Shortly after, a medical transport arrives at your position. You are loaded in and stabilized on your way back to the Plantation. Ryoken and Misaki refuse to leave your side until forced so the medical team can treat you undisturbed.

The ride back is accompanied with a deafening silence. Some were looking at Zero Two in horror, others worried about your condition.

XXXXXX

Plantation 13 – Command Center

"It looks like he's at the end of his rope," Nana states as she scrolls through the medical report, "His yellow blood cell count has gone far beyond what the human body can handle. It's so high that his saurification could begin any moment now."

"His mind is clearly hazy, too," Hachi adds, not averting his gaze from the monitors in front of him, "Did he connect to 002's mind too deeply via Strelizia and hallucinate? Either way, he's in a perilous condition."

Nana sighs and says, "I thought (Y/N) might be able to handle it, but it's time to call this off..."

XXXXXX

A few hours later

Every one of Squad 13 gets a message on their communicator that you've been transferred to a room in the infirmary and that they are able to visit you now.

As Squad 13 makes their way through the corridors to the infirmary, they see Zero Two ahead of them, walking in the same direction, but slowly and swaying from side to side.

"Hold on!" Ryoken shouts after her as he quickens his pace along with Misaki and Ichigo. Zero Two didn't seem to hear him though.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" he says sternly as he grabs her shoulder and turns her around to face him. "Don't stop me. I need to see my Darling," she states.

"You can't be serious!" Misaki interjects as she walks up to them, "Do you realize who put (Y/N) in that hospital bed? You're not getting anywhere near (Y/N) ever again."

"H-Hey, calm down guys," Goro says. "She must be worried about him, too," Hiro adds. "Yeah, why are you guys getting so worked up?" Miku asks nervously.

"All this time, you've deceived and exploited (Y/N)," Ichigo steps in as Zero Two is biting her nails, "And you just tried to make him lose his humanity."

"Lose his humanity?" Futoshi asks confused. "We heard all about it," Misaki begins as she turns to Zero Two again, "You suck up your partner's life and discard them once you're done. And you've killed hundreds of people that way."

"Who told you that?" Goro asks. "We overheard Nana and Hachi, too," Ryoken adds, "They said that if this keeps up, (Y/N) can no longer be called human."

"Is that true, Zero Two?" Ikuno asks from the back. "Of course not, right?" Kokoro says in her cheerful tone, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "It has to be a misunderstanding," Hiro remarks, "They have managed just fine so far."

Zero Two rips off the nail she was biting on and hisses towards Ryoken, Misaki, and Ichigo, "Shut up. What I do with my Darling is none of your damn business."

"So, you admit it?" Ryoken states coldly. "Happy now? Just let me see my Darling," Zero Two says as she turns around to continue towards the infirmary but stops when she sees that Ichigo and Misaki are blocking her way.

"At first, I had my misgivings about having you as part of our team," Ichigo speaks up, "But you started to fit in, and I thought we had finally become teammates." Zero Two lowers her head and says coldly, "Teammates? I couldn't care less about that. Outta my way already."

Zero Two tries to push past them but they won't budge. "Well, I don't care how you feel," Ryoken comments as he joins the other two in blocking her path, "We're not letting you see (Y/N) again. You've deceived all of us this whole time. You have no place here anymore."

Zero Two grits her teeth before turning around and walking away.

XXXXXX

You slowly open your eyes and are met with the white ceiling of a hospital room in the infirmary with a breathing mask covering most of your face.

"Guys, he's waking up," you can hear Naomi say as you begin to stir in your bed. "Thank goodness," Kokoro says in relief. "A triumphant return, huh?" Goro remarks in his cheerful tone as you slowly scan your surroundings with your eyes. Everyone, minus Zero Two, is gathered around you.

"Man, I thought you were a goner this time!" Zorome exclaims as he nudges you with his elbow, "Good job surviving!" "Glad to see you're still with us," Hiro adds with a smile.

"Take it easy, (Y/N)," Ryoken says as you hoist yourself up to sit in your bed. "Yeah, you were hurt pretty badly," Misaki adds. "They said that if you get some rest, you'll be as good as new in no time," Futoshi comments, "Aren't you glad, (Y/N)?"

"Yeah, thanks guys," you respond as your gaze wanders over everyone in the room again. Everybody seems to be cheerful and relieved that you aren't seriously injured, even Mitsuru is looking a little brighter by his standards.

You think about what happened right before you lost consciousness.

"Hey, where's Zero Two?" you ask as you look around, causing several people in the room to look at each other in concern. "She isn't here," Ichigo replies after several moments of silence. "We didn't let her come," Misaki adds, "You know why, don't you?"

You run with your hand along the markings left on your neck after you were nearly strangled to death. "Don't worry, we'll keep you safe," Ryoken states reassuringly, "So, get some rest for now."

"See ya, (Y/N)," Goro says as he and the rest begin to walk out of the room. "Take care," Kokoro adds. "Later," Zorome comments. "Make sure you eat, okay?" Futoshi remarks.

I need to talk to her. I need to ask her something, you think to yourself as you look at your hands.

"Are you alright, (Y/N)?" Hiro says as he stops in the doorway and looks back at you. "I need to talk to her, there's something important I want to ask her," you reply. "I'm afraid the others won't let that happen," he replies, "I'll see what I can do though." "Thanks, Hiro," you respond. "That's what friends are for!" Hiro states before leaving the room.

You're once again left to your own thoughts.

My life has been a complete wreck with only brief moments of happiness.

Your mind wanders back to your encounter with Zero Two at the lake when you arrived at Plantation 13.

But through meeting Zero Two, I felt like I was truly alive again. Still...

You remember 081's corpse hitting the ground after Strelizia crashed right next to you and Mitsuru's broken state after he rode one time with Zero Two.

Given that no other stamen could handle it, why was I the only one? I never really put much thought into that...

"I'm sure you'll be fine the next time, and the time after that, and many more times, my Darling."

After seeing her memories, there's only one reason I could think of as to why I was unscathed... Because I ingested her blood back then.

"Let me get a taste of you. After all, you are now... my Darling!"

This only brings up more questions.

"I can get you out of here, Darling."

I said the same thing after I smashed the window with the searchlight, and after that, she saw tears running down my face.

"It's been a long time since I last saw a human cry." Is what she said before our first ride in Strelizia.

That time when I fed her candy...

"Say, 'Ahh'."

Which she mirrored when feeding me with honey during breakfast.

And when I asked her why she goes by her code number as her name.

"Huh... Well, I'm fine with Zero Two."

Is it because I gave her that name after we broke out of the Garden?

"Darling... Grab on to me and never let go, okay?"

She quoted the picture book we read together, and the word 'Darling' which she always uses to address me is the word the princess used to address her beloved.

Did she know all along that only I could ride with her? I thought both of our memories were wiped by APE. Was she able to resist it somehow? Was she trying to get me to remember with all those references? Then why... why did she call me 'Fodder' and nearly kill me.

I have to ask her. I have to make sure.

XXXXXX

"You can't be serious," Ryoken says as he climbs into his bed while Goro and Hiro are getting into theirs as well. "I am," Hiro replies, "Do you really want to keep (Y/N) from seeing Zero Two even when he is asking to see her?"

"Look, I'm just trying to protect him," Ryoken answers. "At what cost though?" Hiro retorts. "She nearly killed him!" Ryoken counters. "And he still wants to see her! There is clearly something we don't know about," Hiro responds. "What if he's under her influence and can't think straight?" Ryoken questions.

"You don't know that," Hiro states coolly, "Also, you're a little overprotective of (Y/N) for no obvious reason. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am worried about him, too. You and Misaki are more so than everyone else though."

Hiro's perceptiveness caught Ryoken somewhat off-guard. "You wouldn't understand," he mutters. "Try me, explain it," Hiro presses to which Ryoken just averts his gaze.

After a brief moment of silence, Hiro speaks up again, "In the end, you have to ask yourself: Do you really want to take away (Y/N)'s freedom to choose what to do? To make decisions for him that he doesn't agree with?"

Goro, who has been watching these two argue for a while decides to step in before things escalate further, "Guys, calm down. I think we're all a little tired, let's get some sleep and discuss this tomorrow."

Hiro reluctantly agrees and Ryoken sinks into his bed and though the others don't see it, Hiro's words did sting a little in his mind.

Talking him out of it doesn't seem to work, Hiro thinks to himself, I need to figure out what happened between (Y/N) and Zero Two. Maybe that way the others will understand as well. There's no way Zero Two is going to open up to me though, especially since she is locked in her room with Futoshi and Zorome standing guard on the floor to make sure she doesn't go anywhere, and (Y/N) needs to rest...

No, there's one more option. I know what I have to do.

XXXXXX

The next morning

Plantation 13 has begun to move again over the night and Squad 13 gathers in the briefing room, except you that is.

"You have your next mission," Hachi begins, "HQ has sent official orders. Plantation 13 has been heading toward a certain place for a while. This is our destination."

An image appears on the screen behind Hachi with a big circle in the center labeled 'Gran Crevasse' along with several much smaller circles that resemble Plantations heading towards it from all directions.

"Your mission is to neutralize every Klaxosaur inhabiting this structure, and take control of this area," Hachi comments as the screen zooms in on the Gran Crevasse.

"Furthermore, this is a joint operation with the Nines and Franxx squads from each Plantation," Nana adds. "A joint operation?" Futoshi asks but is ultimately ignored as Hachi continues, "The opening salvo will be fired 27 hours from now. Squad 13 is scheduled to be part of the sixth wave."

"Get it over with already," Zero Two hisses from the back of the room.

"Unlike other times, the enemy will counter with numbers," Nana remarks, "This will, without a doubt, be your most difficult operation to date. Focus on the task at hand."

Ichigo and Misaki glance at each other and nod. Ichigo raises her hand. "Yes, Ichigo?" Nana says. "Before the mission get underway, please remove Zero Two from Squad 13?" Ichigo requests.

Ryoken puts a hand over his heart, and unbeknownst to the rest, it is the spot of his inner pocket where he keeps his most valued item: A bloodied photo.

I could really use some advice from you guys right now, he thinks to himself, Are we really doing the right thing?

"Zero Two was set to return to the Nines as of this mission, anyway," Nana responds. "Wait a second!" Zero Two yells as she turns around, "Where'd that come from? Don't go deciding things for me!" "HQ has already given this the green light. We can't keep you here any longer," Nana replies.

"What about my Darling?" Zero Two asks, her voice slightly trembling. Nana shakes her head.

Zero Two turns towards the door and before she starts to walk over to it, Futoshi and Mitsuru are blocking her path. "Where are you going?" Futoshi asks a little nervously. "Sorry, but you're not going to his room," Zorome adds. "We won't let you see (Y/N)," Misaki states before giving Ryoken a quick glance.

XXXXXX

Later

You've regained enough of your strength to be able to get out of bed now, though still a little shaky. You walk to the door and open it, only to find Miku next to the entrance, leaning against the wall.

"Sorry, (Y/N)," she says sadly, "Get back to your bed." "I need to see her," you reply. "Please..." she responds.

If it weren't for my current condition, I could probably just run past her. I need to find another way.

You sigh and get back into your room.

XXXXXX

Hiro is walking through the silent corridors of the Plantation. He told the others that he was going for some more practice with the training units to prepare for the coming battle. Considering the circumstances, it is a solid excuse, though it was a lie nonetheless. Luckily enough, nobody else wanted to come along for 'practice' because they were preoccupied with other things.

After a couple more minutes, Hiro reaches the command center and enters it. It's a circular room with screens, that provide the only source of light with their orange glow, plastered all over the walls. Hachi is in the middle of the room at his tactical console with a dozen analysts scattered all around the room minding their own business.

"Code 016," Hachi says in his usual neutral tone, not averting his gaze from his screen, "Why have you come here?" "I need to speak with Dr. Franxx," Hiro demands. "I'll disregard that tone of yours due to your accomplishments," Hachi replies nonchalantly, "The doctor is not to be disturbed at the moment, return to Mistilteinn."

"It's urgent, and I have a clearance code," Hiro responds. Hachi now turns his head away from the console and looks at Hiro, "Clearance code? Where did you get that?" "Code 42-023," Hiro states without answering Hachi's second question.

Hachi turns back to his console and checks the code Hiro gave him. After nearly a minute of waiting, Hachi turns back to Hiro and says, "The doctor is waiting for you in the conference room." "Thank you," Hiro replies before he leaves the command center and walks down the hall to the conference room.

The room is rather small with a circular metal platform in its center with five vertical screens forming a semicircle around it. The middle screen is the only one that is currently active, showing Dr. Franxx in one of his many offices while he is looking through a microscope.

"Ah, Code 016," the doctor begins as he averts his gaze from his studies, "I almost thought you wouldn't use the clearance code I gave you all those years ago." "I have a name," Hiro states as he walks onto the platform. "Very well, Hiro," the doctor replies, "What is so urgent that you needed to call me?"

"I need answers," Hiro begins, "Back in the Garden, after one of my many tests in the Lab, you requested that I should stop asking questions and 'keep my head down' because it would be for my own safety and that you in return would answer all my questions one day. You gave me this code that I should only use in an emergency and you promised on Karina's name, whoever that is."

"And I will keep my promise, I assure you," the doctor responds, "However, the time to answer your questions you asked back at the Garden has not yet arrived."

Hiro was extremely annoyed, though not really surprised, on the inside that the doctor would delay him in getting the answers to the questions that were plaguing his mind.

"That's not why I'm here," Hiro says. "Oh?" the doctor replies as he raises his eyebrow. "I want to know what happened between (Y/N) and Zero Two. He is the only one who managed to ride with her multiple times and came back unharmed," Hiro elaborates before muttering to himself, "Until now that is..."

"And you assume that I know why he is able to do so?" the doctor muses. "I'm not stupid, we parasites are monitored very closely, which means that someone with Zero Two's status is monitored even closer," Hiro retorts.

"In this instance, you are correct," the doctor responds, "So, you used your clearance code to find out about that and help (Y/N)?" Hiro nods.

"Very well," the doctor states, "Grab a chair and take a seat. This might take a while and it's not a pretty story." The last part of that sentence seemed to contain the guilt of an old man who regrets many decisions he made throughout his life. "I'll need you to keep some parts of what I'm about to tell you to yourself, for now," he adds.

"It all started in the Garden. One day, (Y/N) was deemed too unstable to be near the other parasites and he was transferred to the Lab. On that same day, we also got a new test subject, Code 002..."

XXXXXX

You're walking around in your hospital room and eye everything carefully.

There's gotta be another way out of here. Wouldn't be the first time I've broken out of somewhere.

You pull open the curtain on the end of the room and gaze upon the golden city of the Plantation.

Nice view, but I can't escape through there...

You look up to the ceiling and notice a second floor with a balcony of this room.

I could probably escape that way, but how can I get up there? I can't climb up the walls like that... Maybe if I use the bedspread as a rope... I would need some kind of substitute for a hook though so that it would hold once I throw it up there.

You walk over to your bed and check the drawers next to it.

Nothing I could use...

You're interrupted in your planning as you hear a knock on the door. You quickly climb into bed as to not raise any suspicion and say, "Come in."

The door opens to reveal Ryoken and Misaki with the latter carrying a tray with food on it.

"How are you feeling?" Misaki asks as she and Ryoken take a seat on either side of you. "A lot better. I can't wait to ditch this room," you reply nonchalantly. "Glad to hear it," Ryoken says.

Misaki puts the tray on the small table that is attached to your bed, "Here." "Thanks," you answer, "How are you guys doing?" "Same as always really," Ryoken answers. "I see," you reply.

You begin to eat your meal.

"We've also brought a summary of our last briefing so you can read up on that later," Ryoken adds as he puts a small datapad on the nightstand to which you nod.

"By the way," Misaki begins, "Zero Two's going back to the Nines."

You choke on your food and begin to cough violently, "What? When?!" "Tomorrow night," she answers, "It's because of the big mission coming up."

"I suppose you still won't let me see her, am I right?" you ask bluntly. Misaki shakes her head and says, "I'm sorry, but you'll never be the same again if you stay with her." "What do you mean?" you ask confused.

"You'll... become the same kind of monster that she is," Misaki states