Disclaimer: Darling in the franxx belongs to Atsushi Nishigori and Trigger Studio. I own nothing.

Author's Note: Yeah, I know I promised to update soon, but the new episodes have done a number on me, and for the longest time I wasn't sure what was going on. But episode 22 finally gave me enough ichigoro scenes to write this piece. So, don't read unless you're up to date in the anime.

A shout out to everyone who put this story in your favorites and read this fic. Thank you so much!

I hope to post new chapters even after the anime ends.

Fingers crossed here to get at least one last Ichigoro scene.

And The Sky Fell Down On Us

Summary: And in their last day alive, they were just glad to be together.

They had been born to die. It was a fact, deep down, Ichigo had always known. The lives of parasites were summed up in fighting monsters and training to fight those monsters. In the grand scheme of things, their lives were worthless compared to the adults. Every time they went out to fight, there was always a fifty percent chance that they wouldn't make it out alive. Ichigo was not a fatalist, though. She made sure that every single time her squad went to fight klaxosaurs, all of her teammates would come back unscathed. Every decision she made carried the weight of their lives. It was a scary thought. But Ichigo trusted every member of her squad to do their job and come back alive. Normally, no one would have a reason to come alive except to keep killing klaxosaurs for Papa and the rest. Not Ichigo's squad. All members of Squad 13 had individual reasons to keep on living. Those reasons gave them hope and enough drive to overcome everything. Ichigo was no different to her peers. She had her own reasons to stay alive, which involved all of her friends.

Ichigo wanted to keep on living.

With everyone.

But now that possibility seemed even farther away from her reach than ever before.

Papa was gone. Most of the adults were gone. Only those who had previously been parasites remained, but they weren't any help. Ironically, it was the children who had meant to die who started doing everything they could to survive. The leadership role had once again fallen on Ichigo's hands, and she had taken it with pride alongside Goro, her partner. Together they had distributed individual tasks to everyone. No one was idle. Every kid worked for their survival. It was clear, however, that things were worse than ever. Thankfully, her squad's drive to survive had infected the rest. Everyone now worked towards the same objective. And when things turned bleak, Goro had been the one to find a silver lining. They would all be able to live and thrive, it seemed, away from monsters, away from the adults. Just them.

But things in her squad were not as good as they should have been.

They were all on edge. Ichigo knew that. They had been before their lives had been turned upside down. Some were anxious, like Futoshi. The others… Ikuno was hanging by, but barely. The thought pained Ichigo greatly. Kokoro was sick, and then it had turned out she was, in fact, carrying the baby she had gone through great lengths to have. Only problem was she could not remember wanting it or making it. Mitsuru was not faring better. And Hiro and Zero Two… there were a different matter altogether. When Goro blew up, Ichigo was not as surprised as she should have been. It had been coming for a long time. She understood him, more than Hiro, more than the rest of her squad, because he had voiced everything she had been thinking about ever since they had met Zero Two. Ever since Hiro had fallen in love with him.

She understood Hiro too. Once upon a time, she had put in jeopardy the lives of everyone in her squad for him. The thought of him dying had shaken her to her very core. It was like having your heart ripped out from your chest. Even now, she feared for him. Ichigo was scared that one day Hiro would get killed trying to save his love. And yet she knew he would never back out. Just as she knew no one would leave him alone in his quest. It was unsurprising then when everyone but Kokoro and Mitsuru had agreed to go with Hiro to space, as crazy as that sounded.

Which brought her here. Inside her franxx. Fearing death for the first time.

Before, Ichigo liked to think that, with a good strategy, there was little chance of failing. But now they were short two franxx. Even with the help of the Nines and Nana and Hachi, their forces had been reduced. They were sick too. Ikuno with her white hair. Futushi, without any appetite. Zorome with little faith left in growing up to be an adult. Miku, scared of the world outside. Hiro, being nothing without his partner. Goro… sad, and scared, and angry. And she, Ichigo, carrying the weight of her whole team in her shoulders. The pressure had made her collapse before. It could happen again. If it happened, what would she do?

"Ichigo?" Goro called out to her.

They were in the cockpits, getting ready to leave.

"Are you okay?"

Ichigo turned to look at her partner, and really looked at him. He was so tall. Taller than everyone in the squad. When had he grown so tall and lean? He had always been serious. But now there was a frown marring his features. When was the last time she had seen Goro smile? When was the last time she had truly smiled?

"I'm as fine as I can be." She answered honestly.

Goro simply nodded. "Me too."

Silence settled between them.

It was all familiar.

Since they had become partners, they had ridden their franxx countless of times. For tests. For battle. They had come out fine every time. More importantly, they had come back together. This was the first time neither was optimistic about their return.

It was now or never.

On Hachi's signal, they went in the robot, taking their individual positions. They started the franxx, and Ichigo glance at her partner. Goro looked somber, as if he had lived for a thousand years.

"You know, this might be the last time we ride a franxx." She said, suddenly. It was true one way or another.

"Ah." He said simply.

"I'm glad that I get to do it with you." She said, smiling at him.

Goro smiled back. It was a warm, honest smile. "That's my line."

"And we might not be able to come back." Ichigo said, alluding to the elephant in the room.

"No. We might not." He said, voice sad.

"Goro." She called him.

"Yeah?"

"Even if we fail today, I want you to know that there's no one else I'd rather be with." Ichigo said, her voice sounding gentle, almost like a whisper.

Goro looked at her, clearly shocked. Then, his expression slowly melted, revealing a soft smile to match her own, his cheeks turning slightly red.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Even now, you manage to surprise me."

She giggled. "I hope that never changes."

Sharing one last looked, Ichigo turned around, getting in position again. After contacting the rest, she spoke to Goro once more. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go."

"Ah."

She was still scared, and she knew that her partner was too. However, the thought did not make her waver anymore. She knew that, come what may, Goro would always be by her side. And she would be by his. Even if the sky fell on them and crushed them.

Together, all in formation, they flew to space, ready to get their friend back.