Elfen Lied: After the End CH3

Chapter Three: Apologies and Reunions

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Elfen Lied belongs to Lynn Okamoto, and the idea for this story was inspired by a Fanfiction Piece from Komusai Matakatana.

"Kouta?"

"KOUTA!"

Yuka watched the eyelids gently pry open, and then fully opened.

To him, the world was somewhat spinning, and moderately blurred. To the young teen, losing his only friend, family, and lover was too much to handle for him. So recalling the last thing he saw was enough to reawaken him.

"NYUU!" he shot up, barely paying note to his leftover wound. "I SAW HER" he said, grasping Yuka. "Please take me to her" he pleaded.

"Well, she's rest-"

"I don't care" he said, standing up. "I want to talk to her – and if you won't show me where she is, I'll find her"

"Wait!" she tried to follow him, but the raven haired boy was already up and out of the room.

Kaede laid in her room, still recovering from everything she had been through. On top of that, Nyuu was pestering her

'What will I say to him?'

'What are you supposed to say?" Nyuu jumped from the back of her mind.

"I don't know how he's going to react to this – he just shot us earlier and I don't know how he will handle seeing us alive now that he's up"

Having been around for longer than Nyuu had, Kaede felt overwhelmed. She knew him more than anyone else had, and really, she not Nyuu, was the only one who could face him

"Fine. I'll do the talking. After all, I'm the one who caused him this pain" she finished, as she prepared to see him once more since their final goodbye.

Like she thought, he opened the door, red eyed from his sorrow and fatigue.

Things moved in slow motion. He looked over at her, inspecting her pale skin, the red eyes, her pink hair, and even her horns, which had returned to their normal size.

Standing for a brief instant, he ran to her lying form and fell onto his knees.

"NYUU!" his voice cracked as he ran to his only true friend, and she sat up, despite the pain, to hug him. He embraced her with his arms, and she cherished every moment with the first friend she had, her savior, and the only man she loved. It pained her that he could only call her Nyuu, but she knew he had very good reasons to not call her Lucy.

"KOUTA!" she practically yelled his name, saying it as if his name was holy and sacred. She breathed, relishing in his warmth, and taking in his scent, telling her that this was really happening.

The once-murderous queen had returned to her real self, a soft, lonely, little girl who the world had looked down upon.

And here was Kouta, her only light in the eternal darkness.

"You…You're really here, right?" he grazed her cheek with his palm, and jerked slightly when his hand made contact with solid, pale flesh.

"It…it's me, Kouta"

He realized it wasn't Nyuu.

But that didn't matter. She was here, wasn't she?

"I thought I killed you…" he sobbed. "I shot you"

"I…I thought so too" she said. Kaede gripped his shoulder, squeezing him harder than Nyuu ever could have. Kouta pulled away to look her in the eyes, her deep, pink orbs radiating as beautifully as the day he found her in the forest.

"Kouta" she whispered, feeling the heartstrings being pulled. "I'm sorry" she cried. "I'm so sorry for everything that I've done"

Kouta seemed to be apologizing for something himself. "I'm sorry" he said. "I'm so sorry for killing you"

"Kouta, I killed your family – I deserved to be thrown away…I deserved to die"

"No!" he clutched her again, just to remind himself that what was happening was real. "Please don't say that! I don't want to lose you again - You didn't deserve what you went through" he said, catching her attention. "Nana told me everything – about how everyone is tortured at that place, and what you had to endure" he said.

At Nana's name being mentioned, Kaede's mind turned to another person.

"What…What about Kurama? Is he okay after what I did to him?" she found it ironic that she was worried about this man who had ended her life on multiple occasions, but yet, she had vowed not to hurt anybody again.

Kouta suppressed a sob and instead, cried softly. "What's wrong? Did he die?" she blurted out, shaking him.

"I…I was confronted by him after everything happened on the way home, and I asked him how you two began fighting" he said, unable to bring his eyes to meet hers. "And I know before that, I made you promise to never use your powers again, and all this time, he was the one trying to kill you" he allowed himself to cry. "And I blamed you for defending yourself" Kaede pulled him into a hug and began to hold him. "If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have killed you" he cried openly. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you, Kaede"

The mention of her real name shocked him.

So he had finally discovered the note she had written for him all those years ago in the woods.

Hearing her real name being said by him, it was…exhilarating.

"I'm sorry" he said, putting his head on her shoulder. Kaede ran her hand over his head. "Don't apologize" she said. "If it wasn't for what you did, I'd never gain my freedom from that…thing that plagued me" she said. Kouta softened. "My father and Kanae's murder was justified when I killed that…that…monster on the lighthouse" he said. "But I took your life too" he shuddered.

"No…I was the one…who killed them"

He looked at her in disbelief. "I didn't have to do what that thing was telling me to do, but I was cornered by everyone, everything, so much that I bowed to it and sold myself for revenge against those bullies, and I corrupted myself" she said, looking him in the eyes as tears began to stream anew. "If I didn't do that, I wouldn't have caused you the pain and misery that I did, and I accept your hatred for my actions"

Kouta brushed her hair with his fingers. Seeing Kaede broken was something he couldn't take, especially when it came to something like this. 'But she's wrong' he thought. As she sniffled, he set to prove that it wasn't her fault.

"No…You're wrong about that" he said, sending her gaze to meet his. "You were young, and revenge was all you could think of…I don't blame you for seeking a way out, especially in the circumstances" he finished.

"No" she sent another tear down her face, adding to the already tear stained yellow blouse she wore. "I chose to go down that path, to give everything for unimaginable power…If only I had thought better…"

"You just didn't think too well about it" he consoled. "That thing promised you hope and liberty, yet it used it's evil ways to twist and destroy you to become something you never wanted"

Kaede was at a loss from his words. He was so understanding and so loving towards her. Even for killing his family, he was still able to give her a chance at life with him.

"Again, I don't blame you for any of this…it was that Monster who corrupted you…from the second it chose to make itself known – and Nana told me it was just your instinct – You couldn't avoid it."

She shuddered, remembering all the times it had plagued her mind to kill.

And all the times that she had given in, just to get back at humanity for what had been done to her in the orphanage.

"Well, I'm just so glad to have you back here with me" he said, cupping her face. "I was going to give up, after what I did to you – losing you was the last thing I wanted after I realized I truly love you"

Hearing that was all it took to warm her heart. "You…Love me? After all I've done to you?"

He nodded. "Kaede…" she waited for his response, her ruby eyes twinkling with anticipation. "I love you, and no matter how much I try, I can never hate you" he sat up, shifting his posture. "I can't stay angry at you, not for something that you did in the past – something that you didn't even do. I realized that to move on, I needed to let the past go – I'm not angry at you, or Nyuu – I'm angry at that monster…that tore you apart, and destroyed everything that you had to live for, that ruined everyone's lives! If I ever hated anyone, it was that...that THING that killed my family!"

Absolutely stunned by his choice of hating her inner demonic voice, Kaede put her cheek against his shoulder, and took a breath. Kouta looked down at her, and she looked back at him. Blue met Crimson at the contact.

"You really mean it? You really don't hate me?"

"No. I really can't hate someone I love" he put his hand around her head, his other hand going to her back.

"And I love you, Kaede"

He brought her into a kiss, one like she nor he had ever shared before – her eyes closed in passion as his lips interlocked with her newly healed lips, their love truly bonding them closer. Kaede felt every emotion, every memory, feeling, to no conceivable end – she was in euphoria.

He brought himself closer to her, his mouth accepting hers into his own, as their

"He loves me!"

"He doesn't hate me!"

All that could go on in her mind was how he had abandoned his negative feelings towards her. She was in pure bliss, in heaven. Nothing could make her happier.

This was what she had never gotten.

This kiss was what she had never truly experienced with him.

She knew he didn't hate her.

She never got to hear him say he truly loved her…

Until now.

She pulled away first, looking at him with a soft smile. Her fatigue showed on her face, but after what she had just felt, she was no longer tired.

"I…." she said, speechless. "Thank you…" she looked to her side, casting a light blush. Kouta pushed a lock of hair away with his finger. "Of course. I will never leave you, Kaede. I promise" she looked at him.

"Cough"

Both of them turned, still holding each other in embrace. Yuka stood at the doorway, her face impassive.

"I…Sorry for interrupting – I heated up some soumen for Mayu and Nana, if you're hungry, it's on the table"

She gazed down, and walked away. The couple held each other for a moment before Kouta stood.

"I don't know about you, but I'm a little hungry" he said. Nudging her, he offered a smile.

"Well, what do you say we get some? After all, I think we should celebrate since you came back"

She smiled back, and followed him, still unable to get her mind off of their kiss as she skipped through the hall. Upon passing Yuka's room, she picked up a soft noise.

*Sniff, Sniff

*Hahhh

The gentle noise of Yuka's sobbing and tears falling upon the floor sounded off as Kaede slowed to a gentle stop, halting her skips altogether.

"Come on" Kouta took her hand, surprising her with the warmth of his hand. "She just needs a little time"

Kaede agreed. Looking back at the door one last time, she decided to continue, besides feeling slightly sad at the young woman's predicament, despite their previous quarrels. Walking past, she could only imagine what Yuka was feeling now.