-Faith, Love, and Forgiveness - Chapter Ten: Praise-
Kaeda House - The next night
The night after the robbery, the makeshift family had just finished dinner and were all watching TV together when Yuka stumbled upon the local news channel.
"A Yokohama pizza restaurant owner has been hospitalized after a failed robbery. Sokai Tokuyashi, the manager and owner of Tokuyashi's Pizza, said it was just before closing time when two masked men came in, one of them armed with a stolen handgun."
"Hey, isn't that where we ate last night?" Nana asked.
"I'll be damned, it IS!" Kouta said. Sure enough, it was a news segment about the previous night's robbery.
"The two men accosted the owner and the five customers inside at the time, one of which violently retaliated after being threatened."
A short clip of the fight between the thugs and Lucy was played, but all it showed was the men flying through the air like some kind of low-budget action movie extras.
"You gotta be kidding me..." the pink-haired girl groaned. She had a flustered, sheepish smile on her blushing face that she was doing her best to hide, but failing miserably at.
"Police have identified this customer as a person of interest, but have no information on her identity except that she reportedly had pink hair. The two men were taken to the Yokohama City hospital with severe, but not life-threatening injuries. The unarmed suspect was thrown through a window, and needed almost two-hundred stitches. Police say the armed suspect suffered two broken teeth, a broken leg, a mild skull fracture, and deep lacerations on his back, chest, one arm, and both his legs."
"She's either a Diclonius, or telekinetic. Either way, the two suspects got their asses KICKED by this young lady! Personally, I'm proud of her." said Yokohama Police Lieutenant Masiodora Issachi. "If not for her, I have no doubt that our victim would've been murdered during the robbery."
"In a statement given from his hospital room, Mr. Tokuyashi said that, quote, "I've never seen her before, but she'll always eat free from now on. As far as I'm concerned, that girl's a hero."
"Ẁoooo! Go, Nyu!" Nana, Mayu, and Yuka cheered in unison.
She of course got teased about it, but this was nothing like the teasing she suffered while she was a child at the orphanage. They might be picking on her, but it was clear there was none of the malicious intention that accompanied actual bullying.
If this is what being part of a family felt like, she could definitely get used to it.
Thankfully, the teasing eased up and the night passed without it being mentioned again. Around 1 am, everyone said goodnight and went their separate ways.
A couple of hours later, Kouta awoke to the feeling of something pressing against his back, and it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out what it was.
"Can't sleep?"
"Not really..." he heard his girlfriend say.
Rolling over to face her, he reached out and she happily cuddled up against him.
"Just stay here tonight. It'll be fine." he yawned.
"Thank you." Lucy whispered gratefully, pressing her lips against his for a moment before making herself comfortable. Sighing in contentment, she closed her eyes, smiling peacefully as Kouta held her.
"Go live with Kouta in that house. I want you to do what I can't do, as much as I wish I could."
Thinking back to that night, Lucy had never been so happy to be wrong. She COULD do it... she COULD have a (relatively) normal life, and not just with Kouta, but the others too. Obviously, it wasn't always gonna be sunshine and rainbows, but that was a small price to pay for having a family that she now knew genuinely loved and wanted her.
As a silent tear fell from her eyes, she smiled and nuzzled her face against his. Soon after, the couple fell asleep holding each other.
Ryukon Cemetery - The next afternoon
As she did every Sunday, Nana walked the mile or so distance to a small cemetery near the bridge where she had fought Number Thirty-Five, a.k.a. Mariko. She made her way through the rows of graves to a small area back in the far corner of the cemetery. Here was the final resting place of her 'Papa', Mariko, and his wife.
Of the three, his wife's grave was the only one that held an actual body, but Nana didn't seem to care. Every Sunday, she'd make the trip, sit down by his grave, and talk to him for a little bit about how she was doing and what had happened during that week. Most of the time, she'd be alone, but Mayu would come with her on occasion.
She asked Lucy once, but the girl's reaction had been so hostile, she made a mental note not to ever ask again. She loved the man dearly, but had seen in Lucy's memories what happened between them. As much as she hated it, she could understand why the older Diclonius didn't want anything to do with him.
Laying the handful of flowers she had picked on the way down on the grave, Nana sat down by the headstone with a smile.
"Hi, Papa! I've got something amazing to tell you! The other day we went shopping for some new clothes, and when we were done, we went and ate at some place called... actually, I don't remember the name, but that's not important. Anyway, I had pizza for the first time, but right before we left, some guys in masks came in and started robbing the store."
She stopped talking long enough to adjust her position before continuing.
"Anyway, Lucy had gone to the bathroom before they walked in. When she came back, they started yelling at her. I honestly thought she was going to kill them, but she didn't. I know, weird, right? Anyway, they didn't get as much money as they wanted, so they tried to shoot the manager, but Lucy stopped them. She beat one of them up pretty bad, and threw the other one through a window. She definitely wanted to kill them both, but she made a promise to Kouta not to do that kind of stuff anymore unless she had no other choice."
A few silent seconds went by, then...
"Kouta? That's who owns the house we live in. He and Yuka are kind of like everybody's parents... everyone except Lucy. Oh! Did you know him and Lucy are in love? Yeah, it's not easy to believe, I know... but she always looks so happy when they're together. Plus, I kind of overheard them having sex a couple of times." she blushed, wondering when and if she was going to find someone who loved her the way Kouta loved Lucy.
Nana sighed, staring off in the distance. "I wish you were here with us. I wanted to enroll in school like Mayu, but it may not be possible because I don't have any... what did Yuka say it was? Oh, right... birth records. Well, even if I can't go myself, I can still help Mayu with her schoolwork."
As admirable as that might sound, it begged the question of, "How can someone with zero education possibly expect to help anybody with their schoolwork?"
"Well, I'm gonna go home now before the sun sets. I love you, Papa. I'll see you next week."
Standing up, she brushed her clothes off and started the trip back home.
Kaeda House - Three hours later
With dinner over, the residents of Kaeda House settled in to watch what Lucy would later call, "The stupidest idea for a reality show they could have ever possibly come up with."
That show was, "Shoe Seller's of Shojin", and as the name implied, it was a show based entirely on shoe salesmen.
By the time the first commercial break arrived, the Diclonius was way past done watching, and would have left the room if not for an advertisement to a place she hadn't been to in years.
"Nogeyuki Zoo invites you and your family to join us this weekend for the annual, "Animal Lovers Appreciation Day" event being held this Saturday only. Admission is free, so bring the whole family."
"I want to go." the Diclonius spoke up suddenly.
"Me too." Kouta agreed.
"They said this Saturday, right? I don't think I'll be able to go." Yuka said.
"Why not? It's on a weekend, what's stopping you?" he protested.
Yuka sighed and gave him an annoyed glare, "Really, Kouta? Did you forget already?"
"Forget what?"
"My grandmother's birthday? I told you about it just a couple of days ago! Do you even listen when I talk to you?" Yuka said.
"Of course I listen, but what's stopping you from doing both?" he asked.
"She lives in Choshi, and Choshi's about two hours away. Honestly, you'd think it would be obvious why I can't do both."
Kouta turned to the two younger girls, "You two are still coming, right?"
"Umm... I'd love to, but I already promised Yuka I'd go with her." Mayu apologized.
"Nana?"
"I kinda already told Mayu I'd go if she did. I'm sorry, Kouta."
"Seriously?" he asked, looking at the three girls.
"The zoo's not going anywhere, Kouta. We'll go next time." Yuka replied.
A sudden flash of inspiration went through Lucy's head. Turning to her boyfriend, she sighed and gave him an apologetic look, "Maybe we should just do it next time. It's not much fun to go with just two people."
"You just said you wanted to go!" he said in confusion.
"Yeah, but I changed my mind. I'm sorry, Kouta, but if nobody else is going, it's not really worth the trip."
"Nyu, don't be like that." Yuka admonished, "You're both adults, you don't need us there to hold your hand."
"I know, but I was looking forward to going as a group..." she said in disappointment, "It's gonna be boring if it's just us."
Looking at the older Diclonius, Nana was in awe at how effortlessly she was trolling Yuka.
Yuka shook her head in disapproval, falling for it hook, line, and sinker. "It's only for a couple of hours, you'll be fine on your own."
Lucy sighed dramatically and looked at Kouta. "Fine, whatever... we'll go to the zoo... just us... alone... but only if we don't have to stay TOO long."
'Damn, Lucy's a genius!' Nana thought, seriously impressed by the girl's cleverness.
That settled, Lucy announced she was going to bed and promptly disappeared. Before long, the rest of them decided to follow her example.
Thirty minutes later
Though everybody else had retired to their own rooms, it wasn't long until Kouta quietly slipped into Nyu's room. Finding her already asleep, he had planned to leave immediately, but stopped himself.
Silently taking a seat by her bed, he couldn't help but think of their first visit to the zoo all those years ago. He had a feeling she would want to attend the moment that the commercial started, and he was secretly happy she had the same reaction he did. Their zoo visit so long ago created cherished memories for both of them, and he was looking forward to seeing how she was going to react to being there again now that they were adults instead of children.
Looking at her as she slept, Kouta silently thanked God for bringing her back into his life. Of course, he also owed Nana a great deal of gratitude for being so damn stubborn about giving Lucy the forgiveness he had no problem withholding. Had she not came to talk to him that night, there's a good chance his childhood friend wouldn't even be with them now.
And that festering wound in his heart would still be open, poisoning not just his body, but his soul, too.
Smiling down at her, he kissed her forehead lightly before turning to leave.
"That's all I get? One measly kiss on the head?"
He turned around and saw his girlfriend looking up at him with a sleepy smile. "I didn't want to wake you, that's all." he explained as he sat back down, then joined her under the blanket.
The Diclonius turned on her side to face him, sliding closer so he could hold her.
"For a minute there, I honestly thought you were bailing on me. I gotta say, that was pretty damn fun to watch." he admitted.
Kissing his lips, she smiled at him and closed her eyes with a yawn. "Glad you liked it."
'She really is something else...' he thought fondly.
He didn't stay long this time, but neither of them had gotten much sleep, so neither of them really objected. After a bit more kissing and cuddling, he returned to his own room and went straight to sleep.
The next morning, Kouta awoke to a note from Yuka taped to his door:
Kouta,
Went shopping for Grandmother's birthday present. Might go back to Yokohama. Girl's are with me. Don't forget to feed Wanta. Will probably be home late, so will pick up dinner on the way home.
Love,
Yuka
Yawning, Kouta stumbled his way to the bathroom, then stumbled his way right back to bed and promptly went back to sleep. It was only supposed to be for a couple of hours, but by the time he woke up, it was afternoon.
After getting up, he spent a little time watching TV, then did a little studying, followed by a bit of cleaning. He fed Wanta, made himself a sandwich, then settled down on the couch to watch a little more TV.
The next thing he knew, it was night, and Nana was prodding him to wake up.
"Wha...? Oh, man... I must have dozed off."
"I'd say you did, yes." she smiled as she handed him a paper bag containing a couple of fast-food chicken sandwiches.
"Where's Yuka?"
"Her and Lucy are in her room." Nana replied, shaking her head when Kouta offered her part of his sandwich.
"Doing what?"
"Trying on clothes, I think... you know, girls being girls."
Kouta nodded his head. As he was eating, Nana decided to go eavesdrop on the two women. It was unusual for Yuka and Lucy to spend time together behind closed doors, and with that being the case, she wondered what the two of them were REALLY doing. Creeping right up to Yuka's bedroom door, she heard them talking, but couldn't figure out what they were doing.
"Just like that! You don't want to use too much, or it'll look caked-on."
'What the hell are they doing in there?' Nana thought.
"Remember, top first, then bottom."
After almost a full minute of silence, she heard Yuka say, "That's perfect! You're doing a lot better than I did when I first started! Go ahead and do the rest."
Nana was, by now, thoroughly confused.
"That looks SO good on you!"
While she was dying to know what they were doing, she didn't want to risk getting caught and having to explain to Yuka why she was snooping around outside her door. Deciding she didn't want to take the chance, she returned to her own room to get ready for bed.
Kaeda House - Five nights later
"No! No, no, no, no! DAMMIT Lucy!"
"Don't get mad at me. It's your own fault."
Nana sighed, counting her money so she could pay the pink-haired girl's exorbitant rent.
When Yuka bought their Monopoly board game, it was intended as a fun way to help Nana learn about finance. Nobody expected that she would become so fond of the game, especially since it tended to take a long time to play, and could be boring as hell, even in favorable circumstances.
Kouta had questioned the logic of buying an American game that used American money to give financial lessons to someone living in a different country that used different currency, but was content to go along with the idea, if for no other reason than to expose the naïve young girl to something she'd never known before.
"It's not fair... why does Boardwalk charge so much rent? No one ever lands on it!"
"You just did." Kouta pointed out.
Giving him a dirty look, Nana handed the dice to Mayu. For some reason, the Sipelit seemed to have the worst luck imaginable at the game. She could own half of the board, and still end up bankrupt.
Lucy, on the other hand, had extraordinary luck when it came to staying off the other players properties, so much so that Nana and Yuka both once swore the Diclonius was cheating after watching her go almost the entire game without having to pay a single dollar to anyone. It was infuriating to watch her dodge their properties over and over and over, while they themselves took a hit almost every time they rolled the dice.
Mayu rolled a nine and moved her Dog token to B & O Railroad, buying it to add to the other Railroad titles she already had. Giving the dice to Yuka, the young girl watched as she moved her Iron to the nearby Chance tile.
"You have been elected Chairman of the Board. Pay each player... $50.00''? That's just stupid! Why would you possibly owe money for getting elected?!" she complained as she reluctantly doled out the funds.
Rolling a five, Kouta moved his Car token to the Water Works tile, but declined to buy it. His cousin gave him a curious look, asking why he'd decide not to pass on it despite owning the other utility and having more than enough to afford it.
"I'd rather save the money for improving what I already have. Besides..." he said as he handed Lucy the dice, "Nobody ever lands on it anyway."
Rolling a twelve, Lucy moved her Battleship from St. James to Water Works.
"Wow, look at that. Since you don't want it, I might as well take it." Lucy casually said.
"See? She'd be owing you money if you'd bought it." Yuka lectured.
Ignoring their squabble, Lucy handed Nana the dice, and decided to make some popcorn for everyone. As she was waiting, the pink-haired girl thought back to the first time her and Kouta went to the zoo all those years ago. At the time, that was without question the best day of her life.
Despite all the complaining she did, she absolutely loved every moment of it. For the first time, she was finally and truly HAPPY. Tomorrow morning, she would at last be getting the second visit she'd hoped and prayed for, and she could hardly wait until then.
With the popcorn done, she poured it into a large bowl and returned to her seat.
Despite her love of the game, the Sipelit was usually the first to go bankrupt, and tonight would be no exception. After her, Kouta was next to go. About an hour later, Yuka and Mayu were both forced to concede after repeatedly landing on Lucy's properties.
"I swear to God, she's cheating..." Nana complained as they packed the game back into it's box.
"Don't be a sore loser..." Lucy responded. "If you'd stop putting hotels on cheap properties, you'd probably last a little longer."
Kamakura outskirts - Later that night
Arakawa rubbed her chest uncomfortably as she sat quietly in one of the helicopters owned by the Institute.
Kakuzawa had decided to accompany the flight taking her to Kamakura, and was sitting with her In the back of the aircraft.
"I don't think I need to remind you what's going to happen if you don't get me the results I want." he warned. "That device is being tracked via GPS. If you try to flee, we WILL find out about it. If you try to have it removed, we WILL find out about it. So, if you want to stay in one piece, I highly advise not attempting to do either."
"I understand..." she said. If it were possible, you bet your ass she'd try both of them.
"Good." Kakuzawa nodded approvingly, handing her a manila envelope.
"What's this?"
"A little something to help you get me what I want."
Warily opening the envelope, she found it contained two items: A device that resembled a small smartphone, and ¥750,000.
"That phone is how you will contact us. It can receive calls, but can't be used to call anyone except us. When you have what I want, use it to get in touch."
"What's the money for?" she asked.
"Whatever you want it to be, though I'd suggest using it to find somewhere to live."
"I already have an apartment." Arakawa said.
Kakuzawa just grinned at her, "Not anymore you don't. When the Institute finished searching it, everything inside was destroyed to cover ourselves."
"What?! What about my clothes?! Or my research equipment?! Hell, what about my cat?!" she yelled.
"All gone. Don't worry, you can afford to buy more." he replied.
"Sir, we're approaching the city!" the pilot yelled.
The Director nodded and asked where she wanted to be dropped off.
Since they couldn't exactly just let her out in the middle of downtown, she chose to get out close to one of the bigger shopping districts. This would allow her to get new clothes, food, and a hotel room, all within walking distance of each other.
The pilot found a small park close to her destination, but since he couldn't actually land there, Arakawa first climbed down onto the skids, then let go once she was close enough to the ground to do so. The climb and the short drop to the ground were both extremely painful, but it was either that, or have the pilot land somewhere outside the city and let her walk to wherever she wanted to go.
"One month, Plaything. If you don't find him by then, you won't NEED clothes or a place to live." Kakuzawa reminded her one last time.
Watching the helicopter fly off into the night sky, the scientist sighed to herself.
If she succeeded in finding the "other witness", Kakuzawa had promised her an immediate discharge from the Institute, and a generous financial reward that would more than ensure an early retirement. On the other hand, if she didn't deliver, he would detonate the bomb implanted in her. He might or might not follow through with the reward, but she was sure he'd definitely follow through with the penalty.
"Well, too late to back out now..." she said outloud, "I hope that kid didn't skip town, or I'll never find him."
Deciding to find a hotel first, she tucked the envelope inside the small duffel bag that held her ID and the few clothes she had left and left the park in search of lodging.
