Satsuki's stomach continued to lurch violently as Ryuko stood baring witness to the scene before her in the doorframe, watching as Nonon held Satsuki's thick black hair back in her tiny hands. Ryuko didn't know what to do or say, as she felt completely isolated from the scene. The only thing she could tune into and understand happened to be the sounds of pain coming from her gagging sister, who was kneeling over a toilet because of this other "sibling" of theirs. But was she really related? They looked nothing alike, and black hair was definitely a dominant trait over platinum blonde. Not to mention that Nui had peculiar purple eyes, nowhere near the strong blue hue the sisters shared.

"Eye, singular, I guess" thought Ryuko curiously. How do you lose a whole eye and manage to strike fear into someone's heart with only one? Goosebumps ran over Ryuko's fair skin, remembering the girl's mannerisms. They were completely forbidding, despite the girl's cheery look. The whole position she was in right now was definitely anything but cheery. Satsuki glanced up to make eye contact with Ryuko, and she was convinced she saw a moment of submission and dread in the older girl's eyes. She grasped the counter and struggled to regain her stance, ripping a piece of toilet paper off of the roll and wiping the sides of her mouth. Her hand was shaking.

"So I'm guessing you and this Nui girl have history?" Ryuko prodded, feeling that there wouldn't be any other way into this conversation other than to be completely straightforward. Satsuki scoffed rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Yeah, history" she said angrily, throwing the piece of toilet paper into the bowl and flushing it. She nudged Ryuko over to wash her hands, not looking up from the soap suds that formed and clung to her skin.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ryuko asked cautiously, knowing how her sister wasn't too much for the "heart-to-heart" conversation.

"Not today. Not like this. I need a fresh bowl of mary-j and something to drink"

"You just threw up" Nonon criticized, crossing her arms.

"Nonon, you know the severity of Nui stalking Ryuko" Satsuki muttered.

"Woah what? Stalking? Before we get into some really creepy shit, how about you explain to me who she is? Why did she make you so nervous? Why does she only have one eye and cover it like she's making a fashion statement? Why-"

"Ryuko. I said give me a while" Satsuki said weakly. Ryuko was shocked at her sudden change in attitude, sarcasm and walls falling, leaving a young woman who was visibly stressed out.

"I promise I'll talk about it soon, ok? Just… I need time. It's hard for me to talk about" She couldn't look at Ryuko as she said it. She knew the implications of "talking about it", meaning that Ryuko would hear about the Kiryuin family and it's state of affairs, and more personally, getting into her trauma. She was far from ready to talk about that.

Ryuko nodded solemnly. She felt bad for even asking, for even bringing this whole Nui thing up. She regretted running away like a coward, because it was just a girl. No, no she couldn't be "just a girl". Satsuki had lost her shit over the mention of her name. Maybe that was just the effect she had on people. But when Ryuko thought about it, the ice cold feeling of the girl's hand on her shoulder made her feel as if her fight–or-flight instincts had kicked in, and her body screamed in protest against the "fight" option. She honestly felt that, in that moment in a public place, in a grocery store, that her life was threatened. Even now, that made her uneasy.

"I think I should go now. This is some deep shit that I was not prepared to deal with" Nonon said, shaking her head as she grabbed the hoodie she had arrived in from the back of the couch, sliding it on.

"Wait, what if Satsuki needs someone here for her? I don't know what's going on!" Ryuko panicked.

"Well, maybe it's time that she confides in you and starts to trust more people…" Nonon started

"I think it'd do her good"

Satsuki crawled into her bed slowly, carefully, as if there was a monster underneath it and the slightest movement that was too spontaneous would wake it up and cause it to swallow her whole. Ryuko flopped down onto the top of the quilt and quickly began to pick at the burned holes in the blanket from the night before. She fiddled with it for minutes, Satsuki sitting there with the same blank expression, completely silent.

"Nui is my… Our… Stepsister" Satsuki said calmly. Ryuko looked up quickly.

"What? We have a step sister? Wait, ok, hold on. Our mom got remarried?" Ryuko asked.

"His name is Junketsu. He's a dick" she replied flatly.

"Anyways, she's our stepsister and she is a terroristic piece of shit who will try to do you physical and mental harm. She's a sociopath with no concern for anyone but herself and you should be worried about her stalking you. Worried, and more careful" She said, hand gripping the hem of her shirt. She tugged the piece of clothing off quickly, exposing her torso. Ryuko didn't know what she was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't what she saw. Thick pink scars marred her otherwise flawless pale skin. Some looked as if they were once dangerously deep, and Ryuko could tell that these scars didn't happen all at once, but over a period in which she did not know the duration.

"Nui… Did that to you?"

"For more years than I'm comfortable admitting, yes." Satsuki stared off to a blank spot on the wall as if she was making eye contact with it.

"Why didn't you stop her?" Ryuko asked weakly.

"It's not that easy, Ryuko." She said quietly, retreating her body under the sheets. She was about to ask her sister to leave, when she felt Ryuko lay atop the covers right next to her.

"What are you doing?" Satsuki growled, not being the one for physical contact.

"I wanted to know what it felt like" Ryuko said apprehensively.

"I wanted to know what it would have been like if we shared a bed. Like if we were kids. I know I can't take us back, but I would have stayed with you after she did that. You were alone, weren't you?"

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't need any sympathy" Satsuki muttered.

"There's more to that story, am I right? Just… More to you, isn't there?" Ryuko said, her breath so close to the back of Satsuki's head that it warmed parts of her hair.

"I'm afraid so"

Ryuko rolled over and off of the bed, stretching her arms lazily.

"You don't have to push me away, you know that, right?" Ryuko said quietly.

"I wouldn't if you didn't try so hard"

"Satsuki, I'm trying to help. We live together now, and believe it or not, the first time I heard of your existence, I felt cheated. I wanted to know my big sister. I was alone, too, believe it or not. Some nights I thought of running out and bringing you back home. Dad talked about you so much. He loved you. I'll continue doing his job, since he's fucking dead" Ryuko sighed, about to walk out of the room, when Satsuki spoke up.

"That's sweet of you, Ryuko. In a freakishly gay way"

Ryuko opened her mouth but decided to drop the subject, and spun around to leave, when Satsuki spoke again.

"Fine, fine. I do appreciate it. I just don't like admitting it" Ryuko turned enough for Satsuki to only see a flash of her smile before the girl flicked the lights off and left. As the door closed, Satsuki curled under the blankets, back to safety. As she raised the sheets, the smell of her sister filled her nose, and caused her to stop. She let Ryuko get that close to her, something she would never let a normal stranger do to her. Honestly, it felt nice. It felt safe. That, and her sister smelled surprisingly amazing.

And that thought made Satsuki feel sick, so she shut her eyes and tried to shrug it off. But her room felt huge and empty at that moment, so she got up, despite her mind protesting in rage. She undressed and redressed into a pair of boxer shorts and an oversized shirt and tied her hair bag with a small hairband. She dug around under her bed to grab the smooth wood of the cigar box, and took it with her as she exited to the living room.

Ryuko was leaning on one arm, watching the TV absentmindedly and flipping channels every time a commercial came on. Satsuki dropped down on the couch, causing Ryuko to jump.

"Woah. Hey" Ryuko muttered, tuning back into reality.

"Smoke with me"

"Excuse me?"

"You want to be here for me, right? Well, then let's watch shitty animal documentaries and get completely fucked on THC" Satsuki said, clicking the clasps of the box open and removing a perfectly rolled and oversized blunt.

"That's fucking huge" Ryuko gawked, staring at it longingly. Satsuki shrugged, bringing it to her lips and sparking the lighter, inhaling the burning plant matter. The burn was pleasant to her, and as she coughed slightly, she sucked more air in, covering her mouth and handing the blunt to her sister. Ryuko snatched it out of her hands quickly, as it was still lit and took a drag. They both held onto it for as long as they could, before exhaling a cloud of skunky smoke. Satsuki reached for the remote and flipped through channels until they reached Animal Planet.

"Ocean stuff. Shit yes" Ryuko grinned.

"It's so crazy, it's so deep! I wish I could see it" Satsuki smiled at her sister's enthusiasm for the world and took the blunt from her, repeating the cycle of smoking. After a few more puffs, the two sisters were so far gone that they just sat there, staring with glassy eyes at the screen of the TV.

"Thank you" Satsuki finally said, looking at Ryuko for longer than normal, but in her defense, the world was moving sluggishly, and seconds seemed to be minutes, and minutes were hours. Ryuko turned and smiled that toothy grin, exposing her large canines.

"For what? You're the one who brought the drugs"

"Not that, you moron. I mean for sitting here and smoking them with me. I can't sleep, and I needed company. So thank you for your company" Satsuki said reluctantly, hating to have to spell everything out for the younger.

Ryuko chuckled softly and let her eyes grow heavy, slumping over to one end of the couch.

"It's no problem"

Satsuki looked at the rise and fall of her sister's body, and inched closer.

"Can I ask you for something? And when I ask, don't be a dick, I just need a yes or no" Satsuki struggled, already regretting bringing it up.

"Sure, go for it"

"Can I - … Oh God I am 18 years old and this is stupid"

"Just say it, Christ"

"Can I snuggle with you?" Satsuki blurted, a streak of red smearing across her face.

"I know it's immature, but Ryuko I can't sleep for more reasons than restlessness. Reasons I hope someday I can tell you. Nonon's right, I need more people I can trust in my life. It's hard for me, but please just give your really blazed sister this one small satisfaction of seeing what it's like to be next to another person when they sleep. Just tonight. I know its hella gay and lame, but I – "

"Just stop. Yes. You're sounding more and more like an idiot, just come here" Ryuko said, extending her arm. Satsuki took her hand and pulled herself onto Ryuko's chest, curling by default onto her.

"This is really gay" Satsuki whispered, watching as the fish on the screen swam in clusters, not seeming to be uncomfortable with close contact as she was.

"Shh. Sleep" Ryuko said, already getting further out of her consciousness.

The last thought Satsuki had before sleep finally granted her peace was that, once again, that her sister smelled great.

Author's Notes

Gay babieesss. I shit you not I wrote this in my English class. I'm supposed to be working. I'm writing gay fanfiction. End me.

-Rayne