After everything that had happened, Satsuki wanted to pay her final respects to her father, whom she only knew for a short time. After learning that he had been alive long after he left her life, her mother having forced said absence, she wanted to see what remained, if only a gravestone as Ryuko had ensured her. They returned to the quiet little graveyard not far from where the remains of the Matoi residence stood, it's cobblestone walls embedded with a fresh, soft, dark green coat of moss. Having asked Mako to stay behind, Satsuki and Ryuko both clutched bouquets of flowers of all different bright colors, putting off a potpourri of scents that calmed the mind. The sisters, hand in hand, approached Isshin's grave.
Together, they both laid their flowers in front of the intricately hand-carved headstone. Satsuki was first to rise back up as she looked upon her loving father's grave, but Ryuko didn't. She had been trying so hard to keep the tears away, but she couldn't, even with her iron resolve.
The moment she tried to hold in her tears, it all came flooding back.
The good memories she had of her father, even if only a few bright moments amongst a tough relationship.
That night, that horrible night when she went back into her home after so long only to find her father impaled by a Scissor Blade, and he said his last words to her.
Her meeting of Senketsu.
Losing him...
Ryuko grabbed tightly onto the arched top of her father's headstone, squeezing it tightly as she let the tears, glinting in the sunlight, fall onto the beautiful bouquets of flowers on the freshly mown lawn below. All her grief, her anger, her hate, became like a tangible object in her body that moved upward through her and came out in a wail so loud it echoed thrice and sent birds flying out of trees. When things went silent again, it seemed something had left, for it was even quieter than before, except for Ryuko's soft weeps. Satsuki had watched from behind, and now moved to kneel next to her sister. Ryuko slowly unclasped her hand from the stone and sat back on her knees in front of the stone, sniffling lightly.
A situation such as this was so alien to Satsuki. She never got into such emotional situations. That kind of thing was barred from her until now. Tentatively, Satsuki draped an arm across her siblings shoulders. Ryuko was startled by the gesture at first, but slowly moved into, resting her head on Satsuki's shoulder. Satsuki couldn't help but raise one side of her mouth in a little half smile and press her temple against the crown of Ryuko's head as they knelt before their father's grave. Slowly they stood, arms around each other. Both of them looked down at the stone one last time.
"Bye, Dad..." Ryuko choked out, voice long cracked by emotion.
Satsuki followed suit, her voice only wavering slightly "Goodbye, father. We love you."
Together, the sister's turned and returned to the bright orange replacement car Ira had purchased. They climbed in the back and Ira drove them home, where they'd go back to listening to Mako's peppy rambles and the other obnoxious, unpredictable antics of the Mankanshoku family.
Together. 17 years late, but together.