All Characters portrayed here are property of their respective owners. I don't own any of the animes here. Just my own ideas.
Before we begin
I'm sure none of you will recognize me. I used to plague the Ranma fan fictions back around 2003. I did maybe 5 or six fics for Ranma, only one of which I decided to keep on Since then, I've been hard at work at my goal of becoming a writer. So far, I haven't published anything asides from these fan fictions (which don't count IMO) However, I have several stories in progress, including my second original work, which I hope will be ready by November this year. (/end shameless plug)
Which brings me here. I want to actually see if my writing has improved over the past two years. Also, I'm at a certain point in my writing where all I have to do are edits, and the proper amount of time has to pass between them. I needed something to write, so I started my fourth original novel. But that one is entirely planned out. I'm in no hurry to complete it, so I might as well take a break and return to my roots as it were.
Anyway, this is a crossover Fic. Elfen Lied and Gunslinger Girl (The latter being my all time fav, asides from Ranma) This work will be more GSG and less Elfen Lied and I'm going to try to write it in a way you can understand the Elfen Lied part of it. There are probably spoilers all through out this, so you've been warned.
And one last thing. My updates will probably be sporadic. I have a lot going on in real life as well as my writing career. I'm switching jobs, got a ton of stuff to edit/write and peculiar living arrangements that ensures I can only write every other day. But I assure you, I'll try my very best to make it worth your time and get those updates out ASAP.
But enough of this introduction stuff (Does anyone really read this anyway?) On to the show. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are GREATLY appreciated, be them praise or flame. But most of all, enjoy!
Gunslinger Lied
By: Elidibus (That's me!)
Chapter One
It had been about three days since Yoko had given birth to her beautiful baby girl, Yukino Takeshi, while her and her husband where on a scenic tour of Italy and the surrounding countryside. Yukino had apparently wanted to see the sites for herself, and made herself welcome a full two months before she was due. However, that was nothing modern medicine couldn't handle. In the next few days, after Yoko had healed up, they would take the first flight back to Kyoto and begin their new lives.
"Have you…found out anything about them?" Yoko asked her husband as she lay on her bed, wearing a standard white gown, over which was draped a thin, but comfortable blanket. Her husband, Hikaru, shook his head slowly.
"Nothing. The doctors don't understand what caused them, but they said there should be nothing to worry about. She seems just as healthy as any other normal child. In fact…" Hikaru walked over as to whisper to his wife. "I hear they're finally going to let you hold her for a prolonged period of time."
Yoko beamed all across the room. She was able to hold Yukino for a few moments, but after that, the doctors and nurses carted her off. Asides from a few visits in the maternity ward, she hadn't held her child in what seemed like years. However, there was one thing that concerned her. For some unapparent reason, Yukino had been born with strange growths on her head. Little bony protrusions that looked like horns, or, as once playful nurse commented, "cute little kitten ears."
"Oh, really!" she exclaimed. She sat up just in time to see the nurse enter, holding a small bundle, wrapped up in a tiny, pink blanket.
"Your…child," the nurse said with a smile, trying her best to speak Japanese. Hikaru shook his head, returning her smile.
"Don't worry. We can speak Italian. But thank you for the effort. And our child."
The nurse nodded and walked over to Yoko. Almost greedily, but with motherly care, Yoko scooped the young Yukino in her arms and held her, her smile becoming bigger by the moment.
"Oh…thank you…so much," she said to the nurse. The nurse nodded to her.
"She is really a beautiful child. And perfectly healthy. The doctor says you should be all right to leave tomorrow. But remember to keep her very warm and try to minimize stress on her while on your flight back."
"No problem there," Hikaru said. The nurse flashed him a smiled and left the room, closing the door softly.
"This is going to be quite an adventure…"Yoko said as she gazed into her daughter's eyes. Hikaru came along side the two and sat at the edge of their bed.
"You're right. But she'll be fine. When we get on the plane, I'll purchase all the seats around us, somewhere in the back corner, so she can sleep."
Yoko smiled back at her husband. But before he could even return his wife's warm smile, someone stepped in, making sure the door was closed behind him. It was a male nurse, wearing the trademark light blue scrubs and pushing a wheelchair. He turned up to the two, expectantly.
"Oh, excuse me?" he began. "Are you ready to go?"
The couple returned a puzzled look.
"Go?" Yoko asked. "But…the doctor said we couldn't leave until tomorrow."
This time, the nurse had the confused look. He glanced down at his chart.
"Valerio? And newborn daughter Sara?"
Yoko shook her head.
"No, I'm sorry. We are Takeshi. This is Yukino. But you are right on one thing, she's brand new to the world."
"Oh…excuse me,' the nurse said. He started out of the door, but paused before it. He turned around with a small smile.
"This…might sound weird. But…my wife is a few months away from giving birth. Do you mind if I hold your daughter? From what I can tell from over here, she's completely adorable."
"Ok," Yoko said without hesitation. The man walked up and scooped Yukino gently in his arms. He smiled at the tiny figure in his arms. She let out a small cry and started to wave her hands in the air.
"Guess she doesn't like me," the nurse said, and handed her back to Yoko. He patted Yukino on the head and nodded, thankfully to the two.
"I can't wait. You two are so lucky. Sorry for the intrusion. I wish you the best."
"Thank you. And you too," Hikaru said. With that, the nurse grabbed the wheelchair and exited, closing the door behind him. Sure that no one was around, he reached into the pants he was wearing under his scrubs and pulled out a cell phone.
"Hey, Yamada?" he whispered. "You're right. Room 512. That's where the Diclonius is. No, she's unmistakable. Trademark horns and everything. The two parents looked very young, maybe 25 or so. Yes…there is potential for them to have more children. It's obvious they've come into contact with Lucy at one point in their lives. Ok. I've done my part. Send your guys in whenever you're ready."
The nurse hung up the phone with a sigh. Killing adults, he had no trouble with. But…a newborn? Even if it was for the future of the earth, he didn't like it. However, he had to do what he was paid for.
"E…excuse me," came a small voice from the other side of the Takeshi family's door. The two turned to see a small woman nurse peeking through. She took a moment and nodded to them.
"I'm sorry. The doctor wants to see little Yukino one last time before you go. It will only be for an hour or so, just to make really sure she's ready."
The couple frowned, but relented.
"Very well," Yoko said. The nurse walked over and gently carried the young Yukino away. No more than a few minutes had passed than there was another set of visitors at the door. They were taller gentlemen, wearing professional suits. They both seemed very serious, which made the blood in Yoko and Hikaru's blood run cold.
"Takeshi Yoko and Takeshi Hikaru?" the man on the right asked. The two nodded, slowly.
"Y-yes…" Yoko said. The man on the right stepped forward.
"I'm sure you are wondering about the defects in your child's birth."
Immediately, the two spun around to the man.
"Yes! But we haven't been able to find out anything!" Hikaru began. "Do you know what's going on?"
The man nodded.
"Your daughter is a Diclonius. A mutation of a normal human. More than likely, you were infected several years ago at the hands of Lucy, the escaped Diclonius. These mutants seek the destruction of mankind. Left unchecked, your child Yukino would kill countless hundreds of people. That is…if she is left to grow up."
The room grew silent. At first, the couple wasn't quite sure of what the strange man was saying.
"A…mutant?" Yoko asked.
"That's right. The horns on the head at birth prove it. These mutants exhibit a particularly dangerous persona around humans. They multiply by infecting their hosts with their own DNA. Without our intervention, the world would soon be overrun. You understand that we do what we have to do for the good of the planet."
"What you must…" then, it hit her. Horrified, her eyes widened. "No! You…don't mean—"
"We must kill your child. Please understand."
"Kill my daughter!" Hikaru yelled. "Like hell I would understand! She's my daughter!" Hikaru lunged forward, only to be stopped by a gun to his face, silencer included. The man on the left waved it in a manner to suggest he should back up.
"Understand. We do this for mankind. If we didn't, the human race as we know it would disappear in a matter of decades."
"You won't touch her!" Hikaru said through his teeth. He reared back, about to try and save his daughter, but the door behind him burst open. The same small nurse entered, not aware that there were two people in front of the door. The door struck the man on the left, jarring him and his gun. His finger slipped, firing a shot that pierced Hikaru's heart and imbedded itself in the wall behind him. Hikaru, his eyes wide from the sudden shock, fell over, dead mere seconds later. Yoko and the nurse both screamed at the shot.
"Hikaru!" Yoko screamed. She hopped out of her bed and ran to his side.
"Wh-what's going on!" The young nurse demanded, her voice quivering in fear. The two men calmly looked at each other.
"Raphael, you idiot," the man on the right said. "You always kept your trigger finger too tight. Now look what you've done."
"You've killed him!" Yoko screamed at the top of her lungs, her face red and tears streaming down her face. "You monsters! You killed—"
The man on the left squeezed the trigger again, putting a searing shot through her head. She collapsed in a heap on top of her late husband. The man then turned to the nurse, quivering with fear.
"Pl—please. Don't kill me!" she pleaded. The man shook his head.
"Leo? Think she's seen too much?"
Leo shook his head, sad and irritated.
"This isn't worth saving. I'll get the clean up crew."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone. As he brought it to his ear, a silenced shot echoed off the wall, followed by a shallow thud and the closing of the room's door.
"Hey, this is Leo," the man began. "This mission is a bust. But they won't have any more children. The child? No, I don't know where she is. But we'll find her soon enough. We do have the proper clearance. Just send up someone to clean up this mess. And keep the doctors busy while you're doing it. Right. I'll meet you at the café for payment. It better be a lot."
The man hung up the phone. He sighed and tapped his comrade on the shoulder.
"Let's go," he said as the two walked out of the door and eventually outside. "We've got other contacts to hit and we need to start preparing today. Hopefully, we'll do it right this time."
Raphael said nothing. The two walked outside the hospital and back down a dark, shallow alley where they secretly parked their car. Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. Then, a curious sensation struck his face. It was a warm liquid. Puzzled, he turned just in time to see his comrade's lifeless body slide down the passenger side of his car. Instantly, he knew what happened. He reached into his jacket like a reflex, pulling out a small SMG. But before he could even see it coming, the second shot echoed from a distance, striking him right between the eyes. He fell against his car, lifeless, a victim of a faction out for revenge.
Three days had passed. This was highly unusual, especially for new parents, but it wasn't unheard of. Doctor Halse shook his head at the now parentless Yukino.
"Still no word from her parents?" he asked his PA. He shook his head, sadly.
"No. It's as if they just vanished. There are no records of them getting on any plane or anything."
Doctor Halse sighed.
"Well. I guess this one's going up for adoption. Hopefully, she'll find a nice home. But with her…strange appearance, I doubt she'll live a life outside the orphanage."
Rico slowly opened the door to her and Henrietta's room. It had been a few weeks since the incident with Angelica. No one talked about her any more. Maybe there was good reason behind that. Instead, each girl went on to her normal routine. Currently, Henrietta was examining a small cup of tea in front of her, one eye closed, closely inspecting it as if looking for anything that might seems suspicious.
"Oh. What are you doing?" Rico asked as she closed the door. Henrietta turned up to her with a half smile.
"It's still not tasting right. I don't understand. I did everything I remembered, but something is still wrong about it."
Rico nodded and came up to the small cup. She peeked in quickly and turned back to Henrietta.
"I don't see anything wrong with it."
"Me neither," Henrietta admitted. She set the cup down on the small table before her. "Maybe I added too much sugar?"
Rico walked over and sat down on her bed. It was then Henrietta noticed there were smudges all over her face and the obvious smell of gunpowder all over her.
"So what did you and Jean to today?"
"Oh, just some target practice. He said I needed to be able to identify multiple hostiles more quickly. Then he scolded me for missing my next shot. But I didn't mind. If he says that's what I need to do to get better, then I should do it, right?"
"Right."
"So what are you and Jose going to do with your time off?" Rico asked after she slipped off her shoes. "I heard Jean talking about it."
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in a while."
On that note, their room door opened. Jean stood there and looked towards Rico. The two girls turned to the sound.
"Rico. Let's go. We have something we need to do," he said simply.
"Oh. Ok." Rico threw her shoes back on and hopped up. Jean sighed to himself, almost angered.
"Wash up first, Rico. Then meet me in Lorenzo's office."
"Ok. Sure thing." Rico hurried out after him.
Jean paused just a moment, glancing at Henrietta before turning and leaving in much the same way he had shown up. Now that there was no one else in the room, Henrietta turned back to the mysterious cup of tea. But no sooner had she started mixing some sugar inside, than a knock came from her door.
"Come in," she said. The door opened, revealing Jose in a sharp looking business suit and tie. Henrietta hopped up with a smile.
"Jose!"
"How are you doing today, Henrietta?" he asked. Henrietta folded her hands behind her back.
"Oh, everything's fine. I was just working on my tea, that's all."
"That's good to hear. Never give up."
"Right!"
"Now, we have some business to take care of in Rome. It's apparently enough to interfere in our off time. Lorenzo has assigned us to work with Rico and Jean while Hillshire and Triela are away. This seems fairly urgent and has specific rules that I think you two should hear. Can you meet us in Lorenzo's office as soon as possible?"
"Ok, Jose."
Earlier that evening, Hilshire, with Triela sitting silently beside him, drove along the empty coastline of the northeast shore of Italy, a city called Manfrandonia. Rumors here stated that a high-ranking official of the Republican Faction was currently in a meeting about how to better go about the Independence effort. In effect, slowing down potential threats to their ideas. This latest effort was to send a message to the capital city of Rome by setting up a series of synchronized bombings among the city's top officials, then blaming the actions on smaller gangs, thus causing an uproar for action, at which point, the Republican Faction's propaganda machine would start turning. Hilshire and Triela were to "disrupt" this meeting, sending their own message to the people of the Republican Faction.
The sun started to set, casting all sorts of long shadows over the interior of the city. Slowly, Hilshire made his way through the streets, eventually coming up to a series of small houses on the suburbs. He parked his car in front of a small shopping center, as to not look to suspicious.
"You know what to do," he said to Triela. "Kill them all. This is a secret meeting not even the lower rankings of the Faction know, so the resistance shouldn't be a problem. Get a hold of me when you're done."
"Right," Triela said. She stepped out of the car with little more than a purse hanging off her shoulder. Unnoticed, Hilshire drove off to wait in an inconspicuous location as Triela glanced up to the street signs. Her target was about a third of a block down the street, towards the darker end of the road.
As if she had lived in this area all her life, she walked down the street. The sun had just set; the only light being those from the sporadic street lamps flickering off and on. Slowly, the building she was looking for came into view. She glanced around the general area before breaking into a dash down one of the alleyways and resting her back on the brick building. She expertly retrieved her Sig P230SL from out her purse and raised it to the side of her head. She took a moment to listen, steadying her breathing. There were no sounds, none at all. Not even the normal sounds of the night just starting.
She put the thought out of her mind. Better be prepared for anything, even if she didn't hear anything at all. Just as she was about to infiltrate the building through the window to her left, a small footstep cut her off. She whirled around to the sound. A pair of green eyes stared back at her from the darkness. She lost herself for just a moment, staring at the strange site before the person, most likely a small child, ran off in the night. She sprinted over to see just exactly who that was, but by the time she had rounded the corner, the child was gone.
Well, she hadn't probably seen anything anyway. It was dark out here, and Triela's mostly dark outfit blended in. And her pistol was black as well, so she probably didn't see that. Besides, she couldn't chase after her, even if she did suspect her as being part of a patrol. She had vanished without a trace.
Triela focused back on her task. With one blow of her left arm, she shattered the pane glass window and hopped in, rolling when she hit the ground and pointing her gun into the distance as to be ready for anything.
Nothing. The house was mostly dark, save for a small light down one of the hallways, towards where a bedroom should've been. She slowed her breathing and slowly marched forward, ready for anything. It was apparent that she was in some sort of living room, with small urns or plants and many works of art on the walls. However, something strange made her pause. The plants on the far side of the room were all broken. It looked like someone had just slammed them into the ground for no reason. And in front of the broken shards of pottery and plants was a large, black figure. Triela walked over and tapped the shape with her foot.
It was a person. A man, to be exact. And he was dead, his gun just a few inches from his hand. Triela instantly raised her head, ready for some kind of ambush, but it never came. The house was totally devoid of noise. She stepped over the body and continued her way to the bedrooms, passing by another adjacent room and a bathroom with the lights on. Small dark splotches on the wall coalesced into large stains the closer she got to the bathroom. There had been a fight here, she could tell. Spent ammo casings started to litter the floor around the bathroom. And inside, another dead body. Triela stepped in to see the man slouched over in the bathtub. She walked over and tapped the body. The force of her foot caused the body to shift and roll on to the ground. Triela curled her lip, stepping away in disgust.
Something had sliced the head of this man right off, just like a razor. The cut was clean and almost professional. And in the bathtub, just a huge, red stain. More than likely, the person's missing head.
Now, even Triela started to grow confused, and worried. She hurried out of the room towards the only bright light in the house. Before her were three more dead bodies, strewn about as if they were literally thrown into various areas of the walls. These bodies were in worse shape than the ones before. Appendages were broken, and in some cases, were completely severed from their body. Central in the room was a larger man's body. Triela walked over and turned the body over. The face of the man, frozen in pain, matched the person's face she was supposed to kill. Obviously, someone had beaten her to it. She stepped back, away from the body, noticing that the blood was still warm on her finger. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"Hilshire. This is Triela," she began. She paused a moment. "Look, we've got a problem here. Apparently, someone's beat us to this. Yea, they're all dead. Approximately five bodies. At least that's how many parts I could count. Yea, you heard me. Something butchered these bodies. It looks like it was done with some kind of sharp weapon like a knife. But whoever did it must be pretty strong to slam these full grown men against walls before they died. Got it. I'll take the pictures and meet you outside. Bye."
Triela sighed and pulled out her camera. While she didn't even have to lift a finger on this mission, it struck her as extremely strange. Putting her thoughts aside, she snapped the pictures that Hilshire wanted and met him outside, about another half block down the road.
"So, what's the current condition?" Jean asked Lorenzo as he, his brother and their two young cyborgs stood in his office; ready for any kind of mission he might have in store.
"Hilshire and Triela just phoned in," he began, "And we've got some troubling news. It appears as though someone has beat them to their mission, killing everyone in their target house."
Jose and Jean just stared as Lorenzo.
"I don't see what's so bad about that," Jean admitted. "Perhaps they had it coming?"
"Well, this is a little more severe than the killings that result out of political necessity within the Republic. We've experienced those kinds of killings before. However, this time, the punishment was more severe."
"How so?" Jose asked. Lorenzo straightened out in his chair and leaned forward.
"Five bodies. All of them killed. And not only that, their bodies ripped apart and flung about like children's toys. Triela reports that at least three of them were missing major parts of their body. Arms, Legs. She even found the headless corpse of a man, but could not locate the decapitated head."
"I see," Jose said thoughtfully. "Then this is a big deal. We don't know of anyone that would perform such a high profile killing, even if it was a necessity."
"That's right," Jean said, actually agreeing with Jose. "Usually, they are executed with little to no fanfare. But this story seems like it would be on the front pages of every major newspaper this side of Rome."
"Exactly. The Republican Faction would never perform a killing like this. And as for their political goals, this is too much, even for them. Popular opinion might sway against them if they admitted to even have a small part in this," Lorenzo said.
"And they wouldn't want that," Jose replied.
"Right, which is why I want you two to go down there and investigate. I'm calling Hilshire and Triela back to follow up on some leads in this area. It will be their job to follow up on any thing you two find. We don't know what to expect, so make sure you are prepared for the worst."
Jose and Jean nodded. Jose turned down to Henrietta, standing in perfect fashion.
"Did you hear everything, Henrietta?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Go and get ready. I'll meet you in your room."
"Right." Henrietta left as Jose turned to Jean. He made eye contact briefly with him before Jean started out the door.
"Rico. Get ready. We're leaving soon."
"Yes sir."
So there you go. The first chapter and the hardest one to write. Not only did I have to make it good, I had to put in the hook fairly early, so you'd actually care what happens in my story. Honestly, it's extremely hard to take two adult animes and make them fit the teen rating. I hate how defaults to Teen, but it's necessary. If it's too much, let me know. But i think 15 year olds have seen worse stuff than this online. I don't really like this chapter. The pacing is way to fast for me, in my opinion, but I had a lot of ground to cover. But what do you expect after only a day? And one more thing. It you hate Cliffhangers, don't read any of my stories. They are cheap, but useful, especially when a few days or weeks go in between updates! I hope you liked this. R&R if you like, but I hope you enjoyed it most of all. And if you didn't, tell me why. I'd appreciate it!
Edit: Dang this formatting! It won't let me keep my scene change breaks! Stupid manual entry. What's up with that! I've got to put rulers for scene changes? But i like my little stars! Feh, whatever.