That had been way to close. Dr. Franxx was sitting in his office. This kissing operation had almost undone everything. When Hiro's vitals had disappeared, he thought he was going to have a heart attack. What had happened to that boy? His physical state had been all over the place throughout the whole battle. One moment he's barely clinging to life, and the next he soaring like a bird.

He gasped. The blood; of course, why didn't he realize!? He had counted on it to get Hiro through his third ride. Wait a minute, don't tell me that's whats happening! Is Hiro becoming like her!? Think of the potential!

He was like a kid at Christmas. If he could also get them to remember each other. Their numbers were already crazy high. Imagine what would happen if they both fully embraced each other. If that happened, and they were both Klaxo-hybrids. What could stand in their way? If this plan could work without them being alike, then it would defiantly work now!

No! No! No! No! Now is not the time to become overconfident. Papa had managed to become the leader of humanity and manipulated him into helping. He couldn't become overconfident now. He still needed to play his cards right and get Squad 13 educated.

He muttered quietly to himself. "Let's just see how this theory plays out. For now, return to the previous plan."

He pulled open a drawer filled with Papa's forbidden teachings. While the squad slept he needed to start placing this information in Mistilteinn. He was so lucky that he had requested that the security feed for Mistilteinn be disabled. He had used the excuse that since this was his test squad, he would like to have full control over its occupants. Thankfully that fool had believed him. Papa believed that he was so indoctrinated that he couldn't possibly be plotting against him. Well, its time to exploit that oversight.

He looked through a window that had a view of the plantation's golden city. Everything was absolutely still. No noise of people or vehicles, just silence.

"Look at what humanity has become." He muttered with a sigh. The worst part of it all was that he had helped create it. This was all his fault. If he hadn't been such an ambitious fool then perhaps none of this would have happened. He looked back at the drawer in his desk. It was time to repent for his sin. He had helped destroy humanity. The least he could do is help bring about its revival.

He looked back at the city. It's time to show Squad 13 what they're really risking their lives to protect. He opened his communicator and called up Nana.

"What can I do for you, Sir?" She answered a moment later.

"Schedule a trip into the Plantation's city for Squad 13. Tell them its a reward for their performance during the kissing operation."

"Right away Sir." She responded immediately. There was a moment of silence before she asked a question. "I'm assuming we will not be reporting this to Papa?"

"Its best not to bother him with trivial matters like this." He said coolly.

"Of course." She said in an understanding tone. "Should we provide Squad 13 with a guide?"

"No, I don't believe that will be necessary. Just keep track of them I don't want them there for too long."

"Understood." She was about to end the call when she stopped, remembering something. "Sir, APE's security forces have been sent back to Papa, they will no longer be a hindrance."

"What about the Plantation's security force?" He asked.

"Hachi is keeping them preoccupied on patrols around the perimeter. I will inform him of Squad 13's trip so that the city will be clear."

"Good work Nana. Give Hachi my thanks as well." This was a pleasant surprise. With the security forces gone or preoccupied his plan would have more room to breathe.

"Thank you, Sir. We will get started on the details immediately." She hung up.

He looked over at his drawer. From here on out the stakes were going to be a lot higher. The safety net was gone, and if he failed now, it was all over. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "This is going to work." He muttered softly. Bending down he placed the contents of his drawer into a bag and pocketed serval hard drives. Grabbing his walking stick he made his way out of his office. "Let's see if we can't turn Mistleteinn into a breeding ground for new ideas."

"What have I done to you, Darling!?" She wailed in despair.

"You've given me the greatest gift I could ask for." He said warmly stroking her cheek.

"B-But I've corrupted you into a monster like me!"

"You're not a monster." He said smiling. "And think about it; now were unique. We're the only ones who are like this. Doesn't this further signify that we were meant to be together? My body is just finally making it so that we can be compatible." He brought his face even closer to her's and whispered. "Ever since the moment I saw you, I knew that you would change my life." He chuckled, "But, I could never have dreamed that it would be this good." He leaned forward.

Hiro blinked as he awoke in a bedroom. The room seemed to be illuminated; however, it seemed to be tinted a faint blue. He looked over at the window to find that it was still dark outside. Aargh. How long had he been sleeping? When he and Zero Two had returned to her room it had still been early morning. Had they been sleeping all day?

Faintly, he realized that he was sitting leaning against the side of a bed. Someone's arm twitched on his shoulder. He looked around to see Zero Two sleeping soundly on the bed; her arm stretched over to him as she slept. She was still in her parasite suit with the exception of the display and piloting system. Dimly a memory of him helping her remove them came back to him. They had been so exhausted that they hadn't bothered removing anything more than that. Slowly, he became conscious of the fact that he too was still wearing his parasite suit. Quickly, he looked around to see if he could find their clothing, before remembering that it would still be in their lockers. Sighing he got up. They were going to need clothes and unfortunately there were none here. Well, I can retrieve mine from my locker, but were could a find a pair of Zero Two's clothes outside of the girls changing room? Maybe there's a pair in the laundry facility here in Mistleteinn.

He was about to leave but stopped. Maybe he should leave a note to tell what Zero Two were he was going. Quickly he pulled out his communicator and typed out a message before setting it on the nightstand. "I'll be right back. Just went to find some clothes."

He opened the door and began to make his way towards the elevators. While he was walking he became conscious of the fact there were two very small aching lumps on his forehead. Reaching up he stroked them gently.

"Damn, I must have really hit my head yesterday." He muttered softly.

He was on his way down into the plantations when memories of events from the battle came to him. A little red girl with horns floated to the forefront of his mind. Who was she; and why did she keep appearing to him? Why was she so familiar? Was she even real; or just a fragment of his imagination. Was his mind just taking features that he found unique in Zero Two and extrapolating them on to someone else?

The book. What was the name of the book she had given him? He dug through his thoughts searching for the name. The Beast and the Princess? No. The Princess and the Beast? Hmm, no I don't think so. The Red Horned Beast? Defiantly not. Hmm. I got it! The Beast and the Prince! That was it! But what was the Beast and the Prince about? Was it even a real book? Maybe it fake as well.

"No." He said firmly. Both the girl and the book seemed too familiar and real to be mere fantasies. "I've got to find them."

"I may actually already have one. Maybe Zero Two really is the little red girl." Part of him thought.

"Again though, they have different color skin."

"But then why do both of them feel familiar and important?"

How about we just ask her if they're the same person?

"Oh, what a great question!" He thought sarcastically. "Hey, Zero Two, when you were a little girl did you have big horns and red skin?" No, we wait and observe. If they are indeed the same we'll find out in time. We can start by looking for the book. Hopefully, that's in the library because if not then I'm completely out of leads.

He blinked in surprise. Through his musings, he hadn't realized that his body had already taken him to his locker. Quickly he pulled it open to retrieve his clothes. Sitting in his locker was a stack of his and Zero Two's clothes. On top of them was a note that read. "You're Welcome."

"That's strange." He muttered, picking up the note. "I wonder who sent this?"

Maybe it was one of the girls. Ichigo might have had Goro places these in his locker. He doubted it, however. Nobody in the squad knew that they hadn't returned to the lockers before returning to Mistleteinn.

Shaking his head he bent down to put on his clothes. He wanted to be back in the room before Zero Two woke up; and standing here contemplating things he didn't have answers to was just wasting of time.

He was about to zip up his uniform when he spotted a massive scar on his chest. The scar was in exactly the same spot as where the growth had been.

"I wonder what happened to it." He muttered softly, before zipping up the rest of the uniform. Dwelling on its disappearance would have been unless; he was just glad it was gone.

Bending down he picked up Zero Two's clothing. He gave a slight blush at the site of her panties; as the memory of their first meeting came rushing back to him. Quickly he stuffed them and her bra in-between her folded uniform. The last thing he needed was another embarrassing situation that involved her undergarments.

Silently he began to make his way back to Mistleteinn. The elevator arrived in the lobby and he stepped out. He was about to make his way back upstairs when he spotted Ikuno reading in the living room.

"Good morning, Ikuno." He said walking over to her.

"Oh, Hello Hiro. Are you alright?" She said looking up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm fine, yes." She said, with a slight harshness in her voice.

He saw that she was reading some sort of large flimsy paper. "What are your reading?" He asked curiously.

"Something that I've never seen in Mistleteinn." She said quietly.

"Whats it about?"

She paused for a moment before answering. "I'll tell you if you answer a question for me."

"Alright. What can I help you with."

"T-Tell me again how Naomi died. " Her voice was calm but he could feel the pain behind it.

He gulped nervously. This was not a matter that he wanted to discuss again; however, he felt that he owed Naomi's best friend a more personal explanation. "She died protecting me." He said sadly. "She refused to let me enter the transport with her. W-When the Klaxosaur attacked the plantation it, it emerged right from under the transport and, and crushed it." He took another deep breath before continuing. "I owe everything to her. She failed because of me. My failure was the cause of all this, and even still she protected me. S-She deserved better than me. She tried so hard to make it work, and I still dragged her down. If only she hadn't been paired with a failure like me, then perhaps she would still be here." He gave a slight chuckle. "Hell, even you would have been more compatible with her."

Ikuno gave a slight blush before answering quickly. "B-But I'm a girl. FRANXX's don't work with two female pilots."

"Well, you still would have made a better pair with her than me." He said with a slight smile.

"Hiro…. I-I don't think Naomi would want you to blame yourself for something you couldn't control." She said sympathetically.

"Thanks, Ikuno. Even still, if I ever see her again, I will beg for her forgiveness."

He turned to leave before Ikuno called him back. "Hiro, wait! You wanted to know what I was reading. I think I may have found something you would be interested in."

Right now nothing interested him but he walked over her anyway. "What?" He replied mechanically; still thinking of what his failure had done to Naomi. Such a poor girl. Why did she have to be paired with somebody like me?

"Well, I don't know what it is, but there's a picture of what you and Zero Two were doing the other day."

That snapped him out of his slump. "What do you mean?" He asked confused.

She turned the paper so he could see it. There was a picture of a man and a woman embracing and kissing each other. She turned the paper back so she could read. "According to the paper, supposedly these two are in love."

"Love?" He said confused. "What does that mean?"

"I have no idea." She said equally confused. "I never even heard of this term before."

She pulled out her communicator and scrolled through to the database app. "Love." She typed.

He waited a few seconds before inquiring. "Well?"

"Nothing." She said confused. "There's nothing in the database about it. It says that this topic doesn't exist."

"What!? What do you mean it doesn't exist."

"I don't know, that just what it says; there's nothing here….." Her voice trail off. "Somethings loading!" She said sharply.

"What?" He said rushing over to her.

Her communicator read.

Love: An intense feeling of deep affection. In romantic love, two people feel deeply attracted and bonded to one another.

His heart was starting to pound in his chest. Did this mean that he loved Zero Two? Ikuno tapped her finger on the word "Romantic.

Romance: A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with the process of courting.

His heart was like a drum hammering inside his chest. What is courting!? He was almost trying to use his mind to will Ikuno to press on the word. She obliged him.

Courting: The process of attracting a mate. In humans usually used as a term to refer to people bonding with the intention of marrying. A pair will spend time trying to gain each others approval and affection.

His heart was going to explode. What did words like MATE and MARRYING mean! She clicked on them but they all came up with the same answer "No data."

Still, his mind was completely blown. So the feeling he felt towards Zero Two was love? Part of him desperately wanted to get her approval and affection. Had he subconsciously been trying to court Zero Two? Maybe he should try harder. He didn't know what words like mate and marry meant, but they sounded like wonderful ideas.

"Do you know what any of this means?" Ikuno asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

"N-No." He said, covering his momentary reverie. "I've never heard of any of this before."

"Well, I think I'll keep reading this paper." She said making herself comfortable again. "You may want to return to her room." She gave a meaningful look at Zero Two's clothes still bundled in his arms.

Embarrassed he feebly tried to hide them behind his back, while mumbling incoherent excuses.

She gazed at him with her piercing olive green eyes. "Shhh... It'll be our little secret." She said quietly.

"T-Thanks, Ikuno." He said relieved.

Quickly he turned and began to make his way back to Zero Two's room. When he got there he quietly stepped inside and closed the door, hoping she was still asleep. The sky outside the window was slowly lightening as the sun began its journey into the sky. As sunlight began to seep into the room, his surroundings slowly began to lose their blueish glow. He blinked rapidly a few times and the glow was completely gone. The room was now only lit with the morning sun.

"Strange," He muttered. "I wonder what the source of the glow was?"

Zero Two began to stir restlessly as something in her sleep began to disturb her. She began to mumble incoherently and her breathing became more labored. Startled he walked over to the bed and sat down. He stared at her utterly bewildered. What do you do to calm a sleeping person? Still thoroughly confused he gently grabbed her hand.

She sat up abruptly her eyes flying around the room in panic. She was still breathing heavily and she looked like her mind was racing a thousand miles per hour.

"Zero Two, what wrong?" He asked concerned.

Her eyes flew over to him. "Darling!" She cried, her arms flying around him. She began to mumble incoherently as she pulled him closer and closer to her.

"Zero Two, what wrong!?" He asked, this time with far more concern.

She didn't answer, but through her mumbling, he could distinguish a few words. "Thoughtyou weredead. ."

Gently he hugged her back and did his best to console her sudden outburst. "Umm... Zero Two I'm perfectly fine, t-there's no need to worry."

Suddenly she let go of him and demanded. "What happened yesterday!"

"N-Nothing." He said hurriedly. "Really there's nothing to worry about." She gave him a piercing glare, her beautiful green eyes boring into him. He began to wither under her scrutiny. "T-There was a growth."

"A growth! What growth!?" She said in alarm.

"On my chest." He said feebly. "It's not there anymore….. Hey, Zero Two!"

All she had heard was chest. Her hands shot forward grabbing the zipper to his uniform and yanking it down. She pulled aside the flaps of the shirt and began scanning his chest. When she spotted it her hands darted forward investigating the scar on his chest.

"When did this happen?" she demanded.

"R-Right before w-we started the operation." The lie wasn't entirely false, but it wasn't the truth.

"You're sure?" She questioned disbelievingly. Her hands still feeling the area around the scar.

"Yeah," He said nervously. "Please not worry about it. Its gone now."

She stared at him for a few more long moments. "Fine. But next time tell me. Okay?"

"Okay."

She sat back on her haunches and stared at him suspiciously.

"Umm... So how are you feeling?" He asked trying to change the subject.

"Stiff and sore." She said turning away from him. "Other than that I'm fine." Looking down at her parasite suit she said. "I better get to the lockers rooms and change out of this."

"Actually, I have your clothes right here." He gestured to where he had set the clothes. Realizing how suspicious this might look he continued with his explanation. "I went to get mine earlier this morning, yours were stacked in my locker with a note."

She gave him a curious look. "From whom?"

"I don't know. All it said was, 'Your Welcome.' That was it, whoever sent it didn't leave a name."

She gazed at him for a moment. Before looking at the pile of clothes, to herself, and back at him. A playful smile began to dance at the corner of her mouth.

"Alright, then I guess I can just change here." She said cheerfully. Before he could do more than protest feebly, she bounded forward grabbing the pile of clothes as she went. She dropped them and began to strip off her suit at breakneck speed.

"Zero Two wait!" He protested frantically. She didn't listen but seemed to have her suit undergarments off faster then he could blink. She stood there with her back to him and let him gaze at her. She seemed to radiate golden beauty. Her curves were perfect and natural but not over exaggerated. She swept her cherry blossom pink hair around to her front. His eyes gazed hungrily drinking in every inch of her body. They traced the online of her figure and memorized every facet of her skin. He could feel his blood began to boil as a strange animalistic feeling began to surge inside him.

Slowly and with a tremendous effort, his conscious brain came online again. Hey Pervert! Maybe we should stop staring at her and abusing her dignity!

"Ahh…. I'm sorry I didn't mean to!" He quickly turned his head and shielded his eyes. He felt like he was about to burst into flames from the shame. How could he have used her body, for his own sick amusement!?

She began to snicker as she fought desperately to keep from laughing. He heard her bend down and begin to pull something up her legs. She bent down again to pick something else up. Whatever she was trying to put on, was taking a long time.

"Darling, would you help me? I'm afraid I'm a little too sore to put this on properly." It was obvious from her voice that she was playing with him.

What does she want me to do? Slowly he turned and remove his hands from his face. She was standing with her back to him. She was making a show of having difficulty clipping the back of her bra together.

Hiro was not convinced by her display of helplessness. His mouth however eagerly jumped at the opportunity before his mind could get in the way. "Umm… Yeah sure."

He stood up and gently took the clips. "Umm... Like this?" Gently he brought the clasps together so that they clipped into place.

"Yep!" She said happy bounding forward. "You're a natural!" She turned to him wearing nothing but her undergarments.

Her appearance and word choice were not helping his overactive mind right now. Thoughts were racing through his head a thousand miles an hour but his responses were like a snail. "Umm…. I…. Uh…" He continued to stammer.

The sun crested a hill and its light poured through the window, blinding him. Blinking rapidly he tried to shield his eyes.

"Darling's exposed!" She cried happy, leaping forwards and tackling him onto the bed. Latching onto his neck, she began to suck hungrily. The feeling of her angel soft lips against his neck was bliss. Her horns gently dug into the top of his neck, and somehow seemed to arouse a deep magnetic sensation within him. His whole neck felt like a web of tiny strings, pulsating with pure ecstasy. The points were her horns touched him seemed to be exploding with deep and complex sensations.

She shifted as she sucked harder against his neck. Her horns lost there contact with his neck and in an instant, the sensations were gone. He switched focus at the speed of light letting himself become enveloped by her sucking. Unfortunately, it did take very long for him to notice that something was off. She was sucking on him so intently that she seems almost desperate. Like she was trying to prove something to him; while simultaneously marking him as hers.

"Zero Two. What are you doing?" He asked, hoping it would break her desperation.

She sucked greedily for a few more seconds; before examining her work. "Whoops! It looks like I made a mark." She said happily.

She rolled off him and made a show of putting on the rest of her clothes in plain view of him. He would have found it stimulating if he hadn't been on the lookout for her odd behavior. She seemed desperate to form any sort of bond with him. She was just using her body as a tool to try and get the results she wanted. Why was she so desperate? It was true that they'd know each other for a week, and already he already felt deeply connected to her. If she was feeling the same thing, then why was she trying to force it along.

When he was around her, he felt more alive than ever. Some of his best memories of his whole life had been formed with her. The intimate sensations of connection he achieved with her were something that not even his best friends could replicate. He would gladly spend all day just being entwined in her presence. That word that he and Ikuno had discovered, described his feelings towards Zero Two perfectly. He loved her. Whatever that entailed he didn't know, but if there was one person he was willing to discover it with, it was her.

Maybe she was felt the same. But if so, why was she forcing herself to possess him. Was she trying to tell him something? A darker thought crossed his mind. Or maybe she does this with every one of her partners. No this felt unique to them. But maybe he should check just in case.

"Zero Two."

"Yes?" She turned to him as she zipped up the rest of her uniform.

"Did you do this with every one of your partners?"

"Nope just you." She answered, happily.

"Why?"

"Because you're my Darling." She stated obviously.

"But what does that mean?"

She gazed at him and he could see a flicker of sadness cross her face. Her lip gave a slight tremble as she struggled to come up with an answer. When she finally spoke, however, it was in the most jovial of tones. "That's a secret," She said with a coy smile. "Now wheres my headband."

"Right here." He said picking it up from the nightstand. He made the split-second decision not to probe for answers he wasn't going to get. If they were answers he needed to know, they would reveal themselves in time.

"Oh. Thanks." She said holding out her hand.

He gave a slight blush and asked embarrassed. "May I?"

She looked at him for a moments before lowering her head. "Sure."

Carefully he brought it up and slowly began to lower it so that her horns fit perfectly in their notches. He was crowning his princess, and he wanted to make sure that the headband perfectly encapsulated the beauty of her horns. "There hows that?" He said cautiously, hoping that she would approve.

"Perfect!" She confirmed without even bothering to inspect it. Leaning forward she zipped up his uniform which had been unzipped this whole time. Slowly she stroked the upside-down "Y" that made up the centerpiece of his uniform. "I wish I had a uniform like yours." She said continuing her caressing.

"I don't." He said casually. "I like the one your wearing better. It makes you look unique from everyone else." His face flushed as he finished his sentence. "I-It shows to everyone at a glance just how special you are."

Zero Two gave him a stunned look. Her lip began to tremble as she fought to contain the flood of emotion and gratitude that had just welled up inside her. "T-Thank you, Darling. N-Nobody has ever said I was special before."

He smiled and grabbed her hand. "Well, you are. A-And don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Standing, he gently began to guide her towards the door. "Come on, let's go see if breakfast is ready."

The balcony doors hissed open to reveal a city that sparkled with a golden glow. Golden builds towered like spires under the plantation's great dome. Faint clouds of steam hung in the air; sparkling as if they were made from golden droplets. At the center of it all, was the central spire that made up the trunk of Mistleteinn. Colossal pipes ran from its roots, carving their way through the golden city. Each pipe gleamed with magma energy as it flowed towards unknown facilities. The city's magnificence boggled the mind and was an awe to behold. Like a master magician, it dazzled its audience with its golden illusion.

"This is amazing!" Zorome exclaimed dashing forward to the railing that overlooked the city. "Papa is the best!"

The rest of the squad was not far behind him. Each exclaiming in awe how marvelous the city was. The city's scale boggled Ichigo's mind. She had never seen anything even remotely close to its grandeur. Looking left and right she drank in the city's golden majesty. Ichigo turned to observe her squad. Everyone was in complete awe of the city. Even Mitsuru, who was usually standoffish and cold, couldn't hide his amazement.

Zero Two and Hiro were the only ones who were not exclaiming in excitement. In fact, Zero Two looked downright disgusted whenever she glanced at the city. As a result, she spent most of her time sneaking covert stares at Hiro. Hiro was staring at the city, but instead of gaping in awe he seemed to be looking for something. Now that she thought about it, Hiro and Zero Two's reaction to the squad's treat had been very mediocre.

During breakfast, Nana had informed the squad that as a treat for the kissing operation, they would be allowed to explore the plantation's city. The entire squad had shouted in excitement and proceeded to spend the next few hours discussing their treat. Zorome had feverishly spent all morning exclaiming how great Papa was. He had gone on and on about what he was going to ask the adults. Even his partner Miku hadn't criticized him since she was just as excited. But while the squad had reviled in their opportunity; Zero Two and Hiro had just quietly sat, occasionally adding input when asked.

"Alright everyone, gather round," Nana called. She was gesturing towards a lift that would take them down into the city. "You all have one hour to explore the city. Please be back here before that hour is up."

"Really an hour. Can't we explore longer?" Zorome exclaimed.

Nana gave him a smile. "Unfortunately that is as long as we are allowed to give you. Any longer and we may start disturbing the adults." In a louder voice, she called. "Your hour starts now! Have fun!" She began to walk away before remembering something. "Oh, and maps have been added to your communicators, so use them if you need."

Zorome darted towards the lift and the rest of the squad followed. Ichigo found herself next to Hiro as they all squeezed their way onto the lift.

"Beautiful city." She commented.

"Yeah." He replied.

Looking over at him she spotted a little brownish mark on the side of his throat. "What happened to your neck?" She asked, gesturing to it.

Hiro gave a slight blush and surreptitiously glanced over at his partner. Ichigo knew now that whatever it was, Zero Two had given it to him.

"U-Um, I got it during the last battle." He answered hurriedly.

Ichigo very much doubted that but decided to let it go without comment. Really, those two did the strangest things when they were alone. Goro had informed her the afternoon after the operation that Hiro was not in his bunk. Which meant that he was with Zero Two. Again. Honestly, she didn't know if trying to get them to sleep separately was a great idea anymore. She had a distinct impression that whatever reminder she might give would be thoroughly ignored. She sighed. This was a battle not worth engaging in. All it would do would alienate both of them. Zero Two was still incredibly guarded and gave very terse replies whenever Hiro wasn't around. So a better use of her time would be trying to get Zero Two to open up to the rest of the squad.

The lift came to a halt and the squad disembarked. Quickly Ichigo set an alarm to remind her when their hour was up. She didn't want to ruin the squad's privilege because she got too distracted.

"Where should we go first!?" Zorome said a moment later dashing forward.

A small argument broke out as everyone voiced their opinion. Futoshi wanted to try eating adult food. Mitsuru thought they should go left. Kokoro had started to agree with him but was cut off by Miku saying they should go right.

"Everyone shut up!" Goro yelled. "Ichigo since your squad leader, where do you think we should go?"

"Well…." She pulled out her communicator and looked at the map of the city. "Supposedly there's a plaza ahead if we walk forward. So… maybe that's a good place to start?"

The squad quickly agreed and started off towards the plaza. The golden builds towered above them as they walk. Ichigo looked up at them to see if she could spot any adults. Unfortunately, the towers appeared to be windowless and all she could see were blank walls of gold. Something was off about this city. So couldn't put her finger on it, but the squad's voices seemed to echo for a very long time.

Bring her attention back to the squad she noticed that she was walking alongside Zero Two. Zero Two's attention seemed to be focused ahead of her and strangely Hiro was not present. Looking around she spotted Hiro and Goro having a conversation further ahead which explained why Zero Two was alone.

Looking back at Zero Two she decided that now might be an opportunity to break the ice. Taking a deep breath she struck up a conversation.

"You know, you really shone in that last battle. What you did to that Klaxosaur was impressive."

"Darling was the one who did all the work. He's the special one." Zero Two said tersely. Although Zero Two's tone was sharp she could hear the girls affection for her partner breaking through her mask.

Ichigo chuckled. "You know its funny. Both of you try to shift the praise onto the other."

"Well its true, Darling really is special." This time the affection was more obvious.

"And he would say the same thing about you. I mean, he's already proclaimed on serval occasions how amazing you are."

She could see a slight blush starting the creep its way onto Zero Two's face. It was really cute, and the sight of an emotion other than indifference was refreshing.

"You know; I don't think I have every seen Hiro as happy as he's been over the past week. I've known him for as long as I can remember, and this is the happiest I think I've ever seen him."

"Really?" She could tell that Zero Two was having a hard time keeping up her veil of disinterest.

"Yeah. He's always kept to himself, and at times he almost seemed depressed. It didn't help that he and Naomi couldn't connect very well."

"Who's Naomi?" Zero Two asked suspiciously.

"Oh, sorry I forgot you didn't know. She was Hiro's partner before you came along. She was very sweet and shy but for some reason, she and Hiro never were able to pilot."

"Where is she now?" Zero Two questioned. It was evident from her voice that she didn't like the sound of somebody being that close to Hiro.

Her attitude reminded her of the Klaxosaur from the caves. Anything that posed a threat to her and Hiro she eliminated with deadly force. Ichigo was treading in very dangerous waters right now. One wrong step and she could be the target of the next attack. Suddenly she was very glad that during the mock battle she hadn't been able to pilot with Hiro. She got the feeling that if she had, Zero Two would have cut her down without a moment's hesitation. At least Naomi would never have to face that danger. Although she would have faced Zero Two's wraith a hundred times if it would bring back Naomi.

"She's dead," Ichigo said sadly. "She died the day the Klaxosaur attacked the plantation. According to Hiro, her transport back to the garden was crushed."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Zero Two said sadly.

Ichigo could tell however that deep down Zero Two was more relieved than sad. What had happened to this girl that she displayed such behavior. She was so overprotective of Hiro that it was bordering on possessiveness. She had gone out of her way on several occasions to mark or display that Hiro was hers. But as far as Ichigo was concerned nobody really wanted to get in between them. Ice flooded her stomach. She had. In the beginning, she and Goro had tried to separate the two of them, in an attempt to keep Hiro alive. Whatever had happened to her, in conjunction with her personality must have convinced her that everyone wanted to tear him away from her. Ichigo realized that her actions had added fuel to that already raging fire. Now it was going to take a lot of patience and slow coaxing to get Zero Two to let go even a little.

Well now was the best time to start. "Don't be. I think you're really helping Hiro stay positive." She smiled. "Just keep being you and I'm sure everything will work out fine."

Zero Two gave her a stunned look. "T-Thanks…. Ichigo,"

Well, its a start. "No problem." She said with a smile.

The squad arrived in the plaza a few minutes later. A great water fountain stood dry and dead in the middle of the plaza. Lines of once magnificent trees stood like dead and shriveled sentries, guarding the area's once magnificent beauty. Everything was to quiet. Humanity was supposed to be crammed into these plantations. The noise of people going about their day and conversing with one another should have been deafening. Instead, all you could hear was the sound of far-off machines.

"Hello! Is anyone here!?" Zorome shouted. His voice echoed and echoed for what seemed like an eternity.

"I wonder where the adults are?" Kokoro asked to nobody in particular.

"I don't know but where ever they are its not here," Futoshi answered unnecessarily.

Ichigo shivered, this was downright unsettling. Why was the city that was supposed to contain millions of people so quiet that you could hear a pin drop? Humanity had been divided into one hundred equal plantations. Each plantation was supposed to contain an equal number of occupants which meant that millions of people should be living in this city. There was just simply no way that humanity could afford the space for Plantations 13 to be empty.

"Let's keep moving." She said to the squad. "Maybe this part of the city is abandoned."

The squad kept walking; curiously looking around to try and find any of the adults. They walked for what seemed like hours and still there wasn't a sign of anybody.

"What do you think of the city, Darling?" Zero Two asked Hiro sweetly.

"I-I don't know. This whole time I thought we were protecting humanity, but I haven't seen one person besides ourselves."

"What do you mean you thought!" Zorome said angrily. "Papa designated use as the protectors so that's what we do! Doubting Papa's decision is blasphemy!"

"Yeah, but what is it that we are protecting? I mean if I'm going to die I want to know what I'm dying for."

"What do you mean Hiro?" Goro asked.

"Well if I die I'll be leaving behind people I care about." Hiro made a momentary glance towards Zero Two. "So if I die I want it to be for a good cause, and not necessarily because that's what I was ordered to do."

Zorome had another angry remark but Zero Two cut him off. "Well Darling, If you want to know what your protecting look over there." She was pointing down the sidewalk in front of them.

The squad turned to follow her pointing finger. Walking towards them was a figure wearing a long white robe. Their entire head was covered in a tall square hood that came down to just above their mouth.

"It's an adult!" Zorome cried happily, "Hello!" He began to frantically wave his arms to get the figures attention.

The adult didn't stop but instead just kept walking towards the squad. Ichigo studied the figure as it approached. They were walking in a perfectly straight line, each step as uniform as the next. The figure didn't say a word as they approached the squad, instead opting to keep walking as if they weren't there. The squad scrabbled out of its way as it continued its path forward.

"Hello. Are you one of the adults?" Zorome asked again.

The figure didn't answer instead stopping abruptly. Maybe it'll talk to us now. Ichigo thought. It didn't. Instead, it turned like a machine and began to make its way towards one of the golden buildings. When it walked up to the wall it reached a finger forward and touched a button. A computerized female voice began to speak as a panel slid open to reveal a pod for the adult to stand in. "Good day, Miss Ekhart. Your daily dose of happiness is available if you are ready."

"I am." The woman said back to the building.

She stepped into her pod and the golden panel slid back into place. The building was once again nothing more than a solid sheet of gold.

"W-Was that an adult?" Kokoro mewed weakly.

"I-I think it was," Miku said, still in complete shock.

"Well, she was more friendly than most." Zero Two said cooly.

Then most! Ichigo had been fervently hoping that this particular adult was a weird outlier among the rest of humanity. Was she saying that was the best that humanity had to offer?

Squad 13 was looking at Zero Two in complete shock. They had been so disarmed by her statement that none of them knew what to say or do.

Zero Two reach into her pocket and check the time. "Oooh, it's almost time. Darling, I wanna show you something." She grabbed Hiro's hand and began to drag him along with her.

"Wait! Zero Two were are we going!?" Hiro asked in surprise.

"To watch the interesting adults."

Zorome gave a start of surprise before dashing off after them. "Wait! Hold up I want to see them too."

Squad 13 quickly followed Zorome's example and began to pursue the couple. Ichigo watched Zero Two skipped merrily as she continued to lead Hiro.

Leaning over Ichigo began to hold a quiet conversation with Goro. "What do you think we're going to see?"

"I don't know, but I hope its more encouraging then what we just saw." He replied.

"What if it's not?" She asked.

"I don't know. I've spent my whole life admiring the adults and Papa. But If this really is what the adults are, then I not sure I'll admire them as much anymore. I couldn't imagine living my life like that. If I didn't have you and the rest of Squad 13 when I don't know what I'd do with myself."

The Squad all began to gather around a railing overlooking another plaza below them. It was just as abandoned and dead as the last one.

"It looks like we made it just in time!" Zero Two said happily.

Suddenly the buildings came alive. Golden panels shot up all along their surfaces and adults began to mechanically walk out. A computerized female voice sounded over a loudspeaker. "Daily walking time for level 1 of Plaza 77 is now in session. All affected occupants please begin your cycle."

All the adults turned at exactly the same time and began to walk in step with one another out of the plaza. Many in the squad were expressing attitudes of horror was they continued to watch the adults mindless march. Ichigo was speechless. Was this the hight of humanity. Was this really what humanity had become. She looked over and spotted Hiro and Zero Two haveing a quite conversations. It ended with her nuzzling against him with a huge smile on her face. Both those actions were more human than anything she had seen from the adults so far. If Zero Two could show more emotion then the supposed adults, then what did that say about what humanity had become.

The alarm from her communicator started making a loud beeping. Jumping in surprise she quickly pulled it out and shut it off. They needed to get back to Mistleteinn's command tower fast.

Hurriedly she called to the rest of the squad. "Everyone our time is up! We need to get back to Mistleteinn."

The squad all conformed with one last look at the adults before starting off back the way they had come.

Nana was waiting for them when they arrived back at the balcony overlooking the city.

"Did you all enjoy your trip?" She asked innocently.

"Yes," Ichigo replied. "It was very informative."

The rest of the squad each gave mechanical mumbles of agreement before making their way towards the door.

If Nana noticed their behavior she didn't comment on it. "Good. Now its time you all returned to Mistleteinn."

Somewhere far away.

"Code 703. Code 016. You fail." "If only you hadn't been my partner." "Well, Hiro I don't think you'll be seeing me again." "Naomi!" "Hiro, I hope you find a good partner." "Goodbye, Hiro." SLAM.

PAIN. Agony.

Blue.

Klaxosaur.

"I will need to thank the doctor for you."

"You will carry on the legacy of us." "You will house the next generation.""Become the mother."

Naomi woke up with a jolt and a gasp. Her first observation was that whatever she had been lying on was hard and uncomfortable. Suddenly she sat up. Where am I? She raised her left arm to rubbed her eyes trying to get them to adjust. Her arm began to wrap itself around her head. What the hell! She straightened out her left arm and saw that where her arm had been was now a black tentacle with glowing blue horizontal stripes. She shook her arm violently to dislodge it, but the tentacle only shook with her. She shook harder trying desperately to get it to let go! What the hell is this thing! The tentacle whipped back and hit her in the face. She cried out in pain clutching her face. The tentacle was there rubbing soothingly; accompanied by her right hand.

This time she slowly stretched out her left arm. The tentacle gradually unfurled until it was sticking straight out. Cautiously she bent her arm but the tentacle was the only thing that moved. She opened her fingers and the tentacle split into five smaller tentacles.

"I guess I have a tentacle now." She said still bewildered.

A gust of cool air suddenly blew from somewhere and she felt the skin on her chest erupt in goosebumps. Looking down she saw that the parasite uniform she had been wearing was gone. The only thing she was wearing was a knee-high grey skirt with glowing blue accents. She would have been appalled at the fact that she was bare-chested, if not for the massive glowing blue "X" on her chest. Branching off from the "X" were thick glowing blue veins that ran all over her torso. What scared her, even more, was that all of the veins that would usually be invisible under her skin were glowing blue.

"That the hell happened to me!?" She breathed still terrified.

The surprises weren't over. Her lap was being illuminated by a faint golden glow coming from her abdomen. She was scared to even look but she did it anyway. Where her abdomen had once been there was a cutout covered by a transparent blue skin. Looking into her pelvis she saw a cluster of small glowing golden orbs. All of them appeared to be floating in some sort of fluid.

Startled she instinctively placed her hand on her abdomen. The skin beneath her fingers was warm and soft which she took comfort in. She sat there stroking the skin. She couldn't make up her mind as to how she felt about her missing abdomen. Part of her was scared and desperately wanted to be rid of it. But another part already felt attached to it in a strange way.

The orbs seemed to notice her hand, eagerly they all began to swim towards it. She was so startled that she froze. Had the orbs just moved!? No, she had to be imaging things. She didn't even know what the orbs were. Let alone if they were alive!

"Ow!" She was abruptly jerked from her thoughts when the orbs collided with the skin under her hand.

She sat frozen as she felt the orbs continue to nudge against her hand. They seemed to be desperately trying to get her attention and acknowledgment. She closed her eyes. This was some sort of dream. When she woke up, she would be back in Mistleteinn, with her friends, and her FRANXX partner Hiro. The nudging persisted, however. Slowly she opened her left eye. The world beyond her faint glow was dark, foreboding and full of shadows. She opened her right eye. The room she was in came alive and she could see as if it was illuminated by lights.

"What the hell happened to me? I can see in the dark with my right eye. I have a tentacle for a left arm. There's a massive glowing "X" on my chest. My veins look like a spider web. There's a massive cut out of my abdomen. And to top it all off, now there's a group of some sort of life form inside me trying to get my attention."

Sighing she got up. She looked around the room trying to get her bearings. She appeared to be in some sort of medical room, but the tech was nothing like anything she had ever seen. Spotting a display she walked over to it. The display showed what looked like a blueprint of a figure. Text was visible around certain key areas of the figure's body. She read the notes for what looked to be its abdomen. "Klaxo-womb devolved. Magma feeding ducts ready. Environment fit for development. Fertilized Klaxo-sapien embryos implanted. Confirmed impregnation. Phase one development progress 2%. Embryo life signs normal.

"Well, that was helpful." She said exasperatedly. I don't have a clue as to what any of that meant. What is a Klaxo-sapien? What is an embryo? And what did that word impregnation mean?

"I need to get out of here." She whispered to herself.

Looking around she spotted a door. She walked over to it and it slide open immediately. Apparently whoever had put her in here didn't have any problems with her leaving. She stared down a long hallway with many doors and passages leading off it. The only thing that illuminated the hall, were long glowing blue strips, that ran along the walls. If not for the strips and her right eye the whole hallway would have been pitch black.

Gulping she began to slowly inch her way forward. If she wasn't careful it would be very easy for her to become lost if she deviated from the hall. Where the hell am I? She had never seen anything like thing in her life. The only thing she was sure of was that this wasn't the plantation or the Garden. What had happened to her? Wasn't I on a transport? A memory of the transport crashing around her and excruciating pain flooded back into her mind.

"How am I not dead?" She whispered softly to herself.

She was now reasonably certain that she wasn't dead or sleeping. She just seemed to be too aware of her surroundings for either option to be viable. To add to her certainty, one of the orbs collided painfully against her abdomen. Argh, what in the world happened to me? She reached her hand down again and gently stroked her abdomen. Who did this to me? Was she just being used as some sort of test bed for new technologies? Maybe she was being used as an experimental weapon, and all these abnormalities were killing devices?

Somehow she didn't feel like what had happened to her was sinister though. She already felt a weird sort of bond with the things inside of her. Although why she did was still a mystery. She had no evidence to support that they weren't harmful or sinister in any way. All she knew was that they felt special, and in a strange sort of way, comforting.

Slowly she began to make her way off down the hall again. She had only been walking for a few minutes when the light from an open door leading somewhere came into view. Cautiously she inched her way forward trying to stay as quiet as possible.

When she got to the door she took a deep breath; before poking her head around to see what the room contained. It wasn't a room but instead a baloney, overlooking a weird sort of cavern. It only took her seconds to realize that someone was leaning on the balcony looking down into the cavern. The figure was the weirdest thing she had ever seen. What seemed to be pale blue hair cascaded down to its ankles. The hair draped around a massive black tentacle with glowing blue strips; which currently curled gently around the figure's feet. The figure also possessed two massive glowing blue horns that came out from the front and back of her head. Connected to the horns and ringing around its head was a black crown with serval spiked protrusions. The figure's arms were slender and their skin looked to be dark cyan in color.

"You're supposed to be in bed." Came a harsh female voice. The voice hadn't seemed to come from the figure's mouth but instead, seemed to be beamed directly into Naomi's mind.

Naomi took a deep breath and step forward into the doorway. "Where am I?" She asked cautiously.

"My kingdom." The figure answered simply.

Her kingdom? What was this thing?

"W-Who are you?" She asked, her nervousness mounting.

The figure stood and turned to her. The figure was shorter then Naomi and at first glance, it appeared to be genderless. Upon closer inspection, however, she could see that the shoulders and hips of the figure were the same width across. She suspected that the figure might be a female but since it seemed to not have any genitals, she couldn't be sure. The figure's skin was a dark cyan and had pinch black markings crisscrossing its chest. Its legs appear to be cover in another marking, with only small diamond shaped cyan gaps. The figure's face was small, narrow and had bright glowing blue eyes. The eyes were ringed with more black markings that fell down the figure's cheeks. All of this combined, to give the figure a beautiful but menacing look.

"I am, the Queen of the Klaxosaurs." It said, not opening its mouth.

No, that was impossible. The Klaxosaurs were mindless beasts intent on destroying humanity. For them to have a Queen would have completely went against everything Papa had told them. Papa was a supreme being; for him to be wrong was unthinkable. No, this figure must be lying to her.

"That can't be true." She said bravely. "Papa would have told us about you."

The supposed queen laughed a cold and cruel laugh without open its lips. "Forgive me, I forgot how easily manipulated you humans are. Not questioning a word you're told, just blindly following every word your brainwashers utter."

Naomi felt her mood swing rapidly and she flared up in anger. "I questioned you!"

"Oh, Not so easily cowed are we. You're quite feisty for a human." The queen laughed cruelly. "Although, I guess your no longer a human anymore."

"Wait! What!" Her anger died in an instant. "What do you mean I'm not a human!?"

The Queen didn't answer but instead dash forward, her massive tentacle splitting into eight smaller ones. The tentacles wrapped around her whole body, trapping her in their grip. She struggled uselessly trying to get out of their grasp. The Queen's face suddenly appeared before her and she looked into its menacing eyes. The queen bowed her head and she felt something cold and wet begin to trail its way up her neck. Disgusted she realized that the queen was tasting her with its tongue.

The queen drew back when it was satisfied. "What a refreshing taste. Something I have not had in a long time." It licked again, this time on her face. Whatever the queen was, it seemed almost desperate, like it was indulging itself on a very rare treat. "Yes…. You will make an excellent carrier. Your body takes to the eggs like a natural, let them grow strong."

Naomi could tell that the queen was in full on ramble mode. Something about whatever she tasted like was making the queen very excited. The queen continued its assault on Naomi's face. What in the heck is she doing? Maybe it really was the Queen of the Klaxosaurs, because this was downright creepy. She tried to squirm but the tentacles around her were so tight that she was completely immobilized.

Suddenly she felt all the orbs within her collide painfully against her belly. She let out a loud moan of pain. This was the last thing she needed right now. The queen noticed her moan and looked at her. The ache from the orbs was still present, which was making it difficult for her to hide her pained expression. The queen unraveled the tentacles around her abdomen before lifting her up to look into her. Naomi feeling of violation increased as the queen continued to stare into her body.

The queen began to whisper to itself. It must have forgotten that Naomi could hear every word it said, due to them still being linked. "Hmm…. They're hungry."

The queen lifted it's cold hand to her abdomen and gently began to stroke her skin. "Injections won't do anymore…. She'll have to feed them herself."

The queen lowered her to the ground and unravel its tentacles. Naomi began to stagger around as the blood rushed back into her legs. Too late she realized she was about to fall as she lost control of herself. One of the Queen's tentacles shot out and caught her before she could hit the floor. Standing her back up the queen turned and began to walk away.

"Come with me." The Queen commanded.

Naomi's head was so full of questions and angry retorts that the only one she could get out was. "Where are we going?"

"For energy." The queen replied.

"B-But I don't need energy." She said confused and bewildered.

"You will, But more importantly, they will."

Naomi started off after the queen. She got the feeling that this person was somebody you didn't want to cross. She had already done so once and was forced into violating consequences. Doing it again may result in more drastic action.

They walked for what seemed like an eternity. They had taken so many twists and turns that, there was no way she could find her back to the room, she had been in when she woke up. All she knew was that they seemed to be traveling deeper, and deeper into whatever structure this was.

Up ahead seemed to be a large room with a faint golden glow. Nervously she wondered if that was their final destination. When she got there the queen was standing by a large bowl with glowing golden liquid flowing into it. When she got close to the bowl she could feel the scolding hot heat radiating from it.

"Drink." The queen commanded.

"B-But that seems like its really hot." She protested.

"Drink." The queen said again in a harsher voice.

Slowly she pressed her lips to the surface of the liquid. It was hot, but nowhere near what she had thought it would be. In fact, she could feel a slight tingling sensation as the liquid splashed gently against her face. She took one last look at the liquid before she opened her lips and sipped.

Pain assaulted her as the liquid entered her mouth. It was so hot that she was convicted that she was drinking liquid fire. The liquid scolded her mouth and began to burn as it went down her throat. She cried out in pain and lifted her head.

"Drink." Anger had entered the queen's voice.

"I can't! It's way too hot!" She screamed.

"I will not ask you again. Drink."

She tried again; taking another tender sip of the fire. It felt like somebody was pouring magma down her throat. Nobody could drink this! I'll die if I drink any more of this!

She began sobbing as lifted her head again. She screamed at the queen. Begging her to not make her do this. "I-I CAN'T! IT'S TO HOT! PLEASE! I CAN'T!"

"Enough of this."

The queen's massive horns glowed and Naomi felt her body become dominated by the queen's control. All she could do was watch helplessly as she was forcibly bent towards the fire. Her mouth was forced open, and the queen forced her to gulp down massive amounts of the liquid. Her tears of agony turned to steam as they hit the fiery liquid below. She was going to die! The liquid cascade down her throat, burning everything as it went. The queen only removed her for moments, to let her breath before forcing her back to the liquid.

After what seemed like an eternity, the queen released her from the control. Naomi's throat was so raw that she didn't know if she would ever regain feeling in it again. She gipped the side of the bowl with her right hand, desperately trying to stay upright. The bowl's contents had only gone down a fraction of what it contained.

"Barely enough." The queen muttered harshly.

Barely enough. She thought. When was the next time she would be forced to do this? How many more times would it be until the queen was satisfied? She looked back at the bowl. Her throat was so raw that she couldn't feel a thing. The only way she could tell she was breathing was by the rising and falling of her chest. If I drink the rest of it, maybe I'll never have to touch it again. She thought half dazed. If I do it all n-now, then there w-won't be any left for her to use against me.

Bending down again she began to drink the liquid. She couldn't feel it anymore. Her whole mouth was just to numb to feel anything. She drank and drank; watching as the level of the liquid slowly decreased.

Sip. Only time I'll have to do this. Sip. Just one more and it'll be over. Sip. Never have to do this again. Sip. Just one final time. Sip.

With one more massive gulp, she drained the bowl. Breathing heavily she lifted her face. Golden drool slowly dripped from her mouth, as she clutched the side of the bowl for support.

"Impressive. You're more resilient than I first gave you credit for." The queen muttered approvingly. "Now come with me. I'll show you where you can stay."

The queen turned and began to walk towards a door off the room. Slowly Naomi turned and began to walk off after her. She hadn't been awake for very long but already she felt exhausted.

The queen opened the door and gestured inside. She numbly walked forward into the room. The room was massive. Two adjacent walls were transparent and had a magnificent view of the outside. The bed was huge and looked very comfortable. If Naomi hadn't been so numb maybe she could have appreciated the rest of the rooms magnificence.

"T-Thank you." She said numbly.

"Just stay here. I'll find you later." The queen said mechanically.

The queen turned and the door closed with a hiss behind her. Naomi walked over to the bed and curled up on top facing a blank wall. She closed her eyes and just laid there. Suddenly she felt very alone. She would have done anything to have even one of her friends back. They had always been together. She wished fervently that her best friend Ikuno was here. They had been lucky enough to have a dorm to themselves. During that time they had been incredibly close and comfortable with one another. On rare occasions, they had even experimented with sleeping in the same bunk. But right now she was all alone. Ikuno and everyone else were far away. She began to cry. What had she done to deserve this? Where had she gone wrong?

A warm feeling began to spread through her body and collected just above her abdomen. Curiously she opened her eyes and curled up to look into herself. The orbs were swimming their way up towards her chest. They disappeared behind her regular skin. Obliviously the space inside her was bigger than what as cover with the transparent skin. Suddenly she felt a tickling sensation as the orbs began to suckle her. She giggled in pleasure as her body supplied whatever it was that they were eating. She realized with some surprise that she was becoming more and more fond of these little orbs. Something was instinctually drawing her to them, and she couldn't bring herself to be afraid of them.

"Well, I guess you guys are here for me." She said sweetly stoking her belly gently.

She sat there for a few more minutes, just feeling them feed. Yawning she suddenly realized just how tired she really was. Rolling over, she grabbed one of the blankets and tucked herself under it. Closing her eyes, she lay quietly until the realm of dreams shallowed her into its grasp.

Authors note:

Thank you for reading Chapter 6 of The Jian Bird.

Poor Naomi. I'll give you one guess as to what happened to her. Lol

I did draw concept art for her so it is available if you would like to look at it. I can't seem to get links to work on Fanfiction. I'll keep fiddling with it, but if any of you know then please inform me. There will be a REVIEW for CHAPTER 6 that contains the link you can copy for the Reddit post. If you would like you can also find it in the DARLING in the FRANXX communities on Google+, and Facebook.

r/DarlingInTheFranxx/comments/984bra/klaxosaur_naomi_concept_art_spoilers_for_the_jian/

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