When Elves Sing Pt2

Elfen Lied-fanfic. Set after the end of the series. What became of Lucy and the others at Kaede House after the events in the series? For that matter, what will happen to the diclonius race?
Part two out of three, as this story is now finished finally.
(Lucy/Aiko, Nana/Mayu)

Read When Elves Sing Pt2

Disclaimer: see part 1.





When Elves Sing Pt2
-------------------------------------------------
by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson







“A-are you really leaving?”

Lucy’s departure from the garden had been followed by a long silence, Nana thinking hard and clutching the pink phone while Mayu watched on anxiously. Finally the black-haired girl could take it no longer, she wanted to know.

Nana nodded slowly. “I think so. I need to learn to control these new abilities before I hurt more people.” She hesitated and stared at her prosthetic hands.

Mayu hugged her, hard.

Smiling just a little Nana embraced her friend as tenderly as she could, leaning her chin on Mayu’s shoulder. That was another problem with her prosthetics, really. To her surprise Nana was starting to grow in ways that when she thought about it suggested that she would be tall, but prosthetic arms and legs could not grow. It already looked awkward and just slightly wrong if she did not wear clothes that covered her limbs, because the artificial limbs were those of a child and the rest of Nana was starting towards adulthood.

But no matter how much she needed this, wanted this in truth, leaving would not be easy. Not even if it was for less than a year. Nana’s heart felt like breaking just thinking about it.

“I-it is not that I want to leave.” She tried to explain herself to the girl sobbing quietly in her arms. “But Mayu? I think I have to. A-and I’ll come back you know, as soon as I can.”

The other girl nodded and mumbled with a voice so choked Nana would not have heard the words had they not been so close. “...I’ll miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you too Mayu.” Finding herself in a stranglehold Nana tried to soothe her upset friend. “We, we will call one another, all the time! And, um, I’ll do my best to come back really soon! I promise.”

They drew apart enough that dark wet eyes could meet conflicted pink. “C-can I come visit you?”

Nana thought of the things Lucy had told them, and the things that, judging by the dark look in her eyes, she had not. Nana was a diclonius too, and born and raised in that place... she understood the things that had not been spoken, and she certainly knew what life was like for them. It didn’t make what she was going to have to tell Mayu any easier.

“Mayu...” She began haltingly, gently cupping Mayu’s face and trying her best not to get lost in those wide, pretty eyes that looked at her so heartbreakingly. “Lucy did not say it but I know enough about how these things work to tell that the procedure she mentioned, the one that would give me back arms and legs... it will be difficult, and painful. Very, very painful.”

“As much as I hate the thought of not being able to see you for so long, I would rather that you did not try to visit me there.”

“But, why?” Mayu gasped, hurt and confused.

“Because,” Nana leaned her head against Mayu’s for a moment, feeling keenly the strong and bone-deep affection she had for this person tug at her helpless heart. “pain I can take, as much as I have to. Seeing you cry... I can’t.”

As Nana carefully wiped the tears from Mayu’s cheeks she could see clearly how the hurt faded into first surprise and then wonder. Mayu leaned into Nana’s hand, causing another twinge of longing and affection to tug at Nana.

“If you think it will be that painful,” Mayu whispered while leaning into Nana. “do you have to go through with it?”

An involuntary laugh briefly escaped Nana’s lips, but it was not a happy one. Realizing that the other girl didn’t understand she tried her best to explain. “Mayu, how does it feel when I touch you? How does it feel with my hand like this?”

Mayu’s first response was to blush sweetly, causing Nana’s heart to beat a little faster, but as she was about to answer something in Nana’s expression made her stop and think about it from a different angle.

It was true that Nana’s prosthetic limbs in general held room temperature, so as they had been outdoors for a while the hand against her face was considerably more chilled than one would have expected. While most people wouldn’t be able to tell it from a casual touch, Mayu knew well enough that the hand that touched her face felt just a little bit too hard and vaguely unelastic when compared to a real one. Although she hated to think like that and felt as if it was some kind of betrayal to even admit it to herself, the hand on her face felt like a doll’s hand. A very well-made doll’s limb, but still a doll’s.

She didn’t need to answer because Nana could see the dawning understanding in her eyes and just smiled wistfully.

“You know, I can’t really feel this.” Nana said so softly that it was almost a whisper. “My vectors let me move arms and legs as much as I would like to, but I can’t actually feel what I touch or what touches me.”

“If you imagine yourself wearing a glove over your hand, a glove made of thick metal and then covered in a layer of some slightly rubbery material, and then imagine touching something while wearing it, I think that would be about the same. I can tell I am touching something, of course, but that’s really all.”

“Oh don’t cry Mayu... please?” The dark-haired girl nodded and tried her best not to, even if she hurt for Nana.

After a long moment of silence Nana spoke slowly, smiling shyly at Mayu. “I wonder about it sometimes, what it would be like... what it would feel like, touching you.” Lost in her innocent fantasy Nana did not notice that Mayu blushed bright red at her words. “What it would be like if I could hold your hand in mine.”

“I bet it would be warm...” She whispered to herself but was cut off when Mayu suddenly grabbed hold of her head with both hands and pressed their lips together in a sweet and lingering kiss.

When she finally let go of the stunned Nana Mayu hugged her tightly while hiding her face.

“I will wait for you.” She husked almost directly into Nana’s ear. “I will wait for you forever if I have to, so you make sure you come home to me! Okay?”

Nana nodded, hugging back as hard as she dared. “I promise. I swear I will, so just wait for me.”

Awkwardly shifting around Nana tried to get a tiny bit of space between them, desperately wanting to see if she would be allowed another kiss. Just as their eyes met and they instinctively started leaning in towards one another the door to the house opened with a small thud, followed by Yuka calling for them. Blushing they jumped apart just as Yuka came into view to summon them inside. Obediently they followed their young maternal figure, occasionally sharing shy but meaningful glances when Yuka looked away.

Nana squeezed the cellphone in her pocket. As much as it hurt to have to leave just now, with something simply amazing happening between her and Mayu, Nana felt reassured by Mayu’s promise.

She could do this. And when she came back she would know what it felt like to hug Mayu with her very own arms.

-----------------------------

It had taken time, but finally Lucy had tracked her down. That bastard had been quite thorough when he hid her away, although Lucy was somewhat grateful for that. Kurama had changed the girl’s name and hidden her away for the same reason he had told Lucy that she had died; it was the only way to keep her safe from the organization.

Ever since she had come across the information that her friend had in fact not died when they were children, Lucy had been so determined to find her that she had never stopped to ask herself why or what she would do when she found her. That was why as she stood outside the apartment door that was essentially all that remained to keep her from seeing her friend again Lucy found herself at a loss for what to do.

If she rang the bell and the other woman answered, what would she say? What would she do? According to the information she had managed to gather her friend had woken up from all the surgeries performed on her with amnesia, no longer remembering her past or even her own name. Kurama had patched her up, given her a name, and shipped her off to be an orphan in care of the state in a city far away from where they had been. The woman on the other side of that door would not know her, would not remember childhood promises, and likely would not be so accepting a second time when it came to horned, pink-haired strangers.

Torn between cursing her lack of foresight and her sudden lack of courage, Lucy stood in front of the door indecisively. At least she had thought to not wear her now customary all-black, and instead worn denim pants and jacket with a white sweater, hoping to come across less intimidating than she usually did. In a fit of sentimentality Lucy had located a hat similar to the one she wore when the two of them had met, even though in the warm weather it was a rather silly thing to do.

Suddenly the door in front of her swung open, and before Lucy could react she was looking right into a pair of startled brown eyes.

“OH!” The woman in the doorway jumped slightly but composed herself rather quickly, unlike Lucy who gawked at her in a most uncharacteristic way. “I’m sorry, were you looking for me?”

Fighting a faint blush Lucy shook herself back to attention. “If you are the one called Yamamoto Megumi, then yes.”

The other woman looked intrigued and opened the door wider while taking a step back. “Yes, that’s me. Might I ask who you are and what this is about?”

“I’m Lucy Blackhorn” Lucy began automatically, but then trailed off looking at the expectant face in front of her. “Ah, that is an assumed name though, something like my working name. My real name is Kaede.”

How long had it been since she had spoken her real name? How long since anyone had called her that?

Looking at the woman in front of her she knew exactly who had spoken it last. That was why she used it now, this was the one person she wanted to know her not as Lucy or Nyu or whatever other name the world might attach to her. From this person, this person alone, she always wanted to hear her real name.

The brunette smiled and stepped aside, indicating for Lucy to come inside. “Blackhorn? That is a rather unusual name. Foreign?”

Lucy chuckled quietly. “Despite my unusual appearance, I’m not. Though I was a foundling I’m absolutely certain that I at least had Japanese parents.”

“I see.” Curious eyes took in Lucy’s hair. “I hope I am not being too rude, but I must say that your hair is a lovely shade of pink. How did you manage that?”

“I was born with it.”

Clearly a bit embarrassed by her question the other woman chose not to comment on that, although Lucy could tell that she was discreetly being studied. The brunette reached up and released the haphazardly tied ribbon in her own hair, allowing dark brown waves down to be quickly patted into a more attractive cascade down a slender back. Lucy grinned a little at the move and the other woman, realizing she had been caught, blushed slightly and looked away.

“So, um, Miss Blackhorn,” She began only to be cut off by Lucy.

“Kaede, please.”

“Ah, alright... Kaede.” There was a touch of surprise, but the brunette accommodated the request. “What did you want with me?”

A hug, a kiss and an offer to stay until she turned eighty, a treacherous little voice suggested instantly, causing Lucy to feel embarrassed. She really should have expected her hormones to call for her attention in this situation; becoming an adult had given her a painfully strong urge to find a mate, and unlike Nana she had no-one close enough to her in life to even consider in that light. Besides she had to admit that the woman before her was oh so very lovely.

“You lost your memories of your early childhood when you were seriously injured as a little girl, correct?” The brunette gasped and instinctively put one hand on a spot on the upper right side of her chest. With a pang of guilt and horror Lucy thought it must be where the scar of the exit wound would be. “I may not be able to give you your memories back, but I can at least tell you your name, where you can find your parents, and how it was that you came to be shot. That is if you want me to.”

“You, you knew me?” The stunned woman sat down abruptly, as if her legs would no longer carry. “You knew me... before?”

“And you know my real name? I know I used to think there was something wrong with ‘Megumi’ back when I came to the orphanage...” Brown eyes met pink ones with a desperate intensity. “My parents! Did you say that you could tell me how to find them? Everyone thought my parents must have been killed when I was shot, because there was never anyone looking for me.”

“Your parents did search for you, for years, but you were taken so far away from them and given a different name, so they could never track you down. I’ll give you their names, address and phone numbers if you want them. But...” Lucy hesitated. “I’m not sure how much difference it makes now, but they did not treat you well when you were little. You had run away from home when we met, although you had decided to go back to them just before... things happened.”

A long silence followed, while one woman struggled to take in the knowledge that she had family after all, and the other simply grateful for the opportunity to look at the adult face and try to find traces of the child she had known.

“Can you tell me what happened?” The brunette asked eventually, her voice hushed. “What happened and why, um, Kaede?”

Involuntarily smiling a little at the sound of her name, Lucy nodded. “The what I can answer if you like, but the why... is a far longer and more complicated story.” The smile died and was replaced by an openly pained look. “The why is a terrible, horrible story of bloodshed and madness, and once you have heard it can’t be undone no matter how much you wish you didn’t know any of it.”

Sad pink eyes studied the woman in front of her seriously. “It is my story. Are you sure you really want to hear that, Aiko?”

The woman in question gasped and clasped both hands to her face. Lucy nodded slightly in understanding.

“Takada Aiko, that is your real name.”

The newly renamed woman mouthed her name, looking as if she was about to cry, before standing up and moving closer to Lucy. Silently Aiko studied Lucy with a strange kind of intensity, until finally she reached out and pulled the woolly cap from Lucy’s head.

Unsure of what to do Lucy froze in place, painfully aware of the wide and watery eyes that stared at her horns. She had wanted to ease that bit of information into the conversation later, if it turned out to be necessary to at all. Though she supposed it was for the best, conversation was, as she felt should be painfully obvious to Aiko already, not her strong suit.

“Magic.” Aiko whispered, gingerly touching one of the black horns, stunning Lucy in the process. Then with a sob she threw herself into Lucy’s arms, weeping helplessly on the taller woman’s shoulder.

-----------------------------

Lucy had found herself holding the weeping woman for a long time while emotions ran their course, and was quite a bit surprised at herself for not being uncomfortable in such close and prolonged physical contact. When Aiko recovered from her torrent of emotions she pulled Lucy with her into another room to show her something.

While dragged around it occurred to Lucy that Aiko was clearly quite fond of the colour pink, and she wondered if it was somehow connected to herself but dismissed it as coincidence. When Aiko pulled her in front of a bookshelf where three hand-painted plastic figures were carefully displayed, it was far harder to dismiss anything as coincidence. It was also quite difficult to know how she was supposed to react.

Digging up half-forgotten memories from the less painful moments of her long-ago childhood, Lucy vaguely recognized the figures as a character from a children’s show she had liked, only she was quite certain that character had blue hair and yellow horns. The figures on Aiko’s shelf were painstakingly painted with pink hair and eyes, and had tiny white horns. Whether Aiko had consciously remembered her or not, she had still painted these plastic figurines in Lucy’s image.

It was a struggling and, for Aiko, emotional conversation after that, during which Lucy told Aiko how they had met and made friends, but no more. The emotional upheaval took its toll on Aiko, and eventually Lucy left with a promise of returning the next day for further conversation.

A week passed this way, with Lucy spending a number of hours each day with Aiko, telling her the whole story on Aiko’s insistence. Aiko was understandably horrified and wept often, but to Lucy’s gratitude and relief her tears were on Lucy’s behalf, and Lucy often found herself hugged when she had finished recounting a particularly difficult part of her past.

They had just finished the tale about the past and slowly gotten into what Lucy hoped and planned for the future of diclonius children when the call came from Nana and Lucy had to leave. For the next five months Lucy and Aiko had contact mostly through phones and the internet, and only very rarely through Lucy managing a short visit. Lucy did her best to support Nana through the painful process of regaining her limbs, and also began their training once Nana was strong enough to do it. Meanwhile Aiko contacted her parents and set about the slow and tentative process of getting to know them again.

One way or the other the two of them spoke daily, and in time Lucy came to reveal all her plans for the future. Aiko expressed interest in coming for a visit at the base, and less than six months after their reunion Lucy welcomed Aiko to the large island complex where Lucy had spent most of her life since the two had first met.

-----------------------------

“So, what do you think of this so far?” Lucy asked, coming to stand by the large window in what was now her office. There was a storm outside making the view a bleak one of torn, dark skies and the raging sea.

“It is heartbreaking.” Aiko sighed as she walked up and to Lucy’s surprise put her head on the taller woman’s shoulder. “All those children, all those beautiful little girls, so unwanted and discarded by the people that bore them.”

Lucy smiled a little and somewhat awkwardly put her arm around Aiko loosely. Although she had told Aiko about the situation with diclonius children long before the other woman had come to the compound, the sight of all the orphaned infants and toddlers in the temporary sleeping dormitories had affected her deeply. So far during her visit whenever Lucy had to leave Aiko’s side the dark-haired woman would wind up there, helping the staff with feeding or cleaning them, or sometimes just singing the little ones to sleep.

“You are a good person, Aiko. Few humans can be as accepting of a diclonius child as you are.” She told her gently, wishing she could better relay her gratitude for Aiko’s compassion. “In time I hope it will change, through information or the sheer increase of diclonius births, so that more and more children will be allowed to stay with their biological parents. Until then I will do all I can for them to have good lives here.”

A section was already being rebuilt into proper dormitories to replace the temporary ones all the children were kept in, with play and learning areas. Rooms elsewhere in the compound that had once been the sites for various kinds of experiments on diclonius children were also undergoing renovation, to become classrooms when the children became old enough. It was just a first step in Lucy’s far-spanning plans, but a necessary one.

“I wish there was something I could do to help.” Aiko was unaware of the havoc she was wreaking inside Lucy when she wrapped her arm around the taller woman’s waist and gently rubbed her cheek against her shoulder. “Is there anything I can do to help? Kaede? I know I am just a secretary, not a doctor or scientist or even a teacher, but still... I want to do something.”

Unable to quite help herself anymore Lucy wrapped her arms more properly around Aiko, gently holding the smaller woman in her embrace while leaning her cheek against the side of Aiko’s head. She couldn’t see the charmed smile on Aiko’s face as she eagerly slipped into the embrace, but she felt the arms that encircled her lovingly and shivered just slightly.

“Thank you just for thinking that way.” Lucy said quietly, feeling silken hair run through her fingers. “Normally I would say that we can use whatever honest help is offered, but... it would be dangerous to you.”

“How so? Do you mean that the little ones would view me as a threat if I was here? I thought you said that they would not grow their vectors until three or four years old, at which time you will be training them?”

“The babies are not the only diclonius children here, we have several older children and a handful of young teens that are undergoing schooling as well. Not all of them are well adjusted to the presence of humans yet, which is why you can only walk around unescorted in the section where the youngest are.”

“Since it appears to be easier for the young girls to be around humans if those are carriers of the diclonius genes, everyone that is willing to work here undergoes that change.” Lucy did not mention that while the idea had come from Arakawa and not herself, Lucy had made sure she had personally taken care of that detail for all humans at the base that had not yet carried the diclonius gene. “You are not a carrier, Aiko.”

“I’m not?” Aiko was genuinely surprised by this, after having heard the whole story from Lucy she had assumed that she had become a carrier while they were children, whether her friend had meant to do that or not. “Well, if that is the only problem, couldn’t you... make me one?”

The body in her arms stiffened immediately. Aiko tried to rub soothing circles on Lucy’s back, wondering how to explain herself. With a blush she felt grateful that Lucy could not see from this angle, she didn’t think it was entirely a good idea to mention that lately she had thought quite a bit about having children, and about having them with Lucy. She didn’t want to come across as too desperate after all, yet here she was, six months after their reunion, basically mapping out how they would be having children and getting married.

“I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but I quite like the idea of having diclonius children someday.” She chuckled a little. “Which does not mean that I’d be of any use to you anyway.”

“That’s... not the only” Was she really going to tell Aiko about it? “...threat to you.”

Leaning back in Lucy’s arms a little Aiko gave Lucy a questioning look.

“Remember how I told you that for a diclonius entering adulthood the urge to... find a partner, a mate, becomes overwhelmingly strong? Given time it could become too strong to resist.”

“But Kaede,” Aiko began, genuinely baffled. “if I understand you right none of the children here are anywhere near old enough to worry about adult urges for years yet, there is only you and Nana. And even if there were, I don’t see why I would be any bigger a target for that than any other woman he-“

“It is me!” Lucy blushed after her far too loud and sudden outburst. When Aiko stared at her with wide and stunned eyes she continued in a far more subdued manner. “It is me, I am the one that might become dangerous to you in that sense.”

“I, these feelings, and my instincts,” Lucy looked away, unable to face Aiko’s reaction. “because I care, I, and with such need, and there is-“

The chopped up rambling was cut off by gentle hands cupping her face. Lucy blinked, startled.

“If you don’t want me here, for whatever reason, I won’t push. But I just need to know, do you react like that because your, ah, urge is that strong and I just happen to be the adult female you spend most time with right now, or is it because... you have any romantic feelings for me?”

The room was silent, not even the sound of the storm outside reaching through the heavy soundproofing of the building.

A hand still not entirely accustomed to gentleness took a careful hold of Aiko’s chin. “Is this answer enough?” The kiss was sweet, longing and surprisingly chaste, and to Aiko far to brief.

“That depends...” Aiko smiled dreamily up at Lucy. “What does this tell you?” She hooked both arms around Lucy’s neck, pulled her down, and proceeded to kiss her with everything she had.

The kiss escalated into a series of deep, passionate and increasingly hungry kisses, and by the time they drew apart Aiko was lying down on Lucy’s desk with Lucy herself hovering on trembling arms above her.

“Don’t tease me, Ai.” Lucy’s voice was strained with the effort of holding back the need to claim the woman she so wanted, to join them, by force if Aiko was not willing. Her eyes glowed a deep pink with desire.

“I’m not teasing.” Aiko smiled breathlessly, keenly feeling the pull of those glowing eyes. “You can consider that a confession... and an invitation.”

Like that Lucy’s arms and knees buckled, collapsing her with a loud groan directly onto the woman whom was finding it increasingly hard to be at all rational herself. It was sheer willpower that allowed Lucy to use her vectors to push away from Aiko even the smallest bit.

“I... can’t hold back anymore.” She ground out between tightly clenched teeth. “Aiko, you need to run!”

Unsteadily finding her feet Aiko followed the other woman’s small retreat. “No. I would never run from you.” A strong blush and an expression that was equal parts love and desire settled on her features as she reached up to caress Lucy’s face. “I’d run with you.”

“Especially since the top of your desk isn’t the best place for our first time.” Despite her shyness Aiko managed a mischievous look that made Lucy growl softly. “So... bedroom?”

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they could talk like sensible people, properly confess feelings and decide about the future. For right now Aiko just needed Lucy with a desperation that should have scared her, if those glowing eyes did not burn away all capacity for coherent thought.

They were going to be together. It was inevitable now, like sunrise, and she welcomed it.

With a giggle Aiko grasped Lucy’s hand and pulled, getting them both to stumble into a half-run towards Lucy’s personal quarters and her bedroom. Thankfully it was not far from her office, really just the next door over in the hallway, although by the time they reached the hall itself Aiko was already in Lucy’s arms and the two were kissing passionately.

They stumbled through the door, neither of them noticing a few items of Aiko’s clothing that did not come with them or the bespectacled woman in a labcoat that gawked at them.

-----------------------------

Nana rolled around the bend in the hall to find Arakawa standing with her ear pressed against the door to Lucy’s private rooms, clipboard in hand and busily scribbling away. Looking between the clothes that were spread across the floor and the strange look on the scientist’s face, Nana groaned in understanding.

“Really doctor...” She scolded gently as she pushed her wheelchair closer, absently using her vectors to pick up Aiko’s discarded clothes along the way. “is this something you should be doing? You know Lucy will be angry with you when she finds out.”

“Miss Blackhorn!” Arakawa turned to Nana with a scarily maniacal gleam in her eyes. “This is crucial data!” She waved her clipboard eagerly but did not protest when Nana carefully nudged her away from the door. “Did you know that diclonius’ eyes glow when mating is initiated? Do your eyes glow? Is it just during initiation or for the duration of-“

“I am really only barely old enough, and I haven’t done anything like that.” Nana hurried to interrupt even if it was embarrassing. She winced a little at the noise as she carefully opened the door just enough to hurriedly place the clothes inside, before placing a hand on the still scribbling scientist’s arm. “All I know is that Lucy and Aiko are very much in love, and we should give them some privacy.”

Arakawa looked anything but convinced, and it took a bit more effort to pull her along. Nana internally cursed her newly minted ‘sister’ for leaving this up to her. “Why don’t we go talk somewhere more private, doctor? Like I said I have no experience of my own, but I’ll do my best to be as forthcoming in answering your questions as I can.”

Still torn but apparently tempted enough to agree, the scientist allowed Nana to lead her down the hallway away from Lucy’s door. An invitation to freely grill a queen carrier, especially when this one was less prone to dangerous anger when questioned too much about sensitive subjects, was too good to pass up. The maniacal gleam was back.

Nana groaned again, resigning herself to a few hours of really embarrassing interrogation.

-----------------------------

As Nana stepped out of the black helicopter, stomach full of butterflies and her heart pounding nervously in her throat, she felt rather grateful that Lucy and her recently acquired fiancé had spent several days preparing, coaching and primping her for this moment, the moment she would meet Mayu again after being apart for so long. She wondered though why neither woman had mentioned the embarrassing way her hands kept sweating, and whether or not she would ruin her brand-new pants surreptitiously wiping her hands on them.

They had agreed on Mayu meeting up with Nana alone, the rest of their little family waiting for her at home to give them some time to themselves. Nana had instructed the burly black-clad men Lucy had sent along to go ahead and deliver Nana’s rather awe-inspiring amount of luggage to Kaede House without her, planning to take her time walking across town with Mayu.

Oh gosh, there she was! And how incredibly pretty... Nana just melted.

Nervously she slipped one vector into the large but stylish handbag she was carrying with her, locating by feel the small metal cylinder that contained the loaded syringe that was Nana’s insurance against a sudden loss of self-control around Mayu.

Lucy had been reluctant to give Nana the very strong compound that would knock Nana out once injected, but she did understand Nana’s fears and eventually agreed. She too knew of the horrible abuse in Mayu’s past, and understood the danger of the diclonius mating urge at full strength combined with being in love. Still, according to Lucy that particular urge should not yet be as overwhelming for Nana, so Nana was to use it as a last resort only, overcoming temptation by virtue of her self-control as much as possible instead.

Aiko had laughed and assured them both that the speed by which she and Lucy had gone from first kiss to full consummation had not been a problem, but Aiko wasn’t Mayu. Lucy took Nana aside and cautioned her to keep vigilant if her eyes should start to glow, as Lucy suspected that when that happened their own arousal would somehow be partially projected to their partner, meaning Lucy was not entirely sure Aiko’s eagerness to become intimate quite so soon had been entirely her own. That prospect in particular had been chilling for Nana, and as such she would keep both the syringe kit and a small pocket mirror handy at all times around Mayu.

She had of course talked to Mayu about all of it before they made plans for her to return home, but still... Mayu had seemed a lot less concerned than she should have been, and Nana could not help but wonder if she in her awkward stammering had failed to fully explain things.

All of these things mattered not one bit when suddenly Nana found herself tackle-hugged with such intensity that all thought, as well as Nana’s brightly coloured cane, fell blithely to the wayside. Forgetting to be worried Nana simply returned the embrace, treasuring the feel of Mayu in her arms.

She was so very warm and soft, and oh that scent felt like home... Nana was not quite tall enough to tuck Mayu entirely under her chin, but the height difference was still enough to fit them together nicely. Just as she had always thought, holding Mayu in her very own arms was simply heavenly.

After a hug far too long to be just friendly Mayu drew back a little. “Let me look at you.” They smiled at one another and Nana waited for the inevitable comment.

“Wow, you’re tall!” Mayu seemed surprised, even though Nana had told her that she had gotten taller with the addition of her limbs.

“I hit a growth spurt.” Nana grinned and decided not to mention that Lucy was convinced that she would grow quite a bit more before she was entirely done. “Does it look weird?”

“Oh, no! Not at all, you look great, you look...” Mayu blushed prettily while her eyes roamed the length of Nana. “really great.”

In a none too subtle attempt to distract them both from her blushing Mayu picked up the fallen cane and turned it over in her hands before giving it back to Nana. “How very cute.” She smiled at the abstract pattern of flowers, suns and stars on the brightly coloured cane.

“The cutest ever.” Nana pointedly did not look at the cane, meeting Mayu’s eyes instead with a rather serious expression. “And the prettiest too.” Her reward was a stronger blush and a sweet smile.

“No cute nurses?” Mayu teased playfully, bumping slightly into Nana but not hard enough to risk making her stumble. She weaved their arms together with a surprisingly possessive air and gently nudged Nana into walking.

Resisting the urge to snort when thinking of the ‘nurses’ she had encountered, Nana responded simply and truthfully “None like you. Never like you.”

The quietly mumbled “good!” that accompanied the squeeze of her arm was not meant for Nana’s ears, but she heard it anyway. She had a wide smile on her face as they left the airport and wandered off into town.

In town people stared at them as they made their way slowly in the direction of Kaede House, those that did not stare at the pink-haired and horned young woman stared at two girls so obviously together. Far from everyone that stared did so out of any malicious reasons though, so the girls paid little attention, only stopping when approached by people they knew. In this particular part of town the people that knew them and that wanted to exchange a few words with Nana after her long absence were quite a few, delaying them long enough for the sun to begin to set as Nana and Mayu reached the long and winding steps that would take them home.

Because Nana still needed to rely on her cane from time to time the climb up to Kaede House took longer than it otherwise would, and as they stopped to rest halfway up Nana took a few extra moments to admire the view of the sunset over the city. Mayu snuggled up to her and rested her head against Nana’s shoulder.

In no hurry to move now that she was allowed to hold Mayu, Nana was content just watching the sunset for a long while in silence. Eventually she turned slightly to say something to Mayu, but the words never reached her lips as Mayu chose that moment to lean up and press her own to them.

Like their first kiss this one was sweet and all too brief. Mayu leaned back slightly and put her arms around Nana’s neck. “Welcome home, Nana.” She whispered warmly. “I have been waiting for you.”

Nana felt her eyes sting just a little and drew her arms tighter around Mayu, but once more whatever she had been about to say was stolen away by Mayu’s kiss.

This time they didn’t draw back, and Nana responded eagerly. While starting out sweet and innocent their kisses soon grew deeper, more ardent, until Nana was leaning up against the stone wall with Mayu, warm and sweet and incredible, in her arms. Once more Nana’s cane had rolled away, and the handbag she carried had ended up a few steps up from them.

Only parting when they needed air Nana found herself staring dreamily into the dark eyes of her girlfriend, wanting to continue kissing her with an intensity that managed to rattle her back to her senses. Realizing the danger of the moment, Nana ducked out of the embrace and cast desperate eyes about in search of her handbag.

Stunned, and for a moment feeling just a little rejected, Mayu followed. Nana spilled a fair part of the contents of her bag in search of her mirror, until finally, with hands that shook a little both from excitement and nervousness, she pulled it out.

Mayu felt both a bit relieved and quite a bit flattered when she realized what Nana was up to, carefully checking both eyes in the small mirror. With a wry smile she reached out and snatched it away.

“Trust me, they’re not glowing.” Something halfway pleased and halfway mischievous passed over Mayu’s face. “You think kissing me would be enough for you to...?”

“Oh yes!” Nana nodded fervently, then blushed and looked a bit sheepish. Mayu giggled a bit and hugged her, but decided not to tease and instead bent down to help pick up the things Nana had dropped.

“Nana?” Mayu spotted something strange. “What is this?”

Instantly reaching for the metal cylinder containing the syringe on reflex, Nana gulped and glanced at Mayu. But no, it was not the cylinder that Mayu had spotted, rather a small black box with a piece of paper tied to it.

“I don’t know.” Nana said honestly, receiving the box from Mayu and looking at it curiously. “I haven’t packed anything like that... it must be from Lucy.”

Nana untied the note while Mayu looked on with wide eyes. Nana might not recognize a jewellery box when she saw one, but Mayu certainly did. She wondered briefly if she should be worried that Lucy would send jewellery for Nana, but dismissed the thought a bit embarrassed, after all the two of them were officially sisters now.

“Um, it just says ‘For when you will need it’, and it’s signed ‘Lucy’. Nothing else.” Nana frowned. “I wonder what that is about?”

She opened the box.

“Erm... Mayu?” Nana spoke slowly and very quietly. “Is that...?”

“I-I think so.”

Inside the box where two matching delicate rings in white gold, set with a single sparkling jewel each that shifted from soft pink to deep purple depending on the light. That they were engagement rings seemed painfully obvious to the young couple that, despite the fact that they had just now been eagerly making out, had yet to speak words of deep love or mention anything about their future. They both blushed and looked away from one another awkwardly.

“So. For when you will need it, huh?” Mayu said eventually, trying to sound casual about it and not succeeding very well.

“Mm. If I’m really, really lucky... then one day, maybe...” Nana glanced at her shyly, earning a charmed smile and quite unable to not smile happily in return. “They’re pretty rings, don’t you think?”

“Yes, very pretty.” Still blushing but smiling widely they quickly gathered up the contents of Nana’s bag, securing the black box especially in a separate pocket, and retrieved the cane.

Hands entwined they started up the final length of steps towards home, happy smiles on their faces and their thoughts on the twin rings tucked away in Nana’s bag, what it meant for them both for the present and the future. And Nana forgot to worry.