-Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING. LOVE D

Warnings- Spoilers. Yeah. All I can really think of outside of the classic Elfen Lied warnings.

NOTE- I don't know much about school systems in Japan, but I do know that they get out for a month or something in the summer. oO; I'm not sure WHEN this is or for how long exactly, but I know it's in the summer. A teacher told me that, so it's what I'm going by.

Chapter Two- Wishing You Were Here

Weeks had passed and Yuka's health had returned to her. The summer had come and the short vacation had already started. Yuka sighed and leaned against her kitchen counter, thinking to herself. Kouta had been amazingly quiet recently, even though he usually was these days. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the world outside her open window, the breeze blowing through the area, making the trees and plants rustle softly.

"Yuka?"

Yuka turned around to face Mayu, who was smiling a little at her. "Oh, Mayu. Awake already?"

"Mm! What are you doing up so early, Yuka? Aren't you still recovering?"

"What? Oh, no! I'm fine!" Yuka smiled and started washing dishes. "Just fine."

From the look on the fifteen-year old's face, it was obvious that she didn't completely believe Yuka. Of course, she believed that it wasn't Yuka's health that was bothering Yuka, but something else. "Let me take care of those, Yuka."

"Are you sure, Mayu?"

"Yeah, I can wash those. There must be something else that needs to be done, right? Opening the windows or something," she smiled brightly. "Or maybe some grocery shopping? You should get out of the house, Yuka, you've been cooped up too long."

"Now listen to you, Mayu! You sound so mature right now," Yuka said, moving aside to let the younger girl wash the dishes. She dried her hands on a dish towel. "But you know, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll go get some things for tonight's dinner, hm?"

"That does sound like a good idea!" Mayu smiled brightly at her again, washing the dishes carefully.

Kouta sat under a tree in the garden of the inn. In his hands, he held a wooden music box. On the cover was written "Lilium" in beautiful cursive and the inside had two compartments lined in red cloth. As he had it now, the cover up and the box wound, it played a short, sad melody that floated around him, filling him with memories. Inside the music box, nestled safely in one of the compartments, was a pink shell. It was nothing more than a regular pink sea shell that one could find on the beach without too much trouble. But to Kouta, it had a special meaning.

As the music box continued to play, looping the song over and over, tears slipped down Kouta's cheeks. His shoulders shook a little and he hunched over a bit. "Nyuu..." he whispered, and then corrected himself once more, "Lucy..." Kouta took the shell in his hand and remembered when Lucy had given it to him, as a way to apologize for breaking a memento of his sister. He continued to sob to himself, repeating her name a few times.

Kouta had waited. He had waited and waited and waited, but she had never come back. She had never come back like she said she would. More tears slipped down his cheeks and he wondered, wondered hard, where she had gone. What had happened? What stopped her from returning? These were the questions that had nagged at him for the past year since she had been gone.

At this point, Kouta knew it was completely useless to keep hoping Lucy would come back. He knew, but he couldn't stop himself from hoping, from...From wishing. Wishing that she was here with him, where she belonged. He still loved her more than he could have ever imagined, and it hurt terribly.

Kouta didn't want to imagine another year without her. He didn't want to have to live through another year without her there, by his side, like she said she would be.

Meanwhile...

A woman with pink hair sat at a table in a small restaurant. She wore ribbons in her hair, large ribbons with lace in them, and her dress was long and frilled. Quietly, she watched the patrons of the small diner walk in and out as they usually did. Her hands were steepled before her and she moved to rest her chin against them.

"Hey, you," came a voice from the corner of the room, directed towards her. "Girl with the ribbons."

She didn't bother to give him an answer, she merely stared out the window of the establishment. An annoyed look appeared on her face and she fought down the urge to just rip him to shreds right there and then. She knew this was frowned upon and she also didn't want to attract any attention to herself. As it stood, she was still running from the organization that had tried to exterminate her a year ago, she wasn't willing to give in to a few instincts and get found out again.

Standing, the man in the corner walked over to her table. He was dressed in a trench coat, despite the heat, and black pants with a black shirt. His hair was long and tied back. Pulling an empty chair out beside her, he sat down. "Didn't hear me?"

"I heard you," said she, utterly annoyed.

"Why didn't you answer, sweetie?"

She turned to face him, anger flashing in her red eyes. Again, she fought down the temptation to kill him slowly. 'Agita, agita, agita, agita' she repeated in her thoughts, but shook her head.

"Don't know who I am, do you, Lucy?" A small smirk played on his lips and he watched as a look of pure horror and surprise took over her features. "Don't look so surprised, hun. I know a lot more than you think. More than just your name."

"Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. She wanted him exterminated immediately, but her curiosity took over. Answers to questions she had now preoccupied her mind. Perhaps, if he wore out his usefulness, she would kill him quietly in some back alley.

"The name's Trist. Here to help you, if you don't mind such an outrageous thing. But when you look at it the way I do, it's not like you have much choice, hm? I don't imagine that you have anywhere to stay, any money. I'm almost amazed you have clothing..," he smiled a bit and then continued, "Then again, you're known for killing for things like that."

She gave him no answer, just gripped the end of the table. "What do you want?"

"Just your compliance."

"Compliance?"

"Let's talk somewhere else. Never know who's listening," he stood and waited for her response. He smiled when she stood as well, and the two of them left the small diner.

Keeping a good foot or so behind this Trist character, Lucy followed him to wherever he insisted upon using as a place to work out the details of whatever he was planning. She figured if this wasn't of any help to her at all, she'd just kill him and take whatever he had. From the way he had spoken earlier, he most likely had enough money to spare, and clothing. Of course, she would stay in his home until it was more than obvious that she would have to leave. Then she'd just find another place to stay and the cycle would repeat itself over and over again.

"Can't you walk any faster, Lucy? Or are you just avoiding me?" He gave her a charming grin and continued walking. His blue eyes always glittered mischievously it seemed. Lucy wondered if she could trust this man at all, she wasn't really willing to try. But at this point, he was right, she didn't have much choice.

"I'm not avoiding you," she said coldly.

"Oooo, ICE."

"Oh, be quiet."

Trist chuckled to himself and continued down the street in the direction to his apartment.

After a few more moments of walking down and up streets, across streets, around corners, through parks and by houses, they eventually reached their destination. Trist walked up stairs, down hallways, around corners, up more stairs, through more hallways. The entire pattern was lost completely on Lucy. She was getting tired of following this man around and wondered what it was that he wanted.

'Hmph, compliance my ass. He's just one I them, I bet. And if he is, I can deal with him easily. He's just a human, after all,' were the thoughts circling her mind. She closed her eyes momentarily and sighed and then opened them again, seeing Trist fumbling for a set of keys. When he opened the door, he held it open for her. Lucy stood and stared at him for a few moments before frowning and walking inside.

"One question, Lucy," Trist said as he walked in after her, closing the door behind him.

"What is it?" She was getting rather annoyed just by his presence. Glancing around the room, she found herself in a small living room with a single couch and coffee table. Magazines were scattered on the table and a T.V. sat upon a small entertainment system. From what Lucy could see from her position, there was a kitchen to the left and a small hallway to the right.

"Lucy? Did you hear me?"

"Hm?"

"I said, why do you wear those ribbons?"

"What do you mean?" An agitated tone took control of her voice once more.

"You don't have your horns anymore, Lucy. Why bother wearing ribbons?"

"I LIKE them, is there anything wrong with that," she snapped at him.

He grinned boyishly, "Of course not."

"What is it that you wanted?"

"Compliance. It's simple...I provide you with a place to stay, clothing, food, safety..."

"And what do you want in return?"

Trist grinned, his eyes shining. "You have to help me kill Kakuzawa. Not too much to ask from you, now is it?"

END!

- Did you like? I hope so! Next chapter coming soon. And sorry this took so long. Writer's block, don't ya know.

----Astrid.