A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

36: Zorome's Relief

Miku

Miku opened her eyes and was greeted by a very bright, almost blinding, white light. "Huh?" She murmured, feeling confused. "Where am I...? Is anyone there?"

Immediately a very familiar spiky-haired head popped into view, looming over her. It was Zorome. "M-Miku..."

"Zorome...?" Miku's voice was weak. Her throat felt raw and scratchy. "What...what's going on? Where am I?" She paused, a sudden overwhelming and sickening realization beginning to wash over her.  "Oh...the fight with Hyaku..."

"You're in the infirmary," Zorome's voice cracked when he spoke, making him sound almost vulnerable. "You blacked out after the fight..." His voice trailed off and, without warning, he leaned down and hugged Miku. She was startled but in a good way. Something about his presence was extremely soothing and she was glad he was there with her at that moment. It reminded her of their first fight in Argentea when she'd been knocked out by a klaxosaur attacking the FranXX.

"What happened after that?" Miku asked when Zorome straightened again. "Where's Hyaku? Oh, and Goro! Where is he?"

"Goro went back to Bird Nest to tell the others what happened," Zorome replied, his voice softer than it usually was. "As for Hyaku...yeah, that bastard is locked up in a building that was made for people like him. Bad people. I guess some of us parasites were bad eggs after all." 

"Oh, t-that's good, I guess," Miku was relieved that Hyaku was locked up. She didn't want to see his face ever again. But somehow that wasn't enough...for some reason thinking about him made her feel an unbearable sense of horror. "How long have I been out for?" She asked. 

"Oh, uh, about six hours," Zorome told her.

"S-six hours?!" Miku exclaimed. "Oh no! What about the ceremony?"

"Uh...," Zorome gave her an odd look. "That's what's important to you? Wow, you're even more deluded now that you've had a lack of oxygen!"

"Not funny, Zorome!" Miku fumed.

"S-sorry!" Zorome stammered quickly. He averted his gaze, which suddenly became quite distant and sombre. 

"What's wrong?" Miku asked him, feeling a sudden burst of concern for her partner. 

Zorome swallowed. "I was so scared when I saw him there, Miku. When I saw what he was doing...I immediately knew I had to get him. But now...now I'm just wondering what would have happened if I hadn't been there, if I had gotten there too late, you know?" He clenched his teeth. "I can't believe what he did! He's a bitch!" 

"Yeah, it was weird," Miku agreed. She was trying to keep things light to hide how scared she was but she couldn't stop her voice from shaking. "Ow, my head hurts. I have a headache." She moaned and rubbed her forehead. Lifting her arm felt hard because it felt very weak. Despite having been out for six hours, she was physically exhausted from the events that had occurred. 

"Should I fetch a nurse?" Zorome asked, jerking his thumb behind him.

Miku shook her head. "Nah, I'll just wait a bit." Her voice was hoarse, almost scratchy. "I...um, wanna talk, I guess."

Zorome 

Zorome was beyond relieved that Miku had finally woken up and was well enough to talk. He couldn't imagine that he could've waited another minute for her to do so, even though it was well past midnight now and he was drooping with exhaustion. 

"S-sure, I can talk!" Zorome replied quickly. He sat on the bed beside her. "So, uh, what do you want to talk about?" He asked, trying to make things less awkward. He was trying to hide the fact that he would've absolutely broken down if he'd had to wait yet another hour for her to wake up. He'd gone and asked the nurses multiple times when they thought she'd wake up, to which they'd had no answer to. 

"I dunno," Miku replied, her voice still hoarse and shaky. "Tonight was quite something, wasn't it?"

"Sure was," Zorome agreed. "That Hyaku kid is nuts! What a wackjob!" He shuddered when he recalled the crazy look in that boy's eyes. That due is completely insane! 

"Yeah, he is," Miku agreed. 

Zorome looked away from her and fiddled with his fingers. "I'm glad you're okay, you know." He said, trying to be nonchalant about it.

"I'm glad you're okay too," Miku told him. "I was so worried when you two started fighting...I thought maybe you'd be hurt."

"Ha!" Zorome laughed shakily. "There's no need to worry about me! I'd whoop that loser's ass again if I had to!" He chuckled awkwardly for a moment. He was beginning to feel a tad dizzy. He was tired. He was stressed. 

"Zorome, are you alright?" Miku's quiet voice was full of concern. "You look kinda pale."

"Yeah, just tired," He sighed. 

"You should get some sleep," Miku advised. "You had a rough night and you haven't slept at all, have you?" When Zorome shook his head in affirmation with her question, she went on. "You should sleep to keep your strength up. I can tell you're not feeling very well."

"Says you," Zorome looked at Miku again and tried not to wince. She was covered in bruises, small cuts, and there were marks on her neck from where Hyaku had grabbed it. He had really done a number on her. 

"I just woke up!" Miku pointed out. Zorome wasn't fooled. He could tell that she was exhausted. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. 

"Pfft, yeah, but I can tell you're still tired," He grunted. Then he sighed. "I guess you're right. I don't know how much longer I can stay awake. But where can I sleep? I don't want to leave you alone in this room..." He looked at the chair he'd been sitting in and sighed. "I guess I have no choice, I'll go sleep in the chair. I dunno if I should let the nurses know you're awake but oh well." He shrugged and proceeded to sit in the chair, struggling to get comfortable. He yawned loudly. "Night, Miku"

"G'night," She replied drowsily.

And with that, Zorome began to slip into a deep sleep, relieved that his partner was now safe with him...