I do not own Elfen Lied or any of its characters in any way
Introduction
Trees slowly swayed back and forth in the beckoning breeze. A single figure stood in front of an all-familiar tombstone. She smiled faintly to no-one.
It's funny how there is always a glimmer of something left…. Remorse, unresolved feelings… even hope.
She squatted to a level position with the tombstone and instantly curled into herself.
"You think Nana likes being the only one left? You think I like carrying this out alone?"
The only response to her plea was the cold and indifferent silence of an overcast day. Suddenly, a rush of bottled-up emotions came pouring out into the open for whoever would listen.
"You know what? I'm glad you're gone! Yeah, all you did was cause conflict! And anyways you would just slow me down." With this utterance Nana sprang up and performed an almost triumphant pose, pointing her finger at the tombstone in a tone of condescendence.
She wasn't about to stop here. She was free to muse about what she pleased in this haven of solitude.
"It was so obvious from day one what you really wanted in the Maple Inn house. Or should I say who you wanted?" A flood of memories from that lovely period of fellowship with everyone came to her.
How I miss that time and that place…
She couldn't contain her true sentiment anymore beneath the façade of how she used to act around her anymore.
"Dammit when are you coming back!...Not just for me, but for everyone! We all need you… and you know who it is that needs you the most… YOU KNOW! Why do you keep us waiting in the dark!"
Nyu was etched upon the bold-faced rock.
"Yeah well… You'd better come back and keep your promise"
Even though there are always fleeting feeling of hope…
"Papa! Papa I want Papa!" Even Nana was surprised when she yelled this phrase. How long had it been since she had last seen Kurama? Apparently, old habits die hard. He would be an instant source of comfort, longing, and joy unto the girl who knelt before the grave, tears flowing freely down her saddened cheeks.
The ache just won't ever go away….
After a time of free-flowing emotions and ultimate sadness, Nana knew that she must do what she set out to do. So much now rested upon this young woman's shoulders. Nana felt like she was surviving and waiting… just waiting. She got up from the grave and headed out of the cemetery. She had visited this spot too many times to count by now. Nana needed something, anything to happen in her life.
With a look of utter seriousness, she was reminded about her and everyone else's current reality. So much had happened to them… so much.
As she headed out onto a street Nana let out a sigh. However, something began to stir in her that felt inexplicable. It was something of the ultimate longing and that things were going to be different. Something beckoned to her in the corner of her mind. A bright light appeared for a split second behind a wall that she was passing by.
What happened next left Nana wide-eyed and staring in utter disbelief and shock.
A man stumbled onto the street and looked very confused. He walked in her direction and gazed around each way, as if he didn't know where he was going. Eye contact was made with Nana. He looked wide-eyed at her, before he quickly averted his view, followed by gazing at her. He approached her readily and with haste. He grasped her shoulder and asked her "Excuse me but where am I?"
Nana was speechless. Not only did this man look completely out of place wearing very low-class outdated garb, but he was really…well…
"Ummmmm" Nana managed to squeek out, as a slightly rose tint began to creep up her face.
Dammit, Why did you say that! She thought hurriedly.
Everything about the experience was so surreal and extremely difficult to grasp at one time.
He just reached out to me…. Even though I'm a….. he just….and I
Thoughts and feelings that made her at a loss for words which she felt like entertaining suddenly became desperate thoughts as reality smacked her in the face.
"Wait, you're…" she said in a rushed change of tone. A sense of disbelief and urgency overtook her like never before as she realized what this encounter meant.
The city of Kamakura. The city stood tall and proud. All the usual attractions and activities persisted here while the sprawling masses hustled about performing their usual routines. Shops were being visited, food was being consumed en masse, vehicles rushed down the streets on their usual routes without anything unusual or strange occurring. A wind blew down the streets and passed over the multitudes, sending leaves scattering.
"Shit!"
In the alleyway, a man broke the calm with a torrential pace of footsteps which seemed desperate. One foot followed the other with a fury. He broke from the alleyways into the mainstream crowd. He received glances left and right. They ranged from sneers to grins to angry glances. The man continued to run through the urban sprawl, not heeding them any attention seeing as how his pursuers were gaining ground on him.
"What the!" began one woman who noticed the man had run right in front of her. She was about to get up and inquire, when suddenly the realization hit her. Calmly, she picked up her cup of tea that was on a table in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she said to herself "Ah… human." It was clearly nothing for her to get roused up with.
The man now became desperate. He broke from the crowd and continued to run down a street that went in the direction of the beach.
"No…Please! Not now!" he exclaimed.
Figures wearing police attire began to close in on him from behind. He continued scrambling with all his might. The urban sprawl began to fade. Suddenly the buildings ended. Only the bases of buildings remained at this part of the city, as if they had been blown up by the blast of an unimaginable radius. Abandoned cars and sporadic fires littered the roads. Corpses lined the sides of the street in this lower section of the city, bloodied and undisturbed from their original mutilated positions.
Bitter exhaustion and realization slowly crept up the man's spine as he reached a barricade that was at the entrance to a dilapidated bridge. By now the horned law enforcers were already walking. "You knew it was pointless from the beginning" one of them smirked. "I want this one… I haven't had any action in a while!" another one exclaimed excitedly. The man knew that his fate was sealed. He clutched at the small package in his pocket.
I won't give them the satisfaction... For my brethren!
"You treat us like cattle! DOWN WITH THE DICLONIUS!"
Suddenly, he unsheathed an uzi from beneath his jacket and unloaded round after round onto his invaders. Shells fell to the floor all around him.
"Hey, be grateful that we offered you a chance to participate" one of the pursuers smirked. Half of the bullets stopped in mid air while the other half were deflected to either side of the officers.
A set of vectors began creeping towards the human ominously. He felt a tingle on his right leg as a presence invisible to him firmly grasped it. His gun was swatted to the side as if it was nothing. By his right leg, the man was lifted ten feet into the air. He was dangling helplessly by his leg, flailing in shock.
"What to do…" The officer mused.
His right leg suddenly was sliced off like it was nothing and he plummeted to the ground.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sheer torment was all the poor man could experience.
"Let's finish this" a vector grabbed his neck with incredible might and lifted him off the ground. His head suddenly popped off and his body limped to the ground lifelessly.
In a small room buried deep underground, Kouta looked at the wall. The silence seemed endless in the dimly lit room, except for the occasional whirring of a fan. The dirt and grime on the walls seemed endless.
"We need to clean soon" said a soft, soothing voice.
Tender arms approached from behind and embraced Kouta. Kouta remained silent, with a faraway glint in his eyes.
"Why should we clean? Cleaning is just a luxury now" he asked in an extremely forlorn tone.
Yuka put on a sad, knowing expression.
"Kouta…"
"How long has it been…" Kouta began to say.
Kouta realized what he was doing and turned around and returned the embrace. Although he may feel extremely depressed and useless, he wasn't about to hurt someone precious to him with his down attitude. Kouta gently pressed her head to his chest and held her close. As he stroked her hair Yuka said
"Please Kouta, you don't feel this way… you're doing everything you can. I just…" she paused for a second and continued, "We have each other and that's all that matters."
While this loving touch and expression would normally send pangs of joy throughout Kouta and make him feel belonged, a tear slid down his cheek.
"What can I do for you now? What can…what can I do for anyone now?"
I'm so useless…
Kouta was feeling so helpless and useless, and Yuka knew it.
His tears increased in intensity. "I just sit here…"
Yuka hugged him back albeit firmly and proclaimed "Baka you're doing all that you can do."
A mutual understanding between them let Kouta know that no matter what they had been through, Yuka would always be there with him.
I'm glad I don't ever have to be alone…. But I…I still feel lonely, ever since that day...
Kouta kept faltering, as if he felt like he didn't deserve to be hugged this intensely, yet Yuka was there to continually console him.
Kouta…please. When you are so sad it tears me apart.
After a prolonged time Kouta exclaimed "Yuka… I'm going to the surface."
Yuka's eyes widened as she said "Kouta… you can't be serious! You don't have a card."
Reality was an impassible door to Kouta, and he sure as hell was banging against it with everything within him. He wouldn't succumb to the present reality… he wouldn't let the fate of the world hinder him.
"I…" Kouta began, but couldn't finish his sentence.
"Kouta just wait for Nana to return" Yuka said, trying to talk some sense into him.
"It's always with Nana" Kouta returned. He meant no disrespect to Nana. In fact, Nana was one of his precious family members who was still under his roof, and he would die for any one of his precious people. But waiting for Nana… day after day, again?
"I need to get out of here Yuka…we all do."
Kouta grabbed her hand. "Why don't we try again?"
Yuka realized the direction the conversation was turning, and felt uncomfortable. Kouta was increasingly trying to go against what was accepted now and find meaning. Nothing could deter him from that yearning he had for adventure and purpose, which considering everything that had happened to him so far made perfect sense.
"I'm sick of this place."
Without thinking, Nana grabbed the strangers hand. In a hurried voice she said
"Follow me, quickly."
She began to walk closely to the wall, glancing around in an almost panicked look. The man followed her willingly, or rather was being dragged along behind her by her sudden strong demeanor.
"What are…" he began.
"There's no time. We need to get to the…"
A thousand thoughts paced through Nana's head during this time.
If we can only make it…Come on I know I can do this…I know the way, I know I can…
When they rounded the next corner, they ran into a Diclonius.
Nana's expression became one of sheer disbelief and horror as time stood still for her.
Hey tell me if this is intriguing or not. I like reviews, whether they praise my work or scorn me. Tell me what you think. This is my first Elfen Lied fanfiction and it feels good to finally write what's been swirling in my head for a long time. Thanks for reading!