Darling in the Franxx: Cold Blood

Chapter Four: Running Interference

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You had been running for a while. You had left as soon as you got the distress call. You ran as fast as you could towards the Leader's location. Sprinting past burned down skyscrapers and corpses of Klaxosaurs. The sounds of the battle echoing in the distance and nearby explosions lighting up the plumes of smoke.

Rounding the corner, you see him. The Fallen, standing over the Leader's unmoving Klaxosaur. Turning to face you, revealing the Leader's energy sword in his hands. Pulling your axes from their thigh compartments, you rush him. He activates the blade just before the axe could hit him, cutting it in half at the handle. Instead of stopping, you continue to swing down with the sharpened handle. At the last moment, you reverse it and stab the end of it into his gut.

Dropping the blade in pain, you swing your other axe into his shoulder. He yells out in pain as he Staggers back in pain. Ripping the axe out of his side, he then throws it back at you. Grabbing the sword, you swing it at the incoming axe, destroying the weapon.

The two of you stood there, staring at each other for what feels like forever. Then from behind the smoke, a bright light flies into the sky. "Damn it," The Fallen says under his breath. He shifts his view back to you just as the light breaks through the layer of dust and disappears. The Fallen sees that you were still welding the Leader's sword defeating your ally's body. He then pulls the handle out of his gut before turning and retreating from the scene.

Watching as he runs out of sight, you drop the blade to care for the Leader. Cradling his head, you watch as their Klaxosaur's lights flicker on and off. "We did it, Leader, the Ark launched," You could feel your eyes start to fizzle. "Leader?" He then turns and looks at the hilt. Weakly, raising his hand away from his chest to reveal a stab wound straight through his chest. He weakly moves his hand to the deactivated weapon on the ground. Taking the hilt of the sword in his hand, he turns back to you.

"Guardian," He says, using the last of his strength to make himself heard. "You're ready," "Ready for what?" Sitting up, he grabs your free hand. "I'm passing on the position of leader to you, Guardian." He says, placing the hilt into your hand. He then slowly falls back to the ground. "B-But, I can't, I'm not ready."

"You are Guardian, It may not seem like it now, but you are." The Leader says, his voice failing but choosing to press on with it.

"You've shown that you're more than capable, so-" He words are cut off when blue blood erupts out of his unit's mouth as he starts to cough. "Leader!" "It seems my time has come. Remember Guardian, I'll always be with you, till the next cycle." His voice then fades, and his eyes go dark. "Leader? Leader!"

You try to shake him to see if he would still respond, but his suit goes limp. "Please wake up," Shaking him even more in a desperate attempt to wake him up. 'No, no, this is all my fault, if only I'd been here sooner,' Your eyes started fizzling out of control. Putting your arms around the Klaxosaur, your emotions spilled out of you.

"LEADER!"

The world around you collapsed away as you tried to process everything that had happened. First, your closest friend betrayed you, then most of your species went belly up, and now the closest thing to a father you had died in front of you. All the while, you continue to cradle his Klaxosaur in a state of shock.

Suddenly your suit and Leader's Klaxosaurs melt away, leaving you in darkness. You Look around the emptiness to find anything or anyone to no luck. Then your voice starts to echo through the void. 'What if you'd been faster?' "No!" Grasping at your ears, trying to stop the voices. But even with your attempts to stop hearing them, they continue to speak. 'You should have saved him.' "Stop," cold sweat starts to fall from your face as you fall forwards. 'This is all your fault.' "Just stop!"