Kohta looked up nervously at Lucy and Yuka. What should be a nice quiet game of cards was turning into a hostile staring contest between the two girls. Kohta was afraid to leave them alone together. Lucy was hostile by nature, and Yuka certainly wasn't a fairy princess. They just may kill each other if left alone.
He hoped Mayu and Nana returned soon. He really had to go to the bathroom, but was afraid he would find a bloodbath when he came back. Lucy may have sworn never to kill again, but Yuka had made no such promise.
His stomach groaned in protest, informing the others of his discomfort.
Yuka glanced at him. "Kohta, are you ok?"
He gave her a nervous smile. "Y-Yeah, just fine."
His stomach groaned again. He couldn't wait for Mayu and Nana to get back; he wasn't going to make it.
"I fold." He said, setting down his cards. "Be back in a bit."
Both girls watched as he left the room, then their attention went back to each other. If looks could kill…
"I'm not gonna lose, you know." said Yuka.
Lucy raised an eyebrow. She knew that Yuka wasn't referring to the card game. "Are you now?"
"I've known Kohta longer than you. I know him better than you."
'Kill her!' Kaede told Lucy.
She ignored her alternative personality. "I have my whole life to get to know him. I want to know everything about him. And I already know enough to know that I will love him and only him forever."
Yuka threw down her cards. "I won't let you take him from me. I've loved him longer than you! I've loved him since I was a little girl!"
"As have I." Lucy replied, almost calmly. "I suffered for him, even went willingly to my death for him. Can you say the same?"
Yuka growled irritably. "He loves me, you know."
Lucy cocked her head to the side. "You're his cousin. It's natural that he loves you. You're a blood relative. Is the love he has for you the kind of love you're looking for?"
"Cousins can get married!" Yuka snapped. "It's not illegal."
"It's still frowned upon. "Lucy pointed out.
'Just kill her!' Kaede cried. 'She's your love rival. She wants to steal your mate. Strike her down. Remove all obstacles in your path.'
'Will you shut up!'
Yuka crossed her arms. "Can you even be with Kohta in that way? Can you do everything a human can do?"
Lucy glared at her. "If you are asking if humans and Diclonius can reproduce, then the answer is yes. Just as dogs can breed with wolves and horses can breed with zebras, our DNA is close enough to allow us to have children." Her eyes narrowed. "And the only children I shall ever have will be Kohta's."
Yuka was going to argue some more, but what Lucy had said sparked her curiosity. "What are you supposed to be anymore? A different race, disease, mutation."
"Evolution." Lucy replied. "It's nature's natural order. All things evolve over time. Diclonius are the evolved forms of humans." She cocked her head to the side. "Did you think that humans were the only living things that didn't evolve?" She chuckled. "That's just how life progresses. Animals evolve into stronger creatures and replace their less evolved ancestors. Are humans not descended from apes? I believe they evolved from a type of primate called an Australopithecus. You don't see them around anymore, because humans replaced them. Diclonius are the next step in evolution. That's why we have the instinct to kill humans. But unlike our ancestors, we have the intelligence to choose not to do it." Her eyes narrowed. "Humans just haven't given us a reason not kill them."
