Over the next week, Katsuragi began visiting Lucy almost every day. He had immediately taken to considering her his friend, but it had taken a while for him to crack her shell and convince her that he truly was out for her best interests. It had gotten to the point that they'd managed to form some weird friendship with each other, mainly based on Lucy's inability to leave her bed, so she really didn't have much choice in the matter, but it wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought it would be.
Katsuragi did everything he could to make her feel at home, even in the sickeningly sterile hospital room, and it was honestly both sweet and terrifying to her that he tried so hard. It was like he was trying to convince her to forget that he worked for the organization that kept her captive, as if he was just some family member visiting her.
It wasn't quite enough for her to forget, but she had to admit that he was better company than the purely professional doctors that came by every day to give her her medication and ask questions that she still refused to answer.
She found it more bearable when he was alone as well, without the woman who constantly was buzzing around his back. She still didn't know her name, but she didn't really care. That woman had the air of a DRI employee, professional and with an obvious hatred for the horned beings, the complete opposite of Katsuragi's excitable nature.
This time, he had come alone, and was oddly pushing an empty wheelchair in front of him, stopping in front of her bed with it and smiling.
Lucy tilted her head at the wheelchair and looked at him. "What is this for?" she asked.
"Well, you're not going to be able to walk on your own for a long time now, since you've still got quite a bit of healing to do and your spinal column's pumped full of chemicals, so I'll be taking you out."
"Out where?" she asked. He couldn't have meant that she was being released, there was no way that the institute would just let her go free.
"Oh, I guess you don't know. These doctors don't seem to like giving you much news about the other goings-on in the institute, do they?" he asked. "I sent someone out a couple days ago to pick up your family, and they should be here right about now."
Lucy's eyes widened. "M-My-?"
Katsuragi waved his hand. "Not that one. Far as I know the investigation to find your biological family has been unsuccessful. I mean, Saori-san and the others."
If she hadn't been unable to walk, Lucy would have probably jumped out of her bed at the statement. "Kohta's here?!" she asked, staring at the man.
He laughed. "Yes, he is, and so are the others. I had to pull a few strings to let Nana stay here without being recaptured, but everyone's here. They've all missed you, Kaede."
She still found it strange when he called her by her real name, but by now, she'd given up trying to stop him from doing so, and besides, she had far more important things on her mind right now.
"Help me out of this bed." she said, a barely concealed tone of a mixture of excitement and guilt in her voice. "I don't know why he wants to see me again after he finally remembered me, but I want to at least see him."
She raised her arms to Katsuragi in a position that showed that she wanted him to help her move, ignoring how awkward it felt to be doing such a thing. Seeing them again was just too important for her to care how weak she may or may not look.
Katsuragi laughed and took her hands, gently pulling her forward so she could slide off the bed. He wrapped one hand around her back in order to lift her, before bending over to set her down in the chair. "Have to say...I've had to help plenty of injured Diclonii before, but I've never had to help one into a wheelchair."
Lucy shifted as much as she could in order to sit comfortably in the chair, and stared up at him. "Okay, take me to them." she said. "And you know that I'm trusting you quite a bit here. Don't betray that trust. I still can use one Vector at least." Even if he could probably stop it anyway.
Katsuragi laughed, getting behind the wheelchair so he could take the handles in his hands and start pushing it towards the door. He stopped for a brief moment to talk to one of the doctors nearby, who backed away when he explained why he was taking her out.
As he walked down the hallway, which to Lucy had a far more bearable scent to it since it wasn't full of antibacterial sprays, and there was more sounds, of people walking along the pathways and conversing with each other.
She didn't recognize this part of the Institute, but then again, she hadn't been to many areas during her time here and subsequent escape.
