(A/N: It's not easy writing three stories at once. Now I know why I always wrote one at a time. Sorry the delays are longer than usual, but with three stories, I can't neglect my fans for one story in favor of another. So here's the next chapter, hope you like it.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Back to Normal

It was almost as if nothing had happened. Nyu was back, and she was her normal cheerful self. She ran around, she played, she clung to Kohta, much to Yuka's annoyance, and acted as if she hadn't been away at all.

"Is this really ok?" Yuka asked. "To just ignore everything that's happened?"

Kohta sighed. "There's not much we can do about it. Nyu is… well, you know. Until Lucy resurfaces, we can't even talk to her about it."

"Right, Lucy." Yuka muttered.

She didn't know what to think about that. Nyu she could handle, but Lucy… She didn't know a thing about Lucy. But Kohta did. She knew it. He knew something.

She had to find out what it was. She didn't want to pry into Kohta's life, but now that Nyu had returned, she needed to know the truth.

Gathering her courage, she turned to Kohta. "What do you know?"

He gave a confused look. "Know what?"

She glared at him. "You know what I mean. I'm talking about Nyu. Or Lucy. You know something about her. Something you're not telling me."

The look on his face said it all. And he didn't deny it. "Yes, it's true. I do know something. I met her before. Back before… my father and sister died. This was back before she became Nyu."

Yuka nodded. So Kohta had known Nyu, no, Lucy before. She figured as much. "Tell me everything, Kohta. I'm involved with this too. I have a right to know."

That was true, Kohta admitted. Yuka was now involved with this and had a right to know. "Alright, I'll tell you what happened."

He recounted the events of when he and Lucy had met as kids. Telling her everything from when he first met her in the woods to when they departed before the festival. He left out the part about Lucy begging him to kill her if she couldn't stop killing, as well as what happened on the train. That Yuka did not need to know.

"You took your clothes off around each other!" Yuka shouted when he got to that particular part of his story.

Kohta waved his arms defensively. "We were just kids! There was nothing sexual about it!"

Yuka's face was read. "But still… you two… and no clothes… and… it's not decent!"

"What's not decent?"

The two turned to find Mayu standing there, having heard their conversation in passing.

Kohta turned red. "I-It's nothing, Mayu. Just grownup talk."

Mayu blinked. "Ok, if you say so. I'm going to take Wanta out for a walk."

"NYU!"

Nyu came running by, holding out her arms as she ran around happily.

Mayu turned to Nyu. "Hey, Nyu, do you want to go with me and Wanta?"

Nyu stopped. She looked at Mayu, then spotted Kohta behind her. She grinned happily and tackled him, latching onto his arm. "Nyu stay with Kohta." She announced cheerfully.

Mayu shrugged. "Ok, I'll be back soon. Oh, and Nyu."

"Nyu?"

"I'm glad you're back."

The Diclonius beamed. "Nyu home!"

Yuka's eye twitched. It wasn't so much the fact that Nyu was clinging to Kohta again, it was that her breasts were rubbing up against him. And Kohta was certainly aware of that if his expression and blush were anything to go by.

"Hey, Nyu," she said, "Kohta and I are talking privately. Can you go play with Nana for awhile?"

Nyu blinked and looked at Kohta, obviously reluctant to let him go.

Kohta gave her a smile. "Go on, we're almost finished here."

Nyu pouted. "Kiss first!"

Both Yuka and Kohta's mouths dropped. "What?" the latter asked.

"Kiss first. Kiss first, Kohta."

She closed her eyes and waited with a big grin on her face. Kohta glanced nervously at Yuka, waiting for her reaction. Yuka glared at him for a moment before sighing and tapping her cheek. Kohta nodded and gave Nyu a small peck on the cheek.

The Diclonius was more than happy with it, and looked up at him with her eyes shining. "Nyu happy!"

"That's good." Yuka replied. "Now go play with Nana."

Nyu nodded and ran from the room. "Nana, Kohta kissed Nyu!"

Trying not to feel jealous, Yuka turned back to her cousin. "Real sweet. Now, go on with your story."

Glad she hadn't hit him for showing affection for Nyu, Kohta continued. He ended with Lucy telling him what she was and going off to her death.

"But she didn't die." Yuka finished for him. "Then… where's she been all this time?"

Kohta shrugged. "I don't know. And talking to Nyu about it is useless. All we can do is wait for Lucy to come back."

Yuka eyed him suspiciously, noting the far off look on his face. She still had one more important question to ask him. "Kohta…" she hesitated, "how do you feel about Nyu? Or rather, how do you feel about Lucy?"

Kohta winced. That was a very good question. One not even he, the only one who could possibly answer, had an answer to. What were his feelings towards Lucy? Did he like her? Hate her? Love her? Was it even possible hate someone and love them at the same time?

"I… don't really know." he said honestly. "Lucy and I have a very… complicated past."

Yuka's eyes narrowed. Was he still keeping something from her? "Kohta, what are you not telling me?"

Kohta shook his head. "I can't tell you anymore. It's not my place. If you want to know anything else," he stood up, getting ready to leave. "You'll have to ask Lucy personally."

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"Wanta, slow down!" Mayu cried cheerfully as her little dog dragged her. "I thought I'm supposed to be taking you for a walk." Wanta doubled back and began jumping around her feet. Mayu smiled and bent down to pet him. "I know, you're happy about Nyu coming back too, aren't you? I know, isn't it great? Our family is whole again."

Family, just that one word could bring great happiness, or great sorrow. Mayu knew the best of both worlds, and that wasn't exactly a good thing. She remembered how happy she and her parents were. Life was good, and they enjoyed being together.

But after her father died, life had gone to hell. Her mother had become a shell of her former self, mourning her dead husband. Then she ended up marrying that monster of a man; the type of person she would normally go out of her way to avoid had her father still been alive. That man had been cruel. He twisted her mother to bend to his will until she hardly thought for herself. Then he had turned to Mayu to fulfill his sick pedophiliac desires. And her mother, blamed Mayu for it, saying that if Mayu wasn't there, then everything would be all right.

"So I ran away." she whispered. She looked down at the dog, scratching behind his ears. "I don't think I would have made it if it hadn't been for you, Wanta."

The dog licked her hand and she chuckled. Yes, even though her happy life had fallen apart, she had managed to find happiness once again here at Kaede house with Yuka, Kohta, Nana, and Nyu. Yes, life was good once again.

"Well, Wanta, you ready to head back?" she asked.

The dog barked, but instead went in the opposite direction of home, dragging Mayu with him.

"Wanta, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

The dog stopped for a moment, barked at her, then ran. Mayu lost her footing from the tug of the leash and let go. Wanta ran off, barking the whole way.

"Wanta!" Mayu cried.

She ran after the dog as it turned down an ally. When she turned down it, she saw Wanta by a shadowy figure, sitting against the wall. Whoever they were, they smelled as if they hadn't bathed in days.

"Excuse me, sir," she said carefully, "um, but that's my dog."

"I know." the man replied. "Wanta, is it?"

Mayu recognized the voice. "Hey, you're that man."

He turned her. "The name's Bando, kid. And yeah, it's me. I have seen better days though."

Mayu moved closer to get a better look. Yes, the once proud Bando now resembled a bum. His clothes were more like rags, his body dirty, his hair messed up, and he was in need of a shave.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Don't you have a home?"

Bando snorted. "Not anymore. I'm on the run. Gotta tough it out on my own."

Mayu frowned, feeling sorry for him. She knew exactly how tough it was on the road. She wanted to help him. She knew from personal experience that he wasn't a nice guy, but she was somewhat fond of him. She had saved his life when she found him shot, with one arm cut off, the other broken, and his eyes gouged out. Saving someone's life created a bond, one that she knew Bando, even in his unfeeling nature, couldn't deny that they had. And she couldn't just leave him out here in the cold, even if it was warm out.

She opened her mouth to invite him to stay at Kaede house, then closed it when she remembered Nyu. She knew that Bando, for some reason, was after Nyu's life. She couldn't let them stay in the same house. Bando would kill Nyu on sight, and Mayu didn't want anyone to get hurt.

But perhaps she could still help him though.

"Um, sir, Mr. Bando, if you want, I could see if I could get you some clothes, or a blanket. Or maybe if you're hungry-"

"No thanks, kid." He interrupted. "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

"But-"

"I said no. I've been taking care of myself my whole life. I don't need anyone."

Mayu frowned. "I just wanted to help."

Bando chuckled. "And it's not that I don't appreciate it, I just don't want it. Look, I don't expect a kid like you to understand, but I'm a loner. I do things on my own and that's the way I like it. I don't like being in debt to anyone."

He had told her that before. Mayu remembered how he said that whenever she was in trouble, he would help her in order to pay her back for saving his life. Well, that was until he found out that she knew Nyu and threatened to kill her if she didn't tell him. Heck, the only reason he didn't kill her was because he owed her his life.

"You're not… still trying to kill Nyu, are you?" she asked carefully, knowing that bring up the subject could be dangerous.

Bando's normally cold eyes became colder. "If you mean Lucy, then you better believe it. I'm going to find that bitch and kill her slowly. She'll wish she were back as a lab experiment before I'm done with her."

Mayu frowned. So he was still after Nyu. She thought he would be. "You know, she disappeared. We all think she's dead. Kohta told us how she faced off against that firing squad."

Bando glared at her. "Don't say that. Don't you fucking say that! She can't be dead, not until I kill her." His fists clenched. "I gave up everything to get my revenge. She's all I have left. I won't stop until I wring that bitch's neck with my bare hands."

Mayu made a small noise. "Sir, I may not know everything about what's going on, but I think you should forgive Nyu."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "What?"

Mayu nodded. "I don't know why you want to kill her, but I know that you'll never be happy if you keep going on like this."

Bando stared at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. "Kid, you're a real fool, you know that. I hope you can hang onto your innocence. But for me, no, I can't. I'm not going to stop until I can crush that bitch's head beneath my foot." He snickered. "You're really smart, and a nice girl, kid, but you don't know me. I'm a killer. I've killed before, and I'll kill again. It's what I do, what I'm good at, and it's what I enjoy. You don't want to get involved with me, kid." He pushed Wanta to her. "You'll definitely regret it if you do."

Mayu picked Wanta up, feeling sorry for the man, but knowing better than to push him. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I hope you'll find your happiness someday."

She bowed to him and left. Bando sighed and looked up at the sky, a small smile on his face. "My own happiness, eh?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Sweet, idiotic kid."

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"Nyu, no stop! Wait, don't touch me there! That tickles, stop! Mayu, help!"

Bath time with Nyu was the same as always. She splashed water everywhere as she fondled Mayu and Nana's breasts, switching between the two. Nana was her current victim, pinned down by the other Diclonius while Nyu held onto her tightly, playing with her breasts.

"Nyu, you're making a mess." Mayu cried, trying to get the energetic girl off her friend.

Big mistake. Nyu simply turned her attention on Mayu, jumping on her instead.

In the other room, Yuka chuckled as she prepared dinner. "It's good to have things back to normal again." she admitted.

"Whatever normal is for us." Kohta added. "I just hope things can stay the way they are."

Yuka smile faded slightly. "So, you're saying that you don't want things to change at all?"

Kohta gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She waved it off. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud. Dinner will be ready soon."

Kohta got up. "Ok, I'll tell them."

He hadn't walked more than two steps before Yuka grabbed him. "They're taking a bath! Just what do you mean you'll tell them, you perv?"

Kohta realized his mistake. "No, wait, that's not what I meant. I was just going to…" He stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Hey, guys, dinner's almost ready!"

"Dinner!" he heard Nyu wail. "Nyu sit by Kohta!"

"Nyu, wait, you still have to rinse off the suds!" Mayu cried.

Kohta immediately ducked into the kitchen, knowing what was coming. It wouldn't be the first time Nyu ran out in the middle of her bath and latched onto him. It normally ended up with him in need of a cold shower and a large bump on his head, courtesy of Yuka's fist.

Nyu burst out of the bathroom, naked, wet, and soapy, and ran through the house, searching for Kohta. She slipped and fell, crashing painfully to the floor, sliding a good 12 feet.

Mayu sighed. "I'll get her." she said, climbing out of the bath.

Nana sighed and laid back with a content smile on her face. It wasn't until Mayu left that she sensed the change. When Nyu had tripped, she hit her head. Now sweet innocent Nyu was gone, and someone else was in her place.

(A/N: I'm glad I added that prt with Bando. I always thought he was an interesting character that should have appeared more. And they never explained what happened to him after his rematch with Lucy, so I had to improvise. But more on him later. Nyu has gone and hit her head, switching personalities. But who will it be, Lucy or Kaede? Either way, things are going to turn out interesting.)