VERY IMPORTANT! READ THIS FIRST!

As of August 10, 2008, the Prologue of TboH has been rewritten. Please check it out to make things a little clearer in the upcoming chapters.

A/N: I'M STILL ALIVE! I'M DEFINITELY STILL ALIVE! Sorry for the extremely long wait. I've been revisiting the whole plot and came up with a few ideas, but I needed time to let this thought flourish into something more... believable. It may be good, it may be bad. Either way, I'm not even sure myself.

Some may even notice the slight change in my writing style. It comes from earning writing experience and since I haven't updated since last November, I think I've gotten the hang on the narration thing a bit. Writing over 200,000 words in this site can change a lot in your style. XD

Anyway, I may be thinking of updating this in a rare period. It could be updated next month, maybe even next year. I have a lot of things going on on my end and with my recent fic to think about (Weekly updates... it makes you push yourself, ya know?) I have little time to write these chapters. But I am in no way giving up this story at all. I'm planning on finishing this to the end! MARK MY WORDS!!

... Seriously, mark it.

NOTICE:

Thought dialogue. Italicized.

“Ordinary speech dialogue.” Inside double quotation marks.

Past memory dialogue and dictation. Both Bold and Italicized.

Disclaimer: I do not own Elfen Lied anime and/or manga.

The captivating chirps of birds echo in the forest. Crickets would creak from time to time and the wind would push over leaves letting them swerve through the current making rustling sounds along the way. The forest was silent when she entered but it became apparent to everyone near the vicinity that the silence has been utterly broken. If one can see the destruction left by the pink-haired murderer, the first question popping up in their heads will be 'What the hell?'.

But that pink-haired murderer has already left the planes of existence... for now.

-- CHAPTER VIII --

POST MODUM

Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then. - Proverbs 27:1

Leaves began to fall freely down to the grassy ground. The west-heading sun showered through the holes of the canopy of the forest. Tranquility made its way to the area but not all tranquil scenes are what they seem at first glance. Looking at the ground, one of the trees that tumbled down has apparently flattened a person. The person winced in pain when she tried to get out. Escaping was futile. The tree is too heavy for her weak body to lift off of. She knew giving up was not an option but what else can she do? The fallen tree is slowly flattening her stomach and she's not sure if it's even possible for the bile to move back up her throat and force her to gag it out through her mouth. Not a sight to behold on to and also not a thought to be thinking of at the moment.

She looked around and her sight made contact with the color pink. It looks like her objective is safe for the moment.

“Nyuu...” the pink-haired girl slowly opened her eyes when a leaf landed on her cheek. She took a moment to look around and saw the tree on the ground. And under that tree lies a person wincing in pain from the position she is in right now. “Nyu-- Ahk!” When she tried to help, Nyuu suddenly felt a pang on her right arm. Her right sleeve has been entirely torn off and a small wound embedded itself on her arm. It's a clean but fairly deep cut.

“You're such a handful,” the girl muttered. Apparently, she just saved the pink-haired diclonius from getting hit by the falling tree. With as much effort as she can muster, she clumsily moved her body out from under the tree. It wasn't an easy thing to do but she smiled herself for completing it. “I hope this was all worth it.”

“Nyuu?” her understandings about the situation are little to none. Nyuu gazes at the woman standing right in front of her. Her features looked somewhat adoring while they bask under the light of dusk.

That black, straight shoulder-length hair showed no signs of split ends even after the supposed incident with the tree. Bright cerulean eyes that captivate you from just a glance along with the unscratched white skin of this supposed beauty mark her with stares from just any man that took a good look at her. Nyuu notices her clothing is a bit odd. They were schemed in the color black.

“Nyuu?” She said no further than that when the woman came closer and closer to where she sat. Callous cerulean eyes that made the childish girl shiver to the bone.

The mission was a failure. He had a feeling it would turn out that way. So if he did, why didn't he stop this from happening? Maybe it was because of Nana's order to stay and observe and he knows on how obedient she can be when it comes to his requests. But he didn't expect the little silpelit to abandon his words of warning and went out to duel with Lucy. Tears can never leak out of his eyes since he already cried every last bit of it when his wife died. Add that to his daughter's fate and he can no longer cry for the rest of his life.

Through shallow breaths, the little silpelit muttered words of encouragement. “Papa... Papa...” The pain doesn't want to go away. Her face is covered in sweat and she could barely see now whenever she would open her eyes. This left her with little things to turn to for comfort especially since both of her arms were torn out and holding her Papa's hand is now out of the question. But as she struggles to stay alive, a warm touch made its way to her cheek. She knew who it was right away. It's the first time that her Papa has ever made such warm and cuddling contact to her that she couldn't help but smile a little.

“It'll be alright, Nana,” Kurama muttered with his strict tone. He gazed out of the helicopter window. They were nearing the facility already. “It will be alright.”

To see a person in such a state felt heartbreaking even more so if that person shared a bond with you. Kurama felt like his heart has been torn out yet again. On one side, he wished to weep until his life would be taken away. And on another side, he wanted to stay strong and hope that this mission's failure won't involve Nana any longer.

But such wishes don't always come true...

The helicopter swerved through the sky as the setting sun shines near the horizon. Dusk was approaching and everyone including the SAT have filed this day as mission failure.

And through this night, they will have to accept that a monster has been unleashed in the city and they have no power or lead to stop the future chaos from happening.

Far from Kamakura and the secret diclonius research facility, another company began to put their plans into action. They're a shadow organization, working in secret. Even the government doesn't know of their existence. It is because of their methods that they tend to stick to secrecy. The Japanese government never allowed for them to exist but only through their leaders' resolve that the organization was able to survive.

ODIN

That is the organization's name.

Nobody knows their true intentions. Nobody even knows they exist. A few urban legends told tales that they're an organization preparing for a third world war if that ever comes to pass. The legend was half-true, in a sense. They were preparing for a war. But not with an opposing nation rather they're preparing for a war with an opposing species.

In one of the offices in ODIN's central headquarters, the abrupt sound of an intercom can be heard. The employee in charge of the office put the call through.

“What is it?” he asks, tone of seriousness ever present in his rough voice.

The other line fell silent for a while until a feminine voice spoke through. “The officer you requested is waiting outside, sir. Shall I let him in?”

“Go right ahead.” he answered immediately.

“Yes, sir.”

There's a reason why he answered without giving it much of a thought. They're bringing in a new member of the field crew and he liked the person's skills and background. But that won't always be the only judge if the man is hired or not. He tends to choose his employees wisely since we're talking a revolutionary war that could spark at any moment's notice. A war that's been occurring since the beginning of ODIN. The war against the diclonius race.

The door to his office opened and a slim man walked to his desk. He was covered in bandages considering that he had just been released from the hospital. He received an invitation to ODIN while he was still there and gave some thought if he will take it or not. It didn't take too long to decide because he still had an ambition to complete and felt that this secret organization can be the support he needed to get it done in no time.

“Director Haedt, I presume.” the bandaged man stated, keeping his face as neutral as he can. There's no telling on what that director is capable of even if he is just a guy working in a desk-job.

Director Haedt chuckled at the man's effort to stay a few distances away. He can already see the uncertainty from the man's eyes, letting a bit of his judgment cloud his thoughts. Well, he'll just have to do something about that before he can hire him.

“It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Kobayakawa.” he said with an amused tone. Kobayakawa raised a brow at him but kept his distance. He continues, “I can see that you've come to a decision to our little invite?”

It was right to the point, Kobayakawa liked that. He felt better that he didn't have to waste his time taking more with the businessman than he already has. He just nodded to his last question and awaited the man's reaction.

“I can get you appointed to the ranks right away Mr.. Kobayakawa,” Haedt said with that same amused voice but as much as anyone would like to hear that calm voice of his, it quickly changed to a more dead-serious tone. “But that would be against ODIN regulations.”

“...” Kobayakawa kept silent, hoping that his course of action is the best way to progress this conversation.

Haedt slowly stood up from his comfortable leather chair and stared out the wall-sized window. The scenery from outside captivated him a little but he would sometimes catch a glimpse of the horrors the world may face if the organization doesn't do something to keep everything in check. Another reason for him to hire the ex-cop to being a mercenary for ODIN. Not just any mercenary... a mercenary specified for only one purpose: Eradicate the diclonius race. Snapping back to reality, Haedt continued what he was saying.

“We can only come into terms of your... 'employment' if you are able to pass our little preliminary exam.” At this, he couldn't help but smile while the ex-cop just snarled at the troublesome news. “You need not worry about it too much, Mr. Kobayakawa. Think of it more like an IQ test. You don't need to study but think critically with every question.”

“Is it really necessary?” Kobayakawa inquired. I don't wish to waste my time answering and dawdling around. With every second wasted, the chances of ever finding that murderer again grows slimmer, he thought with a scowl slowly forming on his neutral exterior.

The director chuckled again before answering. “Indeed, it is necessary, Mr. Kobayakawa. You would have no place within the organization if you don't follow our little 'initiations'.” He looks back at the ex-cop with an evil grin. Kobayakawa tried his best not to shudder.

“Just what will this preliminary exam be like?”

“To teach you the purpose of your branch's existence and also elaborate on the intensity of your mission, that's all.” The director answered nonchalantly. It didn't strike much of an interest for him to say all those things. He's done this before and it eventually got old when he told the 20th or so time to former ODIN greenhorns.

Kobayakawa raised another brow and wanted to protest but another person cut into the conversation before he could say something.

“Come with me, Mr. Kobayakawa,” Haedt's secretary requested the ex-cop. “It's time to meet your team.” Kobayakawa looked from the secretary then back to the director who only gestured a 'go on/shoo' with his right hand.

He also added, “It'd be best if you do not keep your new team waiting. They'll brief you in on the preliminary examination and give you some advice to the casualties you might be facing.”

Without a word of protest to mutter, Kobayakawa conceded and followed the secretary out of the office. The preliminary exam then invaded his mind like a a virus. Just what kind of exam will this be, he kept asking himself that but would never reach an answer. He formulated the possibilities on what kind of team he'll be stationed in as he walks along the corridors staring at the secretary's back hoping that they don't have to walk at the same corridor for hours.

Nyuu closed her eyes and waited for any aggressive actions only to find a hand slowly patting and ruffling her long pink hair. She took a glance at the mysterious woman who just saved her only to find that she no longer showed the enigmatic 'mask' she'd been wearing. In its place showed a more beautiful woman smiling heavenly at her with eyes closed but lips that curled upwards indicating it as a friendly gesture. Nyuu may not be so bright but she's not dumb either. The more she looked at the woman's angelic smile, the more she felt the woman was enigmatic in a way. There's just so many things she can't figure out about everything and that includes observing a person's actions and reactions.

“You're a lot cuter from up close.” The woman commented as she ruffled more of Nyuu's silky pink strands. Nyuu couldn't do anything but let her do what she wanted even if it means she might have an untidy mess of hair after all this. But fate slowly turned bitchy at her all of a sudden.

THROB!

She feels it again. That weird sensation creeping through her mind like a slithering snake. And followed by that sensation, she can clearly hear the killer's intent in breaking free once more. She fought hard to stay in control but the other person in her mind just kept getting stronger and her resistance was slipping.

LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT NOW!!

Lucy screamed from inside Nyuu's head never leaving her a minute of peace until she had her way. The childish girl just grasped her head with both hands and began to twitch violently. It might look like a slight seizure but inside the dual mentality, a war like no one has ever experienced is breaking the girl's limits. She panted. She sweats. She struggled to stay out here. The woman beside her could do nothing but comfort her in any way possible.

“H—hey, what's wrong?” she asked but she expected not to get a straightforward answer from the pink-haired girl's lack of diction.

Nyuu wasn't even listening. The world around her felt like it's all just an illusion as the barriers of her resistance are slowly disintegrating to nothing. She put up a good fight but she can't take anymore of this. She looked at the woman beside her once more before she pushed her away and ran out to the opposite direction. With as little control she has over the body right now, she needed to steer clear of anyone close by. She didn't want anymore blood to be shed by the hands of... herself. Her other self.

“Hmm...” the woman stared at the spot before Nyuu disappeared. “I wonder what that's all about?” she asked herself. Truthfully, she was expecting something like a dose of killer intent shot at her way or maybe even an effort of trying to attack her but all she got was the confused look of a rather simple-minded teenage girl. I thought she was suppose to be dangerous..., she inwardly thought.

She stood straight up and heaved out a light sigh. Her objective just ran away from her and she didn't even do anything to stop her. Normally, she would care less if the mission she'd been given was not that important but because she's being trusted by the director himself, she's beginning to feel a sense of dread course through her. The man had ways to take his frustrations at innocent little victims, that includes her, and she never did like the last time she'd been chosen for anger release. She still had scars from it.

Lightly shaking her head, she went for her CB radio packed in the right side of her utility belt. Pressing the receiver, she voiced out her brief report of the situation to her superior on the other line. She already dreaded he won't like what had happened.

“CC, this is Vercada,” she spoke in the radio. “Target has escaped. Repeat, target has escaped. What are my orders?”

There was a moment of silence and she was about to repeat what she said when the radio sent out a gruff voice from the other end. “V, this is Cropes. What happened?”

She sighed in relief that it was just Cropes on the other line. She would've been dead meat if it was her captain who answered. She breathed in deeply and relayed her report. “A silpelit engaged the target in battle. It was fierce but the target survived. The silpelit suffered dismemberment on all her limbs, she has little chances of living. After that, the target was cornered by Kakuzawa's forces but she escaped without a problem. I've encountered her in the forest just around the shrine and saw her screaming and convulsing everywhere,” she paused and breathed in deeply. “The next thing I know, she gave out one final scream sending out all of her 'hands' in the surrounding area. I had little trouble dodging the 'hands' but saving the target was another story.”

“Are you alright?” the man named Cropes asked in a commanding tone from the other line. He tried hard to keep his voice in that tone but Vercada already noticed a slight bit worry in his voice. She inwardly smiled.

“Other than a few scratches and an excruciating backache,” she subconsciously rubbed her back. “I'm as fit as a soldier.” She 'heard' him scoff her words. “You're scoffing me again?!”

“I'm still amazed by your intuition even in the radio,” he commented. “But let's put that aside for now. What happened next?”

That was when she hesitated to answer. How can she actually explain her encounter with the so-called 'dangerous diclonius' and lived to tell?

“I saved the target from a falling tree,” she finally said and waited for a hoarse reply.

“I'm sorry... I think there was some static when you relayed that last sentence,” Cropse said in utter disbelief. “I thought you said you saved her from a falling tree.”

“And I did.”

“...”

“...” the line was silent but was more than deafening for her. I'm done for...

“Do you know what you just did?!” a yell echoed out of the radio. “You disobeyed direct orders, Vercada!”

“It was either I make contact with the target or risk her getting killed!” she retorted. “Which would you choose if you were on my position?”

“Stop dwindling yourself into 'if' situations, V, because we're relying on the here and now than assumptions.”

“Just answer my question!” she snarled, slowly losing patience.

“Answer that on your own. Get back to base.” she didn't miss the disappointment in his tone. Even with the static, she heard it like it was shouted out from a stereo.

She turned off her radio and returned it back to her utility belt. Her eyes were shot down as if she was sad. “Onii-chan no baka,” she muttered incomprehensibly to the silent forest.

Yuka searched everywhere she could think of but found no pink-haired girl around. She was about ready to call it quits and go back home—hoping that Nyuu actually came back—but something from her peripheral vision startled her. She turned to the figure and justified her thoughts.

“Nyuu-chan?!” she called out to the teary girl standing a few feet away.

“Nyuu...” she tried to hold back her sobs but failed. Nyuu closed the distance between her and the brunette, and embraced her as tightly as she could. It was really hard trying to keep her other self in control, not just tiring but also painful. A migraine would feel like friendly smack compared to the excruciating headache she was feeling as the aftereffects of her struggle.

“You got lost?” she asked gently and received the hug. “You should know better than to go off on your own,” she then casted her eyes to the cut on Nyuu's shoulder. “Oh, you've hurt yourself.”

“Nyuu?”

It only took a small handkerchief to wrap up the wound but Yuka planned on treating the wound thoroughly once they get back to Kaede Inn.

At the mention of the place, she almost had a faraway look on her. Like she's trying to remember a bitter past... or replaying the remnants of a broken heart. Either way, the little pink-haired girl didn't notice.

She was still feeling a bit of pang on her bicep but did nothing to worsen its condition thanks to the brunette's scolding.

Kohta considered himself a nice guy. A nice guy, yes, but a nice guy who knows how women think, a definite no-no. It had already been hours after Yuka decided to go out and look for Nyuu, but he still hadn't not heard word of her or the childish girl intact. He was debating whether he should look for Nyuu as well when the phone rang.

Who could be calling? He asked himself. Must be Yuka, but why is she calling?

Unfortunately, that was not the case. It was actually the hospital that called and told him to come here. He was not the least bit motivated to 'go and check it out' like he might've done when he was younger but he debated this over with himself yet again.

The conclusion with the Battle of Choices is, in fact, obvious.

Kohta arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later. He took his time getting there since it was at such short notice and he had no actual idea who they were keeping as a patient. The nurse on the phone was completely vague with her explanation and he already doubted that it was Yuka in the hospital. But thinking of Nyuu, on the other hand, it had the opposite effect. Still, he had his doubts.

“Someone who was walking by found her on the ground wounded,” the nurse said as she and Kohta walked down the corridors. “It was a blow to the head so she has a slight concussion. When we asked her where she got it from, she wouldn't say a word. But she did gave us your phone number and told us to contact you.”

Now Kohta was undoubtedly convinced that it wasn't Nyuu. She couldn't remember his contact number unless it was all in the number 'nyuu'. And everybody knows that 'nyuu' is not a number. He wondered where that thought came from anyway.

They walked along silently as the raven-haired man contemplated on who could the girl be. He didn't dwell long once the nurse called his attention saying that the girl was over at the bench, sitting.

Her eyes were hazy, deep in thought. A strap of bandage was neatly whirled around her head and didn't messed up her short hair. Just by the appearance, Kohta immediately knew who it was.

“Ah... I was able to somehow get through it by saying you were a visiting relative,” Kohta said nonchalantly as they made their way through the exit. It took more than just plain speechcraft to talk his way out of the piercing stares from the doctor. He rarely lied so it might have been noticed but he was just thankful that the doctor didn't protest or prevented him from releasing the girl. But there was still one thing that's nagging in his mind.

“I'm sorry,” Mayu said with her eyes observing the concrete floor. “Uhm, I'll be sure to pay the hospital bill when I get the money.”

“Putting the financial issues aside,” Kohta began. He needed to ask even if it sounds a bit personal. “Why did you ask them to contact us?”

The little girl wasn't able to give a definite reply to that question. She just stuttered every time she tried to convey her answer.

Kohta just sighed at his predicament. Not only was he standing in front of a hospital with a suspected homeless girl who was just released from the hospital with a slight concussion, but he also didn't know where Yuka or Nyuu were. It was already nighttime too.

GRUMBLE!

It was loud enough for a deaf man to hear but the little girl did her best to stop the unintentional implications.

“I'm sorry! I'm sorry!” she was on the verge of tears.

Kohta heaved another sigh. I give up. “How about... you come over to our place for dinner?”

Mayu clearly wasn't expecting that kind of statement so she reacted with a nonplussed expression. She was expecting for him to just go away sneering or completely ignore whatever transpired. It wasn't right to try and expect much to receive from a complete stranger such as this young man, and Mayu had the faintest feeling that she's acting like a spoiled child indirectly asking for him to soothe her needs. It was a dreadful feeling but her thoughts didn't go for more disturbing images as the raven-haired boy took her by the hand and led her away from the hospital, and off to a very familiar and homely place.

And of course, the little dog, Wanta, found its way back to Mayu as they walked along the path.

Where it went when Mayu had been in the graveyard and seemingly had been able to find her again, even this writer has no idea.

“Oh! I wonder who came back?” Kohta thought out loud. He just came back to the front of Kaede Inn with Mayu to find some of the lights were on. He left at around dusk so he didn't turn the lights on in the house yet.

“Yuka? Are you here?” he called after sliding the front door open. He barely noticed the little girl taking light steps into the house. Almost introvertive.

“Welcome back,” a voice greeted from the back. “Kohta, I ran into Nyuu...”

“Is Nyuu home too?” Kohta silently hoped she was.

“Just as I thought, she got lost and...” Yuka trailed off once she spotted Kohta's companion. And her bandaged head.

“Uh, good evening,” Mayu greeted, a little unnerved by Yuka's stare. Even if she was looking directly at the wooden floorboards, the stare wasn't hard to miss.

“NYUU!” a squeaky voice echoed from the back followed by fast footsteps. It was the pink-haired beauty yet again and she immediately glomped herself onto the unsuspecting raven.

“Whoa! Hey there,” Kohta exclaimed with relief in his voice. “Welcome back.”

“Nyuu! Nyuu!”

While this transpired, Mayu suddenly had a memory recollection. After setting her eyes on Nyuu's horns, the scarring memories of what happened in the graveyard came back to the forefront of her mind. Her eyes widened in shock and she almost broke out in a cold sweat. She remembered clearly that there were two people present in that place, one was a little girl in a black (Or was it blue?) dress and the other was in a colorful set of clothes.

Is this... she began as she stared at the pink-haired girl but then shook her head, sweeping the terrible thoughts out. If this is her then why would she be here? She asked herself a very rhetorical question. Though it sounded rhetorical for her, others might actually give an answer to that.

“Now then,” Yuka began. “How about we all go to the dining room. Dinner's ready.”

Mayu inadvertently put what other thoughts she had in her mind aside and settled her attention on what the brunette just said. Luckily, her stomach didn't shout out in anticipation like what it did back in the hospital and instead kept quiet and waited for the food that Mayu was about to consume.

“I—It's... It's delicious!” Mayu announced with blushed cheeks. It was the truth. She never ate anything so mouth-watering before. It already became a challenge for her to uphold her mannerisms and eat in a slow but sophisticated way, but the constant protests of her raging stomach and the sight of such delicious food right in front of her she was slowly breaking her limits.

Both Kohta and Yuka had dumbfounded reactions while Nyuu just cocked her head to the side, maybe a little confused as well.

“R-Really?” Yuka tried to break the ice. “Thanks. You really think so?”

“Nyuu!”

Kohta took a sip from his miso soup. “Seriously?” he asked incredulously. “Is it really that impressive? I had much better than th--”

“FINE, KOHTA! If you don't want it then don't eat it!” Yuka jabbed him with her pointing finger, feeling very offended by his lack of tact.

After dinner, Mayu was then given the first bath of the night. She protested, of course, saying that she couldn't possibly ask for anything else after all the kindness they've shown her tonight but she gave in when Yuka wouldn't hear of it.

Kohta looked like he was about to question his cousin's motives but a well prepared spine-tingling glare from the brunette shut him up before he could utter a word.

Kohta sipped his hot tea slowly as Yuka reappeared into the room. She asked for him to stay in the dining room so they can discuss the matter about Mayu while the girl was bathing.

“Since Nyuu looked like she wanted to take a bath, I sent her in too,” Yuka said as she made herself comfortable on the low-end chair opposite her cousin.

“Do think that's a good idea?” Kohta asked. He placed his tea cup down.

“Don't worry about it. They're both girls after all.”

“But won't she be a bother to Mayu?”

Yuka paused before changing the subject. “By the way, about that girl...”

. . . . . .

“Bread crusts from the bakery?” he repeated the brunette's proclamation.

“Yeah,” Yuka replied. “She goes there everyday saying that those are to feed her pet dog. But I think that she might be living on them as well.”

Kohta folded his arms as he comprehended this bit of information. “I was thinking that something was strange too since she doesn't want to talk about her home or family. Whenever it would come up, she'd stutter or change the subject. I wonder if she really is a runaway.”

“Then what should we do?”

To tell the truth, Kohta honestly had no idea what to do. He had three options to choose from at the moment. One was to let her live here since she doesn't have anywhere else to go. The second was to let her go and turn away from the whole thing. She didn't even need to pay for the hospital bill if she can't raise it. And the third option would be to keep asking her for information and if she really was a runaway, then start calling up her parents or guardians for her whereabouts.

But there was contradiction in every option.

For the first, he can't let her move in just like that. They barely know her and Yuka's mom always told them to be weary against any person you're not very familiar with and trying to dodge questions about themselves like they're hiding something. So until she revealed more things about herself, then he would start thinking about letting her settle in.

For the second, he is not heartless. After getting himself this much involved, he doubted he can just turn away from everything. The same can be said for Yuka. She'd probably throw a fit if he chose to take this path.

The third option was like interrogating her. Kohta is not much of a guy who can accurately judge character based on an outward appearance, but he learned a few things to look out for. Mayu sounded soft, self-conscious, low in self-esteem and whenever he tried to come close to her she'd step back to return the 4 feet gap between them. Kohta can understand it if it was about being cautious around people but she didn't force that kind of security around Yuka or Nyuu. If he had to guess, then Mayu must be distancing herself with men. He can only think of two things that can cause this kind of thing around a young teen without guardians.

It's either she was brutally abused... or brutally raped.

“Do you think it'd be better if we contact the police?” Yuka asked, ending Kohta's train of thought.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Kohta began but it was said halfheartedly. His trust for the police was already weary. That's why he didn't pose them in his list of options. “But I'll feel sorry if we give her to the police without asking her anything.”

She nodded.

“Besides, I don't trust the police anymore.”

The brunette widened her eyes by a millimeter before asking, “Why?”

Kohta looked like he was debating whether to tell her about that night or not. How could he forget something like that? Back then, he thought he'd keep this event a secret from Yuka but there was no way he can ignore it any longer. Yuka still looked worried over what happened and the least he could do is try to tone it down. Even now Kohta felt that night was surreal in its own way.

He sighed and gave in. He can't escape this situation any longer. “For you to understand, let me tell you what happened to me during that night.”

Yuka quickly understood which night the raven-haired teen was referring too. It had been in her mind for a long time, haunting her dreams where Kohta did not survive or she didn't make it in time to find him beaten at the beach. Composing herself, she waited without uttering a word for Kohta to begin his story.

“Nyuu, nyuu, nyuu,” the pink-haired girl kept saying the word like a mantra as she rubbed the sides of a person's abdomen.

Mayu didn't know what to think of the situation. She was, at first, startled when the bathroom door slid open while she was bathing her dirty body into the tub. She hadn't bathed in days and was admiring the older couple's kindness before a naked horned girl cheerfully skipped along the wet floor and into the tub.

Mayu immediately recognized her as Nyuu, the childish girl of the household. The man and lady of the house weren't exactly clear about their relationship with the pink-haired girl, just that she lives here and nothing else. She still had memories of the graveyard and she vaguely remembered seeing her there but not adorning a smile, instead it was a scowl... and killer's eyes.

“Nyuu, nyuu, nyuu.”

She began to feel ticklish once Nyuu began to lower her hands. It started out as silent giggles but it was soon escalating to fruitful laughter.

“Please stop!” she said in between laughs. But the childish girl didn't look like she was thinking of stopping at all. In fact, Mayu may have just provoked her into applying more force to it.

“Nyuu!” Nyuu said happily as she turned the innocent back-rubbing into a one-sided tickle fight.

How long has it been since I laughed this hard before? Mayu pondered. She hadn't laughed as loudly as she did now ever since she left home. It wasn't because of the ticklishness was she laughing this hard, but more on the part where she's having fun. She'd usually play around with Wanta down the beach but she never got to play with any other person for the past weeks she'd been out in the streets. It was nice laughing like this again and Mayu hopefully wished that she'll experience more of this in the near future. Laughing, having fun, and meeting nice people.

Nyuu kept her scrubbing game until her arms were tired. It was just fun rubbing the softness of a person's body. As her hands washed Mayu's body, pushing and pulling, pushing and pulling, pushing and pulling, the pink-haired girl's hands stumbled upon two small bumps around Mayu's chest.

“Nyuu!” she gave the two bumps a good squeeze and it definitely brought a great reaction from Mayu.

Mayu yelped. Nyuu's hands were on her still-developing breasts at the moment. She didn't have that much to show since she's still around 14, but her assets have already developed enough to be properly squeezed. A fact that she's not exactly wanting at the moment because her train of thought immediately went to a what-if scenario: 'What if she fondled them?'

Being true to her being a childish and curious 'little' girl, Nyuu began rubbing Mayu's mounds in circular motions. Nyuu remembered when she touched hers back then, and it felt... weird—mainly because she couldn't exactly find the exact word to describe it—and curiously wondered if the same response can occur to another.

As the rubbing began, Mayu involuntarily moaned. Realizing what she was doing, she covered her mouth with both of her hands leaving Nyuu without resistance to her fondling. “P-please, Nyuu-san, s-s-stop it... ah!” her cheeks were slowly turning cherry red. Her breathing was ecstatic.

“Nyuuuuuuuu...” Nyuu didn't really know why she pronounced it like that, but a somewhat 'instinct' told her that it was appropriate in the situation to mimic the sound of a purring cat. And again, her 'instincts' then targeted Mayu's earlobe where Nyuu nibbled on them gently.

“Ah!” she reacted quite excitedly from contact, and her cheeks were growing redder with every revolution of Nyuu's circular fondling. “P-p-please... no...”

Whatever transpired inside the hot and steamy room will be kept secret for obvious reasons...

They remained silent after Kohta told her everything. It was a very hard thing to just... understand and let go. Kohta was hit in the head pretty hard, from what Yuka can tell, but he might've gone off lucky. He even told her that one of them was willing to kill him just because he was in the way. It was only because of the man's companions that he got out of that scrap with just a mild concussion.

How does Kohta get himself into these situations?

A question that nagged Yuka's thoughts, but can never be fully answered. It was how Kohta grew up. It was also the reason why he... misinterpreted his father and sister's demise. Yuka wanted to set him straight with what really happened but she's afraid that Kohta might end up the same way when she visited him in that hospital. That was just a few hours after the murder on the train, and a half-day after the massacre in the town festival. She was also admitted in that hospital at the time, but she couldn't remember the reasons for it. The memory was a bit hazy.

Shaking them out of her, Yuka settled back to Kohta's story. “So that's what happened,” was all she could say. She didn't add nor did she removed anything. Her sentence was mingled together in four very vague words that can be used as often times as anyone wants after someone tells them a story. But for the cousins, these words gave more meaning than sound and understanding.

Seeing that Yuka wasn't about to add anything else, Kohta decided to speak again. “I guess I ended up worrying you more when I tried not to. Sorry.”

Yuka shook her head. “No, I should be the one apologizing.”

“Why?”

“You had every reason to keep this from me. Whatever happened on that night was something you didn't want to inform me about. And like you said, it'd just make me worried... and also doubtful of the police. Do you get the feeling like they're hiding something from us... from you?”

“I've been thinking about that for ages,” Kohta admitted. He heaved a sigh before continuing. “Before I went out of the house that night, those two detectives who entered my hospital room—remember those two? The old guy and his henchmen?”

Yuka nodded, unable to react weirdly at her cousin's description of the officers.

“Well, those two knocked on the door and asked if I had seen this woman in the picture they showed me. I asked them 'What did she do?' and the younger detective was about to tell me but the older one silenced his mouth. They were definitely hiding something, I thought at that point so when they showed me the picture of the woman again, I turned to them and said 'No'.

“But honestly, I know who that woman in the picture was.”

“You were holding out information from the police?! Why would you do that, Kohta?”

“Think back to what happened to me and say that again!” Kohta said without thinking. He widened his eyes and quickly followed with an apology. He didn't mean to snap at her like that. It's the thought of them holding out information on him while his cousin chastised him about what he did. An ironic moment, but Yuka would've disagreed to that.

“So, who was the woman?”

Kohta looked straight at her, eyes growing serious. “She only had one characteristic that makes her different from all the other women in this town.”

“What?”

He hesitated so his response came out in a whisper.

“What was that?”

“She had horns.”

Yuka widened her eyes in disbelief.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Finished writing this chapter on August 10, 2008 at exactly 1:20 AM (GMT +8:00).

A/N: Another cliffy! This chapter just raised more questions. If you have any those or problems in understanding what is exactly going on, you can PM me or state in a review.

And as always, please review and I'll be back with a new chapter on the double. Peace out!