AN: And so our story begins...

A Mother's Love

Prologue

Ryuko Matoi met her own listless gaze in the mirror in front of her, disgusted by what she saw. Her hair was a ragged mess, her gaze was half lidded and listless, and heavy, dark, bags rested under her eyes. The entire façade was made complete by the toothbrush sticking out of the corner of her mouth, white foam dripping around it. Restful sleep was rare for her, these days… ever since she killed Ragyo Kiryuin, her mother. The thought flipped Ryuko's stomach.

She'd killed her mother.

"No!" she mentally corrected herself, gritting her teeth around her brush, "I offered to bring her home! She… she did that to herself."

By Ryuko's approximate count, it had been thirteen days, five hours and ten minutes since she'd defeated her mother, pacified the Life Fibers, and crashed back down to Earth like a blazing meteor. Thirteen days since she'd saved the world. Thirteen days since Senketsu died. The thought gnawed at her heart, grief threatening to take control again. She shook her head, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. It wouldn't help to dwell on those thoughts. There was too much emotion involved in those final days. She needed a distraction.

Blue inhuman eyes, pupils shaped like gears, found their way across the white marble countertop, falling on the built-in sink, accented by silver handles, faucet and drain. The entire sink was accented with an authentic gold trim, highlighting the wealth that Kiryuin Satsuki surrounded herself with. Ryuko cracked a smile at the thought of her sister.

Ryuko was ravenous in her consumption of the banquet in front of her, surrounded by her closest friends- Ira, Uzu, Nonon, Houka, and her best friend Mako. The entire group had been enjoying their third victory meal since saving the world. This was a more private affair, situated within the private residence of the Student Council president in the Kiryuin Manor. Mako's family, along with the rest of Nudist Beach, weren't involved. Everything was going perfectly until an iron grip closed around the back of Ryuko's collar, pulling her backward away from the table everyone was seated at.

She coughed and spluttered, her half-chewed meal bursting from her mouth and onto her shirt and plate. She flailed wildly, kicking and dragging her feet as she twisted her head around to look at her assailant. Her eyes widened as they locked with her older sister's, whose mouth was drawn tight in grim determination Ryuko had only seen on the battlefield. She twisted, falling to her hands and knees, crawling to her feet as she was dragged along, "S-Satsuki?! What the Hell is going on?! I was eating!"

Her elder sister said nothing, dragging her sister out to the balcony that overlooked the manor grounds. Ryuko collapsed to the ground when Satsuki's grip unfurled, grunting with exaggerated pain. She rose to her feet in an instant, face twisted in outrage, "Hey! What's the big idea of dragging me away from our party?!"

Satsuki paid her sister's outburst no mind, looking out over the untarnished beauty of her estate, one hand placed on the handrail of the balcony. Ryuko faltered at her sister's serenity, tensed shoulders slumping as she approached the edge of the balcony to stand next to her sister. A surge of protectiveness welled inside her, her brow furrowing in concern, "I-I mean… did you want to talk about something? I… assume you brought me out here for a reason."

Ryuko watched her sister's grim façade crumble, a serene smile creeping across her face. Satsuki turned to give Ryuko a sidelong glance, the falling sun making her look more radiant than ever before. In that moment, Ryuko knew that Satsuki would grow to be a pinnacle of beauty, just like her mother had been before her. Satsuki turned away again, looking out at the battered and abandoned academy in the distance.

Ryuko noted how her grip on the handrail tightened, her mouth hanging open a split second longer than it needed to be to speak.

"...Ryuko, I believe that now that mother and the life fibers have been... dealt with, we should do our best to move on with our lives."

Ryuko was caught off guard by the declaration. She nodded in agreement, half guarded, curious as to where her sister was going with this.

"Yeah, I guess you're right… I'm not sure what there is to do now, though. What else is there?"

Satsuki turned, suddenly, facing her younger sister. A blush crept across her face as she reached out to take Ryuko's hands in her own. They were cool and dry… how very like her sister, Ryuko noted slyly. She couldn't help but taken aback by the sudden sign of affection, though. Her sister continued, voice quavering ever so gently.

"Now, we make up for all the time Ragyo took from us. I would like us to start anew, as sisters. It would mean a great deal to me if you would accept this invitation to live with me here in the Kiryuin mansion."

Ryuko smiled at the memory, a soft blush rising to her cheeks at how quickly she'd accepted. That smile stayed with her when she spit the toothpaste from her mouth, quickly rinsing and spitting before turning off the light to the bathroom, leaving herself enveloped in darkness. She turned and opened the door to the hall, revealing an expanse only illuminated by the few rogue rays of light from the outdoor lamps that penetrated this deeply into the mansion. It was in those moments like this that she appreciated Satsuki's first gift to her after accepting her into her home- real pajamas. In contrast to those too-small bunny patterned cotton pajamas, these were made of thick silk, dyed crimson and reaching past her wrists and ankles, lined with gold dyed fur. They were heavenly. She drew them closer to herself, bunching the fur lining up under her neck as she slipped through the darkness to Satsuki's room.

She paused outside Satsuki's door, her mind wandering again as she reflected on her relationship with her sister. Her thoughts turned to Mako, the girl who became her best and first real friend. She burrowed her chin deeper into the fur lining, enjoying the warmth it provided. She still hadn't gotten rid of those tight little pajamas. She doubted she ever would. She suppressed a giggle at the thought of the girl's bombastic family, always moving at one hundred miles per hour. Always loving, caring, never questioning. They were the first real family she ever had, but… Mr. and Mrs. Mankanshoku were never really parents to her. She'd clicked with Mako, sure, but the others… never as much. She wanted her own family. Her own mother and father. Her eyes lit up, toes curling in the fabric of the rich, soft carpeting beneath her feet. She had Satsuki now! Real flesh and blood!

She took a half step forward to the door in front of her, twisting the beautiful handle. She cracked the door ever so little, lining her eye up with the crack so she could spy in on her sister. The dim light from the hall spilled out in a long crack across Satsuki's room, bringing a shaft of light across the luxurious room. It fell across Satsuki's sleeping form, the young REVOCS CEO lost in unknown dreams. The sheets on the bed followed each of Satsuki's curves, sending a flutter through Ryuko's heart as she watched the silent rise and fall of her sister's chest. It was almost laughable to think that she'd once hated this breathtaking young woman with all her heart. Now, all she could do was admire her strength and poise. All she could do was want be just like her newfound big sister.

Her eyes scanned across the room and fall upon a set of digital numbers, softly illuminating the darkness.

1:04 AM

Ryuko sighed, her smile dropping. She mentally chastised herself, turning away from Satsuki's door, "I really do need to be getting more sleep… Waking up tired all the time is a pain in the ass. If I can't find a rhythm, school is gonna bite me in the ass."

She closed it shut behind her with an almost inaudible click, ever so care to not wake her sister. She hooked her free hand under her armpit, warming it as best she could, "Sats has enough to worry about without me waking her in the middle of the night…"

Truth be told, she'd considered bringing her lack of sleep to Satsuki's attention, but the girl was just so incredibly busy… She was the CEO of REVOCS now. She had a global firestorm to manage, all while planning the reconstruction of Honnouji academy into an actual school. Her spirit dampened as she slowly continued the short walk down the hall to her own room. There were actually several things she wanted to talk to her sister about. She wanted to ask about her father. Her mother. REVOCS. Nui. The butler Soroi, even! And… Junketsu. What she'd done when Nui stitched it on to her.

She slid into her own luxurious room, the amenities almost a mirror image of Satsuki's. She was sure to close the door behind her quietly, still mindful of her sister just down the hall. Her mood took a turn for the worse when she thought about that horrible day, when she'd charged Nui and Ragyo on her own. When she was captured. When… When her mother...

She sat back on the edge of the bed, fighting back tears.

She knew she'd been raped.

Her memory of the act was a blur, but she was still aware when Nui was sewing the rabid kamui's life fibers into her very body. She crawled across her bed, curling into a ball on top of her covers when she reached her pillows. She could feel that horrible needle digging into her skin, weaving her together with that monster while she healed over and over again. She'd demanded they stop. She'd begged. She'd cried.

She squeezed her thighs together. She could feel her mother's groping hands, reaching down, teasing her. Pleasuring her. Raping her, all while whispering sweet promises in her ears.

She twisted on her silken sheets, curling under them, wrapping herself in a cocoon of sheets on top of her pile of down pillows. She needed layers. She needed something between her and that horrible, groping, violating hand. Tears leaped to her eyes as she buried her sobs into her pillow, biting down to keep from crying out too loudly. Satsuki didn't need her problems on top of her own.

Ryuko clenched her eyes shut, sweat breaking out across her body as she stressed, tormenting herself as much as her memories did. She had no memory of wearing Junketsu. After all that pain, her memory of what had happened faded into white obscurity. She was able to create something of an idea of what had happened based on the wreckage on the deck of the S.S. Naked Sun, but nobody had ever told her exactly what occured. Mako, who couldn't keep herself from shouting to the heavens about whatever she thought was relevant, was silent on the subject. Even her sister deflected her questions when Ryuko asked her about it. She assumed it was bad.

She sighed softly, drawing her legs tighter underneath her as she closed her eyes, trying to escape these horrible thoughts and flee into blissful sleep. In mere moments, her breathing relaxed.

Ryuko awoke to a sensation she'd never realized before. She was breathing for the first time. She could think clearly now. Her whole being was enveloped in shining light, soothing and strengthening her. It was nirvana. Bliss. She knew, for that moment, her exact place in the universe. Everything was as it should have been.

And then her mother's voice, gentle and serene, rang through her ears like chiming bells.

"How do you like the pleasure of being enveloped by Junketsu?"

That bliss became a prison. She could feel it enveloping her. Penetrating her flesh. Tethered through her muscles and bones. Ryuko wanted to scream at the violation- wanted to cry out, but her body would not. All the while she was overwhelmed by this wondrous new sensation. She could feel Ragyo's and Nui's nude bodies pressed against her own, their feather soft caresses sending electricity down her spine. They whispered in her ears, their voices soft, like warm velvet.

"In all the world, only you and I can savor this pleasure. Enjoy it to the fullest."

Her mother's words slipped through her mind and body, resonating in her core. She knew it was true, too. Only she and Ragyo had fused directly with life fibers, taking the organisms into their selves. This was the ecstasy of being worn by clothing… of being ONE with clothing, bound together. Her spirit raged, trying to escape the bindings her mother's words weaved in her soul, but she could not bring her body to resist. Her body smiled. Her body eagerly accepted their embrace.

"As you are now, you must know perfectly well what I'm thinking."

Ryuko shrieked in defiance. She knew what was coming. Should not stop it. Her body gasped in pleasure, still reeling from the sensation of being bound to Junketsu. Even as her lips parted, Ryuko tried to force them shut. As she spoke, she tried to scream. There was nothing she could do.

"Humans exist to serve clothing…"

Her body went into motion without her consent, following Ragyo and Nui's whims like a puppet on strings. The kamui Junketsu feasted on the blood her body offered, each needle penetrating her flesh with a gentle flick of a finger. When the kamui drank its fill, her world transformed into raw, carnal, passion. It was wanton and unrelenting, filling her with such need that she'd never known before. She needed an anchor. Something that could see her through this storm of raging emotion.

"Lady Ragyo, Lady Satsuki has escaped."

Satsuki.

"She what?"

Hearing the name was like a sword slicing through her chest. In that moment, it, and everything that it represented, repulsed her. The very notion of rejecting the Life Fibers was paramount to absolute treason, but the idea of betraying their mother?! Did Satsuki not know the horror of living your entire life alone?! To live your life waking up every morning with no one to turn to!? With nobody to hold you and tell you everything would be better? With nobody to kiss you goodnight or help you with school? With nobody to sit down and explain what a god-damned period is!?

In that moment, her sister was the most ignorant, wretched, abominable, creature alive. Satsuki fueled the flames of hatred in Ryuko's heart. She fed the disgust writhing in her stomach. Satsuki needed to be punished. Broken. Satsuki didn't deserve the Life Fibers. She didn't deserve Mother.

In her prison, Ryuko hated herself. She hated herself for feeling the same things her body felt. For hating Satsuki. Her big sister, who invited her into her home. Who saved her life, in the end of it all when she came crashing back down to earth. Her sister who loved her. Ryuko hated Satsuki because she had so much, while Ryuko had so little.

And yet, despite all this rage and hate, her body craved something more.

Ryuko watched, impotent, as her body pulled Nui close. The girl was worried. Ryuko was horrified. She could feel the heat in her body's core, the carnal desire that needed to be released. Boundless passion and emotion, raging uncontrollably. She screamed anew as her body locked lips with her father's killer. Her soul shattered then, as she felt her tongue mingle with Nui's, her body savoring the taste of the petite girl in its grip. Her lips were soft. She tasted sweet, like strawberries. This was the ultimate betrayal to her father's memory. This was a nightmare with no end. This was Hell.

Her dream became a blur of violence with no end, laughing as she crushed her former friends beneath her newfound strength. Her newfound passion. Even when Satsuki and Senketsu joined forces, they were little more than stumbling blocks before her and Junketsu. Every swing of her blade was followed by a silent prayer from Ryuko. She prayed that this is where she regained control. That his is where they'd stopped her. Before she could cause any more harm.

Worse yet were the emotions that raged through her heart. She knew that Ragyo and Nui had tampered with her mind. She knew that Junketsu had caused her emotions to surge wildly out of control. It didn't matter to her, though. It was so real. This hatred. This disgust. Her only salvation was that she knew it came to an end. Even when Nui arrived, she clung to that desperate shard of hope. This would come to an end.

When she ripped Senketsu from Satsuki's body, that hope almost shattered. How could they overcome her when Satsuki lay there, broken in the debris of the ship's deck? When Mako stopped her from landing the finishing blow on her sister, her heart soared again. Surely, that was where she drew the line! That hope was soon crushed though, just as all her others had been. Her heart seized when she brought her scissor-blade down on the Mankanshoku family. Even when Satsuki parried the blow, saving all their lives, she despaired. The closest thing she had to a family had tried to appeal to her heart and she'd repaid them with an execution. She was unprepared for the pain that came next. Her punishment.

Ryuko howled in agony, along with her body, as Senketsu was driven into the gaping wound Satsuki has pried open on her chest. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt… as if she were being pulled apart from the very core of her being. Every inch of her body was on fire, blazing with pain at Senketu's violation, nerves screaming as he shook Junketsu's life fibers loose from her own.

She wanted this to be over. She didn't want to see herself doing this awful things, being this horrible monster of passion. She didn't want to endure this horrible pain. She could not shut her eyes. She could not drown out the sounds of battle with her scream.

And then there was silence. Blissful, wonderful, perfect silence. No more pain. No more hurting her friends. She was alone, now, accompanied only by a mannequin. She was in a church, standing at the altar, wearing the most beautiful wedding dress she'd ever seen. It was over. This nightmare had finally ended…

Her heart clenched when the pounding on the door began.

All too soon, Mako was yelling at her again.

"This isn't happiness! This isn't even close to happiness!"

Shut up!

"Snap out of it, Ryuko!"

SHUT UP!

"Dummy, dummy, dummy! Fine! Go ahead and kill me! If you're so intent on staying cooped up in here, kill me and give up on being my Ryuko!"

Ryuko swung her scissor-blade down at the source of her agony, desperate for escape from this nightmare. Blood cascaded from the open wound, showering the two girl in crimson. Her tired and furious eyes met Mako's terrified and betrayed gaze, eyes eventually falling to see the gaping wound she'd left in Senketsu. Again and again, the scene played in her mind. She screamed as the blade fell again and again, cleaving into the only set of clothes she vowed she'd ever wear. Her father's greatest gift to her. She screamed and screamed, falling into darkness as she betrayed everything and everyone she stood for.

She trashed, howling into the night, kicking and screaming as hand clutched and grabbed at her. They wouldn't hold her! They couldn't! SHE NEEDED OUT!

A voice came from a distance, calling her name, desperate and afraid.

Satsuki.

Ryuko's eyes slowly opened, revealing her room illuminated by soft lighting, the dark figure of her sister crouched over her, hands wrapped tightly around her arms, powerful fingers digging into her skin. Satsuki called her name again, and Ryuko saw the terror in her sister's eyes. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen… even when Ragyo crushed her rebellion, Satsuki had remained composed to the end.

Her sister's eyes softened, voice dropping to little more than a whisper,

"Ryuko, it's okay… I'm here Ryuko, whatever it is, it's fine, it's over now…"

Ryuko broke.

She wailed her sorrow into the crook of her sister's neck, clinging to Satsuki like she could disappear at any moment, as if she would disappear back into that endless nightmare that had engulfed her moments ago. In that moment, she wasn't the world's savior. She wasn't the most powerful being on the Earth, capable of bending steel with her bare hands and crushing an army with a single swing of a sword. She was a terrified little girl whose world had opened up and eaten her alive.

The poor girl offered no resistance as Satsuki wrapped her in a tender embrace, rocking her back and forth, whispering soft reassurances into her ear to soothe the pain, "It was just a nightmare, Ryuko, nothing that can hurt you…"

Ryuko opened her mouth to speak, but she could say nothing to describe the nightmare she had endured. She spluttered into her sister's neck, trying to form an idea or a coherent sentence, but the memories of her rampage escaped into the ether. The only thing left behind with Ryuko was crippling sorrow and self loathing. She knew she was horrible. She knew she was a monster.

At the end of the night, there was nothing left except a terrified girl, lost in broken despair, and her big sister, who was hopelessly trying to comfort the younger sibling.

In that broken despair, Ryuko wished for just one thing.

A mother's love.