Intertwined Destinies

DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Elfen Lied.

CHAPTER 6: Brewing Trouble

Kouta and Yuka rushed down the beach, looking for Goten.

"Where is he?" Kouta wondered. "He just disappeared!"

"I could have sworn I saw him heading in this direction," Yuka said.

And just then, a strong gust of wind flared up. Unprepared, Yuka struggled against the gale as her umbrella was torn from her hands and tumbled away on the strong nightly breeze. Blinking after the umbrella for a few seconds, Yuka turned to her cousin.

"We need to find Goten-chan," Yuka said urgently. "Something's wrong with him, I just know it!"

"Yeah, he did look very worried," Kouta admitted.

No, more than worried, he thought as he recalled Goten's wide, terror-filled eyes. He was terrified. Yuka's right! Something is wrong!

"Come on, hurry, Kouta-kun!" Yuka said, latching onto Kouta's arm and dragging him down the beach. "We need to find him!"

Kouta glanced off at the far-distant stars in the night sky as Yuka dragged him, the storm having long ago cleared up, worried for Nyuu and Goten, and only a single thought crossed his mind as Kouta sent a silent prayer to any god or supernatural force which may be listening.

Please let them be okay...

Mayu was very confused. She had heard gunfire and strange, otherworldly sounds coming from this direction, and she was scared and knew deep down in her bones that this was most likely a very, very bad idea, but... she just couldn't walk away. She couldn't. In the first place, she was too curious not to. What exactly had happened? Why was someone shooting and what were those weird sounds? Was somebody trying to murder someone else? And secondly, somebody may be hurt or even dying, and if there was even a small chance she could help them and save a life, then she had to take that chance.

The homeless girl walked all down the beach, searching for clues or something else, until, finally, she stumbled upon two prone forms lying on the beach, both spread a fairly far distance apart from each other.

"Oh my goodness!" Mayu cried. "What happened?"

She rushed to the first man. He looked fine save for the fact that he was hunched over in what seemed like a very painful posture, both his hands clutched to his stomach and curled up into a fetal position, like an infant child still in the womb. Feeling both intrigued and confused at the same time, wondering what on Earth could have happened to him, Mayu placed her hands on the man and rocked him gently.

"Excuse me, but what happened to you?" she asked.

The man said nothing, and Mayu was beginning to grow concerned.

"Sir?" the dark-haired girl pressed, more insistent than before.

And then, the man seemed to stir, wincing and shivering, as though in pain.

"I'll... get you... boy..." he whimpered, sounding as if he was in total agony.

"Is everything all right?" she asked. "Are you wounded?"

"I'll kill you..." he whispered, seemingly oblivious to Mayu's words. "I'll fucking kill you, boy!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but is everything okay?" Mayu insisted. "Are you hurt?"

It seemed that her words finally penetrated Bando's skull, and slowly, as though struggling to make it work, he turned his head to her.

"Who... are... you?" he gasped, fighting to stay conscious.

"I'm Mayu," the homeless girl said. "Just hold on. I'm gonna try to help you."

Glancing off further down the shore line, Mayu quickly left him and sought out the other soldier. As Mayu made her way closer the girl felt her stomach turn as the scent of both burned flesh and charred cloth assaulted her nostrils. When she had gotten close enough to the other man, she gasped out loud — she really couldn't help herself.

The man's clothes were shredded and ripped with smoke rising from them and gaping holes torn in them that showed burned and bloodied flesh. Some of his limbs were poking out in strange angles, and there was probably a lot of broken bones and internal injuries as well. Mayu was trying hard not to vomit, but being this close to so much reeking flesh, it was hard to keep her composure.

"What in the world could have happened to them?" she said out loud.

However, she soon realized finding out was secondary — these men needed help, and desperately. Rushing back over to the Bando, Mayu leaned in close to him, and laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He stared at her through eyes glazed over with pain.

"I'm going to go get an ambulance," she informed him. "You and your friend stay here!"

And Mayu jumped up and raced off down the beach, heading in the direction of Kamakura. She knew a poorly dressed girl such as herself would no doubt be easy prey for predators and the town pedophiles, but she had to help them. Suddenly, she tripped over something, and Mayu stumbled forward, falling flat onto her face; fighting back tears and reminding herself that whatever had tripped her up hadn't done it intentionally, Mayu glanced back, looking around for whatever did so, and she found an umbrella sticking out of the tightly packed sand.

Now curious, wondering how on Earth a mundane device such as this had ended up there, the dark-haired girl reached forward and picked it up — the words "Kaede House" could be seen etched onto the handle. They must be the owners, she realized. I better keep this, at least until I've helped those poor men, then I should return this. Whoever lost it must be missing it.

Clutching onto the umbrella, Mayu got to her feet again and set off, narrowly missing the little boy that ran by a few seconds later...

"Don't... call... me... that..."

"But... but why?" Gohan asked, trying not to let the hurt he felt show on his face. "That's your name, isn't it?"

He made to take a step forward, however, before he did, something shot out of Nyuu's body, heading straight for him! Jumping backwards instinctively, Gohan managed to keep his footing and the half-Saiyan gaped in complete shock and awe at what he was seeing — intangible see-through arms seemed to be sprouting out of Nyuu's upper torso, seemingly with the texture of ghostly vapor.

"What are those things?" Gohan said. "Arms? Nyuu, what are you doing?"

The girl just regarded him with a cold gaze before lashing out at him again with her arms, and Gohan, feeling that nothing good could come from them, leaped to avoid them, observing them with his ki sense as they passed within inches of him. They feel like weird, like nothing I've encountered before, he thought. Some kind of combination of mental energy and ki? I... I had no idea that Nyuu had this sort of ability!

In his weakened state, he didn't know if they were strong enough to hurt him, but, he wasn't eager to find out. The arms were everywhere around him, jabbing at him from various angles in an attempt to gain purchase on his skin so they could harm him. Realizing that he needed to get away from Nyuu's reach, Gohan jumped back a dozen meters.

"Nyuu, what are you doing?" Gohan asked. "What's wrong?"

The girl said nothing, setting off towards him, her gait slow and uneven, as though she was out of practice walking like normal human beings did. Gohan could only stare at her with total bewilderment as she approached.

What the hell is wrong with her? he wondered.

"Nyuu, please, talk to me!" Gohan begged her. "Why are you doing this?"

The girl glared at him through her bangs.

"You... and all the rest of your kind... deserve to die. I will make you pay for what you've done to us," she rasped angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Gohan demanded. "I haven't done anything to you! Nyuu, I just want to help you!"

"Lies," the girl hissed. "You and your filthy race don't give a fuck about me and my kin..."

This is getting really bizarre, Gohan thought. Why does she sound so angry? What on Earth could have happened to her? Does she just have manic episodes of something? Maybe she is bipolar. Well, whatever it is, I have to reach her somehow.

"Nyuu, I promise, I'm not going to hurt you, but I don't want to fight you," Gohan said. "Please don't make me choose that."

Reaching out with her vectors, the girl grabbed a nearby boulder, tearing it away from the ground easily, and lobbed it at him — Gohan jumped to the side, to avoid getting hit with it, but, by that time, Nyuu had already grabbed other objects around her to use as projectiles — trees, benches, garbage cans, all of which Gohan dodged with minimal effort, and to be honest, Gohan was beginning to get a little annoyed.

"Nyuu, please stop!" Gohan said, unable to hide the hurt in his voice anymore. "Just stop! Please!"

"You're fast, but you can't escape me forever," the girl growled. "I'll hit you eventually."

"But why?" Gohan asked. "Please Nyuu, can't we just talk about this? What's bothering you? Maybe I can help."

"I will not be fooled by your lies!" Nyuu said darkly. "You're just like all the rest! No human has ever cared about me before."

"Th-That's not true!" Gohan insisted. "Nyuu, I care about you. Kouta cares about you. Yuka cares about you."

Suddenly, the girl stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening.

"What... did you just say...?" she muttered.

"What? We care about you, Nyuu," Gohan said simply. "We just wanna take you home, that's all."

"That name... repeat that name..." Nyuu said as her face twisted into an expression of mixed emotions; fear, hope, longing, dread, grief.

"Wh-What name?" Gohan asked her, surprised to see such an obvious display of raw pain on the pinkette's face.

"That name!" Nyuu yelled urgently, shocking the Saiyan hybrid with how desperate she sounded. "Tell me! What did you say?"

"Kouta and Yuka," Gohan repeated. "The ones who took us in."

Seemingly losing interest in the boy in front of her, Nyuu fell to her knees, face contorted and body limp, as though it physically hurt her just to remain standing. Gohan watched with increasing puzzlement and mounting concern. What is going on here? he wondered. When I said Kouta and Yuka's name, it's like something changed inside her. Does she know them? Or does she know people with similar names? What the hell is going on here? This is all just so confusing!

Meanwhile, "Nyuu" was now sitting on the ground, eyes watery and heart in complete turmoil as her thoughts grew pensive. It's him... it's really him... I-I never thought this day would come. I've been reunited with Kouta-kun again... but can I-I really make amends for what I did to him all those years ago...? All I ever wanted was just to be loved, and... and I... oh, Kouta, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I owe it to you to say sorry. For the happy times we shared together.

But just then, a shadow fell over her, and Lucy glanced up at it, but before she could attack, the boy who had walked closer to her, Gohan, knelt down and draped a warm, comforting arm around her shoulder.

His gesture... it seems almost... almost comradely... she thought.

"Nyuu, whatever's wrong, whatever's bothering you, I promise you don't have to be worried," he said earnestly. "I'm your friend. Friends support one another. If you need some kind of help, just tell me. I'll help you in any way I can. Please, just trust me."

His eyes... Lucy thought as she stared into them. Th-They seem so... so sincere. Like Kouta-kun's...

"As if he and his kind care about us," the voice, that damnable voice that had ruined everything for her and Kouta, hissed in the back of her mind, like a softly whispering serpent, injecting venom into her mind. "He's just lying to you, my dear. Trying to use you. Like all the others. No one could love you after you tried to kill them."

Yes, you're right, Lucy thought, eyes glazing over. He doesn't care about me at all...

But then, before Lucy could do something, strong, powerfully built arms reached out and engulfed her upper torso, pulling the horned girl into a tight, compassionate hug. Lucy felt her emotions twist violently at this emotional display. She... she hadn't been hugged before, and it was a new, alien experience... so strange, but... but it WAS what she had wanted, all her life...

Why... why is he hugging me after I tried to kill him? she thought.

And then the boy spoke again as Lucy struggled to try to find out what was going on.

"I'm not lying," he whispered. "I do care for you, Nyuu. Don't be this way. Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

At that moment, though, something fell out of Lucy's shirt, and she glanced down to discover the seashell the fool had been gathering for Kouta lying there, glinting from the glow of the half-moon and stars. Lucy felt a thousand emotions overwhelm her, grief, longing, despair, hatred, and through it all a desire to be loved, to be accepted and held for the first time as someone just told her everything was going to be okay... and then slowly, oh so slowly, as though she were afraid, Lucy tenderly wrapped her arms around Gohan's, moist tears sliding down her cheeks as she vented all the pain and sorrow in her heart that the sight of the seashell had brought her... more pain she caused Kouta.

She needed this. She needed to be hugged, to be cared for, at least once in her miserable life; even if he was the same, and even if he was lying to her, it was still what she had wanted, and the pull of kindness being offered by this strange boy was too much for her to resist, and she just cried and cried, taking care to avoid weeping out loud, so that the teen would not hear her crying, her desire to avoid seeming weak coming through strong even now, but it was all in vain due to Gohan's enhanced hearing, and he frowned as he heard her quietly sobbing.

"Hey, Nyuu, are you okay?" Gohan asked.

Suddenly, Gohan could sense the dark presence vanishing, melting away, as slowly, a familiar, bubbly personality worked its way to the surface. And Nyuu's head shot up as Gohan sensed great confusion emanating from her ki.

"Nyuu?" the girl whispered, looking back and forth, as if trying to find out where she was.

The crimson-eyed girl caught sight of Gohan, and her arms still wrapped around him, and she grinned widely and squeezed the Saiyan hybrid as the cheerful girl let out a happy and loud squeal of delight.

"NYUU!"

"Oh, hey, are you feeling better?" Gohan said with a chuckle.

"Nyuu..." she said, pressing herself close to Gohan. "Nyuuuuuuuu..."

Just then, Gohan sensed a powerful and familiar ki approaching... it was Goten! Turning his head around, he saw his baby brother running up, looking very worried, and Gohan could sense the fear from his ki.

"Nii-chan, are you all right?" he cried, racing up so that he was standing alongside his older brother.

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, blinking in confusion.

"You turned Super Saiyan 2!" Goten cried urgently. "Why? What was going on? Was there some kind of trouble! Please tell me!"

"Nyuu?" Nyuu said, tilting her head to the side in puzzled curiosity.

Gohan felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach as he gently disengaged from Nyuu and turned to face his brother fully. Of course he should have known that Goten would have sensed him transforming and that he'd be worried about his brother's well-being. How could he have missed something so painfully obvious?

I'm an idiot! Gohan raged mentally. I never even considered what might happen to Goten! I was just so enraged over what those soldiers were saying that I... I-I lost control! How could I have done that? I've already lost control in that form once before and my p-poor father paid the price for it... damn it... THINK before you act, Gohan! You have a responsibility to your only surviving family!

Putting on a reassuring smile that felt as fake as it was to convince Goten, Gohan reached out and patted the younger boy on his head as he grabbed him and pulled the little half-Saiyan into a tight embrace.

"Hey, you don't have to worry, Goten-chan," he said softly. "I'm fine. Aren't I always there for you?"

"Yeah," Goten said, feeling safe in his brother's arms, like he always did. "I was j-just... so afraid for you, Nii-chan. I... I've already lost my family. I never knew Daddy... you're all I have left. I... don't want to lose you too. I can't lose you, Nii-chan. I j-j-just c-can't..."

And the tiny child began weeping helplessly in Gohan's strong arms.

"You haven't lost me yet, Goten-chan," the older boy said. "I promise, I'll always try my hardest to survive, and be strong, for your sake. You need me, Goten, and I'll always be there for you to look after you and to protect you. Y-You're all I have left, too. We need each other. And I won't let you down."

Goten glanced up at Gohan, eyes sparkling with tears, but the little boy had stopped crying. "Thank you... thank you so much, Nii-chan," he said, a bright smile breaking out across his cheeks. "I love you."

Gohan tightened his grip around Goten. "And I love you too."

Just then, there was a shout from far away; it sounded like a female voice.

"Goten! Gohan! There you two are!"

Gohan broke the hug and looked up to find Yuka and Kouta both standing there, looking relived and angry at the same time.

"Yuka-san! Kouta-san!" Gohan said. "What are you two doing here?"

He was just glad he had dropped the Super Saiyan 2 transformation when he comforted Nyuu — if they had come and found him with spiky glowing golden hair and an electric aura he didn't even want to think about the consequences.

"Well, Goten raced off to find you, looking very worried," Kouta explained. "We were concerned something might have happened to you or to Nyuu-san — especially since he called your name; it was almost like he knew you were here..."

Gohan almost kicked himself; how could he have been so stupid! Goten was with Yuka and Kouta, and of course he would have come to investigate, bringing them along with him. And now... here they were, only a hair's breath away from discovery and being told to get lost, left to find for themselves in a cruel and unforgiving reality, all alone, with no one to watch out for them...

But then — thank sweet merciful Kami — a distraction came in the form of Nyuu.

"NYUU!" the pink-haired girl cried, leaping up and racing over to Kouta as she threw her arms around him. "Nyuu! Nyuu!"

Kouta looked shocked at the overemotional display of happiness the innocent woman-child was showing him, but after a moment he smiled and hugged her back, apparently taken by her innocence and joy, like Gohan had. And from the sidelines, Yuka watched the whole thing, her arms folded and her expression sour, tapping her foot impatiently.

You don't have to hold on to her for that long! the fiery brunette vented inside. Okay, I AM happy to see her too; it was very scary, not knowing where she was, but... does he have to be this happy to see her?

After a few minutes, Nyuu released Kouta, and then shifted her position, looking, surprisingly, bashful for the first time Gohan had known her — he wondered what was causing her to act this way.

"Nyuu?" Kouta said, now noticing her sudden change of state. "What's the matter?"

And then, tentatively, the pinkette held up her hand, palm open, to reveal the shell Nyuu had been searching for, the one she had picked up from the ground upon reawakening. Tears shone in her eyes as her innocent mind hoped this would make up for whatever pain she caused the boy — Kouta's eyes widened upon seeing Nyuu's shell; even Yuka glanced over with sudden interest, despite her jealousy, and Gohan stared hopefully at Kouta, wondering whether he would accept this as an apology for breaking the shell which had been so precious to him.

Kouta took the shell from her with trembling hands, a flood of memories threatening to overwhelm him, and for the first time, he realized how deep the pain from Kanae's death ran, but... with Nyuu's gift, he could also see how despite the bitterness and the pain, there was also hope, the chance for a better future.

Gazing at the horned girl with tears in his eyes, Kouta reached out and pulled her into a hug again, much to Nyuu's surprise.

"Nyuu?" she mewled.

"Thank you for this gift," he whispered into her ear. "And... I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"NYUU!" the innocent girl chirped happily. "NYUU! NYUU!"

Kouta chuckled and let her go. Meanwhile, Yuka was now looking at Kouta sadly, wondering what all this meant. Is it possible he loves her more than me? she thought. But... but... I'm the one he promised to marry! We... we're supposed to have a family together. But Yuka also realized how selfish this desire was, and her heart seemed to be torn in two. If I really love Kouta, then how can I stand in the way of him being truly happy? It's wrong. But... but it hurtssomuch. I-I've been waiting for so long... oh, Kouta, please, I can't lose you. Do you love me, or do you love her?

With that, all the happy recollections, feelings of times long gone by and the memories buried under the years of growth slowly made their way back to the surface of her mind as, with a slightly pained smile, Yuka remembered...

A young Yuka, clad in a kimono, was standing with her mother and father at the Gokurakuji Station, seeing off her two favorite cousins as another year spent together came to a close. Her cousins looked sad, but also really happy, as the pain of saying goodbye was tempered by the fact that they would see one another again.

"Kouta, come back next year, okay?" Yuka called as he, his sister, and their father moved to catch their train. "Don't forget about me!"

"Yeah, of course I'll come back next year!" Kouta yelled back to her, smiling tenderly. "After all, I like you!"

Yuka let out a suppressed sniff as those happy times threatened to overwhelm her mind. And then she felt a shadow fall over her, and she looked up to find Gohan standing there, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, are you all right, Yuka-san?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Yuka insisted. "I-I was just a little disoriented, that's all."

Gohan tilted his head, wondering whether she was telling him the truth, and then he gently told her, "Yuka, I know how sometimes there are things you don't wanna tell other people, and I... I'm not trying to butt into your private affairs, but I... well, I just wanna let you know, if there's something you need to talk about with somebody, you can talk to me."

Yuka just stared at Gohan in confusion. Why does he care so much about me? Why is this so important to him?

"Thank you, Gohan," she said softly. "I'll consider that."

Gohan just smiled at her, and then, suddenly a whining little boy's voice interrupted the still night air.

"Nii-chan, I'm hungry!" he complained. "Please, can we eat?"

All of them stared over at Goten, who looked like he could positively collapse from hunger, hands clutching at his stomach.

"That's right, we never had dinner," Yuka said. "Let's head back to the inn and I'll whip something up for you, okay, Goten-chan?"

"YAAAAAAAAAY!" the little boy cried joyfully. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Onee-chan!"

Yuka chuckled a little at the boy's enthusiasm. "I'm glad you think so."

Kouta took Nyuu's hand, and the pinkette glanced at him confusedly.

"Nyuu?" she wondered, staring at him.

"Come on, you must be hungry too," he said gently. "It's been hours since we had those rice balls."

"Nyuu!" the girl said. "Nyuu, Nyuu!"

Yuka folded her arms across her chest and glared off to the side.

"Come on, let's get going," Gohan said. "No sense in waiting."

And with a happy Nyuu, an amused Kouta, an anxious Goten, a pensive Gohan, and an angry Yuka, the five set off back towards the inn, with Gohan still staring at the seemingly content Nyuu, deep in thought.

She is very mysterious, Gohan mused. I wonder what's up with the sudden shift between personalities? I'll just have to watch and see how this plays out. And if I have to protect Kouta and Yuka, then so be it.

He gazed up at the clear night sky, noticing for the first time how the storm seemed to have mostly blown itself out, and his thoughts turned melancholy under a million stars and the rare sight of a shooting star.

It's what Dad would have done.

"So they failed," Kurama said dispassionately as he and Shirakawa walked down the cold, sterile halls, heading to the location that Bando and Takenouchi had been taken to after the local emergency services had recovered their prone, defeated forms.

"Yes," Shirakawa told him. "So it seems. Bando's team was taken down, but the only casualty was Private Satou."

"Then are we sure they encountered Lucy after all?" Kurama inquired. "If it were her, they'd all be dead by now."

"Of the two, Private Takenouchi is the least wounded, and when he was awake earlier, he confirmed a Diclonius fitting Lucy's description was present at the scene but he wouldn't say anything more before falling unconscious," Shirakawa said.

"I see," Kurama said as they stopped before a door.

Sliding his ID card through the reader on the left side of the door, a light beeped, identifying Kurama as who he said to be, and the metal door slid open. The man and woman entered what appeared to be a medical facility, where a doctor was still tending to the wounds of the two soldiers.

"Report, Doctor," Kurama said emotionlessly.

"Well, sir, Sergeant Bando is in worse shape," the doctor informed him. "He sustained a lot of massive internal injuries, but the odd part is how carefully attenuated that damage seems. It's as if something created strong vibrations through his body that disrupted his internal organs, but the wave was specifically calibrated to ensure he didn't die, only that he was incapacitated."

"Lucy?" Shirakawa asked, glancing sideways at Kurama.

"Perhaps," he offered softly, adjusting his glasses. "It is possible the Queen has learned some new tricks since she has escaped — this kind of damage is consistent with the abilities her vectors are capable of."

"What about Private Takenouchi?" Shirakawa asked the doctor.

"That is more easily explained," the doctor explained. "His clothes seemed to have been fused with large parts of his body, and the blunt force trauma, flash burns, organ damage, and bone fractures tell me he was caught in a very powerful blast, most likely the kind caused by military-grade explosives. Private Takenouchi was very lucky that he wasn't killed."

"What do you think could have happened to him?" Shirakawa asked Kurama, interested in his opinion. "Caught by his own bomb? Perhaps the Queen stole one of Bando's grenades and threw it back at him?"

"Maybe," Kurama said. He moved closer to Bando, Shirakawa trailing alongside him.

He stopped near the edge of Bando's bed. This close to the famed rogue soldier, he could make out his frenzied mutters, uttered urgently and furiously, almost as though Bando was having a bad dream — or, as it seemed more likely to Kurama, a flashback.

"I'll kill you, boy..." he whispered hurriedly under his breath. "You damn bastard! I'll kill you! I'll... kill you..."

"Sir?" Shirakawa asked, wondering what he would do now.

He turned to the doctor. "Keep treating them, Dr. Minamino, and alert us when they are conscious. I want to begin interrogating them."

"Of course, sir," Dr. Minamino said with a bow.

Kurama left the room with Shirakawa following him, leaving behind a very thoughtful doctor.

The group made it back to Kaede Inn mostly fine. Kouta was just relieved that they didn't run across any other police officers. Once they were inside the house, Yuka headed off to make some food for Goten and their other guests while both Gohan and Kouta took Nyuu into one of the many rooms of the house. Kouta noticed that Gohan and Nyuu, in particular, seemed quite drenched.

"You should change your clothes, Gohan-san," Kouta said. "You're soaking wet."

"All right, if you say so," Gohan said with a shrug as he pulled off the shirt he had been wearing.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Kouta asked as Gohan shucked off the shirt.

"Taking off my wet clothes," Gohan informed. "You just asked me to, Kouta-san, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean right here!" Kouta insisted. "I mean, you should go somewhere else to do that!"

"Well, okay, if you insist," Gohan said casually. "But we're both boys, so what does it matter?"

"Well, true, but I still think we should... oh, wow, Gohan, you're ripped!" Kouta said as he caught a glimpse of Gohan's torso for the first time; he had noticed it before, when they first found Gohan and his brother, but now, with his shirt removed, it was quite obvious how exceedingly well-developed and muscled the boy in front of him was.

Gohan glanced down at himself. "Oh yeah, heheheh. Well, what can you say? I love working out."

Kouta just stared enviously at him for a while, then he shook his head.

"I guess," he said, turning to glance at the shivering Nyuu, who looked, if anything, to be even wetter than Gohan; her clothes stuck to her tightly and her whole body seemed to be covered in a light sheen of water, giving her the appearance of a drowned puppy.

But that wasn't what caught Kouta and Gohan's attention then, however; the clothes pressed so closely against Nyuu's skin that there seemed to be no barrier protecting Nyuu's flesh at all, highlighting all of the forbidden locations which a boy (and some girls, too) would find attractive; her large well-formed breasts, her curving hips leading up to a slim, well-toned upper build, and her long, willowy legs. It was as if, for the first time, with the threat of the soldiers gone and concern for Nyuu's welfare soothed, that they finally noticed how revealing her state of dress was.

Gohan glanced away, blushing deeply and feeling guilty for daring to think of the innocent Nyuu that way. I... I can't be feeling this way!

"We need to give her a change of clothes, too," Kouta said — he walked over to the dresser nearby and pulled out some new clothes. Heading back over, looking anywhere but at Nyuu, he handed them to the thoroughly drenched girl. "Here, Nyuu, you have to put these on."

"Nyuu?" the girl said, confused.

"Kouta-san, she can't understand you, remember?" Gohan reminded him.

"Y-Yeah," Kouta said. "Oh Kami... I guess th-that means... w-we'll have to ch-change her ourselves."

Seeing how completely uncomfortable Kouta looked at the idea, Gohan's heart went out to him; he hated to see people suffer or hurt in any form, no matter how minor, and this wasn't any exception, and before he could really think about what he was saying the last words he wanted to speak popped out of his mouth.

"If you want, I can change her for you, Kouta-san," he said.

And then, instantly, once the words were said, he blushed. How the hell could I have said that? he berated himself angrily. Now Kouta-san is going to think that I'm a pervert! I... I can't change a girl my age! I'd have to see her naked! It'd be inappropriate!

But instantly, a grateful look came across Kouta's countenance. "Would you really do that for me, Gohan-san? It'd take a huge load off of my shoulders. No offense, but I don't want to be the one to do it."

Gohan could have fallen over from sheer relief when he realized that Kouta didn't think that he was a pervert, but he was still really nervous — having to take off a beautiful girl's clothes, seeing every inch of her exposed body and bare skin, especially with Gohan's rampant teenage hormones... it felt like more than he could handle. What the hell did I just agree to? he seethed inside.

Kouta handed Gohan the clothes Nyuu was to wear, and Gohan realized with a palpable sense of dread that he was committed, he was going to have to change Nyuu's clothes, but, maybe it wouldn't be so bad... No, stop that! Stop thinking such dirty thoughts!

"I'll be in the other room if you need me," Kouta said, and with that, he fled — er, hastened — from the room, leaving Gohan alone with the beautiful pinkette, who tilted her head in a sideways glance at Gohan.

"Nyuu?" she said, wearing her usual puzzled expression.

Gohan felt the heat rising in his face and his chest as he realized there really was no escape from it.

"N-N-Nyuu, I need to g-g-get your sh-shirt off," Gohan stammered.

"Nyuu?" she said, still looking confused.

"H-Here," Gohan said uneasily, reaching over and grabbing onto the bottom of Nyuu's wet shirt — with a frustrated look on his face, Gohan pulled the shirt up, revealing smooth, glistening bare flesh of a light, pale peach color as he took it off, and his face went beet red.

"Nyuu?" the girl said, not knowing what to do with her arms. "Nyuu?"

"C-C-Come on, I-I need t-t-to g-get it th-through y-your arms," Gohan instructed, the quiver in his voice the only sign of the tension he felt.

"Nyuu?"

Under Gohan's guidance, the shirt was easily removed, leaving Nyuu sitting there topless as Gohan felt a burning heat gather in his body as he literally struggled not to ogle at the girl's large, round, rather firm boobs, the way they framed her lovely, shapely torso...

NO! Don't think that, Gohan! Gohan thought. Stop that! Stop it!

"N-Nyuu, I-I n-n-need y-you to move, I g-gotta get y-your sh-sh-shorts off," Gohan said, feeling his face burn from a combination of sheer embarrassment, wild desire, and squirming, intense shame.

"Nyuu?"

"H-Here, th-this way, l-l-like th-this," Gohan said nervously, positioning Nyuu so that she was laying splayed out on the floor, her arms hanging lankly above her as those adorable, wide, oh so innocent red eyes gazed cluelessly up at him, and Gohan felt a sudden stirring from within his body as his groin began tightening up...

No, no, no, no, no, NOT HERE! No, stop that! Gohan thought desperately. I can't be doing this now! She's not fully undressed yet! I... I promised Kouta-san! I have to finish this and put on her new clothes!

"H-H-H-Here, I... I-I-I just g-gotta t-t-take off your c-clothes now," Gohan said as he slid his hands inside the top of her shorts. "P-Please believe m-me, I-I d-d-don't want t-to take advantage of you, Nyuu."

The girl stared directly into his warm, kind charcoal eyes, and suddenly, a bright smile lit up her face. "Nyuu!"

And with that, Gohan had no clue how, but he knew that Nyuu trusted him. If only I didn't not trust myself... he grumbled inside his head.

"O-Okay, here I go... r-r-ready, s-set... NOW!" Gohan said.

And he quickly slipped Nyuu's shorts down her long, slim legs, not giving himself time to enjoy the sensations of stripping the girl, trying to prevent his growing arousal from getting out of control. Unable to even look at the totally naked Nyuu, Gohan grabbed the pile of clothes Kouta had taken and reached forward blindly, trying to slip the yellow shirt over her head so that he could just kind of wing it from there.

"Where is y-your head... I-I can't s-s-seem t-to find it..." Gohan complained.

But in his zeal to hurry, he overextended himself and accidentally ended up falling forward... right on top of the naked Nyuu!

"Nyuu?" the horned girl said, looking surprised at the sudden, inexplicable feelings going through her body.

Gohan, meanwhile, was rapidly losing himself to the intense sensations raging through his body, the wild, frenzied passion, the burning, fiery lust, the desire to just grab her and just begin making love to her right there; her upper torso pressed up against his bare chest, igniting a thousand wonderful physical sensations in him.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" he muttered quickly, and the half-Saiyan flailed around helplessly, trying to urgently extricate himself without touching any more flesh. "I-I'm so s-sorry, N-N-Nyuu!"

He managed to get himself untangled and flopped away... but as he was rising into a standing position, he didn't look where he was putting his hand, too eager to get away, and it landed right on top of Nyuu's right breast!

"Ah!" Gohan yelped in horrified shock, and his arm caught under Nyuu's back as he fell to the floor, taking Nyuu along with him so that the naked pink-haired girl was on top of the shirtless boy, her boobs smooshed into Gohan's equally exposed chest.

"Ohhhh... oh my God, I-I'm so s-s-sorry, N-Nyuu..." Gohan moaned in mortification.

"Nyuu..." the naked girl purred, and slowly, she reached down and latched onto Gohan's hand, the one which had been grasping her right breast, and brought it back to the same place it had been moments ago.

"Wh-Wh-What are y-you d-doing, Nyuu?" Gohan asked.

And then, to Gohan's complete and utter astonishment, Nyuu squeezed his hand over her breast, guiding the movements so that he was effectively fondling her, as she moaned and purred in response.

What the hell?! Gohan thought inside. What is she doing? Where did she pick this up?

Seemingly against his will, as though a stranger had suddenly taken control of his body and was making him do things he had absolutely no intention of doing, he heard his mouth say, "Y-You... you l-l-like that, Nyuu?"

"Nyuuuuuuuu..." the innocent girl purred happily.

With their bodies pressed so close together, the Saiyan hybrid was hard-pressed to keep the emotions raging throughout his body at bay, and he knew pretty soon, he was going to succumb, as he lay there, groping and fondling Nyuu's right boob, with a quite noticeable bulge forming in his pants...

N-No, he groaned mentally. I can't be doing this right now... right here. But she seems far from upset. It... it's making her happy. Does she really know what's going on? He shook himself. But that doesn't matter! I can't do it! I just can't! I... I can't... I can't... I can't...

As though his hormonally charged body was acting out of its own accord, he felt his right hand slide down the horned girl's totally naked back, tracing it down across well-toned, smooth, curving flesh and he moaned with unfulfilled longing. As his brain struggled to comprehend what was really happening, he cupped Nyuu's left buttock in his palm and started squeezing and fondling it, running the bottom of that hand through the crease in her bum as Nyuu squealed in sheer delight...

And then, an angry female voice jerked him out of his stupor.

"Having fun?"

As Kurama exited the room, Shirakawa followed him. For a few seconds, they said nothing, but her mind was racing with questions and it was hard to decide which one she apparently deemed of greater importance. Evidently, she decided on one as she just asked Kurama, "Have you heard the rumors of the golden-haired hero who was going around Kamakura helping out the police and stopping petty crimes?"

"Yes," Kurama said tightly, giving no hint to his true emotional state.

"Reports from the police said he has super strength and speed," Shirakawa said. "Do you think he was present at the scene?"

"If so, it would mean we have a new breed of Diclonius out there," Kurama responded dispassionately. "Perhaps he was, perhaps he was not, but the bigger issue now is what we do about Lucy. As gifted as she is at killing, I imagine she'll find it difficult to hide quietly."

Shirakawa nodded.

"We will wait till we debrief Sergeant Bando and Private Takenouchi, but it appears that we will have to resort to our secondary alternative," Kurama said. "It seems little more than a formality now — I have no doubt it my mind we will have to use Number Seven."

"I had hoped this moment wouldn't come," Shirakawa sighed.

The two came to a stop right outside a room with the large red number "7" stamped across it. A laboratory technician could be seen close by, monitoring data being displayed on the computer screen. Shirakawa and Kurama both glanced into the room. Kurama's glasses flashed, but he otherwise said nothing, though a gasp escaped from Shirakawa's mouth.

"What's her condition?" Kurama asked emotionlessly.

The technician shrugged.

"We've been performing some pretty severe experiments on her continuously," the technician said, a slight quiver in his voice revealing the state of his emotions. "I... I don't know if we can use her or not."

Kurama nodded, and all three just stared into the room. There, with legs splayed out and arms chained to a wall, was a naked teenage girl with a deep violet-pink shade of hair and twin horns — like Lucy. She was manacled to the wall as though she were nothing a slave or a wild animal, her beautiful body spattered with blood pooling around her in a puddle from wounds that looked no older than a couple of hours. The young girl lifted her head, revealing pained but innocent-looking eyes. And as though it cost her a great deal of energy, voice raspy from pain and exhaustion, the girl spoke.

"Pa... pa..."