We've left on our honeymoon, heading to the ends of the universe.
The road there is all too long.
Even so...
Days Since Gate Passage 70
It's strange.
So many days have passed,
but I haven't been feeling hungry or sleepy at all.
Am I going to completely turn into a klaxosaur?
Scared?
Not at all.
It's like I've become a part of you,
and I'm going deeper and deeper in.
I can tell what you're feeling.
Same here, darling.
More enemies.
Let's do this, Zero Two.
Come to me, darling.
When we share our wings,
we can fly as high and as far as we want.
Right now,
we are unbreakable.
Final Episode
Never Let Me Go
Earth
Days Since Gate Passage 72
It's getting a bit big.
I'll arrange pregnancy clothes for you.
Please.
Oh, but you mustn't give me special treatment.
I must.
As the first pregnancy, you'll be a pioneer and an example.
We should do things right to set a precedent.
I understand.
Hup!
Oh...
Found the place!
I'm amazed it's still here.
Don't try to explore any unsafe areas.
Okay.
Wow. The plants were dying back then, but now...
It's practically a miracle.
Zorome Enters the Fray!
We went through so much here, huh?
Maybe Mistilteinn kept all of this safe for us.
Yeah.
We can make a fresh start.
All right!
Hup.
What do you need all these files for?
There's something I want to get done.
You're so good!
And then, you take this thread...
Um...
Is there anything you need me to do?
Don't worry.
Everyone's here for me, so I'll be fine.
But I feel like I should help...
Kokoro!
Outta my way, fatty!
Don't call me that!
Eat this, Kokoro!
No fair! Eat this, too!
Thank you...
We asked Nana, and she said we could bring it to you.
You need to eat a lot and get all those nutrients!
Yeah, thanks.
All right. Back to the field we go.
W-Wait a second.
Relax! There's still time before it's born!
Um...
I-I'm off.
Yeah. Take care.
You think Hiro and Zero Two are still fighting?
Every now and then, it hurts to think that we're living here without them.
I keep wishing there was something we could do for them.
We all feel the same way.
But...
All that's left for us is to focus on what we can do here and now.
Just like they're doing.
Can you tell which stars these are?
Not at all. We're really far from Earth, and the perspective's different.
Want to make a constellation ourselves, then?
Make a constellation?
For example, we can link those two stars...
Too bad. The enemy's here.
Let's go, darling.
Right.
Don't worry. We have all the time in the world.
Earth
Days Since Gate Passage 245
Mitsuru! Hurry!
There he is!
Kokoro!
Look, there's your papa.
The first step in the future we chose finally came to pass.
Well done, Mitsuru!
You're Papa #1!
It was something we'd never forget.
Some time later,
we were told of the facility that housed all the children who disappeared.
Naomi?!
You guys...
We throw ourselves into this life, taking each step slowly but surely,
making sure we could each find our own path to walk.
And then, one of us came to another major crossroads.
Hup.
Okay, I'm going to go explore the world.
I want to find usable materials we'll need in the future.
Also...
If there are any children left behind,
they desperately need a helping hand.
It'll be a long journey, but we're counting on you.
Take care.
Are you okay with this, Ichigo? We'll all miss him, but especially you.
I'm sure. But this is a very Goro way to live.
I'm good to go.
All right. Do your thing.
I can't let Hiro outshine me forever.
Right.
Try to contact us now and th—
H-H-Hey!
Okay, take care, guys.
And I'll go find that thing you asked for, Ikuno.
Yeah, yeah.
Thanks.
Later!
Goro's changed a lot, hasn't he?
Through this cycle of meetings and partings,
we're gradually growing up and becoming adults.
Hiro, Zero Two...
How are you two doing?
It's just a little bit lonely without you here.
But we're giving our all to our lives here so we can face you with our heads held high.
And then,
we passed two years since that fateful day.
Darling.
Darling?
Days Since Gate Passage 783
Are you okay?
Sorry, looks like I fell asleep.
That's unusual.
You seem to be really weak.
Don't push yourself.
Thanks, but I'll be fine.
Zero Two, I had a dream.
A dream?
A dream about the gang.
They were all living good lives.
Yeah?
Darling, we're nearing the enemy's home planet now.
You feeble lifeform, bound to your flesh...
VIRM!
Heed my voice.
Don't even bother.
Darling won't listen to y—
What?
Is that... Hringhorni?
This is our territory.
Feeble one, let me deliver you from your suffering.
Let's do this, darling.
Darling?
Darling?!
Darling?
Hang in there, darling!
Why?
Why can't I hear his voice, when he's right here?
Zero Two... Zero Two!
You're right here, but your voice is growing distant.
What did you do to my darling?
Gently caressed his surface consciousness, that's all.
Every physical body has its limits,
and he is but a frail human.
You two may have a shallow connection,
but as a pure klaxosaur crystallization, you are not a good match for him.
No!
Stop!
It's so quiet.
Where am I going?
I vowed to be with you forever, so why can't I stand with you until the end?
Is it because I'm human?
Darling's... My darling's mind is fading!
Please, I beg you...
Guys...
Please save my darling!
Darling! Darling!
What's the matter, Ai?
You know you can't do that.
Papa, darling!
Is something wrong, Papa?
Well, Kokoro-san... Ow!
Jeez, I keep telling you to call me "Mama."
Uh, she's...
Darling!
Why? She shouldn't know that word yet.
Could it be...
We should let everyone know!
I'd heard it was originally yours,
so I wasn't sure whether to show you.
I'm sure I can only stand here now because of this mirror.
I should be grateful.
Come with me, you two!
This Zero Two is linked to the one in space?
I can't say for sure, but yeah.
Even if it is, how are we gonna talk to her?
We should all link up, too.
And so, we started praying to the skies.
All day, all night. More and more people joined us by the day,
and we all screamed our throats hoarse at something that may not be there.
I can hear all their voices!
Hey, darling!
Can you hear them, too?
Listen, we're doing our best here on Earth!
We haven't forgotten about you two, you hear me?
Not a day goes by when we don't think about you!
Squad 13 isn't complete with you two,
but we've gained loads of new friends, too!
I'll never let you guys outshine me!
I'm gonna take my own path in life!
That's right!
We promise we'll all find our happiness, no matter what!
I've decided to make the most of the time I have left.
Hiro! We gave our child a name!
Just like you gave us all our names!
It's Ai, for love! The word we were never taught!
I read an old book and learned that having a deep bond like you two
means you love each other.
And we want our child to inherit that bond!
That's what we decided!
I hear their voices...
"Ai"?
That's right. Humans are strong.
Zero Two?
This is something you started.
You've always yelled out that you want to be there and live together with everyone.
It's not something to be proud of.
Mine was just a petty, selfish wish.
I thoughtlessly rushed toward everything,
and I caused trouble for everyone.
But that's how badly you wanted to live, right?
That's why you yelled to me that you wanted to be here, right?
You dazzled me.
Your pained expression, and your tears...
They were exactly the humanity I always wanted.
And so, we were bound by a kiss.
A kiss is a symbol of saying, "You're mine and mine alone. You're special to me."
We met by chance and were attracted to each other by nature.
Now, say my name, darling!
Zero Two!
It's time for us to become one!
We are the Jian!
I feel your blood coursing through my veins!
You're dyeing every part of me in your colors!
I was blessed and happy to meet you all!
I'm glad I was born into this world!
I love you, darling!
Same here, Zero Two!
I love you, too!
Commence implanting!
What?
Not yet!
We've gotta rewrite that story and continue it together!
Zero Two...
I'm becoming one with you.
You are me...
...and you are me.
We'll probably vanish soon.
But the path we've walked won't ever fade,
because the others will take it even further.
It doesn't matter how long it takes.
If we have souls,
I swear I'll meet you again on Earth.
I love you, Zero Two.
I feel the same.
I love you, too, darling.
All of you so-called souls...
Are you going back to be caged in your bodies?
You willingly choose to be shackled by pain and sorrow?
VIRM will not die.
I'm sure we will face off once again at the apex of evolution...
So long as this universe contains a flicker of life.
It's over, huh?
Did our prayers reach them?
I'm sure they did!
Thanks to them, this planet can go back and start from square one.
Mama?
Take as long as you want,
but make sure you both come back here.
We'll keep our home up and running so you can return anytime.
Hey...
That bright light shone upon us for three days straight.
And a few days later, many klaxosaurs returned to Earth from the battle,
dove straight into the earth, and became a part of it.
Hachi said that maybe they decided to let mankind have Earth.
Days Since Gate Passage 3705
And eight years passed.
As we decided to rebuild our lives on Earth,
we made a vow.
A vow to stop using what little magma energy we had left.
Because it's a symbol of the klaxosaurs' bonds,
and something very precious to the planet itself.
But that decision brought our lives adversity after adversity.
Because we had to conjure up a self-sufficient lifestyle out of thin air.
Using our meager food reserves as a foundation...
...we gradually made everything we needed to live.
And then, we finished the rest of that picture book.
So that those two would forever be as one,
and so that future generations would know about them.
My beloved darling
God, you suck.
My beloved darling
Is there anything we can do for them?
We don't age, and we're stuck in the middle, neither adults nor children.
We have but one duty.
To reach out to humanity's future and continue to watch over it.
Jeez, you're always so unyielding.
Well, I don't have emotions.
But that's why you're here.
If you stayed by my side forever, would I also be able to change?
Hey, hey, Hachi!
Come with us!
Sure.
I'll be right back.
Don't worry. You've already changed.
So have I.
And we will all continue to change.
School Entrance Ceremony Congratulations!
Looking at this really drives home how many pipsqueaks we have now.
Mr. Zorome!
Ms. Nana was mad that you skipped the teachers' meeting.
Totally mad!
It's fine. I don't have to attend those stupid meetings.
Bad girls need to punished!
Take that!
Hey.
Ack... Miku.
Quit slacking off and help us out here.
Shaddup! I was just about to start!
Oh, really? Sure didn't look that way to me.
Come off it. I'm just busy with stuff.
What stuff?
You know, stuff.
Those two were arguing again.
Even on a day for everyone to meet up? They never change.
Everything looks good.
It's growing fine.
Thanks, Ikuno.
You're going to be a mom, huh?
I wonder what your baby will be like...
I'm here, Ikuno.
Futoshi?
Want to try my new bread recipe?
You haven't lost any weight at all.
Quiet, you.
And it was Ikuno's fault that I regained my appetite.
It's all thanks to your research
that us ex-parasites' accelerated aging is being kept in check.
Your bread's really special, too.
All the kids here grow up eating it.
Kokoro and Mitsuru are having their fourth.
I heard.
You're one to talk.
Oh.
We're good here, so get going.
Yeah.
Where's Goro?
He'll get here soon.
He's still traveling all over the place?
But you know what he said?
He wants to stay put by your side for a while, for the baby's sake.
Yeah.
We're all grown up now, huh?
Your mental age disagrees.
We're nothing like the adults we grew up watching, though.
Anything goes, as long as we're good role models for our kids.
Hiro, Zero Two...
We're all living strong, with our own lives now.
You two were the ones who showed us how to...
...enjoy every experience.
Fight when you have to.
Keep working toward your goal.
Never half-ass things, and go all-out.
Try and get to know another person better.
Choose your destiny with your own hands.
Be honest with your feelings.
And be someone's wings.
In that sense, I know that you two were more human than anybody else.
One day, for sure.
Yeah. One day, for sure.
One day, for sure
Stop running! You'll fall!
I'll be fine!
Ow...
You okay?
Who are you?
Me?
My name is...
And a new story begins