The morning sun was slowing prodded Ichigo awake. Her eyes flickered open to embrace the slowly lighting room around her. She really should try to go back to sleep. The defense of the plantations would probably take all night, and she should try to be as rested as possible. But alas, her body had decided to wake her up now, and she had never been very good at falling back to sleep. Jealousy, she looked over at Kokoro and Miku, who were still fast asleep in their beds. That least for today that would be a useful skill to have.

Sighing she got up. Might as well do something productive while I wait for the rest of the squad. She pulled open the drawer that delivered a fresh parasite uniform every morning. She put it on and made her way to the door. Pulling it open she walked down the hall towards the staircase. She stopped before descending. She could see the faint outlines of two pairs of wet footprints. Hiro had obviously returned to Zero Two's room with her. There wasn't a pair of return prints, however; which meant that Hiro was still with Zero Two. She gave an exasperated sigh. Zero Two's room was on the floor above the rest of the bedrooms so technically he wasn't in the girl's wing. However, boys and girls sleeping together was something that was disapproved of by Papa.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Right now she didn't have to heart to bust down Zero Two's door and extract Hiro from her room. She contented herself with making a mental note to remind Hiro of the rules.

She was still baffled by the behavior of Hiro and Zero Two. She had never seen or even heard of parasites behaving in the way that they did. What was it that they found so fascinating about each other, that they would spend every moment they could together.

Maybe there was something to be learned by observing their behavior. Hiro and Zero Two had the highest sync rate of the entire squad after all. She thought back to what she had seen in the magma mine. Strelizia had carved through the Klaxosaurs like butter and she had done it in seconds. If the whole squad could emulate that kind of effectiveness then maybe one day the war with the Klaxosaurs would be over. Maybe then she and her squad mates could serve more of a purpose than to fight.

As she was thinking of the mine she was reminded of another particular experience. That Klaxosaur with the eggs. It was the first time she had ever seen a Klaxosaur behave so strangely. She remembered its cry of agony that had somehow managed to pull at her emotions so deeply.

She had cut the egg because they were obviously of some value to the Klaxosaur. But why were they so important? Come to think of it. What is that type of egg? Ikuno had said they looked like eggs but she was interrupted before she could explain what this egg was. All Ichigo knew of eggs were that they were a delicious food source. However, she got the feeling that those Klaxosaur eggs, had somehow been more than mere food.

Well, there was only one place to go in Mistilteinn if you wanted answers. She made her way towards the library. She had never spent to much time in there but now she hoped that it contained the answers she needed. She pushed open the door and looked around. Nobody was there except her. She made her way over to one of the computers inlaid in the desk. She tapped the screen and it came alive. She looked through the icons until she found the one she was looking for. "Database." She tapped on it and a search bar came up. "Klaxosaur." She typed. An info screen appeared and she read through it carefully.

Klaxosaur:

Composition: Biomechanical

Additional info: Advanced specimens have been seen to use their bodies to regenerate or create smaller minions. Larger variants have been seen to transform their bodies to adapt to different circumstances.

Sustenance: Magma Energy

Origin: Unkown

Time fighting: Over a century

Motive: Unknown

Status: Hostile

Types: Innumerable

Addition information: Smaller variants are more common. List of named and identified Klaxosaurs classes: Conrad, Mohorovic, Gutenberg, Super Lehmann.

Super Lehmann: Plantation sized and exceedingly rare. Should not be engaged unless absolutely necessary.

That was kind of vague. She thought irritated. After over a century of fighting Klaxosaurs, this is all we have? She had already been taught this stuff back at the Garden. Why didn't the official plantation records have more than a training course? There had been no mention of eggs for even behavioral patterns outside of them being hostile. There's got to be more to it then whatever this is.

She back up to the search bar again and typed. "Eggs."

Eggs:

A food source that contains protein. Can be used in a variety of cooking situations. A common and reliable breakfast item.

"Oh come on." She said now thoroughly irritated.

Was this really all there is?

Let's try books. She backed up to the library search icon. "Eggs." She typed in. A small list of books popped up. The one that caught her eye was a biology book. She highlighted it and the computer told her where to find it on the self. Getting up she walked over to it and pulled it down from the shelf. Flipping through she found the passage she was looking for.

1:"Eggs" a term used to refer to a food item. Chicken eggs are commonly used in breakfast dishes."

2: A reproductive cell carried by the females of all species. Used in the production of offspring if united with the male cell known as sperm. Can be used as a method of delivery in certain species such as birds, reptiles, and fish. In female mammals is flushed out once a month in the form of blood from the female genitals.

Ichigo looked down at herself. Does that mean I have eggs inside of me!? She had been told that the blood that leaked out of her once a month was from the stress of piloting a FRANXX. She had also been told that the only reason that the girls and boys had different genitals was that they were necessary to pilot a FRANXX. But this book stated otherwise. Who was lying? Papa, or the book? She had been believing the teachings of Papa her whole life, but this was the first time she had ever questioned it. Why were Papa's teachings so vague?

Now she had more questions then when she had started. Not only had she not gotten an answer to what the things in the mine were. But now she needed to know what words like reproductive, offspring, and sperm meant.

Her mind was a mess of thoughts and unanswered questions. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"If somebody would come down with a convenient Encyclopedia that answers all this; I would be eternally grateful." She muttered.

"Argh." Distractions were the last thing I need today. The fate of two plantations rests on my ability to lead the squad. I need to concentrate on preparing my team instead of useless questions.

Useless questions were all she could think about at the moment, however. She gave herself a very hard smack. It hurt a lot, but it did what it was supposed to. Momentarily she was distracted from her questions. She took a deep breath. Wait until after the defense of the plantations. Then I can devote more effort into researching this.

Unconsciously she brushed some hairs from her face. They fell back to where the had been. She brushed it away again but it still fell back into place. She realized that she wasn't wearing the hair clip that she usually wore. Great, I'm already forgetting things and we haven't even had breakfast.

Goro came into the library a little while later.

"There you are. I've been looking for you." He said relieved.

"Why were you looking for me so early?" She said somewhat confused.

"It's not that early anymore. Everyone except you is in the living room. I didn't see you there and Miku said she hadn't seen you all morning."

Ichigo looked over at the clock and yelped. It was that late already! How long had she been in here for!?

Goro starting chuckling at the way she had yelped.

"It wasn't that funny." She said with pretend irritation.

"Yeah, it kind of was." He said smiling, but trying to contain his laughter.

"Hmph." She reached up to brush the hair out of her eyes.

Goro noticed that she wasn't wearing her hair clip. "Where's your hair clip?"

"Probably somewhere upstairs. I'll look for it whenever I find myself up there again." She said absentmindedly.

Goro hesitated before reaching into a pocket. "Well if you want, you can use this one." He held out a lime green hair clip.

"Oh! T-Thank you." She said a little surprised. "Where'd you get it?"

Goro blushed scarlet and said embarrassed. "I've always had it. I was going to give it to you as a present one year but Hiro beat me to the punch. But I guess since you're in need of one right now; there's no sense in holding on to it for any longer."

Ichigo's cheeks began to flush and she felt a strange tightening in her stomach. Goro had wanted to give her a present! Her heart began to race as she looked up into his handsome chestnut eyes. She didn't know why she felt so excited but somehow she felt instinctually drawn to him.

"Thank you, Goro." She said warmly with a slight blush.

"Your welcome. I'm just glad I got to give it to you." He said still slightly embarrassed.

She took it from his hand and inspected it. It was the exact same clip as the one Hiro had given her back at the Garden; except this one was lime green. Smiling she pulled her hair to the side and attached the clip. "How do I look?" She said shyly.

Goro stood stunned for a moment. He looked like he was having trouble forming a sentence. "B-Beautiful." He said stunned. "I am really glad the clip matches your eyes. I was so afraid that it wouldn't."

He seemed to snap out of his reverie with a cough. "Anyways, If you were wondering where the rest of the squad is, were in the living room."

She shook herself and got up to follow him. "I should probably join the others as well."

Two birds were nestled in a nest. Each comforted and empowered by each others presence. Each had one wing; together they made a pair. For now, they could only lean on each other to fly. But someday, maybe when the veil of forgetfulness was lifted, they could fly as one.

Hiro was sitting on his favorite couch aside Zero Two. The couch was just big enough to fit the two of them. Fortunately for him, that meant that they were nestled close together. If it had been anyone else he might have found it uncomfortable, but with Zero Two he didn't mind at all.

They had spent an exuberant amount of time together since they had met. They were like magnets that you simply couldn't tear apart no matter how much you tried. Part of him wondered why they were drawn to each other so strongly. Another part didn't give a damn, just as long as they could continue. Last night was a perfect example. The memory of her laughing face as he chased her through the rain would forever be implanted in his mind. As if that evening couldn't have gotten any more perfect, they had then slept in the same bed. He used to think that if two people tried to sleep in the same bed it would be uncomfortable since they would be constantly bumping into each other. His previous theory had one major flaw in it. It hadn't accounted for a Zero Two factor. The feeling of her warm body in his arms was something he was sorely going to miss. Waking up without a goddess in his arms was going to be tough but unfortunately, the bliss was going to have to stop.

The growth on his chest had gotten even bigger and when he was away from Zero Two it throbbed so painfully that he wanted to wince every time. It was weird how Zero Two seemed to be a salve for the growth. If he was close to her he didn't feel it, but as soon as he stepped away he felt it again. But he couldn't risk her finding out. If he couldn't explain what it was, it would defiantly scare her. The final and unfortunate nail in the coffin was Goro. Goro had given him a look this morning that told him that he knew exactly who he had been with last night and why. Hiro couldn't blame him either. He was fully aware that sleeping with Zero Two was an action that Papa might not entirely approve of. Sleeping together was something that was going to have to stop for the moment even if he didn't want it to. It was just to risky a maneuver to pull when it was breaking rules and exposing the growth on his chest.

Hiro slowly drifted back into the conversation that the rest of the squad was having.

"Do you think they'll be anymore Klaxosaurs than in yesterdays report?" Futoshi asked the group at large.

"I wouldn't be surprised. They've had more than enough time to amass more numbers since yesterdays briefing." Mitsuru replied with his uncaring tone.

"Let's hope not too many. Otherwise, Strelizia will have to bail us out again." Ikuno said dryly.

Kokoro's kind voice interject next. "Both of them really shone in that last battle. They're really impressive."

Hiro gave a slight blush of embarrassment. "You guys were the ones who did all the heavy lifting. I was just there for clean up; and even then Zero Two the one who did all the work."

Zero Two began to interject but Zorome already had a comment going before she spoke. "Yeah, and don't you forget it. You don't want to get too cocky and then get left behind."

Hiro took a deep breath. Maybe now that he had what he wanted he should try to extend an olive branch to Zorome. He got up and began walking towards Zorome. "I'll try my best not to be a burden. Hey, and since I'm still new to this maybe you wouldn't mind showing me the ropes sometime?" He held out his hand.

"O-Okay…" Zorome smiled and shook his hand. "All right fine! We'll get you up to speed in no time don't you worry."

Zorome's partner Miku made a poking comment and they started arguing. The atmosphere in the room brightened as everyone began laughing at their fight. Hiro returned to his seat with Zero Two. They didn't say anything they just sat and watched the two partners fight.

Goro had left a few minutes ago but now he returned with Ichigo. Ichigo's usual white hair clip was replaced with a lime green one. Hiro kind of liked this new one, because it matched her eyes. He suspected that Goro had given it to her as a present; maybe as a way to strengthen their bond. That was a wonderful idea! He should get Zero Two a present. But what should he give her? Now that he thought about it he didn't know what she liked outside of honey and candy. But getting her more of that would kind of be a waste seeing how she always had a steady supply of both. Hmm… He was going to need to do some observing in order to find out what he should get her.

Ichigo gave a loud cough and the room silenced immediately. She took a deep breath and began to speak. "I would just like to thank everybody in advance for participating in the defense of the plantations today. Even though we are the backup, we are the last line of defense against the Klaxosaurs. So, even though we might not get the most glorious job, we will serve as the shield that protects humanity from destruction. I hope that you are all aware that there is no other squad I would rather be a part of, than this one."

Cheers of approval rang around the room. Everyone was invigorated with new energy to do their best in the defense of the plantations. This was the day that they would prove to Papa and everyone else that they were just as capable as any other squad.

This would be his third ride with Zero Two. Today he was going to prove all the rumors about her false. Today was the day that he would begin to truly fly with his true partner.

He gazed at his new parasite suit. The suit was such a rich shade of navy blue that seemed like he could be lost in its depths forever. The suit had crimson red ascents that seemed to gleam like rubies. Excitedly he noted that they looked to be the same shade of red as Zero Two's horns. The part that he thought was interesting was the gold colored strips that ran down the center line of each section of the suit. He slowly began to pull it on. Suddenly the growth on his chest throbbed painfully. He bit his tongue to keep from crying out. His new canines bit painfully into his tongue but it had stopped him from screaming. He realized in horror that if any of the other boys look over at him, they would see the growth. Quickly he pulled the rest of the suit on. He could still see the throbbing growth beneath the skin-tight suit. He hoped that the chest padding would cover the growth. Thankfully it did. Now all he had to do was keep from groaning in pain. The throbbing had gotten a thousand times worse than yesterday. He felt like he was being stabbed over and over again.

"Whats with the new suit?" Goro asked interrupting him from his thoughts.

"The doctor wanted Zero Two and I to test them." He explained gritting his teeth to keep from groaning. "They're supposed to let us connect better, but it doesn't feel any different so…?" He gave a little shrug and spread his hands. He smiled. "I guess I'll tell you if they work after the mission."

Hiro turned to leave when Goro called to him. "Good luck! Don't get to lost in her though. It would be a pain to try to find you again."

He laughed. "I'll try not to!" He called back. Good luck on the ground."

The door slide open and he stepped out. He walked down the hall towards the launch bay the growth still pulsating painfully on his chest.

"If this gets any worse I'm going to be in trouble." He thought.

Zero Two as standing by their FRANXX Strelizia. He took a deep breath and removed all signs that he was in pain from his face. "You ready Zero Two?" He called cheerfully.

She turned towards him with her hands on her hips. "Yep. Let's kill some Klaxosaurs."

He gazed at her. She was gorgeous! The suit hugged her figure and exposed her beautiful body. If somebody asked him for the definition of perfection he would have pointed to her. Damn, she's beautiful! He would be lying if he said that he wasn't turned on by her. When he was staring at perfection he couldn't help but be stimulated. There was a tightening in his crotch as he became more and more excited. What is this feeling? No other girl had ever managed to arouse such feeling in him.

She jumped down and ran over to him. This was not helping his current predicament. If this kept going he could find himself in a very embarrassing situation."Look, Darling, our suits are complete opposites of each other." She said cheerfully.

Her suit was had the exact opposite coloration from his. It was the same beautiful shade of crimson red that her horns were, and the navy blue accents were the same color as his suit. She also had golden strips running along her body which were In the exact same places as his.

"Opposite, but equal." He said affectionately. They smiled at each other, each glad of the other's presence. He could still feel the throbbing from his chest but it seemed to have calmed down.

"Alright everybody, let's get going!" Ichigo called.

He gave a jerk. He had been so lost in the moment that he hadn't realized that everyone else had already filed in.

"Come on Zero Two, let's get going." He whispered.

They boarded Strelizia and took their seats. "Let's see if these suits do what they're supposed to." He said with a small chuckle.

"I'm sure they will." She replied. "If not we didn't need them anyway."

The controls deployed from her legs and the display came alive waiting for him. He reached out and he felt her comforting presence rush into him. They golden strips on the suits lit up and he felt a very strong sensations crash into him. He could almost feel Strelizia around him. Experimentally he flexed her fingers. Instead of him getting the feeling that it was just happening he felt almost as if he was actually going it.

"Wow!" He gasped. "This is incredible. Zero Two are you feeling this?"

Strelizia spoke back to him. "Yeah! When you touch the controls I feel as though I'm with you going it."

"Do you think it works." He said joking.

"Yeah, I'd say it does," Strelizia replied giggling.

He reached over and turned on the comms to initiate mode. Initiate mode allowed him to hear what the rest of the squad was saying but unless he pressed a button on the controls they couldn't hear what he was saying. He liked having the ability to talking with Zero Two without the rest of the squad hearing their conversation.

Luckily he had turned the comms on just in time because Ichigo began calling a moment later.

"Everyone report in."

"Strelizia is ready." He called.

"Argentea will show the rest of you how it's done!" Zorome called.

There was silence as Genista and Chlorophytum failed to report in.

"Are you two alright? Whats going on?" Ichigo called.

"Sorry, we got a late start," Chlorophytum called. We're ready to go when you are."

There were another few long moments before Genista called in a somewhat strained voice. " Were ready. Sorry for being late."

Hiro refocused his attention back on Strelizia. "I'm glad we don't have problems like that." He said to her. Zero Two responded by sending a wave of warm energy to him.

Suddenly the pain on his chest become agonizing. He quickly closed his mind to Zero Two so she wouldn't feel anything.

Zero Two had noticed something was wrong, however. "Darling, are you okay? I felt like I lost you for a minute."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said hiding his pain. "Let's get out there show everybody what we can do."

"Alright squad, move out!" Ichigo called.

She and Goro lead the squad out of the hanger and towards the battle zone. The sky was quickly darkening as the sun finished its path through the sky. The plantations' lights shown creating a ring of illumination around their perimeter. Squad 13 sped towards their defense line; just outside the ring light. Squad 26 was moving farther head taking their position in the vanguard.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms. "I have updated info on the Klaxosaurs. Aside from the Conrad-class pack, we've also detected a large cube-shaped unit. We don't have any info regarding this Klaxosaur. So we have codenamed it Target Beta. For now, prioritize the Conrad-class pack in the front. You will be informed when to switch targets. We are giving Code 090 field command; all units follow his orders."

"Roger." Code 090 called. "All units assume your positions."

"Were breaking off for the pipe! Good luck Squad 13!" Hiro called.

"You too Hiro. Stay safe." Goro called back.

"Your first lesson is to sit back and watch!" Zorome called laughing.

"Will do. I'll watch your every move." Hiro laughed back.

"Cut the chatter Squad 13. Call in, when you're in position."

Squad 13 slowed to a halt at their assigned position. Delphinium started calling squad orders. "Chlorophytum and Genista, I want you two on the flanks providing cover fire when necessary."

"You got it Ichigo," Chlorophytum called.

"Nothing will get past us. Right, Kokoro!" Futoshi said jovially.

"Yeah, sure thing," Kokoro said kindly but sounding a little strained.

Satisfied, Delphinium called her next order. "Argentea stay with me. We'll clean up anything that tries to cross our line."

"Don't worry about it," Miku called.

"Code 090 were in position," Delphinium called.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms. "Very good. All teams you are clear to engage.

Ichigo watched as the first wave of Klaxosaurs approached Squad 26's position. The FRANXXs of Squad 26 started forward Magma pole-arms at the ready. The squad moved in perfect unison. Four of them shot their pole-arms and tangled a Klaxosaur. Meanwhile, the fifth made a diving stab from the air, bursting the Klaxosaur into a cloud of blue. They repeated this action on five other Klaxosaurs. The method was slow but effective and they had only left four for Squad 13 to deal with.

"So much for being an elite squad, when you have to have other people finish your job." Zorome sneered.

"Hey give them a break. If it was us we would have let a lot more through." Mitsuru said.

"Speak for yourself! I'll show you how it's done!" Zorome exclaimed.

Argentea dashed forward towards one of the Klaxosaurs eager for a kill. Chlorophytum shots flew only feet in front of her and smashed into the Klaxosaur.

"Hey, that one was mine!" Zorome yelled.

"Snooze you lose," Mitsuru said back.

"Cut the bickering you two and focus on the objective!" Delphinium shouted.

Delphinium dashed towards her target. Before they got to within striking distance, Ichigo had an idea. "Goro, I wanna test something. Try cutting a leg off the Klaxosaur. I want to see if it will leave once it's been wounded.

She could sense Goro's confusion and hoped that he would comply. "O-Okay, if you're sure."

Delphinium swung one of her spears at the Klaxosaur's leg. The Klaxosaur gave a howl of pain as its leg sheered off. She skidded to a halt and turned to watch the Klaxosaur hoping that her theory had been correct. It had. The Klaxosaur picked itself up from where it had fallen and began to limp as fast as it could away from the plantations.

"Wow! I didn't think it would do that!" Goro shouted in surprise.

The behavior of the Klaxosaur went completely against anything that they had been taught to believe. They had been told that Klaxosaurs were mindless killing machines that would throw themselves again and again at their target, just to cause as much damage as possible. But this incident, in conjunction with the one from the mine was painting a different picture for Ichigo. Argh, who was she supposed to believe? The knowledge that had supposedly been gathered over a century; or what she was observing herself. Maybe these were just one off occasions that were outside the norm. Or maybe they were being lied to? But why would Papa do that? He was the leader of humanity; why would he need to lie?

"Wave one has been dispersed. Wave two approaching." Hachi called.

Hiro and Zero Two had disconnected when the got to their position on top of the pipe. The growth on his chest was excruciating, and he was having to fight to keep in control. Zero Two was standing on the faceplate of the deactivated FRANXX; looking over the fighting squads far below. Luckily he had brought his communicator, so he was able to make it look like he was reading something. He wanted nothing more then to sit with her on that faceplate but if he did she would see. His arms were covered in his thick bulging veins as scorching hot blood coursed through them. He was fighting to stay in control but he didn't know how much longer he could fight the pain.

"Darling!" Zero Two said cheerfully. "I wanna join in the fight; its boring up here!"

He smiled and did his best to hide his pain. He was very fortunate that the cockpit lights were off. Because if they weren't then she would have defiantly seen the veins on his arms.

"Well if that's what you want to do, then let's go." He said coolly.

She gave a giggle of joy and bounded forward to her seat. The controls deployed from her legs and she waited eagerly for his connection. Clearly, she wanted to fly with him and sitting up here wasn't getting her that enjoyment. He grabbed the controls but unfortunately, he had to close his mind to her. He could feel her disappointment as their sync rates crawled to the bare minimum. I'm sorry Zero Two. If only I didn't have this growth; then we could fly as fast and as far as you want.

They sped down from the pipe screaming above the ground as they charged towards the Klaxosaurs. Strelizia threw her spear and it pierced through a line of ten Klaxosaurs; creating explosions of blue as it passed through them all. Hiro could feel the veins on his neck budging as scorching hot blood shot through them. He began grunting trying to contain the agony that was coursing through his body. Strelizia faltered and began to stagger as one of its pilots was struggling to maintain control.

"Darling whats wrong!" Zero Two called in alarm. Her voice sounded as though it was coming from a very long tunnel.

"Nothing!" He called back.

"Darling, I can tell your lying! Whats wrong!" She called again with a slight bit of panic entering her voice.

He took a deep breath and he latched onto her presence with the only part of him that wasn't in agony. "Really it's nothing! Let's finish the mission!"

Strelizia roared back to life.

Code 090 angry voice sounded over the comms. "Strelizia! What are you doing out of position!?"

Hiro gave an angry roll of the eye. Who did this cunt think he was ordering Zero Two around after what he had pulled yesterday. "Just helping my squad!" He called back just barely managing to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Well that not your job! Get back to the pipe!"

"My leader is Ichigo! I don't take orders from you!" He said as his blood surged painfully in his veins.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms before Code 090 could reply. "Target Beta has breached the final line of defense. Squad 26 intercept the target. Squad 13 proceed as back up if needed."

"Roger. Squad 26 with me!" Code 090 called. Squad 26 sped off towards the massive Klaxosaur. They began to circle their target, pole-arms at the ready. The tips of the pole-arms shot forward and began to tangle the massive cube.

"Energize cables!" Code 090 called. The cables surge with energy and the massive cube shrieked to a halt. "Good! Now Again!" Again a surge of energy enveloped the cube.

Suddenly a loud screech irrupted across the battlefield. It was so deafening that Hiro was forced to cover his ears to keep from losing his hearing. The comms came alive as everybody tried to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly the cube burst open, and Squad 26 was sent flying into the air. His horror mounted as a gigantic humanoid blob stepped out from were the cube had been. It roared and began to take gargantuan steps towards the plantations.

Hachi's voice sounded over the comms. "That's a Gutenberg-class! Squad 13, deal with the target."

"How are we supposed to do that!" Argentea called.

"There's no way we can take down something that big!" Futoshi yelled in fear.

Hiro tightened his grip on the controls. Strelizia was defiantly going to be needed to take down this monstrosity. Strelizia surged forward! Suddenly the pain in his chest magnified to a degree far stronger than anything he had felt before. He was struggling to maintain consciousness and the vision had reduced to a very small tunnel. He could faintly hear Zero Two's voice in the back of his mind. He latched onto it and called "I'm fine! Let's take this thing down!"

He could now feel every one of his veins, each of them surging with scolding hot blood. The agony was so intense that he felt like he was about to burst into flames. He tried his best to keep Zero Two obvious to his pain, but obviously, some of it was leaking through.

He could hear her frantic yelling. "Darling! Talk to me! Whats going on!?"

Ichigo's voice sounded over the comms. "Keep calm everybody! Strelizia take to the sky and wait for an opening! The rest of you lets try and trip it up!"

Zero Two began to respond with a frantic cry; when Hiro cut her off. "Got it! You create that opening and we'll take advantage of it!"

He pulled on the controls and Strelizia began to climb into the air. It was slower than their usual ascent. Zero Two was clearly overwhelmed and in panic mode. Right now he was taking advantage of her indecision and was almost forcefully piloting Strelizia. He hated doing this to her. But if the Klaxosaur destroyed Plantation 13, then they would have no place to go, and then she and everyone else would die! He would not let that happen to her! Even if it meant his own life; he would keep Zero Two alive!

The Klaxosaur fell backward and crashed to the ground as Squad 13 worked their magic. The Klaxosaur was forced to exposed its vulnerable chest as it struggled on its back.

"Hiro now!" Goro called.

Hiro flipped Strelizia around and then dived towards the Klaxosaur. Strelizia's golden spear flashed brilliantly as it surged with magma energy. The air was rushing faster and faster as they screamed towards their target. Strelizia struck the Klaxosaur with earth-shattering force and the tip began to pierce the Klaxosaur's hide.

Strelizia was only flying with one wing however since its pair was mentally overwhelmed. Unfortunately, this meant that the blow had lacked the power it needed to achieve its goal. The Klaxosaur body buckled but held.

Hiro collapsed forward had hit the floor of Strelizia's cockpit. He began writhing in agony as his body made a vain attempt to fight off the fire that was his blood. The cockpit surged red.

[Stamped mode activated]

[Stamped mode activated]

[Stamped mode activated]

Strelizia was smashed and sent flying as something hit her with colossal force. Their flight suddenly stopped as Strelizia hit something and embedded itself it the surface. Hiro struggled to open his eyes. Through the cockpit screens he could see the sides of both plantations, and judging by their upright position, they had probably been flung into the magma transport pipe.

Something massive smashed into Strelizia. Again and Again and Again and Again.

Hiro desperately reached for Zero Two. He needed her! She needed him! I want to fly with you! His hand fell, as he was finally forced to succumb to pain. His eyes closed and he fell into the pit of oblivion.

It's cold. Were's Zero Two? Is this death? Why am I here? Well if this is death then Zero Two needs to stay away for as long as possible. She can't fly on her own though. I sure there's somebody who will take care of her. That burry boy image from the mine; maybe he'll take care of her? Can I contact him and tell him that Zero Two needs him. He reached out! Nothing. It all circled back to him. Was Zero Two really all alone? Can I go back? She'll need my wing if she's really all alone. But how? How do I go back? He shivered. It was extremely cold. Wait! Death's not cold. If I'm dead then how can I feel anything? He opened his eyes. He was lying face down in the snow.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was sitting in a forest blanketed in a thick layer of snow. He looked around until he spotted a massive tree. He followed its trunk with his eye until he came to its base. A red, pink, and black shape was sitting at the base. He stood up and began to trudge his way over to it. The figure appeared to be a little girl with a book clutched in her hands. He approached closer trying to observe without disturbing her.

Her head shot up. She stared at him for a long moment. She seemed disbelieving but overjoyed at the same time. The little figure dash over to him; her book still clutched tightly in her hand. She collided with his leg and wrapped her arms around it.

The little girl was wearing a black tattered robe with only her head, hands, and feet visible. Her skin was blood red, and she had long cherry blossom pink hair. The thing that really got his attention though were the crimson red horns sticking up several inches above her head.

He gently separated her from his leg and bent down to greet her. "Hello, little one. Whats your name?" He asked kindly.

She didn't answer but instead looked at him with her big green tear-filled eyes. This girl seemed so familiar but he couldn't quite place why. Where had he seen this girl? He thought back over the past several days. There had been a handful of very odd moments; and the more and more he thought about it this girl seemed to be a the center of them all. His gaze shifted to her horns. Odd. The only person I know with horns is Zero Two. But Zero Two's horns are a lot smaller, and she has pink skin like everyone else. The girl blink at him. Her eyes were very pretty and also very familiar. They looked a lot like Zero Two's eyes; with the only exception being that Zero Two had red markings under hers.

The girl suddenly gripped her book with her hands and shoved it towards him. She made a noise that she wanted him to take it, and made the gesture again.

"You want me to see it?" He asked.

She shoved it towards him again.

He reached out his hands and gently took the book from her. "Thank you."

He flipped the book so he could read the title. "The Beast and the Prince." He read allowed.

"Do you want me to read it to you?" He asked looking up.

The girl was running away from him and began to disappear behind the tree.

"Hey! Wait! You left your book with me!" He stood up and began to run after her. It took a surprising amount of effort to trudge through the snow. How had the girl covered this distance so quickly? He hadn't been distracted for that long.

He finally got to the tree and began to run around its massive girth. When he made it to the other side he stopped to take a breath. He looked around trying to see if he could spot the little girl.

"Die! Die! Die!" Screaming filled the air. Somebody was screaming with pure hatred and rage.

He looked around again and spotted Zero Two standing in a clearing with her back to him.

"Zero Two!" He cried.

She didn't seem to hear him and stood with her back to him. Frantically he ran up to her. "Zero Two, are you alright!"

He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. Abruptly he left the snowy forest and seemed to be sucked back into Strelizia.

The agony was back. He was on fire. Painfully he opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him was horrifying. Zero Two was panting heavily, each explosion of air sounding as if it contained a mountain of rage and pain. Her eyes were glowing with red-hot fury. She clawed at the cockpit screens, her hands racking the air like some sort of animal.

She began screaming her voice sounding as though all the pain in the world was being funneled into her. That amount of sorrow, hatred, grief, and self-loathing was terrifying to behold. Tears were streaming down her face as she continued to claw in desperation. The cockpit shock and she reeled in pain blue blood flying from her mouth as she yelled.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME! DIE YOU MONSTER! DIE! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I'LL KILL EVERYONE OF YOU FOR TAKING MY DARLING AWAY FROM ME! GIVE HIM BACK! GIVE HIM BACK YOU MONSTER! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

He lay there watching her. No Zero Two, don't do this! Please, you'll die! I've got to do something! Zero Two is dying and I'm just laying here like a COWARD! Zero Two was everything to him. Before her he had been powerless; his inability to pilot or be of any use at all left him weak and afraid. His mind was nothing more than empty room for him to huddle in. But she had changed all that. She had broken the walls that kept him incased; and showed him that there was more to the world than just one room. Now she needed him! This is where he proved to everybody that Zero Two wasn't a monster. It was time for her to stop flying alone. From now on we fly together! I may only have one wing. But if it can help her fly then I'll give it to her as many times as she wants!

The veins all over his body retreated and he felt the growth sink into his chest. His vision cleared and everything seemed to come into sharper focus. His heart beat with new vigor and a wave of power surged through his veins.

Zero Two arched back and let out a bloodcurdling scream; her face contorting in a thousand layers of rage and pain.

He leaped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her to his chest and reached up to wipe her expression of pain off her face. Never again would he allow her to ever experience such agony.

Her body insanely slackened and she choked out. "Dar…ling?"

He hugged her to him as he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry Zero Two. I know I must have scared you. I promise I'll never leave you again." He nuzzled his head affectionally against her. "I'm your partner. You'll never have to fly alone ever again. You'll always have my wing. And no matter how far we have to fly, from now on we will always do it together."

[STRELIZIA ACTIVATED]

[STRELIZIA ACTIVATED]

[STRELIZIA ACTIVATED]

Strelizia transformed once again from its beast form into the iron maiden. The Klaxosaur smashed forward but was greeted by Strelizia's spear. The spear drove deep into the Klaxosaur and held. She twisted and the Klaxosaur's body contorted and spun in the air. Strelizia threw her victim and the Klaxosaur flew and crashed to the ground. It recovered quickly and transformed back into its gargantuan humanoid form.

It should have stayed as the contorted mess. Strelizia shot forward with a blindly flash of light! She punched a hole straight through Klaxosaur and took its core with her. Strelizia's victim exploded in a colossal cloud of blue blood; which fell like rain, coating the battlefield in droplets of sapphires.

The sun was slowly climbing over the hills and Strelizia flew off to greet it. The morning sun sparkled off Strelizia as its rejuvenating rays warmed her body. The plantations were quickly turning into dots on the horizon as she soared farther and farther away.

"Hiro! Hiro where are you?" Somebody called over the comms.

Nobody answered. Strelizia flew in bliss for a few more precious minutes before slowly making a loop back to the plantations.

Strelizia landed in front of a stunned Squad 13. Everybody was already disembarked and gathered staring at Strelizia. She cast her gaze around to take in where she had landed. Squad 26 was being recovered from around the battlefield. Some of them were on stretchers and their FRANXX had taken a serious beating, but aside from that, they were fine.

Strelizia deactivated as Hiro gently separated himself from Zero Two. Zero Two had taken quite a beating; blue blood was dripping from her mouth and she looked exhausted. Gently he brushed the hair out of her eyes and wiped the blood from her mouth. Her eyes found his and she looked as though she hoped that what she was seeing wasn't a dream.

"D-Dar…ling?" She choked.

"Hey." He chuckled.

"Your not a dream?" She asked hopefully.

"Not yet anyway." He jested. "Come on let's get you up. You look as though you could use some medical attention."

Suddenly she gripped him with surprising force and pure fear was written all over her face. "D-Don't leave me all alone in there!" Her voice was faint but he could hear how afraid she was.

"If you want me there, then a will stay by your side as long as you need." He said quickly, trying to sooth her sudden panic.

She tried to speak but her voice caught in her throat.

"Shh, you don't need to say a word. Besides what kind of partner would I be if I just abandoned you?" He gave her a smile.

She stared at him for another moment before finally letting go. Slowly, he reached an arm around her and hoisted her up. Gingerly placing her left arm around his shoulder they began to limp out of Strelizia's cockpit. Blinking rapidly to adjusted to the morning sun they emerged to the outside world.

Ichigo called up from the ground. "Hey! Are you guys alright!?"

"I'm fine, but Zero Two needs some medical attention." He called back.

Just then a lift arrived at Strelizia's faceplate. He walked them forward and held on to Zero Two as tightly as he could. The lift gave a jolt and they began to descend.

"Are you alright?" He whispered to Zero Two.

She nodded and leaned more of her weight on him.

When they disembarked Dr. Franxx was waiting for them. "Nice work you two."

Hiro ignored the praise and said. "Zero Two needs medical attention. I would like to get her to the medical bay as soon as possible."

The Doctor's gaze shifted to her and he looked her up and down. "Just take her back to Mistilteinn and she'll be fine. A little rest and she'll be up and about in no time."

"B-But." Hiro protested feebly.

The doctor gave him a kind smile. "Trust me she'll be fine. The best thing you can do is make her comfortable and let her sleep. Her body will take care of the rest."

The doctor turned and gestured towards the transports that gathered around the FRANXXs. "Have one of the transports take you back." He turned and began to walk away before stopping and added almost as an afterthought. "Oh and don't worry about the FRANXXs they'll be transported back to the plantation soon after the rest of you."

"T-Thank you, Sir."

"Just continue to fulfill your assignment and will be just fine." The doctor said continuing to walk away.

Hiro started off towards the transports still supporting Zero Two. Ichigo and Goro were talking to the rest of the squad; probably to keep them from rushing over. He appreciated what they were doing for him. Questions were the last thing he wanted to answer right now and Zero Two needed his full attention.

When they arrived at the transport he told the pilot where he wanted to go. Gently he guided Zero Two into a seat before stepped in himself. The transport gave a jolt and began to move off back to the plantation. Zero Two leaned her head against his shoulder and he gently snuck his hand into hers. The two bird comforted each other as they sped off. Back to the plantation. Back to the nest.

Nine Alpha sat with Nine Beta and Nine Gamma. His greasy yellow blond hair ruffled as the morning wind blew.

"Well, Well, Well. Its seems like Nine Iota has found a new plaything." He said sneering. He pulled out his communicator. "Papa I have an update on the current situation."

Papa voice sounded back. "Very good."

"Nine Iota has seemed to have found an intriguing new play toy."

"You mean Doctor Franxx's new pet project?" Papa asked. Although Nine Alpha could tell that Papa knew full well who he was talking about.

"The very same. Should we intervene, and bring Iota back to the Nines?" He asked casually.

"Leave her with him for now. I would like to see why the doctor suddenly decided to combine these two."

"Of course Papa! It will be as you command."

"Good. Now its time the Nines return to the front lines."

"Right away! Oh, benevolent one!"

The communication ended and Alpha looked back at his squad mate. "Enjoy your new toy Iota. Try not to kill this one too quickly."

Authors Note:

Thank you for reading Chapter 5: We Fly Together of The Jian Bird.

If you have any questions or feedback let me know. I would like to extend a thank you to anyone who points out grammar or writing mistakes in these chapters. English has never been my strongest suit, and when scanning through an average of over 7,000 words, I tend to miss a few mistakes.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Jian Bird: Alone