In the real world, Lucy slightly opened her eyes. The pillars of sunlight flew through the bullet holes, and one of them beamed right into her eyes. She winced, groaning and using her vectors to help her up, only for a vector to pierce her forehead.

Not again... She felt her own invisible hands decay as Nana sat up from her hiding spot in the corner. Lucy began to feel strange upon seeing her - she didn't look down on her anymore like she did at the graveyard. Now, she felt more remorse towards her than she was even capable of. The seeds of emotion which were once sprouts were starting to bear fruit.

"You really think I'd let you get up, did you?"

Lucy was about to say something, when she realized she couldn't move. She looked down and saw that she'd been tied down to a piece of furniture. "I won't let you go. Not after last night. Not after what you did to Kouta" Nana traced the thin line that separated her fake leg from the stump of her thigh. "Especially after what you did to me" Another small wave of guilt washed through Lucy, and she recoiled at her newfound emotions. 'I'm not supposed to feel sorry' she thought. 'I'm not supposed to like that pitiful human. Kouta, his name was it?'

"I felt Kaede's presence inside you"

The captive turned back toward her captor. "I hate you so much for what you did to my arms and legs" she glared into Lucy's eyes. "If I didn't sense Kaede in you, I would have crippled you like you did to me"

"You should have when you had the chance"

"Was that a threat? You're tied up now, and I took your vectors away. You really think you can get me now?"

"No" she turned her head ever so slightly, looking away. "If you wanted revenge, you should have taken it" she mumbled. For the first time to Nana, Lucy actually sounded sorry. "You can still do it if you want"

Nana hesitated. This couldn't be Lucy. "You aren't going anywhere" she slipped out of the room. Lucy was alone again, staring at the beams of light that penetrated the house. Specks of dust floated by as they passed in through the light.

'That worm' she thought, reverting back to herself. 'She did more to me than give me my vectors back'

Footsteps sounded off through the house. Nana's plastic footsteps made soft thumps, while two other pairs of footsteps were a lot louder.

The door opened, and Mayu stuck her head through. "She's still awake" her head turned to a person in the hallway.

Lucy didn't know who that rat was talking to, but she could remember her face well. That was the little girl she'd punched in the nose. Now Lucy was starting to feel bad for what she'd done to the younger humans. In fact, when Lucy looked close enough, she could see the bruise she'd inflicted on Mayu's nose.

The raven haired teen moved aside, and the man with glasses walked in. She recognized him instantly, and her other emotions faded as the familiar feeling of rage replaced it. Nana's footsteps and the other girl's faded away as Kurama closed the door behind him.

"So" he pressed his finger up to his glasses. "I heard you're back"

"Who's back?" Lucy tried to put on a more pleasing look. Kurama scoffed at her ruse. "You can try to play stupid, but your eyes aren't lying" he looked into the venomous orbs. "Fine" Lucy relaxed. "What do you want, human?"

"I want to know how you came back" he pressed his glasses back up to his nose. "Kaede obviously was feeling a bit off last time I saw her, and I had a feeling you would come back, but not this fast"

"I always was here" she kept the hate in her eyes. "I was always Lucy. This...girl you all speak of, she was a creation of my mind - a split personality...One who served me only to quell my hatred for humans" Kurama shifted, paying close attention. "I was on the brink of killing everything back then, only at a few years of age. I was born with this knowledge, but I had a hard time controlling my impulse - I created a alternate personality, who I made to give everyone a good image of me - if I killed everyone at once, I would not be able to survive...I would have been caught, but I needed to lay low - get everyone's trust. Get all the humans' acceptance. If I did, over time I would become strong enough to destroy all of you"

"But you couldn't"

"No" she said. Humanity began to show in Lucy's words. "It thought she was a full entity - eventually, she took on a full personality, becoming a true being" she paused. "When I saw that the world wasn't accepting of us through her eyes, I made my move, taking control of her hate and fear when it seeped out of her - I made a pact that day...she killed the maggots of the earth, those...bullies - and I...We became one again - I was able to work through her, make her my puppet, while still keeping a low profile" she said. "Without her, I would be killing everyone, and I'd be taken down before my true potential was filled."

Kurama kept a stoic face. "You sound like her"

"What?" the venom returned. "I do not!"

"You're starting to sound hurt and pitiful" Kurama pulled a picture out of his pocket. Holding it up, he asked, "Who is this to you?"

"Oh..." a small gasp made it's way out of her mouth, though Lucy wished it didn't.

It was the girl Kaede made friends with, Aiko. Her face was unmistakable after experiencing the memory.

Kurama began to look interested. "Who is she to you?" he repeated. Kaede gazed blankly at the paper. "Magician" she said. Kurama raised his eyebrow. "What?"

"She called me a magician once" Kaede sat in thought.

"No, she called Kaede a magician." Kurama said softly. "But..." Lucy suddenly realized she was turning into Kaede.

Kurama put the picture back into his pocket. "I thought so"

"What?" the old Lucy came back, and the soft look on the murderess's face faded away.

The last time Kurama had talked like this to her as Lucy was when she was still chained up. Any second now, she could kill him, but he had a hunch she wouldn't.

"You seem to be slowly merging personalities" the glasses began to fall onto his nose. He pushed them up, sighing.

"What do you mean? That cannot be"

"Of course it's happening. You may be switching out with Kaede and Nyuu, but slowly, you're showing signs of being Kaede"

It all made sense now. Kaede had stuck a mind hand into Lucy's head.

"While you wait, I'm going to give you a glimpse of my life - the one I could have had if it weren't for you, Lucy. I'll show you what it's like to be loved and to lose friends"

The diclonius seemed to be in understanding. Kurama scoffed. "I thought I was talking to a really angry Kaede when I came in here" he said. "If she wasn't merging with you, I probably would have joined your body count in pieces"

"Don't think I still can't do that"

"I already had Nana stop you"

"I can crush that gnat with a vector. Take the only other thing off her that I should have done a long time ago" Kurama began to look at her strangely.

"What are you looking at pest?" Lucy demanded. "You don't hear that?" he glared at her.

"Hear what?"

"You said you wanted to kill Nana - but your voice" he paused. "It sounds so...unsure"

"What? It can't be! I'm serious! I will kill all of you! Starting with Kouta!"

"Now you're using names"

"What's your point? It doesn't make me Kaede"

"There you go" he pointed at her. "Names. You only referred to her as 'gnat' or 'it' before. When you first saw me enter the room, you called me 'Human'"

Now that she thought about it, there was a slight tingle in her head whenever she was out of her usual self.

"I'm going to tell Kouta and Yuka about your new development" he stood up to leave her. The sound of someone crying out in pain blasted from behind him.

"Wait!"

Kurama turned around. Lucy was looking at him with wide eyes and a pleading look on her face. "It's me, Kaede, quick! Untie me!"

"Like I said" Kurama turned back towards the door, walking into the hallway. "Your eyes cannot lie"

Lucy watched him leave. As much as she tried to put on an innocent face, Kurama was right - Lucy's murderous, killer eyes were her own, and as much as she tried, she could never have Kaede and Nyuu's innocent eyes.

The innocent eyes of a human being.