…

Chapter 7

Our life beyond

…

You know, I'm not really a social type of guy. I always preferred going about my day surrounded by beautiful nature, dozing off while looking at the fishing line's floater grazing the lake's surface and waiting for it to bob, bothered by some unfortunate fish. Then, when bored, taking a hike through the forest touching the barks of the trees, stepping over the roots sprawling along the earthen paths or just lying down in the shade of a cherry tree next to Mistilteinn main stone path.

When you're a Parasite, you get used in being alone. Alone not in terms of being with people, but in terms of being cared by someone. In the Garden, the place where we grew up, we were watched constantly by Adults and their firm presence, both in the classrooms and the playground. While mostly silent, every issue we had was swiftly taken care of and in no way we were mistreated. I felt really protected back then, as those white figures could solve my ever-little problems, as I trusted them even if their permeable attitude stroke in me a bit of fear.

I hated the Children there: too much brazen, over the top and spoiled, so I spent half of my days squabbling and brawling, constantly at the end of my rope. The time I met my two dear friends, Ichigo and Hiro, was the most beautiful time in my life. I used to pass every other second with them, bouncing back the others in the security of my deep friendship. They grew with me at the Garden in the same playground, in the same classroom and then we earned the same glass cage.

Then, when you enter Mistilteinn, you start feeling alone. No adult watching over you, no one to reprimand you of your bad-fitted collar or because you've woken 5 minutes late. You just have to manage your time by yourself and follow the daily training schedule, composed primarily of Para-Capacity tests, combat simulation at the training units and induced stress management at your FranXX while docked. Live FranXX tests were very costly, so in no way were enforced in a regular basis, as the only live training allowed was the actual combat. Outside of that, you're enclosed in a glass dome, alone, with yourself and your free time, doing nothing worth of doing, chasing off the bore.

In truth, even if I thought my squad mates are really good people and worth spending my time with, I kept being alone and layering myself in even though we shared the same life and dormitory. I felt that the thing that brought us together was something artificial, so I couldn't see bonding with the others something more significant compared to staying with my best friends, which was the most spontaneous thing ever.

With time though, among us three changed something: we found love. Hiro did first, then Ichigo started felling the same unrequited love towards Hiro that I felt for her. Things became a bit painful and still are, according to our recent interactions, so I kinda decided to step back a bit and be more aware of what happens around me, to avoid being fixated on a problem for which I didn't have a solution.

I wonder if that glass cage is still over my head.

"Goro, what's the matter? Your gaze is about open a hole in the glass."

I recoil, and realize I am standing at the kitchen's window, arms crossed, mug in hand, staring the reddish sun now well awake while monologuing in my head and ignoring completely Ikuno and Miku. The two sipping away at their coffee with particular gusto, seated next to each other, opposite to my seat.

"Oh, damn, sorry! I was thinking." I answer back to Miku, realizing my rudeness. Her sudden entrance made me offer her my remaining half of the cake slice and, after serving her some coffee, I just started wandering off.

"Head-at-cloud-level Goro." Miku teases.

"Talks the spooky ghost demanding sweet sacrifice."

"Whaaat? Watch who you're addressing as spooky!"

"Are you conscious that you're still in your night gown? And that you're still wearing your morning face?"

"You were not supposed to be here, thieves! I think there's more of it in the other fridge, but what if we run all out of cake?" Miku crossed her arms, sure of delivering a very important point.

I sit down with the two fellow-early-risers.

"What if we learn how to… prepare a cake?"

"Owo! Goro! Genius!" Ikuno picks herself up from her meek attitude while Miku opens her eyes and mouth in surprise, now well awake.

I lean forward on the table, and the girls do the same.

"The problem is that Hachi has all the cooking books and I don't know where the ingredients are." I confide with low voice.

"We must recover them!" Miku shoots up with determination.

"And negotiate with him to obtain the precious tomes!" Ikuno conspires.

"Then, when everything's ready, we're going to shut ourselves in here and figure out how to prepare it!" I say confidently.

"I think we need to learn how to cook with the stoves first…" Ikuno adds with concern. "We really don't want to cause a mess in our first try… Let us start with something basic."

"Yes! Then, when we get good at it, we're gonna never run out! Damn, the times of just eating pre-prepared food are over!" Miku fires up her fists.

"I was just about to give in about that, too." I add at the end. In fact, the standard rations are just h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e! I don't know how people can live on that stuff for so long. Compared to what we were used eating back at Mistilteinn, it looks like someone scooped up mud from the ground and shoved it in cans! However, most of the bulk food here in Bird's Nest consists in stale combat rations, so fresh food is a must.

"So, deal?" Offering my two hands at them.

"Deal!" Ikuno and Miku shake them in unison, happy as ever.

You can't stop the cake. Nope. Too strong.

Clak- The door opens, and a confused Futoshi looks over the scene of absolute understanding. Me and the girls I was playing arm wrestling with turn to meet the new member of the assembly.

"Whaaat are you doing here at past 7 shaking hands?" Asks in his high-pitched baritone voice. "Thought I would be all alone here. Good Morning!" He smiles and raises his hand.

"Hi Futoshi, good morning." Ikuno turns and salutes him.

"Hi Futoshi!" Miku says over her shoulder.

"Hi man, how's things?" I ask him.

"Plain, just woke up… Whoa Ikuno, you didn't sleep, did you?"

"Does it show?" Ikuno rhetorically asks.

With a solar smile on his face, Ikuno's Stamen Futoshi sports his off-duty uniform with abundance. He's almost as tall as me, but double wide: not the kind of unhealthy fat, but the type of natural wideness to his body that, completed with a bit of meat around the bones, makes for a wardrobe of a guy. With brown-reddish hair, wide but short eyebrows, large nose, squared jaw and large mouth.

"So… you're the coffee people, but I'm making tea!" Futoshi approaches the kitchen, opens an upper shelf and takes out a silver water boiler, he fills it with water then places it on the induction plate below.

"Away with you!" Miku shames him jokingly.

"No one can stop me alright! Not you, coffee people! And I see the cake's over, good thing I'm not a sweets kind of guy."

"Bread-man, now you're joking on us, but we've got a plan!" Miku warns him pointing the index towards him.

"Plan? Does that involve the beautiful loafs you two had prepared at Mistilteinn? If so, I'm into it!"

"Aw…! Don't compliment, it's against the rules!" Miku protests, while Ikuno is slightly stunned.

"Let me dream! That 'thing' that comes with the rations feels like eating a slab of concrete."

Then Futoshi opens a drawer and takes out a small tin tea sack container and places it on the kitchen's top, then he turns and leans on it, relaxed, waiting for the water to boil.

"How's the day looking for us?" He then asks.

"Don't make me remember. Ichigo surely will, in a tornado of screams." Miku waves in hand in front of her face, making her disappoint clear about Ichigo's short temper on command. Which is really a thing I never found myself into, because, even at the greatest disappointment, all I get is a frown or an ogle. That time was worth it tho. I hope Miku doesn't hear my thoughts coming out.

"Oh, wait, you said we're past seven? I need to go change!" Miku shoots up her seat, but first smiles at me. "Thanks for the slice Goro, you're a lifesaver!"

"No problem, we're gonna wait until everyone's here. 8:30 maximum, ok?"

"Yup yup, be right back!"

She then whirls her gown and dashes out of the kitchen in her slippers, Futoshi looking at her mad dash. When the clapping on the floor gets sufficiently away, he comments. "Well, was that surprising! As worried with looks as her, I'd never thought that she would come out of her room like that."

"That's what happens when she stops sharing a room with Kokoro." Adds Ikuno.

"Whoa, keep down with you girl's inner workings!" I protest, while contemplating a new perspective on Miku and her best friend, Kokoro.

She then takes a sip out of her coffee and shrugs her shoulders. But really, we've began to live each one alone only just recently. I wonder how's the consensus on that new part of life...

"How's the alone thing going for you guys?" I ask, curious to hear the stories.

"Ah! Well, it feels a little lonely." Futoshi judges with somewhat a little nostalgia. "I'm used in sharing a room with Mitsuru and Zorome, the silence just feels wrong. But since I just go there to sleep, so it's whatever… I'd only need some furniture to place my things into, since living off the travel case is a little hard for me!"

"Same." Ikuno nods. "Especially the furniture part, since I need to place my books somewhere and the floor feels like an insult to me. Being alone sure is lonely..." She then glances intensely at me. Strange! What are you looking at? Maybe she thinks I was jealous? I wonder what she feels about Ichigo's change in behaviour, since she shared a room with her.

"I'm instead already used to it, since Hiro more than often would go and spend the night at 02's… I definitely sometimes need to check myself on how I manage things, I laxed myself at such point that I tend to neglect my room." I confess to the other two.

"Whoa, they really did that?" Ikuno enlarges her eyes in wonder, while adjusting her seating position in a more interested way. "How much often?"

Oh…no! Be damned me and my big mouth. Whatever, the cat's out of the bag.

"Practically every night…?"

"So, Hiro trespassed our side of the dormitory to stay with 02 at night… Interesting."

She adjusts her glasses, while sporting a judging look towards me. Why blaming me…? Was I meant to block him from going out and tie him to the bed? You should know you can't hold Hiro from doing something, it has been proven time and time again!

"…Whatever, just kidding, we already knew." She jests with a light smile. "Everyone really knew, even that pure soul Zorome."

Figure yourself…!

"Yeah! The moment he discovered it, I was the one that knew first… he came in shouting like a madman!" Futoshi added, with a slight embarrassment. "With him, it was a constant throwing my arms up, in regard to tact."

Whew, crisis averted!

Then the water boiler behind him started hissing. "Ah, water's ready!" Futoshi takes out a mug from a nearby cupboard where he pours a cupful of hot water, then immerses in it a bag out of the tin box along with a sugar cube. Then he sits to the side of the table between me and Ikuno and starts to stir slowly the drink.

"To be honest, I didn't have the time to really set in, this place is still so foreign to me." He adds. "And, yeah, I'm still a bit anxious over all the things happening, so I can't help it…"

Damn right.

The door creaks open once again, to reveal a Kokoro in uniform with a surprised face. Her blond-cindered hair now loosened and falling free on her back and held on her front by a blue cloth circlet, she makes a polite bow with her hands joined together.

"Good morning, everyone. Already here? Everyone had the same idea." Her calm, high voice reaches us.

"Good morning, Kokoro!" Futoshi salutes her.

"Hi Kokoro." Ikuno greets her.

"Hello, Kokoro." In my turn.

"Do you want some tea? Water's just got ready." Futoshi asks her, as she approaches the table. She looks at him and smiles, nodding.

"With lemon, please." She bows towards him in thanks.

Futoshi prompltly gets up and returns to the kitchen to repeat the same ritual with another large cup. Meanwhile, Kokoro proceeds to sit between Futoshi and Ikuno, waiting for her tea to arrive.

"Early risers?" She asks meekly.

"Yeah! Guess my wake-up hour." I challenge her to a quiz.

She stares at my face and brings her hand on her chin, her blue eyes dancing on me. "Uhmm… you don't look knackered… seven?"

"Nope! Six!" I buzz at her incorrect guess. She gets quite surprised!

"Now try me." Ikuno asks her. Kokoro then shoots a glance at her, and remains a bit taken aback while she examines her.

"…Yesterday…?"

I instantly burst into laughter, while Ikuno's face gets all red! "Ahahaha! …oh, Ikuno! You've been found out!" All the while Kokoro makes a 'No way!' face.

"It's you that gave it away, you dumb Goro!" Ikuno pouts at me. "There's a reason though." She addresses Kokoro.

Then Futoshi places the cup of tea for Kokoro in front of her, already with the right amount of sugar and a teaspoon, also with a bowl of cookies. She leans over and smells the cup deeply with eyes closed and her delicate mouth's sides curl up. "Thanks, Futoshi. Mmm, smells good!" He sits beside her and takes a sip out of his tea, while she stirs it and blows on it to cool it off.

I just slide a bit back on the seat of my chair, left arm abandoned on the table and a leg placed sideways on my other knee. While Ikuno tells Kokoro about the book she read throughout the night, I finish my already lukewarm coffee and place the empty cup on the table, while Futoshi starts doing the same with his tea, accompanying it with a bunch of salted crumbles from the cookies bowl.

Minutes later, a bustling of footsteps closes to the rec room's door announces our other comrades showing up for the daily meeting: Mitsuru, Zorome and a renewed Miku, in her uniform and with properly combed hair. Greetings and hands waving accompanying their entrance, then they sit down at the table, Mitsuru at my left, Miku already loudly arguing with Zorome next to Ikuno.

"Hi Mitsuru, how's things?" I ask my newly arrived companion.

"Hello Goro. Looks like we're on time." He greets me with his noble demeanor, sitting properly and leaning his arms on the table. His skimped grayish short hair really contrasts his attitude… previously, he had longer hair, combed all towards the back, giving him some character. But he was also really unapproachable, so I'll take this compromise.

"Coffee?"

"Oh, no, thanks, I'd like just a cup of milk, you know… the usual." He gets up to fetches a cup, gesturing a salute at Futoshi, that answers back with the hand holding a piece of crumble. Then he freezes in his walk and turns as my attention gets caught too, because Miku starts to get loud.

"Again, that's a no!" Miku's energetically pointing towards Zorome's face took my attention.

"Oh, come on, Miku! I tell you it's fun! Have you ever tried one?" He argues, open arms in the air trying to explain something to her unreceptive partner. "Even if it's not, it's very useful!"

"Are you deaf? The problem is that Hachi says it's DANGEROUS! You-will-break-your-neck!"

"It's not, Hachi is really blowing things up." Says Zorome shoving his hand aside. "I bet he never really tried and just labelled them. I can tell the Adults used them for everything."

"Did you…?"

"Yeah, what do you think, that I'd run back and forth the Command Station for a simple permission?" He clarifies with a rebellious tone.

"Zorome! Why do you ALWAYS have to disobey?" Miku becomes louder and particularly furious.

"It's not dangerous AT ALL! I used it to bring the medical supplies to the hospital and it was quick as hell! Think of the time we would save with everything we have on our hands!"

Miku suddenly shoots up from the chair, stiff arms along her body and her hands closed shut. "You! You…!" She screams while her breath starts to get heavy, her back slouches as her expression gets sourer and sourer. "You…" As her voice moistens, she covers her face with both hands. Then she utters in an unstable and pained voice: "I HATE YOU!"

Zorome recoils back in pure incredulity while his partner shoots out of the room, in tears.

I disenchant myself and notice that everyone present in the room is witnessing the arguing, so when a pained Zorome looks around confused and meets our inadvertently judging gazes combined, a shade of shame crushes his expression.

"I…" He tries to exculpate himself, to no avail. As his voice crumbles, he looks towards the door and freezes in his seat with guilt. Then he snaps and, slowly, slouches on the table and plunges his head into his own arms, almost trying to enter a pocket dimension in the table.

That was not a good thing to see… I never saw Miku arguing so intently and being so emotional over something. Usually it's norm between those two to dish out some arguing if having two different opinions on something, but this was over the top compared to the other times. This Zorome is the usual one, always talking back to a Miku that freely enforces things on him even on the simplest of whim, but this time it was different… beats me why.

Mitsuru takes a disheartened look at me, then resumes his cup fetching.

An upset Ichigo swiftly enters the room, while looking the way Miku went.

"Hello everyone, what the hell happened?" Ichigo asks the room. "I just saw Miku running off… What did you do to her, Zoro-" As she was sternly asking, she notices the state of whom she was talking to and stops in her tracks.

"…Nevermind. Could someone go and fetch Miku? Today we need everyone's hands on the ready." She places a digital tablet on the table where Miku was seated earlier, as Ikuno calmly gets up and goes out of the room to reach out for the missing girl.

After a short while, a red-eyed Miku returns to the room, still downcast, with Ikuno on her suit. She traverses the room staring at the ground, eyes still red and teary, to silently lean against the kitchen's top arms crossed, while Zorome glances at her with a distraught expression. With everyone on the ready and waiting, Ichigo starts her pitch, holding in her arms the wide tablet.

"Okay team, today's not really different from the previous days: we distribute breakfast, lunch then dinner. The deep fridges we found yesterday, according to their storage manifest, were chocked full of food containers, so we're really set on food for the next month."

"Nice!" Exclaims Mitsuru while faces of relief ensued between us.

"With the food shortage averted, we should now focus on exploring the other storage locations and try to recover medical supplies, daily occurrence stuff, and… more importantly, access codes. We need those more than food, anyhow."

The cheerful atmosphere dies at the prospect.

"Yeah, I know, but we're up for the task. You know the drill…"

Unfortunately, yes.

"That's the afternoon task. This morning, to do: a full round up of the living quarters, cleaning, thrash removal, swap the water tanks with clear water."

That's a really long list! Have mercy!

"Then, the week-long tasks are to check on the water filter's performance, clean the food dispensers and assess the health of the injured. About that… we need really to thank the guys at the medical camp that stuck around even after it was disbanded."

A pause, then I shoot my hand out.

"Goro?"

"Code 376 and some others volunteered for duty."

"Really?" She gets out of her serious attitude.

"Yeah, yesterday she got my attention and told me she would be of use, after noticing us. It's her and six others."

"Nice… it's good that someone's reacting. We really need more people helping! She could do today's cleaning."

"I could gather them and show them the ropes." I suggest.

"Yeah! You do that, then come up to the medical building with Hachi and me. He just returned, by the way."

"Roger."

"Then, who's on the trash?"

"I'm in for that." Futoshi proposes himself. "I'll help." Ikuno also responds to the call.

"Nice. Now, since we have floor cleaning duty taken care of, giving some maintenance to the dispensers is in order, since we've been using them for a week without a check-up. Just follow the manual's instructions!"

Yeah, I don't know if that's the right way to go around a 'full maintenance roundup'… since just looking at a coffee machine makes everyone's head hurt.

"I'm in." Miku says still downcast. "Reading some instructions and mashing buttons will cheer me up."

"Good. Take it easy. Mitsuru and Zorome, could you still be on transport today?"

"Sure." Zorome mutters. "Yeah. I'd swap the water tanks too." Mitsuru gestures affirmatively.

"I'll do the round-up of the living quarters, I'll see if someone's in need of something." Kokoro gives her contribution for the day.

"Nice, I'll be accompanying you for a while, until Goro sorts out the cleaning… Any questions?"

Zorome shoots the hand up.

"Is Hachi at the command station now?"

"Yes, he's there usually. Why?"

"Where does he go in the afternoons?"

"… Beats me." She wonders.

"If I have some downtime, I'd like to ask him about something… before he leaves."

"Like hell you do!" Miku goes verbally at his throat still angry, and Ichigo shoots her a glare.

"…" Zorome opens his hands to slow her down. "Not that thing."

"I don't trust you." She shoots back.

He then takes a good, deep breath, and explains further.

"…Nana."

Everyone looks at him taken by surprise, Miku included.

"I would like to ask him about her." Zorome states, as everyone exchanges glances made of pure uncertainty.

That's actually something I've been thinking for quite a while, asked the same amount but never got an answer… our long-time caretaker, that followed us since the Garden, was unassigned from us for unknown reasons just before we arrived here at Bird's Nest. Now, more than ever, I would like to learn what destiny she went through. Maybe she avoided making the same end of the Adults and, like us, is currently living off rations on some station not so far away… or not. It's that doubt that really made me hesitate…

Maybe now that Hachi doesn't have obligations towards Papa anymore... we can know more.

"…Well. Ok, I guess… We'd all like to hear about her too… Permission granted. For now, stick with us. When we have a moment, you can go ask him."

"Thanks." Zorome starts smiling.

"Thanks for everyone, now let's get started! First, we're serving breakfast!" Ichigo marks the start of the day.

Zorome shoots up his seat smiling and shouts in challenge: "The last to reach the food dispensers gets to push the carts!"

The whole room gets up, ready to rumble.

…

...

[8:41 - 056] Hey 376, good morning, are you awake?

Hi Goro, yes [8:44 - 376]

Now I am [8:44 - 376]

[8:44 - 056] Sooorry!

Don't worry [8:44 - 376]

I should be apologizing instead [8:44 - 376]

I promised [8:45 - 376]

[8:45 - 056] Thanks for your dedication

I'm just a deep sleeper [8:46 - 376]

Gonna wake up the others [8:46 - 376]

[8:48 - 056] Ok

[8:48 - 056] Waiting you at sphere 2

[8:48 - 056] At the elevator

Just gimme 10 mins [8:49 - 376]

…

Orange-glowing fonts appear on the screen of my communicator while quickly tapping away at its virtual keyboard, forming a quick message for 376, still clearly tucked under the bedsheets.

…

[8:50 - 056] Ok

[8:50 - 056] But I'm already there

[8:50 - 056] Breakfast's ready

Areyoukiddingmealreadyyyyyyy [8:50 - 376]

…

I chuckle at the response, shooting upwards my head. Still smiling, I close the communicator and shove it in my pocket, while pushing me off the wall with my upper back. I direct myself over at the cart, beside which Miku was starting to distribute small plastic trays to the still half-asleep Stamens and Pistils, which were slowly descending the stairs still rubbing their eyes and yawning.

"What are you chuckling at, Goro?" Miku asks me, while handing over the day's first breakfast tray on the fastest Pistil of the bunch, visibly in need of a pick-me-up.

"Nothing." I say while handwaving. "The cleaning team is willing, but still asleep."

I then stop in front of the four-story cart full of trays stacked on top of each other and grab a bunch to help Miku distribute the breakfast for the Sphere. It's a tray small as much as my forearm and half wide, white plastic at the bottom enclosed by a transparent film, containing a capsule of condensed milk, some instant tea, two chocolate bars large as a finger and a pack of crackers, completed with much needed hand wipes. Really, if you've just awoken then it's not something to sneer at… I know there's something better, but all in all it's the next most readily available and long-conserving food we have, and it is way better than the dinner's goop we're forced to serve.

A gray-haired Stamen approaches and I salute while handing over a tray.

"Good morning." I greet him.

"Good morning, Goro." He gestures a salute and grabs the tray.

Whoa, what? He remembers my nickname? Cool, I don't remember his code though.

Another Stamen closes in and salutes the same way, grabbing another tray I was handing out.

"Hi, Goro. Cleaning day today?"

"Hello, yes, when I'm done here. New people are helping tho!"

Why…

"Hello Goro! Thanks!" A Pistil bows at me while taking the tray I hand her.

"Hi…"

Disconcerting. Is everyone just a bit cheerier than normal? That's… good I guess.

Another pack goes out, but the queue in front of me thickens of hungry people. Miku is in my same situation and complains loudly while handing out the packs.

"Aww! It's a breakout!"

So, taking that as a signal, I start to grab five packs at a time and to hand them quickly to not make everyone wait, but my poor arms can't really keep up for much: after a while, they begin to feel fatigued. When I see a golden-haired Pistil coming down the stairs, I feel my hopes are answered as I just stop and wave to her to grab her attention.

"Oi 376! I need help, please!" I yell at her.

She stops and shoots up her eyes over my direction to realize I was calling her. She handwaves at me in confirmation, cheerful.

"Hi Goro! Coming oveeer!" She then proceeds to grabs her skirt with both hand each side and descend the stairs while skipping steps, and then to launch herself towards the crowd between us.

"Please, make wayyy!" She shouts at the crowd.

A girl, with an athletic figure and slightly smaller than me, opens a rift into the sea of people. She has amber-colored short wavy hair, with a tiny short braid falling from the left temple, dancing at the rhythm of her stride, crowning a heart-shaped face with round eyes, short eyelashes, tiny eyebrows and thin mouth under a small straight nose and soft chins dotted by freckles.

"Gorooo! I'm ready to help!" She assures me in her heavy accent, as she dead-stops at my feet while still holding her skirt in one hand.

"Don't sweat it, it's not that we're gonna run out of tasks. What about the others?"

"They're getting down in a sec! And I thought I was the only one still sleeping...!" She then grabs an armful of packs and begins serving the packs like me, at my side. Miku slows down a little to stare at our newly recruited Pistil with narrow eyes and starts bouncing her intrusive gaze between me and her, all the while a Stamen was looking helpless, arms forward ready to receive a ration that wouldn't arrive.

"Miku, wake up!" I utter while turning. Damn, stop looking at me like that!

"Wha- sorry!" She recoils and faces the poor Stamen, finally realizing she totally forgot the now gigantic queue just in front of her. She ashamedly hands over the tray at him, that gives his thanks. Then she quickens herself, intending to make up for her mistake.

In a short while, the mass of people thins in a more manageable form and the stairs going up the Children's rooms fill of people eating breakfast and talking in a festive atmosphere. This reminds me a lot of memories from the Garden…

After given a tray to the last Children still in queue, I look at the cart and notice that about a quarter of the trays were still unclaimed.

"Some people are still sleeping!" Miku complains. "Who are we preparing those for? At least come and get your breakfast…!"

"It's that some Children don't really come out of their room at all. I'm 376, Plantation 17." She extends a hand to Miku in greeting.

"Hi, thanks for your help. I'm code 390, Plantation 13 and everyone calls me Miku. Glad to meet you!" Miku shakes her hand while taking a good look at her face. "How did you meet Goro?" She shoots out immediately after, her curiosity taking over.

"Well, we met yesterday in the girl's bathrooms."

As soon as 376 finishes the line, Miku's left eyebrow has a tic. I sense a very concrete omen… that I'm about to get toasted.

"WHAT!" Miku looks at me appalled, with extreme prejudice. "What were you doing in the girl's bathroom?"

"C… Cleaning. W-what's the matter?" I explain readily, trying to keep a straight face.

"In! The! Girl's! Bathroom!" She points at my face, the other hand on her side while glaring at my face.

"W-what about it?"

"Men shoudn't enter the girl's bathroom! IT'S FORBIDDEN!"

"If it's cleaning, what's the issue?" Says 376 while being completely aghast of Miku's outburst. "We girls should be thanking him instead of bashing him. And to be honest, I just barged in while ignoring the 'Don't enter' sign next to the door."

Way to go, 376!

"You should have seen him! His outfit just broke me hard into laughter!"

…Actually.

"That's the same stuff you're gonna wear today." I say with a grin on my face.

Realizing that, she recoiled. "Well…" She dances her eyes upwards, a bit taken aback.

"Don't worry, that comes with certain benefits… Fun is one of them."

"What's fun about that?"

"You'll see. I don't want to spoil the surprise…"

"…Ok then." She gets a little more interested.

Miku was still glaring at me… clearly not convinced.

"No way! Why did you allow yourself in? That's disgusting!" She still looks angered.

Now that's really brushing me vigorously the wrong way. It's ok that your privacy is your primary need. But I'm working for YOU! And it's a damn hard job too! This makes me infuriated!

"Then why don't you come and clean that yourself then, instead of always choosing the easy way out, like fidgeting like a moron at the food dispensers downstairs? It's easy just always receiving and critiquing while not giving, isn't it?" I just shout at her, words coming out like a flooded river.

Miku remains speechless on the spot while looking lost in my eyes, still arms crossed and stuttering intelligibly, while 376 remains a bit taken aback by my outburst. Now I might have just said a bit too much…

"…Sorry… for that." I say while feeling guilty. "But apart that… it's what I think. I didn't want to piss anyone off, but cleanings had to be done."

She slowly slumps while looking at the floor. After a while, she tears up.

"I-I know…" Says while sobbing.

"I know it all… I'm…"

"…Always just a nuisance for everybody…"

Oh no. Miku…

"N-No, come on now, Miku… I'm sorry about that, seriously."

Damn, what have I done. 376 is watching, too.

"I'm just nervous, that's all. Sorry." I apologize again.

"No Goro, it's… it's that I'm not… really right… in my mind." She still sobs on, leaning a little on the tray cart. "Zorome never listens to me, then I make even you mad at me… what am I even doing…?"

Then she takes a plastic tray and runs inside the elevator, going down to the lobby still sobbing. I make to follow her, only to get the elevator door to almost close into my nose.

"Sure it's hard to get an earful from you! But I feel you were right tho, if that lifts you up."

I look at 376 and ironically smirk, still downcast. There was a time where I just holed up in myself everything, just to not to concern myself with people. That changed overtime, but to lash out like that? I feel bad at myself-

"Why is she so negatively obsessed with guys cleaning? Actually, girls aren't like that!" She declares, cutting into my thoughts.

Girls aren't dense like you, too!

"No, that's not it. The reason why goes way back, actually… Do you want to have some breakfast?"

"Sure, but what about the remaining trays?" She asks, looking at the cart.

"It's ok leaving it there for now, there are people still left and those don't spoil anyways. I will take the cart downstairs when we're done with everything."

We grab a tray each and go sit down in an empty staircase not so far from that, then we crack them open and start eating from the lap. Naturally, after only half a cake slice, I have some hunger left. Since 376 is actually very easy to talk with, I try to strike a conversation.

"What about 371?" I ask about her Stamen.

"He's still not so well…"

"…I see."

"He's always been the slowest at this kind of things."

"…Did that happen… already?"

"Yes…"

She takes a pause to recollect herself, then she begins narrating.

"Five months ago, there was a Gutenberg-class Klaxxosaur rampaging through an important magma extraction site, and we were assigned to a sortie on the monster. After a long-winded useless battle where our spears wouldn't just penetrate its armor, our double digit fell in battle, to save the squad in retreat. He was our leader, and 371 was… his best friend."

Oh damn. This hurts only just from hearing it.

"…"

An embarrassed silence falls between us, but she breaks through it anyways.

"He stayed like that for a month, but then took the leader position. While in charge, he worked very hard to protect his team… and not let that happen again. Then…"

She hangs on the rest of the words. She doesn't actually need to say anything… because I already know the story's finale.

I just decide to remain is silence and finish my chocolate bar, trying not to empathize.

"He cared way too much about everyone."

Sometimes the world just hates you.

...

...

"Please, stay back! One at a time!" Futoshi yelled at the crowd while juggling breakfast trays. "They're not gonna disappear from thin air! Make a proper line!" The crowd made a step back and compacted into an inverted triangle in front of him. "Good, almost."

Ikuno, bothered by people all surrounding her, squeezes the eyes and swinging from left to right her arm, imitating Futoshi's call.

"Back, everyone." Ikuno just utters in an intense manner. But everyone in front of her literally scatters from the vicinity, in terror.

"D-Don't actually disappear, j-just step back a little." She comments, worried about the outcome.

The couple was distributing breakfasts at Sphere 1, the most populated one- that means a cart choke-full of breakfast trays and an insane workload on just the two of them, with the added difficulty that hungry people can't really have patience and most importantly, keep the hands on themselves. Then the two hear a -bling- at the lift, which opens and reveals a hurried Zorome greeting his friends.

"Cavalry's arrived!" He jollingly announces.

The two sigh in relief at his appropriate appearance. "Good Zorome, we desperately need an extra pair of hands!" Ikuno praises him.

Then the three proceed to distribute all the needed trays to the people in front of them, slowly chipping away at the number of people waiting. At some point, Futoshi notices something, a certain Stamen with brown long hair in a ponytail and a small chin.

"Hey, you! Don't enter the line again! You've just got your breakfast!"

"Sorry, but I need that for my teammate."

"Is your teammate able to walk? If so, call him here, I'm not going to give to you two of them! Rations are counted."

He puffs annoyed, then goes up the stairs from where he came.

"What a cheeky guy…!" He comments looking at his companions. Ikuno and Zorome looking at that exchange, nod in approval.

After a while, the Stamen with the ponytail returns with his companion, hand in hand, still in night dress. Futoshi, Ikuno and Zorome notice that something was… amiss. While keeping her head down looking at the floor, the Pistil brought to by the ponytailed Stamen… was way too small to be one. The crowd around notices the little presence and freezes looking at the scene in silence.

"Excuse me?" Ikuno halts on the spot, eyes open wide: the girl was a almost a meter smaller than his companion, and quite less mature than most of FranXX-guiding age Children.

"Is she… a Garden age Children?" She then gets close to inspect her.

The Pistil's empty expression morphs in fear as the bespectacled girl closes in. The little girl then launches herself behind his companion and hugs his back, her face pressed onto him, to hide from Ikuno, who stops in her tracks surprised by her behaviour.

"Now, could you please give me the ration without scaring her?" He utters, ignoring Ikuno's question.

"…Yes, of course. Sorry" Ikuno says bowing. Then she turns to get the girl the breakfast tray and dances her gaze between Futoshi and Zorome, both reciprocating and imperceptibly nodding. She gets a tray and hands it to the Stamen. The little girl detaches the face from her companion and peeks Ikuno, then Zorome, who notices the little girl and starts doing her funny faces. She wonders a little bit, then slowly her mouth curls in a meek smile.

"…What's your code?" She asks.

"121. Yours?"

"…196. Have a nice breakfast."

"Thanks. Good morning."

He then encloses the Pistil's hand with his own and starts walking back towards the rooms, the little one following him closely. Before leaving though, she looks back and meekly waves at a smiling Zorome, who salutes back.

Ikuno turns, approaches Futoshi from the side and leans above his shoulder, who offers his ear.

"We've going to tell Hachi about her." Ikuno whispers him. He nods, then does the same as her.

"What the hell Papa was thinking… why sending to battle the young ones?" Futoshi wonders in an angered whisper.

Ikuno tenses up and for a moment she let out a shade of unbridled anger, only to quell it and return to the cart.

"Stay calm." She says, mostly to herself.

They resume the breakfast handout, while a tense atmosphere hangs in the air.

...

...

After finishing all the trays, Zorome walks towards the Command building, hopeful to catch Hachi before Ichigo starts handing out his tasks. From the Sphere 3 he gets to the connecting bridge, taking notice of a warmer sun now up in the sky, and enters the plain empty main lobby of the pointy structure. Then he stops in front of the elevator door, pondering…

"How do I go about at meeting him…?"

He really didn't think through at all on how to get up to the command station through the elevator, because Hachi literally locked all the doors, trying to prevent people from just roaming through the base… and there's a fingerprint scanner on each the elevator's buttons… He was still shaken of Miku's reaction to his mischief, and thoughts didn't connect properly. Even when distributing breakfast, he had to really force himself to smile at that little girl…

While he was pondering on what to do, he hears a muffled noise towards the iron sculptures surrounding the lobby.

"What…? Someone's crying?"

He gets drawn towards the sobbing, towards the small garden made iron behind glass, approaching a side entrance to the still life display. The sobbing gets louder and louder, until he notices it's…

"Miku…"

Zorome realizes her Pistil was sitting barefoot under the glass, grabbing her legs and crying over her knees sobbing away. His face deforms in pain while tightening his own fists. Her shoes were left abandoned to her side and an empty breakfast tray was lying upside down close to the far wall in front of her, like she had thrown it in anger. He closes in, approaching silently, but she hears his footsteps and lifts her head, to look at him with a scared look.

"N-no!" She covers her tears with both hands.

"Miku, I'm-"

"Please, don't…"

"-I'm sorry about earlier…"

"N-no, please! Don't…!" Miku slides backwards on the floor tiles, hiding herself with one hand and intimating Zorome to stop with the other. "I'm… wrong… inside…"

Zorome stops, but then he resumes his approach.

He just gets closer. He doesn't want to stop.

"Don't come! Go away‼" She cries out while getting on all fours, with red teary eyes, grabs a shoe and throws it towards Zorome, falling just at his feet.

"Please, please‼" She throws another, still landing short. Out of things to throw, she scuttles a bit back on her kneels, arching her back forward, facing away from him, holding her tiny body from breaking apart while shuddering in affliction.

Zorome stops a meter shy from her.

"Please… Don't… I'm…" She weeps weakly.

He then kneels over and embraces her from behind.

"Please, Miku, don't drive me away… I'm just… miserable… without you…"

"Owwwww…" She howls, gripping hard on the arms embracing her.

Then, she turns towards him showing her completely mess of a face and embraces his chest very tightly, while burying her head on his shoulder and letting out everything pent up.

Just. Everything.

"Awaaaaaaaaa‼" She cries out.

He grips her body back while cradling her, and minutes pass while she just cries rivers on his uniform's shoulder. Then Zorome starts to tear up too, and on his own accord slides above Miku's knees and intertwines her in an embrace, placing his own head on her and weeping.

After something like an eternity, both calmed down and found themselves breathing one on the other's neck, pressing their cheeks onto one another.

"Don't let go…" She almost implores.

"D-don't worry… I'm really OK in here…"

"…Pervert…" She smiles.

"…For you only…" He admits.

Miku looks at him indiscernibly in the eyes, lips apart, her breath getting heavier. She then lunges forward, while pulling him at the same time, and stamps a deep kiss on his neck, leaving a red mark.

"Awa-!" Zorome gets his head up and his astonished face fires off in a bright red as soon he realizes of Miku's bold action and covers the kissed spot.

"A-Ah… Hahahaha!" Miku lifts her spirits giggling at his reaction.

"K-K-Kiss!"

"How was that?"

"F-F-Fire!"

"Haha! Yeah, you're on fire!" She continues giggling, so much happy.

The two then lean on the wall beside them, in a more comfortable position, foreheads touching. Zorome's red face dissipates after a while, but he states something before that goes completely off.

"…Please, don't send me away like that… while saying you're wrong inside. We're always bickering… but… I like being with you…"

Zorome stutters but wants to get the point across.

"I-I mean, to me you're not wrong!"

"Thanks, Zorome…"

She puts on a serious look, preparing herself for letting her hangs-up out of herself.

"I should… be less overbearing on everyone around me, mostly on you. Earlier, I even made Goro yell at me…"

"Really? That Goro? Impossible! How did you do it?" Zorome shoots his head up in surprise. As Goro was really the nice and patient type, he never saw him lose his cool.

"I stupidly shamed him for a stupid thing… and he snapped." She leans her head on his left shoulder, trying to find comfort.

"I always thought he's mind was made of steel... Did he yell hard?"

"A little bit, but it shook me so much. Do you… feel the same when I yell hard at you?"

"It's scary… and… I just... well…"

"If I stop, could you listen to me more…? I promise I won't be brash with you anymore…"

"Yes… I swear."

"And… can I kiss you from time to time?"

"B-but! What about…!"

"The Adults aren't here anymore…"

"Ahhhh… yeah… Hachi doesn't count I guess…"

Zorome ponders for a while, then… he takes her by surprise by kissing her back on the cheek.

"Ah!" She blushes in turn but, lets out a serene smile.

"Can I too?" He asks her a bit unsure.

"Y-Yes, b-but please, not in front of others… it's a bit…"

"I know… Promise."

She leans on him once more, kissing him back.

"It's- it's only because of you that I kept going on." Zorome lets her know.

"Same."

They hug deeper and close their eyes, crystallizing that moment in pure bliss.

...

...

In the long ring corridor next the FranXX garages, I look at the beautiful visage in front of me.

Six handsome Parasites, in bright yellow-orange long dresses and boots, black anti-dust masks and wearing orange netted skullcaps, standing before me in a line, were grabbing onto vacuum brooms like soldiers of a bygone era.

Chin up, I start my speech.

"Soldiers, we're going to war."

"Cut the crap, Goro!" Yells 376 visibly embarrassed by the situation.

"A war against dirt and acaruses. But guess what, do you think we can take on the entire Bird's Nest alone? I say that we need allies!"

I get close to a nearby part of the wall and point towards a panel door embedded in it, flush and almost unnoticeable if you don't look purposely. Then, beside it, there's a squared button also flush to the wall the same way the panel is.

"You press this button and…"

The panel comes slowly, open revealing an LCD screen, where a bunch of UI buttons are floating onscreen.

"Now you guys, come over here."

The squad approaches to the control interface, eyes taken.

"To summon our allies, press this green interface button."

I press it, and a hole in the wall at pavement level opens and six small, round robots on little wheels shoot out out of the hole in a congo line, fast like hell, all screeching and sliding while turning in complex but controlled patterns.

"WHA-!" The volunteers recoil while the robots start twirling around me, then stopping themselves in front of each one of them.

"Nice, huh? Those are your personal 'Cleaning Helper' drones! They are wirelessly connected to the brooms you're holding, and they use steam and vacuum to brush everything up!"

"Whoa! That's like REALLY COOL!" A volunteer Pistil says aloud, giving voice to the o-shaped mouths of her comrades.

"They stay in front of you, cleaning everything automatically as you move on, if you keep the broom in front of you- you'll just have to turn it on to pick up the residuals that they sometimes leave."

In fact, a volunteer moves forward, tilting sideways back and forth the vacuum broom in front of him, and the robot automatically follows his movements twirling rapidly in circles, steaming all over the dusted steel floor, cleaning it like a mirror.

"Really? That's a timesaver." 376 looks really impressed.

"Sometimes they will have to recharge with Magma or water, so they will return to the dispenser by themselves. If you need, you can dismiss them with this red button on every panel like this one. If you pay attention, you can spot one easily."

He gestures the hallway, that imperceptibly curves right according to the building's shape.

"You can cover the entire ring in less than two hours if you divide in two groups each direction. It's still a slog, but not nearly as much as cleaning by hand with a bucket. These little things are really cool!"

"Did you try them before?"

"No… In fact, I literally ignored cleaning most of the base until we found how to operate them… literally yesterday."

"Eeeeh! Really!" Their faces are painted with wonder and anticipation.

"Yeah. And remember that the drones can climb stairs with small magma propulsors. So, don't sweat it if they start flying about."

"What the…" Now with less anticipation.

"Well… I think you know everything. Now I must leave, Ichigo is waiting for me."

"Won't you stay with us?"

"N-no, sorry, actually I don't know about them any more than you guys do… so I'll leave you to the discovery! Clean just the parts accessible, don't bother with side corridors or unused rooms."

The newborn cleaning team looks at me, lost, as I salute them and get out of the corridor.

"Good work! See you at dinner… Ah! And watch out for your ankles!"

With the door closing behind me, I'm like: 'No way in hell I'm doing that again!'

I quickly get through the lobby of Sphere 2, reach to Sphere 3 from an access bridge, then get into the ring again, to reach the HQ access through another bridge lit by strong daylight. The Parasites dormitories are physically separated from everything, like the Adults won't even want to breathe the same air as us… wonder why it's always been like that.

I get into the lobby's elevator and press the button for floor 9, that scans my finger and lits up green. I feel a quick downward acceleration as the elevator moves silently towards my destination. A sudden deceleration followed by a -ping!- anticipates the opening of the steel doors, where a blinding white visage meets me: the HQ hospital.

The floor made of white tiles, white steel walls with orange details, seats and a big reception composed the wide open-space atrium and waiting area. Scattered all around lie hospital trolleys, wheel chairs and IV stands, abandoned there from since the day of the battle. Empty IV bags, full sacks of trash and coagulated blood-stained bandages are amassed in a corner, waiting to be transported out by Futoshi and Ikuno. A very clear smell of disinfectant gets to me and my nose protests, making me sneeze.

Looking up, the ceiling is carved out in a cone-shaped geometry that pierces eight floors above the lobby, with circular terraces encompassing the sides of the inverted solid, interspersed by glass elevators embedded on the slanted sides. Leaned on the railing some floors up above, some members of the medical team are in pause, donned in white medical uniforms. I wave towards them, and they respond waving with their gloves still on.

Moving though the waiting area, I spot Ichigo, sitting slanted, legs crossed, on a waiting chair in between the general mess, fiddling with her big tablet…

"Hey Ichigo, here I am!"

"Oh!" She closes the screen and turns on the seat towards me, smiling. "Hi Goro! How was the training?"

"They understood... sort of" I confess to her, cringing a bit.

"Hahh… it's ok, we're figuring out stuff as we go here…"

"Yeah, I'm so glad everything around Bird's Nest is automated at that extent, though."

"Sure, I wonder how this hospital would even work at all..."

Ichigo is right, we're so incredibly ignorant of everything. Just even the basic of things require at least knowing what machine to use, how to operate it and maintain it while avoiding breaking it. And nothing comes from thin air, so we've got to stay on top of everything logistically speaking too…

"Without your managing? Nothing would work, trust me."

"Nah, Hachi teaches me and gives me books and manuals to study from, I'm just downstream of it." She waves and gets up, going straight for the elevators, and I follow suit.

"So… are they finally awake?"

"Mmh, yes. One of the medical team called me yesterday and reported that they regained consciousness an hour apart from one other."

"Hah! Good news!"

"I wouldn't cheer for now."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

She presses the call button and the glass elevator opens, revealing grey-decorated tiles with plant motifs and a bronze-like shining button stand on which the floor list can be found. Ichigo presses the button of the second floor, labelled 'Wards Department #1'. The elevator starts, and we get elevated through the air, climbing the walls receding inwards.

"This place looks really cool."

"It was made for us Parasites, it's actually a military facility."

"Now it sounds cool, also."

"Hmpf…" She giggles a little.

I managed to make her laugh, finally. Must be something serious about the two of them, I can tell very well when she's downcast and doesn't want to show it. I really hope that they are well.

The elevator stops and the side doors open, leading both sides to the terrace of the second floor. We get out and we see long corridors starting from the terrace leading to the various wards, separated by security solid-projection doors. A tall, squared-faced, gray-colored eyes, black short side-parted haired Parasite in full medical uniform with brown shoes, white pants and a shirt with turquoise upper body, arms and gloves comes out of one of the projected doors, passing through it like it was never there.

"Those doors, damn." I whisper.

"Ah, hello Ichigo, Goro!" He greets us. We stop in front of him.

"We have news. They're… awake." He confirms what Ichigo heard from his work partners… a bit dubious.

"Are you a hundred percent sure?"

"Yeah, as far as machines can tell. Follow me."

He passes through the same door he came out from, and Ichigo follows through, just walking straight into it without even blinking. I just hesitate from a moment, then I cross the projection while closing my eyes. I just can't stand those doors! Those irk me a ton!

The lead of the medical team walks in long strides along the corridor, then turning right into another, blocked with a solid metal and glass door labelled "Intensive Care Unit". He stops at a door and pulls it open, with and me and Ichigo helping to keep it open while he passes. Ichigo then steps in and I just slip through.

A long corridor spans in front of us. The walls to the left and the right are provided with glass window panes from about a meter from the floor, giving us vision to the adjacent rooms: some medical team members are roaming inside, with their noses pointed on their digital tablets, beside stange metal structures lined up connected with metal tubes to outlets in the wall… looking almost like… sarcophaguses.

"Code 016 is fully awake and has been transferred in the normal bedrooms just deep in this corridor, but code 002 is still in intensive care. We're really unsure if just disconnecting her or leaving her there… the health reports are confusing, and we can't find anything about it in the procedures."

What?

He enters the room on the left through a sliding glass door and asks one of the present team members.

"Do you happen to have 016 and 002's reports?"

"Yeah, I left it there." His mate goes over to what looks like to be a control station where a pile of bundled papers lies on it. He shuffles the bundle and extracts two paper bundles and hands them over. "Thanks." He then turns toward us. He opens the first bundle and starts explaining pointing at a black and white figure in the paper.

"According to here… and here, 016 got a head concussion probably from the ejection and passed out for a while. No internal bleeding, showing only a cerebral edema that subsided after a short while."

Damn, he sounds like a pro.

"Then, he regained consciousness. He began talking, eating, even started walking without issue. He looked like he could jump into a FranXX any moment."

"Ah! Good!" Ichigo radiates happiness, as I do too. Our best friend Hiro is with us still alive, thanks to some miracle. But then, the medic's expression worsened.

"We don't know what 002 has. According to the medical equipment, she's… not in danger of life." He approaches one of the sarcophaguses and intimates with a gesture to close in.

From a thick glass window at the top of the apparatus, I can look inside. There, was lying 002 in an hospital gown, with several EVs in her arm. I can gather that from her long, pink hair and her… chipped horns? But her eyes… I just… is she really still alive…?

Those are the eyes of a dead person.

Ichigo brings both hands on her mouth and looks terribly aghast.

"Blood values are part nominal and part abnormal, but don't explain the symptoms. The CT scan shows no trauma, but the EEG is… just…"

"Wait a moment. What's a EEG?"

"Electroencephalography"

"Electo-cepha-what?" Are you fucking kidding me?

He sighs then explains.

"I took 3 days to learn that word, ok? Anyways, it's a method to measure the brain's activity. Her readings are almost flat."

"What…?"

"She should have died by now. The brain controls lots of living functions of the body, like the heartbeat and respiration. Once the brain's fried, you're by extension dead. But… somehow, she can live barely on. The fact is that she's just nonresponsive."

"So, if I just wave in the eyes, she won't see me?" Ichigo asks.

"I don't know… she just stays there, completely still. She barely reacts to light or pain stimuli, too."

That's a fate worse than death.

"She's recuperating although. Values are slowly and steadily increasing. I say we must wait: even the computers are confused and refuse dismissal."

"Will she recuperate?"

"I hope." The Parasite doctor looks at us downcast. "Do... you want to meet your friend?"

"Yes, please." Ichigo says. "We'd like to give him a visit. We have some questions for him too."

"Sure, just don't stress him too much." He then approaches the glass sliding door.

I look at 002 and her dead eyes.

I just want to wish you well.

Please return to us sooner rather than later…

…Because I know what to expect in the next room.

We get into the corridor again and we reach towards the end of it, where we find some regular doors lined up on the wall. The black-haired doctor stops at a door on the right and knocks. No response. After a while, he sighs and just opens it.

"016, you have visitors."

We approach and take a peek inside: in partial light, a small, bright window illuminates the dust hanging in the air, and the dark silhouette of an occupied bed is outlined by the solar rays. Hiro is looking out the window, under the blankets, sitting upright helped by two pillows stacked one on top of the other, in silence.

"Hiro!" Ichigo shouts.

He then slowly turns.

What I see are eyes.

Another kind.

Of dead eyes.

...

Our life beyond - END

...