AN: The end part of that last chapter was italizied because she was half-out of it… falling aleep, etc. And I may have typed "Kanae" instead of "Kaede" a few times. My bad.

Kaede:

Had I fallen asleep? I feel a cool breeze rush around me, making me tremble as I tighten my hold of my arms around my knees. The side of my face was numb, from laying in the rough brush, and my hands were blistered from clawing the dirt as I had my usual nightmares.

I'll be back later…

Had he meant it?

The sun had not yet risen, or maybe it was nightfall of the next day. I didn't keep track of time very well, and my stomach tightened in hunger. Food…

I'd been eating scraps that I would find in Kohta's waste bin for the past year and a half… before that, I had merely wandered around. Far enough away that no one would recongnize me, and if anyone did… I would let them kill me.

No you wouldn't. You could never let a human finish you off…

I feel tears spring in my eyes. What was this other part of me…It was tearing me apart, through and through.

I found myself longing for Kohta, wanting to feel his hand in mine. I wanted to place my hand against his chest, to cry in his arms. To be human.

You'll never be human. You're not meant to be human. You are the diclonii… The beginning and the end of mankind. Embrace who you are, Lucy.

"I'M NOT LUCY, DAMMIT!" I yell, my voice raw from crying in my sleep. Probably screaming too.

I hear a branch break, and I rise into a crouch almost instantly, my vectors released and hovering on either side of me. Waiting.

"Lu-…Kaede!" I hear Kohta whisper-shout. I still don't move, this could be a trap. They could be taking me back, to a place worse than death. Where all I hear are my own screams and the cries of my own kind… in that hell hole of a place. Waiting for death, hoping everyday was the last… crying every time I woke and realized I was still living.

I feel tears streaming down my face, falling to the ground before me. I felt utterly worn out, and I knew that I hadn't been getting enough sleep as of recent.

"Koh…ta." I choke out huskily as my hands lose their bearings on the ground beneath me. My vectors still held me, as I placed my hands on my face and let the tears fall.

I couldn't remember crying after I had embraced the dark side of me. Actually, I felt nothing… but what could be called by some, happiness. But it wasn't real happiness.

Yes it was Kaede. . . It could be happiness. You could make something of yourself. Be worthy of Kohta.

Be worthy… of Kohta?

Protect Kohta. From all the humans who could kill him. Kill them before they can ever present a danger.

I shake my head. If anyone was a danger to Kohta, it was me. I flinch at the thought of how close I had come to killing him… far too many times.

I feel Kohta wrap his arms around my shoulders, without giving a warning. I lay my forehead against his shoulder, soaking in his warmth against my freezing body.

"Please come inside… you're freezing." He pleads, his lips against my ear. I shudder, whether at the sound of his voice or by the cold that threatened to eat me away, I am unsure.

I shake my head, "Yuka." He nods in understanding, but I could tell he was concerned.

He's not concerned. He only plans on hurting you… like before.

"Yuka is out of town… that's why I left last night… She is going out of town for a few weeks. To see her family. A cousin on her side of the family is getting married, so I gave her my best wishes… and given the current situation," He pauses to pull me away from his shoulder, and gently strokes the side of my cheek, "I decided it would be more… beneficial if I stayed here." I frown, still unsure if I should go to his house… familiar yet stranger at the same time.

"I still don't think it is a good idea…" I trail off, looking into his eyes and reaching my final decision. "I'll come… but only as long as Yuka…." I murmur, anxiety tearing away at my stomach, along with my insatiable hunger for Kohta's company.

Whatever there was to come from this… I knew it would only last for so long… but I was… for the first time in a long time, truly happy.