A/N: This is a short story during Ryuko's time in the Academy as she desperately looking for answers for the murder of her Father, so set before Natural Selections and before Fight Club. Short and Quick One Shot that I hope you readers will enjoy!
- Mr. B
Walking through the hallway was quiet, if at best eerie quiet. No one charging through the door or even some random Disciplinary Agent coming at Ryuko or Mako. Not that Ryuko or Mako minded that fact, it just didn't exactly feel normal to them. Perhaps though it was because they were fast approaching the upper parts of the Academy, where even the One Star Students knew better than to linger about without consent from either a Club President or directly from the Four Devas. Scoffing Ryuko continued to walk with her nonchalant attitude, spinning her scissor blade around her finger. Mako talking Ryuko's ears out with all her chatter of random things that happened in between her classes and them walking further and further up in the Academy.
"Oye Mako," Ryuko began but stopped short as she stopped a student wearing a familiar Goku Uniform. The Student had the standard hair cut of all the single star students but was a much larger build than the others and had a burning look in his eyes. Two Stars adorned across his chest and he simply stood there with his arms slapped against his side.
"Halt, none shall continue forward," He spoke harshly but curtly enough. "I am Zueguirdor Hawken, the Door Guard for these upper levels of this Academy," He declared quickly.
Ryuko hummed, placing a single finger on her chin, "I am Matoi Ryuko, I need to walk through those door, so move," She ordered the door guard.
Shaking his head he didn't budge an inch from his spot, he frowned at her and took a single step forward. "No one will pass me," He declared.
"So fight you want eh?" Ryuko asked, her smirk growing as she spun her scissor blade before enlarging it to its larger size. "Well bring it!" She taunted at the Guard. Mako squinted her eyes at the student guard, humming and thinking.
"I do not hit women," He declared, "But all the same I will not allow you to pass through this door," He declared.
"Eh!?" Ryuko asked, her smirk turned to a sneer at his declaration of "Not hitting Girls' morality. "Well regardless I need to get through those doors, so either prepare to fight or step aside," Not worried that he was a Two Star Student.
"Senketsu!" She called out, her Sailor Uniform transforming her, and her hands held his blade at the ready.
The guard scoffed, clenching his fists and readying himself for the fight. Raising his fists up he gestured for her to come at him. His expression was still serious, his uniform still looked the same, no transformation or any indication that it was empowering its wearer.
"Ryuko, I can't feel anything, like he's not wearing any life fibers, almost as if he's masking them," Senketsu explained to Ryuko. Nodding once, "Probably has some deception ability or something like that then, better keep my eyes wide open," She explained.
Charging forward, her blade slashing straight for the guard but quickly the student sidestepped smashed both his fists onto the side of her scissor blade. Spinning around he diverted his momentum shoved Ryuko back to her original spot, and the Guard standing ready once more in front of the door. His eyes raising slightly, shaking his fists and cracking his knuckles once more as he got ready for the next attack.
"Strong, but not strong enough!" Ryuko called out, this time getting a harder grip on her scissor blade, and Student Door Guard readied his fists. She practically flew at him, screaming as she slashed right across at the guard.
The guard himself put his fists together and punched forward as he yelled "Dragon Fist!" He cried.
Silence followed afterwards, Ryuko now standing behind the guard and with Mako gawking at the somewhat quick fight. Ryuko smirked, "Easy, but nice to land a punch," She added, her cheek slightly scratched from the guard's Dragon Fist Attack. Hawken though stood there, in his Dragon Fist Stance and his Goku Uniform with a long slash but unlike the others it did not disperse nor did the Life Fiber in the Uniform come out.
"Strange, you beat him but yet," Senketsu pondered, no life fibers were gained from the exchange. "Yo! Door Guard, you okay?" Ryuko asked, "It's okay that you lost, or even hit me, I mean I ain't that mad about it," She explained, Senketsu turning back to its simple form.
Hawken fell flat on his face, blood forming around the gash of the attack and Mako screaming a tad. "Eh!" She cried out, quickly rushing over to the injured student and prodding him a tad with her finger. "Ryuko! Look! Stitches on his Goku Uniform!" She cried out to her friend.
Ryuko walked over and looked closely at the boy's Goku Uniform and noted that though it seemed like any pristine white Goku Uniform, it felt like a fake and even the stars were stitched onto the Uniform. "Eh?!" She asked, "So what's this all about?" She asked.
Hawken turned around, grunting as he coughed as he tried to intake a large amount of air. "I'm a No Star Student like Mako here," He explained, "I was just trying to prove my worth to Lady Satsuki," He added, "So in hopes of to beat you in battle I forged this Uniform so you wouldn't overlook me and fight me," He further explained. His eyes losing the fire it once held at the start of the fight.
"That's how I know you! I met your sister and little brother in my Classroom!" Mako shouted triumphantly, finally realizing where she seen Hawken before and the resemblance he bore with his siblings.
"Well that's stupid, if I was aiming to kill and not to simply destroy your fake Goku Uniform you would be laying in two halves," Ryuko said, quite irritable of this boy's incompressible devotion for this Academy's Lady Satsuki.
"Isn't it devotion that drives you Matoi? You just have the strength to continue to fight for it," Hawken responded back, clutching at his wound as he slowly stood up, his fake uniform falling around his side. "Devotion is all the same, the only difference is the strength that is backing the devotion that is different," He added.
"You're wrong," Ryuko said, her eyes serious as she looked at Hawken, "The reasons behind your devotion matter more than the strength you have, I seek justice for my father's murder and that gives me the strength to fight," She explained to him.
Not bothering to look at Ryuko he let his head slumped downward as he sighed. "Perhaps you're right Matoi, but devoting to Lady Setsuki is good enough reason," He tried to sound confident. "The door was not mine to guard, go ahead," Turning around he began to walk away from the two.
Mako turned to face Ryuko and Ryuko in turned sighed once, "Wait, Hawken-San," She started as she walked over to grab his shoulder and forced him to turn around. Giving the boy a thumbs up and small smile with a wink, "You have a nasty punch, you can be just as strong as any One Star Goku Uniform Student without the uniform," She mumbled some words of encouragement. Hawken gave a short laugh and smiled back as he continued to walk towards the Infirmary.
Mako smiled at Ryuko, "Is that what you wanted Mako?" Ryuko sighed as she asked her.
Shaking her head, "No, I was hoping you would ask him where we are, but that was nice of you though!" She said cheerfully.
Ryuko stopped mid step through the door as she realized that Mako had her remember why she was walking aimlessly in the Academy. "Hey! Hawken! Where are we!?" Ryuko asked as she turned around to try and catch up to the Door Guard with Mako in tow.