The next morning, Yuka got up to a familiar sight: Her cousin, Kouta, was getting ready to head out for a search. "I'm going to go find Nyu," he explained, answering what Yuka already knew to be the truth.

Yuka sighed. "This is getting monotonous, Kouta. Isn't Nyu staying with the professor."

Kouta stopped. His shoulders slumping. He looked very tired. "Nyu ran away. Again."

Nyu paled. "How do you know this, Kouta?"

Kouta sighed. "I...I just have a feeling."

A feeling. There was no shortage of those these days. "Let me come with you," said Yuka.

Kouta wanted to say no, but his cousin's tone left no room for argument. "Fine. I'll wait for you to get dressed."

As Yuka headed off to her room, Mayu walked into the hallway, already dressed for a fresh new day at school. She looked at Kouta curiously. "Did I hear right? Nyu is missing again?"

"Yeah," sighed Kouta, wondering when he'd get out the door, "But she'll be fine. She came back before, didn't she?"

"Sure," said Mayu, her mind already beginning to wonder about the mysterious girl with strange horns. It didn't take long for Yuka to get dressed and ready for yet another Nyu search.

I swear, thought Yuka, We need to consider investing in some tracking chips. But would they go in the spine or the neck?

Mayu walked along the shore. Some particularly gray clouds were beginning to form above the sea, indicating a coming storm that would be moderate, but probably not severe. None of this seemed to register much with Mayu, though, who continued to walk down toward her first class with her head deep in thought. She hadn't been staying at Maple House for long, but was already beginning to understand that it had quite the revolving door policy. She wasn't sure as to whether or not Nyu would ultimately end up staying with them, and honestly, she wasn't sure how she felt about Nyu being with them. She liked Nyu, she knew that much. The girl was fun and interesting, like an oversized puppy dog, and often the former runaway couldn't distinguish her behavior from Wanta's.

But there was still the...the presence to consider. Kouta and Yuka had tried their best to explain it to Mayu, but it hadn't come out the way they'd hoped. Despite it, Mayu felt she'd caught the gist of it. Wanta definitely had, judging by the way he continued to act uneasy whenever inside the great mansion, opting always to spend his time outside or in the doghouse that Kouta had bought. And yet, Mayu's first thoughts had been of Nyu. It never helped being left alone to face your demons, Mayu knew that much for certain. If they could find Nyu, then perhaps they could offer help-

A figure at the edge of her vision broke Mayu's train of thought. She turned and looked out into the sandy shores. Standing there was a man, who looked at the various litter strewn about the sand with an expression of contempt on his face. Mayu instantly recognized him as the soldier from the other night, the one who'd been greatly injured. The memory of all of that blood almost made her shudder. He seemed alright now, though, and as she approached him, she could see that he apparently still had all of his limbs. Within ten feet of each other, the man suddenly turned, and his eyes settled exactly on her location. Was he able to see her? How strange, given that his eyes had apparently been gouged into shreds that night.

"What do you want?" he asked irritably. It would appear whatever trauma he'd undergone had not been enough to humble him, or at the very least improve his manners. Despite this, Mayu managed a genuinely cheery smile.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," she explained, "I was worried when I couldn't find you after I'd returned. Were you able to find help?"

The man's cigarette dropped from his mouth as his jaw went completely slack with surprise. "...It can't be."

"What?"

"Are you the girl from that night in the rain?"

Mayu smiled and nodded. The man looked ready to throw up. "You've got to be kidding me! I was saved by someone like you? That's not possible!"

Unoffended, Mayu kept on smiling. "I'm glad that your injuries have healed, sir."

"Call me Bando, kid. Now what is it you want?"

This caused the smile to drop from Mayu's lips. "Want? What do you mean?"

Bando stepped up to her with a look of annoyance that seemed almost pained. "I don't like it when I'm in debt to others, especially a little brat like yourself. So tell me what I can do for you, and I'll be on my way."

Mayu frantically held up her hands. "Oh i-i-it's no trouble. Really I'm fine! You don't have to do anything for me!"

Bando didn't seem to hear her protests. He was hastily writing a number down on a piece of paper. He handed it to Mayu, who took it with some hesitation.

"It's my number," explained Bando, "If somebody gives you trouble, then give me a call. I'll kill them for you, simple as that."

That was…...disturbing, to say the least, but Mayu wasn't sure she should say such a thing in front of the clearly dangerous man. "Thank you, sir," she said politely, fully intending to burn the note once she was back home. She turned to leave, but had only managed to go four steps before he called out after her.

"By the way, you haven't happened to see an emaciated naked woman, have you?"

Mayu paused upon hearing this. She turned toward Bando with a confused frown on her face. "Emaciated?"

"Thin, kid. It means thin. Like, you can see her ribs sticking out through her skin."

"And naked? No, I can't say that I've seen anyone that thin."

Bando scoffed, but had figured the question would be a longshot. "If you see a girl matching that description, then give that number you've got a call. This thing is a freakin' menace that needs to be put down!"

Mayu didn't think she liked what she heard in that declaration. She quickly nodded, then turned and proceeded to head toward school, leaving Bando to stare out into the sea with a scowl.

Lucy sat next to Alma, there legs dangling over the building's edge. Both looked out at the city, the morning sun having just risen to its noonday position. It was a good view of the city, but the two girls hardly noticed, their visions clouded by poignant memories.

"So they sealed you away," said Lucy, having just finished experiencing Alma's memories by a telepathic rundown, "And you ended up being freed by your sons, who'd been aged at an accelerated rate." She turned to look at her friend who was once more in her adolescent form. "You're a mother, Alma?"

Not by choice.

"No," Lucy's expression darkened, "Not by choice. They never let us do anything, did they? They would have left you to rot in that vault, whilst I continued to be their guinea pig. But that is not our fate, Alma. You and I were made to be far greater than any living thing on this planet. But it's been a hard journey, Alma."

Lucy looked back out at the city.

"To be honest, I adapted fairly quickly to the daily routine of experiments," she said, her face sporting a solemn expression that was unrecognizable from Nyu's puppy dog eyes. "Physical torture is something you adapt to in time, especially when you come to expect it. What really hurt was the loneliness. Being away from you and Aiko...that was unbearable. You know Aiko is dead, right?"

Alma nodded.

"It hurt to lose my friend, but it absolutely tore me to not know your fate. Armacham must've been working with the institute, or more than likely they were triling them. Typical of humans: never able to cooperate. Always sneaking behind one another for their own gain."

The Diclonius's hands closed into fists, trembling out of anger, but something else as well. "I told Kurama, I told everyone. You would not abandon me. You would come back to save me. I waited for years, Alma, but I never, never lost faith in you. I knew one of us would come for the other."

You didn't remember me.

Lucy's expression turned sad. "I tried to remember you, Alma. It was a cruel twist of fate that I should lose all memory of you just as I was able to finally see you again. But you watched over me, Alma. You kept me safe like I knew you would.

What now?

Lucy sighed, settling back as she looked up at the clear blue sky. "I was placed in this world to eradicate humanity, Alma. I'll admit, I've seen very little in this world that matters to me. So many people have tried to manipulate us for their own purposes. The institute, Armacham, Kakuzawa's son. All of these humans think we can be domesticated, and used for their own nefarious deeds. But we're not puppets, Alma. We can do whatever we want, and nobody will ever stop us."

A dark smile spread across Alma's face. I like that.

"So do I, Alma," explained Lucy, and a matching smile spread across her own face, "So do I."

"Nyu? Nyu? Come on Nyu, this is getting really old!"

Kouta and Yuka had been traversing throughout the area, in search of their enigmatic, wandering friend. They'd thought about going to the beach, but had stopped by the shrines, given that they were closer. This had suited Kouta just fine, as a rainy beach had always seemed aesthetically ugly to him. A beach should always be sunny. Still, the rain-soaked statues of the shrine were hardly better.

"Do you think Alma will be here?" Kouta asked as he stared at one of the statues. He couldn't help but feel that there was something cosmic about how Nyu had turned up at the beach stark naked, like the painting of Venus being born. It was an oddly fitting comparison, but there were other things on his mind besides nude artwork.

"Yuka, what'll we do when we find Nyu?"

Yuka looked at Kouta. It seemed as though he'd asked a stupid question. It was an unfortunate habit of his.

"We're going to take her back in, of course!" exclaimed Yuka indignantly, "What kind of question is that, Kouta? Come on!"

Kouta didn't respond immediately, but looked around at the various statues of monks or whatever. They seemed to him like a silent audience, privy to a conversation that nobody could fully understand, before testifying to their gods. When did I get so freaking philosophical? He thought irritably, before turning to his cousin.

"Yuka, you and I both know there's something wrong with Nyu. I'm talking about that...presence? Entity, or maybe...phenomena. That's the word I'm looking for. It's harmed you before. It might harm us again."

"But Kouta, we talked about this! Mayu felt that...it was turning over a new leaf, remember? Maybe it doesn't want to harm us anymore."

"...It killed Prof. Kakuzawa, Yuka." He hadn't meant for it to be so blunt, but it was only when the words left his mouth that he realized his lack of tact. He mentally cursed himself when he saw the color drain from Yuka's face.

"H-he's dead, Kouta?" she said in a small, frightened voice. Kouta sighed, then recounted the events regarding how he and the professor's assistant had found the professor's charred remains. Yuka took it all in, eyes wide.

"So you see, Yuka," finished Kouta somberly, "There's still plenty of danger around Nyu."

"But if you know all this, then why are we out looking for her?"

Kouta didn't know what to say at first. He could try and frighten his cousin all he wanted to, but that didn't change the truth of their actions. Like it or not, they were both bent on finding (saving) Nyu.

"...I guess...I guess I want to keep her safe," he managed to finally say, "I mean...I don't know if we're going to need a priest to exorcise Nyu or not, but I want to make sure Nyu can stay safe with us."

"Then there you go!" exclaimed Yuka matter-of-factly, pointing a finger at Kouta, "If Nyu's in danger, then it's up to us to rescue her!"

Kouta was momentarily put off by Yuka's sudden declaration, but finally managed to smile. "Yeah, you're right. I suppose I already knew that, as well. Come what may, we'll come out on top. Let's keep looking."

The two cousins got up, and with high spirits, they headed off to look for their friend.

The pod had only floated to the shore for a few minutes before it opened with a hiss. It had been an odd-looking thing, straight from a sci-fi world. It's sleek shape and gray color made it look alien, and there had been something a little off-putting about the opaque window that had a visible figure in its view. One who began to stir about once the pod doors began to open, before opening her eyes. The sunlight struck her vision, and Nana winced at the brightness.

"Pa...pa?" she asked wearily, still feeling the after-effects of the heavy sedative that Kurama had given him. She turned her head from left to right, had tried to move her arms and legs-

...Arms and legs?

Nana looked down at herself. She was still wearing her plain blue dress, and apparently, she had limbs again. They, wait, no, they weren't real. Prosthetics. She was sure that was the word for them. She couldn't move them with her mind, but after a moment of thought, she came up with an idea, perhaps what her Papa had intended. She summoned forth her vectors, and willed her invisible limbs to try and grab onto the arms and legs that were visible. To the naked eye, it seemed as though she were simply sitting up onto the edge of her pod, but the truth was much more complicated. It took almost all of her invisible vectors to try and support her limbs and torso, but for a first try, it went surprisingly well. Nana was able to stand on the shores, leaning against the pod that had ferried her to civilization.

A voice began to come from the pod, and Nana let out a surprised yelp when it began talking. It was her father's voice, a recording coming from the pod.

"Nana," he said, "The director ordered me to kill you. I've decided to disobey his order and help you make an escape. Soon enough, you'll learn to control your new arms and legs. I've left you enough money for you to live for a while. Go as far away as you can and live in peace. I will find you when it's safe. Please be a good girl."

Nana glanced down to her side, observing a large bag filled with strange looking paper. She wasn't sure what she would need with it, but it had been a gift from her papa, so it would be coming with her, no question about it. She considered lifting the bag with her vectors, but decided that would seem strange if someone saw her doing it. It took a few tries, but she was eventually able to lift the big bag and sling it over her back. With one last look at the pod that had led her away from the nightmare of the Institute, she began heading up the shoreline, unsure of what to do. She had always wanted to be a part of the bigger world, but a life without her father was one that she could never imagine worth living. She almost considered returning to the Institute, but her father's orders, not to mention the imminent threat of death, stopped her from fully considering it. She would have to lay low somehow. Perhaps a family would take her in-

*click*

The sound of a hammer being pulled back on a gun made Nana pause. She turned to the side, and looked up at the tall man with a gun pointed right at her.

"So," said Bando as he eyed Nana's exposed horns, "Where do you think you're going?"

Anyone who thought that the lone woman walking down the sidewalk was alone was sorely mistaken. Lucy wasn't alone, and never would be again. She had decided to have Alma scout around, in case anyone from the Institute or Armacham were combing the area to find them. Neither organization would be a hindrance for them, but Lucy didn't want to take any chances, especially when things had been going so well for them. They would find somewhere new to start their life, and then-

"There you are, Nyu! Nyu!"

Alma froze with a bolt of sudden dread. She recognized the voice at once, and it filled her with a sudden rush of emotions.

Kouta. She'd completely forgotten about Kouta.

How could this be? How could he have accommodated her after what she did to him? His father, his sister, she had killed them both, and it had broken him. Now, he was before her, his face twisted in an expression of concern. It was unbearable.

"Nyu, where have you been? You can't keep running off like this!"

Lucy stared at the boy she'd traumatized with dull, lifeless eyes. Kouta stared back, completely unaware of the change in personality.

"That's right," he said, "You can't talk, can you?"

She could talk, but didn't want to. Any word to Kouta felt like an incredible offense to her old friend. He put a hand on her, and she knocked it back. She was beginning to sense Alma stirring nearby. It was a feeling that permeated the air. She was on a hair-trigger, ready to wreak havoc at a moment's notice.

"Is she, alright, Kouta?" asked Yuka, coming up beside her cousin. She looked at Lucy with a worried frown, "I don't like that look in her eyes."

Lucy paid Yuka no mind, her attention was fully fixed on Kouta. "Kouta," she said softly, as if she were afraid saying it louder would trigger a catastrophe. She began to walk past the cousins, wanting to go far away from them.

"Hey!" exclaimed Kouta, "Where are you going?"

"Home," said Lucy, "I remember everything, and I'm going home with Alma."

"Wait, you remember everything?" exclaimed Kouta, "And...wait, hold on...who's Alma?"

"I have to say goodbye, Kouta."

"That makes no sense! I know you don't have a place to call home!"

"My home is with Alma. Don't worry about me."

"Who's Alma?! Your home is in Maple House!"

Lucy stopped. Her shoulders were beginning to tremble. "Oh, Kouta," she said, "You really don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" asked Kouta. Nyu was beginning to seriously creep him out. Why was she acting like this?

"I have no right," she said, "I don't deserve to be with you, Kouta."

"Come on, Nyu," said Yuka, "What are you talking about?"

Lucy didn't answer. Her shoulders were heaving now. Tears flowed down her face as she sobbed. She could feel Alma wanting to know what to do. Lucy wasn't sure she had an answer.

"I-" Lucy fell to her knees, overcome with regret, an emotion she'd hardly ever felt. Alma, who'd never felt regret, was appropriately puzzled by this. Lucy collapsed to her knees, completely overwhelmed by the flood of emotions that came forth from her eyes, "Because eight years ago I...Kouta's…"

Kouta had gone to Nyu with concern, but now he stepped back with a gasp. Images were appearing in his mind, too incomplete to be considered proper memories. He could see blood, as well as two girls obscured in shadow. One had horns, and the other had yellow eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Yuka. She was looking between the two, and felt seriously freaked out.

"Alma," gasped Lucy, "Please, be patient. Don't harm them. I will come back!"

"What are you talking about?" exclaimed Kouta, "Who the heck is Alma?!"

Lucy's sobbing abruptly ceased. She looked back up at Kouta with large, puppy dog eyes. "Nyu? Kouta...Kouta!"

Nyu abruptly jumped up toward Kouta, arms wrapping around him as she gave her dear friend a big hug. Kouta and Yuka were frozen with shock, and for a moment, they could only stand still, trying to comprehend the past few minutes. After an awkward moment, Yuka finally spoke.

"...So, um. I guess she's back."

"Yeah," Kouta replied, "It looks like it."

That had been the final straw. One moment, everything had been calm and peaceful. The next moment, a long wailing shriek pierced the air. Birds flew from the trees, glass from lamposts shattered, and Kouta, Yuka, and Nyu fell down as one in fright as their ears were assaulted by the angry cry of a frustrated phantom. Neither Kouta or Yuka would remember how long they lay there in the rain, listening to that shrieking. It might have been seconds, or it might have been minutes. For all they knew, it could have been a whole millenia. At some point, though, the shrieking ceased, and the only thing they could hear was the pouring of the rain and the pounding of their hearts.

Kouta was the first to act. He grabbed Nyu with one arm and Yuka with another, then ran off toward home. He knew that the walls of Maple House would not provide any sort of protection against the being that had made these shrieks, the being who had come into their home with Nyu, and who'd been wreaking havoc on them ever since. But now he was one step closer to understanding the ghost that had been haunting them, because now, he was quite certain that he had a name for the force who'd been tormenting them all this time.

"Alma," he said.

The phone on his desk rang, and Kakuzawa answered, "Hello?"

"Director Kakuzawa?" asked a voice in english.

"Who is this?" he replied, also in english.

"My name is Genevieve Aristide. I'm the president of Armacham Technology Corporation. I think it's time we spoke, face-to-face."