AN: Apologies for the extremely late update. I gut stuck trying to figure out the first third of this chapter, and then Dark Souls III came out and... I kind lost track of time. Luckily, Perturbator's new album "The Uncanny Valley" came out, and while I was trying to figure out the story to the album, my mind wandered to Elfen Leid. Granted, EL is more biopunk than cyberpunk. Then I remembered how late this chapter was and finally buckled down, so thank Perts for that.

The chapter is fairly rough, but I didn't want to sit on it any longer. Pacing issues will either be fixed later or stand as a monument to my sins as a lazy author.

Chapter II: Geburtstag

Yuka should be happy that Lucy was home, she really should. Yet, while she did find some happiness in the return of a piece of their family, she couldn't squelch the other feelings that came with it. Nyu had been a strange yet innocent person, always cheerful and kind. Lucy, Lucy was a threat, in more ways than one.

The entirety of the Maple Inn's occupants had received quite a debriefing on everything that had occurred leading up to and including that night three months ago. They had been informed of the diclonius, Lucy's role as the queen of the new species, and of Kakuzawa's plans to have them inherit the earth.

And while Yuka didn't buy into the dogma of the diclonius being a species of mindless killers – Nana and Nyu were proof enough otherwise – it didn't change the fact that, like humans, some could be. And Lucy had fit the bill.

Kouta had confided in her about his past with the girl, and knowing that, Yuka wasn't completely comfortable with having Lucy back. Not that she didn't like the girl. Despite the change in personality, she could definitely see the similarities between her and Nyu. That was a double edged sword, however. There were parts of Nyu she definitely didn't like, all having to do with her cousin.

Yuka stopped the thought before it could go any further. Her concerns were with the physical threat Lucy could potentially pose, that was it. Once Yuka had convinced herself once more, she returned to her task.

Which currently involved taking Lucy shopping. The diclonius was, for obvious reasons, lacking in personal items as everything they had used to have for Nyu they had parted with some time ago. Even right now she was borrowing an outfit from Yuka, consisting of a beige sweater and a pair of navy pants that definitely didn't fit her properly. So Yuka had volunteered to take her out.

How could she not? Nozomi wasn't yet comfortable enough chaperone someone in public where she would be the one to deal with cashiers and clerks, Mayu was too young, and there was no way she was going to let Kouta do it.

So here they stood, in a quaint little clothing bouquet with Lucy awkwardly looking through different pieces of clothing while Yuka stood a fair distance away.

Lucy for her part struggled through the unusual experience. She had understandably never done any "real" clothes shopping, so being expected to pick out her wardrobe by herself was proving more challenging than it would to an ordinary girl. She had briefly considered asking Yuka for advice, but quickly squashed that idea. Yuka, in a very roundabout way of thinking, had been the straw that had broken her back so many years ago. And while Lucy admitted she had been completely at fault for the events that followed, and even understood why Kouta had lied to her about his cousin's gender, some petty part of her couldn't help but spite Yuka.

Fed up with trying to figure out what she thought would look good (more specifically, what she hoped Kouta would think looked good), she began eyeing the other patrons of the shop, taking mental notes on their appearance. When she thought she had a decent idea of what was considered appropriate clothing, she returned to her search.

Minutes passed as Yuka sat on a cushioned seat in the store, staring at the ceiling as she idly kicked her legs back and forth. It wasn't until she heard a quiet "ahem" that she shook out of her daze, looking up to see Lucy holding a rather full shopping bag. "All set?" Yuka asked, to which Lucy quietly nodded.

The two made their way back to the Inn in relative silence, an air of discomfort surrounding them. Yuka opened the door and gave out a "We're home" announcement as she kicked off her shoes.

The two parted ways and Lucy made her way to her room. Setting the bag down on her floor, she began shuffling through her new garments. Thoughtfully picking out an outfit consisting of a light blue blouse, light skirt, and thigh highs, she sorted the rest away in her dresser. Dressing up, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Was this considered attractive? Would Kouta think so?

'What does Kouta think of me?' She thought. The night he found her on the beach he didn't reject her. No, he welcomed her. Despite all the pain Lucy had brought him, he still accepted her. 'Of course he would, that's why you fell in love with him.'

But how did he feel about her? Certainly he didn't fear her. If he hadn't forgiven her, he at least didn't hate her. She'd even go so far as to say he still cared about her. But as to how deeply, she didn't know. Lucy sighed, running her hands through her long pink hair. She had never had to think about these things before, her hierarchy of needs kept her from worrying too much about things but her survival. But now that she found herself relatively secure, she couldn't help but think. What future did she have in the Inn? And who was involved in that future?

Deciding that her brooding was accomplishing nothing, she shook her head and turned away from her mirror. Gathering the loaner clothing to return to Yuka, she stepped out of her room.

Kouta growled in frustration looking at the paper in front of him. Having barely passed last year's courses due to the drama at the time, he had decided to redouble his efforts to make it up this year. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as he took another glance at the calculus practice guide in front of him he had second thoughts.

Currently seated at the chabudai in the kitchen, Kouta's attention was thankfully distracted by a whistling teapot. He looked up just in time to see Yuka grab it and set the pot atop a serving tray, carefully bringing it to the table Kouta was seated at.

"Ah, thanks," he nodded to Yuka as she poured tea for the two of them, taking a sip and sighing in content. Yuka nodded and took a seat next to him, looking at the problem in front of him.

"Do you need help with that?" She offered, sipping from her own cup of tea. He shook his head.

"Thank you, but no. If I ever want to understand it, I need to figure it out on my own," looking back at the problem he gave a sheepish grin. "Though that might take a little longer than I was hoping."

Yuka sighed at his stubbornness. She didn't see how taking help made one less able to understand something, but to each their own. Maybe Kouta just learned differently. She closed her eyes to inhale the scent of the freshly brewed tea before taking another slow sip. Warm tea on a beautiful spring afternoon with her cousin; the scene was picture perfect.

She was broken out of her reverie by the light tapping of footsteps. Looking up she noticed Lucy quietly enter the kitchen. "Oh Lucy, hello." Yuka greeted calmly, if slightly annoyed.

Kouta, engrossed in the problem, hadn't noticed the newcomer until his cousin had spoken. He momentarily looked up and gave Lucy a bright smile. "Hey Lucy, you look nice," Kouta commented on her appearance. "I'm guessing you got those from your trip with Yuka?"

"Oh… uhm… yeah…" Lucy murmured quietly, looking away. His approval of her outfit had momentarily distracted her from her goal.

"Care to join us for some tea?" Yuka's words broke Lucy out of her trance. "I made plenty."

"Oh, uhm… thanks. I actually just wanted to give you your clothes back," She admitted, handing over the neatly folded bundle she had been holding in her arms. Yuka took them with a slight bow of thanks. She thought for a moment and then continued. "But some tea does sound nice." Nodding, Yuka got up and grabbed another cup for Lucy, pouring a portion of the brew for her. Lucy gave a quiet thank you and seated herself at the table.

The three stayed quiet for a moment, sipping their tea and, in Kouta's case, making occasional markings on his paper. Eventually, Kouta slammed his pencil on the paper and threw his arms up. "DONE!" he exclaimed joyously. Yuka just sighed.

"Let me take a look at it before you get too carried away." She said, stealthily snatching the paper from him. Kouta didn't pay her any mind, instead taking a celebratory sip of his tea. He let out a content sigh as the warmth worked its way through his body.

"Hey Lucy, when's your birthday?" Kouta asked the diclonius, lifting her gaze away from her cup of tea and towards his.

"Birthday?" She asked, more of herself than of him. She knew the term, if more from her time at the orphanage than anywhere else; the research facility was definitely not interested in keeping track of such dates.

"Yeah, you know. The day you were born." He replied lamely. She shook her head and gave a light smile.

"I know what a birthday is, Kouta. It's just…" she bit her lip, embarrassed at the admission. "I don't know when mine is."

"What? How could a person not know their birthday!" he exclaimed loudly, before catching a glare coming from Yuka. "Err, not to be rude. It's just strange is all."

"I'm sorry." Lucy looked away from him in a mixture of shame and embarrassment. Kouta shook his head.

"Don't be. I understand your life hasn't been the most, ah, normal," was the word he decided upon. "Please don't apologize for things you can't control." He finished, giving her a smile that melted her heart.

Their moment was promptly interrupted Yuka. "Hmm, look at that," his cousin let out in mock disbelief, tapping her hand on his prep calculus paper. "You got them right." She gave him a wry smile.

"Of course I did, would you expect anything less?" he grinned right back.

"You don't want to know the answer to that." She waved him off, taking a sip of her own tea.

All the while Lucy played the quiet observer. This casual chatter was… pleasant, she decided. Was this the life her other self had enjoyed? Sitting with others who cared about you, enjoying their company? She could only assume these were the human pleasures the "researchers" at the Institute so adamantly stated she was unable to appreciate.

She gave herself a victory over them, a pleasant smile forming on her face as she took another sip of her tea.

And so on life went. Lucy kept to the inn for the most part, disinterested in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Instead she took on chores at the inn to fill her days, intent on contributing just like the rest of the inn residents.

"Hey Lucy," Kouta's voice rang out one spring afternoon. "You busy?"

Lucy looked down at the floor she had been sweeping, mostly just to keep busy. It looked sufficiently clean so she responded. "Not really, why?"

"Good," Kouta's voice came out as he entered the hallway from the central garden. "Then we're going out." He stated, heading for the doorway.

"Uhm, okay." Lucy dumbly followed, a little confused. "What for, exactly?" Kouta just gave her a grin.

"Secret."

Taking a moment to put on her horn-concealing ribbons, Lucy followed Kouta out into Kamakura.

Lucy huffed as she took another step up a rather large set of stairs. Her body had yet to completely recover from the atrophy of stasis in that life pod. "Explain to me why we need to take all these stairs." She gave her objection to her hiking – yes this was hiking – companion.

Kouta simply smiled, one step behind her to make sure she would remain stable. "I already told you, secret." Lucy turned around to glare back at him. Lifting her gaze up at the world below, she had to admit it was a nice view. Being able to see such a vivid picture of Kamakura gave the trip some purpose. It still didn't completely justify making the journey.

As they reached the end of the stairs, the Jouju-in Temple slowly peaked over the top. Noticing the number of other visitors, Lucy visibly shrunk. Noticing this, Kouta took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Almost there." He assured, leading her through the temple.

The two reached a room of the temple with the banner "Reserved for The Maple Inn" hanging overhead. Lucy's curiosity heightened as the two entered the room. The first thing she noticed was how dark it was, the window had been blocked for some reason. She was about to ask Kouta why when he flipped on the light.

"SURPRISE!" came a chorus of voices as the heads of Yuka, Mayu, and Nozomi popped out of a very strategically placed couch. Lucy jumped back in shock, her eyes scanning the room before landing on Kouta's, searching for an answer.

"Happy birthday." He smiled at her, stunning Lucy. He mistook her stunned silence for annoyance and quickly fumbled out an explanation. "I mean, I doubt this is your real birthday. But it is the anniversary of the day we first met you on the beach. I mean, I guess it was Nyu, not Lucy, but I'd like to think it's the same. And I guess it's not the exact day, I couldn't remember the exact day we met and it seemed close enough, it was about the time school started last year and—" Kouta's rambling was cut off by Lucy throwing herself into his chest.

"Thank you." She let out, face still buried. Kouta's face colored considerably as he looked everywhere in the room but at the girl holding him.

"Ah, yeah. You're welcome," he replied. "But it wasn't just my idea. Everyone pitched in." Kouta referred to the rest of the inns residence. When Lucy had left after tea with Kouta and Yuka, he had commented about how awful it must be to not have a birthday to celebrate. Yuka had made an offhanded remark about Nyu had been 'born' the day they found her on the beach and the idea took off from there. Kouta and Yuka had sealed the location, Mayu had made the cake, and Nozomi had prepared decorations and activities.

Lucy was pulled off of an increasingly embarrassed Kouta by Mayu's small arms. "Miss Lucy, come on," she encouraged excitedly. "You have to blow out your candles and make a wish." The younger girl brought Lucy to the table in the center of the room where Nozomi was lighting the candles of a cake. Lucy sat awkwardly on the couch while everyone gathered around.

"Uh, I've never done this before so I'm not quite sure what to do." She confessed awkwardly to the group.

"Oh it's simple," Mayu wasted no time in explaining. "You have to think of a wish in your head, and you can't tell anyone otherwise it won't come true, and then take a deep breath and blow out all the candles. If you don't blow them all out your wish won't come true either."

Lucy slowly nodded and looked back at the cake. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, thinking up a wish.

"I want to live peacefully with Kouta."

She blew as hard as she could, trying her hardest to put every candle out. She had almost ran out of breath with one flame remaining defiant until a short huff put it out. She looked up curiously to see Kouta's sheepish grin looking back at her. "Sorry, just looked like you could use some help." Not waiting for her reply he began pulling out the candles as Nozomi reached for a knife to cut the cake. They had a days' worth of festivities planned, and Kouta was set on making sure she enjoyed every second of it.

The group spent the entire afternoon into the late evening enjoying various activities. They played an assortment of boardgames, party games, and even dabbled in some karaoke with Nozomi expectedly stealing the show.

The sun began to set behind the mountain line as the group made their way back to the inn, still in high spirits from the day of fun. Entering the doorway, Kouta was surprised to see two new pairs of shoes at the entrance. "We're home." Mayu called out, paying no mind to the change.

It was then that Lucy began to sense something. Another diclonius. "Papa wait!" A voice shouted as a figure entered the room. Lucy's eyes widened.

"You." She bit out at Chief Kurama. If the chief was surprised to see her, he didn't show it. Before he could reply another person rounded the corner. Nana ran to her papa to warn him that she felt another diclonius' presence before her eyes widened at the sight of the group who had just returned to the inn, and who was in that group.

"L-Lucy?"

(Somewhere in the forests of Hokkaido)

A small fire burnt deep in the forest, surrounded by makeshift huts. Beside the fire sat an enclave of pink haired girls, none appearing to be older than 14, save for one. This particular girl sat at the head of the group, easily distinguished as their leader. While the rest chatted and ate from the large stag that had previously been roasted, she quietly brooded.

Lucy was back. There was no mistaking that presence. Even more than that, she felt the change; her power that had quickly been maturing, much faster than any of the other girls before. Now she could physically feel it slowing. The change was bad, she needed the strength if she was going to carve a world for her kind. She grit her teeth. Why now, at such a time?

"Queen Lola, is everything alright?" another diclonius quietly asked. The leader, Lola turned her gaze away from the fire and onto the girl next to her.

"No," she admitted. "It isn't." The other diclonius gave her an inquisitive eye, so she continued. "Lucy has returned. I can sense her."

"Wha-?" The other diclonius gasped, audibly enough to catch the attention of the others around the fire. "Well, isn't that a good thing? Maybe she can help us."

"No," Lola shook her head. "Lucy never wanted what's best for us as a race. And with her back, I can feel my power slowing. Her existence challenges mine."

Slowly nodding, the other diclonius took in the information. "Then I guess we have to confront her." She finally concluded.

"Yeah," Lola agreed. "We can't let her stop us from creating our world."

"So, who feels like explaining what's going on first?" Kurama broke the silence as the two groups looked awkwardly at each other.

"Well, to be honest, none of us really know what's going on either." Kouta responded, scratching his head. "I just sort of found her on the beach a few days ago."

"Uh huh," Kurama replied, taking a glance at Lucy. She didn't appear to be hiding anything from him. "And how exactly did you find her?"

"I was walking down the beach one night when I noticed a sort of pod wash ashore. When I went to go check it out, it opened up and Lucy stepped outside of it." Kouta explained. "That's honestly how it happened. And Lucy doesn't remember anything between that night on the Sea Candle and waking up in there."

"Hmm…" Kurama scratched his chin, wracking his brain for possible answers. He was sure Lucy was dead. He had watched Kouta kill her, he had seen to her cremation personally. Every shred of her, every scrap of DNA had been disintegrated. Lucy had surely been killed. But then who was the woman in front of him. She was the spitting image of the diclonius queen and, if Kouta was correct, even had her memories.

"Wait," Nana spoke. "Papa, do you think it's a pod like the one you put me in when you took me out of the research facility?"

Kurama considered it. "It would make sense, at least explain the pod's origin. It doesn't explain how Lucy got in it. The facility sunk before she died. No one could have taken her back there after the fact."

"Does it matter?" Kouta interjected. "Lucy is alive, that's really all I care about. The how is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned."

Kurama nodded, but for different reasons. "Yes, the how doesn't really matter. Lucy is alive. And that presents some challenges." Kurama scratched his head, sighing at the complication. "With anti-diclonius sentiment still low, the world knowing that their queen – the only diclonius capable of defeating the Vector Walkers, or spreading the vector virus – is alive, it'll set back my work quite a bit.

"Still… even if I was capable of getting rid of her, what kind of proponent would I be for peace among the races if I went and tried getting rid of a diclonius who is trying to live peacefully with humans?" Lucy's head perked at the words.

"You… trying to promote race relations?" She scoffed. "That's a good joke."

"Lucy…" Kouta cautioned. He didn't want the two arguing. He should have told her about Kurama and Nana and the work they were doing, but he hadn't figured they would return to the inn so soon. And the talk about the current political climate involving the diclonius was a difficult one he wasn't sure how to approach.

"I'm not here to start a moral debate, I'm aware of my sins." Kurama stated. "I want to move forward and build a future for Nana. A future where Mariko could have lived happily. And one where you can stay at this inn in peace. If you can't forgive me, at least put our past aside, so we can have that future."

Lucy grit her teeth. "So what? You say some nice words and I'm supposed to forget about everything that you did to us?" She spit out. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to so bad. The pain he had brought her through the years begged her to hold onto the grudge. But what kind of person would she be if she was incapable of forgiving his sins while accepting Kouta's forgiveness of hers?

"Lucy, I meant what I said that day. We did everything we could to save her." Lucy looked up at Kurama in shock. He had never acknowledged that day after giving Lucy the news of her friend's fate. "I may have been a heartless bastard, the institute may not have valued diclonius life. But it did value human life. And we did try to save her."

Lucy clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. Numbly, she walked forward, past Kurama. Before leaving his hearing range she whispered "I believe you," and took off for her room.

Kouta sighed, his shoulders slumping. It had been such a good day too, he didn't want it ending on a sour note for her. Resigned, Kouta took off after the diclonius. He had some explaining to do.

The rest of the room remained in awkward silence after the tense moment. Eventually Mayu spoke up. "D-does anyone want tea?"

"Lucy?" the diclonius could hear Kouta's voice from the other side of the paper door as he lightly tapped on the wall. "Can I come in?"

She wanted to be alone to brood, but no matter how hard she tried Lucy couldn't refuse him. Getting off her futon, Lucy made her way to the door to let Kouta in. "H-hi." He offered with a reserved smile. No matter how dark of a mood she was in, seeing Kouta's concerned face, worried for her, was enough to break it. Lucy muttered her own hi and let him into her room.

Taking a seat on the floor, Kouta waited for Lucy to return to her futon before he began speaking. "I suppose I should have explained what's been going on in the world. About Mr. Kurama and Nana and such. It's just… I wasn't quite sure how, I guess," He looked up shyly. "I know that's a lame excuse."

Lucy shook her head. "No Kouta, it's fine. I don't blame you. If there was anything I wanted to know I could have asked. It's just that… I've hated Kurama for a long time, for how he treated me at the facility, sure. But more than that, for what happened to Aiko." She looked up to see Kouta's confused expression. 'I suppose I haven't shared that story with him.' And so she did. About the second friend she had made after him, of her family, of how her dad had abused her, how he had died, how they had ran away from the police, and of how she had died.

"Looking back on it, I know it wasn't directly Kurama's fault, but even so. I wanted something to be mad at, some tangible thing to hate. He became that thing." Lucy admitted.

"I think... I think I understand," Kouta replied after a taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Wanting something to direct your anger at is natural, I guess. Human, even." He deftly slid closer to her.

"To lose the only person who cared about you, to be locked up like some animal…" Kouta brought his arms around her, enveloping Lucy in a warm hug. "You're a strong person, Lucy. I don't know how you did it." He whispered.

Lucy went rigid for a second before melting into him, wrapping her own arms around Kouta. 'It's because of you,' she wanted to say. 'The memory of you, the hope we might meet again, it's what kept me going.'

The two remained in each other's embrace for some time, finding some small solace in the contact before a light yawn escaped Lucy's lips. Letting out a slight laugh Kouta broke it off, earning a dissatisfied moan from Lucy. "I suppose it's been quite the eventful day for you, huh?" He gently patted her head, standing up. "We can talk about everything else tomorrow. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Lucy let out a pout but didn't argue. The two said goodnight and Kouta returned to his room.

That morning Lucy woke up to the light sound of the morning news. Yawning, she made her way to the kitchen, hoping tea had been brewed. As she passed the living room she noticed Kurama situated in front of the TV. She momentarily stopped in her mission to watch the new program that was running.

"We now take you live to the U.N. Floor, where JSSDF General Takao Kanbe is addressing the council." A reporter on the TV stated. The screen shifted to an aged general in a decorated uniform standing at a podium, audibly clearing his throat."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the UN," he spoke in heavily accented English, Japanese captions providing translation for his words. "I stand here today not on behalf of just the people of Japan, but of the human race to ask, what can we do about the credible threat to our existence as a species? For the past four months we have defended against the very real diclonius threat and for the most part have been met with great success. Thanks to the heroics of the SAT along with cutting edge technology provided by Saseba, we succeeded not only in thwarting the plans of the late Director Kakuzawa, but also in stopping the assault of the diclonius on our cities, our citizens, our families.

"Still, there are those out there who would sympathize with these monsters, ex-employees of Kakuzawa's who would say we should try to coexist with them. That the very beings that casually kill humans are somehow innocent, docile people? It's a ridiculous notion. The diclonius have already claimed tens of thousands of lives. If we allow them to assimilate into our populace, how long before they claim thousands more? Is that a risk we're willing to take?

"I stand here, asking for the authority to create a unified defense force, one backed by the power and authority of the entire world, in order to combat this evil wherever it pops up. An Anti Diclonius Defence Force capable of responding to credible threats around the world, backed by the most cutting edge of equipment and manned by the bravest and most capable soldiers this world has to offer." The General waited a moment to let his words circulate through the floor. "How many lives are we willing to sacrifice with inaction? I implore the UN to take a stand and say not one more. Thank you." General Kanabe stepped down from the podium, allowing the UN representative to stand back up.

"Thank you, General. The motion on the floor is to approve the creation and deployment of a UN backed Anti Diclonius Defence Force. We shall have an hour debate following standard procedures before taking a short recess. Representatives, you may begin taking the floor when you are ready."

Kurama switched the channel, not wanting to hear what would be said. The general was good at giving invigorating speeches, Kurama was sure this would be an uphill battle for him. "Well, it seems my job just got a lot harder."

Fortsetzung folgt…

AN: Fun fact. I got the name Lola from an old video I watched in my German class called Lola Rent featuring a redheaded female protagonist. The German and similar hair color just came to mind when I was thinking for a name for her.