Teana's Travels Book 11 - To Be Human

by D.K.N

Teana and her squad come across an Earth that is home to a genetic offshoot of humanity called Diclonius. There, they make ready to help a broken young woman and her friends, and to take on a shadowy organization responsible for the deaths of thousands. Rated M for violence and language.

1. Explanation

And now, ladies & gentlemen, the start of Book 11 of Teana's Travels. Sorry about the delay; writer's block is a bitch.

Before we start, I should say something: this Elfen Lied universe is a "composite" of the animé and manga verses, using elements from the former (all Diclonii having pink, red, or purple hair; Lucy's sympatheticness and (unlike her manga counterpart) lack of enjoying killing) and the latter (the characters of Nozomi and the Unknown Man; Director Kakuzawa's motivations; the presence of another, Omnicidal Maniac third personality heavily responsible for Lucy's fall). Also, as you'll see, a few things happened a tad differently from the animé and the manga during events before Gamma's arrival.

I MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THE FOLLOWING THINGS, WHICH ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE MENTIONED OWNER-PEOPLE:

Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha (Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (Shion, the "Keiichi Crew") – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen

Shuffle! (Kaede Fuyō, Rin, Asa & Ama, Sia & Nerine, Primula) – Navel and Asread

Erika's New Perfume (Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – Deviant-Art artist Lance the Young

Mai-chan's Daily Life (Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga

Star Wars (Ahsoka, Cody, Rex) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm

Halo (Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie and 343 Industries

StarCraft (multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment

Naruto (jutsu, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto

Mahō Sensei Negima (spells, abilities, characters) – Ken Akamatsu

Kingdom Hearts (Keyblades, the concept of Nobodies (Laicixa), Aqua) – Square-Enix

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Mana Kirishima) – Studio Gainax

Elfen Lied – Lynn Okamoto, Arms

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

HEIGHTS OF CHARACTERS INTRODUCED HERE:

'Lucy' (and, by extension, Nyū): 5'4" (1.625m)

Kōta Arima: 5'7" (1.7m)

Yuka Nogizaka: 5'3" (1.6m)

Nana: 5' 0.5" (1.54m)

Mayu Hagiwara: 5'1" (1.57m)

Nozomi Kaushimu: 5'4" (1.63m)

-BOOK 11 START-

Maple Inn

Kamakura, Japan

The girl known as Nyū wandered around the expansive backyard of the inn-turned-house, her long, reddish-pink hair flowing in the breeze. She giggled lightly as a butterfly fluttered past her face, briefly landing on one of the two white, cat-ear-shaped horns that grew on either side of her head. The physically-17-year-old with the mind of a small child was content at the moment, having already gotten used to the newest addition to the 'family', the new-girl Nana who had the same little head-bumps as she did, who'd become part of the group around a week ago. The girl had been a tad nervous and jumpy around Nyū for the first few days (Nyū couldn't imagine why), but had now become friendly with her.

Nyū loved her surrogate family. There was Kōta, who was kind and gentle and made her feel warm whenever he was near; Yuka, who was a bit bossy and short-tempered but also loving and caring; Mayu, who was cute and calm and warm-hearted; Nana, who was fun and friendly; and Nozomi, shy but sweet, with a beautiful singing voice. They were all precious to her. She only wished she knew the words to tell them that.

Nyū gave a happy sigh… and then suddenly felt as a… presence, for lack of a better word, made itself known nearby. And then Nyū's world went dark as her body's true owner assumed control.

The girl known to her enemies as 'Lucy' readied herself as she reassumed control of her body from the personality who represented her lost innocence. She looked around, carefully, vectors out but invisible. Something… someone was nearby, and if they posed a threat to her or to Kōta then she would kill them.

"You've got good instincts."

She spun to face the direction that the sudden voice had come from. She looked up, and saw the red-haired human girl sitting in the tree. She felt a bit of shock as the human took the 20-foot leap straight down and landed without injury, and she readied her vectors to kill.

"Easy" the redhead said, raising her hands in a defensive position. "I am not here to harm or cause trouble for you or anyone in that house. I come offering help."

"Who are you?" 'Lucy' asked sharply, ready to attack. "Why should I trust you?"

The girl made eye contact with her… and, for just a moment, 'Lucy' felt the girl's power, staggering back a couple steps.

'This girl… is not an ordinary human' she thought with mild awe.

"My name is Teana Uchiha-Lanstar. I represent a coalition of multiple space-faring civilizations – some human, some not – from several realms. Individually, the various groups have dealt with a myriad of threats, and now as a coalition we face a new, greater threat that threatens all of our respective realms, along with some we've yet to make contact with. We've secured our own borders; now, we're sending out feelers to various realms, for the purposes of finding anything connected to our new foe and of looking for places where we can do of some good and lend some aid. …That latter one is why I'm here.

"We don't have much to go on; just your picture, and the knowledge that you 'need our help'. We don't know why or with what. We don't know who you are. All we know is that you could use our assistance. So tell me… How can I help you?"

"…You aren't calling me a freak or things like that?" She absent-mindedly moved a lock of hair over her right horn.

Teana laughed. "Girl, compared to a lot of the things I've seen, you aren't even a blip on the Weirdness Radar. I have a Togrutan on my team; y'know, like Shaak Ti from Star Wars? …I think they're cute, really; they look like cat ears."

'Lucy' was stunned. Here this girl was, dropping in from out of nowhere and saying things that would get most people committed to an asylum for saying. And yet… there was something about her that left the Diclonius a tad inclined to believe her.

And then things went wrong. 'Lucy' had, ever since that day at the orphanage, had that little voice inside her mind, the Other Her, trying to coerce her into killing. She gave it reign whenever she was up against those who would do her harm, like the guards and soldiers from the Institute; she would synchronize with it, allowing it to direct her body and vectors, brutally killing those who stood in her way. When she was a child, when she thought Kōta had betrayed her, she had given full control to it; her memory of the bloodshed that followed was hazy and red… until Kōta's tackle brought her back to the forefront and she was made to realize exactly what she and her Other had done.

During her fight against Nana, 'Lucy' had been in control for most of it, aiming not to hurt the girl too badly, but when Mayu had chanced upon the scene, The Other had used the opportunity given by the brief distraction to wrench control and tear Nana limb from limb. Days later, 'Lucy' had barely stopped The Other from slicing Mayu apart by quickly "throwing" Nyū into the 'driver's seat', as it were, forcing herself and the Other into dormancy. 'Lucy' did not choose to spare humans that often, but when she did The Other nearly always tried to take matters into its own hands.

Right now was no different. Where 'Lucy' saw a potential ally, her Other merely saw a human to kill. Her feet and vectors acted on their own, rushing at the redhead, ready to chop her to pieces, as Lucy's awareness blurred and faded, the Other assuming control. But then, there was a flash of red from the girl's eyes, and a brief inversion of all color, and then everything was returned to clarity, the Other being suddenly forced back into the corners of her mind. 'Lucy' stared at the redhead's now-crimson eyes with the three concentric ringsin each. She could faintly 'hear' the Other thrashing and raging deep within her mind, bound and caged and baying for blood, but rendered harmless for the time being. Now 'Lucy' knew: this girl was the real deal.

"I see you're not the only one taking residence in that head of yours, eh?" Teana said as her eyes returned to the basic Sharingan state and then to their normal blue.

"…H-How did you…?"

"I've heard of something like what you have. Several years ago, one of my friends & mentors was nearly consumed by the darkness of her Heart, given a voice and power by the psychological traumas she had endured throughout her life. …I take it that it is the same for you?"

"It… It comes in handy when I'm butchering those who would kill me or those I hold dear, but… it is a constant struggle to not be fully consumed by it."

"That's why I added a seal to keep it in check. Consider it an olive branch. …I sensed a third presence within your mind."

'Lucy' nodded. "Her name is Nyū. She is the happiness and innocence that have long been lost to me. She doesn't know I exist, what I'm capable of; she simply 'blacks out' whenever I'm in command of my body. She was created when a sniper's bullet grazed my skull."

"…Unlikely" Teana replied. "From what I sensed… That level of separation, of completeness of another persona, couldn't just have been caused by head trauma. Nyū likely already existed on some level before that, and you being KOed was enough to give her some 'solidity' and let her take control for the first time."

"…That is an interesting theory, as well as the most plausible explanation I've considered yet."

"You say she isn't even aware that the true owner of her body exists?"

'Lucy' nodded. "My 'Other' is connected to me, but not her. It's much harder for her to take direct and quick control from Nyū than from me. Also, I… The boy whom I live with is… important to me. But… many years ago, I did something terrible to him. He doesn't remember; he blocked the memory away deep in his mind. But I still… still can't face him. Not yet. And as long as Nyū has the reins, the others I live with are safer from my Other… or, in the case of the one girl who has her eye on said boy, from me."

"Hmm…" Teana looked pensive. "Well, now that your Heart's Darkness is more adequately restrained, maybe you could let her know you exist."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Teana shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Try talking to her in your head or something, I guess? …Anyway, what can you tell me about yourself and why you might need our coalition's help?"

'Lucy' gave a deep sigh as she gathered her thoughts. "I am a Diclonius, a genetic offshoot of humanity. We… God, it's weird not feeling that ever-present bloodlust. Thanks for that. Usually I'd be trying to rip you apart even though you haven't done anything to me. My thoughts are clearer now, too. …Anyway, I possess four psychic-based appendages – long, extendable "arms" of some unknown energy. I can reach about 2 and a half meters with them. They're normally invisible, but I can make them visible if I so choose." She promptly did so, and Teana saw the four ghostly, translucent tentacle-like appendages that ended in hands, sprouting from the horned girl's mid-back.

"In addition to fine manipulation," she continued, "they can cut or pierce through things – stone, wood, metal… or people. ...I don't know you well enough to feel comfortable sharing my past with you; suffice it to say, however, that I have enemies, who have access to military-grade hardware. I was their captive for three years, isolated and tortured, along with hundreds more of my people. …Unlike me, most of them do not survive very long. I managed to escape, though, as I said, a sniper's round grazed my skull, allowing Nyū to fully manifest. I… We washed ashore on the beach near here, and got taken in by the occupants of this house."

The redhead was quiet as she processed this. Finally, she spoke. "…We'll be here soon – a few days, at most. Do what you feel you must in the meantime. I'd best be going now."

"Alright. …Thank you, Lanstar-san."

"No problem, um…"

"My enemies call me Lucy."

"Huh… We have a Lucy already, actually. Spartan-3 Lucy-B091, a cybernetically- and biochemically-enhanced super-soldier; nobody knows her last name, not even her. Nice girl, but she doesn't talk; Post-Traumatic Vocal Disarticulation from being one of two survivors of a 300-soldier mission about seven years ago. Poor thing. Anyway, we'll be in touch."

"Goodbye, then."

Teana nodded and then leapt up into the tree (startling 'Lucy'), and proceeded to make chakra-powered leaps between trees and rooftops, passing out of sight. As soon as she was away, the Shadow Clone of Teana vanished in a burst of smoke, its knowledge and experience being passed back to the real/original Teana presently aboard the Starshot, in slipspace en-route to the world.

After about a minute of just standing there, thinking, 'Lucy' walked over into the shade, having a seat against the tree. She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing and clearing her mind, delving deep into her thoughts in search of the one who slept there.

'Hello? Can you hear me? Nyū?'

…

'Who's there?'

-SCENE BREAK-

That Evening

Mayu was really wondering what was up. Nyū had ushered/dragged her, Nozomi, and Nana into her room after dinner, when Kōta and Yuka had headed out to get groceries. To Mayu's left sat Nana, the purplish-pink-haired girl looking quite curious. To her right was Nozomi, the shy and quiet yet gentle and loving girl shifting in her seat with a barely-noticeable rustling sound; from what Mayu understood, she had been left incontinent by her father's abuse. It had started out purely psychological in nature, but had eventually progressed to be physiological as well.

Now the cheerful pink-haired girl took a seat before them, looking as if she was going to say something – which seemed odd, considering her significantly limited vocabulary. She looked focused and serious, and took a deep breath.

"…Okay" Nyū said, surprising the three other girls (and the vocal tone assured Nana that this was indeed Nyū, not 'Lucy'). "I suppose I should start with the fact that I've… made mental contact with the other girl; the girl whose body this really belongs to… though she says she doesn't mind sharing it with me."

"Y-You've 'spoken' with Lucy?" Nana asked.

Nyū scowled. "Don't call her that. That's not her real name; that's what her enemies call her. She doesn't like it. …She says that she thinks I represent the happiness and innocence that she has lost; I'm what she could've been like if she'd had a normal, happy life instead of the sad, painful one she's had. I only learned of her existence a few hours ago; she was in control, and she dove into her thoughts and… spoke to me. When our minds touched, knowledge of a lot of things – like how to talk – was…" she paused to find the right analogy "copy-pasted from her mind into mine. That's how come I can talk for real to you girls right now."

"…Why is she so mean?" Nana asked. "Always trying to kill people, and… what she did to me…"

Nyū looked sad. "She's suffered a lot. When she was a kid, when her powers awakened for the first time, it was simultaneous with a psychotic break from being pushed too far, abused one too many times. That break left her with another alternate personality, years before I came to be. This… "Other" is nothing but bloodlust, hatred, and fury. She… It drives her to kill, whispering in her ear, boosting her aggression… When she has to fight and kill, she sorta half-merges with it; it dulls the pain and fear and stuff of fighting. But… when she doesn't want to kill someone, the Other can sometimes forcefully assume control and do it anyway. Nana-chan, it was she who beat you in that fight at the graveyard… but it was her Other who tried to tear you apart. …Granted, after you attacked us when you first showed up here, she wanted to wring your neck even without the Other's influence, but she wouldn't have killed you; just left you black & blue for a while.

"The reason I was able to speak to her in our head, and that I can talk to you now and tell you these things, is because her Other is now under much greater control than it was before. Earlier today, she met… someone, who helped me & her bind the dark Other deep within her heart; it's no longer lurking just beneath the surface whenever she's in control, urging her to kill, fueling her anger. It's locked up tight for now. Before that, she let me 'take the reins' because it's much harder for the Other to take control if I'm leading then when she is. Now we don't have to worry… for a while, at least. She and I can thought-talk to each other now, without worrying about waking the Other up. She's… She's told me a lot of things; I couldn't help but cry for her."

"W-What did she tell you?" Nozomi asked.

In response, Nyū's head dropped for a couple seconds. When it rose back up, her expression and demeanor had changed drastically. There was a small, sad frown on her face, and her eyes were heavy with sorrow. Nana could see, looking at her eyes, that she was not in the kill-crazy state that she "normally" was; if anything, her eyes looked exactly like Nyū's now, except wiser and… much, much sadder.

"Exactly what I'm going to tell you three tonight" 'Lucy' replied, the significantly deeper tone of her voice letting Mayu and Nozomi know that she had come to the forefront.

"…You're the original" Mayu said. "The 'true' personality."

"Nyū has become as much of an independent and complete individual as I am" 'Lucy' said. "We are both 'true'. …Nana, you and I shall first explain to these two more about our people, about what we are. Then… I'll tell you girls some of what I've been through."

"Why?" Nana asked.

"…Because I trust you. All three of you. You are kind and caring souls, much like Kōta. …I'm not ready to tell him yet, though. Not directly. Not yet. And Yuka, well… I don't trust her as much just yet." She sighed.

Nana looked thoughtful. "…You don't like being called 'Lucy'. So… What do we call you?"

She was silent, eyes closed, as if carefully thinking over what to say next. Finally, she replied.

"My real name; the name I was born with. My surname is…" she struggled to remember "Kanade. And… my given name is Kaede."

"…Kaede-san…" Mayu murmured, as if trying it out.

"…How very long it's been since someone's called me by that name…" she sounded wistful.

"Right" Kaede said as she snapped out of it. "I am what is called a Diclonius, as is Nana. We're a genetic offshoot of humanity."

"Nana-san explained some of it to me the night we first met" Mayu said.

"Ah" Kaede replied. "…Well, this is still new for Nozomi-san, am I right?"

The quiet black-haired girl nodded, looking very attentive.

"Anyway…" Kaede continued. "All Diclonii are marked by two distinctive features. One is that we all have hair in some shade of pink, purple, or – on rare occasions – red, along with always having red eyes. The other is the pair of horns growing on the sides of our heads, from the temporal and parietal regions of our skulls. Our main feature, though, are these."

She concentrated a bit, and four translucent, ghostly appendages became visible emerging from her back, ending in human-like hands.

"These are my vectors. They're telekinetic appendages. All Diclonii have them, though the amount and range vary by individual; Nana and I both have four, but I have a 2.5-meter range while she has a 6-meter range. They are invisible in their default state, but with a bit of concentration we can make them visible."

Nana proceeded to do so with her own vectors. Mayu and Nozomi stared in wonder at the two girls' spectral appendages.

"They can be used like normal hands," Kaede continued, "to grab and maneuver things, although their strength is significantly higher than what normal humans can do. I can heft a rowboat over my head with these and throw it 30 feet. Also, they can pierce or cut through all sorts of things; wood, stone, metal… or people; I can cut a person in half vertically with a single stroke… and I have."

"S-So when Nyū mentioned the "Other"…" Nozomi started.

"I try my hardest to limit my kills to those who go after me first, or who have tried to harm me or those important to me in the past. …Whenever I've tried to not kill someone, the Other has wrenched control and done it herself. But no longer; Nyū and I have full control now."

"Um…" Mayu spoke up. "When Nana-san sort of told me what she knew about you… Why do you hold such hatred of us humans?"

Kaede's eyes closed, a small frown on her face. "Because in my life, I have only met five humans who did not call me or treat me like a monster, a freak, a beast to be put down. I live with four of them now; the fifth was murdered three years ago by those humans who wanted to see me dead and cared not who was caught in the crossfire. …She was dying. The man named Kurama offered a deal: I be taken captive by the organization he served, and they would save Aiko. …He lied. He let her die." She looked to a shocked Nana, her voice rising. "That is why I hate your 'papa' with all that I am. That's why I've tried to kill everyone he cares for: so he would know how I felt when he murdered one of my best friends!"

Nana couldn't speak, too shocked for words.

'Papa… d-did what?'

Kaede was seething, trying hard to keep her anger from weakening the seal on her Other. She felt Nyū pitching in, draining her anger away, leaving her sad and tired. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder; she looked up, seeing Nozomi with a sad but comforting and understanding expression. Kaede gave a small smile in return and nodded in thanks.

"…You mentioned an organization taking you captive" Mayu said. "What… did they do to you?"

Kaede got a far-off, haunted look in her eyes. "I don't feel comfortable talking about it right now. And I don't want to give either of you nightmares… which is exactly what it was like: one long, terrifying, agonizing three-year nightmare…"

"I don't wanna talk about it either" Nana added. "It was… really bad. Maybe some other time, but not now. Please not now."

Kaede sighed. "The thought of seeing Kōta again is the only thing that kept me going…" she murmured.

The other three girls perked up. "Wait" Mayu asked. "You knew Kōta-san before you came here?"

Now she realized she'd just said her thought aloud. She cradled her forehead in her hand for a few seconds. "Yeah. He doesn't remember me, though; his memory of me has been suppressed, it seems like."

"Why?" Nana asked.

"Because his memories of me are linked to those of when his father and younger sister were murdered right before his eyes."

The three girls went a little pale at that revelation.

"He's suppressed the memories of their deaths and of the time leading up to it. He knows now that they're dead, but he's been told it was in a car crash. …I was around 10 years old. I lived in an orphanage. The staff treated me well, all smiles… until they thought I was out of earshot; then they revealed how 'freakish' they really thought I was. But the other kids were far, far worse. There was this one boy, Tomō, and his cronies. They were always insulting me, pushing me around. I bottled up my emotions and did my best to muddle through it. Then… they found the little puppy I'd been taking care of. Tomō had his biggest goon hold me in place while he beat the dog to death right in front of me. And then… I awakened.

"That was the day my Diclonius powers awakened, as did my Other. Tomō, his underlings, the girl who'd sold me out to them… I slaughtered them all – covered the floor and walls in their blood and the mangled, shredded pieces of their bodies. After that, I ran away from the orphanage. And then Kōta found me." A warm little smile graced her features. "He was the first person to treat me with kindness and acceptance. Where others saw my horns and called me a freak, he thought they were cool. We hung out, had fun together… I fell in love with him. Then… something happened. I really, really don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry."

"T-That's okay" Nozomi replied. "If it's painful for you, we won't pry." Nana and Mayu nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

"…I've misjudged you so badly, Lu- erm, Kaede-san" Nana said. "I'm sorry."

"…It's okay. I didn't exactly give you reason not to, now did I? I'm… tired. I think I'm going to let Nyū take the reins now. I'll still be here, though; when one of us is in control now, the other can see and hear parts of what they do."

"Thank you for telling us everything, Kaede-san" Mayu said. "This is… a lot to digest, really."

"It is" the older girl replied. "Thank you for letting me get some things off my chest."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

"…Friends… I like that. It's been three years since someone's called me their friend. …Thank you, Mayu-chan."

With that, her eyes went glazed over for a few seconds as her head hung low. When she picked up again, it was Nyū.

"Like I said," Nyū said sadly, "she's been through a lot of pain. We – you three, Yuka-san, Kōta, and now me – need to help her heal. …Kōta and Yuka need to know about all this tomorrow, okay?"

"We'll tell them" Mayu replied, Nana nodding.

"Right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use my newfound knowledge of reading to enjoy that book of- Nyuuu!-!"

The girl suddenly leapt up, and a vector lashed out and downward, an invisible palm smashing the unfortunate cockroach that had scurried across and over her bare foot when she'd stood up and tried futilely to make a break for beneath a nearby dresser.

"Nyew-ew-ew-ew-ew-ewww!-! It, it crawled on meee~!-! …N-Nana-chan, can I sleep with you in your room tonight please? I don't wanna wake up to find one perched on one of my horns or something."

"S-Sure" Nana replied. "…I don't see what the big deal's about; it was just a cockroach. Nothing to be af…"

She turned to notice Mayu and Nozomi holding each other.

"Oh, what? Am I the only one not scared of those things?"

"Yes!" the other three girls chorused.

The rest of the night was uneventful; Kōta and Yuka came home, Mayu mentioned that she, Nana, and Nozomi had something important to tell them tomorrow, and everyone went to bed (Kōta: "Nyū, that's Nana's room."; Nyū (points to her own room): "Cockroach. Big. Maybe more."; Kōta: "Ah. Okay, then."). The Maple House was soon quiet.

Not too far away, a shadowy creature crept through the night, unseen and unheard, gathering data for its master…

-CHAPTER END-

1. For those wondering: yes, Nozomi is a canon (though manga-only) character. Yes, she IN CANON has to wear diapers due to psychological and physiological damage courtesy of her abusive father. Yes, she bears startling resemblance in personality to Erika, and no that is not intentional on Lance-the-Young's part (I don't think he'd even heard of Elfen Lied before I mentioned it off-handedly to him once).

2. A good explanation for what Lucy/Kaede and her "Other" are like… Anyone watch Red vs. Blue? Kaede's Other is like Omega – and not the comic-relief like when he's possessing Caboose or Doc, but the ultra-serious, scary-as-shit, hatred-incarnate demon-A.I. from early in the series and from the Season 10 flashbacks, providing a constant artificial boost to the partner/host's aggression and battle-lust, making them more brutal and short-fused, and only a hair's-breadth away from killing everyone & everything. Remember S. 10 ep. 15? "Do it. Finish her. We know you want to…" Yeah, like that. Except, unlike Omega with Tex, if Kaede "disobeys", her Other can more often than not ASSUME DIRECT CONTROL and start killin' things personally. Well,she could, anyway…

The next chapter may or may not come out soon. If it's not out by November 6th, you know it'll be a little while, and you know exactly why. Until then!