Linkinparkfan9799 Stories

Elfen Lied-Anime

Rated T for Gore and Cursing

Minori

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Snapping: Lucy

I stare out into the backyard.

Minori has taken to calling Kouta "Daddy". Seeing as she still calls me "Mommy", Yuka has been hounding me about it. "It's not like you two are married, so why don't you tell her to stop?" Apparently, just like Kouta's oblivious to whether people like him, Yuka is oblivious to whether people like another person. Every time she asks, I try to be discreet. "It's not hurting anyone," I often tell her. One of these days, I bet she will get the message.

Yuka does none of the outdoor work, so it is safe back here. Besides, with all the crappy repairs done to the back, I doubt she thinks it is even safe to be back here. It is just like humans to think about safety to the extent of it being a weakness. The lateness of the hour also puts Yuka in the kitchen, cooking dinner for six. In short, I am three-times the amount of safe back here.

The fact I calculated that makes me a bit of a loser, but I am fine with that.

Being fairly tired from the first day back at work, I find myself not doing anything. As much as these old stairs hurt to sit on, I cannot find any energy to move. There is also no energy to deal with Yuka's bitching, but nobody has enough energy to do that. Maybe if she would quit it for a second, I would make an effort to get along with her. She shows no signs of doing so though – probably because she does not see the need to impress me.

I cannot blame her for that though. To be honest, I am fairly laid-back and could give less of a fuck when given the opportunity to just be myself for a bit. The story is different when I am being shot at, drugged, and so on. At those times, I am very active in decapitating, and give many fucks about the alive-or-dead status. Seeing as none of that is happening as of right now, I can say that I am back to acting like little ole' me.

"The sunset sure is nice." I glance up to see Kouta. He is carrying a book, a paper, and a pencil. "Wouldn't you agree?"

His eyes meet mine. Like usual, he carries his casual atmosphere and "hello all" grin. Those eyes, though, can make anyone smile. I look away to face the sun, despite it hurting my eyes. "As nice as any sunset will get," I answer. "It's just the sun, after all." The stairs creak as he sits next to me. "So, what's up?"

"Well, Yuka's chewing Minori out for the library thing." My eyes pop and the energy seems to be coursing back into my body. "Ah, kidding! But she was talking about it when I was in there."

I glare at him. "Don't kid, Kouta. It doesn't bode well for anybody." I assume you are talking about him? If so, you would be making me proud by talking like a true Diclonius. Shut up. That was not a threat. He apologizes and pats my head. "…I-Is there something you wanted?"

Kouta shrugs. "Is it bad to want to talk to you?" I shake my head. "I thought not. Though, I wouldn't care anyways." God, he is so unfair…Shifting around on the stairs, he flinches. "Why're you sitting here? I've been here for a minute and I already think my butt has a year's worth of splinters…"

"There's a measure for that?" He gives me a pouty-look and I laugh. "Relaaax. Anyways, I'm trying not to fight with Yuka."

"So you resort to just avoiding her?" I nod. "Lucy…" Kouta sighs and stands. With good reason, he probably thinks wincing would degrade the effectiveness of his following words. Good job, Kouta – you are on your way to learning how to speak in public! "I understand that not everybody can be friends, but at least try? You've just kind of decided that you hate her…" My expression has not changed. "…I guess you've got a good reason to, seeing as what happened…but that was years ago. That, and it was my fault for lying! Don't glare at me – it was my fault and you know it."

With a sigh, I face the sunset. At least the ball of gas that hovers in space is not as oblivious as Kouta is. Then again, his density reminds me that he is not perfect. "That's not it, though," I mutter. "Her personality's shit! If she can bitch, she will! If she can get angry, she will! Hell, she'll get angry even if there is no logical explanation for getting angry! Seriously, do you remember how many times she bitches and moans about ANYTHING?" He stays silent, though I can see he knows what I am talking about. "That's what I thought."

I guess he finally gets a clue, seeing as he drops the subject. Instead, he talks asks about my job and other things concerning me. After my one-sentence answers, I ask him questions in return. Kouta is a bit more chatty than I am, to be honest. Eventually Yuka screams "dinner" and we walk into the kitchen together.

Minori is playing with Wanta. Mayu tries to save the poor dog, but Minori does not want to stop playing. Leave it to the seven-year-old to wear out the puppy, right? "Minori, Sweetie, you gotta' eat your dinner. Come on!" She giggles happily and skips-on-over. Wanta hops to Mayu and sleeps. Nana is just sitting across the table, reading the newspaper. Yuka sets down our dinner bowls. "So, what's in the paper, Nana?"

"Nothing much," she answers. "Just 'help wanted' and irrelevant stuff…I don't even know some of these names!"

"That doesn't mean they aren't important…" Kouta laughs nervously.

Mayu peeks over Nana's shoulder. She scans the words and shakes her head when she is done. So there is really nothing going on, huh? Minori claps her hands. "Yay! That means that there's no drama, right?" I nod, making her giggle and smile even more. "Well, let's eat to celebrate, then!"

We do so. Dinner is fairly light-hearted, actually. It is a nice change from all the ruckus we have been dealing with. Minori is having the most fun, what with her bright smile and ever-so-loud laughter. She gets a kick out of Kouta's ass-splinters, as do I, seeing as they seem to bug him throughout the entire meal. It gets to the point where he has to go the bathroom to try and get them out.

Then the happy-dinner is ruined.

"Daddy has butt-splinters," Minori giggles, rolling around.

"Yeah, yeah – stop rolling and eat, Sweetie." As I grab the giggling fit to sit her still, I notice Yuka's expression darken. "Hmm? Something wrong, Yuka?"

Mayu and Nana take notice as well. They exchange glances, whispering a bit. Then Mayu "takes one for the team" (I assume that's what she was doing) and tugs on Yuka's sleeve. Yuka, meanwhile, has her face covered by her hair. "Yuka?" she calls. "Yuka, you're dinner will get cold if you don't keep eating."

Yuka's head turns towards Mayu ever-so-slightly. "I know…" She does nothing to remedy this though. Her head just falls back into place, arms never moving. Minori tilts her head and crawls the distance to yank on Yuka's sleeve. "…What."

"You're not eating," Minori says. "Come on, Yuka - Nom-nom!" She returns to her seat and grabs her eating utensils, shoving a couple of vegetables into her mouth. "Nom-nom, like this!"

I say nothing about her eating with her mouth open. Hey, she is a kid. Yuka's body twitches, saying that she does not quite share my opinion. "…Don't…"

"Huh?" Minori blinks. When Yuka does not continue her sentence, Minori puts her utensils down. A small whisper comes to my attention, and to Minori. Whatever she managed to hear alarms her, though. "…Wh-What did you say…?"

"…I said 'grow-up'." My eyes widen. Yuka looks up, her eyes filled with some mixture of fury and irritation. "Stop calling Lucy 'Mommy' and Kouta 'Daddy' – they have names. Don't eat with your mouth full. Stop rolling around and giggling like a child. Your crying needs to stop, your curiosity needs to stop, you just…just stop!"

The rest of the room's occupants are confused, including me. Where is this coming from? Minori has been here since May, but this is the first time Yuka has ever voiced something such as this. Minori blinks a lot, her face riddled with confusion. "…I…I don't think…" She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. Obviously the blow of Yuka's words has gotten to her. I will not interfere, though, because I have faith Minori can talk to her more peacefully than I. "I call my mothers 'Mommy' and my fathers 'Daddy'. What's wrong with that? The rest, I can understand might be annoying for grown-ups, but…"

Yuka seems to get angrier at this. I am going to say that Minori probably inquired on the wrong thing. "They are not your parents, Minori!" she yells, slamming the table with one palm. Mayu flinches, causing Nana to grip her shoulder. "Lucy might have picked you up, but she's just as much of a tenant here than you are!" Tenant? "Kouta and I are the ones that own the place!"

"…That's not right." Yuka stares at me. "Kouta and I were the ones to live here first. You just invited yourself in when it became clear that Kouta was going to be having some girl staying with him." She shakes her head aggressively. "Oh? Do tell me how I'm wrong on this."

She points to the outside. "You know that house further down the way?" I nod. I have seen the house a couple of times, but nothing of the interior. "That's my mom's house. She owns the inn, and decided to let Kouta stay here. In so, I have partial ownership."

"What a technicality," I mutter.

"It's not a technicality!" she argues. "My point is, if anyone's Minori's parents, it's me and Kouta!" Oh. Now I see what is going on here. You did not see it before-hand? Surprisingly, no.

Standing up, I walk over to Yuka's side. Her head follows me, eyebrows knitting together. When I tower over her, I grab her shirt and yank her up. She makes a weird noise, as if my actions are cutting off her oxygen-supply. "Listen up," I growl. "Don't snap at Minori just because you're upset that she's insinuating that Kouta and I are together." There is a small gasp, making me turn to Minori. "You say something, Minori?"

She shakes her head. "No, but…um…" Her eyes are wider and filled with curiosity. "Wait, you two are together?" I shake my head. "Oh…"

Yuka claws my wrist, making me yelp and let her go. Her plan does not conclude so smoothly, resulting in her falling down and crashing back into Mayu. "Ow, bitch!" Yuka rubs her butt and, instead of checking on Mayu, gets back up. "That's not it!" she yells. "I was thinking about it earlier when I was making dinner." When Kouta and I were talking, when else to question my baby, Yuka? "Remember that 'strippers' search in the library? Not to mention Minori running off on her own, saying things she should not, and causing all this trouble." All? There has been drama, but…"I just want her to grow up a little, and not act like a baby! I have tried to be patient, but you should have seen that my patience has been wavering, lately!"

I try to think about it, but I never have seen her having patience with Minori. If anything, she has always been harsh with her. Before I can start screaming about how Yuka has her head stuck up her ass, Minori stands. Her face is oddly patient for having to deal with this bitch. "Sorry, Yuka." I can see her eyes are watery. "But…I…Lucy's my mommy…And Kouta…well, Megumi called him Daddy, so I did…" Minori keeps shifting in place, as if scared that Yuka will yell at her if she stays stock-still. "I cry because I'm sad, and I can't help it…There are things I don't understand. And…Well, I think that was all of your complaints."

"She's also seven." We turn to Nana. I did not expect her to show some support. "I'm sorry, Yuka, but aside from not being around other people, we've kinda spoiled her. So if your complaint is that she acts like a baby, then sorry, but…"

Yuka still looks angry. "…It's fine." Kouta comes in, smiling. "We're all allowed to be who we are. Lucy is vicious-"-OYE-"-Mayu is a bit timid, Nana is somewhat clumsy…Yuka, you are also somewhat vicious, Minori is a kid…" He smiles and opens up his arms. "And I'm a dope!"

We all smile in return. He comes and attacks us all with hugs. Minori gets the worst of it, considering her size and the viciousness of his bear-hugs. With Kouta back, we go back to dinner and eat until our stomachs are bulging.

Late at night, someone wakes me up. I open my eyes to see Minori. "Hmm? Can't sleep, Sweetie?" She shakes her head. "…Is this about what Yuka was talking about?" Minori nods. "God, that asshole…"

"…Mommy?" I sit up, trying to be on her eye-level. "Do you think…she said those things because I was a Diclonius?"

This confuses me. "What? No. Yuka might be a bitch, but she isn't a racist one…surprisingly." A feeling of uneasiness creeps into my mind. "…Why do you ask?"

"Because Mini says she did." Of course. "And Mini wouldn't leave me alone about it until I asked you."

"…Hey, Sweetie. Sleep with Mommy tonight, okay?" Minori smiles and nods. She runs to grab her pillow and runs back just as fast. We lay down and she goes to sleep, but I cannot help but remain awake. Her DNA is only going to get worse from here. Though, it was just Yuka's harsh words that cut that were the issue today (for Minori, that is), what if something worse comes along?...What…

…What will have to happen to make everything okay again?

Author's Note

My apologies for the usual long waiting period the readers of this have to endure for a new chapter. With any luck, the next few will not take as long. Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to keep reading!

-Linkin