thinks the two may have went. Hiding behind one of the large wooden beams near the door, Ichigo is able to make out some conversation between the two standing far outside.

"You know you can't be acting like that near the parasites," Nana scolds a rather inattentive Zero Two, who was leaning up against a nearby tree.

"Pfft, I do what I want with my darling." Zero Two retorts, not caring anymore about what she has to say. "Why'd you have to bring me out here anyway?"

From behind her hiding spot, Ichigo felt disgusted with that response. 'Do what I want' my ass.

"If you're so insistent, I came to speak with you about a very particular matter," Nana responds to the horned girl. "Have you spoken to the Doctor recently?"

"Why? Haven't seen him since I got off that stuffed up plane."

The Doctor? The old guy that looked like a robot? Ichigo thinks to herself, recalling the elderly man from yesterday's startup ritual.

"He'd be the one to tell you this, but he's currently preoccupied at the moment," Nana explains her reasoning for bringing up the Doctor in the first place.

Zero Two was beginning to get impatient with her ramblings. "Get on with it, I want to get back to my darling already."

"If you just listen, I'll tell you," Nana's impatience with the girl was growing. "He's moving things around to get you partnered up with Hiro. I don't know when or why, so just sit tight for now."

The reactions of the two pistils upon hearing the news couldn't be any more different.

Zero Two's emerald eyes widened in surprise. The Doctor would do that for her? After all these years? She knew the man was crazy to some degree, always pulling strings to ensure her relative safety. But this—this was a new level. Zero Two had her suspicions when they had departed from the last plantation so quickly; leading up to her finding her darling had not been a coincidence. Still, she'll most likely never understand the man's motives.

Hidden behind the door, Ichigo felt like she had been punched in the gut. Why the hell were they just giving Hiro to this girl who shows up out of literally nowhere? The partner killer no less?! There has to be some higher reason for all this. She couldn't—she wouldn't let Hiro pilot with this girl again, as it could mean his end. Ichigo would have to confront Nana about it later, but without raising suspicion of her eavesdropping.

With the new revelation, Ichigo slowly walks back to the dining hall to finish her breakfast. If anyone asks where she was, a simple lie would have to suffice. Entering the hall, she looks over to where Hiro was seated, who had a honey drenched piece of meat on a fork. He was contemplating whether or not he should eat it, with Goro ushering him to give it a try.

Ichigo returned to her seat, with questioning glances from all the girls at the table.

Ikuno is the only one to speak up, albeit quietly. "Where did you go?"

"Bathroom," Ichigo quickly replies, not wanting to speak any further.

Though the other girls hardly believed it, they didn't want to press her further with the fervor of her answer. Looking down at her food, Ichigo knew she had to eat to be prepared for the coming ritual then practice, but overhearing Nana's words ruined her appetite. She had to do everything in her power to prevent Hiro from ever piloting with that girl—for his safety.

Lost in her thoughts, Ichigo didn't realize a tall pink haired girl sneaking up from behind, nor did any of the girls at the table speak up.

"Darling's mine," a sly whisper of a voice sounds right behind her ear.

Ichigo squeals as she jumps in her seat, nearly falling off entirely—completely overtaken by fear and surprise. Zero Two was leaning over at the hips, her devious smile nearly touching Ichigo's cheek. There was no way that Zero Two could have seen her from her hiding spot, but how did she know? Did that mean Nana knew too?

"Ehh?!" Ichigo exclaims in fear, trying to shroud her guilt. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Contempt with Ichigo's reaction, Zero Two says nothing else as she walks confidently back to her lone table; all the while giving Hiro a very flirtatious smile. Hiro is of course encapsulated by her form, judging by his widened blue eyes and slightly ajar mouth.

The way she presented herself, the way she spoke, the fact that she merely existed was enough to put a foul taste in Ichigo's mouth. How dare she act like that towards her best childhood friend?

With a newfound appetite, Ichigo quickly finishes up her food for the upcoming training session. She didn't want to be in the same room as this—this bitch.

Empty plate in front of her, Ichigo rises from her chair.

"I'll be getting in gear for the ceremony, if anyone needs me," she announces to girls, before getting up and leaving.

All the while, smug green eyes burned into her back as she exited the room.