86...I'm pretty sure I didn't die again.
So… why am I in Heaven?
Waking up to Zero Two's visage was, quite honestly, somewhat surreal to Hiro. Despite how long he had known her, or of her, their time spent together had been far, far shorter than Hiro would've liked in an ideal world- those long years after they had first met being separated, then the weeks before the Gran Crevasse Campaign after she'd been transferred out. So, just being able to lie there, in his- their- bed, able to bask in her presence for as long as he wanted, was…
"Gods, I want to marry her," the Klaxo Sapien murmured with a smile, before shuffling forward and pressing a kiss to his beloved's forehead. Zero Two, still happily asleep, snuggled closer to him, lodging her head in the nook around his neck, and purred.
Oh.
Wow.
That was not a noise Hiro had heard her make before, not that he particularly minded. Anything new about Zero Two was simply another thing to be loved, and man did Hiro love it. It was doing things to his insides, actually, now that he focused on it, that quiet rumbling than ran across his chest.
Even if he hadn't made that promise all those years ago, Hiro would have sworn to marry her on the spot, he knew, because who the fuck wouldn't?
And the best part about all this was that he didn't have to get up for anything. There were no Klaxosaurs to fight, no Invaders to fend off, no pesky adults on interfere or old doctors to experiment on them. The land, from what Ichigo had told them in passing last night, was healing, the returned Magma doing wonders for the environment, something which he had seen for himself on their way home. While most of the continent was still a dusty wasteland, the areas outside and around the immediate Bird's Nest and the Crevasse were sporting patches of plant life.
And the sun-
More plant life meant less dust, which in turn, reduced the dust storms in the area, and though Hiro was no stranger to the sun's light, it was glorious. He had missed it's warmth during their crusade against the VIRM, almost as much as he had missed eating actual food, something he supposed he didn't have to do, know, seeing as he had survived pretty long without any.
Another thing to ask the Princess about, I guess, the boy mused, before, somewhat reluctantly, he rolled himself out of bed. Hiro stretched, yawned, darted back to give Zero Two yet another peck, before he turned to the windows and pulled the curtains open, letting the sun in.
The room Ichigo had given them in the Bird's Nest had been chosen specifically for this view, Hiro suspected. From where he stood, he could see a good portion of the pseudo-city below, the lake surrounding the main compound, and the crop fields that lay further beyond, a miasma of bright, hopeful colors.
Hiro grinned.
God, it feels good to be home.
The youth spent another, short moment basking in the sun's glow, before turning away front he window. There had to be leftovers from yesterday, right? Maybe he could bring some up for Zero Two when she woke up. Slathered in honey, of c-
Hiro faltered.
There was a large wad of white in the corner of the room.
Wait… hair?
A memory from the night before, marred and blurry, came to him unbidden. A memory of a black and blue appendage seeing both him and his partner to bed.
"...Princess?"
Her reaction was immediate. The Klaxosaur Princess' head which had been bowed (had she slept like that? Had she just been standing there all night?) swiftly and smoothly rose from its resting position, eyes alert and sharp. She ruffled herself slightly, as if waking the rest of her body up, before nodding to him. "Greetings," she spoke, voice once again nothing but a projected mental thought. She had fixed her crown, Hiro noted absentmindedly .
The male Klaxo Sapien blinked. "You've been here all night, haven't you?" he asked, not actually expecting an answer.
To his surprise, however, the Princess nodded, confirming what he had suspected. "I have," she answered. "My brethren will do fine without my guidance, as the war is over, and I have business here. Hence, my presence."
Had Hiro not been so caught off guard, he might have noticed one last piece of information flow into his mind, quieter than the rest, nearly silent, that spoke in the Princess' voice;
"I worried for you both, so I came to check on you."
Ignoring the statement he did not hear, Hiro stared at the Klaxosaur Princess in curiosity. "Business…? What's here that you have to deal with?" he wondered out loud, only for the princess to huff and step out of the shadows, soaking in the sunlight now streaming into the room.
"Details concerning my people's status among the New Humans," she answered again, walking past him towards the window. She stopped for a moment, taking in the view below, quiet and still. "The war is over, and I mean to ensure it stays that way. To that end, I mean to converse with this settlement's leadership."
...Huh.
That… actually made sense, Hiro would admit. Just ensuring that there were no hostilities remaining between them, while ultimately fruitless (because there were no hostilities between the Klaxosaurs and the… did she call them 'New Humans?') would probably do a lot to soothe any remaining tensions.
Well, if that was the case…
"I think we can help with that, then," he offered, and the Klaxosaur Princess turned to him, looking mildly surprised. "You would?"
"Why wouldn't I? It means more peace, right?" Hiro shrugged. "I have every reason to help you. 'Sides, Zero Two and I are friends with two of the Squad Leaders here, so we can help introduce you to them and smooth things over. They know about you, but their not gonna take it too well if you just appear."
"Do not blame me. Their security is lacking."
Despite her having said that with a straight face, Hiro sniggered. She might never admit it, but she and Zero Two are more alike than they think.
And speaking of which…
Moving back towards his shared bed, he fell to a knee before it and leaned towards his beloved's ear. "Wake up, Zero Two. Someone came to see us."
After several moments, in which its seemed liked his partner contemplated turning away from his voice and going back to sleep, Zero Two obliged him and opened her eyes with a wide yawn. "Daaahhliinnnggg…" she whined, "why'd you wake me?" Then she sniffed the air for a moment, and here eyes shot open, fully awake. "Wait-"
Sitting up, the red Klaxo Sapien instinctively turned in the direction of the familiar scent, locking eyes with the princess, who lifted her hand in a short wave. "Greetings."
"...Why are you in our room?"
Feeling another was odd.
ZetaEtaTheta had always been… connected to each other in a way the other Nines had not. It had been that way all their admittedly short lives, just the three of them in their own, small bubble.
Until ZetaEtaTheta came into contact with the Klaxosaur Princess, freshly returned from the dead.
As soon as both they and Nine-Alpha had returned from their retrieval mission, and after the welcoming-party for the two non-humans, the Squad Leader summoned the rest of the Nines to discuss their new circumstances, something they knew was very much needed.
How had their wayward older sister lived? Had she died, like them? Had them come back like them, and if so, was their own resurrection related to hers?
So many questions, and too few answers. At least, they would not get any answers here.
So, they would have to seek them out themselves.
"...So that's that," Alpha finished, sighing after he had done so. "Our eldest sister has miraculously returned from the dead, and far more Klaxosaur than she's ever been, ironically. Her fo- her partner as well."
"And the Klaxosaur leader as well, right?" Gamma spoke, frowning. "And you just let her go? She's a threat--"
"The war is over, Gamma. The Klaxos have left this place alone for over two years. You think their just going to start attacking now?" Epsilon shot back, and Gamma glared. "They would if their leader commanded it!"
"Even if they did, there'd be nothing we could do about it, not really," Delta scowled. All three of them had noticed that their emerald-haired sister had been doing much better than she had upon their awakening, and much of her old personality had returned. They honestly preferred it that way, to the timid, afraid thing that had lived in her body before.
(She tried very, very hard to forget her screams when the Purple Things had crushed her beneath their jaws.)
Beta sighed. "Alpha and Zeta are the only ones who've been in a FranXX since we came back, and are the only ones who've seen our eldest sister. If anyone has the answers we seek, it'd be them."
EtaThetaZeta paused for a moment, before taking hold of the holopad she had been given, quickly typing out words before presenting them to their siblings.
THE PRINCESS MAY HAVE THOSE ANSWERS AS WELL
The former squad of elites considered their words for a moment, before Alpha frowned, forefinger tapping away at the table. "She most likely does, but I'm of the opinion that she's not a admirer of ours-"
Delta scoffed. "Obviously. How many Klaxos have we killed in or lives?"
"-and we have no idea how to even make contact with her," the Squad Leader finished blatantly ignoring Delta's words. "Last I saw, she was headed in the general direction of the Gran Crevasse. She'll most likely be there, out of our reach."
The other Squad Leaders had been adamant when they denied the squad usage of the FranXXs, to the Nine's annoyance. That had left them with little to do save wandering around the 'city' (city being a generous term for the Parasite settlement, seeing as it hardly compared to the ones held within the old Plantations) and seeing what the Children had built for themselves. So, they had no way to even see if taking to the Klaxosaur leader was possible, seeing as they had no way to get to her.
Of course, they didn't have to go to the Crevasse to see her, ThetaZetaEta knew. The tapping of fingers drew the Nine's attention back to the three look alike, before they held up their devices with yet another message written on its screen.
GOING TO THE CREVASSE IS UNNECESSARY
WE CAN ASK OUR QUESTIONS IN PERSON
NOW, IF NINE-ALPHA WISHES IT
Silence.
Then, Gamma blinked. "Wait… the Klaxosaur Queen is here? Now?!"
ZetaEtaTheta nodded.
YES
Her presence had been lingering on the edged is their consciousness since they had woken up. It was strange, they would admit, having someone else present in the link they shared with each other, but it made them curious.
What else did the Princess know? What else could she do.
"And you are certain of this, all three of you?" Epsilon questioned, and all three of them shot him a mildly-annoyed look and once more flashed the YES text. SHE IS WITH SISTER, they added, and the Nines, as a unit moved towards the door the moment Alpha began to move.
"Then take us to them," Alpha ordered, steel in his eyes. "We must have words our eldest sister."
And so the Nines went.
A/N: It's about time that we have a family reunion, don't you think?
Anyways, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all next month.
Probably.