Elfen Lied Fan Fiction ❯ ich bin nicht noch tot ❯ 2 - Chi, Swordplay, & Calligraphy ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer - I obviously don't own Elfen Lied. Its characters were created by and owned by Lynn (or Rin) Okamoto. The Anime was produced by Genco, and the manga serialized in Weekly Young Jump. Released in the states by ADV (although to my knowledge the manga hasn't been picked up yet for US Distribution.)

A/N: Sorry about the lack of markers between scene jumps in the last chapter - I wasn't sure what mm does and doesn't read out of word docs. Let's see if I can get it right this time.

Second point, sorry for Kurama showing up without any explanation. After paging through the manga, I forgot that the anime has him engulfed in the fireball that takes Mariko. Granted, it's a matter of convenience to say “if there's no body”, but the manga does give precedent for him surviving the explosion, since the manga has an analgous scene where Mariko defends him and herself from surface-to-surface missiles from an offshore naval vessel. Yes, it's a case of excuse-making since I didn't bother to even give him a band-aid in the first chapter, but in hindsight that explanation does give setup for interactions later in the story.

Also, my apologies in “advance” for swapping spelling - the previous chapter I tried to always use “Kohta”, but it's started bugging me typing it that way, so I'm switching to the equally valid “Kouta”… gomen nasai…

 

^_^

 

Kouta and Yuka sat on a courtyard bench in between University classes, neither appearing to be very interested in their respective books held open before them.

“Ne, Kouta, shouldn't we look for Nyu after classes today?” Yuka offered weakly. Despite still thinking of Nyu as a rival, and in spite of knowing the details about Kanae and their father's death, she was still plagued by thoughts of how helpless Nyu could be. “What if Nyu…”

Kouta shrugged. “Nana said she would feel it if Lucy had died, and she said she could still vaguely feel Lucy after all of the gunfire died down. Besides, I don't know if…”

“If what?” Yuka snapped, standing up and throwing her book back onto the bench. “We're her family! Lucy or Nyu, her home is with us!”

“She killed my sister and father,” Kouta angrily chanted.

Yuka stared at him angrily for a moment and then slapped Kouta harder than she ever remembered slapping him. She stared at him a moment longer then silently gathered her books into her bag.

Kouta stared at her in bewilderment. “Where are you going? Class doesn't start for another forty minutes.”

“Baka,” Yuka snapped as she shouldered her bag. After another long stare she finished, “Nana-chan and Mayu-chan should be home from school by the time I get to the Kaede Inn. The three of us will go look for Nyu,” she replied, accenting the name. “You do whatever you feel you should.”

 

^_^

 

Lucy and the swordsman stared down at the form crying at their feet with his hands clenched between his thighs. Around them the gang members slowly began moving again and the pair silently decided to exit the alleyway. “Oi, jo-chan, what do you call yourself?” (1)

“My official name is `Lucy,'” the girl answered.

“That's not what I asked,” the swordsman gently chided. “Most of my names are better left forgotten. The one that I choose, however, is the one given to me by my sensei - Saitoh, after the Meiji swordsman. So, I ask again, what do you call yourself?” (2)

Lucy stopped for a moment, looking down at the clothes given to her by Yuka. “I suppose my… friends… call me Nyu.”

Saitoh smiled slightly. “I see. Cute, I suppose. Well-“ he cut off, hearing a cell phone click open and keys being rapidly pressed behind them.

They turned to see the pack leader frantically yell “Otou-san! Help me!”

Seconds later the sounds of screeching tires began to close on the ends of the alley as the wounded young thug could be heard laughing “You two are gonna diiiieee now…”

Black sedans suddenly blocked off both of the alley's exits. Machine gun-toting suits began pouring out, further clogging the alley ends, as one of them called “Boys! Get your butts in the cars! Papa ain't happy with you!”

“Shit, he's a yakuza kid, not good,” Saitoh whispered, placing his back against Lucy's. ”Can those things be used as locomotion?”

“Tucking our tails and running?” Lucy chided over her shoulder to a cold gaze. “Yes, I can use my vectors as locomotion. Which end do we take?”

“The one above us,” the swordsman responded. “These guys like this generally only send one or two of their men up to the roofs as a spotter.”

Lucy smirked, “Well, it'll be their deaths if there's more.”

“You two!” the yakuza who'd ordered the boys to the cars called, “put your hands on your head and lay down or we'll open fire!”

“I believe there was once a puppet who said it best,” Saitoh yelled back, producing a small vial from his pocket. He shook it violently then tossed it in the air. “When he said, SUCK IT, BITCHES!” (3)

Lucy blinked in surprise and turned to look at Saitoh, her mouth about to form a question when the vial fell back to the pavement, breaking with a small crash. The sound brought Lucy's instincts back into action and she saw the alley suddenly filling with sulfuric smoke. She let her vectors take over, clawing their way up the fire escapes lining the alley. She looked up to see her sudden compatriot deftly leading her up the walls as he vaulted from level to level on the fire escapes. The two crested onto the rooftops seconds later as machinegun fire began ripping through the alley. The maelstrom was completed by the occasional yells of surprise as a stray bullet would wound one of their own men.

“Idiots,” Lucy muttered, looking down over the chaos, then, turning to Saitoh, questioned, “How did you beat me up the walls? How do you know about my vectors?”

A small smile crossed the man's face as he began walking across the rooftop of the apartment building they were standing on. “You have no true martial training, do you?”

“That doesn't answer my question,” Lucy answered flatly.

Saitoh laughed quietly. “But it does. You do know what `chi' is, don't you?”

The two reached the edge of the rooftop and each casually leaped across to the next in their own way. On the other side, Lucy dismissively replied “Hocus-pocus mysticism primitive minds use to explain their world in nice pieces.”

“Such a `nice piece' definition, jo-chan,” Saitoh retorted as they crossed onto another rooftop. “We're here.”

“And here is?” Lucy countered. Saitoh made no answer but led her through a door on the rooftop. She tensed once inside as her eyes sought to adapt to the dimmer interior light compared to late afternoon sun outside. She followed the swordsman as he led her down several flights of stairs in the apartment building, not passing a soul until the pair left the stairway for a long stretch of corridor.

There they passed a middle-aged woman carrying an overflowing basket of laundry. “Oi! Andy-san! You've come to see the old man again!”

Lucy saw Saitoh smile warmly at the woman, which caught her off-guard., seemingly incongruous with their grey surroundings. “Hai!” the man called cheerfully, “I believe I may have found a new student for sensei!”

“Oh, how wonderful!” the woman gushed. “And a lovely child she is too. You know, child, the old man is a stunning calligrapher. Andy-san isn't bad, but gi-san, he's certainly the master! Anyhow, until later!” The woman called as she trundled off down the hall.

“Andy-san?” Lucy questioned with a menacing glower as soon as the woman was out of earshot.

Saitoh shrugged as they resumed their walk down the corridor, “It protects the residents here.”

“From what?” Lucy retorted as the pair stopped before a seemingly random door in the hall

Saitoh didn't answer but instead rapped on the door before them. It quickly opened to reveal a short old man with a head full of long, grey hair. He appraised the two then said curtly, “tonight is not a night for guests.”

The old man turned and walked back into the apartment followed by Lucy and Saitoh, who bolted the door behind himself. “Sensei, it was bring a guest or allow her to kill a yakuza boss's son.”

“Humph. That explains one of the two job offers you got received today,” the old man remarked, grabbing a third cup from the cubbard and sitting down to prepare tea. He paused, guessing at the situation, and commented “Well, breaking his sword was a just punishment for drawing against you, and, I suppose, considering what they would have done to your friend here, that you cutting off his balls, while a bit extreme, was a fittingly ironic punishment as well. I take it that I'll be calling Papa-san back and turning down that job.”

Saitoh seated himself across from his teacher, motioning Lucy to join them. “Actually, the only part I did was to cut his sword in two.”

“Well, I suppose that explains her strong chi,” the master commented, slurping at his tea. “Perhaps the two of you should tell me this tale from the beginning.”

 

^_^

 

“Yuka-san, why isn't Kouta-san with us?” Mayu asked innocently as the trio with Wanta in tow strolled down the street. “He means so much to Nyu-san, she might be sad not to see him with us.”

Yuka sighed gently at the question. Nana spoke first, “”is it because he knows about what Lucy-san did?”

“One could say that, nana-chan. Mayu-chan, do you remember me telling you that Kouta-kun's father and sister were killed in front of him?”

Nana's eyes widened in surprise, “You mean that Lucy-san…?”

Yuka nodded meekly. “He had blocked the memory completely until these events with Nyu-chan triggered them. Despite the fact that she is also Nyu, he can't bring himself to to forgive Lucy for her actions.”

“But wasn't Nyu-san too young to understand that what she did was wrong?” Mayu asked.

“Hai hai!” Nana affirmed.

Yuka smiled at the younger girls. “I suppose, but Kouta-kun has to realize that fact for himself. More so, he has to realize that both he and have grown and aren't the people they used to be.”

“Did they know each other?” Nana asked out of sheer curiosity.

“H-hai,” Yuka answered. “That's part of why he's hurting so much. He… loved her… maybe more than me…” Yuka finished, trailing off and lowering her eyes

The trio stood silently for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts on the matter. Finally it was Yuka who spoke again, “We should head home for the evening. Nyu-chan could very well already be waiting for us.”

 

^_^

 

The master calligrapher stared at the tea leaves at the bottom of the pot as he considered his student's story as well as what few details Lucy would divulge about herself. “Well, there's no denying that you would be a very formidable opponent even for myself, Nyu-san.”

Lucy's look of cold disbelief yielded a hearty laugh out of the old man. “What, you think that Saitoh-kun only learned calligraphy from me?”

Lucy's incredulous gaze shifted to focus on Saitoh for confirmation, who nodded. “Sensei is a member of a clan that has produced assassins since generations before the Meiji era began. The calligrapher front was adopted during the Meiji as a legitimate income source and continues fulfilling both functions to this day.

“And this brings us to the second job I mentioned. You should take Nyu-san to that favorite noodle-cart of yours. He got wind of someone wanting a rather difficult piece of calligraphy. He warned though that they brought a schoolchild's brush.”

“I see. Very well, Nyu-san, would you care for some noodles?” Confused and feeling more distrustful than when she walked into the building, Lucy curtly nodded consent.

Outside on the sidewalk, Lucy stopped short and folded her arms. “Alright, finish explaining.”

Saitoh smirked. “Right after you finish explaining what you so casually call `vectors.'”

“Right after you explain why you so casually dismiss my definition of `chi,'” she snapped.

“Touché. Alright, I don't know what your `vectors' are but I can tell you that their movements seem to me as a flow of chi. In the smoke bomb I set off, when I looked down to check your progress I could see their rough outline but that was all. To me, you have an instinctive, natural grasp of chi. I believe that sensei would probably tell you that you should focus this innate knowledge using the study of calligraphy. The art actually can be used to sharpen one's swordsmanship. But reading chi is the very essence of kenjutsu. At the very least, being able to read an opponent's chi will in so doing betray their movements. Using chi to project emotions can turn the tide of a fight or end it before it begins, like the brat in the alleyway. Your usage, though, is far beyond that. (4)

“To answer your first question, the noodle cart owner is a distant cousin of mine and fellow member of the clan. As sensei said, calligraphy is often a front for an assassination. There is always an actual calligraphy commission for each kill, which is what is actually paid for. It has become tradition for the client to provide the brush which is to be used for the piece,” Saitoh finished.

“And it was necessary for both your cousin and teacher to comment on the type of brush this client chose? If the point is to kill, who cares what the tool is?” Lucy sneered.

“I suppose that you've spent a good bit of time with such a client. You've grasped their logic in the matter, that of expediency and efficiency. These type clients have no respect for the art involved in both the kill and the calligraphy. To bring a cheap brush is disrespectful of the art involved in both sides of the commissions.”

“Humph,” was Lucy's grunted reply.

“So, are you going to answer my question?” the swordsman asked.

Lucy coked her head in an almost girlish manner. “don't they say that women should keep their secrets? Now, take me to this damn noodle stand.”

 

^_^

 

Kouta and Yuka sat solemnly in the dining room the Kaede Inn, the younger members of the household having already gone to bed. A helicopter sounded in the distance and both physically cringed at the sound.

“Kouta, I'm sure she's alright,” Yuka said softly. “She'll be home soon, I know it.”

Kouta shrugged. “I've decided that if she does she does, and if she doesn't she doesn't.”

“That doesn't sound like you,” Yuka observed.

Another shrug. “We have to be prepared to move on, and provide for the other members of the family.”

Yuka meekly smiled, “You're starting to sound like Mayu-chan.”

“Maybe we should get married.”

Yuka's eyes widened as she stared down into her tea and took in Kouta's words. Conflicting emotions raced through her head. Not the least of those emotions was the feeling that the proposal was simply reaction to recent events, and not the fulfillment of an old promise. She tried to laugh as she replied “Kouta, that sounds like a proposal!”

Kouta's expression didn't return the mirth. “Maybe it is.”

Yuka lifted her head to meet Kouta's gaze and searched for some sign of happiness in his eyes. She looked back down when all she found in them was addness. “Kouta… not now. Not now. Maybe after Nyu-chan comes home.”

Yuka heard him stand and walk out of the room. She never let he gaze wander from the cup before her until she heard Kouta close the door behind him. It was then that she closed her eyes and let her tears slide slowly down her cheeks. “Kouta no baka.”

 

^_^

 

End notes…

(1) jo-chan - picked this up from how Sano refers to Kaoru in RuroKen. It's roughly like calling somebody “Missy” in Texas, and generally would be too familiar and rude to use on someone you just met

(2) Hajime Saitoh - Yeah, I know that there's already a lied character named Saito, and yeah, technically this is another RuroKen reference I suppose, but first and foremost I suck at coming up with names sometimes. I'll keep the h tagged onto the end of his name to try to keep from confusing folks. Hajime Saitoh, though, is the Samuel L. Jackson of the Meiji Era - one bad-ass motherf***er and more than a tad eccentric. Might as well try to tap that source. Eccentric characters are more fun to write than salarymen :)

(3) “suck it, bitches” - the puppet? Ratty. The show? XPlay. Whatever happened to Ratty? I miss that little s.o.b…

(4) The calligraphy as part of swordsmanship is regurgitating a concept from Hero. The chi discussion probably covers ground everybody's already familiar with, but figured I would throw it in to try to make sure I didn't leave holes in the plot in need of sewing.

And yeah, probably mixing Chinese acrobatic martial arts a lá Hero or Crouching Tiger probably doesn't mesh well with Lied, but the concept amuses me, so :P