Kakuzawa was waiting by his car on a lonely stretch of road. Everything had gone as planned. He'd entered one of the secondary lab control rooms and entered his father's pass codes into the system. That allowed him to override all the systems within the base. That was how he put the, 'fix' in whenever he went to see Lucy. Tonight he'd shut off the main power. The backup generators had kicked in immediately, but many of the security and surveillance systems had been put off live to conserve power. The clamps on Lucy's wrists and ankles were specifically designed not to unlock in case of power failure. He'd had to use the override to free her. Once that was done he hadn't needed to do much more. Lucy and her incredible abilities had taken care of the rest. The only other thing he'd had to do was open one of the outer doors following the lock down. He'd then been able to slip away in all the confusion.

He's already hidden the scuba gear and a key to her helmet. He'd told her where he would be waiting for her. He had clothes waiting for her in his car. He would take her back to his place where he was sure she would be safe. After all who would expect an escaped diclonius to be hiding out with a researcher? The thought of Lucy, naked and wet coming out of the sea aroused him. The thought of her naked and tied to his bed excited him even more.

XXXXXXXXXX

She'd gone out the open door and then found the scuba equipment. As important she'd found a key to unlock her damn helmet. Scuba tanks didn't really matter in you couldn't put on the snorkel and goggles. When the helmet came off it was, literally, a weight off her shoulders. She quickly tied on the tanks and put on the snorkel and goggles and leapt naked into the ocean. With her vectors she was able to move like a shark just beneath the surface.

I'm free! I'm finally free again! A part of her brain told her that all this meant was that she was just in a new section of hell and that she could expect some sort of torment to begin soon. Most of her was just exhilarated to finally be out of that place. Even if she did end up in some new pit at least it would be a different pit from the one she'd endured all these years.

As she was swimming she spotted the land mark Kakuzawa had mentioned. She wondered just how long he would sit there waiting for her. Idiot will probably still be there when the sun comes up. He had freed her from that place. As thanks she had decided that she would never kill him. In her mind this was no small thing. Only three people had ever been put on the, 'never kill' list. But as with Kurama, being on the list didn't necessarily mean she liked him. Yes, he had done her a huge service by freeing her. But he had done it for his own selfish reasons. She didn't intend to become his personal sex slave out of gratitude. She'd actually told Kurama what she did because she'd known it would hurt them both.

Swimming past the land mark she headed for the shining lights of Kamakura.

XXXXXXXXXX

She headed for a darkened section of the beach and came out of the surf unobserved. She quickly shed the equipment and ran onto the beach. She headed for the nearest little house.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naru had finally gotten everything unpacked and had made herself a late dinner of rice and stir fried chicken. The first day of school was the day after tomorrow. She was a college fresh man and couldn't wait to get started. Mom and dad had gotten her a nice place to live while she was here and were providing for her. She couldn't wait to go to university; she hoped to make lots of good friends and amazing memories.

She was surprised when she heard a knock on her back door. The back porch faced the beach. She wasn't nervous as she went to answer it though, this was a safe neighborhood. When she opened it she was dumbstruck. There, standing in her doorway, was a naked girl! And were those horns sticking out of her head?

The naked girl took one look at her and smiled. "Wonderful!" She said. "You're a girl and I think we're the same size."

"What?"

That was the last thing Naru ever said. Without warning something grabbed her jaw and twisted her head straight back until there was a loud snap.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lucy was gobbling down the dinner her late host had unwittingly cooked for her. It was so good! During her years in that place she'd forgotten about all the little joys that even life in hell could have. Things like real food, a hot bath, shampoo, television, music, and just curling up in a nice warm bed. For the past how many years she had been treated like a lab rat, not like a human being.

She'd been fed a nutritious gruel twice a day every day. It tasted like cardboard and they never gave her quite enough of it. She lived being perpetually a little hungry. Though in good health. (Wouldn't want the lab rats dying of malnutrition before they could be tortured to death in experiments.) Every morning and every night she was hosed down, very much as a dog might be. Each night she went to sleep in her cage suspended in a standing position. She'd learned to sleep that way since she'd had no choice.

She ate the whole meal, every grain of rice, every scrap of meat, and every bit of vegetable. She drank hot tea with her food. When she was done she actually felt full for the first time in years.

Next she went to the bathroom. She was delighted to see an actual tub as well as a wide assortment of soaps, shampoos, and (YES!) bubble bath! Entering the bathroom there was a mirror above the sink. She stopped to stare at the stranger looking back at her. So this is what I look like. She could see some of her old face looking back at her, but there were differences too. She noted her horns had gotten bigger; she tried not to dwell on that. She concentrated on her other features; her long red hair, red eyes, small nose, cheeks, chin, ears, and mouth. She smiled, frowned, looked serious, looked silly, she tried to make as many different faces as she could. Am I pretty? She wondered. She thought so but didn't know if she would really judge. Would Kouta think I was pretty?

"Stupid," she muttered to herself. She started filling the tub with hot water and dumped half a bottle of bubble bath into it. Seeing all the bubble fill and then overflow the tub actually made her laugh and feel almost gleeful. She got in and soaked. It was heaven.

She lay out on a nice soft bed watching television as she munched on cookies. The fact there was a dead body not fifteen feet away didn't enter her mind. It was a very nice little house. She wouldn't have minded staying a few days, maybe even a week if she could bury the body somewhere. But she didn't dare. She felt it would be safe for one night, but only one. She would get up early tomorrow to search for money, jewels, and anything else she could pawn. Then she would pick out some clothes and go. She meant to get as far away from that place as she could. After so many years of being a lab rat though she had definitely earned this short respite and the chance to actually feel human again.

She drifted off to sleep in that nice warm bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

She left the house early the next morning. She'd really lucked out. The girl had, had an envelope stuffed with money. She'd also had quite a few pieces of gold jewelry. Lucy picked out a cute knee length skirt and blouse. She's also found a backpack like college students used. She'd decided to fill it with clothes and take it with her. She also found a cute little beret that covered her horns. She raided the fridge and cupboard and filled up on fruits, nuts, and bread. She didn't know how to cook but that was all right, it wasn't like she was a picky eater.

It had been a long time since she'd been in Kamakura. She thought she still knew her way though. She was headed for the train station. She had plenty of cash and was going to buy a ticket for the first train that would take her anywhere, so long as it was far from here. As she was going she spotted something familiar.

"Oh, I remember this place!"

It was a stairway leading down to the beach. She stopped and stood there on the top step. She and Kouta had been here once, years ago. It had been after that wonderful day at the zoo. The two of them had stood right here at this very spot and looked out upon the ocean at sunset. It wasn't sunset now, but it was the same view and the same ocean. After all this time, coming here she felt a connection to that special day. She felt a connection to Kouta. Though she needed to go she remained there, just soaking in the view. She would never be back again and wanted to remember this. She knew it was unlikely she would ever see Kouta again. This was probably as close as she would ever come. She just wanted a few minutes to enjoy this feeling.

"Excuse me," a polite voice asked. "Are you lost?"

She turned around to answer, only to have her heart suddenly skip a beat. It was him. His face had changed some as hers had; he'd grown from a boy into a man. But she recognized him instantly all the same.

"Kouta," she whispered.

The boy blinked in surprise. "I… I'm sorry have we met?"

She was a little disappointed that he didn't recognize her like she did him. But she could understand, it had been years and she had changed. Well one thing hadn't changed. "Come with me," she grabbed his hand and started pulling her down the stairs towards the beach.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I just need to show you something."

XXXXXXXXXX

On the beach she'd looked around and spotted a small abandoned tool shed. It was perfect. She dragged him into it and then shut the creaky door.

"What are you doing?" He asked nervously. He didn't know what to make of this very beautiful but strange girl.

She looked at him and could feel her heart pounding like it would burst. She'd dreamed of this moment, lived for this moment. This was it, she was going to apologize to him and beg for his forgiveness. And then she would confess her feelings. Reaching up she pulled off her beret revealing her horns. "It's me Kouta, Lucy."

"Lucy?" He stared blankly at her horns. An image flashed in his mind; a little girl. He heard her voice filled with such unfathomable hatred as she called him a liar. He felt an abrupt unspeakable terror filling him, it made him shake and his knees go weak.

Seeing him shaking and about to fall Lucy reached out and grabbed a hold of his arm. "Kouta are you…"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!" He screamed at her and jerked his arm away. She jumped back as well. But his sudden shout brought the episode to an immediate end. The strange memory and the emotions it inspired vanished like smoke in the wind. "I'm… I'm sorry; I don't know why I did that." He bowed to her in apology. "Please accept my apology."

Lucy stood there and looked at him in sad understanding. "It's all right Kouta you have the right to be angry with me."

"What?" He looked at her in confusion. "I'm not angry with you; I don't know why I just said that."

"You said it because of what I did to you."

His eyes blinked rapidly. His confusion was mounting. "What you did to me? I'm very sorry, but have we met before today?"

Now she looked at him in confusion. "Wait, are you saying you don't remember me?"

He had an embarrassed grin. "I'm sorry but I don't."

She stared at him. How is it possible? I mean it's not like he could have met a lot of other girls with horns. Not to mention what I did to him. How can he not know me?

"I'm sorry, it's obvious you know me, but I don't know from where. Could you please tell me how we know each other?"

"All right," she said slowly. "We met here as children during the summer nine years ago. You became my treasured friend and we played together. And… and I was on the train as you and your family were leaving."

At her explanation some understanding began to enter his eyes. "Oh, now I think I understand. Nine years ago was the last time I came here with my family. I don't have a lot of memories from that summer. You see shortly after returning home my father was killed in an accident and my little sister developed a terminal illness."

Accident? Illness? What is he talking about? "Your father died in an accident and your sister died of a sickness?" She asked clarifying.

"That's right," he said with a nod. "That was a very rough time for me and I spent a lot of time in a hospital. I lost a lot of memories from back then, so if we knew each other I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

"I… I see," she said. And she did. What she had done to him had been so traumatic the only way he could deal with it was to completely obliterate the memory. He'd invented a different sort of tragedy to explain the loss of his family, something a nine year old mind could accept. He really had forgotten her.

That at once excited and saddened her.

She couldn't help but feel sad knowing that all the times they'd shared, the happiest moments in her life, were nothing but a blank space to him. She couldn't apologize to him now. How could she give him a meaningful apology for something he didn't remember?

But on the other hand, this was something she'd never dared hope for. The chance for a real fresh start. All the sins of the past had been wiped clean. He wouldn't hate her now. She had an honest chance to win his heart.

She wouldn't be leaving Kamakura now. No matter how dangerous it might be she was going to stay right here and be with him. She put her beret back on. "I'm very sorry for your loss Kouta. I understand now that you don't remember me, but I still remember you. If, if you don't mind do you think we could get to know each other again? I would really like that."

He couldn't believe that such a beautiful girl was showing an interest in him. "Sure, I'd really like that. I noticed your backpack, are you a student at the university?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes I am." She didn't like lying to him but there was no avoiding it. For his own sake for their sake she had to hide the truth.

He looked at her nervously. "Would you, uh maybe, like to get some lunch with me and look at the campus?"

"I would love to Kouta!" She eagerly took his arm and leaned against him. She deliberately let his arm brush against her breast. "Oh, but could you please keep my horns a secret? I don't like people knowing about them."

He nodded. "Sure, but personally I think your horns are really cool."

She felt thrilled. He hasn't changed. "Kouta I knew you would say that."