Thank you so much for all the favorites and follows. Also HalFF, thanks for the advice, it really helped me improve my writing and SwordOfGods I'm glad that you enjoy this fanfic so here's another chapter. I changed Asuna's code to 046 so the title makes sense. 4-shi 6-ro, combined is shiro or white. 9-ku 6-ro, combined is kuro or black. Hence the FranXX of Black and White. (Added and fixed a couple things)

Chapter 2 Mistilteinn

The two exited the testing chamber and followed the guards once again through the endless halls of the garden. They ended up back at the 'Stamen' and 'Pistil' corridors except someone was waiting for them. A man stood in the center of the hall, he had a buzz cut and was wearing dark colored uniform. "Codes 096 and 046, there are parasite uniforms placed in your lockers. It's essential that you change into them so we can depart to Plantation 13." Asuna and Kirito scurried off into their respective corridors.

Kirito entered the Franxx suit machine, the lazer started at his neck and went down to his feet. This brief process was captivating to him. The pilot suit vanished from his body as the black and blue striped shorts remained on him. He stepped out the machine and opened his locker which now contained undergarments, a uniform, and socks with shoes placed below it. He removed the black shorts and exchanged it with the underwear on top of the uniform. He examined his uniform, it was mostly a gray suit with a red y tie pointing up right below the collar. It was almost similar to his high school uniform, but more lavish and archaic at the same time with the matching knee length shorts and long socks. The uniform opened like a jacket, Kirito put it on and zipped it up. He pulled up the shorts and wore the socks and shoes. Everything fitted perfectly, nothing was constricting or too loose, he mumbled "How did they get my exact measurements?" Immediately he rushed out the 'Stamen' corridor, the two both finished and entered the hallway. Asuna's uniform was similar to his, the only difference was the skirt and instead of a red y, her tie was a red x.

The man leads the two down the corridors down the halls, towards a landing dock. Both Kirito and Asuna were freezing as they got closer. Eventually the walls were now windows, Asuna peeped out the window. The outside was like a winter wonderland, the faint light from the sun reflects off the white snow. The icicles hanging from the bare trees sparkles, it was a beautiful sight. She wondered if the wasteland Kikuoka mentioned was either a desert or more like this snow biome. Kirito turned to Asuna, she was obviously cold, her legs were shaking and she was hugging her arms to keep herself warm. He felt the same and got closer, wrapping his arm around her. The slight contact eased her, causing her body to stop trembling.

Shortly the three entered the landing dock, Dr. Franxx and the red haired lady awaits them at the entrance of the ship. Kirito examines the aircraft, its structure was similar to a jet with mostly a white exterior with a tad of orange mixed in. Kirito and Asuna pauses in front of Dr. Franxx as the man left and stood beside him, "Before we depart, let me introduce these two." He gestured to the stone faced man on his left, "This is Hachi, he's one of the adults assisting your squad and is in charge of the plantation's defense system."

The lady on his right introduced herself, "I'm Nana, I was Squad 13's caretaker when they were younger, so you can rely on me when you have a problem." She sounded kind and caring, her tone was like a mother's which is one that both Kirito and Asuna haven't experienced much of before. She wore the female version of Hachi's uniform.

Asuna smiles, "It's nice to meet you Hachi, Nana."

Kirito realized something about their names, "Code 007 and Code 008 right?" Both Hachi and Nana froze with a shocked gaze on Kirito. The two haven't been called their actual numbers for years.

Dr. Franxx slightly chuckled, "Precisely Code 096." The five board the aircraft, the interior was all white with big tinted windows. There were six seats, all were empty except the two in the back. There were two identical suitcases, but the one on the left was labeled 096 and the other on the right was labeled 046. Kirito and Asuna sat in the back with their numbered suitcases as Dr. Franxx, Nana, and Hachi sat in front of them.

The door closed shut and the aircraft vibrates then ascends into the sky. Kirito leans left, looking at the door to the cockpit of the aircraft, mumbling "Is someone driving or is this plane automatically moving?" He turned his attention out the window, the ground was covered with piles of snow. He barely spotted any wildlife in the air or on the trees below.

Asuna fiddled with her suitcase, it was kinda heavy, "Excuse me, but what's inside our luggage?"

Nana pressed a button on her seat, turning it around to face her, "Spare uniforms, a page, a formal uniform, pajamas, and your winter uniform. Which we should have given you earlier...sorry for that."

"No it's fine." Asuna opened her luggage and took out the page, "How does this thing work?"

Hachi turned his seat around, "That's your identification and how we contact you. It'll automatically turn on when we alert you or when you press a button." Kirito tuned in and grabbed his page examining it for a button. He waved the device around and his finger pressed down, causing the page to split open. A holographic screen appeared, displaying all his bio data with his picture and code underneath it. The style reminds him of a stacia window but orange and on a phone.

"So are we going to be living in Plantation 13 or other Plantations too?" Kirito questioned.

Dr. Franxx turns his chair around and said, "You won't be living in Plantation 13, more like on top of it." he immediately turned it back to it's proper position.

Nana cuts in, "It's called Mistilteinn but we label it as the birdcage."

Asuna murmurs, "Birdcage..." that word reminds her of Alfheim. On the top of the world tree, trapped in that huge botanical cage among the clouds. Straight out of Aincrad to becoming one of Sugou's captives. His revolting, bug-eyed face ogling her from outside the bars, tempted to crawl in and claim her as his.

That horror...

She shudders at the slight thought of it and shook her head to face her gilded hero. He was aimlessly staring out the window, slowly dozing off to sleep as usual. She giggled a bit and attempted to avert her eyes from his drowsy aura until his eyes widened as his mouth gaped open. Perplexed, she decided to view out he window and her face matched his. The once snowy winter biome just moments ago faded into a deserted rocky wasteland, almost similar to the Solitary Sands of Gun Gale Online. No signs of plant or wildlife could be seen anywhere within a mile radius, all was the same for an hour. It was petrifying, even the abyssal sky below Aincrad wasn't as terrifying. Asuna cowers in her chair, thinking "What kind of apocalypse did Kikuoka send us in?" She turned to Kirito who was already asleep in his comfy chair, she decided to do the same. She mumbled, "Hopefully the environment will be different and actually alive at the Plantation 13."

One hour later

Kirito woke up from his nap, he yawned as he stretched out his arms. "We will arrive in 10 minutes." said an automated voice. He rubs his eyes then turned to Asuna who was still sleeping. Her face was so cute, serene and peaceful. He reached out to poke her cheek, her eyes fluttered open to then look at him.

He whispered, "Hey sleepyhead. We're almost at the Plantation."

She nodded and straightened herself up, grabbing onto her suitcase and placing it on her lap. Kirito peeked out the window once again to see their new home. The Plantation was a colossal metal dome surrounded by the rocky wasteland, on top was some kind of cage. As they got closer, he can see the inside of the cage was all green mixed with blobs of blue. Kirito wonders, "Maybe Mistilteinn will actually be normal." They started to descend for landing, Kirito somehow spotted guns hidden within the layers of metal, some were around the base of Mistilteinn. He remembers about the Klaxosaur monsters Kikuoka mentioned before, but he never said how big they could be. The fact that there were guns up that high was unsettling. The aircraft hovered close to the ground as a massive metal door slid open, then eased inside a parking dock. When the aircraft landed, the five got out their seats and exited the vehicle. The metal door started to close as the air from outside leaked in, it felt dry and dusty. The parking dock was massive but hollow, there were 6 stands on the wall about 40 meters high with an elevator to the top of the stands. The group headed towards a separate elevator across the room, Kirito asked, "Is this where our FranXX will go?" his voice echoes throughout the room.

Dr. Franxx responded, "All five FranXX will always be here. They're currently being built, so it'll take a couple weeks until your squad can ride one."

Asuna slowed down her pace to pull her and Kirito behind the three. She whispered, "Does that mean we have to be in that position all the time now?"

He was confused, then blushed when he realized what she meant, "Apparently that's how they work. This Plantation needs people to pilot these FranXX, that's the only purpose for parasites like us." He held her hand as they entered the elevator, "At least we're not soloing through this again."

Both of them smiled and she placed her head on his shoulder, "Yeah..."

Dr. Franxx observed their behavior, it was rare to see parasites act like this. The last time he ever seen or experienced this kind of affection was years ago, before the era of FranXX. Suddenly the elevator illuminated as it passed the inner city. Through the elevator glass was the inside of the dome, it was pitch black with numerous amber lights shining from the various buildings in the Plantation. Kirito and Asuna got against the glass and stared in awe as the lights flicker. The elevator dimmed down as the city got out of view and started to slow down. It shook as it stopped at the top. The doors slid open to reveal a hallway with a red carpet, there were two doors on the left and one double doors at the end of the hall.

Dr. Franxx said, "Hachi, alert everyone in squad 13 to gather in the stamen living room.

"Understood." Hachi left the group and entered the closest door from us. The rest of the group walked down the hall, through the double doors. They entered another room with glass walls that separated them from the outside. Finally they exited the building and were greeted by a bridge over a body of water. Kirito and Asuna were astonished by the environment, it's been the only normal place they've seen so far. Sunlight beams from the sky and reflected off the water as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the lush forest ahead. The two wandered across the bridge, still hand in hand onto the path below the trees as Dr. Franxx and Nana followed them. Birds flew over them, their melodic chirping echoes then leaving a blissful silence. This peaceful trek felt similar to the long walks in the forest around their log house back in Floor 22 on Aincrad. Asuna looked down at their hands, thinking about the only thing that would make this better. She imagined that Yui was between them, smiling and giggling as they swung her back and forth.

Kirito looked beyond the trees and saw 3 story house in the distance, assuming that's their new home. He felt uneasy as they got closer to the house. It seemed more like they're going to a prison than a home. Asuna broke the silence and whispered, "Do you think the rest will be like us?"

He wondered how the other parasites will be like. They could act similar to an NPC like Dr. Franxx and Hachi or they'll be more alive like Nana. "As long as they're not hostile, that's all that matters."

Hiro lays in his bed, thinking about his and Naomi's paracapacity scores. He was utterly frustrated and distraught. Not only did he fail the paracapacity test, he had dragged down one of his friends with him. Going back to the garden haunts him, the other codes from when they were kids disappeared after they took their tests. Sadly he might end up like them, useless and forgotten forever. He slammed his hand on the wall, then suddenly his page beeped. He grabbed it from his pocket and read the message 'Gather in the Stamen living quarters'. He rises from his bed and tried to change from his gloomy state. He hanged down his head as he opened the door and headed down the hall to their living room.

"Hey Hiro" says a familiar voice.

Hiro raises his head to see Goro down the hall, "Hey Goro..."

The taller blonde boy approached him, asking "Did you get the message from Hachi too?"

Hiro was somewhat relieved that it wasn't just him, "Yeah, I think everyone did too." The two continued walking down the hall towards their living room and opened the door. Everyone was chilling inside, Mitsuru and Ikuno both were sitting down reading their books. Miku, Zorome and Futoshi were messing around about something again while Kokoro and Ichigo were comforting Naomi.

Ichigo noticed the two enter the room and walked up to them, "Hey Hiro, Hey Goro. So do you two know why we're here?" Both of them shook their heads, "Well apparently Dr. Franxx and Nana are coming here." Hiro was wide eyed and became nervous again. Ichigo noticed and placed her hand in his shoulder, "Don't worry, I don't think it concerns you and Naomi. Hachi told me there's two others with them so it should be fine. Ok?"

Hiro settled himself down, "Yeah maybe."

The three sat down on one of the couches. Hiro took a glance at Naomi, hoping that they'll won't go back to the garden. The door opened, Dr. Franxx stepping in with Nana and oddly no one else was with them. Nana clapped to get everyone's attention. Zorome, Miku, and Futoshi quickly settle down. Zorome always beamed with happiness when Nana was around. Nana spoke, "So we gathered you all here to introduce your new squad members." Two people entered the room, both were wearing the parasite uniform. No one in the room recognizes them at all from the garden. The male looked similar to Hiro but was taller and had deep gray eyes. The female was the same height as the male, she had long chestnut hair with hazel eyes. Nana gestured to the male, "This is Code 096." then gestured to the female, "This is Code 046". Kirito scans the room, there were 10 other people in parasite uniforms which confused him. He recalls that Dr. Franxx said that there were only 5 Franxx per Plantation, but including himself and Asuna was more than 5 boy-girl pairs.

Hiro and Naomi were shocked at her announcement. Hiro was trembling as he raised his hand, "Does that mean we're being replaced?"

Dr. Franxx stepped in, "Code 016 and Code 703 follow me, for we have much to discuss." Naomi and Hiro stood up and followed Dr. Franxx out the living room, afraid of what he'll do to them. The remaining parasites in the room were speechless and upset, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

"I'm sorry for this but don't worry. They'll be back for dinner." reassures Nana. "Anyways these two will be living with you from now on, so show them around and get them acquainted here." She left the room and followed Dr. Franxx out the building.

Ichigo nudged Goro, telling him to get up and the two approached the pair. Ichigo cleared her throat, "Welcome to our squad. I'm Code 015 but my name is Ichigo."

The blonde boy towering over her introduces himself, "I'm Ichigo's partner, Code 056 and my name is Goro. Also if you're wondering, all of us have a code but we were given our names from Hiro, the black haired guy who left with them. However they stopped us from giving each other names and scolded us when we continued."

Kirito asked, "Could I guess their names then?" he points to the other parasites.

"Sure." said Ichigo

The short boy with spiky blonde hair spoke, "Have fun guessing mine. Hiro made mine the most complicated. "

Kirito smirks, "Try me."

"I'm Code 666."

Kirito thought about his numbers, all three matched. He murmurs, "Soroeru...or maybe.." he then snapped his fingers, "I got it, Zorome. Right?"

Zorome was dumbfounded, "What how?!"

Kirito explains, "Your name is just a play on words from soroeru or to match."

The chubby boy next to him laughed, "Guess you were wrong Zorome!"

"Shut it fatso." Zorome remarks.

"Anyways I'm Code 214."

Asuna said, "Futoshi."

Futoshi comments, "How'd you get it so fast?"

Asuna giggles a bit, "Well Zorome kinda gave part of your name away, sorry."

He groaned, "Why'd my name had to relate with my weight..."

The girl with pigtails stepped in, "I'm Zorome's partner and my code is 390."

Kirito guesses, "Is it Mikuo or Mikurei?"

She corrected him, "It's actually only Miku, not all our numbers are part of our name."

Kirito scratched his head, "Oh I should have considered that."

The girl with the hand band raised her hand, "I'm Futoshi's partner and my code is 556."

Asuna easily knew her name, "Your name is Kokoro. Your name is also how to spell heart, so I'm guessing you're a romantic or love type."

Everyone went silent, then Kokoro asked, "What's love?"

Asuna was shocked and said, "It's when you care about someone or a lot of people so much and they care about you too. It's also when you have an interest for an activity. Didn't anyone teach you this?"

Kokoro shook her head. Kirito was surprised, they're piloting something that relies on love and relationship power but they don't even know what that is.

The boy in the corner with a book in his hand spoke, "The caretakers in the garden don't teach the unnecessary." His tone was very serious and disparate from the others, Asuna found it kinda irritating. It reminds her of how mother's was like before she introduced the virtual world to her. "I'm Mitsuru, code 326 and my partner is Ikuno or code 196."

"Aww you're no fun Mitsuru..." Miku complains.

Asuna asked, "Wouldn't her name be Ikuro instead of Ikuno?"

Ikuno spoke, "Ichigo changed it when we were still in the garden by rotating the 6." Kirito wrote the numbers in the air then realized what she meant.

"Now we have to think of a name for you two." said Ichigo.

"You don't have to. We already named ourselves." said Kirito. "My name is Kirito, code 096."

"And I'm his partner Asuna, code 046."

"But your names don't follow your code." said Futoshi.

"We don't have to follow the code all time." comments Kirito.

"Anyways, girls let's show around Asuna on our side of the house while the boys tour Kirito around this side." says Ichigo. She latched onto Asuna's arm, tugging her out as the other girls followed them to the Pistil's wing.

Kirito turned to Asuna, waving his hand, "Bye Asuna." She waved back and continued walking across the hall with the rest of the pistils.

"When you three are done, we'll be waiting outside to show you the other places in Mistilteinn." said Zorome as him and Futoshi scurry off.

"Watch where you're going!" shouted Miku down the hall.

"I'll show you to your room first, then we'll head downstairs and maybe those two will tour around outside." said Goro. Kirito silently nodded as Mitsuru left his little corner and followed the two down the hall. There were three doors on their side, "There's only two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room on each wing."

They stopped at the first door, Mitsuru softly says, "This first one belongs to Zorome, Futoshi, and me." He mumbled, "Sadly." Kirito heard him mumbling, thinking that Mitsuru is one of the loner, quiet types. He kinda reminded him of himself in Aincrad when he was actually 14 years old, the loner beater.

Goro stopped and opened the next door, "This is the other bedroom where Hiro, me, and you will sleep in. You can have to the top bunk bed and you could unpack after dinner." Kirito stepped in his new room. It was just like a miniature version of the dormitory in Swordcraft Academy, he felt a bit of nostalgia. The only roommate he'd ever had was Eugeo, but sadly he was gone, deleted from the Underworld. Vague memories of his last moments with Eugeo and their battle with the Admin now haunts him, making a chill go down his spine. It was like someone grabbed the Blue Rose Sword and pierced his skin, using release recollection on him. He shook his head, placing down his suitcase next to the desk and left the room. Allowing Goro to continue the tour, "And the door at the end is the bathroom." They turned around, walking past the bedrooms, living room and down the stairs to the main entrance. The main entrance had two doors on the right and another two on the left. There was a grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs with light shining through the stained glass behind it. Goro led the two down the first door on the right. Inside were small lockers, small cubbies, and a hamper at the back with sliding doors on one side. Goro slid open the door, revealing a huge bath on one side with buckets on the side and stools with shower heads on the other side. "This is the bath. There's lockers to place our clothes in and a hamper to place our dirty clothes."

Kirito looked around and didn't spot a washing machine in any of the rooms. He asks, "Do we do our own laundry here?"

"No, the caretakers wash them for us, they do everything except cleaning the house which our job. Also we have a schedule, the girls have their bath first after dinner then it's our turn. If you don't remember the schedule, you could always check on your page." said Goro. They exited the bath and entered the mess hall, "This is the mess hall, where we have our meals which are also prepared by the caretakers." Inside was a fireplace and 2 tables in front with 6 chairs each, "We sit at one table while the girls sit at the other one."

"Zorome stop!" says Futoshi outside the room. He peeked in the mess hall, "Goro can you help me please?" he ducked a ball as it flew over his head.

"Sure." He turned to Mitsuru, "Hey Mitsuru could you finish the tour?"

"Fine, I have to put back this book anyways."

"Ok thanks. Sorry Kirito!" Goro left the two and chased after Zorome out the door.

"There's only two rooms left which is the library and the infirmary." Mitsuru and Kirito walked out the mess hall and into the door across them. Inside was the infirmary, there were only 2 patient beds, a cabinet with all the medicine and the IV equipment tucked into one corner. "The cabinets can only be opened by the caretakers. The only kind we can grab whenever is the medicine for child fever." They exit the infirmary and went through the last door. Inside was another hallway with two doors then it turns at the end. Mitsuru opened the first door, behind was a big grassy area with the forest line meters away. "This is the backyard which is usually occupied by Zorome when he plays with Futoshi and Hiro." He closed the door and walked down to the other door. They entered the library, it was huge, almost as big as the main entrance. Most of the books were informative and some were children's books. There were no fiction books, picture books, and barely any kind of history books. Kirito found one history book and pulled it out, flipping through the pages. He eventually got to the end of the book and a page was ripped out, all except for the corner.

The only words on it was 'In 2037 Klaxosaurs began invad-' Kirito mumbles, "2037...This reality has struggled with Klaxosaurs for awhile. Maybe it's been decades since then..."

Mitsuru pulled out small book from his pocket and placed it back in the shelf, taking another one from a lower shelf. "You seem like a reader too. I recommend staying here or going to the garden if you wanna be alone." Mitsuru left the room, Kirito placed back the book and followed him out.

"Hey Mitsuru, what about down the hall?" Kirito points at the turn down the hall.

"That's the restricted area. It's probably just a couple old bedrooms and honestly I don't care what's down there." The two entered the main entrance, "You could go roam around now if you want. I doubt Zorome and Futoshi will actually tour you around outside." He walked up the stairs, "The girls are outside if you want to join them, but don't take so long, dinner is in an hour from now."

"Ok, thanks for the tour."

Kirito was alone once again. He looked back at the front door, deciding whether to go out or not. Then he faced the door to the restricted area and his curiosity got the best of him. He wandered back through the hall, pass the library and turned the corner. The hall looked more like a crime scene, with the police tapes over the doors. Kirito approached the rooms and slowly opened the door. It creaked open just a bit to reveal the interior of a bedroom, barely lit and dusty with few cobwebs on the bed frame. Kirito pushed the door back a little more, allowing light from the window behind him beam into the room. He spotted a picture frame on the table and reached in between the tapes to grab it. He wiped the dust off and saw a picture of 10 parasites standing in the front of the house, half were stamen and half were pistils. "These guys must have been the old squad 13."

Light reflects off the frame onto the wall, then a tiny red dot appears on the frame. He turned around and saw a small camera attached to the ceiling with a tiny red light blinking. He quickly returned the picture back on the desk and shut the door, running away from the camera. He ended up back in the main entrance and spotted another camera in the corner of the room. He retreated up the stairs and found another camera at the top of the stairs. Realizing he couldn't escape the camera's view, he went back downstairs out the front door. As he opened door, someone shouted, "Heads up!"

Kirito looked up and saw a ball heading towards his face. He swiftly reacted by crouching close to the ground and the ball zoomed behind him. He got up and turned around, grabbing the ball as it bounced back to him. "Nice dodge Kirito" compliments Futoshi, who was apparently right next to him on the porch.

"Thanks." Kirito turned to Zorome who was being yelled at by Goro.

"Great job Zorome, you almost hit Kirito." scolded Goro.

"Well how was I supposed to know he was coming outside and it didn't even hit him." sneered Zorome.

"Luckily Kirito had superb reflexes." said Goro

"Yeah." Zorome perked up and rushed to Kirito, "Can you tell me how to move that fast? Could you teach me how?"

Kirito chuckled, "I can't actually teach you. However if you can properly wield a sword, then we'll talk."

"Like on a FranXX?" questioned Zorome.

"No, a real one that you hold in your hand." Kirito throws the ball at him and walks towards Goro, "Do you know where the girls are?"

"Probably around the greenhouse down this path." Goro pointed at a path that led back into the forest.

"Ok got it. I'll see you at dinner time." Kirito voyaged through the vivid forest, observing the various creatures roaming around. Suddenly a rabbit stopped in the middle of the path, staring at him. It didn't look like a normal rabbit, it looked similar to a ragout rabbit but with a fuzzy light brown fur. He slowly approached it, immediately it scurried off and disappeared. He felt a sense of déjà vu, except this time the didn't have a system assistance throwing skill or even anything to throw at it. He continued on the path and saw a small glass building. He sped up his pace and got to the greenhouse, through the glass he could see multiple flower arrangements planted inside. The girls were inside, he could easily spot Asuna among them. He opened the glass door and creeped to the girls, luckily their backs were towards him.

He tiptoed behind Asuna and dropped his hands on her shoulders, startling her. She let out a small shriek and the other pistil turned around, concerned then confused when they saw Kirito. He turned Asuna around, when she realized what happened she blushed and lightly pushed him. "Kirito-kun don't do that!"

He stumbled back a bit and smiled, "Sorry Asuna, I couldn't help it."

Ichigo interrupts, "Ok but what are doing here?"

"Well Zorome and Futoshi were going to tour me around outside the house, but now they're just playing while being scolded by Goro for almost hitting me."

"Don't blame Futoshi about it, sorry about my idiotic partner." apologizes Miku.

Kirito shrugs, "It's fine. So what are you doing?"

"We just got here and I was talking about the stuff that's grown in the greenhouse, but you join us." suggested Kokoro.

"Sure why not." He stood next to Asuna and softly whispered in her ear, "Actually I used to garden a bit when I was still a page at the Sword Craft Academy."

She was slightly surprised, "I didn't know you had a green thumb."

He held her hand, "I do have a magic touch but they never bloomed until the system helped me." She giggled in response. None of the pistils heard her, but Kokoro saw them holding hands. It was kinda odd to her but she didn't question, instead she felt an unknown feeling. Some kind of jealously sparked inside her.

25 minutes later, Inside the Main Entrance

The girls and Kirito returned from their outdoor tour, they could see Hiro and Naomi approaching the house. Ichigo immediately rushed up to them as the rest slowly trailed behind, "So what happened? Is everything ok?" She looked back and forth between the two. Hiro looked emotionless, she could see the sorrow in his eyes. As for Naomi, she had a weak smile on, trying to hide something. Ichigo could easily notice her puffy eyes, revealing her sadness.

"They said there's a chance we might go back to the garden." said Hiro.

"They'll give us an update in two weeks." said Naomi. Ichigo brings them in for a hug as the other pistils followed, leaving Kirito and Asuna. Although the two didn't know what it meant to be sent back to the garden, they felt a bit of remorse for causing their teammates to leave. They finally entered the house, the rest of the boys were in the main entrance. They saw Hiro and Naomi with them, but decided to stay silent and question later. The group entered the mess hall and were greeted by assortments of food on both tables. Kirito and Futoshi were both excited from the sight, but Kirito was kinda disappointed. The boys and girls split to their respective tables.

Asuna wondered why then asked, "Why do we have to sit in separate tables?"

Ikuno responds, "They just wanted to divide us, but they never gave a specific reason why."

"Also don't bother asking them yourself. They won't give an answer at all, the only thing we can do is listen to them and follow their orders." comments Hiro.

Everyone sits down, out of habit Kirito clasped his hands together and closed his eyes a bit. When he opens his eyes, the other boys were actually doing the same thing. He heard Ichigo saying a prayer before they ate. When she finished, everyone then grabbed their utensils. Kirito glanced at her, thinking 'Huh, apparently they have similar customs in this world.' They began eating, the food was scrumptious to Kirito. To Asuna, the quality didn't matter to her, she usually ate this kind of food all the time at her house. It was oddly silent, only the sound of silverware scrapping against the plates could be heard. Kirito wipes his mouth and broke the silence, "Have any of you seen the caretakers here before?"

"We never saw them here at all. Honestly I think they're probably like the caretakers back at the garden." said Goro.

"Asuna and I never saw anyone other than guards, Hachi, Nana, and -I mean Papa." said Kirito. There was a brief silence after his slip up.

"Papa?" questions Zorome.

"Everyone in the garden has seen the caretakers. They've been taking care of us for over 13 years." states Ichigo.

"But we have only been there for a couple hours." comments Asuna.

"That's impossible, we were all born there and they don't assign parasites to Plantations until they're 14." said Ikuno

"Maybe they wiped your memories." said Hiro.

"Why would they do that?" questions Kirito.

"They do that to parasites who act or do something abnormal." said Hiro. He only remembered fragments of what happened to him, the reason why his memory was wiped is unknown.

Kirito looked over at Asuna, wondering "Our relationship...is that considered abnormal?" Everyone finished eating and started to leave the mess hall. Kirito held Asuna back, "If we continue to look like a couple, could our memories be erased?"

Asuna thought about it, she already experienced her memories fading away from using the augma. Confused and clueless about how they bonded in Aincrad, "I hope not, but what are we gonna do?"

"We're constantly being monitored everywhere inside the house. I was barely outside so I don't know if it's safe. Have you seen any cameras outside the house? Like in the forest or around any bodies of water?"

She recalls her voyage around Mistilteinn "No, I don't think so-"

"Then that's where we'll hang out throughout the days here." Relieved, he leaned in to kiss her but then hesitated. He turned to the corner of the room and saw the camera. He backed away from her and the two left the mess hall. All the girls were heading upstairs, Miku shouts from the top "Come on Asuna, it's our bath time now."

"Ok coming." She left Kirito and joined the girls once again. She walked up the stairs, following Ikuno and Ichigo to their shared room. Asuna grabbed her suitcase and started removing the night gown inside. It was a plain white gown that was uniform to Ikuno's and Ichigo's, she asked Ichigo "Are we able to wear something different or unique? Like something more colorful."

"We can't since they don't give us anything else to wear." responds Ichigo.

"Can't we make our own clothing?" questions Asuna.

"No one really taught us how to make clothes from scratch. We can try but they don't provide the proper fabrics either." said Ikuno. Asuna wasn't surprised at all, they have restricted freedom. Just like her before, but the only difference is that they had no escape. She had virtual reality, a way to be someone else unlike the parasites who were born to be prisoners and protect their Plantation until they die. They grabbed their stuff and headed back downstairs, into the bath where Kokoro, Miku, and Naomi were waiting for them. Once they entered Asuna subconsciously undressed herself, placing her clothes in a locker and her shoes in one of the cubbies. She unbraided her chestnut hair, allowing the thick strands to fall on her smooth skin. She slid the door open and entered the bath area. She walked over to the stools and sat down with one of the shower heads in her hand and turned on the water. Thoroughly cleansing herself as the water trickled down to the drain and then she turned off the water. She grabbed a towel and wrapped her hair up together as she headed towards the bath. She eased herself in, the water was warm and soothing, creating a blissful feeling in her. She sighed in result, the other girls joined her relaxed mood. Except for Naomi who was still slightly tensed about earlier.

Asuna decided to cheer her up, "Hey Code 703." Naomi looked at her in response, "We haven't properly introduced each other yet and I'd like to be friends with you. You seem like a kind and smart person, it would be fun to hang out together."

Naomi had a gentle smile on as her sadness slowly faded away, "I'm Naomi."

Asuna smiles, "I'm Asuna, great to finally meet you." The girls started chatting, Asuna zoned out and stared up at the ceiling. She murmurs "I wonder if I could create some kind of escape for them. Perhaps an alternative version of virtual reality."

After the boy's bath

Kirito was first to finish getting dressed, he left the changing room and entrance the main entrance. When he opened the door, he saw Asuna sneaking out of the mess hall. She hasn't heard him yet so he decided to surprise her again "Hey Asuna, what are you doing?"

She jumped a bit and quickly turned to face him, looking slightly nervous then changed to relief. She sighs, "Oh it's only you."

"Yup, so why were you in the mess hall?" questioned Kirito.

"Should we talk outside?"

Kirito looked at the camera, "Nah, I don't think they can can hear us."

She admits "Ok. I was trying to see if I could get some food from the kitchen or pantry, so I could make something for us to eat."

Kirito perked up like a puppy "For a picnic?"

"Exactly." He fantasies about eating Asuna's delicious homemade sandwiches again. The savory meat with lettuce, tomato, and some kind of spicy sauce all wrapped together between two pieces of bread made his mouth water.

He smiled "Ok great, I'll try to find the perfect place tomorrow."

"Then it's a date." She left him and went back upstairs as the rest of the boys exited the changing room.

Zorome overheard the last thing Asuna said, he nudged Kirito and asked "What's a date?"

"I thought it was just like a time on a calendar." said Goro.

"Well you're not wrong, but it's like an event too." said Kirito.

"Like our graduation?" questioned Futoshi.

He faced Futoshi in confusion "When is that?"

"About two weeks or so from now." said Mitsuru.

"And we get our FranXX afterwards too!" announced Zorome.

Hiro mumbles "Probably except for me though..." No one heard him, everyone headed upstairs to their rooms. Goro and Hiro entered their room first and sat on their beds, silently chatting. Kirito decided to start unpacking, he grabbed his suitcase from under the desk and emptied the items inside. He placed his normal uniform, night clothes, and graduation uniform in the cabinet. His underwear and winter uniform remains in his suitcase then grabbed his page and climbed up to his bed. He didn't interfere with their conversation, instead he pondered in his bed with his page in hand, browsing through the schedule and every contact listed. Then started thinking about the garden again and wonder how their actual parents feel right now, if they even have any biological ones considering the fact that they only had caretakers.

"What was the garden like?" said Kirito, curiously looking down at the two.

Goro and Hiro stopped talking. Hiro moved to Goro's bed and looked up at him, wondering if he was actually joking or not. "It's just a facility where we grew up." said Goro, he placed his arm around Hiro "In fact Hiro, Ichigo and I were like siblings, especially Hiro and Ichigo. I always thought it was because of how close their codes were."

"Everyday we take these tests and get candy after every injection. Sometimes not everyone comes back from their tests." added Hiro. He looked down and placed his hand on his forehead, "I vaguely remember them. When I try to think about them, I feel lightheaded but I think they wiped my memory."

"How would you know that?" said Kirito as he sat up in a criss-cross position.

"One time when I saw Mitsuru after I went to the lab, he mentioned some kind of promise. I didn't recall promising anything, actually I didn't feel or remember anything at all, then he quickly got upset." He remembered how Mitsuru looked, utterly devastated, "I guess that's why he's how he is now." He then stared up at Kirito again with a grim face, "Do you think your memories were wiped too?"

Quickly Kirito made up a fake memory, "They may have but all I know is that Asuna and I have only been in the lab for our entire lives. Well actually that and in a solitary room with windows to the outdoors, most likely far away from the rest of you."He chuckled, "For about 10 years, I thought we were the only ones there."

Goro smiled "Well you're not alone anymore, roommate." Although Kirito smiled too, there was hidden sadness in his eyes. "Anyways it's time to go to sleep." Hiro retreated back to his bottom bunk and got under the covers. Goro removed his glasses, placing them aside then laying down in his bed.

Kirito softly said, "Night, roommates." he turned to the wall on his top bunk.

Only Hiro responded, "Night, Kirito."

Kirito closed his eyes, then he heard Goro ask "So why did you call the doctor, Papa?"

He opened his eyes and turned towards Goro "He told us that everyone calls him Papa and I assumed that he's our Papa because he created us. Besides we don't have separate parents, right? " responded Kirito. He was expecting a response but there was only silence. He closed his eyes again, attempting to enter a peaceful slumber, but for some reason it was difficult to sleep. He thought about the lab and what's really happening there. He wanted to know more but decided to wait, this life seemed fine in a way. Until there's an opportunity to learn more, he'd rather be one of them. A parasite born to protect their plantation for their entire lives, but hopefully none of them will die too soon.

Updates could be monthly or every 3 weeks, it depends on the episodes it's based off from. For the little fast forward parts, I couldn't think of anything to add so that may change later on or just stay the same. The next chapter might skip to the first episode of Darling in the FranXX. Also if you want, go to my profile and vote for how future chapters will be updated.