Elfen Lied 1. Chapter 1

Far on the outskirts of Kamakura was an orphanage, buried deep in the woods and unknown to the area's many tourist. Only the residents of the city knew of its existence, but it was rarely spoken of. It was not a source of pride for the locals. However, it was here the the fate of the world was being shaped. A young girl, Kaede, would discover incredible power, but it would be her peers who would influence how she used it. Because of her unique appearance, consisting of two white horns growing from a scalp covered by scarlet locks, and eyes to match, she was treated cruelly by all of the orphanage's workers and wards. In time, this would warp her into the one thing she always denied being: a monster. But what if it didn't have to be this way? What if someone had spirited her away from that life of hate and misery, and replaced it with one of kindness and love? That is a question that begs to be answered, and so it shall be done.

Note: I do not claim ownership to the Elfen Lied series. Also, I'd like to thank Joe JS Smitty for inspiring both the story and the title. BTW: Leben Neuem = Life Anew

* * *

Kaede stared at the camera lens as the photographer lined them up for a class photo. She was, as always, in the very back, although this time they lacked a student large enough to block her out of the picture. Technically speaking, this was probably the first time she'd ever had her picture taken. The first time for as long as she could remember, anyways. And she had a long memory.

Tomoo and his brat pack were, thankfully, at the far end. The teacher didn't trust them to behave while they were around Kaede, as they'd shown during last years photo. It didn't really matter; they would find a way to ruin her day, just like all the others before. "At least my picture will be good," she thought sourly. Honestly, it wouldn't matter how well her picture came out; unless the photographer edited out her horns, no one would even DREAM of adopting her. That's how it's been since she arrived here, and it wasn't going to change any time soon.

"Alright, everyone say cheese!" the camera man commanded.

"Cheese," a few students replied half-heartedly, though they still had the courtesy to smile on time. All except for Kaede; she never smiled. Nor laughed, cried, or showed anger. She rarely displayed any form of emotion in front of people. The camera flashed, blinding everyone temporarily. Kaede's eyelids fluttered, blinking the swirling colors in her vision.

"And that should do it," The man said cheerfully before putting his equipment away. When he finished, the teacher payed the man for his time. He replied that he would develop the photos and send them back in the afternoon. With that, he left.

"Alright, dismissed," the Teacher told them, waving her hand with a 'shoo' motion. The students didn't need telling twice. All but four of them scurried out the door. The four that remained were Kaede, Tomoo, and his two lackeys. The evil leer in his eyes as he passed her on the way to the door was a dead-obvious sign that he wanted her to follow. Sighing internally, she obeyed, walking to the door. The remaining two boys flanked on either side of her. Some might think it strange for her to be so submissive to Tomoo's torments, to the point where she would willingly follow him somewhere where he could throttle her without disturbances. But Kaede knew that resistance was futile; she had no where to go, and no where to hide. Even if she tried to evade Tomoo, he'd find her in the end, because she relied on this orphanage for survival as much as he. Additionally, any extra effort Tomoo has to exert in order to find her, he made up for in hurting her more. It was better to be compliant.

As they exited the building, Tomoo turned around, casually walked up to her, and socked her in the gut. Kaede grunted in pain, doubling over involuntarily, but besides that, she didn't even flinch.

Tomoo knelt down and stuck his mouth right up to her ear. "You know, I heard the teachers found you all alone in a field. How's that feel, hm? Your own parents left you to die in the middle of nowhere, like an animal."

Kaede said nothing, which earned her a vicious backhand frm the boy on her left. "He asked you a question, freak!" She stifled a pained gasp, and continued to look passive. Tomoo snarled at her before kicking her right in the stomach. The pain of the blow made Kaede crumble, falling onto the cold, hard ground, quivering. The three of them laughed cruelly.

"What's the matter? Can't talk? I guess you want to act like an animal, too," he jeered. He grabbed a handful of her crimson hair, yanking it hard and pulling her off the ground. "C'mon, let's help her out," he said darkly.

After five-minutes of beating, ripping, and tugging, Kaede lay on the ground again, covered by nothing but several cuts and bruises. The three boy laughed at her misfortune, tossing her tasseled and ruined clothes in the mud.

"That's better; animals don't need clothes. Alright, freak, you have to sleep outside with the rest of the animals, now." Without letting their laughter let up for a single second, they went back inside. Kaede heard the distinctive click of the lock as the door closed.

Kaede sighed deeply. "Could this get any worse?" she asked to no one in particular. Her question was answered with a clap of thunder and a droplet of rain hitting her naked body. "...me and my big mouth..." It wasn't long before rain was pouring down, and she was quickly soaked. Clambering back to her feet, she made a dash for the woods, seeking shelter from the rain.

She eventually huddled under a large bush whose leaves the rain just couldn't seem to penetrate. As she lied there, she laughed humorlessly. "Look at me; I'm sleeping in the rain, just like Tomoo said." She swore loudly. "Damn them! Damn them all!" she shouted.

"The living cannot be damned..." a cold voice uttered. "Only the dead. Perhaps we should change that." Too tired to even question what the hell this voice was, she nodded.

"Yeah, maybe you're right..." she muttered, then yawned. It was still late morning, but she was so cold and worn that that pouring rain slowly lulled her into uneasy sleep.

* * *

Several hours later, somewhere in downtown Tokyo, a woman sitting at a computer surfed across several websites with disinterest. Current events just didn't interest her anymore; it was all just a lot of political bull and economic crisis that seemed to be going on everywhere, yet going nowhere. She did, however, stop to look at a link that appeared at the top of her search engine for "Japan". It had just been updated. She read the site's URL.

" .com," she read. Well, it wasn't a major, country-wide issue, but she was desperate for something new. She clicked the link. As she examined all of the information the site had on the orphanage, such as it's location, it's facilities, ect., she quickly found herself bored again. She was nearly ready to return to randomly surfing the web when she reach the facebook. In it was a recent photograph, taken just this morning of the 3rd grade class. The kids all smiled kindly at the camera, except for one...

A young girl, who had (much to the woman's shock) vibrant red eyes and hair, placid skin, and even paler horns that grew out of her head. But what drew the most of the woman's attention was her expression. Her frown, the way she regarded the people around her with disregard; it just screamed of misery.

The woman stared at the girl in the photograph for a long time before picking up a cell phone. "Gene, I want you to postpone my 4 o'clock..."

* * *

A/N: My third story has begun, and I have a felling this'll be my best one yet.

Now, I know that Tomoo didn't do anything this badly in the actual series, but I can just imagine him doing it. Rest assured, though, that he will get his just desserts in the end, and Kaede's life will improve in the long run.


	2. Chapter 2

When the rain finally stopped, Kaede was still asleep; still cold, miserable, and alone. Her dreams were equally unpleasant; they were filled with whispering voices, tearing at her psyche as she sat in a dark void, hugging her knees to her chest. She felt completely isolated in both mind, soul, and body.

A gentle chiming noise entered her ears, and she looked up. Far above her was a bright light. It bathed her in its warm, soothing glow. She reached for it, but her hands simply couldn't reach it. Even when she moved to her knees and stretched as far as she could, it still seemed so far away.

Why was it so hard for her to find happiness? Even in her dreams, the simplest of comforts eluded her in the most insulting fashions. Sitting there for all to see, yet still outside her reach. It was torture, far worse than anything Tomoo could ever do to her.

Suddenly, she felt something deep inside of her stir. It was like something that had been coiled around her heart released its hold, then slithered down her spine. The very sensation made her feel stronger. She reached for the light again, and this time, the power deep inside of her seemed to reach out beyond her arm's length, stretching up into the pitch-black sky. It was so close, she could almost feel it...

* * *

Kaede was awoken by something rough and wet stroking her face. As she opened her ruby eyes, they met the black eyes of a small puppy. It panted happily, licking her face again. It's fur was brown with patches of blonde mixed it. As Kaede looked at its chest, she could the ribs sticking out; it was starved. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand and gently petted the dog's head, who wagged his tail ecstatically in response. It barked softly, almost smiling at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Are you worried about me?" she asked. The dog answered with another bark. Kaede chuckled. "It's alright, you don't have to worry about me, I'm used to being alone. I'm not lonely." She instantly felt a wave of grief wash over her at that sentence. She frowned at the dog before slowly burring her face in the dirt. "I'm not...lonely..." She shuddered, fighting back the urge to cry. She wouldn't cry; she would never give Tomoo the satisfaction. She wouldn't cry because of him, even if he wasn't their to see it.

The puppy's smile vanished just as suddenly as Kaede's. It nuzzled its head against her neck consolingly She lifted her head slightly, sniffing and letting a sad smile spread across her face. "Thank you..."

* * *

Kaede observed the orphanage from the bushes at the edge of the yard. She knew where her room was; if she hurried, she could climb through the window without anyone noticing. She could put on some new clothes and maybe get some decent sleep.

The puppy, which she held tightly to her naked chest, whimpered. The tension in the air was high, and even it noticed. Kaede glanced down at it and smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be fine," she said before gulping. "I hope." Kaede didn't much care for modesty, being the useless thing that it was, but most people did. Her situation was bad enough already, so she didn't want to make it worse by being caught outside at night, butt-naked and carrying a puppy that wasn't hers around. She took a few deep breaths, then bolted.

Getting to her bedroom window was easy enough, but she ran into some difficulty when it came to opening it. "Damn it, why does it have to be locked," Kaede muttered in annoyance, fiddling with the catch. It didn't move an inch. "Damn it!" She slapped a hand over her mouth, but not before her outburst left her lips. She didn't know it anyone heard it, but she didn't want to stick around and find out. And tugged at the window with all her might, but it didn't budge.

Kaede slowly dropped to her knees in defeat. That was it, then; she couldn't get the window open, and now she was going to get caught. Mixed emotions of grief, anger, and fear filled her. It welled up in her chest, creating an oddly familiar sensation. She forced herself to calm down, to think things through, but that's when she felt it. That power in her dreams, the one that helped her reach. It was back. She looked through the window, eyeing the latch. She mentally focused her powerful emotions at it, and to her amazement, it flipped open. Quickly throwing the window open, she clambered inside, bring the puppy in with her, and closed them again. All in the nick of time; a light suddenly fell on the place where she had just been as one of the staff walked past, scanning the grounds. Kaede sighed in relief.

"That was close..." she whispered. The puppy whimpered at her, and she stroked its back gently to soothe its nerves as well as her own.

After everything that had occurred she was exhausted. After putting on some PJ's and hiding the dog under the covers of one of the upper bunks, she immediately collapsed into her bed, fast asleep.

* * *

She had the same dream again. The void, the voices, the bright light from above and the sensation of being able to reach out farther and farther. But when she woke, she was met with something that hadn't occurred the last time: her entire room, from the walls and ceiling to her meager possessions, were covered in dark hand prints.

The sight was unnerving to Kaede, to say the least, but in the end, she dismissed it for another of Tomoo's pranks, though this seemed far more than anything he was capable of. But she had more important things to worry about. She had to find a way to feed the puppy, for starters, and Tomoo had ruined her only outfit; all she had to wear now was her pajamas and her birthday suit. It was obvious which one she would end up choosing. And on top of all that, she wanted to avoid the aforementioned person as much as humanly possible. It was a long list, and it wouldn't be easy, but she had little choice.

Kaede climbed up on her bed in order to peek into the bunk above. The puppy was still asleep, curled up into a ball and covered only slightly by the covers. She giggled. "So kawaii!" she thought girlishly. While she wasn't usually one for displaying emotion, in the end, she was still a ten-year old girl. She carefully covered the dog with another blanket, making sure not to wake it. With that, there was nothing left to do but begin today's torments.

* * *

Today, as she had guessed, was worse that usual. Everyone disapproved of her choice of outfit, and they made no attempt to hide it. In the first class alone, her knuckles had turned a bright shade of red, courtesy of the teacher, who saw fit to smack her hands with a ruler every so often when she 'wasn't paying enough attention'. On the way between classes, several of her classmates made attempts to trip her, but she skillfully avoided them. She hadn't lived here for all these years without learning a thing or two about avoiding trouble.

The day went by rather quickly, much to Kaede's delight. In no time at all, it was lunch time; time to put the other part of her plan into action. She put down her bag and grabbed a tray. As she went through the lunch line, she got a normal lunch, plus a slice of bread. She tore it in several pieces and stuffed them into her pockets, carefully making sure that no one saw her do it. When she returned to her table, she saw the one person she didn't want to see: Tomoo. He stood their with a satisfied grin on his face, and Kaede soon found why.

Her satchel-style bag, where she kept all of her supplies, was now drenched in milk. From the awful odor that wafted from it, she guessed it was sour. "Hey, freak," Tomoo called as she approached the table. "What's wrong with your bag? It's all shitty-stained with milk." Kaede ignored him, reaching to grab her bag. Before she could, however, a hand grabbed her shoulder and shoved her. Her ankle caught Tomoo's outstretched foot, causing her to land face-first on the ground. All the students laughed at her misfortune, while the workers ignored the commotion and continued to serve them.

Kaede curled her first in humiliation. She usually wouldn't care enough to show any kind of response, but after last night, something inside of changed. She felt...angry, for lack of a better word. She wanted to lash out at Tomoo, tear his throat out, rip off his head and mount it on a wall; countless methods of Tomoo's demise passed through her head, and it almost scared her how morbid some of them were. She tried to suppress her feelings as she usually did, but it wasn't that simple this time. When she started to get back up, something hooked around her leg and tugged at it, causing her to fall down again. Laughter erupted throughout the cafeteria. Even some of the lunch ladies had to fight the urge to giggle. All of this did nothing but strengthen Kaede's resolve.

Kaede felt that power welling up inside of her, and she was ready to unleash it on everyone in sight, when Tomoo suddenly hit the floor. Kaede gasped at her tormentor's downfall, and looked up to see a young woman slinging the purse that she had whacked Tomoo in the head with over her shoulder.

"Brat," she spat distastefully. "I don't see why these people bother with delinquents like you; you'd be better off in a juvie hall." She glared at everyone in the room, Kaede excluded. "As for the rest of you, I'm ashamed to think that I live in the same country as you pretentious little..." She calmed herself and took a deep breath before she could finished that sentence. "I'm not going to use that word, but believe me, if the majority of you weren't kids, I would call you that and more." After fixing the crowd with another menacing look, she approached the fallen girl.

"Are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?" she asked with genuine concern, reaching out her hand to help her up. Kaede eyed it suspiciously. She scooted back slightly and picked herself off the ground. The woman looked put-off by this, but it didn't seem to last long. Her attention had been drawn the Kaede's bag. "Oh, look at this," she said, picking it up by the strap, careful not to let the milk drip on herself. "This is disgusting. Come on, let's clean it off before the stain sets in." With that, she headed towards the nearby wash closet. Kaede followed her, partially out of curiosity, but mostly because she wanted her bag back.

* * *

"There, that should do it," the woman said, handing the satchel to the horned girl. "Once it dries it should be fine." Kaede accepted the bag, and she couldn't help but blush softly at the woman's kindness. No one had ever helped her before, let alone twice.

"Th-thank you, ma'am," she said respectfully. The woman frowned.

"Don't call me 'ma'am'. I hate it when people call me 'ma'am'," she retorted, a little harshly. Kaede looked at the floor, hurt by the woman's sudden hostility.

"Maybe I was wrong..." Kaede thought, feeling that power from before stirring again. She was interrupted when the woman grabbed her by the shoulders, not painfully, but it a comforting manner.

"Gomen nasai," she apologized. "I just really don't like being called 'ma'am'; it makes me feel old. Just call me Aiko."

Kaede nodded. "H-Hai, Aiko-san. M-My name is Kaede." She was shocked by the woman's name. Love. A simple word that had so much meaning to her. In that moment, Kaede knew that, for better or for worse, this woman would change her life.

* * *

A/N: Before anyone asks, no, this is not THE Aiko. In fact, many of the canon characters will not be making appearances. At the very most, they may be mention, but the majority of them will play no major role in the story. Just a warning.


	3. Chapter 3

"How about I take you out to eat? My treat," Aiko offered Kaede as they exited the wash closet. Kaede blushed softly. No one had ever done anything for her before, but this woman seemed all too willing.

"R-Really?" she asked. Aiko nodded, grinning. "A-Arigatou, Aiko-san." Kaede felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at Aiko.

"It's nothing, really. I would love to have some company; it gets pretty lonely sometimes." Aiko looked off into the distance, as if she was reminiscing. When Kaede asked what was wrong, Aiko said it was nothing important.

"My car is outside; you can wait out there if you like. I'll go tell your teachers where you're going." Kaede nodded, although she thought it was pointless; she could disappear of the face of the earth, and none of them would care. Nevertheless, she went outside in search of Aiko's car.

As Kaede exited, the first thing that caught her eye was her ruined clothes from the day before, almost undistiguishable from the mud it was soaked in. She felt a twinge of pain at the memory, but pushed it aside; she refused to let Tomoo get the better of her. The second thing she noticed was the black luxury sedan parked outside. It looked as pristine as the day as it was bought, and the way it shined in the noon sun was almost blinding.

"Is this Aiko-san's car?" Kaede wondered, walking up to it. As she did, she saw someone already sitting in the front seat of the vehicle. "I guess it isn't." She walked past the sedan, continuing the search for Aiko's car.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the orphanage, Aiko walked into the main office. It was a plain room with white-wash walls and wood sidings. The headmistress sat behind a desk, looking over a pile of documents. Aiko approached her.

"Excuse me...?" Aiko began. The woman looked up from her work. She was middle-aged with greying hair and horn-rimmed glasses; a stereotypical secretary. "I was hoping to take one of your children out for lunch. She was having a hard time in the cafeteria, so I thought I would cheer her up."

"Oh, her," the woman said. She started looking over her papers again. "Go on ahead."

Aiko looked at her skeptically. "You're not even going to ask who I'm taking?" The woman gave a dry chuckle.

"I know who you're talking about. That girl with horns, right?" Aiko nodded. "I thought so; it seems like she's involved with everything wrong with this orphanage. You would be doing us a favor by taking her away; it certainly makes my job a lot easier."

Aiko frowned. "That's funny, because I've been here for less than an hour, and she is by far the kindest and most well-behaved child I've ever met. As for the rest of them, they don't seem to have any problem going into hysterics whenever someone else gets hurt. I've seen it happen, and I'm not impressed. What's more, the staff here seem to have an equally low opinion of her, since they joined in on the 'fun'."

Aiko grabbed either side of the desk and leaned forward so she looked the woman right in the eyes. "If you think that taking Kaede away from here is a good idea, then I guess that's the one thing we can agree on. She has a much brighter future than this."

The woman fixed her with a steely glare. "Who do you think you are, coming in here and insulting me and the rest of my orphanage?"

When asked this question, Aiko smirked. "Oh, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Aiko. Mizushima Aiko."

"Well see here, Mizushima-san..." the lady began before she froze, turning pale as realization dawned on her face. "W-wait, Mizushima Aiko? The Mizushima Aiko?!"

Aiko nodded. "The very same." The woman was at a loss for words. Mizushima Aiko was the CEO of a wealthy enterprise called Uchou Kaimono (Universal Shopping). She was one of the richest people in Japan, rivaling the immense wealth of the Kakuzawa clan, and she was certainly the richest woman in Japan.

"Now, if you don't mind, Kaede's waiting for me outside, and I've spent more time in here than I planned." On that note, Aiko turned and left, leaving the headmistress in stunned silence.

* * *

When Aiko exited, Kaede was no where in sight. "Strange, where could she have gone?" She walked towards her car, calling her name.

"Kaede? Kaede!" she shouted through cupped hands, searching for the pink-haired girl. She was interrupted when something bumped into her leg. This was followed by a thud and a small grunt. Aiko looked down to see Kaede, sitting on the ground and rubbing her head in pain.

"Itai..." she moaned as she looked up to see who she had run in to. "Ah, g-gomen nasai, Aiko-san! I-I tried to find your car, but I couldn't." Aiko smiled slightly, leaning down and helping her to her feet. Unlike last time, Kaede accepted the help.

"I guess I could've been a bit more specific than 'wait by the car'," she admitted. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Come on, let's go." She started leading Kaede towards the black sedan, which had not moved at all since Kaede last saw it. She blinked several times, putting two-and-two together.

"So...that IS your car?" Kaede asked. Aiko nodded to this. "But...who's in the front?" Her question was answered when Aiko opened the door to the backseat. From outside, she got a clearer look at the man in the driver's seat. He was a very imposing man, with his pristine suit and tie and his tinted-sunglasses. Aiko didn't seem at all bothered by the man's appearance and greeted him with a warm smile as she climbed into the backseat. Kaede hesitantly followed.

"Where to, Mizushima-san?" the man asked in a deep, surly voice. It had a rather sullen tone to it, but not in a displeased way; it was more like he was normally like this, and he was doing his best to sound respectful at the same time.

Aiko looked at Kaede. "Anywhere in particular you want to go?" Kaede shook her head. "Okay then, just take us down main street, Honda. For now, we'll just keep an eye out for a good restraunt.

The driver, Honda, nodded. "Hai, Mizushima-san."

Aiko chuckled softly. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Honda. I've known you for years, and I've already told you that I consider you a good friend of mine."

Honda's face was unreadable behind his black shades, but he eventually nodded. "Wakarimashita, Mizush...Aiko-san." Aiko laughed again.

"Well, it's a start. Come, we should find a place to eat before our young guest keels over."

* * *

"Waa!" Kaede exclaimed as they entered one of Kamakura's finer eating establishments. She had never been anywhere so luxurious. In fact, she had never been inside a building other than the orphanage for as long as she could remember. And she had a good memory.

Aiko smiled as she watched Kaede gawk at the restraunt's interior. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked. Kaede turned to her, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Hai!" she answered. "It's amazing!" Kaede's loudness was starting to attract unwanted attention, which made Aiko somewhat nervous. After seeing how the orphanage treated her, she didn't want other people hurting her because of her appearance. Honda was also nervous, but for a different reason; his job was to protect Aiko and those affiliated with her. People at the center of attention were much bigger targets than those that kept to themselves.

"I'm glad you like it, but you shouldn't shout indoors, sweetie. It's rude." Kaede blushed when she noticed all the eyes staring at her, the majority of which seemed to be looking not at her, but at something on her head. She looked down at her shoes, nodding in understanding.

"Wakarimashita..." she muttered. At this time, a waitress approached them.

"Irashaimase! How can I help you today?" she asked kindly.

"A table for three, please," Aiko replied. The lady nodded.

"Hai! Do you want to get a kid's menu?" Aiko glanced at Kaede, but the indignant look on her face, and the way she puffed her cheeks in annoyance, was more than enough to answer that question.

"No, thank you. We'll take three adult menus." The lady just nodded again. It was best not to question the customer. She beckoned to them before heading inside. Aiko and Kaede went inside, followed by Honda taking up the rear. Once inside, the waitress led them to an empty table. When they were all seated, she pulled out a small notepad.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked.

"I'll have a matcha latte," Aiko answered.

"Chuhai," Honda grunted.

"Ano..." Kaede muttered, trying to think of what she wanted. She'd never been to a restraunt before, nor had she ever heard of any of the beverages listed on the menu. "Water, please," she said. At least she knew what water was like.

The waitress wrote down their orders. "Okay, I'll be back shortly." She dashed off to get their drinks.

Aiko picked up one of the menus and began looking over the different cuisines listed inside. Kaede did the same, but like the drinks, she didn't have the smallest clue as to what most of it was. When Aiko asked what she wanted, Kaede stiffened.

"A-Ano..." she started, looking away as her face started to heat up. This lady was the first person to ever treat her like a human being; she didn't want her to think she was stupid! She picked the first thing that stood out on the menu. "T-Tessa?"

Aiko looked up from her menu, a comical sweatdrop appearing on her temple. "...you do know that's raw puffer fish, correct?"

"Oh...can I have champon?" Champon was the standard-fare at the orphanage. She wasn't neccesarily fond of it, but it was the only thing on the menu that she recognized.

"Are you sure?" Aiko asked. "You don't have to be cheap for my sake." But Kaede shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I'll have champon," she said with more conviction. If she was going to eat something, it might as well be something she knew well. She didn't want to screw up her order again.

Aiko smiled, bu it had a slight sadness to it. "Well, if you're sure," she replied. It was at this time that the waitress arrived with their drinks.t

"Here you are, your matcha, chuhai, and water," she said, passing each of them their drink as she said the name. "Are you three ready to order?"

Aiko smiled nodded. "Hai. Three plates of champon, please." The woman nodded, writing down their orders.

"I'll bring them as soon as they're done!" she said cheerfully before scurrying off to her next customer. Kaede looked at Aiko, somewhat confused.

"Why did you get champon for all of us?" she asked. Aiko smirked mischieviously.

"Well, you're not the only one who gets cheap sometimes," she taunted playfully. Kaede fixed Aiko with an indignant glare, causing her to become more serious. "Okay, to tell you the truth, I haven't had champon since I was about your age. I figure now would be as good a time as any to reminisce." Aiko smiled warmly at Kaede. "I know you're having a hard time at the orphanage, but nevertheless, you're only young once. Enjoy it while it last."

A few minutes later, their meals arrived. "Itadakimasu!" they all said before digging in. When Kaede took her first bite, she dropped her spoon and looked at the bowl again to see if it really was champon. It was, but then it wasn't; this tasted nothing like what the orphanage served. She smiled slightly, glancing to Aiko, who was busy enjoying her meal.

"Thank you," she said so softly that no one heard it but her.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the delay. I'm working towards making the chapters longer, but it's harder than I expected. I'm already a bit concerned that this chapter ended too abruptly.

On a side note, I've put my Skyrim/Elfen Lied fic on hold for now. The idea sounded good in my head, but it's turning out to be a huge hassle trying to merge Elder Scroll lore with the science of Elfen Lied.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kaede?" Aiko asked as they walked out of the restraunt. Kaede stopped and looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you; why are you wearing your pajamas? Don't you have anything else to wear?" At this questions, Kaede's mind turned back to the events of the previous morning. Her cheeks burned red with the remnants of anger and humiliation.

"...no," she finally said, her eyes trained on the ground. Aiko frowned at this answer.

"Is something wrong?" she queried. Kaede started to shake her head, but stopped herself.

"Maybe I should tell her," she thought. "What do I have to lose? Besides, she might hit Tomoo again for it." Kaede had to try hard to keep from snickering at the thought. As much as she liked to think of herself as above getting revenge, if something just _happened_ to hurt Tomoo, she wouldn't be too upset. "Hai," she stated. "Tomoo...he ruined my other clothes. This is all I have to wear now."

Aiko closed her eyes in thought. "Tomoo, Tomoo...that's that kid that was bullying you this morning, isn't it?" Kaede nodded. "I thought so..._little bastard_," she muttered just loud enough for Kaede to hear. She grinned slightly; Tomoo was in for it when they got back. Aiko's sigh brought her back to the present, though. "Well, I guess it can't be helped; looks like we're going shopping!"

"Nani?!" Kaede yelped in surprise. "You mean it?!" Aiko nodded, chuckling.

"Of course! I don't know how I could live with myself if I left you in such a situation. Pretty girls should always have a few nice outfits to choose from." She meant this jokingly, but it appeared to have much more meaning to Kaede, as she suddenly hugged her leg with vigor.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she squealed. Aiko was rather surprised by the sudden burst of emotion, but after recovering from the initial shock, she smiled softly and gently patted Kaede's head, right between her horns.

"Do itashimashite, Kaede," she said. Kaede looked up at her, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Aiko was so kind; much more than anyone she had ever met before. It was hard to keep up the image of stoicism with so many emotions racing through her. She smiled back at the woman.

"Well, let's not waste any longer," she said before looking at Honda. "The shopping district isn't too far from here, and today is rather nice. Would you take to car to the closest clothing outlet and we'll meet you there?" Honda nodded.

"Hai, Aiko-san," he replied before turning and walking off without another word. Aiko watched him leave, and when he was out of earshot, she sighed exasperately and shook her head.

"That man...sometimes I wonder if he secretly hates me. I suppose he acts that way around everyone, but still, it makes me wonder what's going on inside that noggin of his," she mused.

* * *

Aiko and Kaede entered the shopping district with the former holding the latter's hand and leading them through the crowd. There were many people in the shops at noon today, and the claustrophobia of it all made Kaede very edgy. For someone who generally avoided people whenever possible, it was an uncomfortable change of atmosphere. Too little room, too much noise; it all gave Kaede a headache.

Aiko paused in her walking as she saw something over the crowd that Kaede could not (for the first time, she hated being short). After a few moments, she smiling brightly and gently tugged Kaede's arm. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet," she said before dragging her towards said someone, much to Kaede's dismay. Not only was being led around like a child a huge blow to her pride, but being dragged around, more or less against her will, was much worse. On top of that, she didn't know who this person Aiko wanted to introduce to her was, but she wasn't too keen on it; from her experience, most people found her horns disgusting, which made her very weary of strangers who would only add to the already long list of people who despised her.

A minute of pushing through throngs of people later, Kaede caught sight of the person Aiko had referred to. It was another woman, talking to Honda, who was standing patiently by the entrance. There were two children, a boy and a girl, standing on either side of her.

"Kishi!" Aiko called out. "It's so nice to see you!" The woman, Kishi, turned around. Kaede saw that she was grinning.

"Aiko! Honda told me you were coming! It's been so long!" Kishi and Aiko both approached and embraced each other. After seperating, their respective wards came up beside them.

"..." Kaede remained very quiet while the two women chatted. Her silence was broken when she felt someone poke one of her horns. She spun around and glared at the boy, who smiled sheepishly as he withdrew his hand.

"Hehe...gomennasai," he apologized. "That's a really good cosplay get-up, though; those horns look so real." Kaede felt a vein bulge in her forehead as anger welled-up inside her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"They are real," she ground out, resisting the urge to shove the ignorant brat to the ground. Luckily, she didn't have to, as the girl came up and bopped the boy on the head.

"Kame! Don't be so rude!" she scolded. Kame rubbed the place were he was hit, giving the girl an irritable glare.

"Itai!" he shouted in pain. "That was mean, Yuna; how was I suppose to know they were really real?" The girl paused in thought.

"Well...okay you got me, but still...!"

"Would the two of you please settle down?!" Kishi yelled at them. "We're in a public place!"

Aiko giggled. "You're on to talk, Kishi." Kishi then noticed the countless people staring at them, particularly Kaede, which only served to increase her frustration. She only calmed down when she felt Aiko pat her shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside before we cause any more of a scene."

* * *

Once inside the store, Kaede's anger melted away as she could only marvel at yet another part of modern life that she had yet to experience. "Wa! It's so big!" she squealed, amazed by the sheer size of the store which became much more apparent on the inside. The new additions to the group looked at her strangely.

"Um, Aiko..." Kishi started. "I don't want to be rude, but...who is she?"

Aiko grinned sheepishly. "Ah, right, I forgot you've never met her before. This is Kaede; she's from the orphanage outside of town. Some of the other kids and workers were giving her a rough time, so I'm trying to help brighten her day a little."

"Still generous as always, I see. Well, it's very nice to meet you, Kaede. I am Sato Kishi, and these are my children, Sato Kame and Sato Yuna." The three all smiled warmly at her, and Kame even threw in a little wave. Despite her earlier doubts, Kaede was beginning to like the Sato family; they were kind to her, like Aiko and unlike so many others. She felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes, but she blinked several times and pushed them down. This wasn't the time to get emotional.

"Anyways," Aiko began. "That's the reason why we're here; those kids stole her other clothes, so I'm going to buy her some new ones."

Kishi nodded. "That explains the odd taste in dress," she commented, referring to Kaede's pajamas. Kaede's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

"Hey!" she shouted indignantly. This brought out a roar of laughter from the other group members. Even Honda couldn't help but chuckle. At first, this only mad Kaede angrier, but soon that anger faded and she joined in.

"Hehe, anyways, I came by to pick up Kame and Yuna's school clothes; they're suppose to be in today. How about we shop together?"

"Sounds good to me," Aiko replied. She glanced down at Kaede. "What do you say, Kaede?" Kaede grinned and nodded. "Well, it's settled, then."

With that, the troop began their miniature shopping spree. Kishi finished her task fairly quickly, since she already knew what she wanted, but decided to have Kame and Yuna try on some other clothing as well. For Aiko and Kaede, however, they had no idea what to get. Luckily, the combined knowledge on attire of Aiko and Kishi made up for that. Kaede tried on several outfits, all of which she found beautiful, or at least by her standards, which was pretty low. In the end, they settled on 5 different sets: a white sailor-style school outfit, similar to the one Yuna got, a simple lavender yukata for the upcoming festival, which Aiko promised to take her to, a woolen sweater, a light-blue jacket, and lastly...

"What's this?" Kaede asked, looking at the navy-blue stocking hat Aiko had chosen for her. They were loitering near the changing rooms while Kishi helped her kids try on a few other outfits.

Aiko looked at the apparel that Kaede mentioned. "Oh, that. I thought you'd like something to cover your horns with." Kaede wasn't sure how to respond to that; was she doing it so other people couldn't see them, or was she doing it so she didn't have to look at them? Aiko noticed her look and knelt down in front of the little girl, clapping a hand on each shoulder. "Kaede," she said softly. "I know what you're thinking, but I want you to know that I have not once felt that way. I like your horns." Kaede looked at her in complete and absolute shock.

"You...you do?" she ased hesitantly, almost expecting this to be a bluff. But Aiko wasn't kidding this time. She nodded, grinning at her.

"Of course; they're unique. They're part of who you are. Believe it or not, you wouldn't be the same person you are now if you didn't look this way."

"Obviously," Kaede said bitterly. "If I wasn't a freak, I would still have parents..." Her sour musings were cut off as Aiko gripped her shoulders tightly, forcing her to look her in the eye. There was an intense passion in them that she had never seen before in anyone.

"Kaede, I want you to listen very closely to me; you are NOT a freak. Don't you dare think for a moment that you are. You're not a monster, or a demon, or anything of the sort; you are one of the sweetest children I've ever met, and if you took a step back and looked at the world today, you'd see that's something few other people can claim. You're a special girl, Kaede, and I mean that sincerely." She drew the girl into a powerful embrace. "You don't deserve all the pain you've been dealt. I can't take back what's been done, but I can protect you from now on." Kaede's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what she was getting at.

"D-Do you mean...?" Aiko nodded, pulling away just enough so they could speak face-to-face.

"Yes, I do. Kaede, would you like to be my daughter?"

* * *

A/N: A fairly short chapter, but I think it came out well. Anyways, I was going to tell you guys that due to the length of the next chapter in my other fic, I may not be able to update this for a few more days than usual. Just a heads-up.


	5. Chapter 5

Kaede felt her heart skip a beat. "...what?" she asked, unable to believe her ears. Was this really happening? It couldn't be true, it couldn't be this easy. This woman, the first human being to ever treat her with an ounce of respect wanted to adopt her? The sheer fact that someone actually wanted her was overwhelming news, but for that person to be Aiko? She had to be dreaming.

Aiko smiled warmly at her. "I said, would you like me to adopt you?" she repeated. "You're a remarkable young lady, Kaede, even if you try to deny it. I can't bear the thought of you going back to being treated like dirt at that orphanage. I've always wanted a family, and you've always wanted a home. Please, think about it." But Kaede didn't need to think about it; she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

"Yes..." she whispered, struggling to find her voice. "I'd like that." She sniffled and buried her face into Aiko's shoulder, body shuddering as tears threatened to spill down her face. Aiko slowly wrapped her arms around the girl, drawing her into a gentle embrace.

"Go on, its's okay to cry. I won't think any less of you, my little Kaede."

That did it for Kaede. When Aiko openly accepted her as her daughter, she simply couldn't take it any more. She began bawling into Aiko's chest as all of her pent-up emotions finally burst free. Aiko stroked Kaede's back comfortingly, encouraging her to let it all out. And considering that she had roughly ten years of suppressed emotions inside of her, letting it all out took quite a while. A half-an-hour, to be exact. People who passed by started to stare, but Aiko didn't care. All that mattered now was the girl in her arms. After some time, Kishi and her kids came out of the changing room, and upon seeing the tender scene, Kishi smiled and led Kame and Yuna outside, deciding to give them some time to themselves.

When Kaede finally had no more tears left to shed, she pulled her face away from Aiko, looking up at her with red, puffy eyes. Aiko smiled softly at her, gently kissing her forehead. "There? All better now?" Kaede nodded, hiccuping.

"Mm hmm," she said, wiping her eyes. She managed to put on a weak smile.

"That's good," she replied, standing up and helping Kaede to her feet. "Come on, we should go tell everyone the good news."

"Right," Kaede nodded. She looked at the hat Aiko had gotten for her again. Her smile brightening, she slipped it onto her head, carefully covering her horns. Hand-in-hand, the pair exited the store.

* * *

Kishi, Honda, Kame, and Yuna were waiting outside for them. "Well, it seems you've finally gotten everything sorted," Kishi commented. Aiko and Kaede both grinned sheepishly.

"Yep," Aiko said simply. "Also, we've got something to tell all of you."

"Really?" Kame asked, bright-eyed with curiousity. Yuna bopped him on the head again, saying something that sounded vaguely like 'be patient'. Aiko chuckled. "Yes, Kame, we do. But, come to think of it...maybe it would be better if we showed you."

"What is it?" Kame asked again.

"Just wait and see," Aiko teased before turning to Honda. "Honda, could you take us back to the orphanage?" Honda nodded.

"Hai, Aiko-san," he replied before walking into the crowd. The large and intimidating man easily made it through, clearing a path for them to follow.

"Kishi, do you want to come along? It's not that far." Kishi thought about it, and eventually nodded.

"Sure, I don't see why not. I'll go get the car started. Kame, Yuna, come on," she said before heading in the direction of her own vehicle, except without the same ease as Honda. Taking Kaede's hand again, Aiko followed Honda to the Sedan.

* * *

As they drove down the backroads leading to the orphanage, Kaede had a strange feeling that there was something she was forgetting, something important. "What is it?" she wondered, looking up at the ceiling. "I can't remember...I've been having so much fun with Aiko today." As she thought about what it was she couldn't remember, she leaned against the sack of clothes that laid beside her. Her arm brushed against something rough, something that definitely wasn't clothing. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was.

She bolted upright in her seat and plunged her hand into the sack. After a few seconds of digging around, she pulled out her pajama pants. She stuck her hand into the pocket and pulled something out. Small, hard chunks of bread.

"Oh no..." she muttered. While she had been enjoying herself all day long, she had completely forgotten the puppy she found in the woods. When Aiko took her out to eat, she never got a chance to feed it as she had planned. She hadn't seen the little dog since this morning, and there was no telling what could have happened to him in that period of time. He could be starving! Or worse: Tomoo might have found him. The very thought made her shiver.

"Kaede," Aiko said softly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Sitting beside her, she had watched her dig through her clothes and what she said when she pull the hunks of bread out. She didn't understand it, but Kaede looked worried sick, which made her worried as well. Kaede turned to face her elder, panic etched onto her face. It was obvious whatever she was thinking, it was bad. "Honda, can you get us there any faster?" she asked.

"Hai, Aiko-san...but the roads are rough out here. If we go faster, the ride will be rather bumpy."

"Alright. Go as fast as you can without crashing; we have to get back as quickly as possible."

Honda paused for several seconds. "...hai...Aiko-san..." He stepped down on the accelerator, and the car bolted forwards. Aiko had to grab the seat to keep from banging her head on the ceiling. With her other hand, she held Kaede close to her, both for her safety and to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Kaede. We'll be there soon."

* * *

When Honda pulled up in front of the orphanage, it was becoming late afternoon. No one was outside anymore, and nothing could be seen from the windows. The building almost looked abandonned, which only added to the tense atmosphere.

When the car came to a complete stop, Kaede wasted no time jumping out and racing inside. She headed straight for her room, ignoring everything else. As the door to her room came into sight, she felt her heart plummet; the door was wide-open.

"Oh my god...oh my god..." was all she could utter as she stood there, utterly horrified by what she was seeing. There was no way the dog could have opened the door by itself, so there was only one possible explaination; someone had found it. No matter who that somone was, she was going to be in deep trouble, but what worried her most was if Tomoo had found it. If that were the case, her friend's life would be in mortal peril.

Aiko finally caught up to Kaede. She stopped beside her, puting her hands on her knees and panting for breath while Honda came up behind her. His sunglass-covered face betrayed no feelings, but the way he stood at attention, prepared for whatever was going to happen, was a sure indicator that he was just as concerned by the situation as Aiko was.

"Daijoubu?" Aiko asked, worried about Kaede. The horned girl didn't answer, but instead bolted ahead again in search of her canine friend. Aiko groaned irritably. "I wasn't made for running..." Nevertheless, she continued to persue her, with Honda close behind.

Meanwhile, Kaede was panicking inside. She had to find him before it was too late. She had no idea when her puppy was found, and she had been gone for several hours; there was no telling what could've happened by now.

Suddenly, a beautiful sound blessed her ears; barking. He was nearby! Hopeful, she quickened her pace and ran towards the yapping puppy. It led her to a classroom on the far-side of the school. As she turned into the door and began to enter, she saw what was inside. Tomoo and one of his lackeys were sitting in the middle of the floor, holding a small dog down. Tomoo had a vase in his hand, and as she entered, he glanced at her, smirked, and raised it up in preparation to strike.

"You jerks...!" she started, but was cut off when the third boy, who had been hiding beside the door the entire time, bashed his fist against the back of her neck. There was a sharp sting of pain, then everything faded.

* * *

The next hour was a blur to Kaede as she drifted in and out of consciousness. It almost felt like a dream as, in the fog of her wavering consciousness, she watched events unfold. Only moments after she had been knocked senseless, Aiko and Honda rushed in. Tomoo, not expecting anyone to be following her, tried to swing the vase down and finish what he started. But before it hit anything, the vase shattered in little pieces of ceramics. Tomoo felled onto his back in surprise, then began shuffling backwards as Honda stormed up to him, pointing his finger at him. No...not a finger; Honda's hand didn't look so black and shiny. She couldn't be sure, as at this point she finally fainted completely.

The next time she awoke, she was moving. Sirens were going off both in her head and all around her. Everything looked white, even the people who sat around her. Then darkness overtook her again.

As she regained awareness for the third time, everything was quiet, except for a gentle beeping sound that seemed rather distant. Everything was still white, but it wasn't quite the same at her last vision; back then, the white had been stark and blinding, but now, it was more dull and soothing to look at. Groaning, she opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only for a hand to press against her chest and gently push her back down.

"Shh, take it easy now. You don't want to hurt anything," a feminine voice told her. Kaede's eyes turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. The figure beside her was blurred, as her vision had yet to return to full-strength, but it seemed vaguely familiar...

"...mama...?" she muttered, feeling woozy and unable to think straight. The person nodded.

"Yes, Kaede. Mommy's here," the woman said, cupping her cheek and caressing it softly. Kaede felt tears coming to her eyes.

"Mom...you're...you're..." she tried to say, but while she tried to find the words, her vision began to clear. Kaede's eyes widened in shock as she saw who was really at her bedside.

"Shh, it's alright, honey. Don't strain yourself," Aiko warned, all the while keeping her voice kind and sweet. As Kaede's vision began to fill in further, she saw that they were not alone; Honda, Kishi, Kame, and Yuna were all crowded around her, relieved looks on their faces.

"G-Guys..." she sniffed. A few tears dribbled down her face. "You're here..."

"Of course," Kishi said. "We couldn't just leave you, could we?"

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked nervously. "The doctor said you got a bad concussion. You're not feeling sick, are you?"

Kaede shook her head, which she instantly regretted as it felt like her brains had just turned to pudding. She moaned, rubbing her head as it throbbed.

"I told you not to strain youself," Aiko chided, though she patted her head gently in return. Kaede felt the wool of her new hat rub against her horns and smiled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Honda stepped forwards, drawing Kaede's attention. She noticed that he was holding a wriggling bundle in his arms. "What's that?" she asked curiously.

Aiko chuckled softly. "Well, think of it as a 'get well soon' gift." As she spoke, Honda set the bundle down on Kaede's lap. The folds quickly came undone, and as the blanket unfurled, she could hardly believe her eyes. Watching her intently was a tiny dog; the same dog that she thought had been killed. The puppy barked, licking her face, drawing a giggle from the rosettte-haired girl. She stroked her hand along his back, enjoying the feeling of soft, brown fur on her pale fingertips. Of course, that begged the question...

"What happened to Tomoo?" Kade asked Aiko. The mood in the room instantly turned sour at the mention of his name. Even the puppy stopped wagging his tail and looked at Aiko rather solemnly.

"Don't worry, he and his friends will never hurt you or anyone else again. I promise," Aiko swore. "Now, while you were sleeping, I got everything sorted out." She smiled and leaned down, kissing Kaede on the forehead. "You are now, officially, Mizushima Kaede; my daughter."

"Congradulations!" Kishi cheered, followed by other words of praise and encouragement from room's other occupants. However, these fell on deaf ears; for praise did not matter to the young horned girl. All that mattered to her was she finally, after so many years, had what she always wanted. A family.

And so, Kaede's new journey began.

* * *

A/N: We are officially entering the AU portion of the fic. From this point on, nothing will go down in exactly the same way as it did in either the anime of the manga.

Again, I know Tomoo never knocked her out at any point in the story, but frankly, it's the only way I could think of to make sure she wouldn't go ape-shit on them. As for what happened to them...I'll leave that to the reader's imagination


	6. Chapter 6

When morning came, Aiko checked Kaede out of the hospital and took her back home. It was a long, long drive to Tokyo, but when Kaede spotted the massive city on the horizon, she knew it was well worth the wait. Even from half-a-mile from the city limits, the skyscrapers towered above the landscape. "Waa! So big!" she exclaimed, marveling at the huge buildings. "That's the city? It's so big! How did it grow that much?" Aiko giggled as Kaede asked her innocent questions. As smart as the little girl was, she knew very little on the function of society.

Given Tokyo's midday traffic, it took another hour after the city came into view that they arrived at the high-rise apartment building where Aiko stayed. Kaede almost fell over trying to lift her head enough to see the top. Thankfully, Aiko was there to help her regain her balance. "Easy there, sweetie. We don't want to have to go back to the hospital again so soon, do we?" she said playfully. Kaede smiled sheepishly, nodding her head.

The lobby of the building was just as luxurious as one would expect from such a high-end building. The floor, wall and ceiling were all painted a creamy white with ornate designs in gold. A large gilded chandelier hung over the entire room, bathing everything in its bright glow. Kaede was absolutely dazzled by all of this; she had never been anywhere so nice before in her life. All she could do was stare in amazement as she walked with Aiko up to the receptionist's desk.

"Ohayo, Mizushima-san," the woman at the desk greeted kindly. She glanced at Kaede. "Oh? And who's this?" At being mention, Kaede turned away shyly, suddenly very interested in her shoes. Aiko watched her and chuckled.

"Kaede, I want you to meet Ishima Gene, a good friend of mine." Kaede lifted her eyes off of her feet and looked up a Gene.

"H-Hello," she stuttered nervously before looking back down again. Years of abuse in the orphanage had made it her nature to be withdrawn and seclusive. She was beginning to open up again, thanks to Aiko, but she still had a long way to go before she could openly share her feelings without fear of prejudice.

"Gene, this is Kaede," Aiko continued. "She's...well, she's my daughter." She wasn't surprised by the shock on Gene's face. "Not by birth, though; I adopted her, so she is now my daughter, and I am her legal guardian." Gene still appeared bewildered by the new information, but eventually shook it off an smiled at them.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you two!" she stated happily. Then she paused for a moment and looked closely at Kaede, specifically the region that her hat covered. She instantly stiffened.

"Odd...I've never seen anyone with that hair color before. Did you dye it?" Kaede let out a soft sigh of relief before shaking her head.

"No, this is my natural hair color," she returned. Gene nodded, scratching her temple in thought.

"Hmm...did you get it from your mother's side, or you father?" Kaede's relief flew out the window at hearing that question. She looked down at the floor again, suddenly upset.

"I...don't know. I never met my parents," she said in a whisper. Aiko put her hand of Kaede's shoulder, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Gene frowned and sighed.

"Oh, you poor dear. I'm sorry to hear that." Kaede shook her head.

"It's alright. I don't really miss them; I never knew them to begin with," she explained. "Besides...they were the ones who threw me away in a field..." She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away.

Gene looked at her with sympathy. "I'm so sorry. Tell you what, I've got something here for you. It won't make everything better, but I think you'll like it." Kaede glanced up at her.

"What is it?" she asked, becoming curious. Gene started digging around for something under the counter.

"Let's see here...where did I put...ah, there we are!" she stated, pulling out a jar of assorted sweets. "Help yourself!"

"You mean it?!" Kaede asked in surprise. Gene nodded, smiling.

"Of course! Just don't overdo it; I wouldn't want you to get sick from eating too much candy." Kaede smiled in return, also nodding.

"Wakarimashita," she said, reaching into the jar. Heeding Gene's warning, she decided to get one piece, as to not seem too greedy. She retrieved a lump of taffy from inside.

"Arigatou, Gene," Aiko thanked, but Gene lifted her hand and shook her head.

"No, it's no big deal. I'm happy to make a cute little girl's day," she complimented, bringing a slight blush to Kaede's face. She looked down at the floor in embarrassment.

"A-Arigatou," she squeaked. At this time, Honda approached them from behind, carrying luggage in his left and right hands belonging to Kaede and Aiko, respectively. Although the method of storage was significantly different, with Kaede's meager possessions contained in a rugged sack and Aiko's clothes and such in a normal suitcase, but they both had roughly the same amount in them. Kaede's puppy sat patiently beside Honda's leg, panting and wagging his tail happily.

"Aiko-san, I have gotten everything from the car. I will take it to your room now." Aiko nodded.

"Thank you, Honda." She glanced back at Gene. "Well, it was nice to talk to you, Gene, but we really should be going now."

"Hai, I understand," Gene said with a cheery smile. "I hope you all have a pleasant day."

* * *

The elevator ride up was very long. The unfamiliar sense of weightlessness made Kaede dizzy, and she hoped she wouldn't have to take the elevator too often. But considering how high they were going up, the stairs didn't seem like that good of an option, either. She popped some of the taffy into her mouth and chewed it to help calm her nerves.

When the elevator finally stopped, Kaede was certain they were on one of the highest floors. But it wasn't until the doors slid open that she saw just how high up they really were. On the other side of the doors was a spacious room with windows making up the majority of the far wall. Outside, she swore she could probably see Kamakura if she tried hard enough. She took a step back and looked at the screen displaying the current floor. Instead of a number, it read 'P' in red letters.

Kaede walked out of the elevator and up to the window. Instead of the usual excited 'waa', she simply stared out of it in awed silence. She heard Aiko walk up beside her, also enjoying the view. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Still lost for words, Kaede simply nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too. A lot of people would say I stay in this penthouse because I think I'm better than them. Really, it wouldn't matter where I stayed, so long as it had a view like this."

Their conversation was interrupted by a bout of insistent barking. Aiko and Kaede turned around to see the dog running around, occasionally stopping and sniffing the air. "I think he's hungry," Kaede observed, watching her puppy with a bemused expression.

"You might be right," Aiko said in agreement. She turned to Honda. "Honda, could you go to the general store and by some dog food for our little friend here? I'll take care of the bags."

"Hai, Aiko-san," Honda said, setting the bags down and reentering the elevator. The doors closed behind him.

"Also, Kaede," Aiko began, turning around to face the young horned girl. "I think it's high time you had a bath. You haven't bathed at all since I first met you, and frankly, it's starting to show..." Kaede gave her a half-confused, half-agrivated look at being indirectly called dirty, but when she lifted her arm and smelled her pit, she knew exactly what she meant.

"Fine, if you say so," she muttered, too proud to admit that Aiko was right.

"The wash closet is through there," Aiko informed, pointing to a door located in a small alcove containing two other rooms. "The door on the right is the guest room. I hope you don't mind sleeping in there for now." Kaede shook her head.

"No, it's fine," she said before heading towards the W.C. As she walked, she heard the soft sound of padding feet behind her, which was interrupted by a loud yelp. Kaede glanced back to see Aiko holding her puppy back by the scruff of its neck.

"And where do you think you're going, you perverted canine?" she scolded, which brought out a whimper from the small dog. Kaede giggled slightly before opening the door and going inside.

* * *

It turned out that even the bathrooms here were nice. The walls were painted in the same cream-color as most of the rest of the hotel, and there was a marble sink and pure white porcelain tub. It was definitely an improvement over the orphanage; back there, 'baths' were the one time of the week where you stripped down, climbed into a wooden basin, and got hosed down by the caretakers until they couldn't see anymore grime on you. To Kaede, a hot bath sounded heavenly. She turned on the water and started filling the tub.

As the tub was being filled, Kaede noticed an odd-looking contraption hooked into the wall next to the faucet. Her youthful curiosity soon got the better of her, and she reached out to push the button on it. When she did, a gelatinous fluid squirted out of the nozzle and into the bath water, where it started to bubble. Before long, the tub was filled to the brim with bubbles. Panicking, Kaede turned off the water, worried she had done something wrong.

Several moments passed, and nothing more happened. "Okay...that was a little strange," she mumbled to herself. She scooped a handful of the bubbles out and held it close to her face. They smelled faintly of lavendar and wildflowers; a scent that Kaede found pleasing. Her worries erased, she quickly shed her clothing and climbed in.

"Hot!" Kaede shouted, jumping back as the water scalded her. "Too hot! Too hot!" As she put her wet foot down on the tile, it slid across the smooth surface, causing her to fall and hit her head on the floor. "Itai..." she moaned, rubbing her sore skull.

Aiko opened the door to the wash closet, poking her head in. "Kaede, is everything all right?" she asked. She saw her daughter lying on the floor, wet, naked, and rubbing a large bump on the back of her head. "Oro..." she mumbled, blinking in confusion. After getting over the initial shock of seeing the horned girl in such an odd position, she walked in a helped her to her feet. Kaede looked down at the floor, biting her lip nervously.

"G-Gomen nasai..." she uttered before feeling two hands grab her shoulders gently. Aiko knelt down to eye-level, smiling at her.

"No harm done, Kaede. Here, let me help you out." Over the next ten or so minutes, Aiko instructed Kaede in the use of the many utilities in the restroom. She also made sure to put some cold water in the tub to lower the temperature a little. "Did you got all that?" Aiko asked after showing Kaede the ropes. Kaede nodded, not speaking since she was still a little embarrassed by messing up what was obviously a daily task for Aiko. "Alright, well don't let me keep you, stinky," she teased before exiting once more.

Alone again, Kaede carefully climbed into the bath again. Now, the bath water was a much more bearable temperature, and she couldn't help but sigh contently as she lied in it and allowed herself to relax. After several minutes of comfort, she found herself becoming drowsy. She shook her head to stay awake, but the prospect of a nap now was hard to resist. Slowly, her eyes drooped shut.

"Just a...few minutes," she promised herself before dozing off.

* * *

After she fell asleep, Kaede found herself in a dark abyss that felt familiar, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it. All that she could really tell was that this place was freezing, and since she was still without clothes, it felt all the more frigid. She pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them for warmth.

Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled her. Instead of the warmth one would expect from a hug, these arms were cold as ice, and the feeling of them agaisnt her skin spread throughout her body. She struggled against whatever it was that was holding her, but it was far stronger than she was.

"Be still," a cold, soulless voice commanded, and against her own will, Kaede did. The voice had an air of authority that no one she knew of could hope to match. Kaede was frozen stiff, and this time it had nothing to do with the temperature.

"Better," the voice purred, and Kaede could feel someone's icy breathing tickle against her ear. "Much better...resistance is so very annoying."

"Wh-who are y-you?" Kaede asked as her body trembled in fear and her teeth chattered in chill. "_What_ are you?" The owner of the voice chuckled softly, but her laughter lacked humor. Kaede squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find the courage to withstand this thing.

"Oh, Kaede...you truly don't know? How...unfortunate...to not know oneself." Kaede's eyes snapped open, wide with horror.

"What do you mean?" she asked, horror and fright etched into her voice. The voice burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!...heh, you poor thing, so blind, so ignorant. But I suppose that means I should introduce myself...how troublesome."

"You see, Kaede...I am you."

* * *

A/N: Yep, say hello to everyone's favorite homicidal maniac, Lucy. What can I say, Elfen Lied just wouldn't be the same without that psycho. Moving on, I've been trying to think up what to call the puppy, but alas, I'm not good at naming animals. I'm taking suggestions, so if anyone wants to help out, just send me a PM or put it in a review.


	7. Chapter 7

Kaede's red eyes were wide with fright and realization. "Y...you're wrong! You can't be me! I...I'm me!" she assured the person, although she had equal need to reassure herself of that at the moment.

The voice chuckled dryly. "Such an ignorant child. I almost pity your weakness...but I do not succumb to self-hate, nor am I as weak as you." A being began to materialize in front of her. As it solidified, Kaede identified it as a girl, roughly her own age and build, wearing nothing but a mask of bandages that covered all but her left eye. She was followed by an entourage of mannequins that sported similar appearances.

"Th-that's impossible. You can't...you can't be me! Who are you, really?!" she demanded.

The figure before her laughed again. "So you're deaf, as well!" Her mocking laughter echoed through the abysmal void, assaulting Kaede's ears. She tried to cover them with her hands, but the person holding her refused to lessen their grip. Then, her eyes widened. If the person talking to her was in front of her, who was behind her? She turned her head slightly, and instantly regretted doing so. Behind her, with its arms wrapped around her naked body, was a faceless corpse. Its empty eye-sockets dripped with blood, while maggots squirmed in and out of its rotted flesh. Its mouth opened and closed, almost as if laughing along with the spectre in front of her, but no sound left it.

Kaede gasped and tried to free herself, but it still had an iron grip around her. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, panic overwhelming her entire being. She broke out in cold sweat, her face flushed bright red as she struggled to find her breath, but soon found that she couldn't breathe at all. And throughout all this, the voice kept laughing, mocking her as she tried to escape her captor's embrace. Everything started spinning, faster and faster, until she could no longer make sense of what she was seeing.

Kaede could only sit and watch as the world around her spiraled into darkness...

* * *

When Kaede's nightmare came to an abrupt but appreciated end, her eyes snapped open, only to be burned by soapy bathwater. She cried out in pain, only from her scream to be cut off as the same warm liquid flooded into her open mouth. It burned her throat and sinuses, and she flailed around blindly as her consciousness waned. Just as she was about to fall back into darkness, her face breached the surface. Choking and sputtering, she leaned over the edge of the tub, thumping her fist against her chest and coughing up water onto the floor.

There was a knock at the door. "Kaede?" Aiko called from the other side. "Is everything alright in there?"

Kaede, still struggling to pull herself together, coughed, "Hai. I...just got some soap in my mouth."

There was a long pause. "...alright...if you need anything, just let me know," she replied, the tone of her voice indicating that she wasn't very convinced. Kaede heard footsteps leaving the hallway, and when they were no longer audible, she sighed loudly. A small tear slid down her cheek, tracing a line down her face to her chin, where it dripped into the sudsy bathwater.

She tried to finish her bath as quickly as she could, no longer able to find the warmth of her bath relaxing after her recent ordeal. As she shampooed her hair, her hand brushed against one of her horns. She paused in her scrubbing before gently rubbing her thumb against it, feeling its hard, yet smooth surface.

"This...this is all your fault," she sniffed. "Why can't I just be normal like everybody else?"

After a while, she crawled out of the tub, grabbing a towel and drying herself off before wrapping said towel around her body. She began heading towards the exit, but took a moment to stop and examine herself in the mirror. Her build was slim, but not scrawny; she had put on a little muscle, thanks to the hard work she had to do at the orphanage. Not enough to make her a prodigal bodybuilder, but enough to be noticeable. Her skin was pale and fair, only blemished by a few scars, most of them courtesy of Tomoo. Her body was also showing signs of maturity, with slight womanly curves. If not for her horns, a lot of people would have found her adorable, and there would've been a lot of boys lining up to go out with her a couple years from now. Even she had to admit that, deep down, she felt rather pretty. Unfortunately, her horns were enough to turn her from a beautiful young lady to a hideous monster in the eyes of most humans.

Kaede scowled at the mirror. "Stupid horns..." she grumbled. She took her hands and grabbed both of her horns, pulling them in opposite directions. "Why...won't...you...come...off!" After a minute of trying to tear off her horns, she dropped her arms to her sides in defeat. "Damn it..." She turned away from the mirror and continued towards the door.

* * *

When Kaede entered the guest room, the first thing that struck her was just how large it was. It was easily three or four times the size of her room back at the orphanage. The extra space was mostly empty, but she didn't really think much off it; her old room was far too claustrophobic for her liking, and she was its only occupant at the time. She didn't want to think what it would be like for the rest of the orphans who had to share their rooms.

She shook her head. Why should she care about how they felt? They were the ones who tormented her for ten years of her life. She pushed the thought aside, walking up to the bed where her rucksack lay waiting. She drew the pullstrings and reached inside of it, taking out a skirt and jacket, very similar to what she normally wore.

"Old habits die hard," she mused to herself before getting changed. Five minutes later, she was dressed and felt fresh. It was a very nice change of pace.

Kaede jumped in surprise when she heard a scratching at her door. Once she recollected herself, she went over and opened it. On the other side were Aiko and her puppy, who immediately rushed inside and jumped up and down on his hind legs, trying to lick her face. Kaede giggled, dropping down onto her knees. The puppy climbed onto her lap, giving her several wet kisses all over her face.

"Okay, okay! Stop it!" she said through her laughing, holding her dog up and away from her. He continued to pant happily, staring at her with big puppy eyes.

Aiko, chuckling, knelt in front of Kaede, patting the puppy on the head. "He missed you a lot," she informed, smiling. Kaede smiled back and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess he did."

Aiko suddenly frowned. "You know, I don't think you ever told me his name." Kaede stiffened; she had completely forgotten to give him a name.

"Ano...I...he doesn't have a name..." Kaede said softly. Aiko blinked, then beamed at her.

"Oh, don't be silly. Every puppy needs a name!" Kaede closed her eyes, thinking.

"...Kei..." she whispered as she opened her eyes again.

"Nani?" Aiko asked, missing what she said.

"His name is Kei," she repeated. Aiko thought about it for a moment.

"Hmm...blessed," she said, referring to the translation of Kei. She nodded. "Yes, I think that's a fitting name." She gently scratched the puppy behind the ear. "Do you like that, Kei?" The dog, now named Kei, barked in confirmation, turning his head and licking Aiko's face. Both of the girl laughed loudly at this.

Kei's ears perked at the sound of a bell chime; the one signalling the return of the elavator. Aiko also heard it and stood up. "I guess Honda is back with the dog food." She walked out into the hallway to help with the groceries. Kaede and Kei both got up and followed her.

* * *

Aiko stared at Honda, a large sweatdrop dripping down her face. "Well...I don't think we're going to run out any time soon..." she muttered. He walked into the apartment carrying four 50-pound bags of quality dog food, two in each hand. Kaede was also shocked by the amount; each bag was well over half her own size.

Kei didn't seem to mind, though. The second he saw the huge bags, she bolted across the room and pounced on Honda. The large man wasn't effected by the canine missle, but it was still funny to watch the tiny dog try to get to the food from him.

"At least someone appreciates it," he grumbled, though the smirk on his face gave away the joking intent.

Aiko raised her hands defensively. "No, no, it's fine, just not what I had in mind. Arigatou, Honda. Could you pour some of that into a bowl for Kei?" Honda raised an eyebrow so that it stuck out from behind his shades. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. We gave the puppy a name; it's Kei." He nodded in understanding, then went to do what he had been told. Kei followed anxiously behind him.

Kaede watched with a big grin on her face. It felt...nice, to have a family.


	8. Chapter 8

**Two weeks later...**

"Stop fussing," Aiko scolded as she tied some pink ribbons into Kaede's hair, wrapped around her horns to hide them from view. Kaede continued to fidget, however, as she did not like getting, as Aiko put it, 'dolled up'.

They were going to the Kamakura Summer Festival, just as Aiko had promised on the day of Kaede's adoption. However, things were not going quite as planned; for starters, Kamakura was roughly an hour-and-a-half drive away, so they had to head there early to be on time, which cut into Aiko's work schedule. She had to work six-hours straight in order to get the time to go. Secondly, Kaede was beginning to have second-thoughts. She liked living with Aiko, but what would happen when she went back to the real world, where everyone seemed to hate her because of what she was?

Aiko wasn't taking no for an answer, though; she knew that one day Kaede would have to face society again. At least this way, they could have some fun in the process. She still didn't envy the idea of Kaede being hurt, but there was no helping it.

"Do I really have to go?" Kaede whined, still trying to weasel her way out. Aiko shook her head.

"Yes. Come on, I promise you'll like it," she assured. The horned girl huffed, but didn't argue further.

Kaede looked in the mirror when Aiko finished. She was wearing the lavender yukata Aiko had bought her, as well as a matching pair of sandals. An intricate array of pink ribbons adorned her head, hiding her horns from view. Originally, she wanted to wear her favorite hat, but Aiko insisted that it wouldn't go well with her dress.

Aiko was dressed in a similar manner, although her yukata was a lush green and her shoulder-length was done up in a loose bun. The older woman smiled brightly at her daughter. "You look beautiful, dear," she complimented, causing Kaede to blush deeply.

"A-Arigatou..." she stuttered, staring at her shoes. She looked up again when she felt Aiko grab her hand.

"Well, we don't want to be late," Aiko stated before leading Kaede to the elevator. Despite her earlier protests, she didn't resist. She was still anxious about the festival, but she was determined to enjoy it as best she could, anyways.

* * *

The festival was more bustling than Kaede had expected. It wasn't nearly as bad as the marketplace, but it was still hard to reach out at arms-length without touching someone. And she was no more accustom to crowds now than she was back then. She made sure to stick close to Aiko, clinging to the hem of her dress so she wouldn't get lost. Every couple of minutes or so, she reached up to make sure her ribbons were still in place. The last thing she needed was to be exposed in a place like this.

Honda followed closely behind them, leading Kei through the crowd while keeping him on a tight leash (in both senses of the phrase). Even after the two weeks she'd known him, Honda never seemed any less foreboding, but she had gotten used to the large man's presence, and actually enjoyed his company from time to time. It wouldn't seem so at first, but Honda was actually an excellent conversationalist.

"Oh, what's that?" Kaede asked, pointing at dart-toss stand.

"Hmm?" Aiko looked at what Kaede was pointing at. "Oh, that's a dart-toss. You throw darts and try to pop the balloons to get a prize." She gave her arm a gentle tug before walking over to the stand. "Here, why don't you give it a try?"

"O-Okay..." Kaede murmured nervously. She didn't really understand the purpose behind such a game, but then again, there was a lot she didn't understand about human society.

Aiko handed the stall tender a crisp 500 yen bill in exchange for a dozen darts. She split them evenly between Kaede and herself. "Here, like this," she explained, demonstrating the way to throw a dart. She held it up next to her cheek, aiming at the balloons, before gently throwing it. A large balloon popped loudly as the dart's tip pierced it. The tender nodded approvingly, handing Aiko a small stuffed bear.

"And there you have it." Aiko finished. "Now it's your turn." Kaede carefully picked up one of the darts, looking at it as if it were going to burst into flames at any moment. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her arm back and threw it. The dart fell woefully short of the mark, the tip digging into the dirt below the board. "Oh! I missed!" she pouted.

"Just keep trying, Kaede," Aiko encouraged. "Don't get discouraged; it's your first time, after all." Kaede grinned and nodded, then focused all her attention on the task at hand. She held up the dart and aimed it at the balloons. They seemed almost miles away to her. If only she could reach a little farther...

And then she felt it; that sensation of her reach extending. Her arms didn't change, nor did her legs, but she felt as though she was larger than normal. She could go farther. She glanced at the dart next to her face. "I wonder..." she thought to herself. She focused the feeling of this sensation at the dart, and threw it. As it left her hand, it almost seemed to travel in slow motion, guided by an invisible hand. A hand that belonged to her.

*POP!*

The dart hit the balloon dead-center, earning her a medium prize. "Good job, Kaede!" Aiko congratulated. "I knew you could do it!" Kaede just smiled sheepishly; Aiko didn't realize what the secret to her success really was.

The night dragged on in a similar manner. Aiko showed Kaede all the good things in Kamakura that she'd never had a chance to experience, and they both had a blast doing so. The food and the games (all of which Kaede acceled at) slowly began to bring out the child in Kaede that had been held inside for so long.

"No! No!" someone cried. Aiko and Kaede both turned to see a young brunette hugging a boy roughly her same age with black hair in the middle of the street.

"Baka! Not here!" the boy complained

"B-But I don't want you to be away till next year..." the girl blubbered, tears dripping down her face. The boy sighed heavily, patting the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, c'mon, don't cry," he consoled. Aiko smirked at the scene.

"Ah, young love," she said in mock wistfulness. Kaede giggled softly, though in truth, she felt slightly jealous of the girl. It wasn't because she was close to the boy with her; she didn't even know his name. But still, she envied the thought of someone her own age caring so much about her. She'd never been much of a romantic, given her past troubles with other children, but seeing this scene made her wonder if anyone besides Aiko would ever cry for her. The thought left a hollow feeling in her gut.

* * *

As the festival near its end and people began to leave, Aiko allowed Kaede to roam about on her own. She wasn't particularly eager to part with her mother, but there were some things she hadn't gotten a chance to see, and Aiko would be too busy helping Honda getting ready to depart. In the end, she decided to take her up on the offer, and went off to explore the fair grounds.

At this time, there were considerably less people around; only the various venders remained in most parts, and even they were beginning to pack up. That included most of the stands that she had wanted to look at, which left her disappointed. There was, however, one stall that was still open that she had an interest in. A face-painting booth, run by a boy not much older than herself and his mother. She approached the stand slowly, examining the many designs offered.

"Can I help you?" the woman suddenly asked, startling Kaede. She looked to be in her mid-50s; fairly old to be a mother. Lines and wrinkles adorned her face, and even some of her hair was turning shades of silver.

"H-Hai..." she muttered nervously. "C-Can I...get that one?" she asked, pointing to a beautiful floral design. The woman nodded.

"Sure," she responded before glancing at the boy. "Simon! Get over here!" The boy got up from his position on a chair in the far corner and dashed over faster than Kaede would've thought possible for someone as scrawny as he.

"Nani?" he asked.

"Give her the A12," she told him, then walked off, presumably to start packing up. The boy watched as she left, and when she was gone, he sighed slightly before grabbing a paint kit. He gestured to a stool nearby, which Kaede sat in. He pulled up a similar stool and sat in it as well.

"So where do you want it?" he asked her, getting out a thin brush.

"Cheek, please," Kaede answered kindly.

"Alright, just hold still." He dipped his brush in a small jar of paint. Kaede stiffened as the boy caressed her right cheek, holding it firmly while he painted her left. The paint was cold, and she shivered involuntarily, earning her a scolding look from the boy.

"I said don't move. I don't want to mess this up," he chided as he continued. Kaede silently obeyed him. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting him work. While he painted, her mind began to wander. This boy's touch was so gentle and considerate. It felt...nice. A warmth rose from her breasts, passing through her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, leaving them a scarlet shade that rivaled her hair color. The sudden heat was so unsettling that she jerked away from his hand, which made him frown.

"You're a finicky one, aren't you?" Simon asked. Kaede looked at her shoes, embarrassed. She expected him to berate her for making it so hard to do his job. But he didn't; he seemed fixated on something else, something on her head...

Kaede suddenly tumbled off her stool, scooting backwards while covering her horns with her hands. Meanwhile, Simon just stared at her, bewildered. She realized her mistake; when she lowered her head, he must have seen her horns through the tops of the ribbons.

Slowly, Simon got off his stool and approached her. "Hey..." he said softly, reaching out his hand, which Kaede hastily slapped away.

"L-Leave me alone!" she yelled. She didn't want to hear whatever mean thing he had to say about her horns. He could go to Hell for all she cared!

"Dear Kami, you're such a pain. I'm trying to help you up, baka," Simon explained rather brusquely. He held out his hand again, and this time, a timid Kaede cautiously took it. She was quickly pulled back to her feet, and almost fell down again, but was caught by Simon, who grabbed her shoulders and held her steady. "Man, you're a klutz..." Kaede blushed indignantly.

"I am not!" she refuted angrily. Simon pinched the bridge of his nose in and groaned in irritation.

"Okay, what's your problem? I'm trying to be the good guy, here," he countered. "I don't get what you're throwing such a fit over."

Kaede remained silent for a few moments, then spoke. "...you think they're disgusting, too, don't you?" she accused, a sad bitterness in her voice. Simon raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Suddenly, Kaede exploded, ripping her ribbons off and looking at him with almost murderous intent in her eyes.

"My horns!" She screamed, pointing a finger at them. "Everyone else hates them, so why shouldn't you?! Go on, say it! Say I'm an ugly monster! I don't care!" Hot, salty tears began streaming down her face, staining her kimono. She felt her rage radiating from her body, seemingly primed to strike Simon where he stood.

*SMACK*

Kaede never expected him to slap her so suddenly, and she stumbled backwards, pausing in her crying as she simply stared, confused. She gingerly lifted her hand to touch her tender cheek, and her powers unconsciously receded.

Simon glared at her sternly. "Alright, that's enough! Cut the melodrama and let me speak, would ya'?!" He told her. "Look, if you don't like having horns, fine; I'm not going to make you change your mind. But I'll be damned it I'm going to sit here and let you shove them in my face and tell me to hate them."

"I have seen far stranger things than those, and I've never said a word about it. I can't blame you for not liking them, but you don't have to let everyone know about it. It's really nothing to be ashamed of." Kaede stiffened as Simon began walking towards her, and she quickly shut her eyes and braced herself, thinking it was another slap. Only it wasn't; instead, she felt two strong arms wrap around her torso and pull her into a hug. Her eyes snapped open to see Simon, embracing her.

"Look, my point is..." Simon continued. "You're not ugly, with or without your horns. Frankly, you're pretty cute, if you ask me. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't really worth paying any mind to." Kaede blushed darkly at his words. Did he really just call her...cute?

"You...you really think so...?" Kaede asked hesitantly. Simon nodded, then separated from her.

"Hai," he replied. "Just...don't go spreading it around, would you? I don't need the whole school harking on me for saying that." Kaede smirked at him, and nodded in return.

"Sure thing."

* * *

"Ah, there you are!" Aiko exclaimed as Kaede returned to the car. "Where were you? I was just about to send a search party."

"Well..." Kaede started, scratching her cheek bashfully. This brought Aiko's attention to the beautiful floral pattern that was painted on her cheek. She also noticed that Kaede was no longer wearing her ribbons. "I, um...I guess you could say I...met a boy..."

"Aw! How kawaii!" Aiko cooed, running up to Kaede and pinching her, much cheek like a grandmother would their grandchild. Kaede blushed in embarrassment.

"A-Aiko! Stop that!" she squealed, but laughing at the same time. Aiko obliged her, instead hugging her tightly.

"Oh, I'm happy for you, dear," Aiko told her, though deep inside, she knew that this was likely nothing more than puppy love. Still, it was nice to know her daughter was getting along well with other kids her age. "Now, let's head back home and get some sleep. We've got a long day, tomorrow."

"What for?" Kaede inquired. Aiko smirked mischievously.

"You'll see."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay. This chapter took a long time to put together than I had hoped.


	9. Chapter 9

"No," Kaede said simply. "I'm not going."

"You know you have to, Kaede. Don't lie to me," Aiko chided. The two were standing in the living room, neither one budging to the other. Kaede was wearing a fresh school uniform, but was adamant about going. Arguments such as this had become very common in the last week, leading up to the first day of school; today. Now, Kaede was making her last stand, but Aiko wouldn't hear of it.

Aiko had originally hoped to enroll Kaede in a nearby prep school. She would get a good education, and she could get used to being around people while minimizing the risk of being bullied. Unfortunately, the moment the school administrator learned that Kaede was an orphan, that option went up in flames. Aiko had to spend an hour listening to the administrator prattle on about how they couldn't allow such a 'delinquent' into their fine establishment. In the end, Aiko had to settle for enrolling her in a public school.

Needless to say, Kaede wasn't thrilled about the idea. In truth, she didn't want to have to go to school at all. If schools in Tokyo were anything like the ones in Kamakura, she'd rather be home-schooled. Aiko tried to reason with her, saying that her work schedule wouldn't allow her to tutor her, but Kaede still refused. But she was the minor, which meant that one-way or another, she'd have to do what Aiko said.

But that didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

* * *

"Have a good day at school, dear!" Aiko told Kaede as she drove off, leaving the girl to her fate at the hands of the students and teachers.

"Sure thing," Kaede muttered with a sarcastic edge. Then she smirked deviously. At least now, unlike at the orphanage, she had a way to deal with bullies. Her vectors stirred at the thought.

Over the pass few weeks, Kaede had practiced honing her powers in secret. She could already lift her bed with ease, or pick up Kei from the other side of a room and carry him over to her. She didn't plan to actually hurt anyone with them...badly. So long as they didn't try to hit her, she'd settle with small acts of vengeance on anyone who made fun of her.

Her first stop was the principles office...

* * *

Kaede could hardly keep herself from laughing when she entered the principle's office. The principle, Koga 'Daichi', was anything but (A/N: the name Daichi means Large and Wise). He was a pencil-thin man that was at least a head shorter than Aiko, who wasn't much of a giant herself; Honda could use him for a backscratcher, he was so tiny. As for wise, he didn't necessarily have that air of authority that the orphanage headmistress did, but he did carry himself as though he took great pride in his accomplishments.

"So, you are Mizushima Kaede?" Daichi asked, scrutinizing her closely. Kaede nodded.

"Hai," she responded.

"Your mother told me about your...origins, and how you were turned away at other schools because of it. Let me make myself clear: we will not turn away students who are willing to learn, but we also expect the best from our students. Work hard and stay in line, and you'll always be welcome at this school. Do you understand?"

"Wakarimashita," Kaede answered.

"Good," he said with an approving nod. "Here's your class schedule. Report to Room B12 immediately. Your teacher, Hakudo-san, will introduce you to your classmates."

* * *

Kaede stood outside the classroom. She looked at the plaque above the door. "Room B12..." she read. "I guess this is it..." She took a deep breath. "Well, here I go..." She slowly reached out and rapped her knuckles against the wood. She waited several seconds when the door opened, revealing a chubby, balding man, likely in his late 50s. When he saw her, he smiled widely.

"Ah, good, you're here. Come in, come in, we were just starting," he told her, making a gesture for her to come inside. Kaede blinked, surprised by the rather warm welcome; none of the teachers at the orphanage ever greeted her with anything but contempt, if at all. She soon shook off her shock and obeyed, walking into the classroom.

The class was a small one, consisting of just over a dozen students, not counting her. They all looked roughly her own age, though some looked a little older. None of them were at all recognizable, but she had expected that; she only knew a few people outside the orphanage, even after living in Tokyo for nearly two months, and most of them were adults.

The classroom itself was painted pea-green and had several motivational posters taped to the walls. All of the desks were separate, which Kaede considered a blessing; she wouldn't have to worry about anyone messing with her schoolwork when she wasn't looking, which was a persistent issue at the orphanage. And of course, no matter what she said in her defense, she would always be the one punished when she turned in a worksheet covered with doodles, foul language, and other things of the like. Combined with the small class-size, her first period didn't seem so bad.

The teacher, Hakudo, led her to the front of the class. "Class, I told you earlier this week that we would be getting a new student. Please welcome, Mizushima Kaede." Upon being introduced, Kaede was met with a chorus of half-hearted 'Yo's and 'Konichiwa's. Most people would've been insulted by the lack of interest the class showed for the new arrival, but Kaede was used to such treatment. Hakudo, however, was not so pleased, and looked at them all very pointedly before continuing, "Anyways...are there any questions you would like to ask your new classmate?"

"Are you a punk?" One girl asked. Kaede blinked, caught off guard by the sudden, odd question.

"ER...no," she answered hesitantly.

"Then why'd you dye your hair? My mom says girls who dye their hair are punks."

"B-But I didn't dye it," Kaede stuttered. "My hair has always been this color."

"So you're an albino?" another kid, a boy, added. "You look like an albino."

"Okay, that's enough," Hakudo interrupted. "No more question about her hair, eyes, or any other part of her. Anyone else?"

"Why does she get to wear a hat?" a second girl asked, pointing out the blue beanie adorning Kaede's head. "It's against the rules to wear hats inside."

"I...I..." Kaede muttered, stumbling over her words. She wasn't used to speaking to crowds, not to mention about something so personal. As it turned out, she had a severe case of stage-fright. "...it's a special hat..." Kaede answered, mentally berating herself for making up such a stupid excuse.

"Special how?" the first girl asked with an edge of snide sarcasm. "Is your brain so big it doesn't fit in your head?" The class burst out laughing at the accusation, eliciting an indignant blush from the flustered horned girl.

"N-No, it's not like that!" Kaede yelled. She felt deep, burning emotions well up inside her, so great that her corporeal limbs started to emerge, free of her own will. She felt the need to lash out, to strike them, and she might have given into this dark desire, but...

"ENOUGH!" Hakudo suddenly shouted, shocking everyone into silence. "Her hat does not go against school code, so she is free to wear it as she likes. Since it seems none of you can ask a question without causing an issue, I think we should return to our work. Mizushima-kun, please take your seat." Kaede nodded slowly.

"H-Hai," she said quietly before doing as he said. Class resumed as it had before she arrived, but the mood was noticeably different. Everyone was adamant about this newcomer, who seemed to be breaking all the rules of society. The girl in question, however, was quite used to the treatment, and said nothing.

* * *

When the lunch bell finally rang, Kaede felt exhausted, not because of anything physically strenuous, but because of her constant anxiety. It'd been so long since she'd been with kids her age that she stood out like a sore thumb; more so than she normally was. She didn't just look different, anymore. She was different, and that wasn't something she could just cover up with a hat. She knew all too well the full-extent of the cruelty humans could inflict on things that they found strange, and it worried her to no end what they would try to do to her. For the first time since leaving the orphanage, she regretted not having a better grip on her emotions.

The lunchroom was much larger than the one at the orphanage, but it was about the size Kaede expected from such a small school. She guessed there were at least 500 students there, counting the 10 'disciplinary officers' who kept an eye on everyone else. The officers were, overall, just glorified thugs. It consisted mainly of huge guys from around the school that the teachers figured no one would want to mess with. Not all of them were violent; some of them were actually helpful, but they were certainly intimidating. Kaede wondered if Honda had served a similar role in his school years. She giggled softly at the thought of the huge bodyguard in a school boy uniform, standing in a hallway with the usual blank expression.

While Kaede was engross in her own thoughts, she didn't notice a foot that one boy had stuck in her path. She suddenly found herself falling, and had little time to brace herself as she land face-first on the floor. Her nose squashed painfully against the floor, and she gasped in pain as she felt the cartilage bend and snap. The entire lunchroom erupted with laughter at Kaede's expense. Tears of hurt and humiliation began to well up in the corners of her eyes. She would've sniffled, but she ended up choking on the blood that was filling her sinuses instead. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be so miserable.

*BONK*

"Itai!" the boy who tripped her shouted, grabbing his head after it was whacked with a baton. One of the disciplinary officers stood next to him, his back turned to Kaede. Even from behind, he didn't look happy.

"Oi! Stand up, you piece of shit!" The boy obeyed the officer, standing at attention. "You've got three seconds to get your ass out that door and to the office before I stick my foot up it!" The boy nodded hastily and did so. The officer then fixed the lunchroom occupants with what Kaede could only guess was a very fierce glare, for everyone their stiffened at the sight of it. After a few moments of staring, he turned to Kaede.

"Here," he said, offering her a hand, which she graciously took. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." He led her out of the lunchroom, taking her to the nearest water fountain. Kaede scooped some water out of it and washed the blood off her face. The cold water also helped to numb the throbbing pain in her nose.

"Wait here, I'll go get some tissues," the officer told her, going into the men's washcloset, which was adjacent to the fountain. Kaede watched him silently, and when he was out of sight, she began to cry. She hadn't even been there for a whole day, and she already hated it. The pain of her outcast brought forth a familiar question: why? Why did people hate her so much? She didn't asked to be like this! She just wanted to be treated like a human being! Was that too much to ask?!

Her moment of self pity was interrupted when a hand suddenly cupped her cheek, and she fell something soft being stuffed up her nose. She jerked around to see who had invaded her personal space, and saw the disciplinary officer, hunched forwards and holding a clump of tissue paper. "Eh...gomen," he apologized. Kaede stood there, examining him closely for the first time. She couldn't see his face quite clearly, since it was obscured by the officer's cap he wore, but he seemed vaguely familiar...

"It's okay," she replied. "Arigarto...gomen nasai, you never told me your name." The officer gave her a strange look.

"What are you saying? I told you my name already, or did you already forget?" He reached up and grabbed the bill of his hat, taking it off his head, revealing a familiar face underneath. "Seriously, Kaede, I thought you'd at least remember me; it hasn't been that long," Simon told her, smiling. Kaede stared at him in shock.

"S-Simon?" she stuttered.

"The one and only," he said smartly, but it didn't have the effect on her he was going for. Without warning, Kaede jumped on him, giving him a fierce hug. "Woah! What are you doing, baka?!" he exclaimed, trying to keep his balance with Kaede holding onto him. He failed miserably, and fell to the ground in an awkward pile.

Kaede lifted her head, looking at him apologetically. "I-I'm sorry! I-I just...missed you," she finished softly, her cheek turning a light pink. Simon sighed heavily, but reached out and patted her head gently.

"I guess I can understand that," he responded. "Now, could you please stop trying to break me in half?" Kaede's blush darkened when she realized she was still hugging him tightly.

"H-H-Hai..." she murmured in embarrassment, releasing her grip on him. She rolled off of him and stood up, and helped Simon get up as well.

"Sheesh, you're stronger than you look," Simon commented, rubbing his side. Kaede just grinned sheepishly. "Well, now that you're all set, let's get some lunch." Kaede nodded, still smiling. He walked back towards the lunchroom with her in tow. She held her head high, for she had newborn courage building inside her chest. She was no longer alone.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh my god!" Aiko screamed as Kaede returned to the car after school alongside Simon. She still had tissues stuffed up her nostrils from when she busted her nose in the lunchroom, as well as a little crusted blood that she hadn't washed off. " Are you alright? What happened?"

Kaede didn't answer immediately. Luckily, Simon covered for her. "There was a tiny...incident in the lunchroom. Some asshole tripped her. Don't worry, I took care of him."

Aiko looked at Simon, a look of both relief and confusion on her face. "...arigatou...and you are?" At this time, Kaede decided to speak up.

"This is Simon. He's my friend; I met him at the Summer Festival in Kamakura," she explained. Aiko nodded, understanding, then smiled mischievously.

"So, this is that boy you told me about," Aiko said slyly. "I must say, you've got good taste."

"O-Okaasan!" she squealed, her entire face flushing darkly. "W-What are you saying!? Stop that!" Aiko snickered.

"Oh, don't deny it, honey. You said it yourself; you like him!"

"No I didn't!" Kaede returned. She was so embarrassed! Her cheek were warm and cherry red, and her heart was beating so fast she thought it would pop right out of her chest.

Simon watched the two of them banter, hopelessly lost. He had no clue what was going on, but he did notice that Kaede looked extremely uncomfortable. He rested his hand on her head, coincidentally, right where her horns were. The contact sent a tingling sensation down Kaede's spine, and she instantly began to calm down.

Aiko laughed heartily, lifting her hands submissively. "Alright, alright, fine!" she chuckled. "Anyways, thank you very much, Simon. It's nice to see Kaede making friends."

Simon shook his head. "Ah, don't mention it. I'm glad to help."

"Why don't you come back to our apartment?" Aiko suggested. "We'd both love to have you over for dinner. Right, Kaede?" Kaede started to blush again, and proceeded to look away bashfully.

"H-Hai..." she uttered softly.

"Well..." Simon started, mulling it over. "I guess Mum wouldn't mind if I came home a few hours late...okay, I guess I'll come along."

"Super!" Aiko exclaimed. "Well, don't just stand there! Get in!"

* * *

"Um..." Simon stared at Honda, who was in the driver's seat. The massive manservant looked just as imposing as always. He glanced at Simon through the rear-view mirror, then returned his attention to the road. Simon followed suit, turning his gaze to the back of Honda's seat. Kaede couldn't help but snicker at the sight of the normally bold and straight-forward boy being intimidated by towering mass of meat that was Honda.

Simon glanced in her direction, laughing dryly when he saw her giggle. "Haha, very funny," he grumbled. Taking his hand, he gently flicked his finger against her forehead. It obviously wasn't meant to hurt; he was just being playful. She was teasing him, after all. Still, Kaede's pride dictated that she not take sitting down...figuratively speaking, of course. With a smirk, she reached over and tickled him in the armpits. "H-Hey, stop that!" Struggling not to laugh, Simon started tickling her back. Pretty soon, they were both giddy and inane, bursting with laughter.

Of course, it was all fun and games until someone got hurt.

As Simon leaned in the tickle her again, his hand wavered from her armpit and accidentally clutched Kaede's breast. His palm pressed tightly against her nipple, causing her to squeak softly before quickly slapping his hand back and turning away from him. Her entire face erupted into a fiery-red blush. Simon just touched her chest! Not only that, she...actually like it...a little.

"Ano...gomen nasai, Kaede," Simon said softly. For the first time since Kaede met him, he was actually blushing, as well. Meanwhile, Aiko and Honda were too focused on driving and traffic to notice the dilemma developing in the back seat. "I-I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Kaede said softly, her face still burning in embarrassment. Neither of them said anything else for the remainder of the car ride, opting instead to sift through their own thoughts and watch the cars go by.

* * *

"So this is where you live?" Simon asked, a note of awe in his voice as he gazed out the window overlooking Tokyo. Kaede, who was standing beside him, nodded.

"Hai," she answered. Both of them had recovered from the 'incident' in the car, though neither of them had forgotten it.

"Gotta say, I love the view. I can see my house from here!" Kaede giggled at his exclamation.

"Guess so." The two were suddenly interrupted by a bout of barking as Kei charged in the living room. He jumped up and tackled Kaede, sending her sprawling onto the floor. "Kei!" she squealed, but her protest went on deaf ears. Kei proceeded to lick her face intensively. Now it was Simon's turn to laugh as he watched the girl get assaulted by her own dog.

"Friend of yours, I take it?" Simon asked teasingly. Kaede gave him a half-serious, half-playful glare.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Chuckling, Simon obliged her, prying the eager puppy off of the pink-haired girl. Kei quickly turned his sights on the boy holding him, and Simon got a thorough face-cleaning.

"Oi! Stop that, you crazy inu!" He pulled Kei off of him, but not before his face was sopping wet with saliva. He stared pointedly at Kaede, who was snickering at his misfortune. "...just so you know, I'm getting back at you for this..." he muttered.

"We'll see," Kaede said slyly.

Suddenly, Aiko called out, "Dinner's ready, you two! Come and get some!"

"I guess revenge will have to wait," Kaede told Simon as she started walking towards the kitchen. The boy put down Kei and followed her, with the eager puppy close at his heels.

The meal that was laid out for them consisted mostly of noodles and rice, as well as some bread. Simon sat down beside Kaede, grabbing a plate for himself. "Arigatou, Mizushima-san," he said politely, but Aiko simply waved her hand.

"Oh, it's no big deal. And please, call me Aiko; we're all friends here. In any case, let's eat!"

"Itadakimasu!" Everyone said before digging in.

* * *

After dinner, Kaede took Simon to her room so they could play together. She sat on her bed, kicking her legs anxiously. Since she moved in with Aiko, she lightened up the room a little. The walls were painted in a coat of soft pink, and the covers of her bed were a slightly darker shade. In fact, most of the items in her room had a pink hue of some sort.

When Simon entered the room, the first thing that caught his attention was that very color. "So...pink, huh?" he commented. Kaede nodded slowly.

"Yes. It's my favorite color."

"Hmm...I just never figured you for the sort. I would've thought you liked blue or something." Kaede cocked her head in question.

"Why blue?" she asked.

"I guess...you just seem sad a lot, so I guess it would fit. You're also sweet and kind, but you don't take crap from anyone. Really, it's kind of hard for me to tell just what kind of person you are; you're very unique." Kaede's cheeks turned a light pink.

"A-Arigatou..." she muttered softly. Simon sat down beside her and proceeded to drape one of his arms over her shoulders, causing her blush to darken.

"Anytime, Kaede," he replied. "That's what friends are for."

"Yeah," Kaede said softly. She scooted towards him a little, positioning herself on his lap. Her cheeks were turning magenta. "Friends..."

Simon blinked in confusion. "Kaede, what are you...?" He trailed off when Kaede rested her head against his chest, snuggling close to him. Now he was starting to blush as well.

"Simon...thank you...for being my friend..." she whispered softly. She felt so vulnerable, and yet, she didn't mind. When she was with Simon, she felt safe, even at times when she felt most threatened. It made her feel strange, like there was a fire in her heart that could never be extinguished. It made her all warm and fuzzy inside, and she had Simon to thank for that.

Kaede pulled away slightly, looking into Simon's icy-blue eyes. Slowly, her own eyes disappeared behind her eyelids, and she began to lean towards him. "Kae...Kaede..." he stuttered before his eyes closed.

They kissed.

It wasn't a passionate kiss, or even a long one; it was a very short, very innocent kiss, and it ended as quickly as it began. Both participants were blushing madly afterword, and it was obvious that they were both caught off guard by the sudden act of intimacy. That's not to say they didn't like it, though.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I just..." Kaede began, but Simon silenced her by putting a single finger to her lips.

"No, it's fine, Kaede. It's just...dear Kami, this is awkward..." he mumbled. "So...what now?"

"I don't know," Kaede answered. "I...I like you a lot, Simon." She nuzzled her head against his chest again. Simon put his arms around her and hugged the girl close.

"Me, too," he returned. They sat together like this for a long time before pulling away again. Kaede had tears in her eyes, which Simon gently wiped away. "All better?"

"Mm hmm," Kaede sniffed, though her eyes were still shimmering. Simon smiled in response.

"That's good."

* * *

It wasn't long before it was time for Simon to leave. She was sad to see him leave, but she took heart in knowing that she would see him the next day at school.

When she went to sleep that night, for the first time in what seemed like years, she dreamed happily. There were no voices, or demons poking at her thoughts; just the blissful peace and silence of night.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day at school, Simon was nowhere to be found.

Kaede looked everywhere, even the men's room (and that was a truly awkward moment), but she still couldn't find him. He was counted absent by the teachers, and school went on as usual for everyone. Everyone except Kaede, that is.

The bullies picked up pretty quickly that without Simon, Kaede was easy prey once again. Of course, she didn't let them get away with it; every time she was pushed, the assailant mysteriously tripped over their own feet. If someone called her names, their bags would suddenly rip open and spill their stuff on the floor. Despite being able to exact revenge, however, Kaede knew it wouldn't stop, and she couldn't use her powers to prevent it without drawing attention to herself. She was already worried that people were getting suspicious of the fact that something happened to everyone who picked on her almost immediately afterwards.

Why were they doing this to her? No one should know she had horns; she made sure to never take off her hat in public, and she didn't tell anyone about them, except for Simon...Kaede froze. Was it possible that Simon revealed her secret? No, he couldn't have; he would never do that. But then, what other explanation was there? Was this not about horns? Were these people hurting her like this, simply because they felt like it? That also seemed unlikely; they couldn't be that cruel...could they?

"Of course they can," Kaede thought as she headed towards the next of her classes. "Humans are cruel, disgusting things. I should kill them all..." Kaede's eyes widened in horror at what she had just thought. "W-Wait, what am I saying!?" she asked herself. "What's wrong with me? Why am I thinking like this?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, dear Kaede," a familiar voice whispered into her subconscious. "On the contrary, it is the humans who are at fault."

"Shit! Not you again! Get out of my head!" She tried to push the evil presence from her mind, but this only resulted in a terrible migraine. The voice was too entwined with Kaede's own thoughts to remove through pure willpower. This thing, whatever it was, was far more powerful than she was. The mere feeling of it in her mind caused her chest tighten and made it hard to breathe. Her heart was racing, her hands and feet were turning numb, and soon her legs lost the strength to hold her upright. She collapsed onto the floor, causing the people around her to gasp in surprise.

Kaede couldn't move; her limbs, both temporal and corporeal, would not respond. She remained conscious, barely, and watched helplessly as people began to crowd around her. They sounded so distant that she could barely make out what they were saying. What did reach her ears sounded vaguely like 'what's wrong?' and 'are you okay?'. Kaede didn't answer them, not that she could.

"Why do you deny what you feel? Is it not true? These humans pry their eyes where they do not belong, they lie and cheat; rape and murder without a single thought. You know this better than any of us," the voice whispered in her ear.

"U-Us?" Kaede thought. "Wh-What do you mean 'us'?" The voice laughed wickedly, making the poor girl shiver in fright.

"You don't know? You are not alone; soon, whether you acknowledge it or not, our kind will dominate this world. In 10 years, humanity will be brought to its knees. Don't worry; I'll make you see the light by then." On that friendly note, the presence vanished from Kaede's mind.

As Kaede returned to the real world, the first thing she noticed was the respirator mask over her mouth and nose. Several teachers and students were surrounding her, and one woman, who she assumed was the nurse, operated the ventilator to help her breathe. Seeing her fully conscious, the nurse removed the mask from her face. The girl had been propped upright while she spoke with her inner self, and her back laid against a locker.

"Are you alright, Mizushima-chan?" The nurse asked her. "You had a bad seizure, but you seem better now. Would you like to be sent home for the day?" Kaede slowly nodded.

"Hai," she whispered.

Both Kaede and Aiko were silent on the drive home. Aiko had dropped everything the moment she heard about Kaede's condition and went straight to the school. Despite her obvious worry, she didn't press the subject. When they arrived at their apartment, Kaede went straight to her room and threw herself on the bed. She completely ignored Kei, who jumped up on the bed beside her, concerned for his mistress. He soon skulked off, looking rejected.

After a few minutes of simply laying there, she felt someone sit down on her bed. A hand rested on her back and rubbed it soothingly. "Kaede," Aiko said softly. "Talk to me. I know you're hurting; I just want to help." Kaede sniffled a little before sitting up. Aiko put an arm around the girl and allowed her to rest her head against her shoulder. At first, Kaede didn't say anything; she simply enjoyed Aiko's comforting presence. After a while, though, she began to speak.

"Why am I so different?" she asked. "What did I do wrong to deserve this?"

"You didn't do anything, Kaede," Aiko told her. "Being different isn't bad, it's what makes you unique. Don't be ashamed of it; embrace what you are."

Kaede wanted to tell her she was wrong. If she embraced what she was, then the evil presence in her mind would destroy everything she held dear. But if she told Aiko that, she would see her for the monster she really was. Even if it was the right thing to do, Kaede couldn't bring herself to do something that would ruin her new life. She was just discovering happiness for the first time in her life; she didn't want to have that torn away from her.

"Wakarimashita," Kaede said quietly. "But..." Aiko raised her hand, interrupting her.

"No buts. You have nothing to be ashamed of," she repeated. It was then that they both her the elevator bell go off. "Huh? I wonder who that could be. Honda didn't say he was going anywhere today." She stood up and went to check on it.  
-

"Aiko-san," Honda addressed. He was standing in front of the elevator, with a girl at his side. His hand was holding the girl's shoulder very tightly; it looked like it was hurting her. "This girl came up here unannounced. Do you know her?" Aiko shook her head.

"I don't recognize her from anywhere," Aiko replied. She crouched down to the girl's level. "Konichiwa. What is your name?"

"M-My name is T-Tanaka Misaki, Mizushima-sama!" the girl named Misaki squeaked. Aiko frowned at being called 'sama', but decided not to bring it up.

"It's very nice to meet you, Misaki. Could you tell me why you came, please?" Aiko asked.

"H-Hakudo-sensei wanted to give Kaede-chan her homework. I-I live in one of the lower apartments, so he asked m-me to bring it for h-her."

"Well, that's very nice of you, Misaki," Aiko said. She looked at Honda and gave him a nod. He nodded back and released his hold on the girl, who quickly put some distance between herself and the huge manservant. "I'm sorry about Honda. He takes his job as the doorman very seriously," Aiko explained. Misaki nodded understandingly, though she still cast Honda the occasional wary glance. "We appreciate your help...also, if I could ask a favor of you..."

"Nani?"

"Would you stay and help Kaede with her homework? She isn't feeling all that well, and I think she could use the company."

"H-Hai, Mizushima-sama!" Misaki replied hastily. Aiko sweatdropped comically.

"Um...Misaki, you don't have to refer to me as 'sama'. Just Aiko is fine."

"Hai, Mizu...ano...A-Aiko-san," she stuttered.

"...good enough, I suppose...in any case, thank you for helping. Kaede's room is the first on the right."  
-

Kaede looked up in surprise when her door suddenly opened, revealing an incredibly anxious-looking girl in a school uniform. She had flowing black hair, in stark contrast to Kaede's cropped and dark-pink hair, and her eyes were a moss-green. Kaede recognized her from somewhere, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The girl spoke up first. "H-Hello, Kaede-chan. I-I brought your homework." She held out a bundle of papers.

"Oh...arigatou," Kaede muttered, taking the papers from her. When she did so, she was shocked when the girl suddenly sat down on her bed beside her. "Wh-What the hell are you doing?!" The girl flinched, as though the strongly-worded question had struck her like a physical blow.

"G-G-Gomen nasai!" she blubbered, tears leaking down her face. "Mizu...er, Aiko-san asked me to help you with your homework. I d-didn't mean to offend you!" Kaede's face quickly softened, feeling guilty for frightening her. Granted, Kaede felt that she really needed to grow a backbone, but she wasn't so heartless as to not feel bad for hurting someone who didn't actually deserve it. Sighing, she put her hand on the girl's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. She turned her attention to the hat-wearing rosette beside her.

"Gomen, that didn't come out right. I'm just not used to people getting so close to me, is all," Kaede explained. She looked away, suddenly stricken with sadness. "I mean...just look at me." Slowly, she reached up and pulled off her hat, revealing her pearly-white horns. The other girl let out a badly-contained gasp. "I'm lucky to find just a few people who don't judge me for...these," she said, pointing to her horns. She waited for the usual reaction people had when she showed her horns.

What she got, though, was far from the usual. The previously-timid girl suddenly glomped onto her, eyeing her horns with utter fascination. "Hauu~! Kawaii! I knew that Neko's really existed, I just knew it!" she squealed. Kaede stared at her, speechless. Well, it was better than being called 'oxen' or 'monster'. Still...

"H-Hey! I'm not a Neko! Let go, baka!" However, the girl wasn't listening; she was too transfixed by her horns. Eventually, Kaede gave in, letting her touch and look at her extremities. Actually, the feeling of fingers brushing against her horns was quite gratifying. And that's when she realized something.

She'd just made a new friend, without even trying.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, Kaede offered to walk to school. Aiko was a bit confused, and maybe a little concerned, by the suggestion, but decided to let her. If nothing happened on the way there this time, then there shouldn't be much to worry about. On the way down, Kaede met up with Misaki, and the two proceeded to headed to school together.

"So do you understand how to find the tangent of two circles?" Misaki asked, referring to the homework from the previous night. Kaede nodded.

"Yeah, I think I've got it," Kaede replied. "By the way...I don't think I ever thanked you for helping me yesterday..." Misaki shook her head.

"Oh, that's alright, I'm glad to help. That's what friends are for, right, Kaede-chan?" Kaede cringed slightly at the word 'friend'. She liked to think of Misaki as a new friend, but has yet to refer to her in that way. She felt uneasy about letting more people into her life. What would happen if Misaki did something bad to her? With the corrupting presence always looming over her, constantly goading her on, she wasn't confident that she could keep her temper under control if something like that occurred. Granted, it would serve her right, but that didn't mean it was the right thing to do.

"Er...right, Kaede-chan?" she repeated, looking at the horned girl with a concerned expression. Kaede snapped out of her thoughts and nodded, a little too quickly.

"R-Right," she answered. Misaki continued to look worried; something was obviously wrong with her new friend.

"Are you alright, Kaede-chan? You seem distracted." Kaede bit her lip nervously and stared at the ground. She couldn't tell Misaki the truth; that would make her mad. But if she lied to her, and she found out, wouldn't that be even worse? The whole situation made her head spin.

"I-It's nothing important..." she muttered, trying to stretch the truth without breaking it. Despite her best efforts to sound convincing, Misaki looked visibly upset by her answer. She lifted her hand, and Kaede shut eyes tight, expecting a slap. Her vectors instinctively emerged. But nothing ever came. Instead, she felt Misaki grab her shoulder and give it a good, firm squeeze.

"Kaede-chan," Misaki said in a very serious tone. "As your friend, everything about you is important to me." Kaede's eyelids flew open as wide as they were able, absolutely shocked by what she heard. Tears began to dribble that her cheeks.

"Misaki, I...I-I just...I didn't..." she stuttered, hardly able to contain her emotions.

"K-Kaede-chan?" Misaki asked. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She was interrupted when Kaede suddenly bolted ahead, straight towards school. "W-Wait! Kaede-chan!"  
-

Kaede sat underneath a flight of stairs, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried into them. She couldn't believe what Misaki just said to her! She knew she was reacting badly to it, but she couldn't help herself; no one had ever told her something like that.

"Mizushima-kun?" a concern-filled voice asked. She looked up to see her homeroom teacher, Hakudo-sensei, crouching down beside her. "Mizushima-kun, why are you down here crying?" Kaede stared at the man, surprised by his timely appearance. Then she turned her head the other way with a 'hmph'. That was right; his arrival was quite the coincidence.

"Nothing!" she snapped, avoiding his gaze. "Mind your own business!" She knew that she would likely get in trouble for being so rude to her elder, but at the moment, she just didn't care. She could feel her vectors stirring from the anger building inside of her, but it still didn't matter to her; she would never be played for a fool again. She would kill anyone who tried to take advantage of her again.

"No!" she thought hastily. "Don't think that!" It was happening again; a powerful urge to kill and maim washed over her, threatening to overwhelm every other instinct. It took every ounce of willpower in her to push it back down. When it finally passed, she felt exhausted, ready to pass out, but was kept from doing so when felt someone grab her shoulder firmly, bringing her back to reality.

"Mizushima-kun..." Hakudo said, completely unaware of the battle for mental supremacy taking place within his student's mind. "Normally, I would be quite insulted by your current demeanor. However, I know the kinds of things you've probably gone through, being an orphan, so whatever is bothering you obviously isn't a trivial matter. You tell me to mind my own business, but you, as a student, are my business." And there it was again; Hakudo-sensei said, in slightly different context, the exact same thing as Misaki. Tears immediately welled up in Kaede's eyes.

"Why do you keep saying stuff like that?" she asked tearfully. "Why do you care so much about me? I'm different; don't you hate me?" She couldn't understand it; Hakudo-sensei and Misaki were acting so concerned about her, and it wasn't so they could deceive her. After years of abuse because of what she was, her mind simply couldn't fathom how people she barely even knew could care so much about her well-being. What compelled them to treat her with kindness that other people didn't? She couldn't make sense of it.

Hakudo watched Kaede as she reached the brink of tears. "Kaede..." he began, but was interrupted when a certain someone suddenly appeared, panting and sweating.

"Kaede-chan!" Misaki gasped, dropping to her knees in front of Kaede. "Where did you go? I've been looking all over school for you!" That's when she noticed that Kaede's cheeks were wet with tears and gasped. "G-Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to make you sad! I-I was just worried! Please forgive me!"

Hakudo looked back and forth between the two young girls, finally beginning to piece it all together. "Mizushima-kun," he said, looking at Kaede. "Come with me to my office." He turned to look at Misaki. "I would like you to come, as well, Tanaka-kun."  
-

Kaede and Misaki sat side-by-side in wooden chairs facing Hakudo, who was sitting behind a large, cluttered desk. Kaede shifted around nervously, afraid she was in trouble; what would Aiko say when she found out? Would she be mad at her? Would...would she send her back to the orphanage? The mere thought made her shudder.

Misaki, on the other hand, kept her composure. She looked very different from the meek girl Kaede met the day before; she almost seemed to have a professional aura radiating off of her, which was in stark contrast to the air of cowardice Kaede had become accustomed to. She was in a presense of an entirely different person.

"Girls..." Hakudo began. "The two of you became friends rather quickly, as I had hoped. However, it seems there's been a small misunderstanding that needs fixing." He looked at Kaede. "Mizushima-kun, could you remove your hat, please." She froze up instantly at his request, but a small chuckle from her teacher released the tension. "Relax; I already know about your birth defect from your mother." Nodding slowly, Kaede reached up and grabbed her beanie, taking it off of her head.

"Now, Kaede, because of your horns, you were treated very harshely at the orphanage, correct?" Kaede nodded in comfirmation. "It seems to me that you're suffering from PTSD, specifically characterological self-blame. You feel as though, because you have horns, you deserve to be hated. At the same time, acts of unconditional compassion are alien to you, am I right?" Again, Kaede nodded, her eyes wide with surprise. How did he know so much about her? Was she really so transparent?

"In any case," Hakudo continued. "What I propose is this; as the school counselor, I would like you to come back here once a week, so I can help you overcome your fears. Does that sound agreeable?" Kaede nodded, still unable to find the will to speak.

"Also, Tanaka-kun." Hakudo turned to face Misaki. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like you to come to these sessions as well. In fact, anyone that Mizushima-kun trusts is welcome to come."

It was about then that the schoolbell rang, signalling the beginning of class. "Oh, look at the time. I suppose we should all get to first period."

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the short chapter and the time it took to write. School may be over, but my summer schedule is still overflowing. Anyways, in this chapter, I wanted to point out some of the psychological effects that bullying has had on Kaede (and I mean besides the homicidal split-personality). Also, some of my 'editors' dislike Misaki because she's too flat, or that she's just downright useless. First of all, I would like to remind my loyal 'editors' who the writer is here. Secondly, you've only had ONE chapter to judge her. In this chapter, I hope I prove my point when I say that there's more to Misaki than meets the eye.


End file.

Elfen Lied, Drama, Hurt-Comfort