Flight of the Jian

by SoaringHellButterfly

On more than a scientific whim Dr. Franxx kept Hiro together with Zero Two as they grew up into the Parasite Program. While the two grow and become their own person together, they have to learn the truth of what has become of the world as they know it. As well as the meaning of what it is to be Human, as the definition has become corrupted over the last century. M for later chaps.

16. Partner Shuffle

This update marks a very special occasion for me, personally, and I'd like to take a minute to just indulge in it... Feel free to skip to the story if you wish to.

This story is now officially a year old, and we are still going strong in it with the 16th chapter... It's a big deal to me because this story has re-ignited my passion for writing - which has been taking a backseat to real life for over half a decade - and to see that I'm still posting regularly after all this time instead of losing interest and quitting like I did other creative projects... It's quite an achievement for me. And have no fear, despite the gap in updates that passion for this story is still going strong as well.

I'm so very happy to see so many people have taken an interest in this story, it's been quite a ride - pun intended - but we're not nearly done. I certainly wasn't expecting this story to be such a long one, to be honest I only anticipated around 20-25 chapters a year ago when I started. But the further we go the more I realize this story and it's characters have so much to tell and I want to be fair to it all the best I can. I know everyone is still eagerly awaiting the inevitable reunion of Squad 13 with the new and improved Hiro but I'm afraid we still have a little ways to go before they're all ready to see each other again. While I can't give an exact number of chapters it'll take, just know that where we are now is a critical part of getting there for all characters involved.

Lastly... a genuine thank you all so much for your kind words and your support. You have all made this so much more worthwhile and give me the inspiration to keep going each time I see a new review that is encouraging. It's so funny how the very first comment I ever received on this story was that I must be a dumb teenager for even liking DitF, and every comment after has been the polar opposite. You guys are so awesome and I love you all.

As someone in the reviews so poetically put it, our Jian has come a long way but they've still got a ways to go before we land at our final destination. And they will make it. But remember, it's allll about the journey... right? Hope you keep sticking with me for the whole ride. Thank you all again.

Anyway, enough of my sentiments... This chapter is more Squad 13-centric given the title, and I'm sure you can already tell where we're headed. BUT! As always, there's a different proceeding of events even if they seem similar. I like to mix up the manga and anime events a little in times like these where they have different scenarios, but obviously I had to use the anime more because the manga has far different circumstances around this arc.

Also, fans of Mitsuru/Kokoro... I hope I make you happy going forward. Please enjoy!

---

Flight of the Jian

Chapter 16

Partner Shuffle

February 19 - 2137

In a name, there's power. While we were still young, when all we had was Code Numbers, you could say we lacked individuality.

Clapping filled the Nursery as all the children in their age group were gathered on the soft-padded blue and white checkered floor, all looking up to an adult standing next to a little dark-haired boy on a raised pedestal.

The adult, though wearing a helmet/mask combination that hid the majority of his face, still held a visible smile on his face as he gave permission for the boy to speak. The children quieted down immediately in anticipation.

The one who gave us names was the young Hiro.

"I have been chosen to represent all of us children. My code is 016." The boy spoke with a warm smile as he looked to all the children gazing up at him with smiles of their own. Each looked so happy to see him there, and none could have imagined a better choice for one of their own to represent them.

This boy was so special, even to the adults, and he made them all feel special as well.

At that time, you were a guidepost to us.

"I will continue to show my gratitude to Papa, and do my best to help us accomplish all of our goals!" The adult at his side patted his back for delivering a satisfactory speech and the clapping resumed.

Little Mitsuru gripped the ball in his hands tighter, his smile brightening as he had been enraptured at Hiro talk to them. This was a great day for the children, as someone chosen by the adults to fulfill such a role it would mean they were destined to go on to be an amazing Parasite.

But that's in the past. Right now, I don't expect anything from you...

Then Hiro's eyes met his, and the most genuine smile he'd ever seen beamed on his face, and it was directed at him!

Mitsuru's eyes lit up, knowing it was a smile meant only for him from the person he admired the most. Hiro had been so kind to him and so inspiring, and even though he got special treatment from all the adults he still made time for children like him... even gifting him with a name!

It was then, in that moment as he stared up at the person he admired the most, Mitsuru knew what he wanted more than anything.

He wanted so badly to make the adults proud like Hiro did... Right then he had committed himself to working harder than anyone else so that the adults would consider him worthy, too.

Stop looking at him like that...! He doesn't deserve your admiration!

Mitsuru knew then he had to work very hard if he wanted to be there right alongside Hiro! He wanted to be just like him! To be just as amazing as he is when they finally piloted!

Maybe he would agree to piloting together...?

HE'S NOTHING BUT A FILTHY TRAITOR!

With a barely audible gasp Mitsuru's eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. His vision was blurry at first, but after a few seconds he was able to adjust to the light fixture above him. Slowly, his eyes drifted down towards the bunk on the other side, before making out blonde hair.

Goro was standing with his back to him and adjusting the cuffs on his uniform when he noticed his roommate had awoken and greeted him with a smile over his shoulder.

"Mornin', Mitsuru."

He said nothing in response as he took several deep breaths while bringing a hand up to his clammy forehead, winded from not just from the startled awakening but mainly from the heat permeating his cheeks.

"Well this is unusual. Since when do you sleep in...?" Goro asked, before a grin formed on his face and he leaned over the bed slightly. "Must've been because of a nice dream, since your face is all red, huh?"

"Shut up..." The brunette grunted as he rolled towards the wall, his back now facing the blonde. Goro only chuckled, seeing this as normal for Mitsuru.

"You coming to breakfast?" Goro asked, as he fixed his collar one more time.

"I don't need you to wait for me. I'll go when I'm ready." Mitsuru said tiredly, not coming out nearly as harsh as he meant it.

Goro simply shrugged before leaving the room. "Suit yourself."

Left alone, Mitsuru took a few more moments to lay still and steady his breathing before sitting up slowly, thankful that there was no dizziness as he did so.

Dammit...! The brunette cursed as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair, grimacing at the amount of sweat that he felt as he did so. He felt warm all over, especially in his head, but he couldn't allow it to get the better of him.

One way or another, he was going to surpass this.

His hand went under his mattress, and he pulled out the bottle of medication that he had hiding there. It wasn't that he didn't trust Goro to rummage through his belongings - of all the guys in the house he was most trustworthy - it was just that he couldn't risk him somehow stumbling on it even through innocent means.

If anyone knew about this medication they'd only ask questions... questions he had no intention of answering.

The whole thing made him frustrated just looking at the bottle. All that medication and he was still experiencing symptoms...?

Dumping a few extra pills into his hand, he quickly tossed them into the back of his throat and swallowed thickly to make them go down. Once he felt them properly go, he laid in bed for just a little longer before steadily getting out to begin dressing and styling his hair with gel.

Within the hour he felt the effects of the medicine kicking in but he still didn't feel completely well, even with the extra dosages he'd taken...

Later that day, they were once again called to sortie when another group of Conrad-Class Klaxosaurs were spotted on the outskirts of their perimeter.

In the last month, the area that Plantation 13 had been resting at appeared to have a very odd Klaxosaur problem; every few days another group of these small quadrupedal Klaxosaurs would come bounding across the terrain. Where they were heading they couldn't tell, and HQ didn't care to know as they simply wanted them eliminated on every sighting. All they knew was that like most Conrads, they always traveled in packs of various sizes.

The Klaxosaurs themselves were not a problem to deal with, as they were very small compared to the FRANXX, but like most others of their class their main threat was their numbers. However, Squad 13 had been improving greatly on their teamwork, having learned their lesson from other large groups in the past.

"We killed twenty-five in total today. They were all the same type of Conrad-Class, just like on the other days." Ichigo reported. They were all currently in the debriefing room, the leader of Squad 13 standing at attention at the head of the room before Nana and Hachi.

Nana smiled broadly at her. "Thanks for the report."

Then the busty redhead addressed the rest of the squad gathered on the steps. "Due to all of your efforts, the S-Planning occurring in this area has been proceeding quite smoothly."

"That said..." Hachi interjected. "You need to improve your kill count: Codes 326 and 196. Your Parasite score has been dropping lately."

All eyes in the squad turned towards the people in question, and the Pistil avoided eye contact as she sat stiffly with her hands in her lap. The Stamen, however, kept absolutely calm and didn't seem worried or bothered by the call out.

"I just wasn't feeling very well today." Mitsuru said dismissively, sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Ikuno's gaze shifted subtly towards him, but otherwise she gave no indication to her inner thoughts.

"That's not enough to explain this." Hachi countered, and to that Mitsuru simply turned his head away, most likely to avoid saying anything further as his composure began slipping a little. The older man took in the lack of accountability but decided to move on.

"Anyway," Hachi continued. "Let's keep it up and continue to defend the work area going forward. That is all, dismissed."

With permission, all the Parasites stood up and began to file out of the room to change out of their suits, leaving just Nana and Hachi to continue to discuss business alone.

"Twenty-five more... That takes their grand total in this area to over ninety." The man with the buzz cut said, genuinely very impressed by that number.

Nana smiled and turned to look up at the giant screen behind them, which displayed the statistics of the accumulated kills for Squad 13 over the last few months on a dotted chart.

While at the start of their duties as Parasites their numbers were nothing to be ashamed of, the drastic rises recently far outnumbered the minor drops, at least for the group as a whole. When compared individually as partners, however, their charts varied greatly with their increases and decreases.

"That's right. Their number of kills, even with the lull in overall Klaxosaur activity of late, is still 3.7x greater in the last month as compared to those in their first. It'd be unthinkable for any other team to achieve such rapid growth."

Perhaps it could be mainly chalked up to the special FRANXX actually proving to be more effective on the battlefield than initially expected, but Nana wasn't convinced. Looking at the charts and the dates, they started showing significant improvement after the whole fight situation had been resolved.

Maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong to be so quick to judge Doctor Franxx, after all...

"If their puberty and competitive spirit - the very things APE deems as problems - is what's drawing out the full abilities of these children..." Nana theorized aloud, bringing Hachi's attention from the screen to her.

"It can't be..." He argued. "That would be a total refutation of our prior methods."

Exactly... It's what Nana had been saying all along, everything about this experiment has been just that; an unconstitutional setting to allow these youths to grow under different circumstances.

Even with the all the risks to their living conditions they have still managed to rise above expectations and achieve results that were commendable of more seasoned Parasites. By all accounts it would seem that the rules they have always been following since their days as Parasites were being proven... insufficient...?

"Yes but what if..." Nana turned away from the screen to give him a serious gaze. "That's what Dr. Franxx is after...?"

It was almost as if - in Nana's perspective - Doctor Franxx was trying to prove Papa's methods were wrong... was that the true purpose of this whole thing? Was he trying to prove some kind of point?

"If all goes well with these children, then all children will be happier in the future."

Nana still wasn't fully convinced it was the correct thing to do but the results spoke for themselves, so she would just continue to observe as instructed...

However, she truly would like to be proven wrong herself this one time, for the children's sake.

---

February 20 - 2137

On this day the squad was called to stand guard outside the S-Planning site while they worked. With the Klaxosaur sightings getting closer and more frequent there wasn't any doubt in their mind that more were going to show up today.

The group stood facing the barren wastelands that surrounded the site, and a giant wall prevented them from being able to see what was happening inside. All they could see was a large structure of some kind with the number ten on it repeatedly raising and lowering with force to dig deeper into the ground. And combined with the heavy dust cloud, the sounds of heavy machinery and vibrations in the ground all but confirmed this.

"So what are they even doing in there?" Zorome wondered aloud. "Nana called it... S-Planning, I think?"

"I would guess they're digging for something. That is an excavator, right?" Goro answered as he turned Delphinium's head to look over her shoulder. Most they could see from down here was a bunch of steel cranes shifting about carrying something and the giant thing beating into the earth.

"What do you think they're digging for?" Miku asked from boredom as she fidgeted around. It was tiresome just standing here doing nothing, she'd much rather be moving around to avoid getting more stiff in the terminal.

"I would assume they're looking for more magma energy to harvest, and that's what's drawing the Klaxosaurs." Ikuno hypothesized. It was a fair assessment to make, and everyone seemed to accept that as the logical conclusion.

Since there was no immediate threat and they were all standing idle, Kokoro was sitting casually on the side of the Pistil terminal within Genista's cockpit as she chatted with Futoshi.

"To think we get to be on this special mission, it only shows how much stronger we've gotten." Futoshi gushed with pride.

Ever since he and Kokoro had made up from the fight between boys and girls their partnership had solidified into a much sturdier foundation from which they continued to build on. Futoshi kept his word about being more respectful of her and her space, and Kokoro was more vocal about things when she needed to be.

While not everything was perfect when it came to agreeing on certain strategies while piloting Genista, their personal bond wasn't strained anymore, at least.

"Which we owe entirely to you." Kokoro said sincerely. "You always try so hard to carry my burden."

Perhaps a little too much... She thought with concern, though her smile never left. You should let me share in the burden, too.

"Well of course I do! If anything were to happen to you it would be my responsibility!" The auburn-haired boy stated seriously as he placed a fist over his chest.

Kokoro chuckled softly. "Thanks for that, Futoshi."

"I promise you, Kokoro... I will always protect you no matter what! I'll keep working hard and make it to where I'm the best partner in the whole world for you!" Futoshi vowed with a passion as a light flush blossomed on his cheeks.

Suddenly Argentea's face came on the side screen and Miku's voice rang throughout the cockpit. "Ugh, please stop. You're starting to gross me out, it's going to make me vomit."

Then Zorome's equally disgusted face appeared beside hers. "Just cut the comms already, I can feel my ears rotting off..."

"You heard all of that?!" Futoshi shrieked in a combination of horror and embarrassment. "Not cool!"

Suddenly, an alarm began to blare throughout all FRANXX and their screens lit up with footage of what had triggered it; the aforementioned Klaxosaurs, another group of four-legged creatures bounding like bears across the dirt wasteland.

"Seven enemies incoming!" Delphinium alerted everyone. "More of those same Conrad-Class!"

"Again?! Do they have a nest nearby or something?" Zorome groaned but readied himself and Argentea with raised claws.

"They must if they keep coming like this..." Goro replied before Delphinium stepped forward at the ready to move ahead.

"All units, prepare for combat!" Ichigo commanded, and the team started moving into position for a defensive line.

However, even as she was dishing out this order one of their own suddenly lost connection to the comms. Soon after she went offline altogether.

The white and lilac colored FRANXX froze in place, and within seconds she powered down into a useless state on her knees. The others took note of this immediately, and the leading FRANXX quickly tapped into their HUD to check on the situation.

"Chlorophytum, what's the matter?" Delphinium asked, trying to remain calm but still expressing great concern for them.

Ikuno's capacity hood shut off from the disconnection, and as it slipped from her head she was able to sit up and look over her shoulder.

"Hey, Mitsuru-!" She cut herself off when she took in his disheveled state.

Mitsuru was half sitting in the Stamen chair clearly in no real condition to pilot as he gasped for breath with sweat pouring down his face. She had never seen him like this, it admittedly caught her off guard.

"Mitsuru?!" He didn't respond, and she was unsure if it was because he was choosing not to or he couldn't, all he did was struggle to even out his breathing.

"Something is wrong with Mitsuru!" Ikuno called out on the dash comms, and the others were all very worried now but there wasn't time to dwell on it when they still had a job to do.

"Genista, stay back and guard Chlorophytum! Argentea, with me!" Ichigo ordered as Delphinium dashed forward towards the approaching Klaxosaurs.

"Roger!" Both Kokoro and Miku respond as they moved to follow the instructions to the letter.

As Delphinium and Argentea strode ahead to meet the Klaxosaurs head-on, Genista placed herself directly in front of the prone Chlorophytum. The green and black FRANXX glanced over her shoulder, violet eyes full of worry as she took in the lowered head of her companion.

"I really hope Mitsuru is okay..." Kokoro murmured, and Futoshi twitched at the emotional tremor he heard in her voice. Was she really that worried about him...?

Well if she was, then it fell upon his shoulders to make sure he eased those worries!

"Don't worry, Kokoro! No harm will come to them while I'm here!" The auburn-haired boy swore to her as he hunkered down to unleash a powerful shot at the first target that came near.

Genista's smiling face then came on the screen just for him. "Thank you, Futoshi!"

Inside Chlorophytum, Ikuno was about to fully disconnect from the terminal when Mitsuru suddenly barked at her to stay where she was. She froze in place, before looking at him again over her shoulder.

"What-?!"

"Stay r-right there! I... can still pilot!" He grunted out through clenched teeth. "Restart the connection!"

Ikuno stared at him in disbelief, unable to believe that he was seriously trying to keep going in this condition. He had already stalled them out completely, how could he possibly expect to be able to connect now?

For Mitsuru, it didn't matter that his temple felt like it was on fire to the point it was starting to make him dizzy. Or that his chest felt heavy as he struggled to take deep breaths - the chest plate on his suit suddenly feeling tighter than usual. None of this mattered...

Seeing that their squad mates were having to once again put themselves in a position like this because of his own incompetence, his own failure... he would not stand for it!

Dammit...! Move! Mitsuru commanded himself, as he straightened his body back up in his seat. I made myself a promise!

Ikuno, seeing he was beyond compromise, grit her teeth and settled back in for the connection. Closing her eyes she waited for whatever may come.

Mitsuru's hands firmly gripped the controls once more. I swore...!

It took so much effort, so much more than ever before that it was causing an actual physical strain... the wheels on the capacity hood struggled to move for the longest time. It had never been this hard before... he grit his teeth tighter as he pushed with everything he had.

I swore to myself...

Sweat still poured down his face as he gave it his all, reaching with all him might to find Ikuno's side and connect. He would find it, and he would overcome this!

That I wouldn't expect anything from anyone, ever again!

Then the colors began steadily flooding the wheels on the hood, and power began to return to the FRANXX, though she only managed to come alive with the minimum required energy. Chlorophytum moved sluggishly in place before going to stand.

From the outside, Genista heard movement behind her and glanced back just as the winged mecha struggled to her pointed feet.

"Mitsuru, Ikuno!" Kokoro cried out. "Is everything alright?"

"More or less." Ikuno replied too cryptically for the other Pistil's liking but there was no time to ask more. One of the Klaxosaurs slipped around Argentea and Delphinium and were making their way towards the site.

"Heads up!" Miku hollered to them in warning. Before Genista could move to lift her cannon any higher to take care of it a blur of purple and white flew passed her and her eyes widened as a gasp left her.

"Oi, Mitsuru!" Futoshi called out, but the other Stamen was too far into his own mind to listen. Too far gone into his own anger and pride that he felt he had to take out that Klaxosaur himself. At least one!

"I can take care of it!" Mitsuru spat through his teeth as he lifted their FRANXX's arms in the sir to unleash a fierce barrage of magma bullets.

He had to prove - not only to himself but to the adults - that he wasn't a failure! That he could be a better pilot than him!

Ikuno, seeing all of this, said nothing. All she could do was balance his offensive offset as best she could, which was incredibly difficult when her partner's unstable connection to her was overriding her attempts to maintain control. She found herself literally caught between a rock and a hard place and she feared they may lose sync again any second.

Mitsuru's vision was still a tad blurred so his shots were not landing as they normally did, and even with Ikuno trying to straighten their posture and keep them steady they weren't quite in sync anymore. The Klaxosaur dashed to and fro in order to dodge every single shot, steadily getting closer and closer with every bound.

The Klaxosaur then leapt into the air towards Chlorophytum's face, only to be obliterated midair and dissolving into a splash of blue blood that flew into the dirt. The visor-clad FRANXX jerkily shifted her single eye to look over at the one who had taken out their target.

Genista stood with her cannon raised, smoke coming out of the chamber as she slowly lowered it. Her eyes met Chlorophytum's, and there was a tense few seconds where they wordlessly stared at one another.

With all the targets eliminated now they were called back to the plantation shortly thereafter. All was quiet on the comms as no one seemed to want to be the one to break the ice and inquire about what had happened to Chlorophytum.

Given how her Stamen was currently they didn't want to have their head bitten off and chewed out even if they meant well. There was no doubt they were all concerned since this wasn't the first time the violet FRANXX had stalled, but it was the first time she went offline completely in the midst of a fight.

When they had all docked and the children were disembarking from their respective cockpits, Ikuno chose that moment to speak up.

"You should go to the infirmary and get checked. You don't look well." She told her partner as he shakily stood up from the Stamen chair.

"Leave me alone." Mitsuru grunted dismissively at her. He didn't need her acting like she was suddenly worried over his well-being, he'd much rather her keep to herself like she usually did.

"... Come on, don't be an idiot." Ikuno said patiently. "You think this is just going to pass and something like that won't happen again?"

"Shut up! Mind your own business already!" He snapped at her with a snarl though she didn't flinch, merely raised an eyebrow at him. They stared at each other for a few tense seconds, one refusing to back down and the other simply trying to get a read on him.

Finally, Ikuno let out a sigh and brushed past him. She couldn't understand why he was insisting on being so stubborn when it was obvious he was unwell but it was pointless to argue with him when he was like this.

"As you wish. Just be careful." Was all she said before leaving.

Mitsuru scoffed when she was gone, brushing off the suggestion with nothing more than a passing thought.

He didn't need her to pretend to care; he didn't need anyone at all. He can take care of himself.

If you place your hopes in anything you will be betrayed.

Mitsuru made his way into the boy's locker room, the others' voices becoming muted background noise as he ignored them entirely. If they wanted an explanation for what happened earlier on the field, they weren't going to get one and they seemed to know that since they never tried to ask.

Good. He didn't owe them anything.

Promises will go unfulfilled and faith will be let down.

The only thing he owed them was to do his very best in being a Stamen for the squad, and that's all he planned to do. So long as he did that, nothing else mattered. There was nothing that could possibly benefit him from pretending otherwise.

What good did it do to place any feelings in people anyway...?

Which is why I swore to myself that I would never expect anything from anyone.

Hiro's grinning face holding up his pinky briefly flashed across his mind's eye, and Mitsuru slammed the locker closed with a growl before leaving.

No... it did no good at all.

This way... I will never be hurt again.

---

February 24 - 2137

Things were not looking good for Mitsuru.

Though they hadn't sortied for several days, his symptoms seemed to only be getting worse with each passing day and no matter how much medicine he took now he didn't feel any relief. The fever had grown steadily worse, and it was becoming harder and harder to act nonchalant about it to keep the others from noticing.

He had been doing a decent job so far but nothing lasts forever, and his body reached it's limit that very afternoon.

Mitsuru was trying to look for a solution to his symptoms on his own among the books in the library when a wave of nausea and dizziness suddenly overcame him. Grasping at the shelves of the bookcase, he found his strength quickly leaving him making it difficult to support himself. Slowly, he fell to the floor, desperately gulping in large breaths of air to find even the slightest relief to the pain.

He didn't know how long he lay there, seconds or hours it could have been in his state, but in reality it was only a few minutes. Lucky for him there was one person who frequented the library for her own studious hobby, she had just been coming in for herself when she found him collapsed to the floor.

"Mitsuru!" Ikuno cried out, stunned to see him like this.

"What's wrong?! Say something, Mitsuru!"

She ran up to him and knelt beside his prone form, gently grasping at his shoulder to move him onto his back. He was panting for breath as sweat poured down his face, a noticeable flush spread across his cheeks. Ikuno placed a hand on his forehead and cringed at the heat she felt on his clammy skin.

"Hang on, I'm going to get help!" Ikuno told him before quickly getting back onto her feet and running down the hall to find someone who could help her carry him to the infirmary.

Mitsuru lay where she left him, gasping and curling in on himself as it became harder and harder to breathe. He felt so light-headed and was so disoriented that he didn't understand a word of what Ikuno had just said.

All he could think was he shouldn't have pushed himself today... he should have just stayed in bed til it passed. That was his last thought before he passed out there on the floor.

Ikuno did not have to travel far to find someone, in her calls for help as she urgently messaged Nana on her communicator she managed to draw the attention of someone who was raiding some more bread from the kitchen. Futoshi came jogging out with his arms full, looking left and right to see what was happening.

"Futoshi!" Ikuno said in relief when she spotted him, he was the perfect person to help her lift her fallen partner.

The boy didn't have any time to grasp what was happening before she was yanking him down the hall, with him struggling to maintain a hold on his stolen goods.

"Ikuno?! What's wr-?"

"Please help me, Mitsuru has collapsed and I can't carry him alone!" The girl told him in a rush as she pulled him.

That was all it took as a look of dread came over the auburn-haired boy before he fiercely nodded and began walking with her rather than being dragged by her.

"O-Okay! Take me to him!" He said before safely depositing his bread harvest onto a side table to collect later. He needed his arms free for this.

When they made it to the library and Futoshi was able to see the other Stamen passed out on the floor for himself, he immediately understood why Ikuno was so frantic. The poor guy looked absolutely terrible.

"Mitsuru!" He called out to him as he bounded over to his side. The brunette was clearly unconscious at the moment so Futoshi knew he was going to have to lift him mostly on his own with some help from Ikuno.

"Support his left arm, I'll take most of his weight." Futoshi instructed the freckled girl, who nodded and took her place on her partner's other side to get ready.

The jostling of Ikuno and Futoshi's clumsy movements combined with the feeling of someone else's warmth invading his own stifling heat woke Mitsuru up from his brief sleep. It certainly didn't help when the heavier boy stumbled on his foot in his attempts to right them both upright.

"W-Watch my feet, you oaf!" The weakened Mitsuru tried to growl, but it came out more like a groan. Futoshi grimaced and adjusted his hold a little.

"Sorry! Just hang on, I'll get you to the infirmary!" He promised before starting to limp them both down the hall at a brisk pace.

Mitsuru wanted to argue, wanted to refuse and get him to let go... but he knew he would only collapse again if he did. Seeing no other choice, he bit his tongue and kept silent as Futoshi half carried-half dragged him through the halls to the infirmary.

The last thing he remembered for a while was his head hitting a pillow and Futoshi lifting his legs into a bed, then everything went black again.

"He looks so pale, and yet flushed at the same time..." Futoshi said as he leaned on his hands and knees to catch his breath.

"Hopefully Nana can help him when she comes..." Ikuno said softly, and that really was all they could do now was wait for her to instill her medical knowledge.

Ikuno had read a little about medicine from the books available in the library but she had no way of treating him without access to supplies like the adults do. Parasites had access to an emergency first aid but that held nothing to deal with something like this.

Looking down at her partner Ikuno couldn't help but wonder why he didn't just take her advice and come here yesterday...?

She and Futoshi waited at his bedside for only a few minutes before the door opened and their busty caretaker came rushing in.

"I came as soon as I received your message, Ikuno. What's wrong with Mitsuru?" Nana asked urgently as she jogged up to the bed containing the weakened Stamen.

"He just up and collapsed in the library and he's burning up at the touch." The purple-haired girl said as she gripped her left elbow with her right hand.

"I see... Let me examine him and we'll see what we can do for him from there. For now, please step out and allow me to check on him for myself. I'll keep you guys updated when I have a better idea of what's going on."

"Yes, ma'am." Both gave their teammate one last look of concern before making their way out quietly. Hopefully with Nana's care he would be back to his usual self in no time.

Nana proceeded to conduct a physical check on Mitsuru for the next hour, the first thing she did was change him into a patient's long shirt. After that she attached an IV drip into his arm so that he could get some needed fluids and nutrients.

Next, she took his temperature and drew a blood sample to take in his YBC count. His body was currently at over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit / thirty-nine degrees Celsius; a child fever.

When the results of the sample came back, she frowned deeply at seeing just how unstable his YBC's had become. It was concerning because she had prescribed him with medication to regulate them in between piloting, and it seemed to not be helping as much as she'd hoped it would.

Nana had feared this would happen when she first saw in his medical records that he had already been given the elixir injection. It was a risky process that had very few successful cases, Mitsuru being one of them, and even with its success there was no guarantee the Parasite wouldn't experience a relapse of sorts...

She had hoped that somehow this wouldn't come to pass after Ikuno's improved performance while piloting to stabilize Chlorophytum's sync. That somehow their bond would grow and help his capacity even itself out so it would cease to decline.

It was clear now that such thinking had possibly been delusional. At this rate, if it continues to drop...

The redhead ran a cloth under some cool water and placed the folded piece on top of his forehead to help cool him down. Lastly, she picked up his uniform to have it taken to be sent back clean to his room, though first she made sure to remove any belongings in his pockets. The only things she found were his communicator and...

His medication bottle...

Shaking it Nana grimaced as she felt how light it was, but she had only just recently given him this bottle a few weeks ago...? It held significantly less doses than it was supposed to at this time.

Nana frowned before glancing towards the unconscious boy, who was panting in his sleep. This would certainly explain a few things, but it still didn't hold the key to helping him either.

It would be a couple hours later, after suffering through dreams he'd rather not remember, that Mitsuru had finally awoken to find himself in the infirmary. Lifting his right hand he saw he was hooked up to an IV, and slowly the memories of before he passed out started coming back to him.

Sitting up, albeit with some difficulty, Mitsuru was instantly aware that he was not alone when he detected movement out of peripheral.

"I see you're awake. Good." Nana said as she stepped up to his bedside. Mitsuru spared her a glance but said nothing otherwise.

"After running some tests I've been able to see what's mostly going on. I won't withhold anything; you have a child fever, and your Yellow Blood Cell counts have dropped dangerously low recently." Nana informed him before leveling him with a serious gaze.

"Tell me the truth, Mitsuru; have you been overtaking your medication...?" She asked this as she held up the bottle that was almost three quarters empty.

"..." The boy didn't open his mouth, but his silence and the way he stared hard at the blankets in front of him confirmed all they needed to for her.

"I need you to be honest, your counts are not just low they're very unstable now." Nana stressed. "It's dangerous for your health - as you're clearly experiencing - to overtake them. They're not a cure-all for your symptoms, they're just supposed to balance them."

"It's not like it was helping my situation anyway." The brunette said bitterly as he turned his face towards the opposite wall. Nana sighed softly, understanding this was difficult for him to deal with. No one likes to be told there's something medically wrong with them.

"It's not the end yet, Mitsuru." She continued less harshly, sympathetically. "As it is you can still pilot with the amount you have now, but if they continue to decline at this rate I'm afraid..."

"Just say it." Mitsuru snapped when she seemed to be taking too long to spit it out. He already had an idea of what she was about to say, but he had to have it confirmed.

"I'm afraid you will cease to be able to function as a Parasite." Nana finished gravely.

Mitsuru scowled down at his lap, his fists clenched tightly in front of him as he took in the news.

So neither the elixir nor the medication helped in the long run, after all...

Seeing his downtrodden expression Nana felt the urge to try and reassure him even if it was just with a small glimmer of hope. She just couldn't bear to see any of the children with such despair on their faces...

"We'll give you an antipyretic to help you for now, it should fully take effect by tomorrow. After that, just rest and I'll look into what more can be done to help you." Mitsuru said nothing more, just sat there and waited as patiently as he could for her to finish up with her nursing so he could be alone.

Nana injected him with a shot of something, checked the IV drip one more time, and then left him to get some rest. With the adult gone Mitsuru just sat there for a long while, stewing in his storm of emotions that were wreaking havoc within him.

He felt so angry he wanted to break something. He felt so helpless that it just made him angrier. He felt so bitter that he couldn't stop shaking...

Damn... Damn this body...! Mitsuru cursed as tears stung at his eyelids, but he refused to let them fall.

Nana checked in with the rest of the squad, as word had spread to the others since they had heard the commotion going on earlier. With a smile she reassured them that Mitsuru would be fine for the time being, though she could tell it wasn't as sufficient as she had hoped it would be to ease all their worries.

As much as she wanted to tell them everything was going to alright, she couldn't say so without risk of it turning into a lie... and she couldn't do that to them.

The antipyretic would help him for a short while but it was not a permanent solution; It's only a stop-gap measure. In order for Mitsuru to fully recover something else would have to be done, but what that something is she just didn't know yet.

Deciding she needed more thoughts on this besides her own, Nana quickly pulled out her communicator to send a message to Hachi. They met outside a short time later on the long bridge that stood between the Administration and Mistilteinn.

"With Mitsuru in this state, I don't think he'll be able to fight properly in the next battle. As it is, the last one might have solidified he's becoming unfit to pilot..." Nana expressed worriedly, her hands gripping at her elbows as she paced a bit.

"If things continue like this, he may become a pruning target..."

"Hmm. There is still one option..." Hachi said enigmatically, making Nana's brows furrow in frustration.

"Well don't keep me guessing - out with it!" Nana demanded. The man with the shaved head turned just enough to look her in the eye and uttered one phrase that had her pausing.

"Oh... I see."

---

February 25 - 2137

A whole day went by, and it was early in the afternoon when the entire squad was called via communicators for an urgent meeting in the Administration Building. No one had any clue as to what was about to happen, but on the way there they couldn't help but discuss it amongst themselves.

"You think this has something to do with Mitsuru falling unconscious yesterday...?" Futoshi asked as they walked, mostly towards Ikuno but the rest of the squad heard as well.

"Possibly..." Ikuno responded, though logically she couldn't see it being about anything else. "It was too coincidental for him to stall in the FRANXX and then suddenly pass out the very next day."

"Mitsuru has always had a frail body..." Goro said gently as a way of possible explanation. "Ever since we were kids."

"That may be true, but he's the only one who received that injection and came back afterwards." Ichigo pointed out with a forlorn look on her face as she walked.

Miku titled her head, confused as she asked. "Huh? What're you talking about?"

"The elixir injection." Ikuno stated. "It's a drug that induces more Yellow Blood Cell production in the body, and it greatly increases one's Parasite aptitude as well."

"All that aside," Miku brushed past that, not fully understanding the severity of such a drug. "Has Mitsuru always been so moody?"

"No, he didn't used to be. In fact, he..." Goro paused as he recalled something. "He used to follow Hiro around quite a lot. Looked up to him like most everyone else did."

"What?! No way! That's the biggest shocker I've heard in a while." Futoshi exclaimed in disbelief, unable to picture the quiet and aloof Mitsuru as a fan boy of sorts.

"So how did he go from that to being a stuck-up loner who acts better than everyone?" Zorome asked with his arms folded behind his head in a bored fashion as he strolled casually.

Goro shrugged his shoulders, not having any more of a clue than him. "I dunno, sorry."

Though now, with the topic being broached...

"Actually..." Goro said, a puzzled scowl on his face as he spoke. "Now that I think about it... he changed a lot when Hiro left the Nursery. Pretty much became the way he is now."

Kokoro's fingers clutched together tighter. So then she wasn't the only one to notice such a big change in him... and it really does have something to do with Hiro's disappearance. Perhaps Mitsuru had been much closer to Hiro than any of them knew?

"The elixir injection..." Kokoro mumbled. "It only has a survival rate of only fifteen percent... right?"

What frightening situation to have been in, especially as a little boy...

Fearing that your entire future as a pilot was at stake based on the whims of your body responding to a mix of chemicals meant to improve your body. Mitsuru must have been in a truly desperate position for him to go through with that, seeing absolutely no other choice if he wanted to keep living as he was.

Poor Mitsuru... I had no idea he'd been put through something so risky...

He must have felt so scared... and so alone.

After that conversation had pretty much petered out and everyone was left in a thick silence as they filed into the briefing room together minutes later. Nana and Hachi were already there waiting, and so was Mitsuru - who was looking a lot better compared to the last time a couple of them had seen him.

Still, appearances can be deceiving... and they knew not to immediately assume anything.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice, but I'm afraid we have a bit of a predicament that needs immediate addressing." Nana told them with a tight smile. Several eyes automatically drifted towards the lone Stamen who stood with his arms crossed off to the side, completely avoiding eye contact with everyone as he scowled at the wall.

It was no secret now that this meeting was mainly pertaining to him.

"We're not going to waste any time and get right to the point." Hachi said and the Parasites didn't bother to sit on the steps, instead shuffling towards the center closer to Mitsuru.

"As I'm sure you're all aware by now, your Yellow Blood Cell count is what allows a Parasite to connect with and operate a FRANXX. However, it is possible for your counts to decrease due to a multitude of reasons ranging from a mental block to the unfortunate reality that the body is incapable of naturally producing enough on it's own."

As Hachi lectured the others, Mitsuru's fist clenched hard within his arms and his jaw tightened. That last part felt like an unneccessary dig, and even moreso he absolutely hated that this had to be talked about at all in a meeting in the first place, he was more than capable of piloting if they just gave him a chance like he asked for earlier!

"It can also occur when a partnership isn't fully compatible; which is what we suspect to be the case here. As promising as Codes 326 and 196 are as Parasites, their pairing has never been the strongest among all of you and 326's YBC count is suffering as a result. Therefore, to try and rectify the situation we are suggesting a Partner Shuffle." The man with the buzz cut concluded.

Mitsuru's eyes snapped to him then, his lips parting in an inaudible gasp. They were going to allow him to switch partners now...?

"A Partner Shuffle?" The entire squad parroted to the two adults who stood at the head of the room. They remained unfazed by their reactions, having expected this from the mere suggestion. It wasn't an ideal one, but given the circumstances they had to give it a shot.

"This isn't an order, it's simply an option available to you." Nana quickly clarified to them all. "Discuss this among yourselves with your partners and if anyone wants to try the shuffle, ask."

Everyone in the room grew deathly silent as they processed this information.

That would mean someone had to separate from their current partner to try and help. It was a startling realization that they could simply just trade partners, essentially forcing them to start over in building a new bond with their new partner.

But if they didn't at least try it, then they were going to lose one of their own... and that wasn't a pleasant scenario either.

Mitsuru kept silent and didn't look anyone in the eye as they whispered among partners, not wanting to see the karma that would surely be thrusting itself back in his face. Of course no one would volunteer to shuffle partners for him, why would they?

Separating Goro and Ichigo couldn't even to be taken into consideration, as they were by far the most compatible of all the pairings in the squad. To ruin the dynamic of the leader of the squad was simply unacceptable.

Futoshi and Kokoro... there was no chance of them separating either. Futoshi was blissfully happy with his partner, and treated Kokoro with the respect and adoration that most Pistils would kill for.

Zorome and Miku, while always butting heads with one another, still always managed to mesh with each other well enough to get things done. They honestly had the next best synchronization rate after Delphinium.

This entire meeting was a pointless endeavor, and Mitsuru couldn't decide what he was angrier at; the squad, his own health, or himself as a person.

Perhaps all of the above, equally.

Suddenly, a soft-spoken voiced uttered a few words as she raised a delicate hand up for all to see.

"U-Umm..." Kokoro said meekly. "I would like to try riding with Mitsuru."

All the hushed murmurs amongst partners ceased as everyone turned their shocked faces towards the ashen blonde. Kokoro blushed heavily under the attention as she looked over towards Mitsuru, who was just as baffled at her volunteering as everyone else.

Quickly the girl tried to explain herself. "I-I mean... If it can help your Yellow Blood Cell count stabilize, I'm willing to try it!"

"B-But... Kokoro...!" Futoshi choked out in disbelief as his eyes watered some. "You're my partner!"

The rest of the squad gave the two some space by backing away a couple steps, though Kokoro wished they had remained close by. She didn't like how it made this feel like more of a spotlight on her now.

"Oh, Futoshi... I'm sorry..." Kokoro said as softly as she could, but it didn't lighten the terrible blow her request had dealt to Futoshi's heart. He never thought in a million years this would happen.

"I-I thought we were doing great!" He cried to her. "Why do you want to switch partners all of a sudden?! Did I do something wrong?!"

"It's not because you're awful to me or anything that I want to switch..." She told him honestly. "I just want to help Mitsuru. We can't separate Goro and Ichigo, and to be honest... I feel like I've been holding you back."

"NO!" Futoshi cried with wide teary eyes, startling her. "Never!"

"Futoshi..." Goro muttered quietly as he put a soothing hand on his fellow Stamen's shoulder but Futoshi shook it off, too emotional to calm down.

"W-Why would you think that, Kokoro...?" He begged to know the answer, maybe there was still time to fix it!

"I've always appreciated everything you do to keep me safe, but... I know you're capable of far more than this. I can feel it when we connect."

Futoshi went still, gobsmacked at her words.

"Because of your desire to keep me from harm you've been holding yourself back so much... Both you and the squad don't deserve that. You need to have the opportunity to extend that protection to the others in the squad as well, not just me. Besides..."

Kokoro smiled up at him so purely, looking up at him with hopeful eyes that he would understand her words and take them to heart. That he wouldn't think for one second this was because of something he did.

"Chlorophytum also means 'protection' in the language of flowers... I think that's perfect for you, Futoshi. Plus, if we don't do this... the whole squad could fall apart, and I can't bear to see that."

If they weren't able to help Mitsuru, she didn't want to imagine what was going to happen to him... and more than that she didn't want him to go through this alone. With all her heart she hoped that Futoshi would support her choice and let her do this.

"B-But... But...!" The auburn-haired boy stammered before a hollow look of utter defeat took the fight right out of him, and he slumped forward in place.

How could he argue with her when she was being so sincere...? When she was humbly asking something of him for the first time...?

"Well then..." Nana spoke up to dissuade the awkward tension, regaining the attention of the room. "Anyone else want to volunteer for Partner Shuffle?"

"Excuse me." Ikuno said loudly as she raised her hand. "I would like to attempt a Pistil-to-Pistil connection, please."

That one caught the others off guard as well, almost as much as Kokoro volunteering. Wasn't this technically impossible...?

"Pistil-to-Pistil...? But..." Nana said slowly, not sure how to go about this since no one has ever optioned up such a thing before. It was well-known that the system wouldn't work without both a girl and a boy, what was Ikuno possibly thinking?

The girl herself seemed to be aware of this anomaly of a request and was quick to clarify. "I want to try it out as a backup plan for emergencies when we've lost a Stamen."

Looking to the blunette beside her, Ikuno asked in a small voice. "Would you help me, Ichigo?"

Ichigo was understandably taken by surprise by this and jolted in place from the request. "Huh?! Wait, me?"

"Pretty please?" Ikuno said back easily in a playfully monotone voice, with a slight twinkle in her eye. She looked confident, even in her usual stoicism, so much so it made Ichigo unable to refuse her despite her reservations.

"Ah... sure." Ichigo said, still unsure but willing to give it a try for the better of the squad. Who knows, there might be some small chance it could work since they were such good friends.

"Alright, we'll try it. Suit up." Nana instructed.

Less than half an hour later five out of the eight Parasites were suited for test simulations in the Capacity Testing area. Nana and Hachi were monitoring with a small team in the observation room above, watching as the three trials took place.

First to take the test was Ikuno with Ichigo, with the former dressed in a Stamen suit in the chair and the latter in position as her Pistil. The two adults heading Squad 13 gave each other a glance before giving the go ahead to begin attempting synchronization.

Ikuno closed her eyes and settled into the chair, the feeling being so strange since she was so used to being in the position that Ichigo was currently in. That, and the chest plate she wore was pressing awkwardly against her breasts but their size thankfully helped with that.

In spite of all this it didn't feel entirely wrong, despite it being designed to have a boy sit in it.

And now she was finally trying to synchronize with Ichigo... It was easier than ever to give herself to the system, knowing it was someone she trusted absolutely on the other end.

As Ikuno began trying to connect she was dismayed to find that it was a lot more difficult than she had anticipated it would be... Even more difficult than the first time she had connected with Mitsuru. It was a little discouraging, but she was more than willing to push through it since this may be her only chance.

Since she was on the opposite side of the connection for once, she wasn't sure if it would be the exact same or if she needed to do something different to make it work. It was disheartening when her usual method of connecting didn't seem to be working here, especially considering the person she always looked to for inspiration to pilot was right in front of her...

Even after trying to adjust and switch up the method... She still couldn't feel a thing.

"160 seconds since connection commenced. No change in numbers."

"Well, Ichigo...?" Ikuno asked, almost imploringly. She tried not let panic set in as she waited for an answer, as to panic would only further weaken the attempt.

Surely, Ichigo felt something of her pulse reaching out to her! If she did then they could go from there and work together to figure it-

"I don't... feel it." Ichigo panted out, sweat dripping down her forehead within the hood from her effort.

Ikuno frowned deeply at that and the lack of conviction she heard in Ichigo's voice... Here she was trying her hardest, and it felt like Ichigo had already given up.

The blunette herself was honestly having a hard time keeping up with the attempt, for the simple fact that she felt like she was trying to reach through a steel wall to find anything. If Ikuno's pulse was there, it was somewhere on the other side of that wall, and she couldn't reach her.

Another twenty seconds later and there was still no signal that the sync was working.

"Delphinium's numbers remain unchanged. Timing out."

It was possibly the most soul-crushing disappointment Ikuno had ever felt in her entire life... More disappointing than the day she was chosen to be Mitsuru's partner, more disappointing than finding out that Naomi wouldn't be part of their squad with them...

But the part that made it so painful to accept... was Ichigo's clear lack of enthusiasm from the very beginning.

She didn't even try... Ikuno gripped her arm tightly in disappointment and slight anger.

After that test was deemed a failure, they gave Ikuno the chance to change out of the Stamen suit and into her Pistil suit. Once she was ready, they began the test for both Futoshi and Ikuno as well as Kokoro and Mitsuru as a pair in Chlorophytum and Genista respectively at the same time.

Both FRANXX stood side by side and both sets of pilots were already in position. For one pair, there wasn't as much of a worry for them, as both held great potential on their own that hinted at a very decent bond forming to give a satisfactory sync.

For the other pair, however, it was a more serious matter that was literally the most important moment of their young lives so far. Whether they knew it as such or not...

Mitsuru sat calmly as he could, eyes closed, focusing on nothing but the connection. He tried his hardest to believe in his own abilities and let them shine... but it was so hard when there was the looming intimidation of this possibly being the last time he could attempt at piloting...

He had to give it his all! He couldn't let the fear get to him...

Kokoro remained equally quiet, not saying a word even to encourage, trying to make as little noise as possible to keep from disturbing his concentration. She knew just how important this was to him, and she didn't want to ruin it under any circumstance.

Kokoro took a deep breath and reached out without hesitation when the test started.

Since both were so focused with an emotional drive they were able to find each other. With a gasp, Kokoro felt Mitsuru grab firmly onto her. It was a bit jarring at first, since Futoshi was always so gentle, but she found it didn't bother her.

It was actually a bit comforting, knowing he had such a strong grasp on her...

Futoshi's presence in the FRANXX had always felt like a big warm teddy bear... one that wrapped around her in a protective hug that would rebuff anything that tried to come near her. It was a different kind of comforting presence, so tender and so soft...

But at times it had felt stifling to her, too overwhelming when it felt like she just got lost in the fuzziness of the protection... like being too hot in a blanket when all you wanted was to breath fresh air.

Here, with Mitsuru, it was completely different. It was like standing barefoot in an open field of fresh green grass like the kind outside of Mistilteinn... only instead of there being a giant bubble that contained them, the grass went as far as the eye could see.

Kokoro took in another breath, and she swore she could smell that fresh grass...

The difference was incredibly palpable, and yet Kokoro refused to shy away from Mitsuru's presence mixed with hers. She would not back down and would show everyone that she could handle her own as a Pistil... she was not weak!

"Chlorophytum's score has crossed into the lower median range and is stable. Acceptable synchronization. Genista's score has crossed the minimum required. It remains in the lower range but is stable. Acceptable synchronization."

The positive meter on Genista bounced a bit in the lower part of the bar but intriguingly the negative meter was able to reach the higher median. Impressive for a test sync and while it didn't amount to anything extraordinary here it gave hope to more potential later on.

"I suppose that'll have to do, for now at least. It's at a higher level than Chlorophytum's last sync." Hachi relented as they watched the Parasite cadets climb out of the testing chamber.

"Connection is on the low end... but it's stable. Satisfactory." Nana acknowledged with a sigh, running a hand through her long hair. "We'll have to give Futoshi and Mitsuru the guides to Chlorophytum and Genista so they can learn to use them before the next mission."

The next mission... Hachi looked over the capacity scores again and started to genuinely wonder if this was the right call. Switching partners this late in the squad's development could throw off their entire coordination, not to mention if the boys failed to adapt to their new FRANXX quickly...

However, with Chlorophytum's continued decrease in synchronization there was no telling what would happen if he simply allowed them to go unchanged. If they stalled in the middle of the fight at the worst possible time it would be all over for both pilots inside.

As far as strategy goes this was seemingly the best course of action... but a risky one. Hachi just hoped it didn't come back to bite him.

In the girl's locker room there was a tense air between the three girls who were quietly changing back into their regular uniforms. All were equally lost in their thoughts as they dressed, knowing that the dynamic of their entire squad was about to change from this switch.

Kokoro remained silent as she slowly dressed, feeling incredibly sorrowful about the pain she undoubtedly caused her now former partner. How could she ever look Futoshi in the eye after what she did...? After how much she's hurt him...?

"So much for that..." Ichigo said with a sigh as she zipped up her uniform. She was trying to break the ice a little by initiating conversation as well as try and bring some comfort to Ikuno, who seemed to have taken their failure pretty hard. She could tell immediately after they exited the pod that she was upset.

Admittedly, though, Ichigo had trouble understanding why it was such a big deal since it had always been known since they were practically toddlers that girls and boys were both needed to pilot together. Never in the entire history of the whole Parasite Corps has there been a pair of male/male or female/female.

"That was a very different experience, I gotta say." Ichigo continued even when she didn't get a response of any kind. "It was a good idea in theory, but I knew it wouldn't work without a boy."

That statement made Ikuno pause with her hand gripping her locker door hard. If it was meant to be a comfort it had the opposite effect as the purple-haired girl's head lowered in despair.

Those words seemed to confirm it for her. Ichigo had doubted it from the very beginning... she didn't put her all into it like Ikuno had... because she wasn't a boy.

Had she been a boy would she have been more willing to try harder? Why did things have to be the way they were...? Why couldn't she accept life as a girl like everyone else?!

"I was serious, you know..." Ikuno said as she slammed the locker closed and proceeded to head out without another word. Ichigo watched her go, startled and confused, wondering what was causing her friend so much strife...

Ikuno walked out into the hall, and coincidentally her now ex-partner was casually coming out of the boy's locker room fully dressed. Her eyes met with Mitsuru's, and for a moment neither said a word. This was officially the end of their partnership.

Ikuno broke the silence first, turning away from him with a scowl.

"Go ahead, laugh at me if you must." She sneered before walking off to come to terms with what all happened during the trials by herself.

"I knew it wouldn't work without a boy."

Ikuno's fists were clenched so hard they were white, her nails threatening to bite into her skin and cause her to bleed. Why couldn't it have worked...?

"Don't be discouraged, Dr. Franxx has always said that connection would never be possible without both the X and Y chromosomes of girls and boys respectively. Now we know for sure that he was correct." Nana had told them afterwards as some minuscule way of comfort.

Whether it was a commonly known fact among Parasites or not... it did nothing to salve the wounds that had been made deep inside, and little else to help Ikuno understand why she was so distraught by this whole thing...

Why was not being able to connect with Ichigo... so painful?

Ikuno wasn't the only one dealing with heartache, as Goro was allowing a distraught Futoshi wail into his own pillow on his own bed as he tried his best to comfort him. Zorome sat on Mitsuru's bed with his legs crossed, unable to think of a darn thing to comfort the big guy.

"Why?!" Futoshi cried into the pillow. "Did I do something wrong?! I tried my hardest for Kokoro's sake!"

"Well maybe it was getting on her nerves." Zorome said none-too gently as he dug his pinky into his ear. "Or maybe you need to lose some weight, who knows!"

Ignoring Zorome's heartless tact, Goro couldn't help but sigh. "Regardless, I have to wonder what Kokoro was thinking. She's such a nice girl, perhaps she really felt bad for Mitsuru."

"Especially since he's so miserable." Zorome agreed with a mocking grin, only for it to be immediately wiped away when Futoshi launched off the bed and grabbed at his collar to begin thrashing him back and forth with it.

"BUT I'M CLEARLY THE MOST MISERABLE ONE HERE!" The plump boy screamed in face; sheer agony written on his own with fat tears on his cheeks.

"Calm down, Futoshi!" Goro chastised as he tried to separate him from Zorome.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened, and the last face anyone expected anytime soon appeared in the threshold. Mitsuru took one look at the scene - Futoshi holding Zorome by the collar and Goro trying to pull him off - before immediately scoffing and turning to leave.

"Hold it!" Futoshi roared, and everyone - including Mitsuru - went still at the angry tone that none had ever heard out of the usually gentle-mannered boy. He was always so timid and afraid of confrontation, for him to be this angry...

"Do you think I'm pathetic?!" Futoshi demanded of the slick-haired boy, who scowled at the accusatory tone he was using on him.

"Easy, Futoshi..." Goro tried calming him again, but it did absolutely nothing when Mitsuru actually decided to partake in responding.

"What difference does this really make...?" Mitsuru asked in obvious annoyance. "It doesn't matter who our partners are."

That answer only angered Futoshi all the more. He then proceeded to throw off both Goro and Zorome with a hard shove to them, each being so caught off guard by his strength that they went flying into beds on either side as a result. After that, he charged towards the emotionless boy in the doorway screaming.

"LIKE YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I FEEL!"

So blind in his rage he went fist blazing first towards Mitsuru, only for him to side-step and have the bigger boy tumble forward from the force of the punch he was trying to throw. He rolled right into the wall outside the door in the hall, falling pitifully into a heap with a groan.

Mitsuru stared at him in disbelief, so confused how not being a simple girl's partner could make him act so childishly... like they were kids fighting over a toy. Narrowing his eyes at the pitiful sight before him, he turned while adjusting his collar.

"What a nuisance..." Mitsuru scoffed before starting back down the hall away from the scene.

"Come on, Mitsuru." Goro called out to him as he jogged out of the room to help Futoshi. "At least try to understand where he's coming from."

Mitsuru paused and turned to glare over his shoulder at the blonde. "I don't need to understand anything. I just need to pilot."

And with that he walked away, and Goro scowled at his retreating back for a few moments before going to kneel beside Futoshi, who lay trembling on the floor. Goro frowned sadly when he heard the soft whimpers coming from the boy.

"Whenever I think about Kokoro... I..." He reached up and grabbed at his uniform. "I feel this tightness in my chest."

Zorome stood awkwardly in the doorway, not knowing what else to say or do at this point. He didn't personally understand what Futoshi was talking about, but Goro could a little.

"But now the tightness really hurts. It hurts so bad... what is this feeling?" Futoshi asked pitifully as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Goro tried to smile in comfort, but even he knew he couldn't answer, as he just had no idea how. He couldn't even bring himself to divulge that he had felt the same tightness Futoshi was describing in his own chest sometimes whenever he saw Ichigo with that faraway look on her face, knowing that she was thinking about Hiro again.

It was a feeling that felt both wonderful, and so painful all the same...

"I hear you. I wish I knew..." Goro said sympathetically as he pats his crying friend on the shoulder.

---

After changing back into her clothes, Kokoro had retreated into the sanctuary of the greenhouse to tend to the plants. The smell and company of the flowers instantly gave her comfort as she went to work, albeit at a far slower pace than usual.

"I made a real mess of things..." She mumbled to the flora as well as herself as she recalled everyone's reactions to the meeting earlier.

While she felt no regret whatsoever at her choice, she did feel an extreme amount of guilt for the discourse it had clearly caused within the squad. The others were now on edge as they could only observe things from the sidelines and could do nothing to help other than give words of encouragement.

Then there was Futoshi... even though he had accepted it and proceeded with the switch Kokoro knew that it had been incredibly hurtful to do so, especially after he had just told promised to be the best partner for her. In hindsight it almost looked as if she was throwing that promise back into his face...

She wasn't sure how Ikuno felt about the whole thing since she was very quiet after the trials, but Kokoro imagined she was put off at the inconvenience of having to adapt to a new partner taking controls behind her. It certainly was an intimidating thing for herself, especially given who her new partner was...

"Hey."

Speak of the devil.

"HYAH!" Kokoro squealed in surprise at the unexpected voice speaking loudly to get her attention. But she instantly knew who it was from not just the sound but the tone.

"Just what are you playing at?" He went on before she could calm herself from the scare, and she slowly turned to look him in the eye.

"Huh...?" She uttered in her obvious confusion. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

"Why did you volunteer to be my partner? Futoshi hates me now, and it's a massive pain." Mitsuru said in annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kokoro looked down at the ground sadly, the guilt of having hurt her now ex-partner resurfacing ten-fold. She could only imagine how upset he was, especially given his initial reaction, now it was confirmed that he was feeling angry on top of that.

And it was all her fault... she took his sweet and fragile heart and she crushed it in her selfish desire to finally be able to choose something for herself... Yet he wasn't taking it out on her - as he should, she felt - but he was taking it out on Mitsuru... Things were such a mess, worse than the squad fight it felt.

Still... Kokoro couldn't let that stop her from standing by her choice. She truly was a terrible person...

"Was it just out of pity?" Mitsuru suddenly asked, snapping the blonde out of her own pity party. She gasped at such a question, as it was the complete opposite of the truth.

"NO! It wasn't!" She cried in defense. "It's nothing like that..."

Even now, when her words mattered the most to try and start this partnership off right... she was still bumbling about and failing to piece together a coherent sentence.

She needed to get her act together! If she didn't do it now then everyone will always just walk all over her and assume they knew what was best for her!

"Well either way let's get one thing straight from the start; I won't hold back on the field." Mitsuru told her fiercely. "I'm going to learn how Genista works and use her to her full advantage, I'm not going to be as pathetic as Futoshi and hold back to avoid conflict for your sake like he did."

Kokoro went stiff as he spoke, her head lowering slightly to the point her bangs shielded her eyes from view.

How dare he...?

"Don't talk about him like that." The blonde said in a raised tone, causing Mitsuru to quirk a brow at her.

Kokoro lifted her head up and glared at him through angry tears as she stood her ground among the flowers. He may be her new partner, but if he wanted to get things straight between them then it was going to go both ways.

"Futoshi is not pathetic in any means... He has a big heart and he genuinely care for others, that's not something to mock him for - it doesn't make him weak! He bears so much upon his own shoulders just to spare me from even the slightest bit of discomfort... If anyone is pathetic it's me!"

Kokoro hadn't been kidding when she said Futoshi had taken on so much of the burden in their team, he really had put so much pain and stress onto himself to keep her safe. She will never take that for granted!

And she won't let anyone else belittle his efforts either!

"I can't call myself a true Pistil when I haven't given nearly as much as the rest of you have... It's taken me this long to get the hang of things but that's mostly because Futoshi was willing to go at my pace, and I won't let him continue to hold himself back for my sake because I'm weak..."

Kokoro clenched her hands into small fists that shook at her sides, her shoulders trembling but she refused to cry. She didn't want to be a weak little girl anymore, she wanted to stand on her own two feet with the others.

"So by all means, go as hard as you want on the battlefield with Genista. She and I can take it." Kokoro said with her head held high and a hand to her chest. "But don't you dare ever insult Futoshi in my presence again!"

Mitsuru said nothing during her rant, but he didn't appear completely unmoved by it either. If anything he appeared to be silently trying to deduce if she was being honest or putting up some kind of front. Kokoro grew flustered under his scrutiny and wasn't in the mood to prove herself to him any more than she already had.

"Now if we understand each other, I'd appreciate if you'd let me have some space." The blonde huffed before turning away from him in a swift one-eighty and marching off to continue to tend to the flowers.

Mitsuru raised a brow at her, but he left all the same at her request. A soft snort left him as he walked off into the trees to find solace elsewhere.

On the surface she appeared to be a little on the air-headed side, content to stay in her damsel-like state to really apply herself to anything. But Kokoro was more self aware than others - including himself - gave her credit for, it appeared.

So she does have a backbone, after all... Good. Maybe I won't have to babysit, then.

For some reason, her response was quite refreshing... almost like the breeze softly blowing around him now. He quickly dismissed that idiotic thought as quickly as it came.

Kokoro sighed as she heard his footsteps fade away, her tense shoulders slumping in relief now that she was alone among the flowers again.

She turned her head and looked to the blooms lightly swaying in the breeze from the open doorway. They looked as if they were telling her "Good job!".

Kokoro smiled at them.

"I did it... I stood up for myself."

---

February 26 - 2137

Futoshi sighed as he flipped through the pages of a cookbook in front of him. He was sitting at a table in the library, his arm folded in front of him with his chin resting on it while the other tended to the book. Every now and then a single tear would form and slide down his face, and he'd fruitlessly wipe it away before going back to skimming the pictures of yummy-looking treats.

In truth, he should probably be looking over the guide for Chlorophytum since a mission could occur at any given time, but he had already spent the last several hours doing so that his brain felt overloaded. More than anything he just wanted to take a break from the reminder... Look at something that actually made him feel a bit happier.

It was a nice thick book full of page after page with pictures of confectionery and pastry goodies of all kinds, and Futoshi just loved looking at them. Though if he were honest he really wished he could be eating them instead of just looking at them... but then Zorome would say he was being a "fatty" again...

Maybe that was part of the reason Kokoro didn't like being partners with him like he said...? But Kokoro didn't seem like the kind to dislike someone for the way they looked, she wasn't shallow...

In spite of her words that she felt like she had been holding him back - which was still a ludicrous thing in Futoshi's mind - he felt like there had to be something more... something he must've done to make her want to switch. But for the life of him he couldn't figure out what.

At some point Ikuno came into the library looking for something to read, and the purple-haired girl paused when she saw her new partner sitting so dejectedly at a table. It brought a heavy sigh out of her, and against her better judgement she decided to approach him.

"How long are you going to mope, Futoshi...?" Ikuno asked as she crossed her arms next to him. "This isn't exactly an ideal situation for all involved, you know."

Even she could hear the harshness of her tone, and immediately thought perhaps she should dial it back. She was still feeling raw about the fact that she failed to connect with Ichigo, so admittedly there was a bit of personal feelings mixed in her scolding.

But still, it was no excuse to take it out on Futoshi when none of this was his fault either.

"I'm sorry, Ikuno... I don't mean to be so pathetic." Futoshi sniffled, lifting a hand to wipe at his face again. His cheeks and eyes were red and puffy at this point from how much he had been crying.

Ikuno remained tight-lipped at that, not able to deny that this display was indeed pathetic in her eyes but decided it best not to be so cruel to the already disheartened boy. She'd rather not deal with this teary act longer than necessary if she was going to be his partner now.

"I just wish I knew... why didn't she want to be partners with me anymore? I know there was a more deep-seeded reason..." He mumbled sadly into his arm.

"Other than to help Mitsuru? Does there really have to be any more of a reason than that?" Ikuno asked with a raised eyebrow. She really didn't understand what Futoshi was wanting, especially when it was just going to inevitably hurt him further.

And it's not like Kokoro had been secretly waiting for this opportunity to happen. If she had been genuinely unhappy with her partnership Ikuno was sure the blonde would have spoken up a lot sooner... at least, she hoped she would after the lesson she learned during the squad fight.

But on the other hand...

"Perhaps it was that you're too clingy." Ikuno said, trying to be matter of fact about it. Still, Futoshi's head snapped up to look at her with wide eyes.

"W-What?" He sounded so confused, and it showed on his face as the tears paused. "What do you mean? Please, Ikuno, tell me what I did..."

The freckled girl thought it best to just be open and honest with the truth, or at least her perspective of it. She couldn't speak on behalf of Kokoro herself, but she can tell him what she'd witnessed for the last half of a year.

"You're not a bad guy by any means, but you seriously lack consideration for her feelings." She held her hand up to him when he opened his mouth to argue. "Sure you care about her but your priorities have always involved or orbited solely around Kokoro, something that she must have expressed discomfort in at some point in time. Why do you think I mentioned the creepy staring during the fight?"

"How is that wrong...? She's important to me, and her happiness means a lot to me because of that."

It's been like that for several years now, even before they left the Garden. Futoshi had admired her from afar in the Nursery just simply watching her smile and play with the other girls. Her smile was always the most beautiful thing in his world.

"And she's always been appreciative of that, I'm sure. However, she has always been too kind in her mannerisms when it comes to dealing with others and how they make her feel. She doesn't believe someone should have to change themselves to suit her comfort, and that can lead to miscommunications like the ones you dealt with. While it's great you care about her and want her to be happy you have to realize that your actions can affect said happiness."

Futoshi gasped at this, eyes widening as he genuinely took in her words. It seemed so obvious now that he felt ashamed that it had taken this long for him to understand that...

"Was there... anything else I did...?" He asked hesitantly. He knew it would hurt to hear, but he had to listen in order to understand what he might have done wrong. That way he can try not to repeat it in the future.

"In my personal opinion? You also limited her ability as a Pistil by constantly holding her back in the fights." Ikuno said with point blank bluntness.

"Wha- How?!" Out of all the things she could tell him that he'd done, that one was the most hard to take in. How could that possibly be true?

"From what I understand, Genista has a Light Armor Mode that you have never used once in battle, and I know from hearing over the comms that she has suggested using it and you shot her down."

"I-I was just trying to keep her safe! That mode is full of risks that aren't worth it for more speed, in my opinion!"

In his mind, Genista moved just fine even with the bulky armor casing, he didn't see the point of sacrificing that protection for just a little extra speed.

"And that's just it; your opinion. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions, you know." Ikuno stated firmly. "The point is, whether you meant well or not - which, again, I'm sure she knows you did - you pushed her away with your intrusive affections and overprotective nature. Mitsuru is willing to be harsh and tell her what she needs to hear, he won't sugarcoat things to keep her safe. You have to understand that sometimes people need a firm push in order to reach their full potential, not be coddled."

"But I..." Futoshi looked down, only now beginning to truly see what she was trying to tell him. He thought he was doing right for Kokoro by trying to keep her out of danger as much as possible, but he never once stopped to think that she wasn't as fragile as he made her out to be.

She felt like she had been holding him back... but maybe it was always him that was holding her back. And she was simply too kind to tell him that, typical sweet Kokoro...

"Okay... I'm starting to understand what you mean." Futoshi said quietly.

"That's a good thing." Ikuno understood, she really did. In fact, she felt it safe to say that right now that's all they had in common, the fact that they both had felt a strong need to protect someone they care about.

She could remember that day when she had been able to finally sync with her FRANXX and not feel afraid... it was all because she had wanted so badly to be there for Ichigo. Had it not been her own inadequacy at piloting, they wouldn't have gotten into that mess in the first place and she couldn't bear the thought that Ichigo and the others would suffer for that.

For the good of the squad, she had to own up to her own shortcomings. Now, she had to somehow get Futoshi to do the same in order to move on.

"The same goes for you, you know. Perhaps this is the best thing for the both of you?" Ikuno said patiently. The immediate look he gave screamed "How can you say that?!" so she had to be quick to elaborate.

"You just want to protect her, right?" He nodded his head slowly at her. "Well, there's nothing stopping you from continuing to do so with Chlorophytum. Because now you don't have to hold yourself back in the slightest, and I expect you not to because I am far from fragile. I trust in my abilities, and you should trust in yours. You can do whatever it takes to ensure not just her safety, but everyone else's on the squad as well."

Futoshi thought about it genuinely, his tears steadily easing and drying on his cheeks. This was the most Ikuno had ever spoken to him, and she was actually being nice to him all things considered... She was encouraging him, like Kokoro did...

"Chlorophytum also means 'protection' in the language of flowers... I think that's perfect for you, Futoshi."

She'd said that with such a beautiful smile, appearing like a ray of pure sunshine that had fallen from the sky... All Futoshi ever wanted was for Kokoro to keep smiling like that... and if being the squad's protector would contribute to that wish, he would gladly do so.

"Okay... Thanks, Ikuno." He said with a small smile, wiping his nose one more time. Ikuno graced him with a small one of her own, satisfied with the noticeable change in his demeanor.

"Sure thing. See you around." Seeing that there was nothing more that needed to be said, the purple-haired girl set off into the stacks on her own. Hopefully now he could find the strength to move on.

On the plus side, she felt this was a pretty good start to their new partnership. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad working with the big guy, after all.

Alone once more, Futoshi sighed and placed his chin in his hand, then went back to idly flipping through the pages in the cookbook in front of him.

Turning another page, Futoshi's eyes widened and he stopped to admire the image that took up most of the page on the left side. In it was a man who stood close to a woman, both with big smiles on their faces as they shared a piece of cake that the right page described how to make.

Futoshi stared in awe at the picture, never having seen such a happy look on someone before, and it was coming just from food! The cake itself looked so good; a beautifully white frosted cake with sliced strawberries neatly organized on top in a circular fashion.

His eyes wandered to the smiling lady in the picture, her blonde hair flowing around her shoulders and framing her soft features. If he could make something that delicious, would Kokoro smile at him like that...?

The book was designed to list the instructions of preparing most of the things seen in here, but this was the first time Futoshi was tempted to actually try...

"Flour... sugar... eggs..." He read aloud. All the ingredients listed sounded so simple, perhaps the kitchen had them in stock?

Quickly standing, he grabbed the book into his arms and sprinted out of the library. Hearing the rush of footsteps, Ikuno peered around the stacks she was looking through just in time to see Futoshi rushing out the door.

Shrugging her shoulders, she figured he had something important to do, and went back to searching for a book to read.

---

March 3 - 2137

Hiro sighed quietly as he stared out the window of the flight ship, his arms crossed in front of his chest in an attempt to help resist the urge to touch his Zero Two in some way.

It was not helping very much, which resulted in him resorting to lightly bouncing his knee up and down to further distract him. That also did little to quell the mix of his own desire to feel her soft skin against his and the need to comfort her from her own tense posture, but he managed to resist soomehow through sheer willpower.

Zero Two sat in the seat next to him, biting at her thumbnail again as a way of taking out her frustrations against the beings sat among the other seats on the flight. Thankfully they had gotten bored of trying to get a rise out of either of them about five minutes ago and were just settling for talking amongst themselves now.

The entire squad of the 9's were currently traveling a great distance towards their next big mission that they were to undertake; a large nest of Klaxosaurs that were guarding a precious hoard of magma energy. Not nearly as prized as the Gran Crevasse but still an incredible amount that Papa wanted for himself.

It set Hiro and his beloved both on edge, knowing they were being sent to destroy so many Klaxosaurs just to steal from them again... Steal a precious life force that was irreplacable, further injuring their own planet.

But they had no choice, if they didn't follow orders they would risk punishment and all their plans going forward would be ruined... So they bit their tongues and obeyed like good children.

Their ship needed to refuel, however, and they would soon be docking temporarily at Plantation 96; Amaranth. At the same time, while the ship got some maintenance done on it for the rest of the journey, the 9's felt the need to stretch their legs and observe the plantation.

Truth be told it was a refreshing break to take outside of the ship, as they had been traveling several days now. The horned couple was never fond of these long trips with the 9's, for more than the obvious reasons, since they rarely made any stops unless they were deemed important.

Even though APE consisted of pure Humans they were all immortal with the help of magma energy, therefore so long as they had something to do they were fine even with minimal sustenance. As a Hybrid, on the other hand, it was easy to get restless, especially when you had hightened senses like they did.

"Make sure not to wander too far now, Iota and Kappa." Alpha had told them in his usual patronizing style as they disembarked. "We're not lingering here for very long."

Hiro had waved him off without a word, guiding his other half along with him. Instead of remaining couped up inside thick walls they wanted to take the opportunity to get some fresh air. Well, as fresh as it can be in the bubble up top.

As usual, Hiro and Zero Two kept their distance from the Parasites who lived in the Bird Cage of this plantation. Merely observing them as they went about their every day lives, trying not to be overbearing with their stares as they did so. As usual, there was no sign of any of his close friends, but Hiro had grown accustomed to the feeling of disappointment by now.

The Parasites themselves seemed to be curious about their visitors, however they were intimidated by their status as best of the best among APE. Additionally, they gave the usual reaction to seeing the "unusual" features he and his beloved had... except for two of them.

Interestingly, there was one pair that didn't seem to react with immediate scrutiny... They actually appeared to be curious.

It was incredibly hard not to notice this, since everyone always held the same reaction to them; keep many yards of distance in between and never speak to them. This pair shockingly did the complete opposite... they approached them!

At first, Hiro was honestly suspicious of their intentions given the fact that they had never had anyone study them so closely...

"Excuse us." The boy spoke when they were a few feet away, keeping a respectable distance between them as to not breach any personal space.

Before them stood a pair of assumedly partners, given it was one boy and one girl. They stood relatively close to each other, not uncomfortably so but closer than members of the opposite sex usually did. It was just another surprise to add to the growing pile these two were starting to present.

The boy had short black hair similar to Hiro, but his was styled a bit more cleanly and swept to the left side as opposed to Hiro's tousled look, and he had expressive blue eyes. The girl had curly shoulder-length auburn hair and bright green eyes that held far more warmth than Alpha's ever had.

"Forgive me if this is being too forward..." The boy continued. "But are you by chance Code 016...?"

Hiro's brows rose up slightly in surprise at the question, as no other Parasite had ever addressed him as such in quite a long time.

"Yes, I am." Hiro said pleasantly as he turned to give them his full attention, Zero Two turning with him as she curiously looked over the two for herself.

With the codename of Kappa in the 9's, Hiro was genuinely curious how this one Parasite managed to recognize him.

"I thought so. Hello, Hiro..." Said boy's eyes widened at his name being called without giving it. Did he know him...?

"You probably don't remember me, but I'm one of the children who grew up with you in the Nursery all those years ago before you disappeared. You gave me the name Juro." The boy said with a bright smile.

Hiro gasped as he instantly recalled back to a time many years ago when he had been sharing his idea of a name to the other children. Some of them had thought it pointless, but so many had come asking for a name and it quickly became almost like a new game. Taking their code numbers and translating them into a name...

Contrary to what he thought, Hiro did indeed remember Juro; Code 106. While they weren't particularly close like Ichigo and Goro had been to him, he did remember Juro being an occassional playmate amongst them.

"Juro...! I can't believe you recognized me after all this time!" And all the changes I've gone through... He added silently with a chuckle as they shook hands. "It's great to see you doing well."

"Likewise, Hiro... A lot of us were so afraid after you were taken out of the Nursery, to see you're still alive is a miracle. Thank Papa." Juro said with relief.

Oh yeah, thank Papa, alright... The horned couple thought sarcastically with disdain, trying not to let it appear on their faces.

"Oh! We're being rude and leaving out the ladies." Juro laughed as he lightly smacked his forehead. He then gestured towards the girl standing patiently beside him. "This is my partner Code 305. She wasn't in the Nursery with us but she was very open to having a name, too, when we became partners."

"My name is Sango, pleasure to meet you both. I've heard so much about you, Hiro, I feel like I know you already." The girl said with a shy but pleasant smile.

This is certainly a first... Hiro was amazed that doing something as simple as giving others names could inspire at least one to spread it to more children. How many of the other children he named had possibly continued with this...?

"The pleasure genuinely is ours... This is my partner, Zero Two." Hiro introduced and the pinkette gave a small smile in response. She was still hesitant to engage as openly as her Darling, but she had a good feeling about these two. They seemed nice.

"Forgive us if we're a little taken aback..." Hiro admitted as he ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "We don't usually have children approaching us so..."

"Casually...?" Juro finished with a sympathetic look. He understood just by looking why that might be so, as if it weren't obvious.

"Yeah." The blue-horned boy chuckled. Sad as that was to admit, he didn't get the opportunity to socialize with children his own age apart from his beloved much anymore. And you could hardly consider the rest of the 9's an option...

"We would be lying if we said we hadn't heard the stories, and that they made you out to be... well, monsters." Sango confessed with a subtle glance at their horns. Remarkably, her expression did not shift to one of disgust like they had anticipated.

"But we have always chosen to withhold judgement until we witness something for ourselves. Then today, I knew the moment I saw you that it was you, and there's no way the Hiro I remember would ever turn into a monster."

Hiro was genuinely touched by that statement, and even Zero Two found herself moved at his words.

The two of them tried not to ever let those stories get to them, but the tales about their partnership were on the verge of being full-on myths at this point, it seemed. At one point they heard that they were being depicted as the Monster and the Beast Tamer, who left no survivors in their wake.

It was amazing how wild the imagination can be...

But these two were willing to look past the rumors, and accept them in spite of hearing them. There was something vastly different about these two from the average Parasite, they reminded him of his friends from his childhood. Juro and Sango were so kind, and while they expressed curiosity over their horns and bizarre eyes, they were not rude about it in any way.

Perhaps they were two among the group of random children who had been given less YBC injections, as the old man had told him, which would certainly explain their more accepting nature.

Hiro felt so bad for being suspicious of their motives for approaching them now, it turned out that his assumption was far more wrong than he could have imagined. Had being a part of APE seriously damaged his ability to trust that much...?

"Seeing you here now, I am starting to understand why they took you out. A member of such an elite squad... They must have seen something truly amazing in you." Juro added with admiration.

It was very hard to not outwardly cringe from the praise, since Hiro could not realistically blame Juro for the way he was. It's one thing to acknowledge that the other children were still blind to the truth, it was another to be presented with a real life example and not say anything.

This was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would be...

"I kinda meddled my way into this squad, if I'm being honest." Hiro said with a subtle glance at his partner, who snickered at his joke that only she was in on.

"Either way, it's quite the accomplishment, though to be fair we always knew you would go on to do great things. Even after you left, most of us kept up the strong belief that you were okay somewhere."

"I had no idea I'd worried so many others..." In truth he had only expected his close friends to be upset that he was gone, he had never stopped to think how much his presence had meant to the rest of the children.

"You were our guiding light in those days... don't be so surprised that you were missed."

Their guiding light...? Did the children of the Nursery really see him as such? All he had ever done was be himself, and for some reason all the adults praised him and the children flocked to him. What was it about him that was so... he hated to use this word... special?

"See, Darling? I told you that you'd find a friend from the Nursery eventually. Only took over a dozen plantations, but we did." Zero Two said with a smug grin as she nudged his shoulder with hers.

Hiro chuckled at her, "You were right."

"Darling...?" Sango parroted with a curious tilt of her head. "What is a Darling?"

"He's my Darling." Zero Two said simply while pointing at Hiro. His cheeks reddened some as both their eyes looked to him expectantly, since the pinkette's answer just made them all the more confused.

"It's her nickname for me." The blue-horned boy explained as he scratched his cheek.

"But what does it mean?" Sango asked, completely intrigued by the word now. It sounded very nice.

"It means he's special to me." Zero Two summarized, sparing Hiro the task of trying to explain it. The other girl seemed to mull over that in her head for a few moments, before a soft smile spread on her face.

"Then I guess... that means you're my Darling, Juro." Sango said matter of factly as she looked towards her partner. Suddenly she leaned her whole body against Juro's side, and the boy practically crumpled under her weight before he managed to ground himself and support them both.

"S-Sango...!" Juro exclaimed, his cheeks flushing bright red from her affections. It brought a surprised laugh out of the Hybrid couple.

So that's how their relationship was... it explained their closeness.

For over an hour they just sat around a fallen tree in the woods and talked. Juro and Hiro talked about their Nursery days and even shared what happened after they left - Hiro revealing what he felt was safe to.

Zero Two was awkwardly sitting by her Darling's side at first, but Sango had steadily coerced her into a conversation of their own about the wildflowers that were growing around them. That conversation segued into another about their shared love for flora, and it became much easier for the pinkette to engage from there.

Soon they were all talking as a group about simple things like their favorite hobbies, laughing and smiling all the while. It was possibly the most relaxed Hiro and Zero Two had felt in ages.

It was the first time in so long that they felt... normal.

Sure, they would never take each other's company for granted but there was just something so nice about spending time shooting the breeze with some other children their own age. People who had no agenda or form of authority over them, people they could just be themselves around.

People they could consider genuine friends.

It was a shame this peaceful time couldn't last forever...

Suddenly, the two with superior hearing heard a cacophany of footsteps from all sides, and they tensed up as not only the rest of the 9's but a whole group of APE soldiers armed with guns came swarming into their area. Instantly, Hiro and Zero Two's heart rate picked up and their stomachs were cold with fear as they first assumed the soldiers were there for them.

However, that immediately changed when their guns pointed directly at Juro and Sango. The two froze in place and didn't move as their wide eyes looked around at all the guards, just as baffled as the Hybrids as to why they were being apprehended like this.

"That's them." An adult in a gray uniform said, gesturing towards the children in question.

"What's happening...?" Juro asked, but neither the caretaker nor the masked men gave an answer. They only continued to stiffly aim their weapons at them.

Then the soldiers parted to allow a single person into the circle; Nine Alpha, looking like a cat who just cornered a couple of scared mice.

"Code 106 and 305. Your partnership has advanced too far beyond the professional limits we have set for all Parasites. By order of the 9's under Papa's law, you are both to be immediately subjected to re-indoctrination." Alpha told them with a cheery smile, looking as if he had just told them good news rather than the worst news of their lives.

"Re-in-... what?!" Juro gasped in outrage as he stepped protectively in front of his partner, who had her hands covering her gaping mouth.

Hiro paled at that phrase as he knew exactly what it entailed.

It nearly happened to himself and Zero Two several years ago when they had run away together into the snow-covered forest outside. Doctor Franxx had mentioned it briefly during his first conversation with him, but it wasn't til years later in his training that he found out the entire process that they would have undergone if Papa hadn't been convinced of his potential benefits.

The person going through re-indoctrination would be rendered unconscious and put under a visor that would scan their brain. Depending on what the adults wanted gone, certain memories would be snuffed into dormancy to the point they were nothing but white noise. Completely inaccessible to the mind.

Even if the subject had fleeting moments of deja vu or felt something was familiar, they would never remember why that was...

"Your caretakers have shown us all we need to see in order to pass judgement. It's a disgusting display, the way you have been conducting yourselves of late... It must be rectified immediately."

The horned couple were stunned. Their own caretakers had outed them to the 9's just based on suspicions from their observations of their actions... and Hiro and Zero Two had unknowingly sealed their fate with their visit.

"Good work, Iota and Kappa." Alpha praised with a smile over his shoulder. "Your way of investigation led to us being able to arrive at the appropriate conclusion to proceed with."

He had been spying on them, they realized... most likely through the many cameras around the Bird Cage. And through those same cameras they were able to see the "proof" the caretakers had captured and stored.

Juro and Sango's wide eyes snapped towards them, a mix of horror and betrayal on their faces from what Alpha had just said. It took so much effort to not give away anything. All of their strength to not move a single muscle in response. To act like they didn't care, to not give their leader the satisfaction... even at the cost of appearing cold to their friends.

It was not at all lost on them what Alpha was doing, and they detested him all the more... Once again he felt the need to stomp them back down in their place.

And to make it worse, now the only two people that had been kind to them were under the impression they had been faking it all along and there was nothing they could say or do to change that. All they could do was watch in silence, both of them feeling equal measures of discomfort and pity.

"But we haven't done anything wrong!" Juro pleaded as he lifted his hands up in the rogatory position.

"You're an ignorant fool if you think that is true!" Alpha snapped as his smile melted into a hard scowl. Juro and Sango flinched away from his scrutiny.

"Anyone who puts anything above Papa is nothing more than a traitor. Lucky for you he is willing to extend forgiveness and a second chance, you should be expressing gratitude."

The blonde snapped his fingers then, and the armed guards stepped forward to obey the unspoken command. They walked to Juro and Sango, who unconsciously grew closer from fear only to be forcefully separated and made to walk at gunpoint.

"But we haven't put anything above Papa! No, please! Sango!"

"Juro!" The curly-haired girl cried as she reached out for him, only to be body blocked by a taller guard which caused her to shrink back.

"Shut up and get moving." One of the guards said gruffly before shoving Juro to get him to move where he was supposed to.

Alpha let out a dramatically long sigh, raising his hands in a shrug.

"I don't understand some Humans... To be so attached to another person so dependently... it makes me sick."

His eyes turned on Hiro and Zero Two then, giving them the same impassive glare he gave the other two who had just been taken away.

"It's a lesson all children need a reminder of every now and then."

The two didn't say a word or move, just kept their furious eyes trained on the blonde who smirked in satisfaction, the rest of the 9's grinning and snickering in the background. Delta especially seemed to really be relishing in the obvious dig towards them, if her smug smile was anything to go by.

Hiro hated it with all his being but he couldn't deny that Alpha was right about the reminder... Zero Two's attachment to him was only tolerated by Papa because it kept her in line and obedient, that as well as the given fact he was the only pilot who could survive riding her.

But that didn't mean that they were immune to all the rules, valuable or not one wrong move on their part to give away their true relationship and they would end up suffering this same terrifying fate. They truly couldn't afford to take their privilidge for granted...

The 9's then left to go witness the procedure to the fullest, leaving Hiro and Zero Two alone in the woods. In a spot that they had been having a good time in not five minutes ago...

"Darling..." Zero Two whispered in a strained voice.

"I know." Hiro said back just as quietly.

It was becoming too much. They had to get away from there. Disappear from view. Right now.

They moved practically as one in a brisk pace, fists clenched tightly and a very subtle glow coming from their horns and eyes. So faint that only the other would probably notice it.

There was only one place they could go to get absolute privacy and feel safe. Their only other comrade in this terrible world...

Strelizia was deathly silent as they entered the area she was stored in and climbed up to her face plate, a vision of strength that the both of them needed so much right this minute. They sought shelter in her cockpit, the one place where they could be together and no one would bat an eye.

Alone and completely hidden now in darkness once the plate had resealed, the dam broke and they could no longer hold back.

Reaching for their other half they clung to each other hard as if their lives depended on it, and in a way it felt like it did. Tears soaked into his jacket but Hiro didn't care in the slightest as his own were starting to dampen parts of her head. Slowly they lowered to the floor of the cockpit, huddled as close as they could be next to the terminal.

"That could have been us once upon a time, Darling..." Zero Two sobbed into his chest, and he tightened his hold on her. Practically smothering her in his arms but she did not care, she needed that reassurance that he was here. With her.

"In another life, maybe. A much more cruel one..." Hiro whispered in a broken tone as he buried his face into her hair. She may not fully remember what was said that day, but he did... he could never forget the intense fear he felt from Franxx's cruel words.

"... under normal circumstances, by now you both would have had your memories of your time together warped to where you wouldn't have access to them, forgetting you ever met to begin with."

'Under normal circumstances'... How close they had come to having their minds warped like Franxx had said that first day, forgetting each other and what they meant to each other.

"Those poor people..." Zero Two whimpered, muffled by the skin of his neck.

All the ruby-horned girl could see was their faces - Juro and Sango's - full of dread and horror as they were pulled apart and told their partnership was a crime worth punishing... The way they looked huddled together as they were surrounded by guards...

It was almost a frightful recreation of when she and Darling were children. Surrounded by armed guards with nowhere to go, no way to fight...

They were the only people they had met who didn't treat them with an ounce of fear or disgust... the only ones who had seen past the horns and luminescent eyes and just talked to them like normal people.

And now it was almost like they were being punished for it. Punished for being... happy.

Punished with such a barbaric treatment that nobody deserved to go through, and Zero Two couldn't help but wonder one thing...

Just because the brain forgets, does that mean the heart does too...? Was there even a slim chance that they could retain their feelings for each other...?

She realized then that Darling was absolutely right... the regular children were victims just as much as they were.

But in many ways it was worse for them... they weren't able to keep their Darlings like she got to keep hers...

They stayed hidden within Strelizia - just taking solace in their beloved's presence - for as long as they possibly could before they were ordered via communicator to return to the mansion. It had been only several hours at this point since their new friends were taken.

Before departing the plantation, with their ship fueled and supplies maintained, the 9's made sure to bear witness to the end results of the re-indoctrination. Or more theoretically... Alpha's sick way to force the horned couple to see them. Why else call them back at that time specifically...?

Hiro and Zero Two watched in helpless silence and stone faces as the two Parasites they had known for only one day stepped out of the labs where it had taken place.

There was an immediate difference from just their appearance alone; whereas before they smiled and had personality practically shining through their eyes... now they appeared empty with expressionless faces. Their posture was ramrod straight and the way they walked was equally stiff.

"This is your partner from here on out." The adult in the gray APE uniform - this plantation's primary caregiver, the one who ratted them out to the 9's - explained as they turned to each other. "Take the time to get to know each other while we prepare the Capacity Test."

The boy and girl stepped a good arm's length away from each other and regarded one another with a casual sweep of their person. There wasn't the slightest bit of recognition in either of their faces.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Code 106." The boy said as he extended his hand to her.

"Mutual. I am Code 305." The girl responded as she reached up to grab his hand in a professional shake.

"I hope we'll be able to work together." 106 said, though there was little to no enthusiasm as he did. A saddening contrast to the warm way he had spoken to her just earlier that day.

Hiro and Zero Two watched with muted expressions on the outside as the two Parasites engaged with one another. Inside, however, they were absolutely downhearted.

They were all acting as if they were meeting for the first time all over again... which, in their warped minds, they were. They remembered nothing of all the experiences they had with each other up to now, nothing of the feelings they once possessed for the other...

A completely clean slate.

They looked like them... but they were no longer Juro and Sango as they knew them.

And to Hiro and Zero Two, it felt like it was all their fault... that maybe if they hadn't talked to them in such a friendly manner they wouldn't have been exposed... They could never know now, only live with the guilt.

Zero Two would later come to learn through her own digging that Code 106 and Code 305 - formerly known as Juro and Sango, respectively - would fail their next capacity trial and immediately be reassigned to new partners in separate plantations.

They never saw each other again.

It genuinely broke her heart...

---

In another, very sad and real alternate reality, they did lose their memories... and we all know how that timeline turned out. In this timeline, it is this new couple who suffers their tragic fate.

I am SUPER pleased with how this chapter turned out, it genuinely feels like I've got everything going quite smoothly now! The story is practically writing itself when I'm patient and let the ideas form, and it makes me thankful that I'm not rushing these chapters out. So I hope you understand why I'm taking my time with these and are patient with me.

So sorry to Futoshi but I couldn't find it in me to go through with that "promise" thing between him and Kokoro that the anime pulled, it felt like a cheap tactic to create drama in my opinion and I think the sole fact that she volunteered to switch partners was good enough. Futoshi gets judged poorly by so many people because he doesn't get any real growth in the anime like the others do, he feels like just a background character and I don't want that for the big guy. I hope I'm doing a decent job of adding to him while not taking away from his character.

Thank you all again for your astounding support and presence, I hope to see you next time. *Anime wink*