CHAPTER ONE: Mirror Image
Word Count: 3,441
Chapter Rating: R for profanity, nudity, and sexual content
more notes at the end
Ryuko stood almost motionless as she glared at her reflection in the vanity. She gulped as water droplets slowly glided along her lithesome body, leaving little trails in their wake. The cold air seemingly embraced her boiling skin as it graced her with goosebumps and perky teats. She seemed engulfed in her own appearance, almost in awe. Although, it wasn't the good kind of awe. Instead her thoughts tried to comprehend why she had been given a body with a corrosive mind.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Ryuko recomposed herself. Whether it took place at home or in the streets when peering innocently into a window, she would often find herself spacing out at her own reflection. These mindless trances would pull her in and play games with her, toying with her sanity as it questioned why she seemed so sad and why she felt so alone when she stood atop the world. It made her sick to her stomach. It was a bad habit she tried profusely to break, but it seemed as if there was no progress made. She couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong and why these episodes kept occurring. In the end, all that could be done was to move on and forget it happened.
Ryuko had taken a towel across her body as she told herself to forget the negative thoughts racing through her brain. It seemed to work as the now damp towel was tossed into a hamper. The sound of bare feet clapped against the freezing tile floor whilst she made her way out of the bathroom. Her feet dragged her over to the walk-in closet and threw the doors open to reveal an ungodly amount of different outfits. Any normal person greeted with such a horrendous quantity would gaze lamely with awe. It was all too natural for it to have an effect on Ryuko anymore.
Out of all the different clothes she could have picked, Ryuko picked out a plain black tee-shirt and ripped skinny jeans. It seemed to match her mood, dark and tattered. The similarities were almost comical, but if Ryuko were in a better mood, she would have cared. Instead she felt sour and cold with a hint of no care in the world. Her emotions were like an elaborate rotten milkshake that hadn't been blended properly.
A loud ring sounded from her phone which sat on the corner of her bed as she finished pulling her jeans on. She grabbed the mobile device and checked to see who texted her. A heavy sigh erupted from her lungs as she rolled her eyes and threw her phone back onto the bed.
"See u later! Off 2 work 3" the text had read. It was from her supposedly boyfriend Kira. He didn't really feel like a boyfriend. He felt more like a distraction. Perhaps he would be a better distraction if he just kept his dick in his pants, but it seemed to be too hard for him to do since he saw other girls behind her back.
Ryuko didn't care much since she harbored no feelings for her alleged boyfriend, but at this point he was just annoying and she wanted him to go away. Perhaps at some point today, she'll break up with him. Maybe she would break up with him at work and humiliate him like he humiliated her by sleeping with random girls. It seemed fair. An eye for an eye.
The sudden buzz of her phone pulled her out of the daze she was in. The text had been from her manager, but she opted to ignore it. A fierce loud growl erupted from her stomach while she made her way to the kitchen and opened the pantry. For someone swimming in money, she didn't have enough to eat. Instead she found herself to be too busy to go shopping. Often she would have pizzas delivered to her house while she was working out an important movie scene.
Ryuko settled for bagels and threw them in the toaster. She hopped up on to the kitchen counter and leaned against a cabinet and played a game on her phone to pass the time. Another message from her manager popped up, but she ignored it and turned to the toaster after it had popped up golden bagels. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her breakfast and decided not to put anything on top. Just a plain old bagel. It was almost comical how plain she was being today.
Ryuko fell back on to her couch as she munched on her breakfast. She began playing her games again until her phone eventually started to ring. It was her manager. "What the fuck does he want, oh my god" she thought as she answered the phone.
"Jesus Christ Ryuko, fucking answer me when I text" the manager hissed through the phone. "Did you forget you have an audition today in like 15 minutes" He continued as the sound of shuffling papers sounded from his side of the phone.
"Oh fuck!" Ryuko exclaimed as she stood up, forgetting about the half eaten bagels on the couch. She jogged to the front door of her rather sizable house and slipped her shoes on. Her mind recited curses over and over again as she struggled to get her heel into the sneakers.
"Don't tell me..." he paused. "You're still at home? For crying out loud! Do you understand how many strings I had to pull to get you this audition? This shit's going to really get your acting career going, and you're going to throw it all away by being late. Unbelievable!" The manager shouted, almost making Ryuko def.
"Look if I'm going to make it there in time, you need to not lecture me right now" Ryuko snapped back as she rushed out the door and over to the hot red sport motorcycle. "You're not my mom" she seethed before hanging up. She shoved her phone into her pocket and slipped on the helmet that had been perched on the small vehicle. She straddled the leather seat and slipped the key into the ignition. It roared to life when she turned the key. The engine purred as she practically burned rubber leaving the driveway. She didn't even look to see if any cars were going to pass by.
Ryuko had to have been going 10 miles faster than the given speed limit. She passed car by car, weaving her way through traffic like the laws didn't even apply to her. She had gotten good at driving like this, considering she lived for the thrill, but today wasn't the day for that kind of excitement. She was late for a very important date. She must move with haste.
Believe it or not, it wasn't much of a surprise that Ryuko was running late. This happened to be a reoccurring habit. Why her manager hadn't realized by now was beyond her. She would show up late for meetings, other auditions, to dates, and to screenings. She called it being fashionably late, but there wasn't really anything fashionable about it.
She pulled quickly into the parking lot without slowing down. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, probably another message from her manager. She looked down for one second before looking up and seeing someone walking in front of her motorcycle. Panicked, she slammed on the brake as hard as she could. The bike threw her and she went soaring.
For a brief moment, it felt like she was flying. She couldn't touch the ground or control where she was headed. In fact, her course was headed straight for the person she braked for. She smacked right into the person, her momentum taking the other person off their feet. They tumbled down into the asphalt together as protruding rocks from the old parking lot scraped their skin and tore their clothing.
Ryuko let out a long groan as she took a moment to lay on the rather uncomfortable ground before pulling her helmet off and throwing it off to the side. Her breathing was sporadic, and her heart pumped with adrenaline. It had happened so fast that it left her confused and shocked. It was a struggle to wrap her head about what just happened. As soon as she realized what went down, she sat up quickly.
"My bike!" Ryuko exclaimed with disbelief. It was on it's side with chunks of metal and parts scattered around it. The sight was absolutely devastating. Such a beautiful motorcycle was now in lying ruins. It felt like Ryuko's soul had been ripped out of her body. It felt like she had lost her best friend.
"You've got to be kidding me" a voice sounded from a few inches away. Ryuko turned to see the person she had almost hit sitting up on her elbows. Her brow furrowed when she realized just who she had almost run over.
"Satsuki" Ryuko mumbled with a hint of resentment. On the ground next to her was her rival in business. They were both rising stars, and their fame was about equal. The biggest factor that declared them rivals was the media as they continuously compared both Ryuko and Satsuki. The influence the media had brought upon the pair of girls had turned them against each other unconsciously. Whenever they would be in the same room, they exchanged sharp looks and often spoke coldly to each other.
"Wow, look at you. So smart and observant, you are" Satsuki chimed in as she sat up. Ryuko snickered.
"Fuck you, Yoda" she snarled in response. "If you looked where the hell you were going, I wouldn't have almost ran you over!" She exclaimed. Her adrenaline was still pumping hard as she didn't realize the deep sizable scrape on her elbow, oozing blood down her arm.
"I completed all the necessary precautions a civilian is supposed to when walking through the parking lot" Satsuki replied with a nonchalant air about her. "You're the one at fault here. Perhaps if you weren't going 50 in a parking lot, this wouldn't have happened" she formally explained as she investigated herself for any blood or scrapes. Ryuko let out a flustered exhale before glancing at her bike.
"Oh god," she cried, pausing to look up. "The one thing I cared most about is in shambles" she mumbled to herself as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. She gulped down the lump in her throat as her gaze focused desperately on a cloud looming above the scene that was unfolding.
"Buy a new one. It's not like you don't have the money" Satsuki suggested once she figured she only had a scrape here and there. She looked up to see Ryuko struggling with her emotions. It was intriguing seeing her like this, considering Satsuki had never seen this side of Ryuko. She hadn't seen a lot of sides of Ryuko, but that was okay. She didn't really care to know them.
"Buy a new bike..." Ryuko repeated as she stood up. "A bike I got 3 years ago from my mother that provided me with not only transportation, but a road to escape on, and I should just... buy a new bike. Fuck that!" Ryuko shouted as she took a few steps forward in the direction of the wreck before turning to Satsuki again. She ran her fingers through her hair when she suddenly felt a searing pain. In that moment, both Ryuko and Satsuki noticed the dark crimson substance oozing from her elbow.
"Jesus Christ" Satsuki mumbled as she stood up on her feet. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ryuko's arm, moving it so that she could see the gash. It was deep and full of debris from the asphalt and the skin was torn up around the wound. It made her stomach twist at how much blood was dripping from Ryuko's elbow.
"I have a first aid kit in my car. Let's clean up your elbow alright?" Said Satsuki as she made her way towards a rather modern and extremely expensive looking black exotic sport's car.
The car seemed to compliment Satsuki very well. Ryuko actually thought she looked kinda hot opening the door and leaning in to rummage through the glove box. She gulped as her eyes traveled along Satsuki's long legs. The tightness of her jeans showed off her smooth curves, and her ass looked especially nice. Ryuko tried not to drool as her frustration somewhat subsided into a hint of lust. She had almost forgotten that she was supposed to be upset. Her bike was totaled, after all.
Satsuki returned with a red box in her hand that read "first aid" and she grabbed Ryuko's undamaged arm and pulled her inside the towering studio. Together they walked across the lobby and straight into the bathroom. Usually at this point, Ryuko would have made some pervy comment about how Satsuki was dragging her with such an assertive force, but she opted not to.
Neither of them said a word as Satsuki cleaned up Ryuko's scrape. There were many times she had to grab something out of pain as Satsuki dug out tiny rocks buried into the tender flesh. The blood had stopped flowing by the time she had fully cleaned the wound and patched it up after putting a coat of Neosporin. She was about to leave when Ryuko grabbed her wrist to keep her from departing.
"Thank you.." she said, averting her eyes from the taller girl standing before her. "For patching me up and stuff" she continued, letting go of the other girl's wrist.
"You're welcome" Satsuki replied before leaving the bathroom but not without a second glance at the wounded shorter girl. The door closed slowly behind the tall woman and left her by herself.
Ryuko glanced at the mirror, but she quickly squeezed her eyes shut and jerked away. She couldn't bare to look at herself. She was too afraid of her thoughts, of how she carried herself. Just a glance would remind her that she was lost. It would remind her that she was alone again. Oh how she longed for someone to stand next to her so that her reflection wasn't as alone as she was.
A buzz came from Ryuko's pocket, suddenly dragging her from wallowing in thought. She pulled the device out of her pocket and cursed when tiny cracks decorated her screen. It must have cracked during the accident. At least it still worked. That's all that ended up mattering.
"Are you there yet?" her manager had sent five minutes ago. "Fucking answer me!" The next text read. Ryuko shook her head out of frustration. A part of her wanted to send an angry text back about how she almost died because he couldn't keep his cool, but she decided not to. Instead, she checked the time and smiled. She was on time. Not bad for someone who was just in a motorcycle accident.
Ryuko left the bathroom and walked over to the receptionist. Sitting behind the counter was a woman in a red dress with her hair up in a bun. She looked very busy as she printed off papers and folded a few here and there. There was something about a woman hard at work that made Ryuko attracted.
"Hey there, beautiful" Ryuko said, attempting to get the receptionist's attention. "Can you maybe point out where the auditions are?" She asked, but the receptionist hardly glanced up. She didn't even look up at Ryuko.
"Down the hall, elevator to the third floor, take a right and the door should be on the left" the woman said as she organized the papers on her desk. Not entirely satisfied with the lack of attention, Ryuko cleared her throat a little. It seemed to work as the receptionist glanced up.
"Thanks" Ryuko said with a smirk, their gazes meeting. The receptionist blushed and turned away after she muttered a you're-welcome and resumed her work. Ryuko silently cheered to herself at successfully wooing the receptionist. She still had her flirtatious skills.
— [later] —
"I don't need to hear anymore! I want you!" Exclaimed the director as he stood from his seat. There was a flare in his eyes that showed his determination. It made Ryuko somewhat unsettled by his complete faith in her, but she didn't feel like complaining. She basically landed yet another lead role.
"Let's walk and talk about your schedule will be like, and who your coworkers will be" The director said as she began walking towards Ryuko. He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her out the door before she could protest, or even say goodbye to the rest of the recruiters. He really was excited to have Ryuko.
"We start Monday at 12 am sharp. No need to pick up coffee or anything, we have interns for that and a whole table full of food" he began explaining as he ushered Ryuko towards where the stage was. "We don't stop filming until eight, but there will be half hour breaks every so often. There will be days when you don't have to come to set, since we won't be focusing on your part" He rambled on when they entered the studio. It was in the middle of being constructed as props, clothing, and the set was spread out in an organized disaster.
"Who will I be working with?" Ryuko asked, trying not to sound a little overwhelmed about how fast they were jumping into things. The hand on the small of her back wasn't making her any more comfortable either. He was a little too friendly for her taste.
"Well, as student council president we have Satsuki Kiryuin" The director began, instantly making Ryuko alarmed. "her henchman, aka the Elite Four, is Uzu Sanageyama for sports club president, Nonon Jakuzure for band club president, Houka Inmuta for computer club president, and Ira Gamagori for disciplinary committee. You best friend will be played by Mako Mankanshoku. The rest of the cast is to be decided later tonight" He yapped on, practically talking Ryuko's ear off. He talked so much, and it was kinda getting on her nerves.
"Now here's the script," the director said and handed her a thick packet labeled "Kill La Kill. Episode One" in big black lettering. "Please read through this and start memorizing right away. It would be great if you had most of it memorized by Monday. Now I'll quit taking up your time and let you be on your way! Have a good day Ryuko, and I'll see you Monday" he finished with a wave. Ryuko smiled sheepishly as she waved back and quickly excited the room. It had been all so much at once, but that was okay. She understood the gist.
Ryuko found herself back in the first floor and exiting the building, but she stopped and winked at the receptionist before she did so. She found the remains of her motorcycle gone since she had called a tow truck earlier when Satsuki was patching her up. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do for a ride, since hers was totaled.
"Hey!" A voice called from her peripheral gaze. Ryuko turned to see Satsuki leaning on her black sports car with her phone in her hand. Ryuko curiously scratched the back of her head before walking towards the tall woman.
"What's up?" She asked. Satsuki rose an eyebrow with an unwavering uninterested look. She was hard to read, and Ryuko found that frustrating.
"I can give you a ride, if you'd like" said Satsuki as she shoved her phone in her pocket. "Since apparently I was the cause of your accident, I might as well take some kind of responsibility considering you have no clue to drive respectfully" she continued. Ryuko gave her a bemused look before she shifted in discomfort. Her pride told her not to accept the ride, that she was fine without anybody else's help. But then again, she didn't feel like calling a cab or walking home.
"That would be nice, I guess" Ryuko replied, turning her gaze away from Satsuki as she felt her pride take a blow. "But do you think we can stop somewhere first? I have business to take care of" she continued as her feet took her to the passenger side of the car.
"As long as you don't put anybody's life in danger..." Satsuki inquired, but earned a mischievous look from Ryuko.
"I can't promise that" she replied, getting in the car and closing the door.
A/N ;;; I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I need to go over a few things and such.
At the end of each chapter name is an exclamation point. That means those chapter have not been rewritten. Keep in mind that the old chapters might not have the same content as the new chapters, so things might not add up.
I am also currently working on other works on AO3. If you want my AO3, it's listed on my profile. Right now, this fic is not a priority. It's more of a side project for when I'm bored and have no responsibilities.
Anyways leave a comment if you like this version more, I sure do. It helps me sleep at night lol. If you see any mistakes (aside from me lmao) let me know. It's because I couldn't be bothered to reread it.
