They ran through the forest trying to put as much distance as possible between them and any pursuit that might be launched against them. He had abandoned his previous zigzag pattern and was now taking them on a straight shot to try an get out of the forest as quickly as possible.

He looked up from his blind rush and saw up ahead a clearing that stretched as far as the eye could see. Far in the distance, he saw faint red hills.

"Look Zero Two." He panted. "I think we've almost made it out."

He continued his blind rush forward until he was forced to skid to a halt to avoid a massive wall of glass that he had just managed to see in time.

"What!" He gasped, dismayed. "No don't tell me we can't get out!"

Scared that what he feared was true he walked up to the glass and touched it. Sure enough, its cold clear surface stopped his hand refusing to let him past. Despaired he looked down and felt his stomach plummet into a dark void.

"No…." He groaned.

Far below him he saw serval of the plantations he had always heard about, docked around what he now understood to be the Garden. He now realized that the area that contained the orphanage and the lab was just an elaborate cage designed to make him think that what he saw around him was real. But as he stared in disbelief down at the plantations he realized that the caretakers had him trapped far more thoroughly than he could have ever imagined.

Panic started to overtake him. How were they supposed to escape when all of their escape routes where blocked? How could he keep his promise to himself and to Zero Two? What was going to happen to them now?

"Hmmm." Zero Two hummed, gently squeezing his hand.

Baffled he looked over at her with no idea what he was supposed to say.

Zero Two tilted her head and stared at him with her beautiful trusting eyes. As he stared at her he felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, and all of a sudden he understood. It didn't matter how they escaped. All that mattered was that they did escape.

He smiled and pulled Zero Two into a relieved hug. "Thanks." He said. "I got scared and wasn't thinking."

Zero Two having no idea as to why she was being hugged but enjoying the affection anyway, hummed affectionately in his ear.

He chuckled softly, and let go. Gently he held her hand and let his mind wander off trying to think of a solution to his problem. He was stilling wrestling with the realization he had just made, and his mind had immediately gone to work trying to remake his plan.

Bored Zero Two crouched down and began poking at the snow absentmindedly with one hand while still holding his hand with the other. Seeing her prompted a question in his mind. How had APE's transport gotten to the lab, if the Garden was covered in one massive glass dome? Unless he was seriously mistaken that shouldn't be possible. The only explanation that came to mind was that Papa's authority must so absolute that he could create holes in the dome, so that transports could get in.

"No… That can't be possible" A voice inside his head countered. "There's a more reasonable explanation to all this. There has to be some sort of door somewhere."

His first instinct was to look up, to see if there was a hole in the ceiling. Not spotting a hole he gave Zero Two's hand a little squeeze, and she stood up. Then leading her he walked around until he eventually found a spot where he had an excellent view of what was supposed to be the sky.

"There." He said, after a few more minutes of searching.

Directly above what he presumed was the center of the garden, there were two grey looking strips set so far apart that the whole orphanage could probably fit through the gap between them.

"If those grey strips can somehow move the top of the glass dome, then several transports could easily move in and out of the Garden at once, without any problems." He muttered. "And since we spend most of our lives stuck in the orphanage nobody would notice the occasional transport moving back and forth."

He grimaced in disgust. How much of their life was an illusion? Why was this all being kept hidden? Did their lives have any value at all?

He sighed. It didn't matter. All that mattered now is that he find a way to escape. He stood thinking for a very long time but he eventually came to the only conclusion. If he and Zero Two were going to escape they were going to have to return to the lab and find a way out from there.

The color drained out of his face and he felt his stomach curl into a very tight knot. Their escape had just become far more difficult, and his original plan had already relied on a lot of things going his way. Now however everything would have to go exactly his way, and even then he was going to need a large amount of luck.

Exhaling hard he centered himself. Best not to think too hard about it. Best to take this one step at a time. Step one, get back to the lab. He looked around for a few moments and decided to make their return at an angle instead of just going straight back.

He turned to Zero Two. "Change of plans. We're going to try a different way of escaping. Are you with me?"

She said nothing and stared at him with her trusting eyes.

He smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze. "Alright. Let's go."

He and Zero Two had been making their way through the forest for hours. They were trying to get back to the edge of the forest as soon a possible without being caught by the caretakers. He stumbled momentarily on a rock as they ran along a small rocky cliff ledge. What was making their life even more difficult was that currently it was starting to get dark and the trees stared down at them with menacing glares. Regardless he pressed on leading them through the forest trying to keep them one step ahead of the caretakers. He knew however in the back of his mind that before long, they would need to find some places to sleep. But for right now he did his best to keep them on course, both of them stumbling from exhaustion.

"You're doing great Zero Two." He urged. "Just a little bit further and we'll find a place to sleep."

She groaned, and he felt her lurch dangerous close to the edge of the small cliff.

"It's okay." He called encouragingly.

She gave a grunt of acknowledgment, and they kept running. Then out of nowhere Zero Two stumbled over something and she tripped sideways over the cliff her knees scraping the rocky edge as she fell.

"Zero Two!" He screamed fearing that she may have hurt herself. Quickly he dashed over to the edge and saw Zero Two buried face first in the snow.

Quickly he jumped off the few foot ledge and dashed over to her.

"Zero Two." He said worried. "Are you okay?"

"Ngh…." She groaned rolling over.

Spitting snow out of her mouth she sat up.

"You alright?" He said grabbing her hands consolingly.

She looked at him with her beautiful emerald eyes and hummed a soft conciliatory tone.

He breathed a sigh of relief and tucked some of her loss hair out of her eyes. "Come on let's get you up."

As she transferred her weight around onto her knees however, she gave a yelp of pain and immediately sat back down.

His eyes began searching frantically for her source of discomfort. It didn't take him very long, and within moments he noticed that one of her knees was bleeding, her blue blood dripping down her leg. The snow had melted in her wound and he noticed with increasing distress that her cut had barely healed at all, and her usual healing factor had been reduced to a crawl.

"Oh no she's bleeding." He thought frantically. "I've got to do something fast!"

He looked at the snow around them. There had to be something. Anything that he could use to stop that bleeding. Just at that moment, a memory of a lesson he had learned about animals came rushing back. Leaning forward he began to lick her wound cleaning it and encouraging it to heal.

Zero Two gave a yelp of surprise and her whole body shuddered at the weird sensation.

"Endure it." He said kindly. "Supposedly animals lick their wound to heal them. I don't know if it will work but I'm going to give it a try."

Returning to his task he began licking the blood that had welled up in her wound again. He had to make sure that she would be okay. She was his new reason to live, and that meant that it was his responsibly to protect her. Everything had gone out of the window the moment she had first appeared in his life. Ever since he was a young child he had always felt that there was something more to his life. And as he tasted the metallic taste of her blood, he realized that making his own way through life free of the constraints the caretakers placed on him, was what he had always wanted.

"Awwi!" Zero Two shouted.

He looked up immediately, concerned that something was wrong. "Is everything okay?"

"Awwi!" She shouted again, pointing at something.

He followed her finger and saw The Beast and the Prince lying open in the snow. The book was open to the pages where the prince was asking the princess to marry him and on the other page was down on one knee kissing the princess's hand.

"Awwi?" She asked, pointing to herself, then at him, and then at the book.

He smiled, and deduced correctly what she thought he was doing, a smile spread across his face. The book had said that if two people married nothing could tear them apart. Studying the book for a moment he studied what the prince was doing and tried to copy him.

Reaching forward he gently grabbed her hand and hoping that he was doing it right, pressed his lips again it. Looking up at her he said. "Sure thing. If it means that nothing can tear us apart then yes of course."

He watched as her face flushed a deep crimson and her lip started to tremble. Tears began falling from her eyes and the emotions that were building within her were fighting to come out.

With a massive sob and tears of joy pouring down her face she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. She pulled herself even harder against his chest, trying to be as close to him as possible. Relentlessly she sobbed against his chest, her voice muffled by his coat.

Gently he wrapped his arms around her, the biggest happiest smile on his face.

For a long, while the just held each other, both of them feeling a closeness bond that neither of them had felt before. Eventually, Zero Two seemed to have sobbed out the last of her tears and she looked up at him her eyes full of emotion and gratitude.

He chuckled softly, and gently nuzzled against one of her ruby red horns, feeling their cold surface beneath his cheek. When he was finished he looked around to see if maybe there was somewhere where he and Zero Two could spend the night.

Unfortunately for the moment, he found nothing.

He sighed and looked down at Zero Two, who was still clutching him. "Come on. Let's go find a place to stay."

Gently separating himself from her they collected her book and stood up. Then holding hands they walked along the cliff until they eventually found a cave hidden in the rocks that looked just big enough for both of them to stand in.

"This looks good enough." He said walking over to it. Turning to her he said. "How about it Zero Two. Do you want to sleep here?"

She grunted and gave his hand a squeeze but beyond that didn't say anything.

Taking that to mean yes, he walked forward into the cave setting his backpack down on the floor once they were inside. He glanced around and inspected the cave, looking for a clear spot where they could rest. Finding one he walked over to it and removed serval stray pebbles that could potentially cause problems. Then satisfied that they had a place to sleep her turned to Zero Two, who was watching him with her curious eyes.

He smiled. "Well, its not much but it's better than nothing."

"Hmm." She replied.

As he stared at her, he began to notice something that had been alluding notice until now. She was shivering, and he realized that now that it was starting to get dark, her thin black coat wasn't keeping her warm. Quickly he opened his backpack and pulled out the clothes he had brought for her.

"Here." He said gesturing to them. "This should help keep you warm."

She stared at them with a blank expression, not understanding what they were. All of a sudden he felt a sense of foreboding wash over him, but immediately he pushed it out of his mind.

"They're clothes." He said tugging on his coat for emphasis.

She stared at him confused not understanding what he was trying to get at.

He sighed. Well if he needed to he could help her get dressed. Helping her put on a shirt or something wouldn't be too difficult.

"Here." He said making up his mind. "Why don't you take off your coat, and I'll help you put on whatever you need help with."

When she didn't respond he mimed the gesture of taking off his coat, which she seemed to understand. She stared at him confused, probably curious as to why he would ask her such a thing, but with trusting eyes, she slowly began to pull her black coat over her head. As she did, however, he felt his heart sink into his stomach, and tears well up in his eyes. She threw down the coat and stood there completely naked. The caretakers' had given her nothing to wear with the sole exception being the black cloak. This entire time she had been naked and exposed. Vulnerable and violated. The caretaker's hadn't even allowed her to cover her most private places instead just making her feel open and exposed.

He felt like he was going to be sick. How much more had the caretakers done to this poor girl? Nobody! Nobody had the right to do this to someone else! What did they think she was? How could they not realize that she was just as vulnerable and special as everyone else? How!?…. How!?…. What kind of monsters could do such a thing to someone!?

"Ngh…" Zero Two grunted, trying to get his attention.

He blinked and his eyes refocused on what was in front of him. He had been so angry. So disgusted with the caretakers that he had forgotten that Zero Two was still standing there naked in front of him.

With a tremendous effort, he smiled at her and brought as much happiness and light as he could into his expression.

"Its nothing." He chocked, straining to keep his voice steady.

Bending down he quickly grabbed the pair of underwear from the pile of clothing and held it out to her.

"Here." He said.

Zero Two took it and held it non-comprehendingly. She didn't know what she was supposed to do with it.

He almost let out an audible sob as he watched her stare at the piece of clothing. Then a realization hit him, and he stomach tightened into a very tight knot. He was going to have to help dress her. Zero Two didn't have the slightest idea what she was supposed to do with any of these pieces of clothing.

"Here, I'll help you." He said holding out his hand for the underwear.

She gave it back to him and stared at him with her curious and trusting eyes.

Gulping, he walked over to her and bent down, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the cave floor so that he could try to preserve even the smallest shred of her whatever dignity still remained to her. Gesturing with his head he helped her step her legs through the underwear and slide it up until it was in place around her waist. Then with slightly more difficulty, he got a pair of pants on her.

Giving a slight sigh he allowed himself to let out the breath that he had been holding this entire time. As comfortable as he felt around Zero Two, it had still been extremely uncomfortable being this close to her naked body, and having her most private places barely inches away from his face.

Picking up the shirt that had a taken out for her he looked into her beautiful emerald eyes. She didn't look even the slightest bit embarrassed, at how close he had been to her. Instead, she just stared at him with nothing but trust and affection. Smiling slightly he stared back at her. He appreciated her faith in him, but at the same time, the blatant un-embarrassment that she had felt when he had been so close to her made him sad. The caretakers had treated her so badly that she simply felt nothing. All he hoped was that whatever they had done to her, they' ed had even the smallest amount of human decency to not touch her there.

"Hmm." She grunted looking at him.

He smiled. "Yeah, let's get this shirt on you. I'm sure you're starting to get cold."

Carefully he started forward and made his way over to her. Closing his eyes he did his best to put the shirt on her without seeing anything that wasn't his to see. But unfortunately just like with the underwear, getting clothing on her while not looking at her was proving to be very difficult, and the whole process ended up taking a very long time.

When the shirt was finally pulled over her, she stared in wonder at the clothing getting used to the weird sensation of wearing something more than a robe. If an expression of immense curiosity she began touching herself feeling the clothing beneath her fingers and how it hugged itself protectively around her body.

As he stood there watching her, he felt tears falling down his cheeks. He simply couldn't take it anymore. He felt so sick at what had been done to her. The fact that the person that he found himself caring about so much had been subject to so much horrible treatment, made him want to curl up into a ball and cry. Before he could stop himself he began sobbing, tears cascading down his face, accompanied by muffled whispers as he tried to contain his emotions. Pitifully he closed his eyes, just trying to isolate himself in his own sorrow at how she had been treated.

He stood there sobbing for serval long moments before he became conscious of the fact that Zero Two was wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. Gently she nuzzled her face against his and then began to hum quietly in his ear. Her soft affectionate voice soothing the sorrow he felt for her.

Sobbing he reached his arms around and pulled her into a tight hug, Zero Two giving a squeak of surprise as she was pulled hard against him.

"I'm so sorry, they did that to you." He sobbed, holding her. "I only wish that there was something that I could do to make all of those horrible experiences go away. I wish I had found you sooner. Maybe then I could have protected you from all that pain."

Dragging in a shaky breath he managed to regain control of himself, separating himself from her he stared into her beautiful emerald eyes, watching as they sparkled and shifted with affection and fondness.

Taking a deep breath he said. "I promise from this moment forward that I'll never let you go. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. Never again will they be allowed to hurt you or treat you like some caged animal."

Zero Two stood silently for serval long moments just staring at him with her beautiful eyes. Then out of nowhere, she pointed at herself than at him and then gave him a hug. Letting go she repeated the gesture serval more times, before humming loudly.

It took him a moment but then he understood what she was trying to get at.

"You want to protect me?" He asked smiling.

"Hmmm." She hummed, hugging him again.

He chuckled softly and whipped a stray tear off his cheek. "And here I was trying to protect you, and you're already trying to offer to protect me."

Then smiling he held out his pinky finger. "Let's make a deal." He said smiling. "How about we both protect each other?"

She stared at his hand for a moment and then extending her own pinky finger began trying to put it against his.

He smiled and gently hooked his finger around hers so that they were intertwined. Smiling he watched as Zero Two tilted her head examining their intertwined fingers with a curious expression on her face.

As he continued to watch her inspecting their fingers he found himself staring at her, in a way he had never stared at another girl in his entire life. He found himself staring at how her beautiful hair cascade down her back, at how her elegant horns adorned her head like a ruby crown. He felt his heartbeat accelerate slightly as his eyes continued to drink in every detail of her face. For some reason, he felt a need to get closer to this girl and try to get to know her better. He wanted to develop a deeper more powerful connection with her.

Gently he let go of her pinky finger and instead just stared into her eyes trying to capture their every detail as the cave began to get darker around them. As he stared at her however he saw her beginning to shiver and he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that she wasn't wearing clothing that would keep her warm.

Turning he reached into his backpack and pulled out a snow coat and pants for her. "Here he said gesturing to them. These should help keep you warm."

Walking over to her he helped her into the snow gear and after a few minutes, she was completely encased in warm snow clothes. He smiled and pulled out the snow pants he had brought for himself quickly he slipped them on and put his boots back on. When he was finished he looked over at Zero Two.

"Well." He said with a sigh. "I guess we' ed better stay here for the night; walking around in the dark is a bad idea."

Looking around he inspected the cave around them and began to remove all the stones from an area big enough for both of them to fit in. When he was satisfied with the area he had cleared he reached into his backpack and pulled out the blanket that he had taken from the orphanage. Zero Two stared at it with a curious expression having no comprehension as to what he was holding.

Slowly he sat down and placed the blanket in his lap, then looking up at her he said kindly. "We should probably get some sleep. I sorry but I was only able to grab one before I left. I hope you don't mind." Blushing slightly he said. "I know it might be awkward but we should probably sleep together so that we can stay warm."

Before he could finish she started forward and without a moment's hesitation sat down next to him, a curious look on her face. Still surprised at her unflinching attitude towards sleeping a night so close to him, he removed the blanket from his lap and slowly laid down, still watching her every move. She only studied him for a few moments before she too laid down across from him, her emerald eyes filled with trust and curiosity. Relived and surprised at how little resistance he was encountering from her, gently draped the blanket over them, making sure that Zero Two was completely encased in the warmth it would provide.

"There." He said after they were both wrapped up in the blanket. "Hopefully that'll be enough to keep us warm through the night."

Looking up he stared into her beautiful eyes, trying to capture their every detail as the last light of the sun began disappearing from the cave. A smile spread across his face as he watched her curiously examining the blanket that was wrapped around both of them. It was plain to see from her expression that a blanket was a new concept for her and she was struggling to make up her mind about it.

"Zero Two." He said affectionately. Instantly her eyes shot up to him and she stared at him expectantly. "Just relax. I know it might be a little awkward but just sit with it for a moment."

Slowly Zero Two seemed to understand what he was trying to say, and with determined effort, lay still.

He chuckled. "Well, I guess that's one way." Then with a sigh, he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax enough so that he could get some sleep. As he lay there however he became conscious of the fact that Zero Two was moving around. Mentally he sighed. He recognized now that Zero Two was going to need to work whatever it was out of her system before she'd relax. But just as he finished his thought he felt Zero Two nestling herself against him, laying in the exact same position that he was in, only making it so that he would be wrapped around her in a protect snuggle.

He felt himself blushing and he knew that his cheeks must have flushed a deep shade of crimson. He had never been this close to a girl before, and the fact that it was Zero Two was making his brain run wild with emotions. He could feel her whole body pressed against his, and it was by far the most intimate position he had ever found himself in.

Slowly he opened his eyes and saw the top of Zero Two's head, her pink hair rustling as he breathed. And at the front of her head, he saw the two ruby horns that made up her crown sparkling in the last rays of the sun.

"Hmmm." Zero Two hummed.

Then he felt her try and nestle herself even closer to him. After that, he knew what she wanted. Carefully he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an affectionate hug, keeping her close and warm.

"Hmmm." She hummed again, all the tension leaving her body.

He smiled and he too allowed himself to relax, just laying there his body wrapped protectively around Zero Two. Slowly his breathing began to deepen and before long he was fast asleep.

Hiro awoke the next morning warm and comfortable clutching someone special to him as he slept. The first sensation he experienced was a sweet smell caressing his nose, and a few wisps of hair tickling his face. Slowly he opened his eyes to be greeted by the top of Zero Two's head. He smiled and breathed in a breath of the cold morning air. But strangely a weird sweetish smell gently worked its way into his nose, causing a pleasurable jolt to run through his body. Curious he bent down and sniffed the top of Zero Two head, wondering if for some odd reason she might be the source of the smell. Sure enough, when he sniffed her hair, that same sweetish smell tickled his nostrils.

He smiled, and gently squeezed her. He couldn't believe how perfect and unique she was. Every moment he spent with her he found himself falling even more for her. He wished that he could show her to his friends. Then a sinking feeling washed over him. Unfortunately, however, he may never get the opportunity. The chances of seeing them anytime soon were slim to none, and he knew that trying to get anywhere close to them would result in his capture.

He sighed. It was just something he was going to have to accept, and he knew deep down that Zero Two needed him more than his friends. And the truth was he' ed known that from the moment he saw her.

Gently he felt her stirring in his arms and he knew that She was about to walk up. A few moments later she rolled over so she was facing him. That movement seemed to have been enough to rouse her, and with a sleepy yawn her eyes fluttered open, still heavy will sleep.

"Hey." He said gently. "You're awake."

Her eyes shot up to him, and for a moment she looked confused until she remembered where she was.

"Hmmm," She hummed, backing away from him enough so that she could look at him more easily.

For a few moments, they lay there staring at each other, both perfectly content to just be in each other's presence. He smiled and watched as her face took on an expression of happiness and uncontrollable gratitude.

A few minutes later he heard her stomach growl which was then followed by his own a few seconds later.

"Well, I guess it's time for some breakfast." He said with a laugh.

Slowly both of them worked themselves into a sitting position and then disentangling himself from the blanket he stood up. Cold air rushed into the gap where he had been and Zero Two let out a small shiver, from the sudden change in temperature.

He smiled and knelt down, and gently wrapped the rest of the blanket around her to keep her warm. "There, that's better." He said as he finished cocooning her in the blanket.

"Hmm." She hummed, looking at him.

He smiled. "Don't worry I'll be right back."

Turning around her went over to where he had left the backpack last night and picked it up. Turning he walked back to Zero Two and sat down next to her.

"Alright." He said with a sigh. "Hopefully everything okay in there."

As he sat he became aware of Zero Two wrapping the blanket around him and a few seconds later she snuggled up next to him so that they could both fit. He looked down at her and saw her big beautiful eyes staring up at him. Gently he reached around with his free hand and gently ran his fingers through her soft silky hair."Thank you. I really appreciate it."

Blissfully she closed her eyes and hummed quietly, the smile he liked so much spreading across her face.

After another few moments, he returned his attention back to the backpack and began to pull out all of the food he had packed. Carefully he pulled out the golden jar of honey and gently set it on the ground, its golden liquid sparkling as the morning sun hit the jar.

Zero Two tilted her head and stared at the jar with wonder and curiosity written all over her face.

He smiled. "You want some?"

Momentarily she glanced at him but then shifted her attention back to the jar. Chuckling he reached forward and grabbed the jar. Bringing it up to his chest he opened it and then presented the mouth of the jar to her. "Here try some."

She gazed at the jar non-comprehendingly not having the slightest idea as to what she should do. He sighed sadly and put the jar down. Then starting at the jar he had an idea. Reaching forward he dipped his finger into the jar and cover it with the golden honey. Then he turned to Zero Two.

"Here. Say Aah." He said demonstrating with his own mouth.

Curious she opened her mouth and stared at him with her trusting eyes. Gently he placed his honey covered finger in her mouth, and she closed her lips around his finger and began to suck on it. Instantly her eyes lit up, and a wash of pure joy cascaded over her face. Excited at this new blissful sensation she squealed in delight, greedily trying to suck every last drop of honey of his finger.

He smiled and giggled at how adorable she was. Gently he removed his finger and coated it with even more honey, which Zero Two happily devoured when he gave it to her.

This went on for quite a while until he signaled that he needed a break. But even though Zero Two had been devouring every drop of honey that she could eat there was still an ample amount of honey left in the jar. Smiling he looked over at Zero Two who was staring at him with happiness and gratitude radiating off her in waves of affection.

He smiled and gently wrapped his arm around her. "You know…. It's nice to finally be free. I've never felt this way in my entire life. When I'm with you, I feel like the dark shadow that has been hanging over my life, just disappears."

She hummed softly and stared at him with her beautiful emerald eyes. Then after a few moments and idea seemed to stick her and she looked down at the jar of honey. Reaching her finger forwards she dipped it into the honey jar. Then shifting her eyes back to him, she brought it up to his mouth and rubbed her honey cover finger on his lips. He smiled and opened his mouth allowing her to insert her finger into his mouth. Gently he wrapped his lips around her finger and sucked all the delicious honey off her finger.

When he was finished, he smiled. "Thank you. That's really sweet of you."

Her face lit up and she excitedly made a move towards the jar again. Gently however he stopped her. "Hold on. Let's try some of the other food I brought before we eat all the honey."

A while later he sat back rubbing his stomach. He and Zero Two had eaten quite a bit, and he was now feeling very full. If he was being honest with himself they had probably eaten too much. He had brought lots of fruits, bread, and ham slices, which was quite a lot on its own. But Zero Two had felt the need to cover everything in honey, and of course, she had wanted to try a little bit of everything.

He sighed sadly, as he looked over at Zero Two lying contently her hands on her stomach. It had become clear to him during breakfast by the way she was acting that she had never eaten anything like this in her entire life. The amount of joy and excitement she had displayed was so disproportionate when compared to an activity like eating breakfast.

Zero Two gave a contented sigh and shifted, which caused the sun to hit her horns at just the right angle. Suddenly little red reflections started to dance across the cave walls in the most beautiful display of light he had ever seen. He stared in wonder, amazed that her horns could create something so simple yet so beautiful.

"You are truly amazing." He whispered in awe. "How anybody could think any less of you is beyond me."

He sat and watched peacefully as the little reflections danced across the cave walls, just enjoying how unique Zero Two was, even when she was doing nothing but sitting still. He chuckled softly and reached up imagine that he could touch one of the dancing lights. But just as him imaginary finger was about to touch one of them, it danced away and out of his reach. He smiled and bringing his arm back down just let himself enjoy the beautiful creation that Zero Two was producing.

Eventually, however, the suns rays stopped shining into the cave and the little reflections that Zero Two's horns were making disappeared. He realized with a sudden shock just how late in the morning it actually was, and that he and Zero Two were losing valuable time that they needed.

He sat up and gently gave Zero Two a little shake to get her attention. She looked at him affectionately and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. "Hey." He said softly. "We gotta get going Zero Two, there is a lot that we need to do today.

She groaned in protest but sat up, and then with a little more positive encouragement stood up completely. He smiled and then quickly began to grab everything they had used and stuffed it into his backpack. Once all the food was put away he folded the blanket they had slept under and slipped it into another of the backpack's pockets. Satisfied that he had everything he turned to Zero Two. "All right I think that's everything. You got your book right?"

She stared at him slightly confused, but she seemed to sense that they were getting ready to leave. Intuitively she checked to make sure she had her book, and when she felt its presence beneath her jacket, she gave a reassuring nod.

He smiled. "Alright then let's go."

Reaching forward he gently grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the cave. Then once the had made their way back into the forest, he turned them back towards the lab.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally decided that they had earned themselves a break. He had been taking them on a path that ran at an angle back towards the lab, but with all the extra trudging through the snow that they were doing both of them were already very tired and out of breath. Looking around he spotted a massive tree in a clearing, and with a shrug turned to Zero Two.

"Come on let's take a rest." He said leading her over to the massive tree.

Sitting down he leaned up against the tree's massive trunk and watched as Zero Two followed suit. After a few moments though she glanced over at him and then unzipped her coat. Then reaching down her shirt she pulled out The Beast and the Prince and gently held it. After a few seconds, she turned to him and stared at him with a look on her face which made it clear that she wanted something.

He smiled. "Do you want me to read the book to you again?" He asked smiling. Patting his knee he gestured from her to put the book between them.

Realizing that she was getting what she wanted, she quickly got the book into position and leaned against him like she had done the first time. He chuckled softly and began to read. A few minutes later he felt Zero Two stealthily try to snuggling up against him in an attempt to be as close to him as possible

Smiling he turned the page and began to read what came next.

The Princess took the prince's hand and said with a smile on her face, "Grab onto me and never let go, Darling."

"Da." Zero Two said suddenly.

He stopped and smiled. "Darling." He said slowly, pronouncing every part of the word as clearly as he could.

Instead of repeating the word, however, she turned to him and pointed. "Da."

He smiled and shook his head. "My name is, Hiro."

Zero Two grunted in disagreement and pointed again. "Da."

He chuckled and teased back. "Hiro."

She shook her head. "Da!"

"Hiro."

"Ngnnh. Da!"

A grin was working its way across his face. "Hiro."

She vehemently shook her head again, and pointed at the prince in the book; then with the other finger, she pointed at him. "Da."

He smiled and reaching out he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. For a few moments, they just stared at each other, their eyes communicating more than they could possibly say in words.

He smiled and leaned his head against hers, feeling a pleasant tingling sensation as her horns touched his forehead. "Don't worry. I'll be your Darling."

All the tension left her body and with a sigh that was almost a sob, she hugged him and collapsed into his arms. Gently he reached his arms around her and began to whisper soothingly in her ear. "I'll always be by your side. From now we'll always be together. It's just us now. Just you and me. I know that I can't undo everything that the caretakers did to you, but from this moment forward, I won't allow anyone to hurt you ever again. I can't promise that it'll be easy but I know you and I can find a way to escape this place and live freely together." He smiled and gently ran his fingers through her silky pink hair. "You know, now that I think about it there's only one thing I could thank the caretakers for. They taught me what a partner is. They said that partners spend their whole lives together. Every waking moment their lives would be intertwined. To support and fight alongside them. I know that we'll never get to pilot a FRANXX but if we did I would have chosen you." He stopped a corrected himself. "No... FRANXX or no FRANXX you're my partner. We don't need someone else to tell us what we are."

Zero Two hummed softly and said. "Da..rling."

He smiled a gave her a squeeze. "Now and forever, Zero Two. From this moment on, I'll always be there for you."

"There they are!" A voice shouted.

Fear and terror shot through him at the speed of light momentarily paralyzing him. Instinctively his arms tightened around Zero Two, in an attempt to keep her close.

"No….. He groaned feeling anger and frustration wash over him. "No..!"

He looked up and saw the Garden's guards running towards them weapons held at the ready. He knew instantly that escape would be impossible. Still, he was determined to protect Zero Two in whatever way he could.

Zero Two began to moan and snarl. She knew as well as he did who was coming for them and why. Her moaning and snarls began to get more pronounced as the fear and anger mounted within her. She began to claw at herself hoping that this was all some sort of bad dream she could wake up from.

Gently he gave her a reassuring squeeze and sobbed in frustration, tears of pain and sadness falling into her perfect hair. "I promise I'll protect you." He whispered.

Then separating himself from her he stood up in defiance facing their attackers as they began to surround them. Zero Two was quick to follow and stood behind him, snarling at the people that would dare to separate them. Quickly he took a defensive posture in front of her and reached his arms behind him to protect Zero Two from any attack from the side.

"Stay away from us!" He screamed.

The guards continued to press in closer completely enclosing them. The circle got tighter and tighter and despair cascaded through him as he realized that there was no chance of escape. His face contorted in frustration. Helplessly he whipped around and hugged Zero Two close holding her as hard as he could so that nobody could tare them apart. Zero Two immediately did the same and began to sob in fear and anger as she held onto him.

"I promise I'll keep you safe." He whispered frantically. "I promise I won't let anyone hurt you. They can't take you away from me. I promise."

The guards grabbed him and began to try and pry him away. Desperately he held on but mercilessly they began tearing them away from each other.

"No!" He screamed as he felt his grip weakening. "No. Leave her alone!"

The guard tore them apart dragging them away from each other, as they both fought to get back to each other.

"Da!" Zero Two sobbed, fighting to get back to him. "Da!"

"Zero Two!" He screamed trying to wrench his arm free of his captors. "Leave her alone! Let go of her!"

Suddenly he felt a sharp blow to the side of his head, and suddenly he felt himself falling into a deep endless abyss filled with nothing but pain and misery. The last thing he ever heard was somebody's anguished cry of "Da!"

"Please…" Somebody sobbed. "Darling, please…..Don't leave me all alone… Please wake up."

His face was covered with hot tears, and he could hear racking sobs in his ear.

"Please…" The voice sobbed again.

Suddenly he felt something spark deep within him. He recognized that voice, and it was the one voice that he had never wanted any amount of pain to be present in. Forcefully he began to fight his way out of his own mind, struggling to resurface back into reality. Ahead he saw a light and at the end of it, he heard the voice of the one he loved calling to him, desperation and fear contorting her voice into sobs of pain and anguish.

"Darling….." She sobbed. "Please wake up…"

He coughed and with a massive gasp he leaped back into consciousness, he eyes flying open and his chest heaving as he dragged in deep breaths of cool crisp fresh air. Suddenly he heard a sharp intake of breath and he felt Zero Two sitting up so that she could look at him. When she did they stared at each other both their minds reeling so much that they were stunned into stillness.

"Darling!" She cried diving forward wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself against him. She continued to sob into his ear. "I thought you were dead… I was so scared. I was afraid that they had ripped you away from me again."

He began to crying too and gently he reached his arms around her and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I'm right here."

She continued sobbing in his ear her tears staining the side of his face. "I'm so glad that you're okay….. I don't know what I would have done with myself if they had killed you."

He squeezed her. "Some am I. The thought of losing you again is stabbing at my heart." He sobbed and held her close. "I'm so sorry. I promised that I would protect you and I failed." Pain started to enter his voice. "And what makes it worse is that I forgot everything… How could I have possibly forgotten something so important?"

She sobbed and said her voice still thick with emotion. "You… Y-You didn't forget. They whipped your memory." She sucked in a shaky breath. "After they captured us, they removed our memories of each other. I-I only managed to remember what we did together by forcing myself through pain and desperation, dragging the emotions and feelings that you had shown to me out of myself." She paused for only a second and plowed on. "I was able to recall everything except the two things that would help me find you. I.. I forgot your face and your name. The caretakers stole that from me and never let me see you again." She hugged him so hard that it was painful. "I'm so happy. I finally have you back. It was all worth it. Everything I've endured up until this moment was all worth it. You are the only person in the world that I care about."

He sobbed and held her close. After a few minutes, he sat up still holding her as she sat in his lap, just like what they had done so many years ago. She cuddled up and buried her face in his chest. Gently he began to rock back and forth trying to relive all the emotions that were swirling inside him. For a very long moment, he just held her, feeling her body cuddled up against his.

"How… How did you know?… How did find me?" He whispered.

"Everyone's always treated me like a tool to be used. Nobody has ever treated me with kindness. You're the only person who's ever shown me kindness and made me happy. It didn't take me long to recognize you."

He exhaled hard sadness present in every line of his face. "I'm so sorry, Zero Two. If only I'd been better, then maybe we could have been together all this time. It's all my fault. I lead us right into them. We… we could have escaped. I-I could have saved you from all that pain and mystery." He sobbed. "I wish that I could make it all disappear. It's not fair! You deserved so much more than a life of pain and misery."

Zero Two sat up and locked eyes with him, her beautiful green eyes staring into the deepest depths of his mind. "I don't care about that. All of it was worth it because I got to meet you. All the pain and suffering was worth it. You're worth it. My memory of my life before I met you is a blur. All I can remember is you. All I remember is the kindness and love that you showed me." She smiled. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Ever since we were torn apart, finding you all I've ever cared about." Fresh tears began cascading down her face. "And now I finally have you back."

Tears were streaming down his face, as all of his emotions came pouring out of him at once. In a spur of passion, he leaped forward and kissed her their lips colliding and caressing each other in a fiery passion. They fell backward into the snow as he continued to shower her with his love. Gasping he came up for air his chest heaving pressing against Zero Two as he stared at her. "I-I. I promise that from this moment forward we'll always be together. If you'll have me, I'll stay by your side forever."

She gave a sob and pulled him to her, kissing him with all the emotions and passion that she had wanted to show him for all these long years. As she kissed him with all her passion and fervor she felt an electrifying shock run through her as her horns rubbed against two hard protrusions on Darling's forehead. For an instant she felt an overwhelming wave of Darling's presence fill her body, making her feel warm with intimacy and passion.

Slightly startled they both separated, unaccustomed to the inhuman level of love and intimacy they both just imparted on each other.

"Wow." He said shuddering. "That was intense. I wonder what that was all about? Zero Two do you kno…." He stopped suddenly as he saw Zero Two staring at his forehead her face twisted falling in dismay.

"No…. What have I done….? This can't be happening. I swore that I wouldn't let this happen."

Instantly he knew what was upsetting her, and on the spot, he decided that he needed to nip this reaction of hers in the bud. "Zero Two." He commanded. "Look at me." She did, controlling herself enough to not be ruled by her dismay.

Gently he reached forward and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb along the tender skin of her palm. "Zero Two look I… I want you to understand something. And I don't care what other people think. This is what I feel. And now that I have my memories back its clearer than ever." He took a deep breath. "I've always wanted more out of life than to just be ordered around deprived of my own will. I want a life where I'm free to make my own choices. Before I saw you, my life was just a routine of obedience and endless questions." He smiled. "But then one day, a girl with red skin, beautiful emerald eyes, and two gorgeous ruby horns appeared before me. And not only was she the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, she had a fire that lit something in me so powerful that from that moment on I couldn't be without her." Tears were running down his cheeks. Gently he brought her hand up and gave it a tender kiss. "You are that perfect girl Zero Two. I fell in love with you because it's you. There's nothing I would change." Reaching forward he pulled her into a gentle hug, as she sobbed into his ear. Tenderly he whispered in her ear. "I want to be close to you. I've never felt this way towards anyone else. Hmmm. Maybe that's why changing into a hybrid like you, has made me so happy. I can finally be with you in a way that I never could before." He chuckled and separated himself from her. Reaching up he stroked his horns. "Plus they're not so bad… Blue is a good color for me."

Whipping tears from her eyes, she looked at his horns, trying to appreciate their presence on Darling's head. "Pink would have been a better color." She teased, trying to cheer herself up.

He smiled glad that she was warming to the idea a little. "Now I would have to draw the line on that one." He countered jokily. "Pink defiantly doesn't belong on my head."

She smiled, and pulled out one of her long pink hairs, then reaching forward she placed it on his head so it was dangling in front of his face. "You seem to have a problem then." She said hiding a grin.

He pouted and blew on the hair in an attempt to make it go away. The hair however just fluttered a little and came back to rest on his face.

He looked over at Zero Two who was smiling at him, with a satisfied smirk on her face.

He smiled, and reaching forward he pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry Zero Two. Only good things can possibly result from us being together in this new way."

She sighed, and he felt her body deflate. "If you say so…." She said sounding not totally convinced.

Gently he gave her a little squeeze and said. "No Zero Two, I know so."

She sniffed in amusement and separated herself from him shaking her head. "That was such a cheesy line."

He smiled. "Hey what can I say? I'm the master of cheesy lines."

Chuckling she gave a small sigh. "What am I even doing? I'm laughing like I'm some sort of child."

"That's okay." He replied sweetly. "I like children, so be a child as much as you want."

She smiled and gazed at him with all the love and gratitude that she possessed. "I've missed you so much, Darling. I've been dreaming of this moment my whole life." Tears began sliding down her cheeks. "I'm so glad that I met you. You're my irreplaceable perfect prince, and I don't want to leave your side ever again." Her emotions swelled to a peak of love and gratitude and radiated out of her in massive heartfelt waves. "I love you!"

He smiled tears cascading down his cheeks. "I love you too! And from now on I will always be by your side!" Reaching forward he kissed her, channeling all of his love into her. Their horns met and instantly their bond amplified itself a thousandfold, as they poured all their love and gratitude into each other. Simultaneously they both opened their mouths and their tongues leapt forward twisting and dancing in a wet dance of passion. Each of them explored and tasted the other's mouth not afraid of sharing a part of themselves with each other. As their dance of passion progressed each of them felt something strong building in their horns. Something was on the verge of uniting in an inconceivable way. Just then however both of them separated gasping for air, their passion-filled breath thick with the scent of the other's mouth.

With his eyes locked with hers and his chest still heaving, he gasped. "I-I love you."

"N-now and a-always, Darling." She sobbed.

Gently he pulled her into a hug and held her close just basking in her presence and reflecting at what it had taken for both of them to have reached this point. He let out an emotion ladened sigh and stared off into the distance. For a long few moments, they sat in silence, the only sound being Zero Two's muffled sobs. As he stared absentmindedly off into the forest, he saw a child appear before him, her pink hair cascading down her back, her eyes the color of emeralds, and two ruby red horns stabbing up in defiance of the world around her. He smiled at the child Zero Two, and they stared at each other affection and gratitude present in every line of their faces. Tears cascaded down Zero Two's face she started towards them.

"Da." She whispered, stopping just inches behind the adult version of herself that he had nestled in his arms.

He smiled at her with every last drop of his affection and gratitude. "Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you for guiding me to you. I promise I'll protect you, for the rest of my life."

She smiled and pointed at herself and then at him.

He chuckled softly and shook his head in amusement. "Deal." He whispered with a smile.

With a small nod, she gave him one final smile and then turning she began to walk away. He watched peacefully as a child version of himself appeared, and grasped Zero Two's hand, holding it with all the affection and trust that they had shown to each other all those years ago. Then with smiles that communicated more than any amount of words, they both set off and disappeared peacefully into the forest.

He nodded and smiled. "Good luck, I hope you two find what you're looking for."

He gave the Zero Two in his arms an affectionate squeeze. "Because all I've ever wanted, is to be together with you."

"Hmmm." Zero Two hummed softly. Then adjusting herself she turned and laid down her head resting in his lap.

He smiled down at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then with the utmost affection began to play with her hair marveling at how silky it felt as it slid through his fingers.

A long while later they both seemed to be satisfied and positively overflowing with each other's love and affection.

"Darling." She said gazing at him with her beautiful emerald eyes. "I think we should head back. It might start getting cold soon and I don't want anything to ruin our perfect moment."

He smiled. "I agree. Let's head back, so I can spoil you all over again."

She smiled and shook her head. "No… It's my turn now. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be nothing but a warm ball covered in kisses."

"I won't say no to that." Then chucking softly he added. " We gotta get back first thou."

"Don't you worry." She said her voice dancing and sparking with affection. "The longer you make me wait, the more kisses you're going to get."

He smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze. "Then we' ed better get going before you build up enough kisses to turn me into nothing but a giggling lump."

She smiled. "Too late for that."

He chuckled and bending forward gave her another kiss.

She smiled and sat up immediately spinning herself around so that she could keep her loving gaze fixed on him.

With a huge smile on his face, he stood up brushing the snow off his pants, then reaching down he held out his hand for his perfect princess. She smiled and allowed herself to be guided into a standing position. Then holding hands they began to start the walk back towards Plantation 13.

"It's still so weird to see you with horns." Zero Two commented as they trudged through the snow. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing them on you."

He smiled and glanced over at her. "Life is full of surprises." He chuckled. "Imagine how I felt when a girl with red skin appeared before me."

She blushed. "I'm so glad that my skin changed. I looked so dumb back then."

"No, you didn't." He protested.

She scoffed. "Are you kidding me? I looked like pomegranate with legs."

"You did not."

"Yes, I did."

He sniffed and said in a pouty tone "Well I thought you were beautiful for your information. And I don't appreciate you calling the girl I fell in love with dumb."

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You play dirty Darling. But don't you go expecting any more freebies, because I'll put a stop to it for sure."

He smiled. "Oh… You want something a little more eh… Well.. give me a little bit and I'll think of something a little more exotic for you." He winked.

She giggled happily and giving his hand a little squeeze. "You are too naughty. But you better be careful, because whatever you do I'll give back with far more vigor."

He smirked. "Challenge accepted. But I promise that I'm going to win this one."

He was just about to continue when he saw something purple flash and disappear behind a tree. "What was that?" He said distractedly.

"What's what?" She asked following his gaze.

He stared at the tree where the purple had disappeared. "I could have sworn…." After another few seconds, however, he shrugged. "Oh whatever, it was probably nothing."

"You don't think anyone was following us do you?" She asked curiously.

He shrugged. "No idea. It's not like there's really any need for somebody to watch us. It's not like we can go anywhere."

She shivered. "You know I didn't think that I would ever find myself saying this but I can't wait to get back to Plantation 13. There I don't have to worry about somebody spying on us and I can just be with you."

He smiled. "Don't worry too much about it, I'm sure we'll be okay."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

A few minutes later, both of them exited the forest to the sight of the orphanage and the lab off in the distances. Almost at the same time, they both turned to look back at the forest.

"Oh know." He said with a small sigh. "As much as I've grown to despise the Garden, I think this forest will always have a place in my heart."

She squeezed his hand. "Yeah. My first happy memories were formed here." She turned to him and smiled. "And it where I truly got too met, the man I love."

He gave her an affectionate smile. "And it's where I fell in love with you." He stepped forward and kissed her, gently cupping her cheek with his hand.

She hummed affectionately. "Come Darling. Let's go home."

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading Chapter 15 of The Jian Bird.

Sorry about the delay, school and work just love gobbling up all my free time.

Well, guys, it's finally here. Zero Two and Hiro have finally fully reunited and all of Hiro's memories have been returned to him. But the story is far from over, and there is much more to tell. I don't want to give anything away but let's just say that now that we've passed this milestone the possibles are pretty much endless.

Next chapter is one that a lot of you have been waiting for, and it is something that I have been developing since day one.

Stay tuned for Chapter 16 of The Jian Bird: Conceived (Lemon)