A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

35: Deep Dreams

Miku

Miku was piloting the FranXX again.

It was night, apparently midnight according to what Argentea's database said. She had no idea how she got there, however, and couldn't remember being deployed. She was confused. There was no mission objective and Nana and Hachi weren't saying anything. In fact, it seemed as if nobody was there aside from the two pilots of Argentea. 

"Hello?" Miku called through the mouth of Argentea. Nobody replied. It was dead silent. What's going on? Where...is everyone? Miku was beginning to feel a sense of dread. 

"Zorome, where is everyone?" Miku asked. She couldn't look over her shoulder at Zorome, not if she wanted to keep her FranXX alert. She was terrified that something bad was going to happen. Or, perhaps, had already happened.

There was no response from her partner. Confused, Miku glanced around through the eyes of her massive robot. There was nothing aside from a barren desolate landscape void of any life. No klaxosaurs. No VIRM. No enemies of any kind. There was simply nothing.

"Zorome? Hello?" Miku knew he was awake. He was obviously piloting her, allowing her to move a little bit, and the FranXX connection to him hadn't stopped. She raised one of her hands and knocked it against her head, banging it above the cockpit. "Uh, Zorome?" She was beginning to grow irritated with him, as per usual, though her worry overrode those feelings. She wanted to know what was going on. She was scared. Where were all her other friends?

"Zorome isn't here and never will be," Sneered a familiar voice. A shudder ran down Miku's spine and her breath froze in her chest. She couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. "I'm your partner now. You and I will be together and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. Nobody will ever get in our way again, I promise you that."

Miku immediately lost her connection to Argentea and snapped her head around. It wasn't Zorome sitting in the stamen seat: it was Hyaku.

A jolt of terror shook her to her core. "Wh-what? How did you get here? Get out of my FranXX!"

"It's our FranXX now," Hyaku told her, sounding smug. He was smirking. "Zorome is gone forever now. Now it's just you and me...just like it was meant to be..." His smirk turned into a wicked grin. A psychotic laugh came from him, the most bone-chilling thing she had ever heard.

"Y-you can't be serious," Miku whispered. 

"Oh, but I am," Hyaku stood up so that he was towering over her. Looming over her. "And there's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me. This is our destiny, Miku, and I have been looking forward to being with you forever..."

Miku got out of her pistil position and began to slowly back away.

"I am so glad to finally be your partner, Miku," Hyaku told her darkly. "Now we can be with each other, just you and me, until the end of time. Nobody's around...not even that idiot Zorome."

After that, the dream ended and Miku sank into darkness once more.

Zorome

"Miku...," Zorome stared down at her partner, who lay in her infirmary bed. She was motionless except for the faint rising and falling of her chest. He was trying to fight the fear that he was feeling. He hated seeing her so weak, so helpless...

"She'll be okay," Jasper, who was standing behind him said reassuringly. He rested his hand on his shoulder. "The doctors said she was just knocked unconscious by all the water in her lungs. It's going to take a bit for her to recover, though, both physically...and mentally."

Zorome nodded. "I guess so," He agreed weakly. "I just..." He shook his head and clenched his fingers into tight fists. "I can't believe what that bastard did! Miku never did anything wrong to him! S-she was his friend!" He cried.

By now, the celebration was undeniably cancelled and all but forgotten about by poor Zorome. He was numb with shock and sadness from what had happened to Miku. He knew she was quite...well, hard to deal with at times, but he had never expected anyone to actually go as far as to harm her. The thought of how she'd almost been killed made him feel like vomiting. Now, he wasn't sure what to do. He'd already seen a doctor for his wounds, which thankfully hadn't been that bad. He felt as though he should do anything in his power to help her now. He just wanted her to wake up, to start some brainless argument with him and continue with life as it was. 

Miku had been changed into a gown and had been tended to the doctors and nurses and her single pigtail had been taken out, leaving her hair open. Now, it was just a matter of waiting until she woke up. 

Zorome was still wearing his celebratory uniform, which was now stiff and wrinkled from having dried improperly after the fight in the beach water. He felt weak and tired. He refused to show it as well. But there was no way he could hide his concern for Miku. She was far too important to him, so much so that he was unaware of the fact he was being so openly worried in front of the others. He just wanted Miku to wake up. He just wanted her to be okay. 

"Come," Jasper said softly to him. "You should do something to distract yourself. There's nothing to do aside from waiting for her to wake..."

Zorome nodded, numbly turning away from Miku. "Can I stay here for the night instead of going home?" He asked. "I...I want to be here when she wakes up. Y'know, to talk and stuff."

"You'd have to ask a doctor," Jasper replied. "But, yeah, I think you should. I can tell it would help both of you if you stay by her side. Why don't we ask someone?"

Once again, Zorome nodded. As the two of them walked away from Miku's bed to find someone to ask, he glanced over his shoulder at her one last time. Miku...I'm so sorry I let him get to you. I won't let that ever happen again, I swear!