"…I'm gonna enjoy beating you a second time!"

I stood my ground for his barrage of attacks, expecting to be thrown to the side like I was earlier, but surprisingly, the boxer dude's punches barely hurt; in fact, they didn't hinder me at all, and I was fast enough to dodge most of them. It seemed that wearing something as skimpy as this was a small price to pay for that kind of strength.

The boxer dude looked at me dumbstruck, but kept fighting anyway. He ran towards me and tried to hit me in the stomach, but I flipped over and evaded him. It was a close call though, as his fists barely grazed me before I got out of the way.

My form bothers you, does it not, Cross-Breed?

You again?!

You did not expect me to strike up a conversation with you at this time.

Oh really? Gee, I couldn't tell! And my name's Ryuko, not 'cross-breed,' so stop calling me that!

The boxer dude started hitting me with rapid speed again, and I was using my scissor blade to block his attacks, but I was sure he'd eventually find an opening.

This flesh-being is very strong, but very stupid. He fights you as though he is fighting a rock.

What does that even mean?

Sure enough he tried to hit me in the face, but I managed to swerve out of the way and kick him in the torso, and he fell over. He got up, but he was pretty weak, I was sure I had at least bruised him, but he ran at me and tried to punch me again.

"How are you able to evade my Iron Fist Barrage?!"

He was practically screaming in my face, it was getting a little ridiculous.

"Really…? You actually name your attacks? You think you're some kind of supervillain or what?"

"How dare you! If anyone here is a villain, it's you! Humanity's…"

He punched me in the shoulder, I winced, but it didn't hurt that much. I used my scissor blade to graze his arm, there was a bit of blood.

"Progress…"

He tried to hit me in the face, but I swerved out of the way again.

"Depends…"

He tried to hit me in the stomach again, but to no avail.

"On…"

Finally I was getting sick of playing cat and mouse with him and did a forward roll to the side so that there would be more of a gap between us. But he ran towards me and tried to hit me again.

"…LIFE FIBRES! Those who deny this fact only wish to send all of humankind back to the STONE AGES!"

And once again he resumed his whole 'iron fist barrage' crap.

He's treating me like a punching bag! This guy has zero creativity!

I was trying to tell you just that.

Okay, so I can't keep toying with him, how do I finish him off?

His uniform is the source of his strength. Find the nexus thread, and sever it.

What the hell is a nexus thread?

Sever it, and a uniform is torn asunder.

So… it's his Achilles Heel?

Come again?

His weak point.

Correct.

So, how do I find it?!

I will assist you in that endeavour…

Suddenly my vision went black-and-white, but I saw two bright red lines in each of the boxer dude's gloves, almost immediately after noticing this, my vision turned back to normal, and the boxer dude was still trying to hit me.

The shorts do nothing. His gloves are his uniform.

I am surprised you did not figure that out earlier.

Wait… how the hell did that happen anyway?

I can control the Life Fibres inside you so that you see as we do, albeit temporarily. Now enough idle prattle, focus on your opponent.

I jumped into the air as high as I could, for a minute the boxer dude looked up at me, and then tried to use an uppercut, but I cut through his gloves before he could act, and both of them turned to streams of cloth and fell to the floor. He began to tremble and shake a bit, and knelt down and started to cry like a small child.

"How… how did you…"

Then he screamed at me and buried his face in his hands. I didn't want to think like this, but I kind of felt sorry for him. I heard that if students from higher tiers started falling back in their performance, they'd be sent to the slums. I was pretty sure that fate was waiting for him.

Suddenly I felt strings crawling all over my body, and saw that the uniform started to take on its original appearance. I almost immediately felt weak and drained, and knelt down because my legs gave way. When I looked up, Satsuki was right in front of me.

"Of course a hybrid such as yourself would be able to see nexus threads…"

I didn't even have the energy to glare at her or come up with some kind of insult.

"…but you have no idea how to control your weapon, do you? You little fool…"

That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.


"Half-Breed!"

The buck-toothed kid throws a dodge ball at my face. It should hurt real bad, but it doesn't.

"Didn't you hear, this place is for humans only! Go back to space and never come back!"

The girl with the really bad hair throws stones at me; I feel blood trickle down my forehead.

"Get out! Get out! We don't need Hybrids here!"

One of them kicks sand in my eyes, and another one kicks me so I fall on the floor with my face in the dirt.

"Evil savage!"

They all start kicking my back to make sure I stay down.

"Freak!"

"Alien slave!"

One pushes my head down into the sand, I feel suffocated.

"I bet she works for the rainbow lady!"

"Yeah! And I bet she'll call her little COVER buddies for backup and turn us into slaves!"

"She can't stay here!"

"Kill the hybrid! Kill the hybrid! Kill the hybrid!"

I lose control of myself, my vision goes red and I start beating them all senseless, screaming all the way. Once they're all bloody and battered, I hop the fence and run, far, far away. I just want to beat up something, anything at all. I'm so angry with everything, with humans, with Life Fibres, with the world, with Dad. I just want it all to burn, I want all of them to burn in hell.

I see two people coming my way, they look human, but they aren't. One's got pink hair and eyes, the other's got orange. They're saying something. Their voices are strange, it's like they're making whirring noises and talking at the same time. I don't care. I don't care what they're saying. I just want to beat them all. I run at them and attack them in blind rage.

I feel them come at me and I black out…

I don't know how long I was out, but I'm hearing voices. I can't see much though.

"Oh dear… she's been beaten quite badly."

"Whaddaya expect from a pair of COVERS?"

"Didn't they all go away after the war?"

"Well it looks like the Kiryuins are tryin' to bring 'em back."

I feel something licking my face, and my vision comes back. A pug is sitting on my chest, staring square at me. I'm too disoriented to mind, and besides, I don't hate animals, in fact, they can be better than humans most of the time.

"Well, it looks like Guts managed to wake you up!"

I see a woman with chestnut brown hair with a baby in her lap, she looks too refined to be from a place like this, and a slightly chubby looking man in a white coat. Next to them is a girl around my age, and a boy who looks a little bit older. The dog gets off me and walks to the girl, then takes a seat next to her.

"You had a bad spill there, girl. I doubt you were in your right mind there, takin' on a pair of COVERS like that. If my daughter here hadn't found you, you'd be dead by now."

I look at my body, which is covered in bandages, and I look up at the man.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a back alley doctor, Barazo Mankanshoku. That's my wife, Sukuyo. That's Masaomi, Mako, and little Mataro over there…"

"How'd I get here?"

"I carried you here, of course, and Daddy patched you up! You have to be more careful, it's getting really dangerous now and Mommy says we should stay within the colony borders!"

"Which colony are you from, dear? I've never seen you before…"

Why are these people so concerned about me? How does it matter to them if I live or die? They're humans, and humans hate hybrids… they all do… they're all the same…

"You're… not… scared of me?"

"Why should we be scared? You don't look like a threat to me."

"But… I'm a hybrid… and humans hate hybrids. Nobody likes me. Nobody wants to be my friend because they all think I'm evil, they all want me dead…"

I start to cry, this doesn't make any sense. Dad left me to rot in this hellhole and be hated and picked on. People aren't supposed to care about me, this is weird, this shouldn't be happening. Why is it happening?

"Oh, don't cry. I know, I'll be your friend!"

I stop crying and only look at Mako, nobody has ever said those words to me before.

"It's only because you live in this wretched hive that you're treated like that. We all hate this place, that's why I'm studying real hard now, so I can pass my evaluation and me and my family can go to Honnouji Academy, hey, you should go there too, I hear Hybrids get the VIP treatment there!"

"That's not what Dad said, he said that the Kiryuins take Hybrids away and experiment on them-"

"That's what they all say, your dad's probably just jealous-"

Mako's mom doesn't seem to like that, so she pinches the older boy's ear.

"Masaomi!"

"All right, all right! I'm sorry! Jeez…"

Suddenly I hear a knock at the door. Mako's mom puts the baby on her husband's lap and then goes to check it, and a minute later, she comes out and Dad's standing right there.

"Ryuko!"

He runs towards me. Yes, he finally shows concern for me when I'm on the brink of death. Some father he is. I don't even know how he managed to find me, but I don't really think about it. Mako's dad looks around and then asks Dad if he wants to be alone with me. He says yes, and then Mako and her family leave the room.

"Why are you here? You don't care about me! You leave me with people who hate me; it's all your fault! I hate you-"

He slaps me and grabs my shoulders.

"Remember what I told you, Ryuko."

Why does he make me do this whenever we talk, if we talk at all? It's a pointless exercise.

"…Don't lose your way."

"But you did just that today, you could have died-"

"I know that! What does that stupid saying even mean anyway?!"

Dad's silent for a while, he looks sad.

"It means you need to have a grip over yourself, over the Life Fibres inside you. Hold on to your sense of self, Ryuko. You never know when you may start to fade away…"


Satsuki let me go.

She could have killed me, she had the opportunity, but she didn't. She let me go. Why? I was her enemy; I was out to find out her dirty secrets, I was Ishin Matoi's daughter, so… why? What was her motivation for sparing me? Trying to find out why was driving me insane.

When I looked at my surroundings, I felt a sense of déjà vu, and then I knew what it was. Mako's dad, her mom, and Mataro were standing around me, and Guts was at my feet, just like they were that day. But I noticed something was missing… but what?

"How… how did I-"

"Mataro found you lying unconscious in the tramway, don't know how you got there though…"

He sighed and began to look around impatiently, guess he was waiting for something.

"It's been eight years since then… and you haven't changed a bit. What, get into another fight?"

I told him how I ended up in Honnouji and my reason for being here, leaving out the details of the fight with the boxer dude and Satsuki on my tail. I remembered that Mikisugi told me not to get Mako involved in this mess.

Speaking of which… where was she?

"So you think the guy who killed Ishin is somewhere around here? Well, I can't guarantee your success, but I can wish you good luck, I guess…"

"Where's Mako?"

"She should be home by now; I wonder what's wrong…"

Then I remembered Barazo's first born child, and his dream of coming here, hoping to make it big…

"And Masaomi…?"

Mako's mom flinched and looked a little uneasy. Then he sighed in resignation.

"Oh, uh, well… I like to think he's someplace nice… maybe he's a two star, or a three star, maybe he's in Tokyo, or workin' for REVOCS… but I believe I can dream… I guess…"

I figured something was up with Masaomi that nobody was going to tell me about, or maybe he was dead and they didn't want to believe it. I decided to leave the matter for now. I got up, feeling a bit more energetic, and decided to walk about, hoping to get my muscles moving again.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere; I'd just like to walk around, I feel like I need to get my muscles going."

I walked out the door and started to walk about the narrow hall, going over what happened during the fight I last had in my head.

You passed out because I need to take blood from you in order for you to access my power.

I almost forgot about the uniform, or the Kamui, as Satsuki called it.

So you really ARE a parasite…

I prefer the term symbiote, if you don't mind.

Shut your filthy mouth-

I do not have a mouth to speak with, remember?

Right…

Also, there is something you must know. Since our minds are connected, I was able to look through your memories. I remember that the man who created me was the very same parental figure whose death you seek to avenge.

I figured, Dad told me to take you… before he died, and Mikisugi mentioned about you in passing. But I don't understand why I have to be half naked in order to operate you. I swear, Dad had a sick sense of humour.

I told you, I change my form according to how much control you have over yourself, since you wanted complete control, I took on this form. This is how all of us operate.

So the less ground you cover, the more control I have?

Precisely.

Well, I don't like it.

Your preference is irrelevant here. Oh, and there's something else I remember, but not from your memories. I faintly recall another Kamui being created with me, but I am not sure, I seem to have gaps in my consciousness…

Why would Dad create two of these things? Maybe you're remembering it wrong.

Perhaps, perhaps not. Ryuko…

That's the first time you've used my name.

I am aware. I understand you flesh-beings feel the need to identify yourselves using these… names. I would also like a name too, if you don't mind.

I'm no good at names.

Anything will do.

What are you anyway, male, female?

How is this relevant?

Men and women have different names.

Kamui do not technically have genders… but since you asked, I choose to identify as male.

That makes your appearance when you transform even worse…

So what have you decided, for my name I mean?

Senketsu.

Senketsu?

It means, 'fresh blood,' since you require blood to be activated and all.

Very well, I will take it.

"RYUKO!"

Mataro's scream brought me back to reality. I ran to the living room to see what was wrong, and I saw all the members of Mako's family staring at the television agape.

I saw Mako tied to a stake, and a pit of boiling water below, next to it was that Sanageyama guy from before, and high above the whole scene was Satsuki, staring down at the people she oppressed.

"This is a message for Ryuko Matoi, if you wish to see your friend alive, come to Honnouji Academy and save her with your own two hands. I will be waiting."

I didn't want to get Mako involved in this mess… but there she was. Now her life was on the line because of me, I had no other choice but to go back.