EL S2-8

Kaede watched all the girls carefully. She could sense the source of the rage in the dark fog was nearby, but having to monitor every one of the one hundred sixty minds it was affecting left no room for her to concentrate on where the source was. Here and there, she countered the violent impulses in individuals. One young woman ready to throw a log into the 'human scum' on the road, she forcefully ordered to check the rubble strewn yard for signs of a hidden stairway down. Two others she made stand near her just in case the humans tried to attack her somehow. Thankfully, not too many at one time had immediate impulses to kill. The swell of violent thoughts was slowly rising with the constant bombardment of their minds. She didn't know how long she could continue to hold them back.

Below Kaede where the warehouse had been, was a ragged pit of gravel except for the stairway going down. Out at the end of the drive, a collection of police cars and ambulances lined the road, casting their flashing lights over the figures mingling there. The vectorless girls she sent out were sitting at the end of the drive, ignoring the calls to them. Noting a pair of girls talking each other into going out to stop those humans from harassing their friends, Kaede shot numbing vectors into their heads, and sent them out to sit with the others.

It was then Kaede felt the grief rising from Kawa. Nayoko had just lost her sister.

Mere weeks ago, Kaede herself had felt no guilt in returning cruelty to humans. Nayoko and her father had shown her what life could be like. They had given her hope that living in peace with the ones she loved was possible. Now, Kakuzawa was trying to take that away from her, and destroy the happiness the Yuma family shared. With a daughter dead before her eyes, Kawa was sure to go into a rage. She had to stop it, for like Nayoko had told her, they needed to expose what Kakuzawa had done. She also didn't want her children to have to fight to survive.

Kaede dropped down onto the stairway and ran to find Nayoko and Kawa.

.

Nayoko turned her flashlight on and peered down the next hallway. "About time the power went out," she grumbled. Still, in her mind was a constant urge to kill. They had not stopped the mind prodding yet.

"Where are they? I want to kill more humans," Aiko said eagerly from behind her.

"Me too!" Jennifer agreed.

"Nayoko, I haven't got to kill any yet," Hatsu complained.

"Quiet," Nayoko hissed as she panned the light down the hall. From what she could tell, they were no longer under the warehouse. The short hallway before them ended in another set of doors. Walking cautiously, she got to the end, and pressed against the wall. She opened the doors with a vector, expecting a hail of gunfire as had happened previously.

All remained quiet. She shown the light in to reveal stairs going down. Cautiously, Nayoko went down the stairs. The doors at the landing below here were open. She got to the bottom, then called softly for the other girls to join her.

Beyond the bottom set of doors, the hallway opened up. Three doors, two set across from each other, and one on the far wall greeted them. Nayoko checked each door then had the girls stand against the walls and rip the doors open.

"They found us!" came a yell from the middle doors.

"Do not shoot, and we will not kill you!" Nayoko screamed. "Come out with your hands up!"

"Let's kill them anyway," Aiko said with an evil grin.

Nayoko slapped her. "No! Kaede said to take them alive if possible. You will obey Queen Kaede!"

With a grumble, Aiko muttered, "Yeah, OK, I will."

Four men, three in lab coats and one in a guard uniform, came out holding their hands high in the air. Nayoko grabbed the older looking man in the lab coat and asked, "Where is Yuma Kawa?"

Shaking in fear, he said, "Number three? She is in the containment chamber, down that hallway." He pointed the way.

"Where is Kakuzawa?" Nayoko asked heavily.

"We haven't seen him, I don't know."

Nayoko pushed the man towards Hatsu. "Take them outside and give them to my father."

Hatsu frowned at her. "Ahhh Jeez, you guys get to have all the fun. Come on, humans, follow me. Feel free to try and run, I haven't got to kill anyone yet." Walking away, she added, "Anyone who doesn't stay right behind me, I can kill, right?"

The men quickly followed Hatsu as close as they dared.

Nayoko took the hallway her mother was down, and had Jennifer go the other way. Aiko was left at the intersection in case someone tried to sneak past them.

Nayoko heard her mother's sobbing as soon a she entered the hallway. She ran down to find her bloodied, naked mother coming out of a room, holding her sister in her arms. Hanging limp in her mother's arms. Suki stared off at nothing. Her whole middle section was a depressed bloody mass. A length of intestine hung out of the hole in her back.

"She's dead, they killed my Suki," Kawa said with a sob.

Nayoko stopped short and gapped at them. Lit only by her flashlight, the morbid scene took on a surreal look. "No, it can't be.." she breathed.

"He killed Suki!" Kawa sobbed. "Why Suki?"

'Because he's a murdering bastard', Nayoko thought. The voice agreed with her, and added all humans were murderers. "No," Nayoko said aloud. "Not all, only Kakuzawa is responsible for this."

In a dream state, Nayoko steered her mother down the hall. "Mom, take Suki outside. Dad is waiting for you. Don't worry, I'll get the one who did this." She walked her mother back to the anteroom where Aiko waited.

Nayoko felt like she was watching the world through someone else's eyes. She saw Aiko, her voice said, "Go with mom back outside, find something to cover her and find a shroud for Suki." Her ears heard Aiko's cry when she recognized her dead friend. The only thing that registered in her brain, was that Kakuzawa had killed her sister.

Jennifer appeared, pointing down the other hall and talking about a door she could not get through. Nayoko ignored her and went to look for this door.

"Nayoko, wait for me!" Kaede's voice blasted into her head. Again, she heard the words, but they did not register. A short walk down the hall and she found the heavy door with dents that Jennifer hadn't been able to break through. She formed the large circular-saw vectors, and began ripping into the door. As her vectors cut the door apart, she checked her pistol. It was loaded, with a round in the chamber. She'd have no use for the stun gun she carried.

The cut went up one side of the door, across the top, and was coming down the other side. Nayoko knew her vectors would be faster and more sure, but she did not want any part of her touching that filthy slim bag. The fifteen bullets in her pistol would touch him. All fifteen. If he wasn't dead by then, she would sit and wait for him die.

The spattering spray of hot bits of metal reached the floor. Nayoko reformed her vectors into a pair of large hammers and slammed the door hard. The door sank a few inches into the room, then fell away from her.

Inside, and older man pointed his pistol at her. "A silpelit with a gun, unsure of yourself?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

"Never," Nayoko said, and shot. Kakuzawa shot also.

Nayoko's first bullet hit his gun hand between his knuckles, ruining his hand and knocking the gun from his grasp. The heavy 50. caliber from his gun passed over Nayoko's gun and drove through her collar bone. Unaware of the hit, she fired again, this time hitting his right shoulder. As he fell, she shot again, hitting his left shoulder. He would not die painlessly.

He'd fallen out of sight behind a desk. Nayoko watched the place where he fell through her gun sights. He was screaming, but not enough for the agony he had caused. She had many more bullets to put into him. In her numbness, she felt something wasn't right. Before she dealt with that, she had to be sure this man was dead. Walking around the desk, she saw him squirming on the floor. She pointed at his jawline and pulled the trigger again. For some reason, her pistol didn't shoot. Looking at it, she noticed the whole slide assembly was gone.

"Enough, your parents need you," Kaede said from behind her.

Nayoko turned to see Kaede holding the missing part of her gun. She held her hand out. "I need that back. This man has to die," she said blankly.

Tipping her head slightly, Kaede asked, "What happened to, 'we need to show everyone who the real criminal is'? What happened to 'we kill only when there is no other way'?" she asked sternly.

"He killed Suki, this is the only way," Nayoko said in her toneless voice.

"He has killed hundreds, and if you kill him now, like this, then everyone will see us as the enemy. Isn't that right?" Kaede asked.

In her mind, Nayoko saw her mother holding Suki's body. "But... he killed my sister. Suki is dead because of him!" From within Nayoko, the grief was building. Her eyes became cloudy.

Kaede threw the piece of pistol out into the hall and said in a loud, firm voice, "Fine, you want to kill him? Do it without a gun. Use your vectors and rip that thing into bloody chunks of flesh. Kill him as a diclonius. Show the world what you really are! Let them know he was right to try and destroy us!"

Nayoko dropped her gun. Looking down at the vile thing squirming in pain on the floor, she formed her vectors with a sword like ends. Poising, she got ready to cut him into pieces. Kaede's words sunk in. The world was watching, Kaede had made sure of it. This vile man was the bad guy, if she destroyed him now, the world would never know that. Nayoko brought her vectors down hard into his machine, slashing it into pieces that made sparks fly through the room.

Nayoko then dropped to her knees as she belted out an agonizing wail.

.

At the base of the steps up to the Maple Inn, a large crowd of reporters had gathered. A line of police with barricades stood between the crowd and the dark haired woman in a police uniform who bore horns on her head and had her arm in a sling. Her badge bore the name 'Officer Yuma'. Cameras flashed and video recorders trained on her. People with microphones shouted questions at her.

Nayoko raised her good hand and said, "To answer your questions, no, Kaede will not be giving interviews any time soon, she is resting with her family. The soonest will be when she is present at the dedication of the new local hospital wing next week, for the education and care for Improved human children and their parents. As for the entire incident at that warehouse, that is still a matter for the courts, so I cannot comment on that. I will be happy to answer any further questions."

"Is it true your 'Queen' Kaede can move, and even destroy things with her mind?" a man with a microphone asked, then thrust the microphone at her.

The microphone lifted out of his hand and drifted over to Nayoko. She clasped it and said, "Yes, most of us Improved humans can do that at an early age. That is what makes parent education so vital for people who find they have horned offspring."

"What about the rumor that Improved humans are going to take over the world?" another man asked in a shout.

"If you mean conquest, no," Nayoko said flatly. "In the research we've found, we believe that our ... extra abilities formed due to a natural response to human stress. There are so many things out of a mother's control today. Wars, criminals, terrorists, environmental conditions, all these things have been building up stress over the past few hundred years. Our DNA has been trying to evolve to cope with these things. So if you mean to imply that eventually all humans will become Improved, then I would say that is correct."

"Officer Yuma! I have heard that Improved humans can deflect bullets, but you were hit with one. Is that right?"

"Yes, a fifty caliber shot from ten feet away. I was able to move it only far enough to keep from being killed," Nayoko stated.

"Officer Yuma! I understand you mother survived the warehouse indecent, but your sister died. Was she an Improved human also?"

Gripping the microphone harder, Nayoko said, "My sister Suki did not survive. She was a normal human girl. I ... cannot say more about it at this time."

"Several countries have sent diplomats, eager to talk to Queen Kaede. Does this mean that a new country is being set up for Improved humans? Will it be within Japan?"

"There will be no separate country solely for Improved humans. I am Japanese just as you are. The title of Queen is a recognition of Kaede's abilities, not a political title. She can do things others of us cannot do. From what we know so far, she is the first fully formed Improved human," Nayoko explained.

"Is it true Queen Kaede brought all the other Improved humans to that warehouse?"

Nayoko shook her head and replied, "I'm sorry, I told you I cannot comment on any events having to do with the warehouse indecent."

The first man yelled, "Officer Yuma, may I have my microphone back?"

A chuckle ran though the crowd. The microphone drifted back to him.

.

Watching Nayoko's interview on TV, Inspector Yuma sat on the couch with an arm around his wife. Dressed in her house robe, Kawa frowned in pain again and said, "I wish Suki could see this. If only I hadn't..."

"That wasn't you!" Inspector Yuma said quickly, and hugged her tighter. "It was Kakuzawa and his damned machine. You have to remember that. He set you up, he wants you to feel guilty. The truth is that you did everything you could to save her. I am sure Suki knows that too."

"But ... I failed.." Kawa said with a sniffle and buried her head into his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. "Sometimes we do fail. You did your very best, and loved her to the end. That is what really matters," he explained gently. "Besides, I know all your other children will be very disappointed if you give up now."

Kawa lifted her head. "My other children?" she asked.

Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, he said, "All those kids from school that showed up, all those young women who keep asking about you. They still need you, hon." Petting her cheek, he added, "I still need you."

A slight grin came to her face, then faded. "But, it's so hard.." she said weakly.

"It will be, for a long time. I do believe we owe it to Suki to keep on living and doing our best. That is what she'd want."

Kawa was quiet for a moment, then whispered, "I love you, Junso-sama."

"And I love you, my beloved Kawa."

.

Up in the bath of the Maple Inn, Kouta sat bracketed between Kaede and Yuka. Yuka sat close to Kouta, hugging herself as she blushed deeply. Kouta sat stiffly, trying to ignore Kaede's head on his shoulder, and both naked bodies touching him.

Lifting her eyes to Kouta, Kaede asked, "This is nice, isn't it?"

"No way I'm falling sleep," Kouta admitted.

Kaede let out a giggle, then splashed some water at Yuka. "Hey, no need to be so shy over there. He's got another shoulder." She then piped up with, "Come on, let's wash him!"

"But.." Yuka said weakly. She accepted the sponge Kaede thrust into her hand.

Yuka moved to comply, then Kouta jumped with a cry of, "That tickles!" as Kaede vigorously scrubbed his side. Finding Yuka in his escape path, Kouta grabbed her and pushed her between him and Kaede, who wore a devilish look. Suddenly, Yuka felt the sponge running over her sides. She let out a yelp and tried to get up. Slipping, she fell back into Kouta's arms. He held Yuka in front of him as a shield against Kaede's tickle-attack. Kicking and splashing, Yuka managed to get a hold of Kaede. She pulled Kaede past her, then went to work tickling her.

"How do you like it?" Yuka laughed, and went to work tickling as Kouta started to tickle Kaede from the other side.

Kaede laughed and splashed, trying to get away from them. She did like it. In fact, she loved it.

.

Hearing the shrieks and laughter, Nana and Mayu looked up from their studies.

"Hey Nana, is it really OK that they all bathe together?" Mayu asked absently.

Yuka's muffled shriek rang out. "Not me, Kouta! Get Kaede!"

Nana shrugged and said, "We're friends and we bathe together, don't we? Besides, like this, I don't think Kouta is going to fall asleep in the tub."

The End