Mayu stepped outside, her smile shining as bright as the morning sun. She'd only been living at Maple House for a week, and she was already equating it to heaven on earth. With clean clothes on her back, a roof above her head, and fresh food in her stomach, she felt better than she had in years. Memories of her former life, of her former "family," were already growing dimmer and dimmer. And now here she was, heading off to school! It filled her with glee.

"See you later!" she said, waving at Nyu and Wanta, who were staring at her with similar expressions of childish longing.

"Bark! Bark!"

"Nyu! Nyu!"

She would surely be missed while she was at school. Yuka herself watched Mayu go from the front window, smiling proudly.

"She's changed so much since moving in with us," she said aloud, "I just wish others would be inspired to be more lively, as well."

She looked toward the bedroom of her cousin, frowning in frustration. Was he still sleeping? She went to the bedroom, and yes indeed, what a surprise, Kouta was still lying on the floor, sleeping without a care in the world for college or education. It was unacceptable.

"Kouta," she said, "It's time to get ready. Get up."

As an extra incentive, Yuka headed up to her cousin, and proceeded to press down on his head with her foot. Hard. "Are you going to stay down all day, or are you just going to keep laying about like a slug!"

"I'm up! I'm up!" cried Kouta's muffled voice, and Yuka eventually relented, allowing him to breathe. He got up, panting slightly, and watched as Yuka went over and began locking the doors and windows of the main room. They had both come to an unspoken agreement to make sure that there house stayed locked at all times. Just in case.

"You know, she didn't seem all that upset about losing her," mused Kouta.

It took a moment for Yuka to realize what Kouta was talking about, but then she grimly nodded her head. It was odd that Mayu's mom had been so willing to hand over custody of her only child to two teenage strangers. She hadn't asked about her daughter's well-being, and hadn't even bothered to see her. She'd just signed the transfer papers and left. Mother of the Year, right there.

"It didn't even seem like she'd reported her missing to the police, either," continued Yuka, and the exasperation in her tone was now quite apparent.

Kouta looked out the front window in thought. "I wonder what her story is."

"You're the one who decided that we wouldn't ask questions," said Yuka, "It's what we did for Nyu, and it's what we've been doing for...for it."

Kouta felt a wave of subtle dread at what Yuka said. He knew darn well what she had been referring to, even if he couldn't fully understand it.

"Was it right for us to let Mayu stay here?" Yuka blurted out suddenly. Kouta looked over at her, that wave of dread feeling more real.

"What choice do we have?" he asked, "She was in no mood to go back to her home. Heck, her own mom didn't even want her back."

"But is it safe for her to stay here?"

Kouta swallowed what felt like a dry ball of lead. There it is. The question has officially been asked. We've both been thinking it, but neither one of us has had the courage to say it. Not until now.

"We've done alright so far," he said, speaking with slow caution, "Sure, we've been uncomfortable, but we haven't actually been hurt, right?"

Mayu nodded, but Kouta noticed that she was rubbing her arm again. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why she'd picked up that nervous habit. But at that moment, Yuka spoke up, almost as if she'd sensed the upcoming question.

"Anyway, I forbid you from taking in anymore girls!" she said, and proceeded to point an adamant finger at her cousin.

"Hey, I'm not doing this because I wanted to!" he protested, but the girl had already moved on to other things.

"Come on," said Yuka, "We still need to get ready for college, and I've yet to choose which ribbons will match Nyu's clothes.

Kouta sighed, his head falling back down on the pillow.

"Oh no you don't! Get up already! Hurry up!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! I'll get up! Ow! Okay! Cut it out!"

Kamakura University was a grand enough institution, but in truth it was the sort of college that americans would consider a "community college," complete with open enrollment and college transfer programs. Kouta had decided to go there after a consecutive number of failures at the entrance exams for other schools. (That his failures had probably been attributed to the trauma suffered by his father and sister would not be admitted by anyone.) Mayu herself had qualified for several more prestigious universities, but had opted to enroll at the same college as her cousin for "personal" reasons. Now, the cousins were walking up the front courtyard toward their first class of the day, accompanied by their pink-haired companion, who they didn't want to leave alone.

"Keep those ribbons on, okay?" Kouta asked, referring to the twin bows that covered Nyu's horns. They were a pale purple color, which matched the jacket of her outfit, which was thankfully more normal than her other outfits.

Nyu nodded toward Kouta in affirmation, and even went the extra mile by saying, "Yes!"

Yuka smiled at that. "You're learning, aren't you, Nyu? Bit by bit you're picking up new words."

"You'd think she'd learn our names by now," said Kouta.

"Soon, cousin. Just you wait!"

The three of them made their way through the crowded hallways, Yuka holding Nyu's hand so that the pinkette did not get swept away by the student masses. Eventually, they all made it to the lecture hall, where their first class would begin.

"I heard a rumor that this professor is a real weirdo," said Yuka, "Although I guess you would call him eccentric."

Kouta was listening with only half an ear. He was looking around the classroom with a slight frown, as if looking for a potential school shooter. He yawned, which Yuka quickly picked up on. "He's got a reputation for calling on people on the very first day, you know. If you keep yawning, he'll single you out."

"Yes!" declared Nyu in a voice that was a bit too loud for indoors. Yuka and Kouta turned toward her, as did several other students.

"Let's hope the teacher doesn't call on her," said Kouta sheepishly.

"Unless it's a yes-or-no question," replied Yuka, "We'll have a fifty/fifty chance of getting away with it, then."

Professor Kakuzawa shambled into the classroom. It was just his third lecture today, yet he was already feeling drained. It had been a rough night. He hadn't gotten nearly enough funds from his father to continue his research, there was still no news of Lucy's whereabouts, (or her annoying friend,) which was odd. You don't let a raving lion out of the pen, only to wait to see that all the gazelle are still fat and happy. Something had gone wrong. Kakuzawa had considered all of this during his many nights when his research was over and the brandy bottles were open. It wasn't in the nature of a Diclonius to lie low, and Kakuzawa hadn't even considered the possibility that Lucy had died. Did Alma have something to do with all of this? Had that phantom, who never should've factored into the equation to begin with, done something to quiet her down.

Kakuzawa bit his lip in frustration as he approached his podium. Alma and Lucy had had quite the murder spree when they'd been out, and that wasn't even counting the smoldering remains that had been the orphanage. All those small charred bodies had been intertwined with one other, and that had been enough to make Kakuzawa, who had seen his fair share of inhumane dissections, to feel sick. Were they building up to something, some grand scheme that did not involve him? As if that could work.

Kakuzawa found he'd already begun his lecture. Had, in fact, been going into it for twenty minutes. At this point it was automatic. He'd give the usual lecture six times a day, and the morons that comprised his student body would listen to the same spiel, taking nothing in while they passed notes of which mall they were going to meet with their friends and which girl they were going to plow. Worthless parasites. There'd be no room for them in his new world. They would be rendered to shreds by the vectors of his children, their pitiful cries a balm to his ears. Oh, how he'd relish the looks of horror and pain on their puny faces. But first…

"In 1952, Miller created a water-soluble organic compound. Would anyone care to tell me he based his compound on a tungsten electrode?"

Not a single hand went up. Oh what a surprise.

"You there."

Some random loser in his class looked up, taken aback that he was the one who'd been called out by his teacher.

"Y-yes sir?"

"Why did Miller choose a tungsten electrode?"

The random loser struggled for a second, wracking his loser brain for an answer that he did not have. "I...don't know, sir."

"Hm, I see. Does anyone else want to try?"

"Yes!"

In that instant, another hand went up, along with a voice that held a level of enthusiasm he'd never heard in this class. His gaze drifts toward the figure who'd raised her hand, and Kakuzawa stopped to see who'd be the next student to make a fool of themsel-

He froze on the spot. His throat dried up, and his eyes bulged. Lucy. It was Lucy. Sitting in his classroom, hand raised, as if she was a normal student. Immediately, two students next to her tried to reign the Diclonius in, and by some wonder, neither of them had been torn to shreds by her. Kakuzawa felt his book drop from his hands. He took a few steps back and nearly fell over in horror. A million different questions flew through his head, and it took a moment before he could get his brain and tongue in working order. The whole class was staring at him now. He needed to take control of the situation. What mattered now was that he'd found her. He spoke, and to his credit, he managed to keep his voice calm.

"Class is closed for the day, everyone," he said. He turned toward the trio, who were making to leave. "You three, with me."

Kakuzawa's office was a cramped and cluttered place. The professor had never been one for neatness. Filing cabinets were set up on one side, and several glass vials were set up on the other side, many of which still had fluids in them. Nonetheless, there was still enough room for people to sit. Kouta and Yuka sat in chairs facing the professor's desk, while the professor himself sat behind it. To the side of them, Nyu, or Lucy, was playing with a dead frog, examining it with great interest. It took all of Kakuzawa's effort to focus on the students, and not the mass murderer who was busy fiddling with a frog

"This girl is named Lucy," he stated, "She's my younger brother's daughter, and we've all been worried sick about her."

"What?" exclaimed Kouta and Yuka.

"So let's be perfectly clear what happened here," said Kakuzawa, "You found her naked on the beach, all by herself, and you didn't even bother calling the police?"

"But we had to hide her!" protested Yuka, "We told you, we felt someone was chasing her. And...and there was something else as well."

Kakuzawa cocked an eyebrow at this, "What do you mean?"

"There's...something following her," said Kouta, "We're not sure exactly, but things have been happening around the house. Things we can't explai-"

Kakuzawa held up his hand. "Are you trying to tell me that Lucy is being haunted?" His tone was not amused.

Yuka began to stutter an excuse, but Kakuzawa cut her off. "Do you know what they call what the two of you did? Kidnapping! Commiting a felony! Forced retention of a minor!"

"That's not true!" cried Yuka. "We rescued her!"

"Well, she's no longer your problem," said Kakuzawa, "I'll look after her now."

"What?" exclaimed Kouta, and at the same time, Yuka asked, "Why?"

"Isn't that obvious? She's been missing for weeks. Can you imagine how worried her family has been?"

"I know," said Yuka, "But please, you have to listen-"

"In your care, she lost her memory and developed some kind of language problem."

"But she was like that when we found her!"

Kakuzawa paused for a moment to swallow back his temper. Then he spoke once more. "You have to agree she belongs with her parents, getting professional treatment. The girl needs real help. I'll handle things so you two won't get in any trouble. Just go home and forget about all of this."

"But wait," cried Yuka, "You're not hearing our side of-"

"I understand," said Kouta. Yuka turned toward her cousin and stared at him as if he'd slapped her in the face.

"Kouta?!"

"Yuka, he's right," Kouta didn't look happy, but he continued speaking, "Nyu...no, the girl we found...take good care of her." He got up from his seat, bowed to the professor, and turned to the door. As he headed out, he paused to look at Nyu, who was still engrossed with her frog. A small, sad smile appeared on his face, then he headed toward the door.

"Kouta, wait!" cried Yuka. She got up to follow him. Nyu, finally bored with the frog, looked up to see the pair leaving. She dropped the amphibian with a wet plop before starting toward them, but stops when she feels a pair of firm hands fall upon her shoulders. She turns to see Kakuzawa, smiling the way a shark might before taking a bite out of an unsuspecting swimmer. At the door, Kouta stops to look back at the eccentric girl that he'd come to care for so much.

"Take care now, Nyu."

His words seem to stir something within the pinkette, and she struggled against the professor's adamant grip. Then, perhaps from desperation, perhaps from memory, or perhaps from the result of a healing mind, she uttered a word that she'd not spoken in a long, long time.

"Kouta!"

Kouta froze at the spot, his hand outstretched toward the door knob. It was Nyu who had spoken, and this had been the first time she'd ever said his name. Yuka was staring back and forth between the two teens with wide worried eyes. In that instance, a glass vial on one of the shelves shattered. Glass flew in all directions, and the chemical splashed down onto the shelf and floor. Everyone in the room was startled. Yuka actually let out a shriek. Nyu had quit struggling against the professor. She was silently staring at the shattered glass the way Moses might have stared at the burning bush, as if she could sense some greater truth from the glistening shards. Kouta was staring at it as well, his expression dark. He turned to his cousin.

"Let's go, Yuka."

They both left without a word. Kakuzawa had also been silent throughout the whole ordeal. He looked at the spilled chemicals, then at the Diclonius in his hands. Then he smiled once more.

At the stone steps where they'd first reunited, the cousins stood, looking out at the beach, as well as the beautiful sunset that graced its shores. Kouta had kept looking at the sunset, but eventually turned toward his cousin.

"I'm sorry I dragged you all the way up here," he said somewhat sheepishly.

"It's fine," said Yuka, "You've always liked this place, haven't you?"

"I…" Kouta started to speak, then sighed, then found it in him to speak once more, "...couldn't say anything back to that jerk. It's obvious that we shouldn't have taken her home without asking, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Yuka said, "It's not like Mayu's case."

"Nyu will be a lot happier now that she's going back to her home."

"Oh, definitely. Besides, Nyu was only with us for a little while, but it was fun having her around."

"Also, we don't have to deal with whatever that thing was that had been haunting her!"

Yuka, who had been managing a smile, fell back into a worried frown. She abruptly came to a decision. "Kouta, there's...something I need to show you."

She rolled up her sleeve and showed him the cut before he even had a chance to question what was going on, and at long last showed him the carved outline of a cat. The wound was fully healed at this point, but there was still a very clear scar outlining the feline. Kouta felt a vast chasm open in his stomach as he beheld the healed wound.

"Yuka-" he had to pause to swallow the dry lump in his throat before continuing, "D-did you do this to yourself?" He spoke with a frightened calm.

"It wasn't like that, I swear!" said Yuka, fighting back tears, she began to recount the events. How she'd found the carve-out puzzles they'd done as kids, as well as the eerie dream she'd had, and all that led up to her unknowingly cutting herself.

Kouta pinched his nose in aggravation, "You kept this hidden from me all this time, Yuka?"

"What was I supposed to say?" she exclaimed, "I didn't know what was happening at the time. Heck, I still don't! But what I do know, or think I know, is that there was something wrong with Nyu, something that followed her into our home, and it scared her as much as it scared us! But now Nyu's gone and that thing's gone too and Mayu will be safe and we can move on with our lives and...and…" And it was at this point Yuka felt the tears streaming down her face, and she finally gave in to the grief and stress that had been building up all this time as she buried her head in her hands. She felt arms wrap around her, and stiffened as she felt Kouta embrace her cousin.

"It's alright, Yuka," he said calmly, "Nyu is gone, now, and that thing is gone now, too. We're safe."

"But what about Nyu?"

"We can't help that." The statement sounded cold to Yuka. But then, shockingly, Kouta began to cry softly. Yuka could feel the sobs vibrating against her body as he held her.

"Kouta!" exclaimed Yuka, "Why are you crying? You're supposed to be a guy! Guy's don't cry."

Kouta didn't answer. He just held onto his cousin and kept on crying. And eventually, Yuka resumed her crying, too. The sunset cast dull rays.

Kakuzawa wasn't crying. He felt over the moon. At long last, things were looking up. He no longer had to rely on his tightwad of a father to have him advance his research. Now he was a step ahead of his old man. It had been something to see Lucy break out with the aid of her friend, and when she'd headed past those doors, he'd seized the moment, unlocking the doors and providing her freedom. He looked over at Lucy, whose hands were tied up to a rope that was hanging from a ceiling. The girl looked at him nervously.

It was laughable, really, to think that a simple case of amnesia could have so great an effect on someone as great and terrible as Lucy. He hadn't planned on it happening, and indeed, it had made locating her difficult. One of the ways they had originally tracked Lucy was by following the bodies, and he'd been surprised when the corpses hadn't begun piling up. It all made sense now, though, and it was also quite convenient, since he'd feared that Lucy might have some initial resistance toward his plans.

She might not have initially understood what he was doing, and what he was about to do, was for her own benefit. His father and the others at the institute would also be especially prone to misunderstanding as well, because they would not want to understand. But this was the next course for humanity: To usher in a new race that was both terrible and proud. His father wanted to control them, but a species like theDiclonius were not meant to be controlled. Let them all lay claim to this miserable earth, and all the parasites that thrived on it. He would father a new era, a new world, and Lucy would thank him later.

He got up from his seat and went over to his medicine cabinet. Opening the door, he took out a syringe and removed the thin cover over the needle. Lucy watched the whole thing with wide frightened eyes.

"Isn't this wonderful, Lucy? At long last we can put an end to a hundred and fifty years of Homo Sapien history with a few decisive actions."

"Nyu." Kakuzawa really hoped that her vocabulary would broaden a bit. She'd seemed to care for those two brats she'd been with, enough to call one of them out by name. No matter. She'd warm up to him in time.

"I'll put you to sleep for a while, and when you awakened, we will be the Adam and Eve of the new mankind, and you shall carry my seed!"

"Here you are, Wanta," said Mayu as she set a bowl of food down in front of her dog. The little pup barked in gratitude before digging in. They were both in the front yard of Maple House, where Mayu had decided she would wait for Kouta, Yuka and Nyu. She'd brought Wanta's food bowl with her, and the tiny dog decided that he'd wait outside as well. Now she sat on the front steps, watching her little dog eat to his heart's content. It was good to see Wanta eating a full meal, though she would have to watch his weight for him. The little dog had packed on a little bit of weight.

The evening rays brought on a quiet calm that permitted Mayu to reflect on her time spent with Yuka and Kouta. While she'd very much enjoyed living under a roof, there had been a…strange feeling throughout her stay. It was like the walls and ceiling were watching her every movement. Even Wanta seemed to be acting strange. He tended to prefer spending outside, not wanting to set foot in the house, as though the foundation had been cursed. It got to the point where Kouta and Yuka had gotten a doghouse, where the tiny canine would sleep in whenever he was tired. Looking at her dog now, Mayu wondered if she should tell Yuka or Kouta about the strange birthday wish she'd received in her mind. Maybe when they came home...

Looking up from her dog, Mayu spotted a pair of familiar figures walking up the pathway toward her. She got up happily, but then quickly frowned. Two figures, not three. It took less than a moment for her to realize who was missing.

"Where's Nyu," she called out. It did not immediately occur to the young girl that something had gone wrong with the pinkette, but as the other two got closer to the front steps, Mayu began to see that something was wrong. Kouta and Yuka were frowning more heavily than she was. Mayu rushed over to them, hoping for an answer, but Kouta just walked on by without so much as a reassuring glance. Yuka, at least, had the decency to give her newest tennant a small, sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Mayu. We'll tell you later," she said. The older girl followed her cousin into the house, and to Mayu's surprise, Wanta followed them both inside without a single trace of fear or apprehension. Mayu blinked once, looked around the yard, and went inside, herself. She didn't feel any eyes on her.

Dinner was an unusually quiet affair. The food was good, and the company pleasant, but without a certain pinkette at the table, (one who had a habit of throwing food around like a child,) it all felt...empty. The three people seated had little to say to one another at first. The explanation given by the cousins had left Mayu feeling mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was happy that Nyu was safe, but at the same time, she was sad that her new friend was gone.

"So that's what happened. I wish I could've said goodbye," she took a moment to think, then perked slightly, "But we can still visit her, right?"

"Not likely," Yuka huffed, "They already think we're kidnappers."

"Was your professor telling you the truth?"

Kouta and Yuka were both surprised by the question, and exchanged a glance. Neither of them had ever considered the possibility that their teacher had been lying.

"I mean, maybe it's just me, but the family story sounded a little odd," continued Mayu.

Kouta and Yuka looked toward each other once more, then returned their gazes to Nyu. It was time to ask the question.

"Mayu," said Yuka in a slow, careful voice, "Have you noticed anything…...odd around here."

Mayu had been scooping some rice with her chopsticks. Now she froze, the small chunk of rice inches from her open mouth. "I...um. Look, I'm grateful to be here, you guys. This is a great place, really."

"We're not asking if you like it here," replied Kouta, sounding more patient than he felt, "We just want to know if things have been off. Hearing voices, maybe? It's difficult to explain."

Mayu frowned for a moment. "Well, when Wanta came back, I heard...or thought I heard, someone say 'happy birthday' to me. It didn't sound like either of you. It certainly wasn't Wanta.

If it had meant to be a joke, then it unsurprisingly fell flat. Kouta and Yuka tensed at Mayu's mysterious birthday wish.

"Also, Wanta's been acting odd. He tends to growl at something whenever he's inside, but more often than not, he spends all of his time outside," she looks at Wanta, who was now resting comfortably next to his master, "I mean, he's usually outside. He actually looks pretty comfortable now."

Kouta let out a tired sigh. "Mayu, we think Nyu might be haunted."

Yuka gaped at her cousin, appalled by how blunt her cousin had just been. Mayu was looking at Kouta with an uneasy gaze, but not necessarily an unbelieving one. Kouta seemed to take in these expressions, and his shoulders slumped as he realized how he had sounded.

"I know this seems crazy," Mayu said, "And you probably think I'm crazy for saying this. But Nyu, she brought this...presence with her. It all started when she came to live with us. It couldn't have had anything to do with this house, because I was staying here a few days before Kouta came in. But once Nyu arrived, something else came with her right through these doors. We could all feel it, and Mayu, you've felt it too."

"But is it dangerous?" asked Mayu hesitantly.

Kouta looked over at his cousin, thinking about the scar on her arm. Yuka didn't even look at him, and she didn't mention her wound, at least not directly. "Why would you think that, Mayu?"

"Well, the voice did wish me a happy birthday."

Yuka and Kouta were slightly taken aback by this. The cousins hadn't considered the idea that the message had a positive intention to it.

"I'm not entirely certain about this, but whatever this thing is...well, maybe it's trying to be friendly in its own way," Mayu looked down at Wanta again and smiled, "Or maybe it just likes having a dog."

Professor Kakuzawa looked down at Nyu. The Diclonius had taken the sedative with little fuss, and was now sleeping comfortably on the floor. The professor had been looking forward to this moment for several reasons. This would be the beginning of the new race, the start of a whole new era. Also, though he would never admit it to anyone, the fact that the most powerful woman on earth was now lying vulnerable, all his for the taking, helped make what would happen next all the more easier.

He turned toward Nyu, ready to take her clothes off, and froze with surprise. Standing in between him and the pinnacle of a new race was an emaciated figure that he'd only heard of. The same woman who'd killed so many soldiers, maimed no. 7, and had aided in the release of her friend. It was Alma, and her expression was murderous. Kakuzawa's pants become much less tighter.

"Alma!" declared Kakuzawa gamely, "You're, uh, you're just in time."

Alma turned to look down at Nyu's drugged body, then looked back at the professor. Her mood did not improve.

"I know this looks...off," continued Kakuzawa, "But this really is what Lucy would want! My father and I are researching the same subject, but unlike him, I have no intent on keeping her restrained. That's why I helped you break Lucy out of his lab, so that she could be faithful to the plan encoded in her DNA: to exterminate humans and prosper from killing. She and I can cleanse the earth of the old mankind and establish a new order where only Diclonius reign! Believe me Alma, this is what Lucy would want."

Alma continued to stare at Kakuzawa with withering contempt, and Kakuzawa pressed forward.

"Lucy is special from the other Diclonius, Alma. She's a Queen! She is the only living Diclonius who is fully capable of reproducing, and being the mother of a new race. Her species was made to wipe out mankind, and you can be a part of it too."

Alma tilted her head to the side, and Kakuzawa grinned, feeling a bit more confident.

"My father told me about what you, Alma. We know about Armacham, and I can't begin to imagine what horrors you've been through. It's clear you've got no love for humanity, either. You could help us, you know. Any dissenters who would stop us could be burned away by your awesome might. There'll be no humans left."

Alma didn't speak, she didn't move, she didn't even blink. She just continued to stare pointedly at the professor. After a moment, Kakuzawa realized what Alma was getting at. (Or felt he did, at least.)

"Oh, it's not what you think! I'm not human, either."

He reached up and pulled at his hair. It came off, revealing a bald head with a pair of small stubby horns.

"You see? Lucy and I belong to the exact same race. We're on the same side!"

Then why did you drug her?

The words cut through Kakuzawa's mind like a hot knife. The professor opened his mouth to speak, but then his lower jaw fell from its hinges from the searing heat, and landed on the floor with a wet thud. There was a loud sizzling sound, and the smell of burning flesh permeated the lab as Professor Kakuzawa was roasted alive.

The question, it seemed, had been rhetorical.