Darling in the FranXX: Insurrection

Chapter 30 - The Maternal Ward

Hello again everyone! I'm back with a quick announcement. After the last chapter, I was approached by an individual who expressed concern at the content that might be appearing in the coming chapters. I assured them as I will now assure you that explicit or unsettling content is NOT my goal in the writing of this chapter or Insurrection at large. If anyone feels uncomfortable at any time I encourage them not to press forward. With that said, Spaze and I have been very careful such that we feel nothing in this chapter is deserving of a content warning. 

On a more light-hearted note, I'd also like to welcome Bebbanburg and Code 013 to the discord server. If your interested in joining us to hang out see the author's note in Chapter 26 for more details. 

Today marks the seventh dawn after Kokoro had been captured. Or at least, her body tells her it is dawn. It's hard to tell the time of day from a windowless room.

The girl rubs her eyes and crawls over to the edge of her bed. After fumbling for a moment, she finds the ladder and climbs down from the top bunk. Careful not to wake the other girls still sleeping in their beds, she makes her way to the living quarters' tiny bathroom.

Closing the door to keep the light in, she begins getting ready for the day to come. First, she slips off the nightgown that had been given to her. It was an ugly piece of clothing that didn't fit right, being much too small in the chest and leaving a portion of her midriff exposed, almost as if it had been made for another girl. Not at all like the nice, warm one she had at Haven, but it was that or sleep without anything at all in a room full of strangers. The decision wasn't hard to make.

Turning the handle, she is greeted with a pleasant sound not that different from rain. The experience will be anything but pleasant, however. The bathroom itself is only about four feet wide by eight feet long. In that space is a toilet, a sink, and a shower with no curtain. The water is cold, and even if she were to let it run for an hour, it wouldn't get any warmer. Not to mention that it felt like she had to shower in a drinking straw with how tight it is.

With a sigh, Kokoro folds her garment and sets it on the toilet to keep it safe from the running water. She braces herself for what is to come and steps into the frigid water. The blonde shivers as it runs across her shoulders and down her back, the sensation akin to being dunked in ice.

Only three minutes later, the water shuts off and Kokoro steps out of the shower. She is freezing from head to toe, and niceties like a hairdryer aren't something provided by her captors. Instead, a lone towel hangs on the rack above the sink.

When the girl reaches for it, she's delighted to find that it is dry. Kokoro had learned after only a day with the other girls that if she wanted to be able to dry herself, she needed to shower first in the morning. Quickly running the towel over her damp skin in an attempt to warm herself, she is shocked when the bathroom door suddenly opens.

Standing outside is another of the room's occupants, another mother-to-be. This girl, Shouko, had been the only one to welcome her to the room when she was assigned her bunk. However, Kokoro wasn't close enough to her to feel comfortable being naked around her.

She lets out a little screech, but Shouko doesn't pay her any mind. The girl also steps into the small bathroom, forcing Kokoro to sit on the toilet to make room for her. She then removes her nightgown as if Kokoro wasn't present and turns on the shower.

Looking at Shouko's nude form, one thing sticks out. Her stomach has a very noticeable rounded bulge. Absentmindedly, Kokoro's hand drifts to her own. As far as she can tell, nothing feels different, but she knows that isn't true. Somewhere, she has a child of her own growing.