NeroHaku

NeroHaku is the non-binary ship between Nero Cladius and Hakuno Kishinami from the Fate fandom.

Fate/Extra
Nero is one of three potential servant options for Hakuno in the original Fate/Extra. She represents the Saber class.

When Nero first answers Hakuno's summons, she seems unimpressed by them. Her motive for helping Hakuno at this point is largely one of self-aggrandizement and ego. She refuses to tell Hakuno her true name and generally keeps their relationship formal. In Japanese, she refers to Hakuno as "soshiyo", which means maestro. She compares herself to a fine instrument, and Hakuno to her player. In English, this is translated as "praetor", an honorary title for a general or official in the Roman Empire.

As the story continues, their bond grows. Nero finds beauty in Hakuno's drive to continue fighting throughout the grail war. She gradually opens up to them, admitting that she is the former Emperor of Rome, and becomes more concerned with fighting to protect Hakuno in particular.

Nero considers their bond to be akin to a relationship. While Hakuno's opinion in turn is left up to player interpretation, particularly if Hakuno prefers Nero or Rin/Rani, it is later stated that, as a constant companion, Nero means more to him/her than "anything or anyone".

At the end of Fate/Extra, the Hakuno of the virtual world is deleted so that the Hakuno of the real world can reawaken.

Fate/Extra CCC
The ending of Fate/Extra is somewhat retconned by the sequel/alternative route of Fate/Extra CCC. Once again, Nero is one of the potential servant choices. At the start of the game, Nero dresses in a wedding gown, and declares her intent to wed Hakuno. Nero's ending thus sees her saving Hakuno from the deletion of the original game. The two then wed, with Nero using her powers to create a church.

Fate/Extella
According to series creator Kinko Nasu, Fate/Extella continues primarily off the Nero ending of CCC. However, other aspects of the previous games were altered to a storyline which saw Hakuno also recruit the Caster servant, Tamamo-No-Mae, to his/her side.

At the start of the game, Hakuno has been split into three; mind, soul, and body. Mind Hakuno retains most of their old memories, while soul and body Hakuno suffer from amnesia. Nero, Tamamo, and a new character, Altera, have each taken control of both a portion of the virtual world, as well as one of the three Hakunos. In the first route, Nero seeks to defeat Tamamo's forces and reunite mind Hakuno with soul Hakuno. However, she has a change of heart when soul Hakuno attempts to defend Tamamo, and allows the two to escape. This ultimately leads to Hakuno becoming comatose, and the route ends with Nero begging Hakuno to awaken.

Nero returns as the heroine of the fourth and final/true route of the game. With Hakuno retaining memories from the previous route with Altera, he/she convinces Nero to form an alliance with Tamamo that sees mind and soul Hakuno safely reunite. Nero is thus able to save Hakuno from the comatose state of the previous route. Hakuno tells Nero about their bond with Altera in the previous timeline, and Nero becomes equally determined to help save Altera. The story ends with Nero and Tamamo peacefully competing over which of the two is Hakuno's true wife.

Fate/Extella Link
In Fate/Extella Link, Nero's relationship with Hakuno has a minor role. Tamamo is still insistent that she is Hakuno's true wife, but her and Nero are co-existing begrudgingly. Both work with Hakuno to assist Charlemagne.

Fate/Grand Order
Although Hakuno does not appear in Fate/Grand Order, it has been confirmed by Nasu that the normal Nero recalls Hakuno. Rather, Bridal Nero is meant to be an alternative timeline version who never met Hakuno, and she falls for the Grand Order protagonist instead. The description for Bridal Nero notes that she is a version of Nero who did not meet her "fated spouse" even after becoming a servant - namely, that she was never summoned to the Moon Cell, and thus never met Hakuno.

Fanon
Fan reaction to NeroHaku has been split between fans of Nero and fans of Tamamo. Fans of Nero typically praise the relationship for giving Nero a softer, sweeter side, and for her devotion to Hakuno in Extella. The femslash version of the pairing is more popular, though both have their fans.

On the other hand, fans of Tamamo consider Nero to be a spot-light stealer, and criticize the decision to make Nero Hakuno's true servant/lover in Extella and the anime Fate/Extra: Last Encore. Similarly, the choice to give Nero an alternative timeline character to pair with the protagonist of Fate/Grand Order is often negatively contrasted with Tamamo, who falls for the protagonist despite remembering Hakuno. Nero is thus often criticized as being given favoritism by the writers. Some fans try to reconcile this by claiming that Hakuno is polygamous with both Nero and Tamamo, though there is little evidence in canon for this past their general reluctant acceptance of one another in Extella Link.

Currently, it would seem that NeroHaku is a slightly more popular pairing. AO3 lists 101 NeroHaku works as opposed to 69 TamaHaku.

Quotes
"That's right. I'm a failure as a master because I couldn't give a damn about the Moon Cell. If I were forced to choose between the Holy Grail and [Nero], I would pick [Nero] without hesitation. As my constant companion throughout the war, she means more to me than anyone or anything."

- Hakuno Kishinami, Fate/Extra

"I smile unwittingly at [Nero]. Always so prideful. I want to protect her smile, even though she is the one who always defends me."

- Hakuno Kishinami, Fate/Extra

"For me, who has never been loved, our time together has been precious. It is truly wonderful to be foremost in the thoughts of another. You, who mean the world to me, let's go! May you defeat all who oppose you!"

- Nero to Hakuno, Fate/Extra

"Can you hear me Praetor? My beloved, my only...It's alright. Rest all you want. Wake up whenever you want...I will fight for you forever."

- Nero, First Ending, Fate/Extella

"I will say it again - soshiyo, I love you!"

- Repeated in-game quote, Nero, Fate/Extella

Fandom
FAN FICTION