Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, and events are the property of their respective owners. I do not own Elfen Lied. I am not associated with Lynn Okamoto, Studio Arms, or any party involved with the manga or anime. This is a fanfiction meant solely for entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.
Forward: A few years ago, I wrote an outline for second season of Elfen Lied. However, I never filled in all the dialogue and fleshed it out into a full, legit fanfiction. It is now my goal to rectify that. Elfen Lied Second Stanza follows immediately after the last episode of the anime and follows the anime's continuity and timeline, which is separate from the manga's. As a result, this fanfiction is going to diverge very far from where the manga ends up going.
In case anyone is interested, here is a brief overview of the anime's timeline:
Hundreds of years before Episode 1: The ancestors of the Kakuzawa family may or may not be the first diclonius, but lose their powers over time, while retaining their horns.
A few decades before the events of the series, some Diclonius are born, but are sterile and short-lived. Presumably, the effort to cover them up begins here.
18 Years before Episode 1: Kouta, Yuka, and Lucy are born.
17 years before Episode 1: The diclonius known as #3 is born due to a natural mutation.
14 years before Episode 1: Nana and other Silpelits are created by the girl who will later become known as Number 3. After her third birthday, she begins infecting males who sire these Silpelits. Both versions state that Diclonius gain their powers at roughly age 3.
Ten years before Episode 1: Mariko is born. Unlike the manga, the anime makes no mention of doubled aging, so it fits much more neatly within the anime timeline if these girls are the age they appear to be. The anime mentions that Mariko is a "3rd generation" but never explains the meaning of this. In the manga, #3 is a sterile mutant known as a Silpelit and Mariko is the only Silpelit born from a Silpelit. In the anime, Chief Kakuzawa exclaims that the Silpelits are worthless because only a Primary Diclonius can infect males and create Silpelits. It is likely that "3rd gen" in the anime refers to a time gap generation because all the Silpelits between Mariko's birth and the 1st outbreak four years prior were killed by Chief Kurama.
Eight years before Episode 1: The orphanage flashback scenes
Three years before Episode 1: Lucy has laid low for five years. She is extremely remorseful for killing Kouta's family and lives on solely to apologize one day. In this timeline, Lucy's hallucinations during and before the festival massacre were stress induced and not an embodiment of her DNA being evil and taking control of her as in the manga. At an unknown point and under unknown circumstances, Lucy befriends the girl named Aiko Takada. Aiko ends up killing her drunken and abusive father in self-defense and goes on the run with Lucy. Lucy is about to turn herself in to take the blame for Aiko, but Aiko is killed during Kurama's botched attempt to capture Lucy. Lucy is captured as shown in the OVA episode. The news of Aiko's death plus the tortures she endured during imprisonment chip away at her remaining humanity.
Now that we have that out of the way, we can continue on with the first episode of Season 2.
Episode 1: The Mutant Who Would be King
Commander: "Fire!"
A barrage of bullets flew at Lucy as she desperately tried to block them all with her vectors. These were higher velocity rounds than those used by the lab personnel, so she had a hard time stopping all of them. One bullet narrowly missed killing her and shot off her remaining horn. Another lodged itself in her left shoulder. Yet another went deep into her right thigh, narrowly missing her femoral artery. Since they were all using the same model gun and began firing at the same time, Lucy knew she would have a very brief window to counterattack while they loaded in the next clip. She would have only one shot at this. As quick as the eye could see, Lucy tore out a segment of concrete from the road in front of her and sent a hailstorm of fragments into the large group of soldiers. She then used her vectors to push off the ground and rapidly fly forward right into their midst. She knew she would have a chance if she was up close.
Lucy's vectors cut a swath of carnage through the soldiers as they panicked and screamed. One was cut in half trying to flee and his intestines splattered right into her face. She stumbled and vomited amid the horrifying slaughter. Her 12 opponents were all dead in various states of dismemberment while she the inhuman monster was still alive. She used her vectors to dig out the 2 bullets and cauterize the wounds enough to stop the bleeding. A normal person would already have died tonight from the vicious beating that Mariko inflicted on her, but with her mutant healing factor she knew she could pull through. She was like a cockroach, she mused to herself. Lucy hobbled her way off the bridge and towards the now closed stores that lined the beach front. She was certainly no stranger to breaking and entering to steal vital supplies. She had lived on the lam for 5 of her 18 years on Earth. She would need new clothes, painkillers, food, and a safe place to sleep. Tomorrow she was going to settle things once and for all with her hated enemy, Director Kakuzawa.
Nana finally managed to make it home shortly after Kouta had arrived. Everyone was ecstatic to see her, but none more so than Mayu, who ran to her and tearfully embraced her.
Mayu: "Nana! Are you ok? I was so worried! What happened to you? Is Miss Nyuu with you?"
Nana: "I'm not hurt. Lucy saved me! A man from the lab was going to kill me, but she killed him first. She told me to return home and do what she could never do. Then she just walked off. (pause) I don't think she's coming back. First Papa and then Lucy! (Nana starts to cry) I'm so glad at least you guys are safe!"
Kouta: "So that's why she was late getting to the steps."
Everyone turned to look at Kouta
Kouta: "She and I had a long talk. We had so much to get though. (Kouta trembled with sadness, fear for Nyuu's safety, and anger all at once) I'm not sure I can ever bring myself to forgive her, but…I just hope she'll come home. She said she had to stop some madman from building a weapon and that I and everyone else would be in danger if she didn't succeed. I tried to go with her, but she said I'd only slow her down and get us both killed. Yesterday I never would have believed her or believed any of this, but…I have so much to try think about."
Yuka: "Guys slow down! Who is Lucy? What's all this about killing and madmen and weapons?"
Nana: "Oh no! I'm so sorry! Papa said I wasn't supposed to tell anyone and now I've ruined it!"
Kouta stepped in to try to explain things for the panicked and guilt-ridden Nana.
Kouta: "Yuka…Nyuu isn't who we thought she was. She has these strange, horrible powers. It's why those policemen were looking for her on the night we took her home. It's why those soldiers who attacked me on the beach were looking for her. It's why Nana was sent after her. When we went to rescue Nana, there were soldiers who shot at us! Then Nyuu..killed them all! I can't describe it. They were just sliced to pieces! It wasn't until then that I remembered. That I remembered…8 years ago...(Kouta fought to refrain from weeping, but couldn't finish his sentence).
Yuka: (mutters under her breath) "The monster of Kamakura."
Yuka: "NO! I can't believe that! Why would you make up something so stupid?! Powers?! Are you…(Yuka suddenly felt an invisible force grab all 4 of her limbs and lift her into the air)
Nana: "It's true! People with horns like me and Miss Nyuu have very special powers. I promised Papa that I would never use mine to hurt anyone else and I've kept that promise. That's why Papa said I was special. He said he would let me go if he was ever ordered to kill me. Papa said the other members of my kind couldn't be trusted, even my sister Mariko! Of all the horned people, Papa said Lucy was the worst of all. That she abused her powers more than any other. She killed 23 people just escaping from the place where we were kept! She even killed the nice secretary lady who brought me tea sometimes! She did this to me!"
Nana placed Yuka back down and removed her prosthetics. Yuka gasped in horror as Kouta just looked deeply hurt and heartbroken.
Nana: "When I first came here to this house, I wanted to kill her. I've never hated anyone so much in my life. But…Nyuu was somehow different from Lucy. She was innocent and I couldn't sense any evil thoughts from her. If both lived in the same body, then punishing Lucy would mean having to punish poor Nyuu as well. That's why I couldn't bring myself to tell that soldier on the beach about where she was. (pause) I completely forgot about him! I wonder if he's still out there looking for her."
Yuka: "So…all of this is true. (Yuka gazed into space and seemed almost ready to faint for a moment) It's all true and yet…you hope she comes home?! I've seen the way you look at her! The way you still look even now! How do you love HER?!"
Kouta: "You're right! I do love her! I know it doesn't make sense. I can't even explain it but, when we met as kids, I connected with her in a way I haven't with anyone else in my life. When we met again, even though I couldn't remember her, I felt the same thing. There's nothing on Earth that makes me happier than seeing her smile. My heart is in love with her, and I know she feels the same about me. I still haven't forgiven her. A part of me right now even still hates her, but I can't change the way I feel about her."
Yuka: "Somehow, part of me understands that. I didn't choose to fall in love with you either."
Kouta: "I still love you Yuka. You're my family! We'll always be family!
Yuka nearly punched him for his oblivious comment but restrained herself.
Yuka: "I don't want to be your family! I want to be…"(Yuka storms out of the room crying).
Scene shifts to show Director Kakuzawa addressing his chief scientist Arakawa.
Chief Kakuzawa: "I've lost contact with the special operations team. Filthy humans! They've probably failed, even though I gave them appropriate caliber rifles for the job. It wasn't like those lab monkeys where I gave them underpowered weapons as a joke.
Arakawa: "Wait…you gave the lab personnel inappropriate weapons…as a joke?!
Chief Kakazawa: "Well yeah! Didn't you think it was funny? The real anti-escape measure was the triple reinforced steel doors. That arrogant bitch wouldn't have escaped if not for my idiot son! A few months ago, I told that bitch that I was making a new mutagen bomb and that in just five years, I could make it so the majority of children born across the globe would be our race! Do you know what she did? She spat in my face! She said she wasn't interested in such a world. Do you understand my Frustration Miss Arakawa? The objectively superior Diclonius race deserves nothing less than the total domination of this planet and yet I'm the only one of us with the vision and the will to make that happen. When I die, my true son will take my place. Until that time, I must steer this ship entirely by myself. Of course, you'll be kept around as my secretary and assistant. As payment for finishing the mutagen and ushering in a new Humanity, you'll get to enter the history books as the last and greatest of the homo sapiens species!
Arakawa: "I can't tell you just what an honor it is, sir! This is what I've always wanted deep down…well that and a shower. Can I be dismissed now? I REALLY need that shower. It's been a couple of days and…
Chief Kakazawa: Nonsense Arakawa! It's not like you'll be attracting any men anyways! …Oh, what the hell? Go take your shower and then get right back to work.
Arakawa enters the dressing room and checks carefully for any hidden cameras. Kakuzawa was an evil psychopath, but she hoped being a peeping Tom was the one flaw he didn't have. Carefully she takes out the photo of Kouta she hid from Kakuzawa in episode 13.
Arakawa: "I only met you once, but if Lucy is with you, I can only pray for your safety.
Arakawa then removes her glasses to reveal a small recording device.
Arakawa (internal monologue): "You shouldn't have removed that ugly wig in front of me you dumb bastard! Now my government contact will have no choice but to listen to me! We both knew something was up with Kakuzawas, but he's always given the excuse of not having enough evidence. I got shot in the arm thanks to that asshole not listening to me! Now all I need to do is make a quick file upload and hopefully this nightmare ends! Either that or I get caught and tortured to death. Either way, at least I'll finally get my shower!"