See I keep my promises. Currently, I'm not sure if I'll post again next month since I'm taking the time to rewatch each episode over and over to see what I can change and potentially add that won't screw up the entire canon story (There's like 3 episodes that I can't think of any way to alter them at the moment like ep 6 which really sucks). Also, a little warning, something will happen when the story gets to January which I bet that some of you may not like.
Either way, vote on my profile if you haven't to determine extras for future chapters. Also, I'm currently working on the picture of Zephilla which will eventually be on my Wattpad (SpectralTigger) with the same chapter title.
I don't own anything.
Underlined Italics are Hiro's thoughts
Chapter 6 Fighting Puppet Part Two
August 22nd
Briefing Room
"We've received sortie orders from HQ." announced Hachi. All, except one stamen, of Squad 13 sat in their pilot suits, splitting themselves by gender. Kirito and Asuna still sat somewhat together in the middle while Hiro distanced himself from the rest of his squad, still wearing the normal stamen parasite uniform.
"Huh? W-We're going out to fight already?" stuttered Futoshi.
"Don't get so nervous." Nana reassures, "You won't have to fight klaxosaurs like the one from before right off the bat." Practically everyone visually eased up.
"Thank goodness." sighed Miku.
Nana adds "We would've like to ease you in, but we can't afford to, unfortunately."
"You'll be facing a Conrad-class Klaxosaur." Hachi crossed his arms as a holographic image of the mission area appeared. Along with hologram was a small 3D image of a Conrad-class klaxosaur, showing where its core was located. "It's a bit smaller than a FranXX. Klaxosaurs are attracted by magma-energy reactions and appear in their vicinity. And lately, they've been showing up deep in a level 8 mine on the outskirts and wreaking havoc."
Kirito mumbled, "Sounds like the secret dungeon under the Black Iron Palace." Asuna silently agrees with the resemblance.
"Even the automatic bulwark systems can't keep up with them." explained Hachi.
"Also, Strelizia won't be part of this mission," noted Nana. Hiro stared with concern at their caretaker. She continues, "You'll have to defend Plantation 13 by yourself eventually. If you can't eliminate this klaxosaur, you won't be able to handle any in the future. So focus on the task at hand." She looked towards the blue pistil and her blonde stamen. "Ichigo and Goro will have field command."
"Roger. " said the Delphinium pair simultaneously.
"That's all." finished Hachi. "All hand prepare to board." Everyone headed off down the hallway, where the catwalks extended from both sides, creating a ring around their FranXX head. Hiro watched over his comrades from the viewing area behind the briefing room. Unlike the last time they've seen their FranXX, their weapon attachments were mounted on a stand in front of the FranXX. All had color schemes matching the user's FranXX.
The Delphinium pair were the only ones still on their catwalk. "Is the mock battle still bothering you?" asked Goro, his partner remained silent. "We're going into actual combat now. Switch gears."
"I know..." mumbled Ichigo. Something still lingered in her mind. She turned to Goro, "Hey..." Goro curiously faced her. Ichigo tried to continue but refrained and shook her head, having second thoughts. "I'll do my best as leader. Take care of the handling." She raised her right arm towards him with her hand as a fist.
"Sure." said Goro as he fistbumps her. "Let's do this."
Meanwhile, in Argentea, Zorome exclaims, "My first battle at last!"
"You'd better not go crazy by yourself again, you hear me?" warned Miku.
Zorome crossed his arms and grins, bursting with confidence, "Relax! I got this!" He crowed a brief laugh as Miku turned away, doubting her partner's words.
She murmurs, "I'm not sure you got anything."
In Delphinium, Ichigo and Goro got into their positions. The controls extend out of her pilot suit, allowing Goro to grasp them. He asked, "Ready, Ichigo?"
"Yeah. Come to me." The lights on the back of her parasite suit lit up, leading up to the monitor on her helmet. The feeling surged through again, but luckily not as painful as previous connections. Their paracapacity seamlessly exceeded the minimum, allowing the face of their FranXX to appear along with Argentea and Genista following behind. Oddly Zephilla had taken longer to connect.
"Are you ok, Kirito~kun?" asked Asuna. Kirito tried to hide his strained gasps as he viewed the monitor, seeing how their paracapacity levels barely entered the maximum range.
Not wanting to be pulled out of the mission, he reassures her, "I'm fine. Just focus on connecting and the mission." Asuna hesitates, wanting to inform Hachi, but instead continued to sustain their connection. As their connection delayed, Chlorophytum struggled to follow, not even the neon-colored x's appeared once. The P-Factor provided by Mitsuru maintained well into the medium range while the N-Factor from Ikuno was unable to stabilize within the minimum range.
Noticing the issue, Hachi appeared on an audio call to Mitsuru's right. "What's wrong, Chlorophytum?"
"Doesn't look like Ikuno can do this," reports Mitsuru, still sounding as monotone as usual.
"I'm nearly there! Just give me a bit!" protested Ikuno through the heavy pants and sweat dripping down her face.
"Don't bother. It's over," states Mitsuru. Within the monitoring room, Hachi overlooked everything as he stood in the center of the room while two AI looking workers assisted him.
"Chlorophytum's paracapacity is below required levels and dropping further." reported one of the workers.
"No go, huh?" said Hachi. He swiped the holographic screen, informing Delphinium of the situation. "Chlorophytum will stay behind. The other four are to head out without it."
"Roger that," said Ichigo. Hiro and Nana had overheard all communication. Nana looked over at all the paracapacity connections of the remaining FranXX. All remained the same except their berserker unit, Zephilla.
"This might be tough," comments Nana.
The four iron maidens were released from the restraints, allowing them to equip their weapons. Delphinium, the leader unit, wields a pair of spear-like swords with an orange magma-energized spearhead. Argentea, the melee scout unit, wields a pair of orange, magma-energized wolverine claws. Genista, the siege artillery unit, wields a cannon taller than the FranXX itself and has an orange magma-energized bayonet. Zephilla was labeled as the berserker unit, but at first glance, it would be assumed as a melee tank unit. The weapon shape and length almost resembles Kirito's Black Iron Sword back when he'd first played ALO. The hilt ends just below Zephilla's head and had a similar style to Delphinium's handles but was colored half black and the other half white. The entire blade was silver with a magma energized central ridge and edge all around. As Zephilla removed the sword from its stand, Kirito speculates on the design, for it appears as if the sword could entirely split in half.
The garage doors opened and immediately all four FranXX stepped out before switching to their thrusters. "Stay on course and remain in formation." reminds Hachi.
"Roger that." Ichigo had heard everyone respond but it sounded like one pair stayed silent.
"Zephilla?" questioned Ichigo. She turned to the black and white FranXX, not hearing any response from either of them. Zephilla held its massive weapon, Kirito examined the hilt, finding two buttons just below the blade.
Kirito thought to himself, "Do sword skills exist in this world too?" Instead, they oddly accelerated further ahead from the rest, slashing the air in front of them. The weight of the sword almost made them lose their balance. Kirito checked his side panel, seeing if there was a skill window or something related. After a few random guesses, a panel appeared to his left, displaying an image of their FranXX and their weapon along with their stats.
Zephilla
Pistil: Code 046
Stamen: Code 096
Successful connections: 3
Timed outs: 0
Stampede: 0
Kill Count: 0
Energy level: 97%
Skill Mastery
ENABLED One-Handed Mode: 0/1000
-Sword Skill List
DISABLED Dual-Blades Mode: 0/1000
-Sword Skill List
DISABLED Double-Edge Mode: 0/1000
-Sword Skill List
ENABLED Thrusters: 32/1000
Ichigo calls out "Zephilla, slow your pace."
"Wait for us Kirito." groaned Futoshi. At the moment, Kirito curiously viewed the unlocked sword skills, each sword skill was on the list but sadly most were locked. Kirito lit up after seeing there was a dual wield mode, wanting to try it out so badly.
"Kirito~kun?" said Asuna, wanting to get up and release herself from the platform. Suddenly Kirito jolts, realizing what he was doing before slowing their forward motion. "Hey, you ok? Are you sure we shouldn't pull out of the mission?"
"Is something wrong?" questioned Hachi as he appeared on an audio call to Kirito's right.
"No, everything's fine." Kirito pressed a button on one of his control panels, canceling the call and closing the stats window. Hachi observed Zephilla's paracapacity, the P-Factor had a sudden drop into the minimum range before staggering back into the maximum range. Slowly the group arrived at the site, passing multiple craters until arriving at the magma extractor near something that looked like an elevator for FranXX.
"What a big hole. How far down does it go?" wondered Kokoro.
"This is nuts. It's a monster pipe." gasped Zorome. They examined the facility, to Kirito and Asuna, it resembled an oil pump from their society.
"They used these to extract the magma reserves, huh?" marveled Goro.
The group got onto their own platforms, slowly being lowered down the hole. Hachi recites "Head down to Level 8. As you're well aware already, in order to completely neutralize a klaxosaur, you must extract its core, which is essentially its heart, and shatter it using your customized magma-energy weapons. Shatter the core and finish off the klaxosaur without fail. Got that?" One by one the group jumped off the lift onto the base of the extraction point.
"Roger." said all the pistols. With Delphinium in front and Zephilla at the back, the party headed down one of the misty tunnels.
"Heading to objective. Follow behind Delphinium, all of you," ordered Ichigo. The tunnel directed towards a cramped corridor into a colossal cavern.
"Understood," said Kokoro and Asuna simultaneously.
"And Miku?" continued Ichigo.
"Understood!" replied Miku.
Meanwhile, the door to the briefing room slid open, revealing Ikuno and Mitsuru. Nana and Hiro redirected their attention to the Chlorophytum pair. "What happened? Are you not feeling well?"
"No, that's not it." stated Ikuno.
Nana gave her a smile, "Very well. You have always been a bit unstable. We'll run some tests on you tomorrow, just in case."
"If I may..." Mitsuru chimed in, "Maybe the two of us have compatibility issues?"
Nana explains, "A lot of parasites experience this at first. It isn't grounds for splitting you two up."
Mitsuru looked away, "Is that so?" Despite being visually unfazed, his tone had a hint of disappointment which was unnoticed by Hiro. Suddenly an alert went off and displayed Delphinium's perspective.
"We have a visual on klaxosaur. FranXX spreading out." disclosed Ichigo. They were currently in stand by in a dim corridor. "In position. Commencing operation."
Argentea peeked from behind to view the Conrad-class klaxosaur. It suctioned itself onto a metal cylinder containing magma. "Huh, it's smaller than I thought it'd be." observed Miku.
"What a relief." sighed Kokoro as Futoshi positioned their cannon towards the tiny klaxosaur.
"Stay alert. We'll do this as planned." said Ichigo. With the rest following behind, Delphinium rushed towards the klaxosaur, using the momentum to the swing its right spear to pierce the klaxosaur. Some kind of blue blood gushed out as Delphinium's left spear forced the klaxosaur off of the cylinder. Unexpectedly, it bounced off the ground like a ball and sprouted spider legs. Using the cannon's bayonet, Genista pierced the klaxosaur, raising it up for Argentea to strike.
"Gotcha!" yelled Zorome as he manipulated the Franxx to pierce the creature to the ground with its left claw.
"Way to go, Zorome." praised Futoshi. Kirito viewed their weapons, realizing there was no light effect, he assumed they only performed normal attacks.
From viewing the scene in the briefing room, Hiro cried out with a grin, "They did it!"
"Not yet." The unforgettable voice came from behind. Nana, Hiro, Ikuno, and Mitsuru redirected their attention to Zero Two, who was, as always, enjoying her sweet lollipop.
"Zero Two?" murmurs Hiro.
Back at the battlefield, Zorome controlled Argentea into a victory pose, being overly confident again. "See? That's what I'm capable of!" gloated Zorome.
"Hey, cut it out. You're embarrassing me." uttered Miku as both herself and their FranXX displayed a flustered expression.
Argentea turned back at Zephilla, Zorome went on and somewhat apologized "Sorry I couldn't spare you the kill, Kirito." There was hardly any genuine consideration in his tone.
Zephilla shrugs, "It's fine, you can finish it off. Honestly, I'm kinda disappointed there was only one to handle." states Kirito as he crossed his arms.
"But that's good, you've been spacing out a lot already." recited Asuna.
Ichigo reminds "It's not over yet! Destroy the core at once!"
"I-I know, I know..." stuttered Zorome, hiding how he'd forgotten the crucial part. He loosened up their right shoulder joint as the klaxosaur began to fidget, "For a klaxosaur, this thing wasn't a big deal." Just as Argentea was about to strike, the klaxosaur released a loud screech before attaching itself to the twin-tailed FranXX. Shocked by the sudden attack, Miku yelped in pain as Zorome struggled with the controls.
"Miku?!" cried Ichigo in concern of her fellow comrade. They fell backward as the klaxosaur continued to scratch at the FranXX, making sparks fly while sending electric shocks solely to Miku who faints and disconnects from the FranXX.
Zorome watched his partner fall, shouting to her, "Hey, Miku? Miku!"
"Damn you!" snapped Futoshi as he fired the klaxosaur off Argentea, revealing the core during the process. Zephilla finally stepped in and plunged its sword straight down into the core, stopping the klaxosaur from squirming.
As an attempt to reawaken his partner, Zorome cried out, "Hey, Miku! You okay? Miku!" She was unresponsive to his calls, she remained unconscious as sweat covered her face.
"You okay, Miku?" asked Ichigo. Suddenly another Conrad class fell from above with its spider legs sprouting out.
"There was another one?" bleated Goro.
After further examining the area they were in, Futoshi trembled in his seat, "Uh, wait a second..." Immediately handfuls of Conrad-classed klaxosaur followed suit.
Kirito mumbles, "Well I jinxed us."
"How...How many of them are there?" muttered Kokoro.
Delphinium quickly grabbed Argentea, Ichigo hollers "Let's get away from here for now!"
"Yeah." said Kokoro as Genista nervously looked back at the klaxosaur heap before following Delphinium back through the corridor while Zephilla remained with the klaxosaurs.
The entire situation was observed from the briefing room, allowing everyone there to view Delphinium's troubling perspective. "This is bad." comments Nana. "They've attracted several klaxosaur by releasing their magma energy." Zero Two ponders on the steps with her arms crossed behind her head.
"See what I mean? You should've sent me right from the start." insisted Zero Two.
Everyone looked back at her, even Hachi appeared on the monitor with a video call. Nana falters, "You..."
Zero Two smirks, urging them to send her out, "Are you sure about this? They're all gonna die, you know." Suddenly Zephilla's perspective appeared on the holographic screen.
Over the comm, Kirito smirks, "Now this is a battle." Zephilla pressed both the buttons on the hilt, allowing the greatsword split apart, activating dual blade mode.
Asuna marveled at the sight, "So that's why you were spacing out." The pair faced the mound of klaxosaur piling in front of them.
Kirito teased, "Can you keep up?" He manipulated Zephilla into his battle stance.
"Always," responded Asuna.
Zephilla zoomed off into the horde, performing arrays of horizontal slashes to reveal the cores of six klaxosaurs. Kirito started activating «Double Circular», the silver portion of the blades illuminated a golden yellow. Zephilla simultaneously cut deeply into all six cores, increasing their kill count to seven. Everyone viewed their unexpected feat, blue blood gushed out the exploding corpses with gallons more splatting all over their FranXX. As the duo continued to stab the klaxosaurs around them, Kirito activates «Final Revolution». Their dual black and white blades glowed a neon green before performing a dual horizontal slash, eliminating four more klaxosaurs. As the parasites in the briefing room marveled at their actions, Hachi viewed their paracapacity. N-Factor was still at max as the P-Factor began to stagger, almost entering the minimum range. He swiped to view their energy level before quickly connecting with an audio call.
Hachi commands "Zephilla, cease your attacks and follow Delphinium."
"Just a couple more klaxosaurs and we're in the clear." Kirito slowed his movements, he began feeling fatigued and disoriented by their erratic attacks.
"Your energy level is reaching 50%. You won't have enough magma left to leave if you continue." continued Hachi. Kirito briefly checked their stats to make sure.
Zephilla
Pistil: Code 046
Stamen: Code 096
Successful connections: 3
Timed outs: 0
Stampede: 0
Kill Count: 11
Energy level: 48%
Skill Mastery
DISABLED One-Handed Mode: 3/1000
-Sword Skill List
ENABLED Dual-Blades Mode: 19/1000
-Sword Skill List
DISABLED Double-Edge Mode: 0/1000
-Sword Skill List
DISABLED Thrusters: 40/1000
"What?! How are we using that much magma?" sputtered Kirito sweat dripped down his pasty skin.
Asuna mentions, "It's probably the skills you were using." Their paracapacity became unbalanced as Asuna became unresponsive, refraining Kirito from attacking the remaining klaxosaurs. "Let's stop and join Ichigo and the others."
Kirito pants, "Ok," He conjoined the twin black and white blades into one sword again. "We held them off at least." Zephilla sprinted down the corridor to follow the rest of the group. Sadly the duo was unaware of how many more they've attracted. They finally caught up with the group, taking Argentea off of Genista's shoulders, allowing their pace to somewhat speed up.
"Where have you been? We thought the klaxosaurs got hold of you two!" scolds Ichigo.
Kirito struggled to hide his cough, "T-They were nothing, we've been through tougher battles." he rasped. Asuna cringed from his slip up, causing Zephilla to almost trip itself down to the cavernous floor.
"Careful! They're catching up!" warns Futoshi. Mass amounts of Conrad class klaxosaurs scurried through the caverns, pursuing the party. Back in the briefing room, Hiro watched as his friends desperately fled away, wanting to help them.
He turned to Nana, begging, "Send Zero Two and me to help!"
"That's not happening," stated Hachi from the video call. He explains, "You're not an official stamen. I can't give you permission to board a FranXX."
Zero Two reiterates, "This is no time to stick to the rules. This plantation's squad is about to be wiped out again." She hopped towards the group, surprisingly jumping effortlessly over a meter before landing directly in front of Nana. She placed her left hand on her hip, finally demanding, "Just send me out already." She leaned forward, almost butting their foreheads, "Let me ride with my darling." Nana was unstartled, being well accustomed to her hostile nature.
"You will not be allowed to sortie." concluded Nana.
After exchanging intense glares at each other, Mitsuru suggests, "If Hiro can't do it, I guess I'll have to go."
"Mitsuru?" mumbled Ikuno.
He justifies, "She's right. They're all going to die if we don't send Strelizia. And I'm the only stamen parasite here right now. Then I have to go, right?"
Nana warns him, "Strelizia is no ordinary FranXX. If you aren't used to its connect-"
Mitsuru interjects, "I'll be fine. Even Hiro here could ride it, so there's no way I couldn't."
Nana ponders on his words before turning to the horned pistil, "Can you ride with Mitsuru, Zero Two?"
She sighs as her patience dwindles down, "Uh, did you not hear me? I said I want to ride with my darling." Zero Two turns to Hiro as a smile returned to her face. "You feel the same, right, darling?" Hiro's expression grew dreary. Currently, his squad was within the cramped corridors, still carrying Argentea as klaxosaurs overcrowded the path behind them.
"Zero Two..." She anticipates his judgment, expecting Hiro to support her. "Go with Mitsuru."
Shocked by his response, she frowns, "You really want me riding with someone else?" Hiro clenched his fist, he was more concerned about his friends' safety. More than anything else, his friends' lives were everything, even if he's ditching an opportunity to fulfill his purpose as a parasite.
"Please." pled Hiro.
"Hmm..." Zero Two sighs, "If you say so. Got it." Zero Two and Mitsuru trailed behind Nana. Without a word or shift in her expression, she walked by him, making him ponder on his decision.
Mitsuru paused next to Hiro and smirks, "Don't come crying to me when you regret the goody-two-shoes act later. I'm going to prove that I can pilot Strelizia better than you did." The temporary Strelizia pair headed down the hall onto the catwalk, suited up and ready to pilot their FranXX.
There may have been a part of me that hoped she would refuse.
Hiro, Ikuno, and Nana watched as Strelizia successfully powered up, quickly equipping their spear before bursting out of the parking dock.
Zorome sat nearby his chair where he moved Miku, waiting for her to reawaken. Slowly Miku's eyes fluttered open, she groans "Huh?" Hearing her soft voice, Zorome walked over to her as his worries disappeared.
"Mi...Miku!" gushed Zorome as he fell on top of her to embrace his twin-tailed partner.
Shocked by his sudden gesture and body weight, Miku put a flustered face, questioning him, "Wh-What's gotten into you?" As the two repositioned themselves, Delphinium and Zephilla leaned up against a metal wall that separated the group from hordes of ravaging klaxosaurs. The sound of them scraping the metal almost counters the blaring alarm overhead.
"Miku came back to life!" announced Zorome as their FranXX powered up to be greeted by Genista who've been watching over the once lifeless FranXX.
"Thank goodness!" exclaims Kokoro.
"I never died!" protests Miku.
Ichigo asks, "Miku, are you o-" She was cut off as the pressure behind Delphinium started to push back. Genista and Argentea assisted the two FranXX.
"I'm fine!" loudly replies Miku.
"But we won't last much longer." grunts Futoshi. Suddenly Hachi started an all unit audio call.
He announced, "Strelizia's coming to back you up. Can you hold out until it arrives?" Once Ichigo heard, Delphinium's N-Factor began to stagger as Genista bursts with joy.
Futoshi exults "All right! If we can just hang in there until then..."
"Yeah!" said Kokoro.
"Who is it? Who's piloting it?" yelled Ichigo, demanding answers while hoping for a stampede version of Strelizia rather than the two-legged version piloted by Hiro.
Goro spoke over her, "Hey, Ichigo! Focus!" He fell forward as Ichigo became unresponsive. He heaved, "Why'd she suddenly get so heavy?" He called out again to his partner. "Ichigo!" She couldn't hear his voice for the only thing that processed in her head was that first kiss she had with Hiro, back in the mock battle. Like Hiro, she relived the moment in her head, unable to control her FranXX anymore. Delphinium powered off and fell forward, no longer supporting the metal wall.
"H-Hey!" stuttered Miku. Huge dents appeared on the blind spots. She questions Ichigo, "What's gotten into you?"
"We can't stay here! Run to the center!" shouted Goro. Not wanting anyone to die, Asuna temporarily took over for Ichigo.
"Argentea, use your speed and get Ichigo and Goro out of here." ordered Asuna.
"Roger." Argentea immediately grabbed the fallen Delphinium, sprinting away down the hall as the duo tried to reconnect.
"Genista, get back. Futoshi, when this wall goes down, shoot right at them. Don't worry about accuracy, just fire, and we'll be out of the way." continued Asuna as she started to feel an odd sensation on the back of her legs. Zephilla glanced at the wall they were supporting, almost a dozen of neon blue legs were piercing through the metal.
"Got it!" Genista distanced themselves and prepared a shot as Zephilla struggled to hold them anymore. Kirito pushed themselves off the wall, allowing it to fall. As the klaxosaurs burst through, Genista fired its cannon but Zephilla was in the way where the shot was practically aimed at its head. As if time slowed down in the STL, Kirito almost fell forward out of his chair as he moved the controls, barely able to move Zephilla out of the way in time. On contact, the klaxosaurs were blown away, some had enough skin blown off to reveal their cores. Unfortunately, only one exploded as metal scrap stabbed its exposed core. The explosion slightly propelled Zephilla forward, but luckily they bought enough time to increase the distance between them. By the time Genista and Zephilla caught up, Delphinium was back on its feet as Zephilla started to stumble on its own. Soon the group exited the tunnel and returned to the center.
"We have to hang on until Strelizia gets here." said Goro. Suddenly Genista stops, causing the FranXX behind it to almost fall forward. "What's wrong?" asked Goro. He looked around himself, seeing another group of Conrads class klaxosaurs beginning to assemble around the center.
"We can't handle this many!" shuddered Futoshi. Argentea slowly backed away and looking appalled at a certain tunnel behind the klaxosaurs.
"Hey, Leader..." mumbled Miku as another klaxosaur, ten times bigger than the Conrad klaxosaurs, shuffled towards the group. "What're we gonna do about this?"
Ichigo spaced out, unable to say or do anything. She thought to herself, "If I hadn't let my mind drift to stupid thoughts back there, things might not have come to this. Strelizia would've made it on time, too." A certain FranXX began to plunge down into the hole, flipping mid-air near the pipe. "I've failed as a leader."
As the klaxosaurs mouth gaped open like flower petals, a red and white FranXX jammed its magma energized spear into its body. Its momentum along with the spearhead easily ripped through the klaxosaur's body.
Everyone, simultaneously shouts, "Strelizia!" The core shattered and the klaxosaur exploded, drenching Strelizia with blue blood. The overall impact to the ground created a crater where the klaxosaur used to be, causing a wave of dust that blew away the majority of the klaxosaurs, even the squad's FranXX were swept to the floor.
"Hiro?" Immediately Ichigo questioned the red FranXX, "Is it you, Hiro?"
"All of you get back." said Strelizia's stamen.
"Huh? That voice...Is that you, Mitsuru?" wondered Zorome.
"All units, let Strelizia handle things there and evacuate." commanded Hachi from an audio call on Goro's left.
"Roger," said Goro. He turns back at his partner, "Let's go, Ichigo."
"Y-Yeah..." stuttered Ichigo as Strelizia pierced its spear into a Conrad klaxosaur. As ordered, everyone climbed back onto the lift. Zephilla wandered over towards the lift until suddenly their P-Factor fell below the minimum range. Kirito had already reached his limit. His vision began to blur as his limbs numbed. Before he knew it, he'd already fallen off his chair, causing Zephilla to fall over and power off.
"Kirito~kun?" questioned Asuna as she released herself from the pistil's platform and rushed to Kirito's side. The moment she felt his forehead, it almost felt as if she touched a stove burner. "Kirito~kun..." She cursed herself, "We shouldn't have gone on this mission..."
"A-Asuna..." groaned Kirito through his labored gasps.
Delphinium appeared on a panel next to the stamen chair. "Asuna, what's wrong?" questioned Ichigo, looking down as the base got farther away.
"Kirito's sick, he can't pilot." said Asuna. Klaxosaurs began to crowd around Zephilla, scratching at its limbs. Upon seeing this, Strelizia rushed over and quickly eliminated the klaxosaurs.
Argentea leaped off the lift "Zorome to the rescue!" shouts Zorome as he manipulated their FranXX to grab Zephilla, propping them onto a platform before getting onto another one themselves.
"Thanks, Argentea." said Asuna. She held Kirito close with his head resting on her lap. Meanwhile, Strelizia's stamen continued to enjoy slaughtering more klaxosaurs.
Mitsuru rambles on, "This is amazing! I feel the power! I feel like I can do anything! I'm amazed changing partners could make such a difference. I knew I wasn't the problem! I'm just as good as Hiro!" His cynical side began to reveal itself as Strelizia slashed at the klaxosaur, causing endless explosions of blue blood. "Hiro! Are you watching this? We're in perfect harmony! I can pilot Strelizia as I please, without losing consciousness!" He turned to Zero Two who hasn't uttered a single word ever since they'd left the briefing room. "If you want, I don't mind becoming your official partner. We'd make the greatest duo, don't you think?!" From the lift and the briefing room, everyone can witness Strelizia wreaking havoc and hear Mitsuru screech like a maniac. Ikuno could only cover her mouth, shocked that her partner finally cracked. Hiro turned away from the screen, not wanting to hear or see Strelizia.
"Oh, really?" muttered Zero Two. Strelizia moved without Mitsuru controlling it. Its expression was menacing as if a demon took over. " I guess I can try going all-out for a bit, then." Zero Two's tone became eerie, sounding like she's threatening Mitsuru.
Mitsuru flinched at her words, "Huh?"
Genista and Delphinium grabbed Zephilla, hauling them off the lift so Argentea can safely get up. Hachi orders "Strelizia, that's enough. The other units have evacuated. Get out-"
Zero Two interjects, "I'm gonna have some more fun before I leave."
"No! Return at once, Zero Two!" demanded Nana. Zero Two dismissed the call. "That girl..." muttered Nana. "Prepare to retrieve Strelizia and its stamen at once."
Ikuno overheard a certain word, she murmurs, "Retrieve?"
It was almost sunset once they've arrived on the surface. The trucks arrived, containing lifts to lower the parasites from their FranXX and one dedicated to providing medical attention. Delphinium's and Genista's pilots were retrieved and lowered down with the lift. Goro remained on the lift as the truck positioned itself near Zephilla. The pod door opened, revealing Asuna cradling Kirito in her lap.
"Goro." mumbled Asuna.
"Here I'll help." Together Goro and Asuna got Kirito back on his feet, supporting him as they slowly walked him out of the pod and onto the lift. Once they were lowered to the surface, a medical team of adults arrived with a stretcher. They laid down Kirito and allowed them to take him into the "ambulance". However, they didn't leave, for they were expecting another patient. Goro reassures her, "He'll be fine. Strelizia should be done by now, so let's go join the others." She looked back at Kirito with a distressed expression.
Asuna sighs, "Ok..." The two trod back to join the rest of their squad as they awaited Strelizia's recovery.
Noticing Asuna and Goro, Ichigo walked over and apologizes, "Sorry I didn't notice Kirito's state. I should have been a better leader."
"It's not your fault. Kirito was just being Kirito." Asuna turns away, mumbling "Besides he's been through worse." It was barely audible but the Delphinium pair easily heard it.
"Strelizia saved us all again, huh?" said Kokoro.
"I never expected Mitsuru to be the one piloting it." said Futoshi. Zorome awkwardly turned to his partner who was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees.
"I'm sorry. That was my bad." apologized Zorome.
Miku states "Don't be stupid. It doesn't matter whose fault it was. We're partners, right?"
"Mi...Miku!" Zorome took her words to heart, getting excessively emotional, hiding his tears with his arm. "You're actually a nice girl!"
"Gross! Stop it!" said Miku. Their voices almost drown out Goro's as he spoke to his partner.
He asks "What's wrong? You're not acting like yourself."
"Sorry. I guess I got careless once I heard help was on its way." answered Ichigo. In her mind, she told herself, "Get your act together!" Soon the lift finally raised Strelizia back to the surface.
"Oh, they're back." said Futoshi. Everyone redirected their attention to the blue stained FranXX and shockingly through the blood, the FranXX was powered off. Like the other FranXX, Strelizia was removed from the lift. Hachi, Nana, Hiro, and Ikuno watched as the pod door opens with that hostile red pistil looking down. Zero Two waved at Hiro and he waved back.
The hand she held out and the smile she offered to me alone came at a price.
Suddenly Hiro and Ikuno realized something off. Hiro fixated his horrified gaze at the pod, mumbling, "Mitsuru?"
Within the pod, Strelizia's temporary stamen remained in his chair. Battered and unconscious, appearing dead from being covered in his own blood.
The rumors were true.
Mitsuru's wretched state was all the proof I needed.
Zero Two looked back at Mitsuru in his sorrowful state. "Yeah, this guy really isn't cut out to be my darling." She turned back to look down at Hiro. "My darling is you and you alone.
And I thought back to what she said before:
"I can get you out of here."
Boarding House Infirmary
"How are they?" asked Ichigo. Everyone stood either inside the infirmary or overheard from the hallway. Asuna remained near Kirito who was in one of the beds, slowly nodding off to sleep. Nana and Hachi stood next to Mitsuru who was sedated at the moment.
"Mitsuru is stable at the moment. Luckily his first ride wasn't as serious as other stamens before, so he'll just need some rest for a day or two." informed Nana. Her news came as shock to all of Squad 13, realizing others have suffered far worse their first time. She turns to the dazed Zephilla stamen, "As for Kirito, he'll need a couple of days to fully recover, too."
Hachi notes, "However since Child Fever never occurs this soon, we're going to take some tests tomorrow."
"Now go on, dinner's ready." finished Nana. The parasites fled the room into the mess hall where another scrumptious meal awaits them.
After the Boy's Bath
Soon the sedative wore off and Mitsuru slowly began to shuffle around his bed. His experience in Strelizia came flooding back into haunt his mind. Flashes of the klaxosaur's blue flesh being torn apart. The sight of the blue blood covering the screen. Wavering images of the blue fading to red with himself coughing up blood. Fear overwhelmed him as he recalled the moment, being suffocated and abused.
"Stop..."
His voice quivered as a glimpse of her resurfaced, Zero Two looking back at him with a sadistic grin and her turquoise eyes piercing directing into his soul.
"Please..."
He begged at the nightmare as a bright red silhouette of her appears.
"Mitsuru..." The voice was faint, originating from his right.
In his mind, he was entangled in his chair as the red devil menacingly approached him.
"Mitsuru..." The voice up right in front of him. A hand lands on his shoulder.
"GET AWAY!" Mitsuru quickly sat up, swatting the hand away, and unexpectedly he actually hit something. He retracts as the aching pain returns from his sudden movements. He looks around the dim infirmary until the figure next to him turned on a light. He shields his eyes, shivering in fear until realizing there was someone actually in front of him. He lowered his arms and took another glance at the bright figure. Apparently it wasn't the demon, for they were wearing white and had chestnut-colored hair. Asuna had heard his mumbling as she walked by to check on the two. She lowered her hand, not expecting him to force her away. Mitsuru slowly processed what he did before looking away and pulling the curtain back to conceal himself. Asuna backed away, giving him space and headed towards the other patient who had also heard his outburst.
"You ok?" asked Kirito.
Asuna smiles, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She pulled up and sat in a chair beside him. "How are you feeling?"
He rasps "Honestly, kinda hungry."
"That can be solved." She leans a bit closer to whisper, "I could try to find or cook something for you two in the kitchen."
Kirito replies with a weak smile, "Sounds good." Asuna left her dazed partner, exiting the infirmary and silently rushing up the stairs towards her shared room. Ichigo and Ikuno were luckily in the washroom, brushing their teeth. Asuna climbed onto her top bunk to grab her page before scurrying off back down the stairs, unbeknownst to her, someone had observed her through the window from the outside. Curious of the area she'd entered, the observer entered the house and began to follow Asuna towards the restricted room. Asuna activates the timer, turning off the camera and allowing her freedom in the kitchen for an hour. After turning on the lights she searches the pantry, wondering if this society still uses soup cans.
"Why am I not surprised..." murmured Asuna. She stumbles upon a container filled with pasta and grabbed it. "Ok now to find some veggies to add with this." She sets the container on the counter before searching the fridge where it was stocked with fresh produce amongst other useful items. She grabbed a handful of ingredients enough for two servings and laid them out next to the pasta. She knelt down around the cabinets to find a pot small enough for everything. "Should I add some meat too?" She held two pots, debating on which to use. Meanwhile, another pistil had entered the room, surveying the unknown area.
"Hello?" Asuna flinched from the voice, hitting her head and dropping one of the pots. It made an echoey bang noise, startling both pistils. "Who's there?" asked the pistil. She approached in the direction of the sound, expecting a caretaker or some adult in the room until Asuna rose from the floor with both pots in hand. "Asuna?"
"Kokoro?" questioned Asuna. She was relieved that it was her, knowing how worse the situation would be if it was someone else.
"What are you doing here? We're not supposed to be back here," said Kokoro. Asuna placed the pots onto the counter and walked up to her.
She calmly admits, "I'm making something for Kirito and Mitsuru." She wonders how many times she had asked someone to keep a secret, "Can you-"
"Can I help you?" Asuna flinched at her sudden request.
"But why?"
"None of us have ever learned how to cook or been in a room like this before," Kokoro rubs her arm, "And I wanna try it out."
Asuna smiles, "Of course you can help. I'll help you with cutting but right now you can rinse those vegetables while I start boiling the water."
"Ok, got it." As told, Kokoro moved the vegetables to the sink as Asuna began filling up the smaller one of the two pots with water. She placed the pot onto the stove and turned it on before grabbing a pair of knives for herself and Kokoro. She laid them onto the counter along with two cutting boards. Kokoro moved the rinsed veggies back onto the counter.
"So what now?" asked Kokoro as she picked up one of the knives.
Asuna moved the carrots onto Kokoro's cutting board, "How about you start with these while I work on the cauliflower?" The two began prepping the ingredients, chopping some potatoes, leeks, and tomatoes along with it. Soon Asuna took over, explaining the steps to Kokoro as she moved around the area with ease, efficiently using the remaining 50 minutes she had.
40 minutes later
"Wanna try it, Kokoro?"
"Ok." Asuna scooped some of their vegetable soup into a small saucer, offering it to Kokoro. She examined the concoction, blowing on it before carefully consuming it. Kokoro beams from the taste, "It's really good Asuna."
She smiled from her approval, "Now let's hurry and get this ready." Asuna turned off the stove, allowing the soup to cool as she grabbed a pair of bowls and soup spoons. Kokoro searched the upper cabinets, finding the glasses before grabbing and filling two of them up with water. As Asuna evenly distributed the soup into two servings, Kokoro looked around for trays inside the pantry, stumbling upon a bread box instead. She snatched two loaves before leaving the pantry, finding Asuna who already found the trays before her.
"Could you get some bread plates too?" asked Kokoro. Immediately Asuna located the items, placing one each onto the trays before heading back to the sink with the pot. As she washed pot, Kokoro scanned the room. She was slightly surprised by how tidy the room was, considering this was the first time they cooked for themselves. She lingered on that last thought before turning back towards Asuna. "Hey, Asuna?" She finished washing the pot, grabbing a clean rag to wipe it dry.
"Yeah, what is it?"
Hesitant to ask, Kokoro mumbles, "Was this your first time cooking?" Asuna was practically waiting for this question, she had already discussed with Kirito the majority of scenarios that would happen while they were here.
She calmly responds, "First time trying out of the Garden."
Kokoro tilts her head, "But how? All of our meals were prepared for us before and now."
"One time I found a cookbook while wandering around the library. Somehow got myself lost but ended up in a kitchen instead of our solitary room."
"You didn't get in trouble by the caretakers?"
"At first, no. I kept sneaking back inside with the cookbook with me. Sadly one day I went there at the wrong time."
Kokoro was well enthralled with her memory, "What did they do?"
Asuna chuckles, "Luckily my punishment was light but I had a guard accompany me whenever I was out of our room. Poor Kirito had a guard of his own too."
Kokoro giggles, "I'm surprised you defied the adults too."
"Too? You don't seem like someone who would do the same."
Kokoro waved her hands in front of her, "I would never do that," She stopped remembering something, "But I think Hiro has."
"Huh..." mumbled Asuna.
Kokoro picked up one of the trays, wondering "Shouldn't we go now?" Asuna checked her page, realizing they only had less than 5 minutes until the camera turns back on.
"Oh yeah, let's go." blurts Asuna as she hurriedly grabbed the other tray. Kokoro backed up to push the door open, holding it open with her foot. Asuna followed through, briefly set down the tray onto the floor in the hall before going back inside to turn off the lights and resetting the page. She returned to the hallway, reclaiming the tray before following Kokoro down towards the Infirmary. Asuna sighs, being relieved that the hadn't encountered anyone else from their squad. The light between the two stamens was still on as she left it. "Check if Mitsuru's awake, I'll be with Kirito if you need me." Kokoro nods before walking up beside Mitsuru's bed, setting the tray onto the nightstand. She lifts her hand before setting it back down, hesitating to peek inside the curtain.
Instead, she calls out to him, "Mitsuru? It's me Kokoro." There was no response except for the sound of the sheets shuffling. "I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some soup." He remained soundless within the curtain. She leaned a bit closer, hearing shushed gasps between incoherent mumbles. "I'll leave it here for you. I hope you like it." Kokoro left her squadmate's side, walking around towards the other patient. The Zephilla pair had remained silent, hoping Mitsuru would start talking normally again.
"Don't worry. He's probably just asleep." reassured Asuna as she raised a spoonful of their vegetable spoon to Kirito's lips.
"Yeah," mumbled Kokoro. "I'm gonna go to sleep now. Good night."
"Night." rasps Kirito.
"Night Kokoro," said Asuna. As she turned around, Asuna adds, "If you want, I could teach you again sometime." Kokoro paused, smiling at the thought before heading back to her room.
"Thanks for the food, Asuna." grinned Kirito.
"Thanks, but Kokoro helped too." Kirito gave her a confused glance. Noticing his expression, she reassures him, "She actually wanted to help, so it's nothing to fret about." She recollects the plates onto the tray. "Go back to sleep. Wouldn't want to miss breakfast, right?"
Kirito chuckles, "I don't think I even have a choice."
She leaned down to kiss his forehead, "Night, Kirito~kun." She grabbed the tray before checking up on Mitsuru who hasn't touched his food yet. "It's probably cool by now, but take your time. I'll come back in the morning." Unsure if he heard her words, she headed back to the kitchen.
Once Asuna left, there was low rumble coming from within the curtain. Kirito heard the curtain slide open along with the clangs of the dishes with soft slurps following. He smirks, remaining silent as his temporary roommate finished his meal.
Goro and now Kokoro...This came sooner than expected. Leave a review and guess who'll come next.
The sword skills are from a variety of games or from the wiki, so if I describe the skill, their descriptions might differ because of the difference in how they're displayed in the games. Like how in SAOHR, Double Circular from a player perspective looks like a dash motion where both swords thrust forward simultaneously while in SAOMD, it looks like the character dash forward to do thrust with one sword then the other consecutively. I might be wrong about the difference but that how the animation looks like to me.
This is probably the last update for this season. Assignments are catching up to me again and among other things. Stay safe, stay healthy, and expect an update (either the picture, a chapter, or both in the summer). :)