[Double quotes are dialogue. Single quotes are first-person dialogue.]

No doubt about it, attending Honnōji Academy really sucked. There were other schools that were worse in an absolute sense, but from the day I got my first uniform, I was always thinking of the day I'd graduate. If I could get through without ever having to see Satsuki's eyebrows again, I'd take my Two-Star, live off the grid, and maybe by the time I came out the world wouldn't be so obsessed with fashion.

Given REVOCS almost had full market share by then, I think I was being too hopeful. After three years at Honnōji, two years with Fight Club and one year of heading it, I had managed to climb to Two-Star. Three-Star would've meant getting in to Satsuki's personal Elite Four. I didn't think the luxury would be worth selling my soul, to use a cliché.

My teacher was droning on about Nazis that day, or something. I didn't pay attention to anything besides how to fight, though the real special day wouldn't be until Friday. I'd just started to daydream about it when Satsuki's voice filled the school.

"Fight Club's President - report to Student Council's office."

I sighed and stood up, slinging my bag on. She'd started to call me out randomly since I got my Two-Star, and though she had said it was because Mooka wasn't around to discipline me anymore, she really just enjoyed seeing me reduced to janitor.

As I went out to the hall, I pulled my hood over my head and felt both disappear, giving me the appearance of a neck-only dreadnought. Two extra arms burst out of the back. I'd had it made for intimidation, though the Elite Four taunted me whenever they could about it.

Student Council's office was on the other end of school, and I didn't run in to anyone else on my way to the elevator. Once I took it up, Satsuki was there with her legs over the longtable. Wrappers, melted chocolate, candy, and other liquid I didn't ask about were on the floor.

"Go." She grinned. "Get to it."

'Caterpillar' wouldn't have begun to describe her eyebrows. Two black erasers, the standalone type that artists get. Her long hair wasn't much better, and as expected, she was wearing a white military uniform with gold epaulettes.

'Yes, Lady Satsuki.'

I set my four arms to work. Upper-right, upper-left, lower-right, lower-left - ice, wind, fire, lightning. The spray of boiling water and grind of scrubbing numbed my headless ears. My wind arm vacuumed the burning trash's smoke. Once I got to Satsuki's side of the room, she looked at me like I was a peasant.

"If you're curious on the mess," she said, "I invited a dozen other club presidents here last night. Recruitment. Future employment opportunities."

I pretended my water was too loud to notice. Satsuki's taunting had never bothered me, as I wasn't some angst-filled teenager. I started thinking about what I'd do when I got home. I'd started doing two hundred uniformless pullups a day. My overhead press had started stagnating. I hated squatting, but I hated being weak more.

"A few of them were talking about you." she said. "Starting your, what - fourth-year at Honnōji? - and not a single friend to show for it." She laughed. "Even Mooka could barely stand you."

Eventually I finished, keeping on my hands&knees and wondering how long she'd go this time.

"What do you think of that?"

'Is she still in the hospital?' I laughed, having put her there.

Satsuki laughed too, which bothered me more than the taunting. "She's in a no-star hospital - she'll probably be there for the rest of her life."

I decided not to make any more jokes. She made me double-check the room, and had just sent me off when the elevator doors opened -

- and I dropped immediately to my hands&knees again, trying not to sigh at my extended stay. Four sets of bootsteps came up to me.

"What - you're still making him do this shit?" laughed Nonon's catshriek above, and the five started laughing.

"He has four arms - I might as well put them to use." laughed Satsuki, and I heard her stand up. "Four arms - a perfect uniform for cleaning - and he even has jokes."

"He'd make a wonderful butler." said Inumata's nasally voice above. "Some big, retarded oaf - no use other than cleaning."

(People liked to think that jocks were mean to nerds because of insecurity, but given how Inumata had always treated me, I think the other half had more to prove.)

One of them yanked my hood back to my neck, revealing both, and they started laughing. I'd gone through it enough that it never bothered me, since I knew it was more scripted than anything. Once or twice I'd get envious people like them could be rich in the real world, but I'd shove that energy in to training.

" - it really is a ridiculous fucking haircut." I heard Inumata laugh near the end of it, though he was the only one by then. (Again, jocks & nerds.) "Like you - like you had it cut with, oh, a - a screwdriver."

I kneeled through another few minutes of jokes. Satsuki gripped me up and threw me in to the elevator back down to Honnōji.

My teacher was still droning on about Nazis by the time Friday came, but today was a special Friday. The first week always left Fight Club busy, and Satsuki never called me out then.

"… dismissed." he sighed, the only word I had heard in the last hour. We got up, put our bags on, made sure our desks were clear, and set out to the hall. I went down against the crowd; but people respected the two stars on my collar over a neck that I thought looked steroidal.

When I got up to room 237, Tanaka was already there. He didn't have the neck, but his parents had donated enough to the school to get a One-Star.

"Yo, Outcast." (Don't ask. It was on my birth certificate.)

'Tanaka.'

I stepped in to the room, one of the wider ones the school had. The desks were already gone and cleared. I saw a few students huddled in the corner like they were afraid of me, television overhead.

"Time to watch the show." he shrugged, gesturing to the show.

Satsuki's face filled the screen. "Honnōji Academy! Curfew begins in five minutes! Club - home - or a beating! Make your choice!"

"Club, home, or a beating." said Tanaka. He still had that ridiculous wizard's hat on. "Club."

'Club.' I muttered, turning back to close the door as I heard someone's footsteps. They were clearly of a woman's - or Inumata's - so I figured it might've been Nonon. If I ran in to her solo, she always made me crouch down to speak with her; which was odd, as I thought it'd be offensive to point out the massive height differential.

Everyone had their eyes on my boots when I turned back - even Tanaka. We'd only known each other for a few months, and seeing me beat the previous Fight Club president, Mooka, still had them scared. Even if it made me feel like the Elite Four, I didn't entirely mind it.

"Are we going to wait for curfew?" said Tanaka.

'Doubt anyone else is coming. Jakazure might be checking in, so -'

- the door opened, and in stepped a woman I had never seen before.

She was a few inches shorter than me, black hair hiding red streaks underneath. She was wearing a dark purple schoolgirl uniform with one eyepatch and one eye at the chest, red pupil and orange instead of white; and a red glove on her left hand. I thought I saw a sword on her back.

"Is this Fight Club?"

My vice-president huddled to my right as the room scattered for her.

'It is - sorry - who are you?'

"Ryuko. Ryuko Matoi."

"She fought Satsuki the first day, man. Looking for her father's killer? You didn't see it?" whispered Tanaka.

'He's telling me you fought Satsuki your first day, and you're looking for your father's killer.' I said, gesturing to the gossiper at my right. I wasn't about to start off by making her think I was secretive.

That, and I thought she was ridiculously hot.

"Yeah. He's right." said Ryuko, who I thought was ridiculously hot. "You can guess why I'm here, yeah?"

'Definitely can.' I waved away the gossiper. 'You already know how this goes, then?'

"I wouldn't be coming here if I didn't."

"I can handle it, Outcast." Tanaka stepped forward. Ryuko started smiling, but it was to me, not him. "She lost, anyway."

'Rest of you.' I gestured to the five other members. She was clearly arrogant; I liked it. 'Fight her. If you get through them - then we'll talk.'

"Sounds good to me." She laughed as the six stepped up. "Life Fiber - Synchronization - Senketsu."

Her skirt started growing past her knees and clinging to her legs, and her white sneakers turned to armored black. The rest of her uniform extended to black&blue armor, and her outfit's eyes broke out of her shoulders. I knew she must've had a one or two-star, at least.

It looked pretty sweet. I almost saw Tanaka get scared when she pulled her weapon off her back, shaped like one-half of a scissor, and as the six rushed towards her -

- she sliced six times with the speed of light -

- and shredded their uniforms off, underwear still surviving - fortunately. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence at Honnōji, but she had both my halves' attention by then.

"That it?" She laughed, and the undressed messes rushed out to save their honor.

I had expected more out of Tanaka, but I shrugged anyway. 'Guess that makes you new vice-president.'

She smiled and laughed. "Not president?"

'That's me - obviously.'

"Let's go, then."

We started to circle. I pulled my hood over my head and felt both disappear, giving me the appearance of a neck-only dreadnought. Two extra arms burst out of the back. Upper-right, upper-left, lower-right, lower-left - ice, wind, fire, lightning.

"Ready?" she grinned, one-hand taut on her uniform, one-hand on her blade.

'Whenever you're -'

" - Senketsu - strands!" she shouted, and in the next instant -

- a dozen strands burst out of her uniform and shot to my arms, red ropes coiling around, and as she rushed towards me -

' - Worldwide!'

- the strands at my lower-right burst in to flames, sudden embers shooting with the speed of fire down towards her -

- but a sweep of her blade severed the connections, freeing us both, thirty feet between us.

"Got a name for your uniform?" she chimed.

'Are you trying to distract me?'

"Maybe."

With a wink, she started her rush at me again -

- and a gust of wind from my upper-left arm blasted her with the strength of a dozen away, back smashing the wall as she flew, fortunately reinforced specifically for my room.

She shot to her feet again, glancing back as if checking the wall's durability; with a nod, she started her rush again -

- and the wind blew her back to the wall again; but the next scene was instant.

A sawblade formed at her midsection, spinning and carving through the wall; and in to the sudden hole she swept and disappeared, carving through the reinforced innards, my eyes spinning around as I heard the rat scurrying.

A rumbling began from the wall behind, and in the next instant -

- she burst out of the barrier; I turned, upper-right arm sweeping down -

- and turning the floor to ice; she stumbled and slipped, sudden frictionless counter too quick for her, and as she slid head-first in to me -

- she twitched as my electrical current entered the floor, staggering and grunting as she stood again, blade outstretched -

- and a gust of wind blew her back to the wall again, ice starting to melt as we circled again.

Electrical arm readied, I crouched down to send a second surge, seeing her strands shoot to the wall behind -

- and yanking a section out of it. Before I could react -

- the concrete projectile smashed my skull; the pain&stars staggered me back, Ryuko rushing ahead and throwing her strands to the ceiling -

- and yanking herself up, boots readying to meet my skull as she swung forward -

- but a gust of wind blast her back in to the ceiling; the pain unclenching her grip and dropping her blade. A second and third gust of wind kept her temporarily trapped above. I grabbed her blade -

" - sawblade!" she shouted, falling back on to me -

- and I swept with the speed of light back as she landed, pilfered blade safe in my electrical hand. A set of strands shot to my grip, and she yanked her blade back to her, leaving me sighing as she laughed.

Returned blade outstretched, she ran at me once more; once more, a gust of wind blasted her back, and as she flew -

- the next scene was instant.

A dozen strands burst out of her back and shot to the floor, tethering her as a rubberband, and as it launched her with the speed of light back at me -

- her blade met with my electrical arm, and as the current entered the metal -

- she dropped her blade, sudden claws bursting out of her glove -

- and her grip shot to my neck, threatening a shredded choking if I moved, strands keeping her rooted to her position.

'…shit.' I muttered. I'd seen plenty of fights end like this before. You'd wonder what you could've done to get out, but this time, I knew it was best just to save energy for the rest.

"Concede?" she chimed. She didn't seem to think less of me for losing, fortunately.

'If you say so.' I grinned, and she released her grip. 'Much better challenge than what I usually get.'

"Guess I did just doom all your club members to poverty, though."

'They'll find some way to pay for the repairs. Still. You're a pretty good fighter.'

"You too."

She leaned against the wall. I hoped she wasn't nervous about me leaning next to her.

'Do you want to go again?'

She shrugged, then yawned. "Give me a bit. Didn't get much sleep last night."

'Could've fooled me.' I smiled.

"It happens, when you don't have a place to sleep besides a park bench."

'You… don't have a place to live?'

"Nope." She sighed. "Been sleeping in the streets. Figure I can defend myself against anyone who tries shit."

I knew an opportunity when I heard one. My protective drive was already starting up, but if I pushed too early, she'd realize it.

'Do you need… uh, food? Dinner?'

She glanced at me. "…yeah. Actually. Been buying street ramen for the last week."

'I've got plenty to eat, if you want to come visit.'

"It beats the streets." She shrugged. "Two-Star district, right?"

'Yeah. Do you want to head over now?'

"Sounds good." She smiled. I could tell she was starting to like me despite the bruises. We went out to the hall and I gestured back down, not the way her or I had come.

'Here. Quicker if we go out this way.' I glanced behind. '… less chance of. You know. Ira.'

"I know." Ryuko laughed, and we went back, took a left. (It wasn't actually shorter. I just thought it'd endear me to her.)

We didn't dare talk until we got to the front doors. Honnōji had what felt like a hundred steps down at the front, and as we went outside -

- I dropped to my hands and knees. I'd only just done it before they came up the stairs.

Out of my eye's ceilings, I felt four approach me. They didn't have Gamagoori with them. Ryuko hadn't moved.

"Your new dog, Ryuko?" said Satsuki. She leaned one boot on my neck and started grinding down.

"A real bulldog." Nonon laughed. "A nice two-star collar."

"What about a collar that says 'Ryuko's Bitch'?" said Inumata's nasally voice above. (Again, jocks&nerds.)

In any other situation, I might've considered the logistics of being Ryuko's bitch.

"C'mon, Miss Matoi. Make him bark." said Nonon. "He your new boyfriend?"

"If he barks, will you leave?" sighed Ryuko.

"Of course." said Satsuki. I didn't have to look to see that grin growing as she took her boot off. "Come. Bark."

"He won't do it unless she tells him to." said Inumata. "Ryuko's bitch. What a good dog. Maybe he's neutered."

"Outcast." muttered Ryuko. "Bark."

I barked, and felt some relief at only four laughs coming.

"How well-trained." said Satsuki. "I have something to tell your dog in private. Elite Four - leave."

Three sets of bootsteps went by me.

"He doesn't speak Japanese." said Ryuko.

"I'm certain he'll understand it. I'll return him back to you once I've finished."

I heard Ryuko sigh and step down the stairs. The sight of her legs made the humiliation go down a bit easier. I wondered if I'd ever have them around me.

Satsuki blocked the view with her far less appealing limbs.

"Be careful you don't catch fleas."

I felt her walk by me, and she was gone. Ryuko turned at the base of the stairs and waited for me to come down.

"You know, you actually do have a pretty good bark." She grinned as we headed out the gates.

'If you think that's good, you should see my bite.' I muttered, rubbing my neck.

"Maybe I will." She winked and sent my heart in to my dick. "She scare you?"

'She could send me to poverty, take my uniform away from me, and legally kill me.'

"And?"

'If you're the one asking - it's no.'

She laughed. We came up to another gate. The district Honnōji was in was the only time the classes got to mix. Two-Star was west, One-Star was north, Three-Star was east. I was lucky enough to have never known where the no-star district was. I thought they might've just taken you there in the back of a garbage truck.

I realized something when we got up to the two-star gates.

'…uh. Shouldn't you have a home of your own?'

I swiped my ID and we went inside to a better life.

"My uniform isn't made by REVOCS. Doesn't have a star." She started next to me down the sidewalk. Two-Star life was the middle-class style of too-friendly neighbors that would bitch in private about your lawn, hairstyle, clothes, and everything else about you. My parents had sent me off to Honnōji because they thought it was a military academy, and they ended up not being half-wrong.

'Something custom-made?'

"Something like that, yeah. What do you think about Satsuki?"

'What do I think about her?'

"Yeah."

I caught a camera on a nearby lamppost.

'Just wonderful.' I said, waving for the surveillance. We turned a corner and Ryuko laughed as we got near the main houses.

"Guess I'll have to wait to find out, huh?"

'Yeah.' I smiled.

My house was at the dead-end, lawn trimmed just an inch below the legal limit. Ryuko and I went inside to the living room, kitchen left, hall across.

"Jeez." She laughed. "Much cleaner than I thought it'd be, you know. I thought I was gonna be sleeping with roaches."

'You - um, sleeping?' I said, shutting the door behind.

She went over to the couch and sat down grinning.

"Yeah. C'mon. Don't act like you're surprised."

'I - um, am.' I murmured, stepping over to her. 'You - you can stay if you want, but -'

" - knew it." She winked, and I was undone.

'…god.' I sighed. '… Is it a yes, or a no?'

"At least wait until after dinner."

My dick might've gotten stuck like that if she kept it up.

'Well - what do you want? I - keep plenty of eggs and meat. And rice.'

"Surprise me." she chimed.

'…fine.'

I gestured her to the kitchen so I'd have company while I cooked. I started the hardboiled eggs and rice while we spoke.

'Are you serious about the Satsuki stuff? Your father's killer?'

I didn't hear her respond behind, and I got worried I'd offended her so close to the line.

'…um. If that's alright to ask about.'

"…no, yeah." she murmured. "It is. It's fine." She sighed. "Satsuki killed my father."

I plunged a dozen eggs inside before the water boiled.

"…a few months ago. I saw her - when - I saw my dad die. He… told me that I needed to avenge him, and - I want to, too. I need to."

'Of course. Yeah.'

I put a lid on the pot, lowered the heat, and leaned against the counter next to her. She didn't move away, thankfully.

"I know she did it, too." Her eyes went to the floor. "And this -" - she tapped her scissor blade - " - she knows it was stolen, and knows there's a second half."

'She knows there's a second half?'

"Yeah. When I went through my dad's stuff, I only found one half, and Senketsu. My uniform." She tapped her clothes.

'You named it?' I smiled.

"Sort of." She smiled. "He talks. Only to me, though."

'I'm - sorry, he - what?'

I tried to find evidence of a joke on her face. She was either a good liar or telling the truth.

"He says you seem like a nice guy." She grinned.

I couldn't argue with an assessment like that.

'I... If you say - so.' I mumbled.

"It was made for me, so. Guess that's why he can talk." She winked. "He could shittalk you, and you'd never even know."

'I thought he thinks I'm a nice guy.'

"So far."

We laughed and I went back to the pot. I started the rice as I put the eggs out to cool.

'Does… he have a rank?'

"Kamui."

'What?'

"God-Robe." she chimed. "You see Satsuki's new uniform recently?"

'Mostly the bottom of it.'

She laughed. "It's something above Three-Star. She calls her's 'Junketsu'. Takes blood - or at least, Senketsu does - to transform."

'…how much of me losing was my fault, then?'

"Mmm… Maybe half." She winked. I finished up the rice, and she knew I would make her plate for her. "Still. Any more questions?"

'I'm guessing you're going to kill Satsuki, then?'

"Yep. And if you're housing me..."

I paused and thought for a second. I couldn't care less about murdering Satsuki. It might even humble her.

'…right.' I muttered. 'What about the rest? The Elite Four?'

"We'll see. I'll probably just take their uniforms. Senketsu gets stronger the more Life Fibers he absorbs - like a vampire."

'Sounds about right.'

"And now, I've told you." She smiled as I handed her her plate. We went to the couch and I sat down next to her. "What'd she talk to you about, anyway?"

'She told me 'be careful of catching fleas'.'

"Real cryptic."

We laughed.

'Doesn't want me around you, clearly. They just screw with me like that - Inumata, specifically.'

"Why's that?"

'Is 'jealousy' too easy an answer?'

"Guess not." She grinned. "… this is alright, though. Better than the street food."

'I mean, I never said I was a cook. Just look at me.'

"Yeah. Lot to take in."

She moved in closer.

"It's a yes."

'To?'

"To moving in."

I couldn't help but laugh. 'That's - -you're- the one deciding that?

"Ooo. Maybe I should just leave, then?"

I got the feeling she knew the effect she had on me, and no matter how we ended up, she'd permanently have it over me.

'I don't have a guest bed, you know.' I muttered. 'There's a couch - and my bed.'

"What an invitation." She laughed and finished up her meal. "I gotta head out, though. Got my stuff in my locker at Honnōji - if Satsuki didn't burn it."

'Do you want me to come with you?'

"No." She grinned and held her hand over my head. "Stay. Stay."

'…stay.' I sighed, leaning back.

"See you in a bit." She said, and she was gone.

I almost considered masturbating, but I might've needed it later.

She didn't come back until it was night, with a cardboard box covered in flies.

"Apparently, she - ugh." She groaned. "Bitch threw it in a dumpster. Had to go to the no-star district."

'Sounds like something she'd do.'

"I know, right?" Ryuko shook her head. "Hey, uh - where's your washer?"

'Down the hall - third right.'

"Thanks." she chimed, making her way past. I kept my head down the hall. I was still imagining those legs around me, even more now that I knew they eventually would be. Like most teenage males, my thought process ended at getting laid.

But it hit once she closed the door. How many mornings I could wake up with her on the couch, maybe next to me in bed. I don't know how long she was planning to stay, but I found myself hoping her quest would take a long time. Not that I wanted her not to succeed; but I wanted her around.

I really hadn't felt that way before, so it got mixed in with the arousal and hormones. I noticed she'd taken her shoes off at the front and put them next to mine.

"Hey." said her voice from the hall. "I found something clean!"

'You did?'

I hadn't.

"Yep!"

The door opened, and she stepped in wearing an utterly, totally, absolutely, purely, completely innocent pair of orange pajamas. They had bunny's heads on them, and they drove me fucking crazy. I knew I'd be dreaming about them that night if we didn't resolve our issue.

"Jeez. Got a weird look on your face." She grinned and sat down next to me. I realized the washer was running. "I just put Senketsu on the washer. He likes the way it vibrates."

'I - sure. Yeah.' I muttered. She had undone the top button. There wasn't anywhere I could look that would've saved me.

"Do you like it?" She laughed.

'I - it's - nice. Do you wear that a lot?'

"Just every night, yeah." She scooted in closer. We were touching by then. "What about you?"

'Usually just - underwear.'

"Whites?"

'What?'

"What's underneath there?"

She grinned, tapping there; and her eyes went wide.

"I - j-jeez." she murmured, starting to blush. "I - didn't realize that was your -"

' - you were trying to tap just my crotch, not my dick?'

"S-Something like that." She laughed. "…so, uh. Guess you like me a lot, huh?"

'Yeah.' We came closer. 'I do.'

"Mmm… Bit fast, isn't it?" She wrapped her arms around me. My heart was trying to escape when I wrapped mine around her's.

'My - heartbeat?'

She laughed. "No, doofus. Us doing this."

'What - are we doing too fast?'

"Mmm… Something like this."

She leaned to my neck and started kissing it. I want to say I was smooth my first time, but I was just trying to keep embarrassment from taking away my enjoyment. I started pressing her down in to the couch as we started kissing directly.

I felt her lips open once, and every one after that was with her tongue. I got the feeling she was inexperienced, too, but a lot better at the dirtier side of it. I don't remember how we got undressed, but I was eventually on top of her. I tried and made the entrance, and I got to feel her legs curl me in.

"G-God, j-jeez." she panted. My head was in her neck, but I felt sweat raining down on me. "You're - you're really f-fucking big, j-jeez."

'Is that a…'

My mind emptied as I got close.

'A… problem?'

"Mmm, no, it really, really isn't." She grinned, and as she pulled me in again, I went completely off. My mind was swimming with hormones and locked up arousal at that point, and I barely felt her thighs clench & squeeze as she had her own.

Eventually, I got off of her and tried to fit next to her, as narrow as the couch was. She laughed and sat up.

"I'll get up - and lay on your chest. Sound good?"

'Sounds good.' I smiled in a much better mood. She got up and laid on top of me. It took some adjusting.

"…mmm." She smiled. "That was pretty nice."

'I'm glad you liked it.'

We laid there for a while just to listen to eachother's heartbeats.

"…next time, though… let's do it on your bed."

'It'd be our bed now, you know.'

"Mmm… That makes you my boyfriend, too."

I honestly liked that even better than the sex.

'And you - my girlfriend.'

"Yeah. Guess so." She moved her right leg to the side -

- and groaned as it got covered in slime.

"…should shower, anyway."

'Do you wanna take one together?'

I had said it without thinking, but I knew what it meant. I was starting to get attached to her.

[Apologies if some of the lines are messed up; there's a lot of ampersands that got swallowed up. Then again, this is an ultraviolent KLK Waifu Wish Fulfillment fanfic, so it's not like this is a masterpiece to begin with. Outcast is an entertaining protagonist and there's some great fights next chapter, though.]