With darkness and shadows surrounding him, Ray sat cross-legged on his bed, staring into the nothingness of his room. His pupils were wide, struggling to take in every ounce of light they could gather. Yet even that gloom, Ray could make out the outlines of the furniture. He did nothing. He thought nothing. He simply sat, enjoying the blackness. Ray had always enjoyed the dark. He often times felt he was the only one who truly appreciated its subtle beauty. It was comforting and concealing. It held a vast wisdom in its silent voice. But more so than anything, darkness was eternal. Everything created a shadow…the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. And when there was no light all, the darkness was all consuming, with nothing to hold it back. Darkness was the world in its purest form…its original form.
Ray abruptly rose from his bed and began pacing around his simply furbished room. The darkness made him feel somewhat nostalgic. Every so often while sitting alone like this, the darkness would stir something deep within him. It was sometimes so unexpected it frightened him. As he walked the length of the room, even through the darkness, he could see himself inside his mind's eye clearly as a mirror. In moments such as this, he felt the understanding the darkness granted to those who appreciated it. He looked back on the many events that molded him into the man that he was now: RAVEN. Many events stood out as they flashed before him, but one event stood out in particular.
Ever since he was little, he was always been considered something of an "odd duck." Nobody was really sure what it was that made him odd, though. The reason was real, yet felt like it wasn't there either. It was as if his soul stank with it for no reason other than to be simply doing so. Never overly popular, he often times found himself the victim of bullying and juvenile pranks. However, he did not care. He always smiled, no matter what happened to him. Because of this, Ray often played alone, and even as he grew older, he didn't seek companionship. There were even times when he would purposefully isolate himself. Although this behavior garnered some attention from the adults, no one gave it much thought. They simply brushed him off as a child who just preferred to play alone.
About the time he started high school, Ray developed a pension for theatre. His favorite plays were tragedies. He fell head first into the worlds of Hamlet, The Spanish Tragedy, and other literature classics, soaking in every word as if it was his food. Whenever asked why he liked tragedies, he always answered them with the same answer.
"I just think they impact you more."
As his high school days passed, he became increasingly enamored with theatre, and soon joined the drama club. Although his parents were less than thrilled with their son's new hobby…believing his dream to become an actor to be a pipe dream, they nevertheless encouraged him in the hopes that he'd become more sociable. But if anything, it only succeeded in wedging himself farther away from people. He began writing several scripts in his free time, all of which usually ended with the protagonist's sad and sometimes gruesome death. He soon earned himself a new name among his classmates.
"Freak."
But their taunts fell on deaf ears. He didn't care what they thought of him. Let them call him whatever they like. All he cared about was his stories. He continued this all the way into college. By this time, his parents had taken a more active role in their son's personal interest. They begged and pleaded with him to pursue a degree in some other field, to stop writing his stories, and to get out and meet other people. However, it was too late at this point. Ray cared little for other people. He had become so withdrawn that he'd even begun to distance himself from his parents, only calling and visiting them simply for appearance sake. However, the memory of one particular visit caused his present nostalgia.
It was spring break and he had just arrived at his parent's house with a bag of clothes for the week draped over his shoulder. He knocked once out of habit. He knew he could have just used his keys to let himself in. But he was in no rush. When no one came, he knocked a second time, louder. Still nothing. Only then did he let himself in using his spare key. He opened the door and stepped inside, into the ominous silence.
"Mom? Dad?" he called out, shutting the door behind him. No one answered. He walked the length of the first floor, trying to find his parents. He finally located them in the kitchen. Both were lying on the floor…face down in a pool of red. The air inside Ray's lungs froze over, and he had difficulty breathing. He dropped his bag and simply stared in shocked stillness. For the first few minutes, Ray felt more afraid than he'd ever been. However, as time passed and as he examined his parent's bodies closer, he found himself suddenly interested. Questions spewed from his mind, his body becoming more relaxed. How had they died? What had they tried to do with their last few seconds of life? What did the killer use to kill them? What could a killer use to kill someone?
Ray sat comfortably in a kitchen chair, gazing intently at his parents as they bled on the sleek, expensive floor. Only after an hour or two of staring at them in silence, and when they began to stink, did he call the police. The police investigation was long winded and eventually ended with no arrest, but Ray didn't care. He had seen something that fascinated him, and he wanted to see more…but not in that way, not in some second-handed fashion. The next time, he wanted to be there in person. It was around this time that the true Ray Henigan finally began to emerge from behind his mask.
Ray dropped out of school immediately after returning to college and joined the army. He trained tirelessly day and night, much to the delight of his superiors. Within no time, he became a remarkable soldier and graduated top of his class. Soon, he was volunteering for every dangerous mission he could get, wanting to see more death. And with every man he killed, his sick obsession grew, and his twisted mind fell farther into the abyss. However, after a few years, he grew bored with guns and bombs. He sought for something more elaborate. And then he discovered something that amazed him.
While on a tour in Japan, he'd come across a man by the name of Kakuzawa. Apparently, he was on good terms with his commanding officer and had heard good things about the young soldier. He was invited to his research facility off the coast of Kamakura once for what he was told would be an "educational experience." It was there he saw them for the first time…creatures that looked human, except for the horns sticking out of their heads. However, what caught Ray's attention the most were their red eyes…eyes as red as the fires of hell. A fitting color, because when complimented with their horns, they very much resembled demons. He then learned of their vectors and what they could do. Kakuzawa told him they were called diclonius and were born to bring an end to mankind. Ray's heart nearly jumped into his throat when he heard this.
The end of mankind?
While listening to Kakuzawa in his absurdly decorated office, and knowing he should have been afraid, he found himself, to the contrary, very intrigued by what he heard. Kakuzawa offered him a place on his Special Assault Team. And Ray seriously considered it, too. He tossed the idea around in his head for months. But before he could answer, Kakuzawa and his research facility were suddenly destroyed. Not long after this incident, he was approached by JERICHO. Not wanting to pass up another opportunity to dive deeper into the world of diclonius, he accepted without hesitation. And the rest, as they say, was history.
Ray walked around the outline of his room for several long moments, looking into the darkness, and feeling disgusted. His reverie had only served to remind him of how much of a disappointment JERICHO really was to him. Not at all what he had expected, JERICHO had proved more interested in a vain attempt of peace-keeping between diclonius and humans rather than aggressively attacking the diclonius problem head on…resorting to violence only when there was no other alternative. These instances were too few and far between for Ray's taste. However, despite himself, Ray let go the briefest smile that was paler and darker than the room. He knew that soon, something was going to change.
The silence was so heavy it was almost deafening. Lucy sat with her legs to her chest, looking down the smooth floor, almost oblivious to her surroundings. If it weren't for the loud rattling of chains, Lucy might have forgotten she had company. It had been a day and a half since her argument with Kohta. In that time, she had come to visit Sakuroka's cell twice. She had begged Kosuke to let her into the cells, and with a pained expression, he had begrudgingly agreed. During both visits, she didn't say anything. While Sakuroka jabbered on about things Lucy couldn't half remember, she just sat there looking at nothing. All she really wanted was not to be alone in this place. And yet strangely enough, when she tried to think of someone for this job, the only person she could think of was Sakuroka. The thought both depressed and saddened Lucy more than she already was.
"I just don't get it," Sakuroka said after a long stretch where neither of them spoke. Lucy didn't respond, but Sakuroka continued regardless. "Why are you here?" The question caught Lucy by surprise, so she looked up to face Sakuroka for the first time since she arrived.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, we're not exactly friends. And from the look on your face, I can see you're having a pretty hard time. So I have to wonder, of all the creatures you could have turned to in this situation, why me?" Sakuroka smiled smugly when Lucy turned away, not wanting to answer, afraid at if she met her gaze, she might learn the truth. Sakuroka waited to see if Lucy would reply. When she didn't, her smile widened even more. "It's finally happening, isn't it?"
"I don't know what you mean," Lucy said, still not meeting Sakuroka's gaze. The lights above them flickered ominously.
"Oh I think you do," Sakuroka said, speaking with a clear, arrogant calm. "The reason you're here is because you finally understand what I said before. You're finally starting to feel the distance that separates humans from diclonius. You feel they can't understand you or what you're going through. So you come to the only person you think can understand you…another diclonius. And even though I tried to kill you, you feel closer to me than your own family."
"You don't know anything," Lucy feverishly denied, though Sakuroka was speaking as though she could read her mind like it was an open book.
"Touched a nerve, did I? Think about it. You've come here for the past two days; you've hardly said anything. Why would you do that? It's because you know now that you don't belong with humans."
"Shut up," Lucy hissed. Sakuroka's smiled curved into a frown of disgust so suddenly the two expressions blurred together for a moment.
"This is pathetic."
Lucy finally turned back to face Sakuroka, her face turning a light shade of red.
"What was that?" she shot at Sakuroka.
"Look at you. Tomo always talked so highly of you. He made you out like you were some powerful monster or something. But where are you now? You're sitting here, hugging your knees like some child, feeling sorry for yourself."
"Shut up," Lucy said more forcefully, straightening up.
"You won't even acknowledge the truth when that's right in front of your face. Having a family has made you weak. But then again, I wouldn't expect anything else from someone who associates with humans." Lucy was now standing to her full height, her body shaking with fury as she gripped her hands into tight balls. "I only hope your two daughters won't be nearly as weak as you are. If you're really lucky, that human boy will die on his first mission, and you can chuck him up as a bad choice."
Lucy was so swift she was like soundless wind. She sprinted toward Sakuroka, spread forth all of her vectors (which she now had ten) and placed them menacingly within mere inches on Sakuroka's throat. She glared down at Sakuroka's unchanged expression, her own eyes narrowing. The tension was so pronounced it was as if the scene had stopped a split second before the climax. And in that frozen moment in time, Lucy mirrored the exact image of herself from three years ago.
"I said shut up," Lucy said icily. Sakuroka looked up at Lucy, past her vectors with a bleak expression that matched the room.
"You see," she said, "Despite everything you may try to be, you can't be anything else. You're not a mother. You're not a friend. You're not a lover. You're not even human. You're a diclonius." Lucy hesitated a moment before retracting her vectors and turning to leave. She breathed heavily as if she'd just run a marathon. Her sudden outbreak of fury had left her emotionally exhausted.
"I'm not like you," Lucy said at the door, not turning to face Sakuroka.
"And the sad thing is that somewhere deep inside…you don't believe that."
The automatic door shut behind Lucy and she walked back out into the hallway where Kosuke was waiting for her. As she came through the door into the brightly lit hallway, he noticed her panged expression and stepped from the opposite wall until he was right in front of her. He tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but Lucy weakly pushed it away.
"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"I'm fine," Lucy lied. Kosuke frowned at her despairingly. He knew she was lying, but decide not to press the matter further. They began walking together down the hall of the holding cells. Lucy had to shield her eyes from the fluorescent light until they reached the stairway, which was just as dark as Sakuroka's cell, if not more. The light in the hall seemed so much brighter now after spending so much time in the dark cell. Or was her fatigued brain simply unable to deal with the light. Her body felt weaker too, and not just from her shaking temper, either. She hadn't released a single vector since Kamakura, let alone all of them. It shocked her how much her powers had been growing since she started absorbing the essence of other diclonius.
About halfway up the first flight, Lucy felt so exhausted she had to sit on the cold, uncomfortable steel to catch her breath. Kosuke stayed a few steps ahead, but when he looked over his shoulder to see how Lucy was doing, he turned on his heels and walked back down, sitting to her left in silence. Both looked down toward the landing, which lay shrouded in shadows. Lucy spared a look over to Kosuke, his diclonius features strikingly sharp in the dark. As he continued to watch the ground, unaware of Lucy looking at him, Lucy felt the same feeling she had felt with Sakuroka. It was difficult to describe. She didn't see them as if they were her friends, and she didn't think of them as comrades either. If she had to describe it, it was a feeling of similarity…even familiarity. Kosuke's head began to stir to the right, and Lucy quickly looked down toward the landing. Lucy thought she heard the trace of a chuckle, which Kosuke tried to pass of as a cough.
"I want to ask you something," Kosuke said suddenly.
"What?" Lucy answered. She turned to face Kosuke. Even in the dim lighting, Lucy saw his face flush a slight shade of pink as he fidgeted with his fingers, not looking at her.
"I was hoping…uh…when this is all over…if you'd…you know…consider staying."
Lucy's body went stiff, though her insides were turning over.
"Excuse me?" she said exasperatedly. Kosuke looked frantic now, turning to her and waving his hands.
"I mean, if you don't want to that's ok. I mean, I do know you have a family and everything," he said quickly.
"I'm sorry," Lucy murmured, "But I don't think I understand what you mean." This wasn't completely true. Lucy had a very good idea of what Kosuke was asking. However, the thought was such an absurd possibility she felt she'd only believe it if it were plainly stated. Kosuke remained quiet for a moment, looking down, with a thoughtful expression outlining his features. He seemed to be gathering his words carefully for the best response.
"Lucy, I've been watching you for a long time know. And I know this is going to sound weird, but just hear me out." He looked into Lucy's eyes with piercing sincerity. Lucy shuddered, remembering that Kohta used to look at her like that. "At first, keeping an eye on you was just a mission. It didn't make any difference to me. But as I watched you, I learned so much about you: how kind and gentle you really are, how beautiful you are when you smile, and so many other things. And even though we never spoke at that point, I felt as if I knew you somehow. I knew you weren't the monster everyone said you were."
Lucy's insides gave a guilty lurch. She never heard herself described in such a way, not even from Kohta. And hearing herself praised so highly, even when she knew she didn't deserve it, made her feel a pang in the pit of her stomach.
"I know it probably sounds creepy and that I'm most likely sound like a stalker talking like that, but it's the truth. I felt drawn to you for some reason. And before I knew, my mission became much more important to me. I wasn't just doing it because it was my duty anymore. I was doing because I wanted to protect someone I loved."
The words fell out of Kosuke's mouth and into Lucy's consciousness like spikes in her brain. If there was anything else that could make the whole situation more complicated, this was it.
"That's why, when this is over, I want you stay with me…if that's what you want," Kosuke said with an expecting, and a slightly guilty smile. Looking at him, Lucy felt reminded vaguely of a puppy with his innocent expression and somewhat childlike demeanor. Lucy turned away from him.
"I doubt this world would be willing to accept a diclonius couple," Lucy said shortly.
"But that's the thing. The world doesn't have to," Kosuke returned excitedly.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
"Did you know," Kosuke began, "that Indonesia is made up of roughly 18,306 islands? And of those islands, the Indonesian government estimates that over 6,000 are unnamed, undiscovered, and uninhabited."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lucy snapped.
"JERICHO has some connections with the Indonesian government, and some of our financial backers have bought up a number of islands for private property. But that's only a cover. They've really bought them to make homes for us."
Lucy straightened up, the ball in her stomach dropping even farther.
"What?"
"Yeah, I know. For years, they've been building us everything we'll need…homes and grocery stores, hospitals, everything we could ever need. They even are making recreational stuff like movie theatres and health clubs. It'll be like our own little world."
"Wait, I'm confused," Lucy said, holding up a hand, "What's the point of doing all this?"
"After JERICHO has neutralized the threat of diclonius, they're planning on relocating all diclonius to the islands. That way, we can live in peace amongst our own kind and we won't have to worry about anything anymore." Lucy stared at Kosuke, stunned into silence. "Don't worry…JERICHO will provide us with everything. We'll be getting regular food supplies. They'll block off the islands to keep them from discovering us. And think of how fun it'll be to have regular jobs." Kosuke gave Lucy an optimistic smile. But Lucy hung her head.
"So we'd just be hiding for the rest of our lives?" Lucy asked.
"Lucy," Kosuke said, his tone heavy, "We don't belong with humans. We're just too dangerous for them and ourselves. You've seen how ugly things can get. Our minds are just too unstable to deal with the human world. The only way for humans and diclonius to live together is if we live separately. Otherwise, we'll both just end up doing terrible things to each other." Lucy was quiet a moment. She couldn't deny that those same thoughts had been plaguing her for a while now. "You must be feeling it too now, aren't you?"
"What does that mean?" Lucy said in calm anger.
"I've heard about your fight with Kohta." Lucy said nothing. "I know it's unfair to tell you all this now. But I just wanted to tell you. You don't have to feel alone anymore. Because…I love you." Kosuke placed his hand under Lucy's chin and tilted her face upward toward his. He gazed deeply into her eyes, past everything within her and beyond. He moved slowly closer, and Lucy did not resist. She did not resist as his other hand came up and cupped the side of her face, grasping her shoulder length pink hair in his palm. Moreover, she did not resist as their lips meshed into one. All other thought and emotion was forcibly removed from her mind. The entire galaxy seemed to rush past them in instant. Stars and planets evaporated like vapor. Then she saw it; a face in the back of her mind, emerging from darkness. It smiled at her gently, and something about it was nostalgic. As the haze cleared, the smile became more defined. It was Kohta's smile.
Lucy abruptly pulled away, causing Kosuke to fall forward slightly. She turned to face the other wall, too embarrassed to look at anyone. She felt Kosuke lay a light hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright. You don't have to decide right now. Just think about it, ok?" he whispered to her. Kosuke got to his feet and left Lucy in silence. Sitting there, Lucy felt suddenly cold and warm at the same time. She felt both happy and guilty…connected and isolated. Overall, Lucy never felt more confused in her entire life.
Night fell upon Kamakura like a wave, covering it in a gradually growing darkness. One by one, streetlights flickered to life, shattering the darkness with small pools of white as its citizens began to return home…all except for one particular alley where barely any light could reach. Only the faintest glimmers were able to touch it. Deep in this alley, a peculiar abandoned building stood in shambles. Windows were boarded up with wood, paint was peeling of the walls, the door was hanging on its hinges with the last of its strength. Even the stone was losing some color. This combined with what little light that reached it giving it the distinct impression of being haunted. Moreover, with the dark outlines moving around the inside like phantoms, it certainly felt that way.
Tomo felt it was poetically appropriate to make this building his hideout. After all, it was here he had spent so much of his time the first time he'd come to Kamakura. And luckily, very few people ever ventured this far down the alley. But that was only a minuscule concern at best. If any human felt adventurous enough to come invade his domain, he certainly had means to deal with them. Yet by being here surrounded by his mindless brainwashed minions, he felt that he had come "full circle." Although right now, he was feeling very irritated. He'd lost track of the time, but he'd certainly caused enough chaos in the city for someone to take notice of it. But as far as he knew, the only people taking interest were the local press. This was hardly what he wanted. He tapped his feet irritably on the cold, dust filthy ground as his diclonius minions stood around him stoically, starring off into nothing.
He got up from the trash bin he had been using as a chair and began to pace randomly through the building, thinking and plotting. Based on his previous encounter with Lucy, he was positive another organization was involved, and that Lucy was most likely in their custody. At first, he had spent some time debating what this organization might be…a rival faction of Kakuzawa's perhaps? But soon he realized it was a meaningless question. All he needed to know was they had Lucy, and he needed to draw them out. They somehow had a way to block his diclonius powers, and thus he couldn't use the Source to detect where they might be. Therefore, his only course was to try to goad them into making a move. He thought that if he made enough noise, they'd take notice and come after him, exposing a way for him to find Lucy. But so far, they either didn't notice or were simply ignoring him. Both possibilities pissed him off tremendously.
Tomo stopped pacing as he felt a sudden jerk inside his head. He sighed in irritation. This was happening a lot more lately. At first, he thought her attempts were cute, but now the pangs were causing him physical discomfort, and so the joke had long since run its course. He closed his mind and his eyes, breathing deeply as he searched, falling into the backside of his consciousness…into its deepest depths. The world around him vanished and transformed into an opaque world of gray. When he opened his eyes, he saw her, bound in chains forged by his mind that reached off into nowhere. She struggled valiantly against them. But this wasn't a struggle of strength. This was a struggle of the mind. Although, he surpassed her in both those regards, she, nevertheless, refused to give up.
Will you give it a rest already? Tomo scolded her with a booming voice that echoed.
"LET ME GO," demanded Nana through gritted teeth as she continued to fight against her chains. Tomo normally would've smiled and laughed at such a vain struggle…maybe even taken pleasure in it. But again, Nana's constant defiance was becoming irksome. Tomo let loose a vector and struck Nana hard across the face, leaving a mark. He knelt down close to her face, not bothering to worry about being in the two-meter distance of her reach. She had no control of her vectors anymore; not while in this place. This was his body now.
Shut up and listen, Tomo spat disdainfully, I'm getting real sick of this game we're playing here. This used to be funny, girl, but now it's old. So good job, you've actually managed to take away my fun in watching you struggle…you little bitch.
Nana looked up at him, a triumphant smile on her bruised face.
"Well, at least I have that right." Tomo let another vector fly, striking the other side of Nana's face. She cried out in pain, glaring at him.
Think your real cute, don't ya? If I didn't need you to help maintain control of this body of yours, I'd kill you right now. But don't worry. Once my plan works out, I'll have a new and even stronger body. And when that happens, I'm going to make you suffer for all this crap you've been giving me. But until then, sit down, shut up, and behave yourself. Tomo got up and turned to leave, but not before Nana let out one final gasp of defiance.
"Never…you'll…never…win," she breathed. For the first time in a long while, Tomo laughed. So she still could be amusing after all.
Watch me.
In a flash, Tomo reopened his eyes, finding himself in the exact same position he had been standing in mere seconds ago. Feeling a renewed sense of vigor, he sent out a command through his mind to his diclonius minions, who all reacted at once.
I don't think they're getting the hint, he told them, I say we make our message…a little more clear.
And like bats, with their vectors as their wings, Tomo and his army flew into the night.
A/N: I've been getting these up a lot quicker lately. The ideas have just been pouring out of me and I think I have the rest of the story planned out. Of course, it is still subject to change based on if I get any good ideas or not. SOrry i haven't been keeping up with my blog or reviews lately. I've been so bust, and any free time I get I usually devote to writing. Plus, I don't have internet at home. But I'm rambling now. I hope you enjoyed yet another chapter. I'm building this up to a BIG climax. Reviews are welcome.
Tomo has launched another attack on Kamakura, and JERICHO can no longer ignore it. They send a group of soldiers out to capture Tomo, with Kohta in their ranks. But with Ray and Stone secretly planning to kill Kohta to force Lucy to help them, will he come back alive? And now, Lucy is now more confused than ever with Kosuke declaring his love for her. She Lucy stay with Kohta, or will she chose to be with her own kind? And what will happen when the mission to capture Tomo goes terribly wrong? Find out in the next chapter of Elfen Lied: The End.