Epilogue

It was The Graduation Party That Almost Wasn't.

Admittedly, they could have gone ahead and had the party even if only Ryuko had graduated, but that would hardly have been fair to Mako. Thankfully, Mako had made the matter academic, pun intended: through a combination of hard work, a creative reward system devised by the sisters, and some extensive therapy for her dyslexia, Mako had managed to squeak through at the eleventh hour, taking herself from barely literate to meeting acceptable high school standards in a matter of just a few months.

The need for intense study had given them less time for intimacy, apart from the aforementioned reward system, and all three of them were beginning to feel a little antsy as commencement and the subsequent party approached, but they made it through somehow, subsisting on stolen kisses and bedtime cuddles for the time being. Nonetheless, it had become obvious over the final weeks that Mako's motivation was at least as much about wanting to have sex with the sisters again as it was graduating high school.

Either way, it worked, and when the day finally came Ryuko and Mako received their diplomas at their new school while Satsuki sat with the Mankanshoku family and watched them proudly. At one point Sukuyo had held Satsuki's hand tightly and said: "I'm so proud of all of my girls," and Satsuki could not help but get a little misty.

From there it was home for last-minute preparations, and then opening the door to their guests.

For the most part, the party ended up being a reunion of those who had been present for the fall of Honnouji: Iori and the Elite Four, Mikisugi and Kinagase, Hakodate and Fukuroda, Yaguruma and Uwabami and several of the other former club presidents, the entire Mankanshoku clan, Soroi, and even Ogure Maiko, proving once again that Mako was not one to hold a grudge.

Satsuki spent most of the party in the role of observer, content to be in the presence of friends and... yes, family, as strange as the word felt even now. From Mako chatting away with an embarrassed Iori- talking bras, no doubt, given the way Mako kept demonstrating her points by indicating the shape of her breasts- to Ryuko challenging and beating several of the others in arm-wrestling, to Ogure hanging all over Sanageyama in a way that hinted at greater familiarity than Satsuki had known, to Gamagori trying to keep up his stoic demeanor in spite of the ridiculous party hat Mako had put on him... none of it escaped her eyes.

Eventually, though, Satsuki found a small hand in hers, and then Nonon was wordlessly dragging her out to the rear balcony and sliding the door closed behind them, leaving them alone in the evening air. "Okay, Satsuki-chan, enough of the silent treatment. Come clean."

"I beg your pardon, Nonon?" Satsuki smiled bemusedly.

"That's what I'm talking about, right there!" Nonon almost shouted, pointing one finger directly at Satsuki's face. "You're smiling!"

"Is that so strange?"

"What's strange is that you've been doing it a lot lately, Satsuki-chan. What gives?"

Satsuki arched her eyebrows at her oldest female friend. "Is it such a bad thing that I'm smiling, then?"

"Of course not!" Nonon sighed, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "But you've been doing it a LOT in the last couple of months, and since my best friend hasn't TOLD me anything, I'm stuck wondering why. So are you gonna tell me what's got you in such a good mood lately or not?"

"I... wasn't aware that my behavior was so unusual," Satsuki said evenly, then took a sip of her punch to cover her expression.

Nonon narrowed her eyes. "You're getting laid, aren't you?"

Even the unflappable Kiryuin Satsuki couldn't stop herself from sputtering on her drink, and Nonon gave what could only be called a triumphant scowl. "I KNEW it! You ARE, aren't you?"

"I may have... indulged in certain acts of intimacy, yes..." Satsuki managed.

"And you didn't tell me... WHY?"

"I'm... I'm sorry, Nonon, truly," Satsuki bowed in apology. "So much has happened, and... I have had difficulty understanding it myself at times, never mind trying to explain it to someone else."

"Whatever, water under the bridge," Nonon waved dismissively, then gave Satsuki an intent look. "So who is it? Spill."

"I..." Satsuki started, but her voice locked up on her.

Nonon shook her head. "No, let me guess. Hmmm. I'm pretty sure it's not Toad-boy, 'cause he probably would have broken things off with me out of a sense of honor, poor doofus."

"It's... not Ira," Satsuki nodded.

"Hmmm. Iori, then? He's been wanting to lay more than fashion on you for years now, you know."

"I thought he and Inumuta..."

"Oh, he and Doggie have got that Ambiguously Gay Duo thing going, sure," Nonon snorted, "but I don't think they've ever sealed the deal. Hmmm... Monkey's been getting his knob polished by the Exile, so probably not him either..."

"It's no one from the inner circle," Satsuki sighed. "Honestly, Nonon, even if things hadn't happened as they have, to choose one of you over the others would break my heart. You must know that."

Jakuzure's face softened. "I know," she frowned. "Much as I might have hoped otherwise sometimes."

"I'm sorry, Nonon..."

Another dismissive wave. "Ehh, don't worry about it. More important things to think about now, like figuring out who's been slipping the sausage to my best friend."

Satsuki raised her eyebrows again at Nonon's colorful choice of euphemism. "Maybe there's no 'sausage' involved at all."

"Hmm, how about..." Nonon started, but then Satsuki's words seemed to register, and she slowly turned wide eyes on her old friend. "Wait a second. You're... sleeping with another girl, Satsuki-chan?"

"Do you disapprove?" Satsuki asked.

"Of course I don't disapprove!" the former band-leader shouted, waving her hands in the air. "But Satsuki-chan, if you wanted a little lickety-split in your life, why the HELL didn't you ask ME?"

"Didn't I just say..?"

"Well, this changes everything," Nonon interrupted, once again putting on a look of concentration. "I need to revise my list of candidates, and..." She paused, and narrowed her eyes again. "Oh, dear God, it's not Transfer Student, is it?"

"It's not Ryuko," Satsuki nodded. "She and I have become very close, Nonon- closer than I ever thought we would- but there are lines we will not cross with one another."

"Well, if it's not her, then who in the...?"

The balcony door slid open slightly, and Mako all but cannoned through, grabbing Satsuki in one of her leaping hugs. "Satsuki~!" she sang. "It's almost time for cake and karaoke! Wanna sing a duet with me?" She then turned and noticed Nonon's presence as well. "Hello, Jakuzure-senpai! Erm, or is it Jakuzure-san now? Are you enjoying the party?"

There was a long silence, and then Nonon stood to her full height, such as it was, and pointed dramatically at Mako. "YOU!"

"Me?" Mako asked, eyes widening.

"YOU'RE HAVING SEX WITH SATSUKI-CHAN!" Nonon shrieked, probably loudly enough to be heard by the entire party.

"Oh!" Mako exclaimed, looking up at Satsuki with startled eyes. "Were we going to start telling people, Satsuki? I'm fine with it if you are, but..!"

"IT'S TRUE?!" Jakuzure yelped.

"Enough, Nonon," Satsuki said evenly, raising one hand to forestall her friend's histrionics. "It's true. Mako and I have been lovers for a few months now. She has... helped me through very difficult times... she still IS, to be honest... and she has shown me happiness that I never believed I could experience in my life. I'm sorry I kept it from you, Nonon, but we wanted to wait a bit longer before we told anyone."

"But... but..." Nonon sputtered, looking from one of them to the other. "What about Transfer Student? Did you dump her, or what?"

"Oh, no!" Mako smiled happily. "Ryuko-chan and I are lovers too!"

Nonon was beginning to sound like a record with a stuck needle. "You... you..!"

"It is an unusual arrangement, I will freely admit," said Satsuki, placing one arm around Mako's shoulders and pulling her in for a small sideways hug, "but it has been good for all three of us, I daresay. Please, Nonon. Your understanding would mean a great deal to me."

For a few moments, Jakuzure looked as though she might explode with a string of creative expletives, but then she straightened up again and looked Mako in the eye. "Well then, Underachiever," she said in a low voice, "I guess I have just one thing to say to you."

Mako shrank back slightly, and Satsuki tightened her arm around the younger girl's shoulders, uncertain of where Nonon would take things.

To her surprise, though, Nonon took a step closer to Mako, and then bowed deeply to her. "Thank you... Mankanshoku-san. I don't know how you did it, but you made my best friend smile again, and... I'm grateful to you." She then straightened up and let out a sigh. "And PLEASE don't tell any of the others I just did that."

Suddenly close to tears, Mako sprang forward and grabbed Nonon in one of her backbreaking hugs. "Thank you, Jakuzure-senpai!"

"Okay, okay, that's plenty!" Nonon grumped, but she made no immediate move to push Mako away. "Stop being nice to me, dammit: it makes it harder to be jealous of you."

"I hope we can be good friends, Jakuzure-senpai," Mako beamed. "After all, we both love Satsuki, right?" She then turned that smile toward Satsuki. "Maybe we should invite her over for Movie Night sometime!"

Satsuki furrowed her brow at this seeming non-sequitur, but then Mako winked at her slyly, and the implications hit. "Movie Night, eh..?"

#

Clean-up would have to wait until morning.

Once the last guests departed, Satsuki, Ryuko and Mako immediately adjourned to the bedroom for a far more personal celebration. They began by putting on some dance music and each taking turns giving a striptease for the other two- first Ryuko, then Mako, and finally Satsuki- before continuing the dance together with Mako pressed between the two sisters, skin to skin to skin. There were deep, frantic kisses and slow, languid grinding, there were whispered moans and gleeful catcalls, until finally Mako had had enough and directed Ryuko and Satsuki to lay on the bed, side by side but with enough room for her in the middle.

Mako then knelt between them, kissing them one at a time by necessity but always keeping one hand on each, and her fingers felt electric on Satsuki's skin. Normally they would take their time with foreplay, but tonight was different: they had been waiting entirely too long to have this chance again, and Satsuki was already feeling that core of heat and wetness. She looked to her side to see Ryuko looking back at her, eyes dark with arousal and a knowing smile on her face. Satsuki extended her hand toward her sister, and Ryuko took it in hers, which was the unspoken signal for Mako to do as she wished.

It had taken a long time for Satsuki to be able to accept Mako's fingers rather than her tongue, but then one night Ryuko had held her hand, and somehow this had broken a barrier in Satsuki's mind. Knowing that her sister was there to protect her from those memories had allowed her to let go that much further, and from then on this had been Ryuko's way of participating in Satsuki's pleasuring. There were still barriers that the sisters would not cross, as Satsuki had told Nonon earlier, but they had become very comfortable with one another in the process of sharing the unstoppable force that was Mako. They would even occasionally add flirtatious comments to their conversation, usually in the form of Ryuko expressing her jealousy over Satsuki's "perfect ass," or Satsuki teasingly using Mako's words to refer to Ryuko's "great rack," but it went no further than that, nor did it need to.

Now Mako's very talented fingers were inside her- inside both of them at once- and Satsuki heard her own moans echoed by Ryuko as their lover smiled down at them. The heat quickly built within Satsuki, but she did her best to keep herself centered for now. Over time they had discovered, ironically, that Satsuki was on the whole more easily orgasmic than Ryuko, at least once she had become more comfortable and trusting with her very understanding partner.

She was not "cured," and knew that she never would be: as she had told Mako the first time they had made love, the memories of her mother would never leave her. There were still nightmares, and there were still nights when the closeness became too much and she had to stop before things became too heated. There were still days that she cried, whether into Mako's arms, Ryuko's, or more frequently both, and there were still times when she felt unworthy of the love she was given.

She also knew, or at least hoped, that these moments would become increasingly less common, and to her contentment, she was making new and better memories with two women who loved her each in their own way, but each of them with all her heart.

Satsuki felt the fingers interlaced with her own beginning to tremble as Ryuko's grip intensified. The knowledge that her sister was on the verge as well was enough to carry Satsuki the rest of the way, and their simultaneous cries of joy and passion echoed off the bedroom walls.

A few deep breaths later, Satsuki looked up at Mako, who was regarding her lovers with an expression of adoration and not a little satisfaction, probably due in part to their synchronized climax. Satsuki smiled up at this girl who had so thoroughly changed her life, then once more looked over to meet Ryuko's eyes. They nodded to one another, then as one being, they rose from the bed, gently spun Mako around, tackled her to the mattress and proceeded to ravish the living hell out of her.

#

"So tell me, Mako," Satsuki murmured at length, once the three were safely cuddled under the covers with Mako nestled between the two sisters. "What exactly did you mean by inviting Nonon over for Movie Night?"

"She WHAT?" Ryuko protested, but she was smiling as she gently poked Mako in the forehead with her forefinger. "Geez, how many times do I have to tell you, Mako? We are NOT building you a harem!"

"I didn't mean for me!" Mako exclaimed. "I just... thought maybe she might like to see a movie with us!"

"Uh huh," Ryuko nodded, her mocking tone indicating that she didn't believe it.

"Well, okay, MAYBE I thought something else might POSSIBLY happen over the course of time, but... I didn't mean for me!"

"Then what did you mean?" Satsuki asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, sometimes it doesn't seem fair," Mako sighed. "I've got both of you, but you've only got one of me, and I'm always worried that one of you is going to feel left out sometimes. I mean, I've got two hands and two boobs, but I've only got one mouth and one..."

"Oh, I get it," Ryuko chortled. "What happened, Mako? You don't think you're woman enough for the both of us anymore?"

"Ryuko-chan!" Mako cried.

"That's enough, imouto," said Satsuki. "Do not taunt our Mako."

"Sorry, sweetie," Ryuko smiled, kissing Mako on the cheek. "So what would that be, anyway? Are we talking a foursome, or would it wind up being two couples?"

"I just... worry," Mako said, burrowing her face into the covers. "I love what we have, but... Satsuki, if you want more now, I don't want you to feel like you can't have it, that's all."

"You know, this is kind of a miracle," Satsuki smiled.

Both Mako and Ryuko turned to look at her in the near-darkness. "What do you mean, nee-chan?" Ryuko asked.

"The fact that we can even have a conversation like this, about the direction my love life might be taking?" Satsuki was starting to feel a little choked up as she thought about it. "The fact that there are possibilities for me at all, after so many years of thinking I could never have this? It's truly a miracle, as are the both of you. I am no expert in matters of the heart, but I know that I love you with all of my being."

"Satsuki..." Mako whispered, turning over to hug the older girl and kiss her at the base of the throat.

"I dare not guess what the future holds," Satsuki went on, tightening her arms around Mako and reveling in the feeling of their naked bodies pressed close to one another. "For now, though, all I want is right here."

"Sounds good to me," Ryuko nodded, cuddling in close to sandwich Mako between them.

They said nothing more that evening, but instead fell into a peaceful sleep. Satsuki and Ryuko kept one hand clasped and resting over Mako, who from time to time would roll over to cuddle against one of them or the other. Whatever possibilities the future might hold, Satsuki was content to enjoy this feeling tonight, and perhaps for every night yet to come.


A/N: I offer a thumbs-up to Jo, a peace sign and a blush to Pelly, a fist-bump to Kaytee, a high-sign to Suzume, and a big thank you to everyone who read along with Satsuki's journey, particularly all of you who shared your thoughts with me.

I also offer applause and admiration to anyone who can write erotica on a regular basis. This shit is HARD.

Until next time, toodles!

Exit, stage left...