Hey there! My third chapter is finished! It might be short, but whatever. I won't waste anymore of your time. Enjoy the story! (note~ I DO NOT own Elfen Lied or its characters, including Juno!)

Chapter Three

Crickets were chirping. Trees rustled in the wind. Birds were flying around twittering good night, but by nightfall, Lucy was growing tired and her arms ached from carrying Juno, who was sleeping. She couldn't feel her feet anymore. She was growing more tired by the second.

Should they go back?

Lucy shook her head. S A T teams were probably still searching for them. Lucy strained her ears for any sound of footsteps, but the only thing she heard right now was her beating pulse and worried breath. Juno whimpered, but she didn't wake up.

Lucy almost stumbled from a fallen log, but she gritted her teeth and kept going. Then she saw something that wasn't probably supposed to be there in a forest.

It was a log shack. It wasn't big, but it certainly wasn't small either. There were four rooms: a small bathroom, a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen. It somehow managed to have electricity and indoor plumbing. The roof was made of some strong clay material that lasted for years to come. It had a large fence around it, and in the backyard was 5 large apple and plum trees. A swing was tied to one, and a hammock was tied to two. There was also a garden.

Lucy got Juno up and showed her the shack. Because she couldn't squeal, she smiled and quietly clapped her hands. Lucy put Juno down and watched her open the door.

For a shack, it was unbelievably clean and large. The lighting was in good shape, there was unlimited edible food in the cupboards and refrigerator in the kitchen ( it also had a stove in one corner), and it actually had running water, hot and cold, and soap in the bathroom. It seemed so much larger than it looked on the outside. The living room had a couch and a couple of large comfortable chairs. A large trunk and a dollhouse sat in the corner, holding a bunch of toys, obviously for Juno. There was a bookshelf with countless books in it. On a shelf sat three things: a toy wooden car, some paper and some pencils, and a small music box. A stone fireplace took up one whole wall.

The bedroom was fairly roomy. There were two good sized beds and a large hammock with a pillow and large soft blanket on it. There was a small window in the corner. On one of the beds was a rag doll. The floor was carpeted in grey.

Juno was so excited she was jumping up and down. Lucy couldn't help but smile so much until her cheeks hurt and tears came to her eyes. Finally, they found a home. And it was in one of the deep parts of the forest too, so that nobody could find anybody. Not even the guards.

Lucy also saw that the bedroom had a closet. It seemed like part of the wall, so you wouldn't really know it was there. It had a sliding door, and inside held a bunch of clothes from jeans and skirts to dresses and shirts and sweaters, all sizes. There was also a chest of drawers, and in them held underwear, socks, hair-bows, and shoes.

" Whoever lived here must have had a family for all these clothes." Lucy muttered as she looked through them for a change of clothing. A brand new fleece blue nightgown for Juno, and a two piece dark faded green nightwear for herself. She brought Juno to the bathroom and again, she couldn't believe her eyes.

The bathtub was like the one at the Kaede house that Lucy used to live in. It already had soap and towels and washcloths. And a small cup for pouring water. Juno took her old tattered nightgown off, with some difficulty, and got in the tub. The water was turned on warm enough for it to steam, but not hot enough to burn her wounds. Juno felt relaxed and happy, and she wanted to share the feeling.

" Will you get in with me?" Juno asked. Lucy stared, kind of surprised at the question. She got a strange faint feeling of anxiety. Why was she scared? It was just a bath. It was probably because she preferred bathing alone. Still, she needed to clean herself up, and this wasn't a cold river she was about to go in.

Lucy hesitated for a minute, and then started taking off her clothes. She grabbed a bar of soap and slowly got in. The tub was kind of deep, the water almost rising up to her neck. Juno was washing her hair and was careful not to touch her horns. After a few minutes, the anxiety feeling faded and Lucy found herself calm and happy, which was rare for her. She was able to clean most of her wounds with a washcloth, but her horns were a different matter. Two vectors came out of her back and started pulling out the jagged stumps. Lucy bit her tongue to keep from screaming, but something caught her throat as she was trying to cry out and gasp at the same time. She felt like she was about to vomit. Finally, the horns were out. They were gone. Two small bald spots were hidden by her hair.

Lucy took a breath of air and sighed. Those horns were the reason she was made fun of, being chased from, and now they were gone. The horns were now in the trash.

Lucy felt like a huge unknown weight just suddenly lifted off her shoulders. She started on her hair while Juno was washing her face. She caught Lucy's eye and went to her.

" Are you feeling okay?" Juno asked. Lucy smiled at the little girl who really cared about her. She put a hand and stroked Juno's wet hair.

" I feel happier than I ever felt in my life. And I'm not exaggerating either." It was true. They now had a home, good food, and guarantee safety from any guards at all. They no longer had to sleep outside in a deserted sanctuary, and they wouldn't have to worry about anybody chasing them.

Both girls got out of the tub, dripping wet, and started drying themselves off. Juno put on her new blue fleece nightgown and twirled around to show Lucy, who smiled and opened the medicine cabinet above the sink. There were toothbrushes, toothpaste, a thermometer, a box of bandages, a comb, and a brush.

Lucy took the comb and started brushing Juno's hair, gently pulling the comb through her wet tangles, and even though Lucy was sure she was hurting her, Juno sat still and didn't complain.

When her hair was smooth, Juno smiled and went into the kitchen to look what food was in there, while Lucy put on her nightwear and combed her own hair. Juno opened a cabinet and saw that there were rice balls, even though she didn't know it. She took two round foiled packages out of the cupboard and ran to the bedroom, where Lucy was getting ready for bed. She saw that Juno had two rice balls in her hands and smiled. Juno ran up to her and gave her one. They sat on the bed as they ate, but Lucy laughed when she saw Juno eating it grain by grain.

" You never had rice balls before?" Lucy asked Juno, who shook her head.

" You just hold it with this piece of seaweed, like this." Lucy showed Juno, who looked at the seaweed in curiousness.

" You mean this dark green stuff?" Juno look up at Lucy, who nodded. Juno took a large bite of the rice ball, her big eyes twinkling and sparkling, and giggled.

" Yummy!" Juno said after she swallowed the bite.

Pretty soon, the rice balls were eaten, the foil was thrown away, mouths were washed, and the beds were ready to be slept on. Lucy got into bed and invited Juno to sleep with her. Juno turned off the light, but leaving a lamp glowing, and climbed in with her. She was tired, but she still had some questions to ask.

" Lucy, will we finally have a good life?"

Lucy looked into Juno's eyes with complete love.

" I can't promise you, but I think we have an excellent chance of surviving." Lucy thought for a moment and smiled. " Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?"

Juno, feeling sleep coming to her, nodded. Lucy started singing softly. Juno smiled when she heard the first note. It was the song Lilium.

When Lucy was by the 4th verse, Juno was sound asleep, but she kept singing. After the song was over, she cuddled Juno close to her and feel into her first easy, peaceful sleep.

Chapter Three is finally finished. Sorry for the bathroom scene ( don't know if you were laughing or irked) but the next chapter is already written and will be posted as soon as possible!

So Lucy and Juno finally found a home, food, and safety. But will this safety last? Or will harm still come to the girls' way? Give me answers and ideas in the comments. Peace out! ;)