(A/N: Time to set the record straight between Kohta and Lucy dealing with Kaede. The secret's out now. How's Kohta going to react?)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 11: Fight

Silence passed between them. Kohta had just discovered that the girl he loved, who was responsible for killing his family, had another personality who was the one that made her commit such terrible crimes. What did one say in such a situation? As if things weren't already unbelievably screwed up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked.

Lucy chuckled humorlessly. "Kohta, please, my life is fucked up enough. I didn't want to complicate things further."

"Complicate things?" Kohta repeated. "You've been fighting against this thing inside you this whole time. I could have helped."

"How?" she asked, cutting her eyes at him. "What could you have done to help? Send me to a psychiatrist? Get me group therapy? I can see it now. 'Hello everyone, my name is Lucy, and I've got a split personality that wants me to kill everyone I come in contact with'. Please, Kohta, you're smarter than that."

She had a point. Any attempt to go for help would result in confessing her past, which would get her arrested, sent to hospital for the criminally insane, or, most likely, land her back at the lab.

"I still could have been there for you." he pointed out. "If you had ever needed someone to talk to, or if you felt her taking control-"

"I didn't want you to find out." she interrupted. "I'm afraid of Kaede. I don't know what she'll do. She harbors all my dark desires and Diclonius instincts, and has no conscience or guilt to hold her back from acting on them." She buried her face in her hands. "I'm afraid. I don't want to kill, but she made me want to. She made me not know how to do anything besides kill. She's trying to do it again. But I'm older and smarter now. I won't be fooled by her again. So she's starting to take over. And every negative or violent thought I have only makes her stronger."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "My Diclonius instincts tell me to kill and create a new race of my kind. Although I have no desire to do such things, my biggest anchor is you, Kohta. And that's what scares me. She's inherited my love for you, and that's what's keeping you safe. I'm not sure how long it will keep you safe though. That's why I didn't want you to get involved with this."

"I've always been involved!" Kohta cried, grabbing Lucy's arm. "I've been involved with this since the beginning. How could you keep me in the dark about this? It at least makes me understand better. It lets me know the truth about my family's death."

Lucy wiped her eyes. "Kohta, it was me that killed your family. It wasn't like a little while ago when she was in complete control over me. I was fully aware and in control of what I was doing?"

Kohta's grip on her tightened. "But it was her that made you do it. You were a child, Lucy, lost and confused. You turned towards the only source of comfort you had left, the only thing you had left. Your Diclonius instincts." He struggled with his next words. "And it was me that pushed you in that direction. Me and the rest of humanity Kaede took advantage of that. I see that now. You weren't making decisions for yourself. She made them, and you acted on them. Although that doesn't excuse you for the murders you've committed, that does lessen your guilt. It also makes you a victim as much as the people that you killed. You may have killed them, but it was Kaede that made you kill them."

"Kohta-"

"You wouldn't have considered killing anyone if it wasn't for Kaede, would you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, but-"

"And that's what makes all the difference."

Lucy looked at him with wide eyes. He suddenly surprised her by pulling her into his arms. "K-Kouta?"

"I'm glad I know. Even if there is nothing I can do for you, even if it does put me in danger, I'm still glad I know. I don't hate you, Lucy, but I do despise Kaede more than anything for what she did to me. For what she did to you. I can never forgive her for her sins. But…" he pulled out of the hug and looked into her eyes, "I think I can forgive you."

His words shocked her to the core. He could… forgive her? She didn't think it was possible. She never even considered there to be even the smallest chance that he'd forgive her.

"How?" she asked. "How could you possibly forgive me?"

He gave her a smile. "Because I hate the person that shot the gun, not the gun itself."

It was like an enormous weight was lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't have been happier. Her feelings overwhelmed her, causing more tears to flow down her cheeks.

"Oh, Kohta." She whispered. "Kohta, I… I…"

'As touching as this is,' Kaede interrupted, 'I need you focused on what's happening around you.'

Her body suddenly moved on its own as Kaede momentarily took control of her. She wrapped her arms around Kohta and tackled him to the ground. Lucy thought that Kaede was forcing her to attack Kohta, but then a moment later, the bench they had been sitting on shattered as if something tore through it.

"What the?" Kohta cried.

'Behind you!' Kaede cried.

Lucy turned to see another Diclonius staring at her. Now that she saw him, she was aware of his presence. But she couldn't sense anything from him. There was no emotion whatsoever.

'This must be the one Mayu and Nana were talking about.' Here eyes narrowed. 'But I didn't sense him at all.'

Kenshin lashed out with his vectors again. Being a Diclonius, Lucy could see them, and was quick to dodge, bringing Kohta with her.

"Is that him?" Kohta asked, "The Diclonius sent to kill you? Kenshin?"

"Is that is name?"

Kenshin looked at them with no emotion. "Yes, I am Kenshin."

He lashed out again and Lucy dodged as she dragged Kohta along. She may have sworn not to kill again, but she never said anything about fighting. She would defend herself. But it would be a lot easier if Kohta weren't in danger.

"Kohta, get out of here." she said.

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

"Leave!" She pushed him away from her and then jumped away as Kenshin's vectors shot out again. "He's after me! Just get somewhere safe."

Using her vectors, she launched herself into the air and away from Kohta. Without paying him any mind, Kenshin mimicked Lucy's move, soaring after her.

Lucy continued to move, trying to get as far away from Kohta as possible. She managed to exit the park, but Kenshin was right behind her. One of his vectors flew out and knocked her out of the air just as she launched herself again.

She came crashing down, Kenshin landing a short distance away. His vectors shot out and one pierced the ground right by her head. Another came down on the other side of her head, and then two more by her waist, pinning her down.

"Damn you." she seethed.

Kenshin portrayed no emotion as he looked at her. "Kill Lucy." He said. "That's what I was told to do."

"I'm used to it by now." she replied. "I can't catch a fucking break anywhere."

Kenshin cocked his head to the side. "Do you want me to break you?"

She gave him a strange look. Was that his attempt at humor? She doubted it. This person didn't seem like the type of person to make jokes.

'He's a result of those damned scientists twisted experiments.' Kaede told her. 'Let me loose. I shall kill him for you. I'll put him out of his misery.'

'I don't need you!'

Her vectors few out, knocking Kenshin's away. She used them to get to her feet and then held them out in a threatening matter.

Kenshin regarded her for a moment. "You're vectors are only six feet long. Mine are twenty-five."

Lucy growled irritably. "That figures."

Kenshin's vectors flew at her. Lucy caught them with her own vectors, invisible palms grasped to invisible palms. They pushed against each other with all their strength. Slowly Kenshin's vectors were pushed back, allowing Lucy to move closer.

"Your vectors may be longer than mine," she said, "but I'm the queen of our race. Mine are stronger than anyone's."

Kenshin's facial expression didn't react at all to this. But suddenly two more vectors burst from his back and flew at her. Lucy's eyes widened in shock and she jumped back, just missing being slaughtered.

'He has six vectors?'

She didn't have time to ponder on this as Kenshin used his vectors to rip a street light right out of the ground. He swung it at Lucy like a bat. She reacted by wrapping her vectors around herself to create an invisible shield. They protected her from the blow, but the impact still knocked her off her feet.

The moment she hit the ground, she felt an invisible hand wrap round her ankle. She was lifted in the air, her vectors held tightly by Kenshin's as his extra two held her. She glared down at Kenshin, who merely looked back at her.

"He told me to kill you, but he also wanted me to try and bring you back if I could." He cocked his head to the side. "I don't know which I should do."

Lucy continued to struggle. "I'd rather die than go back to that place."

"Ok."

He calmly walked over to a bridge and stood by the railing. The director had told him to try and make the kill clean so it would draw less attention. So that's what he was going to do.

He brought Lucy down until she reached the water, submerging her head. Lucy continued kicking and struggling, but was unable to break free. Kenshin continued to watch her thrashing form, not seeming to care that he was drowning her.

Finally Lucy's movements died down and she went limp. It was almost over now, but he could still feel her heart beating. Just a little longer. A minute or two more.

"Hey, you!"

Kenshin turned and a fist suddenly slammed into his jaw. Dropping Lucy's unconscious form, he fell over.

"Where is she?" Kohta demanded, rubbing his knuckle. "What the hell did you do with her?"

Not showing the slightest bit of pain, Kenshin got to his feet. "She's gone now."

Kouta looked over the railing. He saw nothing but the rain falling on the water.

"She's down there?"

"I drowned her." Kenshin replied. "A clean kill."

Kohta's grip on the railing tightened. "No! LUCY!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Down beneath the surface, Lucy's body slowly sank deeper. The muffled sound of Kohta calling her name reached her ears and her eyes snapped open. She looked up, seeing both Kohta and Kenshin standing on the bridge.

A cruel sadistic smile crossed her face.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohta's eyes were wide with horror as he stared at the water.

"Why?" he whispered. He turned back to Kenshin with tears in his eyes. "Why? Why did you do that? What'd she do to you?"

Kenshin was as calm as ever as he replied. "Nothing. She said she would rather die than go back, so I killed her."

"Damn you!" He grabbed Kenshin's shirt, not caring that the Diclonius could kill him with the greatest of ease. "What's wrong with you people? Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave her alone?"

"I don't know."

"Don't know? How can you not know? Unlike Lucy, you're choosing to do these things! You sick bastard! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

But Kenshin wasn't watching him anymore. He was looking down. At their feet? Kohta unconsciously looked down as well. They were suddenly thrown backwards as the ground all but exploded and they were both soaked with salt water.

Wiping the water out of his eyes, Kohta looked up to see Lucy. No, not Lucy. She was holding herself wrong, and she was looking at Kenshin with a hungry look in her eyes. But even though it was Kaede that now stood before him, Kohta was just glad that she was alive.

Kenshin slowly got to his feet. He looked at Kaede for a few moments, cocking his head to the side.

"You're not her." he commented. "You're different."

Kaede chuckled. "Very different."

She lashed out with her vectors. Two bloody gashes appeared across Kenshin's chest in an X pattern. Giving no reaction to the pain, Kenshin merely looked down at his bleeding chest. A moment later, one of Kaede's vectors did a powerful uppercut, sending Kenshin flying through the air and over the railing.

Kaede snickered as she heard him splash into the water. "I wonder if he'll attract sharks with that wound. They can smell a teaspoon of blood a mile away." She turned back to Kohta and smirked. "You seem both relieved and upset at the same time. Probably because it was me that came up and not your Lucy."

Kohta stood up. "I know that she's in there though." He grasped her shoulders and looked right in her eyes. "Lucy, I know you're there! Come back! I know you can! This is your body, she's nothing but an illusion, a shadow of the real you! Come back now!"

Kaede grinned at Kohta's desperate attempt to get Lucy back. Didn't the fool realize that it didn't work like that?"

But her grin faded as she felt Lucy creep up in her mind. The girl was strong and very determine, especially for someone who lost everything over and over again.

'You don't quit, do you?' she thought to her other half.

'I don't need you to protect me or run my life!' Lucy shouted back as she struggled to regain control.

Kaede grinned. 'So you say. It won't last much longer though. Enjoy it while you can.'

And just like that, Lucy was in control again. Her strength gave out and she fell to her knees.

"Lucy?" Kohta asked.

Feeling drained, she nodded. Then she felt Kohta's arms around her. This was getting serious. She knew that this time the only reason she had regained control was because Kaede had allowed it. How much longer before Kaede was permanently in the drivers seat?

She didn't have long to dwell on it though. Kenshin resurfaced from beneath the bridge and looked up.

"She's back." He muttered.

He lashed out with his vectors, striking the bridge itself, tearing right through it.

Lucy quickly grabbed hold of Kohta and used her vectors to launch the two of them into the air and off the bridge, just as it collapsed beneath them. They landed safely on the ground and watched as the whole bridge came crashing down into the water.

Feeling lightheaded and completely devoid of strength, Lucy grabbed hold Kohta. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her on her feet.

"Did you see that?" he asked in amazement. "The whole thing just collapsed."

Lucy nodded. "He did it. He tried to bring us down with it."

Kohta looked at the water, but Kenshin was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he? Is he dead?"

Lucy also looked at the water. "I don't sense anything from him."

Not knowing that that could still mean that Kenshin was alive, Kohta assumed that the other Diclonius had died. "So what now?"

Lucy groaned and leaned into him. "Take me home." She whispered, and then fainted.

(A/N: Poor Lucy can never catch a break. There's always someone after her. But is Kenshin really dead. I'm leaving you in the dark about that for now. Stay tuned for the next chapter.)