Dr. Franxx walked into the control center of Plantation 13, glowing displays and holograms filling the whole room with an orange glow.

"Sir!" The plantation administrators saluted.

"At ease." He said taking a seat at a glass screen conference table. "I have some things I would like to discuss."

Both of them crossed the room and took seats across from him, each of them accessing any information they might need through the tables display surface.

"So Hachi." He said, after giving the administrators a few moments to set up. "Anything to report?"

"Yes," Hachi said, concern evident in his voice. "Do you see the reports of Papa's magma cannon?"

"Yeah, I did. A terrifying weapon to be sure." He commented.

"Shouldn't we be concerned about that?" Hachi asked sounding confused.

"I would be if it hadn't exploded." He answered.

"I'm sorry I didn't see those reports. I'll do better from now on." Hachi said sounding ashamed of himself for not reading those reports.

"Don't worry about it Hachi." He said waving his hand. "The only reason I know about its malfunction is that Papa contacted me looking for advice." He snorted. "Like I'd have any idea how to fix it when he didn't bother to share that he was building it in the first place."

"Oh…" Hachi said sounding relieved. "Well… The only other thing I've got is that the Garden has cleared us to top off our fuel when we get there."

"Good. Remember what I said about keeping APE off the plantation."

"Of course, Sir," Hachi said nodding.

He turned to Nana. "Nana, are you all ready for today?"

"Yes." She said nodding. "I've been practicing how to tell the girls how to use their new fertility pads, and the presents are already up in Mistleteinn as well."

He nodded. "Alright, well I have an idea I would like to implement, but I can't do it without you guys."

"We're on board Sir, just tell us what you need us to do." They both answered.

He smiled. "Well… I need your guy's help in turning Plantation 13's city into a massive garden."

They both looked at him stunned. "H-How do we do that?"

"I'm still thinking about it." He said. "But I believe it is vitally important to humanities survival after this is all over."

"What are we going to go about the city, and all the adults?" Nana asked after a few moments.

"Well in order to bring nutrients back into any soil we might bring in, we're going to need to reintroduce the magma energy." He gave her a meaningful look. "Trust me… I thought long and hard about this, but the adults are too far gone. There's no way to reintroduce them back into humanity." He sighed. "The best we can do for them is make them useful to humanities future, and have their souls take solace in that fact."

Nana gulped. "H-How would we extract the energy?"

"The same way we put it in," Hachi answered after a moments thought. "If we can them give them energy one way, then theoretically we can take it out the same way."

"Good thinking." He said nodding at Hachi in approval.

"Hmm… But where are we going to get all the seeds required for this? The Earth is barren." Nana asked.

"Give me a minute," Hachi said, tapping on the conference table to open a display. "Got it. Papa's great seed vault."

Nana leaned over and stared at the display. "Why's it so unguarded?"

He chimed in. "It was built more as a political stunt when Papa was gaining power. There was a group of activist who was hesitant to bored the plantations without some sort of reassurance that they could one day get off and re-plant the world. So Papa built it and put all the remaining seeds left in the world in the vault as a grand declaration that; he was for the people and he would do anything to make sure humanity could prosper in the future." He snorted. "Of course as soon as everybody was on the plantations and under his control, he had all the guards posted there leave and go somewhere else. To him, it served its purpose as a political pawn, but now that he doesn't need it, its a useless creation."

Nana grimaced. "Still… This vault is super far away…. It'll take us at least a month if not more at cruising speed to get there from the Garden. That's not to mention any distraction that may or may not divert our attention from our course."

Hachi grimaced as well. "If we really are going to be tearing down the city and build a garden in its place, we are going to need to slow down. Plus we're probably going to need to stop when we excavate the soil for this garden."

"And how are we going to get sunlight into this Garden?" Nana interjected. "Plus how are going to keep this hidden from the plantation guards?"

Waiting he let them finish their questions before decided to answer anything.

"One step at a time." He said once they had finished. "This is going to be a long process and if we rush were doomed to fall."

"Yes, Sir." They both said.

He let out a long sigh. "Alright, let's start. First, we can only implement this plan after we leave the Garden. You were right Nana, the guards are going to be a problem, and that's why as soon as we leave the Garden we are going to need to remove them." He gave a meaningful look at Hachi. "Permanently."

"I understand Sir," Hachi said nodding.

"We can order them into prime locations for removal, so you shouldn't be in any danger yourself." He added.

Hachi nodded. "Thank you."

He turned to Nana. "Nana, between now and when we leave the Garden I need you to find us a quiet route where we can lay low for a few days. We are going to need to find a place to remove the plantation's armor using the automated repair machinery in the maintenance hanger's."

"Understood Sir." She said nodding. "Oh! One more thing."

He nodded and signaled for her to continue.

"When are we going to revealing to Squad 13 that we're not working for Papa?"

He thought about it for a few moments. "I think it's best we wait until after we leave the Garden. I'll just feel safer if there's no chance of that information accidentally getting leaked while we are there."

They both nodded. "We understand."

He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together. "Alright then let's get to work." He said. "I'll start working on the logistics of all this; you two start on your respective tasks."

After a few moments, he bowed his head in gratitude. "You guy has no idea how much you two are doing for the good of humanity. None of this would have been possible without you. You have my deepest gratitude."

"Thank you, Sir." They both said.

"No. Thank you."

Hiro awoke the warm body of the one he loved nestled in his arms. The sky outside was dark with only the faintest wisps of the morning sun beginning to stretch their way into the night's dark abode.

Taking a deep breath he breathed in the sweet smell of Zero Two's hair, letting it wash over him in waves of bliss.

"When she gets up I'm going to give her the biggest kiss she's ever had." He thought, a happy smile on his face.

As he lay breathing in the smell of Zero Two's hair, he slowly became aware of two odd but very distinct sensations emanating from his forehead. He focused on the sensation trying to pin it down but no matter what he did he simply couldn't tell what it was without touching it or seeing himself in a mirror.

Slowly and with the utmost care, he inched his arms out from under Zero Two, doing everything he could to keep from waking her up. After serval arduous minutes of slowing inching himself out, he finally managed to free his arms. Slowing he sat up and tenderly began to crawl his way down towards the edge of the bed.

Slowing he gently placed his feet on the floor and sat up whining as the sound of his ass leaving the mattress made a faint squeaking sound. Tiptoeing he quietly made his way over to the door and gently inched it open, gritting his teeth in frustration as the door made a squeak loud enough to wake the dead. When he had finally managed to open the door wide enough he slipped out and gently closed the door behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief he made his way down from the third floor and towards the lobby.

When he had finally descended all the stairs he made his to the boy's bathroom and checked to make sure that nobody was in the bathroom with him. Satisfied that he was alone he locked the door and made his way over to one of the mirrors. Taking a deep breath he pulled back his bangs to reveal…

"Horns!" He almost shouted.

To his surprise, two small sapphire blue horns were protruding from his forehead stabbing up in a declaration of his new body. Reaching up he gently rubbed them between his fingers feeling their smooth surface beneath his fingers.

"I-I…..I h-have horns." He whispered.

Then it dawned on him.

"Wait a minute…." He stared back at the mirror. "I'm a hybrid! I'm…. Zero Two and I…. Were the same!"

He stared at himself. He had it all. He had markings under his eyes, large canines in his mouth, the horns on his head.

He looked at his arm. "Do I have that too?"

Bringing his arm up to his mouth he bit down hard, feeling his sharp canines bit deep into the flesh of his arm. Letting go of his arm he watched as blue blood dripped down his arm from the four small little holes that he had just made. Miraculously however before he even had time to register the fact that he had just cut himself, the wounds in his arm began to heal themselves.

"We're the same!" He whispered happily. "Zero Two, she's not alone! She finally has somebody who's like her!"

He hugged himself. "We're the same."

He sat there for a few moments indulging in his happiness until a thought came over him.

"How am I going to tell Zero Two." He whispered.

That thought broke through his happy moment like a hammer smashing glass. Zero Two had reacted poorly to both his teeth and his eyes. Showing her that he now had horns may set her off again, and the thought of his princess's face twisted in despair was already breaking his heart.

"How do I tell her?" He whispered to thin air.

He looked back at his horns. It was only thanks to his long bangs and wild hair that had kept his horns concealed thus far, but in a few more days his horns would poke through, and then she would know whether he liked it or not.

He had to tell her. But how? How could he tell her without her being upset?

He stood there thinking, trying to come up with a way to tell her, but no matter how many times he went over it in his head he simply couldn't find a solution.

Sighing he made his way out into the lobby, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. How am I supposed to tell her!?

He looked up and stared around hoping that something would just give him a hint of what to do. It was then out of the corner of his eye he spotted a pile of boxes in the living room. Distracted he stared at them until his brain slowly put together what day it was.

"It's Present day!" He gasped.

His mind was screaming at him to remember.

"The Beast and the Prince!" He gasped.

Forgetting his horns completely he dashed over to the pile and began searching for a present with his name on it. It only took him a few moments of searching until he spotted a thin book-sized package with his name on it. Grabbing it he was about to tear through the wrapping when a thought accrued to him.

"Maybe I should give this to Zero Two. If's she's the little red girl then this book is important to her."

Another voice in his head countered his assumption. "But what if she's not. Then we're giving her a book that doesn't mean anything."

"No." The other voice countered. "It's her it has to be her. Zero Two is the little girl from my dreams."

"Then why don't we just ask her? Wouldn't that be so much easier?"

"No…. It's more complicated than that…. Dreams aren't as vivid and accurate as what I've been experiencing."

"What does that mean?"

He thought for a moment and gasped. "They're memories!"

A tear began to slide down his face. Everything he had dreamed and envisioned about this little girl was true. Those fragments that he had experienced where vivid because they were real. The little red girl was real. She wasn't just a fragment of his imagination. She was real!

His heart of pounding in his chest. A little red figure wearing a black robe appeared before him, her cherry blossom pink hair cascading down her back just like Zero Two.

"Zero Two?" He whispered.

The girl turned to him, and her face lit up. "Da!" She cried running over to him.

He scooped her up and hugged her to his chest crying. "Zero Two. I knew it was you!"

After a few moments of tender hugging, he gently separated himself from her and stared at her beautiful emerald eyes. "I knew you were real."

"Da." The girl said reaching up to touch his face.

He closed his eyes and hummed happily as the girl's little hand stroked his cheek.

"I knew you were real." He whispered tucking her hair behind her ears.

Gently he grabbed the present and held it out to her. "I have something for you."

The girl shook her head. "Da." She said pointing to the ceiling.

He nodded. "I understand." And with a smile, he added. "Zero Two."

She smiled.

Blinking his eye's came back into focus and the girl was gone. He looked up at the ceiling.

"I knew you were important to me the day I met you." He smiled. "But until now I didn't fully comprehend how eternal our bond is."

He looked back at the book. A plan was beginning to form in his mind. A desperate plan, but a plan none the less. Pulling out his communicator he looked through his contacts until he found the administrators number. He stared at the number and took a deep breath trying to keep as levelheaded as possible. With another deep breath, he dialed the number.

It rang. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"Hiro, it's awfully early in the morning." Came Nana's voice. "How can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with Doctor Franxx." He said trying to sound calm as possible.

There was a long pause, and he heard an indistinguishable muttering from the other side of the phone.

"How can I help you, Hiro." Came the doctor's half mechanical voice.

"Sir." He said trying to keep his voice as level as possible. "I'd like to know if it's possible to regain a forgotten memory?"

There was a long silence. "Most likely yes… Maybe if you had some sort of trigger it could jolt your memory of that event." There was another long pause. "You're trying to remember Zero Two aren't you." It wasn't a question.

He gulped nervously, maybe this wasn't the best idea after all.

The Doctor sighed and said in a kind tone. "Tomorrow we'll reach the Garden. Come to my office after we dock. I'll have something important to give you by then."

"Sir I…"

The doctor cut him off. "Just do it, Hiro. I need you to trust me on this." There was another long pause. "If you ever want to make her truly happy, then please just listen to me."

He smiled. The doctor had just baited a hook with the one thing he couldn't resist. And like the dumb fish he was, he was about to swallow it without another moments thought. "Alright, I'll be by as soon as we dock."

The doctor chuckled. "I'll be waiting."

He hung up and looked down at the present in his hand.

"Anything for you." He whispered. "Anything."

He stared at the present for a few moments when a thought washed over him. "Wait a minute what if this isn't The Beast and the Prince! Everything I've been planning will be useless if this isn't that book."

He stared at it. Deciding he gently peeled the tape of part of the wrapping and unfolded it just enough to read the title. Sure enough, the title "The Beast and the Prince" gleamed at him, its golden lettering simmering as the night lights of the living room cast a pale light upon the book.

He smiled, there was no need to worry. The book had been in his hands the whole time.

As he stared at it, his mind drifted again to how best to play out the next couple days. He now without a doubt knew that Zero Two and that little girl were the same person and that she had been important to him since the very beginning. But now he had to decide how best he wanted to proceed forward. From where he stood right now, he had only regained enough of his memories to know that he and Zero Two had met as children, but the details of what they had done together were still largely obscured to him.

It took him several very long minutes to figure out why he would have forgotten his time as a child with Zero Two. And then it dawned on him. His memory had been whipped. He let out an angry snarl when he realized that fact. Somebody had taken away his precious memories of Zero Two and only now was he beginning to remember them. Thankfully, however, the doctor had said that there may be a way to regain those lost memories so at least he had a way of restoring his experiences with her.

He stared back at the book and played out what would happen when he gave Zero Two the book. He knew that the instant she saw this book it was going to trigger an emotional response from her. The fact that it was this book, in particular, was probably going to make her desperate for the knowledge that he had regained enough of his memories to know that he had met her as a child.

It was this fact that was creating the battle in his head. On the one hand, part of him wanted to run upstairs and tell her that he now knew that they had met as children. However, another part of him wanted to give his princess something far more grandiose. Telling her that he remembered everything that had transpired during their time together would be far more special and would probably make her even happier than telling her now.

And so the battle in his head raged, each side fighting to prove that its course of action was the better choice. Which option was the better choice? Which option would please her more?

It took serval long minutes but finally, he had come to a decision.

He looked up at the ceiling. "Hold on Zero Two. Please just hold on. I promise that the moment all my memories are restored I will come to you." He looked back down at the book. "I promise."

Gently he refolded the wrapping paper and sealed the present shut. Standing he quietly made his way to the stairs and back up to the third floor. Walking to the massive window that stretched the whole length of the wall, he gazed out at the forest shrouded in the night's dark embrace.

Sighing he turned and walked to the bedroom door and pressed his ear against it. After a few moments of listening, he heard the gentle sound of Zero Two's breathing signifying that she was still asleep.

For a few moments he debated on whether to enter the room, but eventually decided against it. Instead, he wandered around the third-floor corridor and decided to inspect some of the rooms that he had never bothered to enter. Curiously he inspecting each room noting that they were all identical to the one he and Zero Two shared. It wasn't until he got to the one at the end that he noticed anything different. This particular room wasn't a bedroom. It was a bathroom!

"I didn't know we had a bathroom." He said staring around the room.

The bathroom was small but accommodating. A shower big enough to fit two people took up the back wall, followed by a toilet and a sink.

Looking around he inspected the bathroom. "Hmmm… This is pretty nice…"

He pulled back the shower curtain and inspected the shower. Simple…. But defiantly enough space to move around in. Space enough to reach around and just touch every facet of Zero Two's beautiful skin. To just caress all of her curves and reach between her legs and….

"Ahh… Stop it!" He said shaking himself, his cheeks burning like the sun.

"I wonder why I've never noticed this was here?" He said after a few moments of silence.

"Maybe that's because you never went looking for it, dumb ass." A voice inside his head chided.

He sighed and decided to test if the bathrooms facilities actually worked. Turning the shower knob he watched as water cascaded down from the shower head and pooled on the floor before running down the drain.

He smiled. Zero Two was going to be very pleased that they had a shower to themselves. He chuckled and did his best to keep his mind from wandering off to fantasies of her naked body.

"When should we tell her about this?" A little voice inside his head asked.

"Right now!" Another more mischievous voice that sounded remarkably like Zero Two answered. "Let's give her a kiss on the head strip her naked and wash every inch of her beautiful body."

"We can't just do that!" The voice scolded.

"Why not?" The other voice said playfully. "She deserves to be touched and caressed. She loved when we played with that thing between her legs. It was dripping all that sweet, sweet nectar that tasted like the sweetest…"

"Ahh… Stop it!" He berated himself.

Turning he marched from the bathroom and out into the hallway determinately not thinking of Zero Two or anything that might make him get excited about her. Resolving himself he began to pace the third floor and decided that plan out how he was going to tell Zero Two all the things he wanted to tell her over the next few days.

Zero Two's eyes flickered open as the sound of quiet footsteps echoed from the hallway. It didn't take her very long to notice that someone was missing, however.

"Darling?" She said sleepy, turning to glance over her shoulder.

Darling wasn't there, however, so she sat up to search the room. Yet again Darling wasn't anywhere to be seen. She gave the room one final look over before shrugging.

"Must be downstairs." She said with a yawn.

As she was whipping the sleep from her eyes however she slowly became aware of another problem. The area between her legs was wet and sticky, and her supersensitive nose already was picking up the metallic smell of blood.

"Oh please don't tell me its that time of month already." She pleaded feebly to herself.

Peeling back the sheets she saw that her underwear and thighs were swamped in her sticky blue blood.

"Oh please why now?" She muttered frustrated.

She hated this part about herself. Every month this happened to her and she knew that she was going to spend the rest of the day bleeding her genitals out while staining uniforms and anything else she sat her ass on. What made it all the more infuriating however was that. SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK ANY OF THIS SIGNIFIED! WHY DID THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO HER!

Muttering in frustration she disentangled herself from the sheets and got off the bed. Nervously she collected a spare uniform and made her way over to the door, hoping that she wouldn't run into anybody on her way to the bathroom. Her biggest fear would be having Darling see her like this. The rest of Squad 13 she could handle, but Darling would worry and fret overseeing her drenched in her own blood and she really didn't want to scare him.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't run into Darling.

"Zero Two!" Darling called affectionately. "Hey, I didn't know you were up. Good morning."

Ice flooded her stomach and her head darted to the side and she spotted Darling walking towards her, his loving smile already beaming out to her.

"Morning." She called nervously, desperately trying to think of a way to get out of this without showing him all her blood.

Darling, however, seemed to almost sense her distress and she could hear concern in his voice. "Y-You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said nervously. There was no good way to get out of this. If she ran Darling would chance her in an attempt to make sure she was okay, and ultimately that would just make him more scared.

As Darling got closer she nervously tried to pull her nightshirt down in an attempt to cover her blood. This was a massive mistake because Darling's eyes followed the movement and as she looked up at him she watched as his concern turned to fear.

"Zero Two! Is that blood!?" He cried running up to her.

"Ummm….. It's…."

Embarrassed she desperately searched for anything she could find to change the subject. Her eyes fell on a glittering package in his left hand, so she seized on the opportunity.

"What's that in your hand?" She asked, feebly hoping that he would forget about the blood.

Darling, however, was having none of it. "Please don't change the subject. You're hurt aren't you."

She sighed, and let go of her nightshirt. Immediately Darling's eyes widened in terror as he saw how badly her blood had stained her undergarments and thighs.

"Zero Two!….." He cried his eyes as wide as saucers. "We need to get you to the med bay now!"

He reached out to grab her, but she gently stopped him.

"I-I'm alright Darling." She said rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

He gave her a disbelieving look. "It doesn't look like it."

"No, really it's…." She bit her lip. Darling's reaction was exactly what she had been trying to avoid, and she didn't want to make it worse. "It's uhh…. It's normal."

"Normal?" He said doubtfully. "I don't think it's normal for you to be bleeding this badly.

"No really." She said. "This is just something that happens to me. It's been happening for years now and I never been negatively affected by it." She lied about that last part. It was better to cover up the more negative aspects of her past and not let those experiences taint Darling, or make him think that she was damaged in some way.

"Then….. Why…" He said a very confused look on his face. "Why is it happening now?"

She shrugged and tried to put her usually pep back into her voice. "I don't know, it just happens to me." She decided that removing herself down to the bathroom to clean up in high spirits would be the best way to alleviate his worries. She let go of his hand and began to take a few steps back. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom and clean up. Meet you downstairs?"

He stared at her confused for a few moments, and then he shook himself. "N-No meet me up here I have…" He shook his head. "I'll tell you when you get back."

Relieved that she had managed to defuse the situation she gave him a radiant smile and began to skip off towards the stairwell. It was only when she was safely out of site and halfway to the bathrooms that her smile turned to a scowl and her skipping turned into an irrigated run.

"Why do I bleed like this?" She snarled as she descended the stairs.

Why had she forgotten that this was going to happen to her? Every month for a day her lower lips unleashed lakes worth of that weird thick blood. And what made her think that cleaning up was going to make any difference? For the rest of the day she was going to be enveloped in a sticky swamp of her blue disgusting blood. And if this time was anything like the usually she was going to ruin her uniform as her blood soaked through the layers and ran sticky and nasty down her legs. But this time was going to be far worse than the others. Every time before this she hadn't been with Darling. She would just bleed and bleed and bleed her underwear and leggings stained blue. But before it hadn't mattered. Everybody already thought she was a monster so what did it matter if the monster bled everywhere and stained her clothes. But this time was different. Darling cared about her and when he had seen her blood he had instantly tried to help her and make sure she was okay.

"This is so stupid!" She hissed. "I can't make him worry. I mustn't make Darling upset."

She stared down at herself. "Stop it stupid body. Can't you let me just be happy with Darling and stop making him worry? I've spent my whole life looking for him and you have to go and ruin it for me."

Grabbing the bathroom door handle she turned it and was about to open the bathroom door when the sound of voices stopped her. Curious she pressed her ear to the door and listened in.

"I still can't believe my body can do that," Ichigo said. "It's so amazing that we can do that."

"I know right," Ikuno replied.

"So much for being different just to pilot," Ichigo muttered. "I'm upset that Papa would hide this from us."

"It's probably to keep us from being independent."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"Well think about," Ikuno replied. "If we're caring for our own children how are we supposed to fight? Plus if you were pregnant would Goro let you risk your life?"

"No…" Ichigo said affectionately. "He probably wouldn't let me do anything dangerous." There was a pause. "You know I think I want to try making one soon. I actually want to test some of this."

"Careful." Ikuno cautioned. "If they find out." There was another pause. "Ichigo we have to be careful with this stuff, defying Papa is treason."

"But you want to do it too," Ichigo said weakly. "Is it wrong to want to be something more than somebodies tool."

"No your right…" Ikuno sighed. "You're a hundred percent right. As soon as I find a way to do it without a boy, I don't know how long I could go without at least trying.

"Careful." Ichigo teased. "Its treason."

Both of them giggled.

"Still I guess you're right." Ichigo conceded. "If we do this now, something bad is going to happen."

"What are they talking about?" She whispered.

Something about whatever they were talking about was making her heart pound. It sounded super important and special. She just had a gut feeling that this was information that she had to know. Plus if it involved defying Papa she was totally on board. After all the shit that she had endured, she would love to just shove it in his face.

"You know I wonder if Zero Two experiences the same thing as us. Do you think that she has fertility cycles like we do?" Ichigo thought aloud.

"Probably," Ikuno said with a chuckle. "Although since she's like superhuman, I bet she's constantly fertile and don't have to wait around like us."

"Lucky…." Ichigo said with a sigh. "You know I wonder if her pregnancy cycle is faster than ours?"

Zero Two's heart was hammering in her chest. What did all this mean? What is a fertility cycle? What is pregnancy? Why were they talking about her? Were they really saying something positive about her or was that just her imagination? WHAT WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT!?

"Zero Two are you okay?" Miku asked from behind her.

She gave a yelp of surprise and tripped forward into the door. The door swung open and Zero Two was sent sprawling forward into the girl's bathroom, her uniform spinning out of her hand. Losing her footing she hit the floor with a loud "Smack!"

"Zero Two!" Both Ichigo and Ikuno yelped in surprise.

Frantically her eyes flew around the room. She had just placed herself in a vulnerable position sprawled on the floor. Past experience had taught her that being vulnerable around anyone who wasn't Darling meant bad things were about to happen.

"Your mine Iota!" Came the voice of Nine Alpha.

Frantically she rolled onto her side and bared her teeth eyes alight with fiery hatred as she searched for that menace.

"Stay away from me!" She snarled.

"Papa's orders." He said in a menacing voice.

"Never." She spat

"Zero Two?" Came Ichigo's voice sounding scared.

She blinked and saw Ichigo, concern, and fear written all over her face. She stared around and spotted Ikuno and Miku as well. She gave a massive sigh. It wasn't real. Nine Alpha wasn't here, it was just the other girls of Squad 13.

"Are you okay?" Ikuno said looking at her with concern.

She took a moment to collect herself and restore a more passive face. "Yeah, I'm fine. S-Sorry for causing such a scene." She said embarrassed.

"Are you sure you're okay? You sounded really angry." Ichigo said still concerned.

Her face was on fire. Today was just not her day. Bleeding in front on Darling and causing a scene in front of the other girls of Squad 13. Could her day get any worse?

Struggling she tried to come up with an answer. "I…I…. It's…I…I don't know… For a second I thought you guys were someone else." Determinately she looked anywhere but at them. "Sorry… I didn't mean to yell at you guys…"

"Never mind that! Zero Two you're bleeding!" Miku said.

"Uhh... What?" She looked down and remembered the reason that she had come down here in the first place. "Oh, That… It's nothing."

Ikuno was looking at all the blood with a confused expression on her face. "Zero Two. Is that blood coming from between your legs?"

"Uhhh… Yeah, I guess…." She answered, confused.

"Hmmm…. And is there any chance that this is a monthly occurrence?" Ikuno asked.

"Y-Yeah it is… How did you know?"

"Well the rest of us bleed every month too. I just haven't seen anyone bleed that much."

That information took her by surprise a little bit. "The rest of you guy bleed too?"

"Yeah for about a week and heavily," Ichigo said ruthfully. "By far the most annoying thing in my life. I'm just glad it's not longer."

"Damn, you really got the short end of the stick on that," Miku said with a chuckle.

"Why how long are you?" Ichigo asked.

"A few days, and light as a feather." Miku teased.

"Show off," Ichigo muttered.

Almost without warning, she burst out laughing. She was sure why, but for some reason she found this whole exchange to be funny. What made it even odder was that she'd never been this relaxed around anyone expect Darling.

Ichigo gave her a scathing look. "Why how long do you bleed for?"

It took her a few moments, but she finally managed to get control of herself. "I didn't know you guys bled that much." She said. "I only bleed for about a day."

"What!" Ichigo blurted.

"And you call me a show-off," Miku said to Ichigo.

"Hmmm…" Ikuno interjected with a frown. "I don't know what's worse. Dealing with it for a week, or bleeding it all in one day."

Her smile faded a little bit. "You don't miss much." She said to Ikuno.

The girl shrugged. "It's perfectly logical. It stands to reason that if you only bleed for a day, then you'd bleed a lot on that day."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Anyway…" Ichigo said after a moment. "We'll get out of your hair. I'm sure you're here to clean up."

"Yeah, actually I am." She said embarrassed.

"Alright," Ichigo said gesturing to the other that they should leave.

The rest of the girls began to make their way out of the bathroom.

"Oh… Don't forget today is Present day." Ichigo added.

"Okay." She said as the doors closed behind Ichigo.

"What's Present day?" She muttered as she collected her uniform from the corner of the room and turned towards the showers. Stripping she stepped in one of them and began to clean herself as best she could.

Hiro sat on the bed the present grasped in his hands. His arms were trembling slightly at the thought of having to present Zero Two with her gift while keeping up the facade of forgetfulness. He was convinced that waiting to create the perfect moment for her would be so much more special, but the fact that he had to lie to achieve it, just didn't sit well with him.

"Give me the strength to do this for her." He whispered to the book.

Nodding he tucked the present behind his back and took a deep breath trying to calm his racing heartbeat. Trying to take his mind off what was to come he stared around the trying to find something to distract himself with.

After searching for a few minutes he wound up just fiddling with the sheet, folding and unfolding them mindlessly. With one particularly hard yank, he spotted a little blue stain. The blue stain was a very familiar color. An image of Zero Two standing in the hallway her pants stained in blood floated to the forefront of his mind.

"Are you sure you okay?" He said, reaching out to touch the stained sheets. "You're not lying to me, just to keep me from worrying are you?"

He sighed. He really hoped that she was okay. The thought of Zero Two suffering was just too much to bear; and if she was hurt in anyway…..

"No." He muttered. "She wouldn't lie to me….."

Or would she? Would she hide the fact that she was hurt just to keep him from worrying?

"I'm lying to her." He whispered pathetically.

"But not really." Another side argued. "We're just trying to make it more special for her."

"But what if she doesn't want special. What if she just wants the truth."

"But we are lying for the greater good. She deserves something special."

The sound of somebody ascending to the third floor became audible, and in his heart, he knew that his princess was climbing to me him.

"Its time!" He thought frantically. "She here!"

Quickly he did his best to compose himself, and frantically tried to neaten up his hair. Almost without warning the bedroom door swung open and Zero Two stepped into the bedroom.

"Morning Darling!" She sang a huge smile on her face.

"Morning." He said warmly. Despite his misgivings about what was to come, he couldn't help but douse his princess in as much love as possible. "You look beautiful."

She blushed, her cheeks turning a rosy pink, and she looked at his feet. "I'm not…." She muttered feebly. Her attempts to brush off his praise, however, were somewhat under-minded by the happy little smile that she was trying to hide.

"Hmm…" He hummed suspiciously. Standing he walked over to her a stared at her face. "Hmm… I think I'm being lied to…"

Her cheeks flushed to a deep shade of crimson and she began to squirm.

"Found it!" He proclaimed. Pulling her into a hug he buried his face in her neck and began to sniff energetically.

"Aaaah!" She squealed. "That tickles!"

"Got you." He said in a cute little voice.

They stood playing with each other for a few minutes, but finally, they separated.

"What are we doing?" He said was a chuckle.

She hummed happily. "I don't know, but you started it."

"You seem like you're feeling better." He said after another few moments. "You had me worried this morning."

"Yeah, I doing perfectly fine." She said, her smiling fading just a little bit. "It was just some blood; pretty easy to clean up."

"Its time. Give her the book." A voice interjected into his head.

Suddenly his heart started hammering in his chest, and his mind immediately began to run every possible scenario that could transpire within the next few minutes. Give her the book! Give her the book! Give her the book! But what if…. Give her the book!

"Darling… Is something wrong?" Zero Two asked a touch of concern entering her voice.

He smiled. "Not when you around." He said sweetly.

She looked at him slightly confused, trying to discern what exactly he meant by that.

Give her the book! Resolving himself he gently grabbed her hand and lead her over to the bed. Grabbing the present he held it in his hand.

"What's that?" Zero Two asked curiously.

"Um…" He said with a gulp. "Its a present.."

She cocked her head at him confused.

His heart fell a little bit at that gesture. Everybody knew what a present was. It came to them every year on Present day. But if Zero Two didn't know what present was…. His heart broke. How badly had his princess been treated if she didn't even know what a present was?

"A present is a gift." He said after a moment. "Something meaningful that he give to another person."

"Like a kiss?" She asked curiously.

He chuckled. "No… It's more of a physical object." He took a deep breath. "Here…. I want you to have this."

"Oh! Okay, thanks." She paused for a moment. "What's inside it?"

His heart was pounding in his chest. "You'll have to open it and find out."

Gently she took the present from him and held it in her hand, staring at it curiously.

"How do I open it?" She asked gently touching the package's sparkly surface.

"Just tear the wrapping away." He said making a ripping motion.

He closed his eyes and waited with bated breath as Zero Two slowly tore at the wrapping. A few moments later there was a sharp intake of breath and she tore the rest of the wrapping away within a few seconds.

Slowly he opened his eyes and saw that Zero Two was trembling the title "The Beast and the Prince," gleaming up at her. Her breath was becoming heavier and heavier as she continued to stare at the book. Tears began to fall, making little droplets on the cover of the book.

"Darling…" She whispered, looking up at him tears sparkling in her eyes. "How…. How… did you know?"

Mental he braced himself. Remember just a little bit longer. IT'S JUST A LITTLE LONGER!

He gulped. "I don't know… It was just something I thought you'd like."

Zero Two's face fell, and he watched as it twisted and contoured in agony of despair. Her lip started to tremble violently and tears poured down her face. Her beautiful emerald eyes were filled with pain and despair. Her hands began to claw at the sheets, in an attempt to keep the emotions she was feeling from burst out.

As he stared at her he felt his heartbreaking, and the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her everything he knew was starting to overpower him. How could he have been so foolish? What made him think that lying to her was a good idea.

NO! Another part of him fired; we thought this through! Just wait until tomorrow and it will all be worth it!

But look at her! How can I treat my princess like this! She suffering!

We knew this was going to happen. Just ride it out.

As he sat there battling with himself, Zero Two took a deep breath and looked down at the book. Her hands were still clawing at the sheets and her face was contorted in pain but she started to mouth something to the book.

After serval long moments he heard her whisper in the faintest of breaths. "Just… A … L….i….ttle bit longer."

With one final shaky breath, she finally managed to control herself and looked up at him a pained smile on her face.

"Thank you, Darling…" She said trying to sound happy.

It's been decided for us, run with it! Part of him screamed.

Carefully he took a deep breath and thought out his next few words. An idea was forming in his mind. A way to give her a little hope while still holding on to his plan. With a smile, he carefully began to speak. "I'd hoped you'd like it. I had a dream about somebody handing me this book, and for some reason, I thought you would like it. I hope it was appropriate."

When he said those words he saw a flash of hope flash across her face, which was immediately followed by a look of desperation. When she spoke, however, her voice was in control. "I love it!" She said with a smile. "I love all the pretty colors that picture books have!"

Nervously he chuckled and said. "Do you want to read it together?"

"Yeah!" She said excitedly more of the passion and happiness flooding back into her tone.

Before he could even blink she scooted over to him until they were sitting side by side. Almost too energetically she plopped the book down on their knees and leaned against him. He shivered slightly. For some reason, this position felt eerily familiar.

"Do you want to read?" She asked. For some reason, it sounded more like a plea than a request.

"Sure." He said wrapping an arm around her. Again a shiver went up his spine, and the eerie sense of familiarity was back.

Zero Two hummed happily and cuddled up next to him.

He smiled and open the book. Taking a moment to clear his throat he began to read. "In the deepest, darkest part of the forest lived a tribe, hidden from all…."

"This is a really sad story…" He said, giving Zero Two an affectionate squeeze.

She didn't respond but instead hummed happily and buried her face in his neck. Giggling slightly he gently pulled her into a hug. Unfortunately, however, his tender moment with her was constantly being undermined by the nagging sensation of familiarity.

Their moments was broken when a timid knock came from the door. "Um…. I just wanted to inform you guys that everybody's waiting for you." Came Kokoro's kind voice.

Both of them jumped slightly from the sudden interruption, but it was Zero Two who recovered first.

"We're almost done." She said trying to sound apologetic. "Just give us a few more minutes please."

"Oh! That's okay!" Kokoro yelped. "I'll tell the others that you'll be down in a few minutes."

"I guess they're waiting for us." He said after a few moments.

"Yeah…" She said with a sigh. "Come on let's go find the others."

"You guys took your sweet time," Zorome said as both he and Zero Two entered the living room.

"Sorry." He said. "We kind of lost track of the time."

"What were you two doing?" Goro inquired.

"Um…. Nothing in particular." He said hurriedly as he spotted a free couch.

"Nevermind that," Ichigo said energetically. "Its finally present day! Let's see what we got!"

"Here! Here!" Miku exclaimed. She turned to her partner. "I bet you I can find my present first!" She challenged.

"Your loss!" Zorome said diving forward off his chair.

"Cheater!" She exclaimed as she too dived towards the pile of presents.

"So this is what present day is." Zero Two wondered aloud.

"Naa. Those two are just dorks." Goro said with an amused smile. "A swear those two will turn anything into a fight."

"Shut up!" Miku said as she scanned the name tags.

"Found it!" Zorome exclaimed holding up a package.

"No fair!" Miku said. "You cheated!"

Zorome stuck his tongue at her.

Chuckling Hiro looked around at the rest of the squad, just taking in the chaotic but friendly atmosphere of his squadmates.

"Hiro would you look this way for a moment," Ichigo said quietly.

"Huh…" He said startled. Turning he looked over at her and asked confused. "What is it?"

Ichigo seemed to be studying his eyes and suddenly he was reminded that he had markings under his eyes just like Zero Two.

Ichigo eyes widened as she stared at his eyes and then checked the markings on Zero Two's face.

He felt his heart pounding in his chest. The last time he had to check his markings they had still been nothing more than a blue shadow. But if Ichigo had just noticed them then they must have darkened to the point where they were now clearly visible.

"Are those…." She began.

Quickly he gave a slight shake of his head. He wasn't quite ready to tell the squad of his transformation and wanted to save it for a moment when Zero Two was more comfortable with it herself.

Thankfully Ichigo saw the shake and changed her tacked. "Are you wearing eyeliner?" She asked.

By now he was uncomfortably aware of the rest of the squad's eyes on him and quickly tried to come up with a plan of escape. Zero Two began to squirm next to him, and he deduced correctly that she was afraid of being ridiculed for changing him into a hybrid like her.

"Yeah." He said thinking fast. "I'd never wore it before, so I kind of wonder how it would look." Turning to the rest of the squad he posed his question. "How do I look?"

"Different," Goro said after a moments thought. "You almost look like Zero Two."

"That was probably his goal," Mitsuru interjected.

Curiously he glanced over at Mitsuru. He was surprised that Mitsuru had said that without his usual distaste. They had always had a strained relationship, and Mitsuru had also treated him with resentment. What had happened to change Mitsuru's outright hostility towards him? Mitsuru had been spending an awful lot of time with Kokoro. Did that have something to do with it?

"I think it's kind of cute," Kokoro said sweetly.

"Ohh!" Miku teased. "Trying to impress her are we?!"

Zero Two began to squirm. "Darling doesn't need markings to impress me." She stated boldly

"Aww." The squad teased.

"I bet Hiro begged you to paint those little markings on him." Miku teased and then continued in the soppiest impression of him she could muster. "Oh please Zero Two, paint little markings like yours on me! Please, I wanna look just like you!"

The squad burst out laughing, and many of them hugged their sides in a futile effort to control themselves.

He blushed scarlet as his cheeks burned like the sun. Desperately he looked over at Zero Two to relive some of his embarrassment but she was blushing just as deeply and was looking at him for the same reason he was looking at her.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo finally managed to gain enough control to wheeze out. "A-Alright g-guys lets leave them alone. They're both going to burst into flames if we keep this up much longer."

"Fine... Fine.." The squad grudgingly agreed.

As everyone bent forward to grab their own presents, Zero Two leaned against him. "Why didn't you tell them?" She whispered.

He smiled and whispered in her ear. "I'd rather be spending my time with you."

Zero Two gave an involuntary hum of pleasure, which she immediately tried to cover. "B-But…"

"No buts." He said giving her a little nuzzle.

"Zero Two," Ikuno called. "You have a Present here."

"W-What?" Zero Two said startled. She looked up at him confused. "But you…."

With a mysterious grin, he gestured to the package. "Don't look at me." He teased. "I'm not the present."

Plainly confused she stood up and grabbed the last present on the floor. Bring it back she placed it on her lap. "You remember how to open a present right?" He teased.

Y-Yeah." She said still bewildered. Grabbing a corner she tore away the wrapping. She struggled with the box for a few moments but eventually managed to get that open too. When she did a vast assortment of candy and other sweets gleamed up at them.

"Wow, somebody knows you have a sweet tooth." He said with a chuckle.

Curiously she picked up a note that was lying on top of all the candy. Opening it she showed it to him and they read it together. "I Love you." It read.

"Did you give this to me?" She asked puzzled.

"Nope." He said shaking his head; and added with a chuckle. "It looks like you have a secret admirer."

Zero Two made a doubtful noise.

He shrugged. "Well, its candy." He scanned some of the labels. "And a good portion of its honey-based. That's your favorite right?"

But rather than being happy Zero Two's frown deepened. "People don't usually do nice thing for me…. This feels like a trap."

"Well, there's one way to find out." He said cheerfully. Reaching into the box he grabbed a honey hard candy and opening it popped it into his mouth.

Zero Two watched him her eyes frantically searching for any sign of something going wrong.

As he watched her he felt an urge to tease her a little bit and a mischievous grin began to pull at the corners of his mouth.

"Don't be an ass," Goro interjected.

Zero Two whipped her head around. "What do you mean?"

Goro sighed. "He's going to pretend to choke on the candy and make it looked like it was poisoned in some way."

"How would know that?" She asked confused.

Goro shrugged. "I've known him for a long time, and I can see that stupid little grin on his face."

He gave Goro a mock incredulous look. "I would do no such thing."

Zero Two looked back at him and stared at him. Hurriedly he tried to wipe the grin off his face but he was just a little too late. "You know Goro I think you're right." She said not taking her eyes off him. "Darling's being bad."

Hurriedly he search around for something to distract her with, so he wouldn't have to face that withering stare. Spotting a honey loli-pop he took the wrapper off and said in a joking tone. "Open up."

Zero Two's eyes jumped and he saw her urge to play along, but at the last minute, she stopped herself.

Gently he began to trace her lips with the lollipops smooth golden surface. "Oh come on I know you want it." He said teasing.

For a few minutes, she determinately kept her lips sealed shut, but after another few moments relented and wrapped her mouth around the golden sphere.

"There you go." He said with a smile. "See I told you it was harmless."

She blushed and snatched the rest of the loli-pop out of his hand.

He was about to make another cutesy remark when he heard somebody sob with what sounded like a lot of pain and anguish. Everyone's heads flung around and everyone stared at Ikuno as she sobbed over something in her lap.

"Ikuno what's wrong?" Was Ichigo's concerned question.

Ikuno didn't answer but continued sobbing.

Startled everybody stood up and walked over to her.

Sitting in Ikuno's lap was a suitcase. He stood there confused until for some reason a great sense of foreboding washed over him. He stood there staring. This suitcase of familiar. This belonged to somebody he'ed know.

She flung the suitcase at him. Catching it he fell backward and landed with a loud thud. "What are you doing!" He cried.

"I don't need those things anymore. Make sure to share them with everyone." Sadness entered her voice and more tears cascaded done her face. "You know, I really like the name you gave me." She sobbed once more. "Hiro, I hope you find a good partner."

"Naomi…." He said pain entering his voice. "This this her suitcase…."

The squad groaned as they processed that fact and reminded themselves of what Naomi had meant to all of them and especially to Ikuno.

He closed his eyes and remised on his old partner. She deserved so much better. She was always so sweet and always willing to help. Her kind smile had nurtured him through many dark depressing days, but for some reason, they never could pilot together. The had spent years trying to connect with each other, training and becoming more aquatinted with each other. Doing anything they could to somehow manage to pass the pilot test.

As the squad stood silent, all of them deep in remembrance of squad-mate lost to them, the elevator doors to Mistiltienn opened with a hiss. A few moments later Nana walked into the living room, carry a bag, and looking slightly nervous. As she walked in the squad turned to face her, all of them wearing various expressions of discomfort.

She walked up to them and gave them all a big smile. "Good morning everybody I hope that you all…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the expressions on their faces. "Is something wrong?"

A few members of the squad stepped aside to reveal Ikuno still sitting with the suitcase on her lap.

Nana's eyes widened momentary, as she recognized it, but she quickly recomposed her face.

The squad, however, noticed her momentary loss of composer and seized on it.

"Nana, what happened to Naomi?" Goro said calmly but in a stern tone.

"Yeah," Zorome commented in a slightly accusatory tone. "You never told us anything past the fact that she was missing."

"We are still unsure," Nana said calmly.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Ikuno screamed abruptly standing up, Naomi's suitcase falling to the floor. Ikuno pushed past everybody and got right up in Nana's face. "TELL ME! TELL ME NOW!"

"There's nothing I can tell you," Nana replied, holding her ground.

"Don't think you can get away with just that," Mitsuru interjected.

"Yeah." Miku challenged. "We're not stupid enough to believe that with all this technology you'd have no idea what happened to her."

"Look," Nana said, calmly. "We really have no idea where she is. We've picked apart every inch of that transport and we can't find anything. Her body just disappeared."

"Are you saying there's a chance she still alive." He asked calmly.

Nana turned to him. "Well, that's the question that everyone wants the answer to. If she were dead we would have found her body. But at the same time if she were still alive we would have picked her up and brought her back."

"Y-You're making no sense." Ikuno sobbed.

Nana reached out and touched Ikuno on the shoulder. "I know. Trust me, if I had the answers I would have given them to you." Nana paused for a moment. "Contrary to what you guys may believe. The Doctor, Hachi, and I care for all of you. Naomi was part of Squad 13. You guys deserve to know her fate."

"I don't believe that." Zero Two stated boldly. "Papa has never given a damn about any of us. We would he let you tell the squad anything."

The squad stare at her in disbelieve at the fact that she had just said that to Nana but the caretaker only smiled. "We're not Papa," Nana said simply.

Even Zero Two was taken aback by that answer.

"But.." Ichigo interjected.

Nana, however, cut her off. "That's where I'm leaving it." She said holding up her hand. "Now I would like to meet all the girls in the bathroom."

"No, wait!" Zorome fired back. "What do you mean you're not Papa."

"I already said I am not going to say anymore!" Nana said sternly.

"If you think you want any of us to go into the bathroom with you; you're going to need to provide a better explanation than that," Ichigo said sternly.

"Oh really," Nana said with a snide smile. "And tell me, do you enjoy bleeding from between your legs?"

Ichigo was taken aback and mouthed wordlessly trying to come up with something to say.

"You're telling me you can put a stop to that." Zero Two inquired suspiciously.

"No," Nana said with a knowing smile. "But I can help you to deal with it."

"How?" Miku interrupted.

Nana turned and said with an amused smile. "Well, you'll have to come with me. That is. Unless you want all the boys to see you naked?"

"Definitely not!" Miku blurted.

"Don't think that changing the subject or doing us a favor will make us forget what you said," Ichigo said sternly.

Nana turned back to her. "I would hope you wouldn't forget." Nana sighed and considered for a moment. "This is the only thing I will tell you now. More is going on then you can possibly imagine." She paused again. "Mull over that until we leave the Garden."

"But.." Ichigo stuttered.

"That all I'm telling you," Nana said her tone signifying that this was the end of the conversation. "Now I would like all the girls to please follow me."

Meekly all the girls made their way over to Nana and followed her out of the living room.

Zero Two sat on the bed in her nightgown, looking out the window at the night sky far above her. Currently, she had a few minutes to herself as she waited for Darling to finish taking a shower before he joined her in their bed.

"Tomorrow I'll tell him." She whispered. "Once we reach the Garden we can sneak into the forest and I'll tell him everything. He'll remember me then. He wasn't too."

She looked over at "The Beast and the Prince" its golden title gleaming at her like it had the very first time she had ever laid eyes on it. But it wasn't the book that was special, it was Darling who made it that way. Before it had just been a collection of pretty colors. Something that she could take solace in after hours of pain and abuse. But Darling was the one who had given it meaning. Darling was the one that had made her life truly worth living.

She looked down at herself. Who else could love somebody with a body as imperfect as her's? Why would anybody want to appreciate a body that was constantly doing things to make her uncomfortable? What was the point of having breasts when all they did was ache and weigh her down? Why did she have to have that slit between her legs? Darling's male genitals served their purpose without being half as bothersome as hers. What was the point of having a slit when all it did was bleed once a mouth and release weird sticky discharges for the rest? Was there a point to her being female at all, or was this just some sick joke?

She sighed and began to trace the outline of the windowsill. None of it really mattered. All that mattered was that she get Darling to remember her. She could tolerate being this way as long as Darling loved her for it. Darling's love was all that mattered to her now, and that was what she was going to hold onto. After a life of abuse and ridicule, she needed to settle down. She needed to make up every second of lost time, without him. She leaned back and absentmindedly began to stroke her belly. She needed to create some sort of nest where she and Darling could just cuddle up together and nurture their love. This running and fighting had to stop. The Klaxosaurs could gobble up all of humanity for all she cared. Just as long as they left Plantation 13 alone, and let her be with her Darling.

"I will have you back Darling." She whispered. "I will find a way for you to remember me."

Author's Note:

Thank you for reader Chapter 12 of The Jian Bird.

I apologize for the delay, I had no intention of this taking this long. I know I keep making promises that I never fulfill but please trust that I am always working on a new chapter. Currently, I am a College student and also working a part-time job so sometimes my time becomes constrained and I can't write as much as I like.

Stay tuned for Chapter 13 of The Jian Bird: The Beast and the Prince Part 1.