January 2066
"Yeah, I mean it's just a little trick Mako and I would use ta keep our stuff from getting swiped – just a larger scale. Used it when I was on my own with the scissor-blade guitar case too. Made the lining for that myself, I did." Ryuko said as she followed Rei – who followed their waiter – through a crowded, upscale restaurant. Rei turned back to her with a smile.
"I'm not saying it's not clever, or impressive," She replied with a laughing voice, "But don't you think that people will notice? -"
"- What, a motorcycle tied five stories above the street? This is Tokyo – they've seen weirder. –"
"- Or that you'll get in trouble?"
"… Alright, fair," Ryuko said after some consideration. "Thanks," She said to the waiter as he walked off, then took a moment to try – and fail – to reorder her hair. Rei's bun looked just as immaculate as her dress and since it had been pretty much evenly compressed by the helmet, but the ride over had not been so kind to Ryuko's exposed head. And she'd spent so long trying to bring some semblance of order to it!
She had no way to know that, far from expecting her date to be perfectly styled, Rei was more than happy with her usual dishevelment. It was cute, but not cute as her current frantic, mumbling, tongue-sticking-out-just-slightly efforts. So she let her carry on while they sat down.
"Ok, so," Ryuko finally gave up, "My counter to that is that A: They know it's me and while I don't like pulling that crap for anything that matters this is pretty much harmless and B: They'd need a crane to even reach it to give me a ticket."
"Well… that is true… And it's not like it's a handicapped spot or anything."
"Nope! So I think we're in the clear," Ryuko grinned as she picked up a menu. Rei smiled too, she didn't want to play the concerned party to Ryuko's antics. Being with (she hesitated to use the word dating because that would remind her of the strangeness of what they had together – you couldn't call it that it was too temporary, too not right for that word) a girl who would happily hang a motorcycle off a cable above a busy city street just to keep it from getting keyed, hell, a girl who drove a motorcycle, made her feel young and carefree. Which wasn't right – she was only twenty-four, what business did she have feeling old now – but that's how it was. She just couldn't help herself, though.
"So, third date," Ryuko started after they'd finished the "what should I order" game and gotten their drinks (wine for Rei, straight whiskey for Ryuko).
Rei lifted and eyebrow "Third? So you don't count New Years?"
"You mean Nonon's victory party? 'Cuz that's what it was."
"Mmm, you aren't wrong."
"Nah, 'Cuz we didn't go, like, as a couple," A couple, oh god, they both thought. "Or, uh, all the other times, either." Ah yes, all the other nights that Rei found herself shacked up in Ryuko's penthouse. Sometimes these were initiated by Ryuko, on nights when she had feeling The Silence would be especially bad – at least, until she admitted to herself that Rei was more than a convenient solution to that problem. Other times it was a sleepy phone call from Rei after a long day at work – at least, until she admitted to herself that Ryuko was more than a convenient source of a bed and a little extra stress relief close to the office. She didn't count them either, which is probably why neither of them thought anything of the fact that, in the last week, they'd only missed one day.
"Well then, I suppose this is our third date, sure," Rei conceded. Ryuko seemed proud to have made it to three – she'd learned from TV (because honestly where else was she supposed to learn these things) that in an adult relationship this was a major milestone. "What about it?"
"Well, you know what that means," Ryuko singsonged. Rei looked confused – she thought she knew what it meant, but that didn't make any sense.
"Y'know, I thought I did, but I was thinking of the of the sex thing, and that can't be right."
"Ohoho shit no I didn't mean that," Ryuko laughed as she slapped a hand to her forehead, "Yeah no sweetie, you're right that makes no sense. Because we've already – like - multiple times before."
"Before our first date," Rei shot back pointedly, as if to say you hardly need to be so bashful about that at this point.
"Rihihgt," Ryuko chuckled awkwardly, "So, you don't know what I meant."
"Can't say I do."
"Well," Ryuko sighed, suddenly just a bit nervous, "I thought it was about time that we talk about, y'know, if we're a couple now. Or like, what we're doing."
That took Rei by surprise. Hadn't she just been musing about how they weren't dating, couldn't be, that this was just an extended one-night-stand between two women who were too messed up, had too much bad blood between them, to ever make this work? Evidently Ryuko didn't care about any of that, and why should she? And now that she was forced to decide, say yes or no, did she really care either? Did it really matter that Ryuko was her daughter, and so eerily similar sometimes? Oh, how angry she'd be if she learned Rei still thought of her that way. And that was the real kicker – she couldn't upset Ryuko. Just like, now, she couldn't – wouldn't – give up waking up with Ryuko's arms wrapped around her chest, so secure and warm.
And besides, she wouldn't have brought it up now, at the beginning of the date not the end, if it weren't already a foregone conclusion. Oh you clever devil, she thought wonderingly, you've forced my hand yet again. And it was nice to know for sure that Ryuko wanted her, believed they could date like normal people.
"Well, what do you think?" She eventually responded, coyly, with a raised eyebrow.
"I think I really like bein' around you," Ryuko said sweetly, her voice changing to a rarely heard version of itself. Completely bereft of it's usual growliness. Rei wondered at it, deeply proud that she was one of the only people Ryuko had ever shown that voice to. Ryuko normally used such a small range of her voice's capabilities that it almost sounded like someone else entirely, almost like – No! She was not thinking about that!
"Me too."
"And I think I want to keep doing that for as long as I can."
"Me too."
"So… then…," Rei read from that Ryuko being coy back to her, but in truth Ryuko could hardly believe it. She'd actually been terribly frightened that the very concerns Rei had just fought down would rear their head and scare her away. She hadn't known Rei back then, but she knew Rei wasn't the same woman who had once served Ragyo. After all, if Satsuki could redeem herself than anyone could. But did Rei believe that? Until now she hadn't been sure.
"Ryuko you silly," She extended a hand without really thinking about it, and suddenly Ryuko's fingers were enmeshed in it, stroking along her thumb, "You said it yourself, we are a couple now. And we probably should have called ourselves that much sooner."
"Sweet. Awesome. That's just what I wanted to hear Rei," Ryuko chuckled in relief. Good. This was how it should be in an adult relationship. No bullshit, minimal romantic drivel. They just acknowledged the mutual attraction and then everything was nice and logical from there. She'd just been a high schooler, or a college student, playing around with the idea of romance before, but now – she was so lucky to, literally, bump into someone so mature and self-assured. Never could she have predicted the blend of far from self-assured feelings swirling inside of Rei. Sure, she felt that her heartrate in her hands was pretty fast, but she thought nothing of it.
They sat there hand in hand for a moment, marveling at the words: Rei Hououmaru, my girlfriend, and Ryuko Matoi, my girlfriend. Wondering who would be the first person they would say those words to. Then Rei noticed something over Ryuko's shoulder that caused her to laugh in happy surprise.
"Is that? Oh my god it is! Look Ryuko, there's Sanageyama and Jakuzure, and Saiban too, over there! Table at the other end of the room, see? Huh, what a coincidence!"
"Hmm, yeah that really is them. Neat. Hey-y wait hold on," Ryuko protested, voice back to her usual, when Rei started to stand.
"We should go say hello, come on! It's only polite"
"You've gotta be kidding! No way! Mission abort! C'mon!" Ryuko pretended like she was planting herself in her chair, but despite her incredible power she wasn't about to yank her hand away from her girlfriend. So she waved her free hand in impotent resistance as Rei dragged her away, laughing as she saw that the exact same struggle was playing out between Uzu and Nonon at that very moment.
Then the paparazzi following Nonon finally made it up to the restaurant, and they were all swamped until security showed up to clear them away.
And so 2066, a year that became nearly as busy as Honnouji for her friends, a year in which the world beyond Japan spiraled yet further out of control with civil wars and famines and various other crises, wound up somehow being the most pleasant and relaxing (although still plenty busy) time Ryuko could remember.
That isn't to say it was entirely because of Rei (although, at times, Ryuko certainly felt it was). It helped that she was finally doing well at something in school:
"I shouldn't have to tell you I know clothing, right?" Rei said, admiring the new cardigan Ryuko had made just for her, sleek and grey and cut just right (Ryuko did know her figure quite well) with brilliant amber buttons to match her eyes. It reminded her of a shark, with its two-tone pattern it quite resembled the foreboding back and light, silky underbelly of one, but she wasn't sure Ryuko had ever seen a shark.
"Right?"
"So, when I say this is beyond first rate, I mean it. Like, even if you didn't want to sell these you could work as a tailor – not that you actually need to work, but-"
"- Nah, it's nothing," Ryuko smiled back, "I wasn't gonna let you catch cold out there."
Rei laid her hands on Ryuko's bare shoulders. In the early morning light that scattered off the countertop nobody was around to see how the height disparity made her look a little like a baby raccoon clinging to its mother's back. Not that any of Ryuko's penthouse-mates would have dared make the comparison or underestimated the power of her massages even at this odd angle. "I'm serious though. You've got a gift."
"Decaf or regular?" Ryuko said, not dodging the point, it was just time to add the coffee beans. She didn't ask if Rei wanted plain, hazelnut, or vanilla. Of course, she wanted hazelnut mixed with vanilla, Ryuko was proud to recall.
"Mmm, regular," Rei nodded, "Gonna be a long day today. Satsuki has another press conference, then we're down to look at the new hydroelectric station they're building on the waterfront, and then there's… something else – I don't know – I have to check my planner." She yawned, "Not fun, but necessary stuff."
"She does love to run her mouth, doesn't she?" Ryuko observed, in reference to Satsuki. Not judging though, it was true and that wasn't a good or a bad thing.
"Always has."
"Anyway, I just – I kinda feel like because I'm gifted, I shouldn't. Because I'd be taking the spot from someone who worked really hard, y'know? Not fair."
"That would only be true if you had nothing to learn there. Do you really think there's nothing the professors can teach you?"
"Well, no…"
"Then there you go. You have just as much a right to be there as anyone else. More, you think you haven't worked hard?" A pause as the coffee machine bubbled and the tension remained in Ryuko's shoulders. She reached a hand over to touch Rei's fingers. Warm, but weak, Ryuko could feel the feeble stirring in them. Rei got up too early, her body tried to warn her that she wasn't a morning person. But still those fingers knew there was tension, sliding under her tank-top to get at the worst of the knot, "What's wrong?"
"I mean, don't you think it's still mad weird though? I mean, even I don't know why I have this gift. It can't be good though. What will people think?"
"Ryuko," Rei said softly, "where would the world be now if you rejected your other gifts because of where you got them from? And since when have you cared what anyone thought?"
Ryuko stood up straight, thinking. That was a good point.
That day Ryuko filed for a change of major from undeclared to fashion design, and never looked back. When the next quarter rolled around, she went from practically flunking out to… well, not excelling, but doing well in the classes that mattered. She only wished she could hide her identity, to better make sure the praise was real, and not the brown-nosing of professors who didn't know how to deal with having her in their classes. But she was pretty sure she was being recognized for legitimate accomplishments.
And even better, flexing her gift for designing and making clothing seemed to awaken something else: good artistic sense. The last piece of the puzzle, considering she already had the fine control to draw lines far more precise than any ordinary human could, the strength to carve marble with her fingernails, the vision to immediately look at a color in the real world and match it to a paint, and the reflexes to do it all really, really fast. Before, whenever she tried to draw it ended up feeling flat, or too artificial, or too symmetrical, or not symmetrical enough. But now she found herself spending more time filling sketchbooks than she did playing video games. She'd finally figure out how to add that touch of personal impression that made it all work.
Still, as much as she wished it weren't true, she couldn't find anything in any of her classes – drawing, painting, sculpture, music (music, imagine! Would Nonon be overjoyed or livid?) – that was nearly as natural feeling as hand sewing complete outfits from scratch. Because most paintings or sculptures had to be about something, and sometimes thinking of a subject was just more brainwork than she wanted. Sometimes she just wanted to sit down, start a project, and figure it out as she went. Individual pieces of clothing weren't about anything in particular (a strange idea, considering what she'd been through), so she could just pick who she was making it for (never for herself), pick a color scheme, and watch in wonder as her hands created something in front of her very eyes.
And it was amazing, really, to be able to use those hands that had destroyed so much, could wreck such havoc on a mere whim, to create. If you'd told the Ryuko who'd arrived on Honnouji's doorstep this was possible, she would have laughed in your face. Even as she wished she could believe it true all the while.
Somewhere in all this, probably around the time she realized she'd never have to worry about Christmas again because she could just make people their gifts, Ryuko realized something else. She no longer had that looming panic over her every time she thought about her future. She was a creative now, she'd embraced this new part of her identity. And that meant that she'd always be able to make a buck from her creations, so long as there was someone to buy them. The details she could figure out as she went, just like sewing a dress, but at least now there wasn't a gaping hole where hopes and plans should go. Ryuko had found something she could do for the rest of her life.
And she wouldn't forget that Rei had been the one to talk her into it.
Another person who helped make 2066 a good time for Ryuko was, oddly enough, Nonon. For two women who claimed not to be friends, they sure did spend a lot of time together. To be fair, most of that would probably count as work for Nonon:
Ryuko's senses were on high gear as she sprinted through the wreckage of what was, until an hour or so ago, an abandoned trainyard. Derelict slums, landfills, old factories, and other such landscapes of industrial devastation were the best sparring grounds, everyone agreed. Close to home, no living creatures (except rats and crows) to blow away with shockwaves, nothing anybody would miss to tumble into and shatter. Plus, and this mattered an awful lot to the combatants, they were playgrounds of rough terrain that made every bout new and exciting.
Presently Ryuko leapt up over a shipping container to her left, turning a lazy backflip in the air like a breaching dolphin. She landed on the other side with a brief puff of dust and gravel, and – nothing.
"Huh, I could've sworn-,"
"Gotcha bitch!" Nonon screeched, bursting out from inside the shipping container, Kiba outstretched. Ryuko was fast enough though, bringing her own weapon up with a clash and a tuning fork ring. Nonon let out a frustrated chuckle and just like that she and Saiban bounded off, Ryuko hot on their heels. The ringing echoed in lightning fast succession through the shredded maze of corrugated metal.
To compete with a hardened life-fiber blade she'd been given a sort of rudimentary pole of the same substance: about the length of a fencing rapier, completely cylindrical, flat on both ends. It had no grip, no balance, no flex, no shock absorption, and absolutely no style. But it was the hardest object on Earth. And for that, she was happy to put up with all the rest, her super-strength could make up for its deficiencies. There was no way she was having the scientists make her a new sword, of course.
"You're not getting away so easy this time!" Ryuko shouted, leaping up the beams of a crane after Nonon, who swung about on her prehensile coattail, light as a feather. The blows came down on her vertically, and it was all she could do to block them, having to use her free hand and feet to clamber in a much less artful manner. It was infuriating how quickly she'd incorporated the new appendage into her acrobatics, and fury was a great motivator for Ryuko.
She overshot Nonon, tucking her legs to avoid a horizontal slash on the way up, then came back down with a brutal overhead slam. Nonon blocked it, and Ryuko had dialed her strength so they would match, neither overpowering the other (doing her best to ignore the itching urge to go all-out. It only seemed to get worse the closer she was). But the beam about which Nonon's tail was wrapped was not so lucky. It snapped, and before they knew it the entire crane was crumbling, bringing them back down to ground level, both managing to keep their feet on the landing.
"Stupid! That was my favorite part of this arena you just trashed!" Nonon said as she sprung forward, but then Ryuko heard something over the crumbling groans of the collapsing crane that made her break her ready position, just a moment before Saiban sensed it to and told Nonon to hold up. Panicked screams.
"Ah fuck, onlookers," Ryuko said, and sure enough she saw that as the horizontal top of the crane, many stories in the air, slumped to the side it was doomed to fall outside the training area, past the chain-link fence and right into a currently stampeding crowd. This was the one real downside to using areas so near the city for training – onlookers were a constant nuisance.
First some news trucks would show up, snap a few grainy photos of a midair clash, report on it like this was a shocking new development and not a nearly daily ritual, then security would clear them away. Far harder to see off the locals, though. A superhuman battle between two of the most famous, glamorous women on Earth in your own backyard?
~ "I was going to warn you" ~ Houka piped in via earpiece as Ryuko rocketed over at her very top speed (ah yes, now her body was caught up to her mind. It was almost as it The Silence had gone away) ~ "But you've already got it" ~. Catching the falling crane was no big deal, she hadn't spent so many months practicing this very sort of rescue work for nothing. Still…
"That was close. Sorry, my bad," Ryuko grunted as she gently set the crane down.
"Don't try and catch a breather now, come on!" Nonon taunted when it was clear the danger was over.
"Not like I need one! You know I'm only exerting myself at like ten percent, right?" Ryuko retorted as she vaulted back to where she'd left off
"Don't remind me," Nonon muttered.
"What was that?"
"Rrrr! I said I'm gonna knock that stupid stick out of your hand and crack your skull with it, then we'll see who's laughing!"
"Well, Ryuko's right, that one was too close for comfort," Tsumugu grumbled. "We need to keep these onlookers away, or at least reduce them. Really, it's just unprofessional to have this keep happening"
"If only it were so easy. There's that one place on the other side of town where we can just kick them out, but here it's public land, they've got every right to be there," Aikuro observed.
Houka nodded, "Plus they've already completely flattened that place."
"Reminds me," Satsuki said, as close to absentmindedly as she did anything, "I'll have to send a cleanup crew to remove the crane after they're done."
"I'll take care of it," Rei volunteered, already whipping out her phone to make the arrangements. Satsuki barely nodded in acknowledgement – this was typical of the distant attitude she'd adopted with Rei lately which left her with a clawing "What did I do?" unasked in her chest.
Was Satsuki just overworked? She knew she'd been losing sleep lately, in fact she was one of the four people (the others being Nonon, Shiro, and Soroi) who knew about the night terrors that were troubling her for the first time in months. No, she would have apologized by now for being out of it. And it wasn't that Satsuki had finally decided to be uncomfortable working with someone whose job it was to kill her should the need arise – she wasn't inconsistent enough for that. So she must be unhappy with some aspect of her work. But what? It had to be her political theory, her ideas – she was still new at such things, projecting a confidence that she didn't have. (The thought that it had anything to do with her dating Satsuki's dear sister hadn't occurred to her yet, especially since Satsuki had said she was happy for them when they first told her)
But how to tell Satsuki she was trying her best, and that if she didn't seem to be improving any it was only a matter of time? For the moment they both stood in their normal stoicism alongside the scientists in the little bulletproof plexiglass bubble, watching Nonon and Ryuko duel. But Rei was working, striving to start now, coming up with some solution for this project that would be creative enough to put her back in Satsuki's good graces.
"What if we televised it?"
"I'm sorry?" Houka turned to her.
"If we started recording and airing these training matches. It's not like we keep the locations a secret, we want everyone to see what they can do, right? I don't think it would keep them all away, but if most of them knew they could watch the same thing – better actually, we could get camera drones in pretty close - from the safety of their homes I think it would make a dent. Plus, it would basically make all the reporters obsolete."
"Ooh, and we could spin it out into more coverage as the rest of the Kamui line is finished!" Aikuro said. Of course this was the sort of idea Aikuro would like.
"In the interest of transparency, we should probably at least tell people where and when they're training so nobody is taken by surprise anymore," Tsumugu added (local authorities and businesses were alerted, but there'd been a few panics when they first started because passersby thought there was something exploding nearby). "And if we're going to do that, the only way to stop us from being swamped with tourists is to provide an alternative."
"And you've got to admit, people in this country were quite used to blood sports before we banned them," Houka nodded, "That's actually one of the only things the new government gets criticized for. So that leaves an opening for this kind of content. It might be violent, but at least nobody dies."
All of these might have seemed like agreement, like "oh, why hadn't I thought of that?" but in reality they were directed at Satsuki, the moral pillar against which all hair-brained schemes had to be vetted. For a moment she kept silent – everyone seemed to think she could instantly calculate the outcome of any action, but in truth it took a minute. This one wasn't too complex though. "I'll need to consult with my lawyers about whether we should publish the footage on government public access or the research center's website, to avoid being accused of exploiting an opening we creating," That was how she decided to say yes. Rei smiled as the scientists dove into conversation about how they would implement this new idea, but she was still unsatisfied as Satsuki turned back to the fight, until…
"That was a clever suggestion Rei, I think it'll make Nonon very happy. Ryuko less so, but she'll go along with" Satsuki said softly, and if Rei listened close, she might've heard a little bit of how Satsuki's body rebelled against paying the complement, despite her mind knowing there was no logical reason for this jealousy.
Little did any of them know, but that day Rei had planted the seed of what would, in later years, become known as The Kamui Games. Other nations would say the Japanese had gone mad, to revel in the power that had nearly destroyed the world so wantonly. But that was mere propaganda, and behind closed doors people around the world would tune in in the billions. But that's a story for another day.
At that moment, conversation was halted by the sound of Nonon shouting in a sudden panic: "Oh Fuck! Fuck! I – she – I decapitated her!"
Across the trainyard, Nonon had finally managed to score a hit on Ryuko. This would be her tenth of the day – the rules were the same as back before Saiban: first to score a hit won the bout, then they'd reset. This time was different though. Nonon had used her tail to deflect Ryuko's pole and then slid past her, and as they fell together Kiba's blade dove straight for her exposed neck (no more exposed than the rest of her, mind, because she still fought in the nude since her clothes would just get bloody or shredded).
In that moment, Ryuko considered using the full extent of her reaction time to evade Kiba, but nah, fuck it, she earned this. Didn't even cheat this time. And besides, she was about to have an experience that she'd been dreading, and she might as well get it over with now so she'd know what to do later. A philosophical, mature attitude towards getting your head removed.
Her vision rolled along the dry gravel, revealing a hauntingly beautiful panorama of her own still-standing body showering blood onto Nonon's terror-stricken face (Saiban looked less panicked, probably because he sensed that she was still alive). But her heart – which still felt like it was beneath her neck, not over there – dropped when she saw something in the background she wasn't expecting. In the plexiglass bubble Satsuki had fainted cold, falling into Aikuro's arms. Shit, that wasn't supposed to happen.
"Satsuki! Shit, is she okay?" She shouted, completely forgetting to be weirded out by the current, detached nature of her physical self. Nonon didn't forget though.
"WHAAAAT!" she screeched, and Ryuko pulled a snarky face at the unnecessary distraction.
"Uh, hello? You saw this shit happen to Ragyo, right?" She walked over and picked her head back up gently, again forgetting to notice how easy it was to keep herself spatially oriented without looking where her body was going. Or how none of this hurt. She plopped it back on with a squishing noise, not quite lined up, but the life fibers took care of that and she was back to normal. "Hey Rei, is she alright?"
~ "She's fine, she's coming around," ~ Rei said, getting just a little secondhand angry at Ryuko, and a little bad that her own protective instincts for her girlfriend couldn't overwhelm the logic that had told her Ryuko would be fine, ~ "Don't scare us like that!" ~
"I know, shit I'm sorry. But hey, you guys knew I could do that," Yeah, and Satsuki knew it more than most. All too well, the sensible part of her said as she brushed gravel off her still-immaculate cheek. "Fuck. Fuck I'm sorry."
Rei sighed ~ "Yeah, we know,
[See I told you she was alright, I told you she's beyond powerful]
"Hey, why are you apologizing?" Nonon shouted, feeling a similar guilt and wanting to have her turn to apologize, nevermind that Satsuki was still mumbling, working her way back to her feet. "It was my fault, Satsuki, I'm sorry!"
"Because if I'd wanted to, I could've avoided that so easily."
"Wha – you!" Nonon rounded on her, "Your head was on the ground not five seconds ago! I thought you were dead!"
"And that's why we don't use cross-cuts in training. If I thought there was any actual danger, I wouldn't have given you an inch."
"Rrrgh! You are such a bitch?"
"You want me to punch you again?"
[No!]
~ "We're done for today." ~ Satsuki declared. She was overcome with relief, and a stinging afterimage of the worst moment in her life: when Ragyo's headless body began to move. And humiliation. Everyone looking at her with such concern, it wasn't right. She had to stay strong and absorb all the fear, otherwise everything was done for. ~ "Pack everything up boys." ~ She took off her headset and left the pod.
With that the tension was dispelled. Saiban powered down, and Nonon and Ryuko started walking back to the bubble.
"Alright, fine, I'll admit it. That was a good move," Ryuko said as Nonon shrunk Kiba back into a hair pin and put it in its place.
"Hmmph, about time."
"Hey Sats!" Ryuko ran over as soon as she saw Satsuki, "Sorry to give you a scare."
Satsuki responded with a sort of tired looking smile, "It's alright. I think it made things worse by not drinking enough water today." Ryuko went to hug her, but there was an awkward moment of hesitation - not the least because Ryuko was naked and dripping with blood, but also something else that mystified Ryuko.
"Oh right, shit that's a nice coat, nevermind."
"Hmm," Satsuki chuckled, ruffling Ryuko's hair instead, "And wouldn't you know how much of a pain it is to get blood out of clothing."
"Yeah, y'know, I might."
"Hey, uh, quick Q for you," Nonon said as Ryuko was getting dressed. The scientists were done packing up their computers, and they were waiting there with Satsuki and Rei for their cars to arrive.
"Uh, sure?"
"Do you uh, do you want to go to the art museum with me and Saiban?"
"Wait, seriously? Cuz I'm trying to figure out how this is a joke and I -,"
"- Wha -fuck off! This is your supposed to be your thing now, right?"
"Well yeah, but…" but I've actually never been to an art museum, she thought, although she was never going to admit that to Nonon.
"But what? C'mon, Saiban wants an expert and you are, somehow, the best we've got."
[I honestly can't believe it myself]
"I know, right?"
[Oh, not because of what you're thinking. Nothing to do with personality.]
"Sorry, I'm gonna pass. Seems like a hassle."
"What! What on Earth makes it a hassle."
"Don't you think the two of us, three of us, sorry, together in a museum might draw a bit of a crowd?"
"Duh, we'll just call ahead and go after it closes."
Oh, that actually sounds kind of fun. "Eh, you know what, sure," Ryuko said, "Hey Rei, you wanna go to the art museum?"
"Uh…" Rei already had her planner out, so she flipped through it, "When?"
"Oh no! You're not gonna third-wheel me!"
"Well you have Saiban! You're gonna talk to him like, half the time anyway!" Which sounded like it might honestly be torture. Just a further reminder of what she'd lost. She almost wanted to pivot and turn her down, but she'd already made a commitment and despite what Nonon might've thought she did consider her a friend.
"You, of all people, think he counts as like a date or something? He's the one who wants you to come, you realize," Nonon said with gritted teeth. "Fine. Then I'm bringing Uzu."
"Hey, c'mon man no fair!"
[This getting too complex. Maybe we should just go ourselves."
"Oh wait shit, I can't, he's over in China trying to convince them we aren't a walking, talking WMD," Uzu had reprised his role as diplomat since Saiban's reveal. "Dammit," Nonon groaned.
"Alright, then I guess it's settled. Rei and I will see you at the art museum!"
"Rrrgh-,"
"- Nonon, can you figure this out later?" Satsuki asked, phone to her ear, "There's been an attack near Osaka and we need you there, pronto!"
"Again!" Nonon groaned even louder. The hope had been the REVOCS would back down after Saiban was unveiled, but if anything they were emboldened. Before there had been car bombings, occasional shootings, attempted assassinations, but now they were sending squads armed with Ultima Uniforms, trying to force Nonon's hand. Nonon was the only force reasonably able to defeat them (besides Ryuko, who didn't want to get involved just yet). The police had needle guns, sure, but they were just good guys and girls from around the neighborhood, great for making them nonthreatening, not so much against trained terrorists with the strength of raging elephants. So Nonon was, almost once a day, being helicoptered somewhere in Japan to combat REVOCS goons waiting for her. Sometimes they would sync things up to launch another attack somewhere else when Nonon got to the scene. It was very frustrating.
"Fine, we'll settle this later!" She shouted as a helicopter materialized from a cloudy sky and she was unceremoniously shuttled off, leaping up to it some ninety feet so it didn't have to land.
They never did settle things. Ryuko only ended up going to the museum without Rei because she happened to be busy that evening. So Nonon got what she wanted in the end, and really Ryuko wasn't too upset about that. Because they were friends, somehow, and Saiban was considerate about not distracting Nonon (he had more than enough to look at). And because Nonon had accidentally killed another REVOCS soldier that afternoon, and she needed to forget about that and pretend that it didn't hurt.
And yeah, running around the darkened museum with no-one else around was fun. By the end of the night they were shouting at each other from across rooms just for the sheer novelty of shouting in an art museum.
If you had asked Rei, when she was first released from the custody of her psychiatrist, what sort of romantic partner she wanted now that she was free, she wouldn't have known how to respond. There were just so many other things to do – helping Satsuki get first Japan and then the world back on track was obviously more important – and besides that to get a girlfriend she would first have to clear her good name, which might take a while. But that didn't mean there wasn't an answer, an answer that bore shocking resemblance to Ryuko.
Of course, she would never have dreamed that it would be Ryuko, or that it would happen so soon. But slowly, starting when Ryuko called her back after that first hook-up and ending when they official started dating, she realized she'd found something special. A human dynamo like her sister, but instead of turning her irrepressible energy into a work ethic that put even Rei to shame Ryuko turned it outward.
Every day was a new adventure; sure, she went to class and Rei to work, but after that there was always someone new to meet – so many classmates and friends Rei was dizzied by them all - and some new hidden nook of Tokyo's night life to explore – seedy and often dingy sure, but real. Ragyo had been right to keep her cloistered up in that glowing tower, ferried back and forth by helicopter between debaucherous galas and secret labs, telling so many lies about how the rest of humanity lived. If she'd known about this, that this was what humanity could be at its best, its most genuine, then all Ragyo's work conditioning her would have been undone the moment some college students yelled, "Hey, you there! You wanna dance with us?"
And Ryuko moved through this new world with such easy, casual grace, it was impossible not to be captivated. It wasn't even that she was famous – no, she actually preferred when people didn't recognize her – she was just the life of every party all on her own. And it wasn't just parties, Ryuko was full of all these ideas to pass the time that Rei would never have dreamt up: "Let's go to the amusement park!" "Let's go learn archery!" "Let's sneak into Nonon's recording studio when she's out and mess around with the equipment!" (that last one had led to them running afoul of Uzu stopping by on his lunch break, but once he was sure they hadn't broken anything Ryuko managed to talk him into joining them, saying "haven't you always wanted to try that huge drum set over there?"). All that, and she still managed to spend half the night or more out patrolling the city and helping those in need.
To Rei, this was just so incredible. The impulsivity, the confidence, and yes, the bravery; she knew she could never be like that. She couldn't just do what she wanted, live in the moment, though that was clearly the way humans were meant to live. She was just along for the wild ride, being shown all these new joys, and she didn't deserve it. She felt like a leech. (little did she know how long Ryuko spent cooking up new ideas to put a smile on Rei's face, or how tricky it was to find the perfect thing). Rei couldn't understand that mindset no matter how she adored it, it was just… wow. To her Ryuko was like a force of nature, a being that acted on instinct and endless vigor. Rei understood now why she had been fated to win the war. She was everything Ragyo had told her to hate about humanity, a paragon of what the species could be.
And yet, as a being of instinct, sometimes she had to be lead to doing the right thing. Because all of that was great, incredible, everything that Rei admired and that made her feel like a kid again, but there was one problem. She wasn't human – and this truth occurred to Rei all to frequently on the way to work, driving past all the slums that were still standing despite Satsuki's constant efforts. Those instincts, they told Ryuko: be an ordinary college girl, get your homework done (when you feel like it), hang out with your friends, remember to call mom, and get drunk and have sex regularly. All well and good, if she were only an ordinary human that could do nothing about the slums, or about the fact that things were only getting worse around the world.
Imagine, a Ryuko who used her powers to intimidate world leaders, complete massive construction projects in mere days, call her billions of fans and followers to action. Because if she didn't now, not only did REVOCS have four Kamui lurking in some hidden base, but sooner or later other world powers would figure out how to use life fibers, and then everyone would wish they'd nipped that in the bud. Rei knew these things, everyone except Ryuko knew these things, but nobody would tell her (not even Satsuki, the surest proof that Satsuki really had turned over a new leaf). So, Rei had to occasionally be the one to bite the bullet.
And so they had arguments. Hot tempers – Ryuko's worn on her sleeve, Rei's hidden in reserve – clashing not too frequently, but certainly more than either would've liked. Rei didn't think about the stories of a childhood of loneliness and violence, just wishing she could be normal for once (they were so foreign from anything she knew about Ryuko that she completely discounted them) just the same as Ryuko truly didn't think that the world might still need her saving.
One of their most major arguments, actually their first big one, got started when Shiro asked Ryuko to help design the next Kamui line. She'd refused, and Rei couldn't understand that. But everyone else had let it be without much protest, even Satsuki and Shiro had just nodded as if to say, "well that's that then". Rei also couldn't understand why they didn't push it any harder, after all Uzu was dying to get his own Kamui now that Nonon had one, Satsuki needed to prove to public that Kamui were stable creatures that could be seen as heroes, and then there was Shiro.
He looked especially deflated – unanswered questions about the Kamui's sentience ruled his curiosity, and he knew that without Ryuko's help they'd never get around to one of his more eccentric pet projects: a Kamui for Mako or Mataro. Because the Mankanshokus' life-fiber compatibility values were insanely high, especially Mako's, and he just needed to see what would happen (Rei had to admit she was curious about that too, the Mankanshoku girl had shown promise when she'd kidnapped her for the Honnouji Defcon system).
But when she'd opened her mouth to protest, Satsuki had looked at her and shrugged. Rei left the lab confused and frustrated. What was that supposed to mean? They had to expect Ryuko would come around, right? They needed her, her ability to precisely move life-fibers with her mind (Rei knew more than most how useful this power was), otherwise they wouldn't even have one done in time. Did they expect her to talk to Ryuko and change her mind? They had to, right?
She didn't find a moment to bring it up for a couple days though, until the weekend rolled around. For the first time in forever everyone was back together for a night of fun and relaxation, starting off at S-Tier Rebuilt and later transitioning to Ryuko's penthouse to finish the night.
Mako and Ira had taken the train in from Kansai (Ira had to be in the capital that weekend anyway and Mako finagled her schedule to match), Houka and Shiro were there in matching suits Ryuko had made for them, Uzu was back from China and had Nonon (and a wildly overwhelmed looking Saiban) hanging on his arm, Aikuro was obviously in attendance, and even Tsumugu and his wife Aoi made an appearance. The only one absent was Satsuki, but that was no problem. She was back at the penthouse getting some work done – they'd meet her there and she'd have plenty of time to spend with them all. And besides, it wasn't like she wanted to drink anyway. Still, with all of them and a bunch of Ryuko's college friends tagging along they practically were the nightclub.
That Ryuko and Nonon had both selected this club to be their primary haunt had changed its atmosphere quite a lot. Mostly for the better – business was booming as people came from all over to see what all the fuss was about. But then there were the sorts who were there specifically for the girls and their friends – for autographs, product endorsements, headline worthy hot takes, and tabloid worthy snaps of Ryuko and Rei getting handsy (which didn't happen as often as with Ryuko's previous hookups since Rei wasn't a big fan of PDA). But when Ryuko and Nonon both went to Satsuki griping about how they didn't want such hangers on ruining everyone's experience, she'd helped the club beef up its security and it became less of a problem. So really, it was for the best that they usually chose S-Tier, it helped keep everything consistent.
Ryuko was having a great time, mostly thanks to Mako. She'd been right, it sucked being away from your bestie even if you texted her almost constantly, but luckily Mako's schedule this semester let her come into Tokyo with Ira practically whenever he needed to visit the supermax. And that was only becoming more frequent as more REVOCS operatives were captured, although so far only one, Itsuki, had turned informant.
"Ooooh Iiraaaaa look! They've got karyoke rooms! We should sing a duet! Look, Houka and Shiro are going in!"
"Oh, well, uh, I don't think I'm a very good singer," Ira stammed as Mako pouted, and Ryuko smiled watching it. It was just the same dynamic Mako had with her – before, during, and after the time when they dated – really the same she had with basically everyone. She was overly, ludicrously enthusiastic about whatever odd idea she had, while the other party played the unimpressed cynic who didn't want to get dragged in. But they could never win.
"Whaaat? You don't have to be a good singer! I'm a terrible singer and I'm still gonna do it!"
"Wait, you know your singing is bad?" He exclaimed incredulously, but she was already on to the next thing.
"Nonon, you'll help me teach Ira how to sing, right?"
"What makes you think I'm any good at that?" She replied from inside her glass.
"You could be all like 'no that's supposed to be an A-sharp not a B-flat!'" A spot-on impression, and Nonon sputtered in a rage.
"I do not sound like that! And those are the same note! Yeah no, I'll pass," She piped. One of her ironclad rules of her music was that she didn't sing. Write lyrics, sure, but she hired out other popular singers rather than publish her own way-too-shrill voice, "And what are you laughing at, asshole?" She rounded on Uzu when he chuckled.
"Hey, c'mon Nonon, you know you'd go off on Ira exactly like that. And I think you're a pretty good singer, actually," He shot back, disarming her.
"You – seriously?" She side eyed him skeptically.
"Well yeah. After all, I've heard you make some pretty beautiful music, if you know what I mean," He dropped his punchline with a wink and a shit-eating grin.
"All right, that's it!" Nonon huffed and gave him a shove, face beet red.
"Aw, just for that?"
"I'm ignoring all of you now!" Rei had to stifle a giggle when Nonon turned to her with a polite smile, "I'm sorry Rei what were we talking about? Some noble acquaintance of ours, yes?" As Rei went back to reminiscing with Nonon about stupid rich people they used to know, Ryuko returned to watching Mako and Ira.
"Well she's not being very fun," Mako said, "But we can come with you guys, right?" She asked Houka and Shiro
"Well, we were going to go alone -," Shiro began.
" – But you're more than welcome," Houka finished, and Shiro nodded agreeably, leaving Ryuko uncertain whether that had been what Shiro was going to say or not.
"Well I'll be joining too then," Aikuro stood, straightening his tie so that somehow his collar hung open a little more than before.
"Yeah might as well, if I'm being snubbed over here," Uzu got up too, taking his beer with him.
"Hey! I did say you could do that?" Nonon looked over in alarm.
"Well, you didn't say I couldn't!"
Mako looked to Ira now, hopefully, and he shrugged, "It can't hurt to try."
"Yaaay!" Mako grabbed him by a beefy hand and led him off. It was cute how she'd rubbed off on him already, becoming more laid-back and open. He'd probably been Ryuko's least favorite of Satsuki's cronies way back when they'd first become allies (was it because he was into Mako? No, of course not!), but now you could really have a normal conversation with the guy.
Of course, he'd also rubbed off on Mako, giving her an edge of work ethic and an eye for practicalities that she'd been lacking before. But this actually made her all the more dangerous, because now she foresaw the problems in her madcap schemes that used to halt them in their tracks. Like last weekend, when she threw together an impromptu road trip around Kansai with Ira, Ryuko and a couple of her college friends – the goal being to sample every restaurant featured on one of her favorite live action drama shows.
Once, they might have started running low on battery halfway through and had to turn back, but Mako wasn't quite so ditsy as before. She'd mapped their route in advance so when the car battery was low – oh look! There was a charging station right there! Ryuko nearly threw up twice; her stomach was so unused to eating much as she'd gotten used to only eating a reasonable amount for a hybrid (so almost nothing except on special occasions).
I can do that to! Ryuko thought as she reached over Rei's shoulder. "Well, how 'bout it?"
"Karyoke hmm? Well, I can't say I've ever tried it before."
"Ah don't sweat it, there's no way you'll be as bad as Ira and Mako," Ryuko held her hand to side of her mouth conspiratorially, "She's really bad, trust me." When she got up, Rei went with her, giggling. Was she sure she'd like Kayroke? No, but she'd trusted Ryuko with plenty worse. She'd bail her out if she was having a bad time. Ryuko turned to Nonon now, "Well, c'mon, you're not gonna sit here just the two of you," (Tsumugu and Aoi were seated at the bar, leaving Nonon and Saiban now the last ones at their table)
"Hmph! Maybe I am, you don't know!" She responded, but went with them anyway.
A few songs and rounds of drinks later and it was Ryuko's turn. Houka and Shiro had done a completely competent job, Ira and Mako had bombed (Mako broke down laughing halfway through the song – at what, even she didn't seem to know), and then, with Nonon still refusing to sing, Aikuro and Uzu had joined forces for a duet more over-the-top than anyone expected. At that point, probably about when they both – with no prior planning – dropped to a knee with arms up in the air like they were headlining at a rock concert, everybody was laughing so hard that the bartender had to check if everything was okay.
A tough act to follow, but now everybody was limbered up and into it. Well, everyone except Rei, who was still a little nervous, and Nonon, who was having a snide conversation with Saiban in which she seemed to be explaining (badly) what Karyoke was, why she didn't like it, and why she wouldn't sing.
"How about this one?" Mako said, leaning over the computer screen with Ryuko.
"Ooh, nahh," Ryuko shook her head, sucking on her teeth, "That's one of hers." She jerked her head over to Nonon, reading Regalia in the "artist" slot.
"But it's one of your favorites, I thought."
"Yeah, and she can't find that out!" Mako shot her a "c'mon" look, but Ryuko wasn't budging, until…
"But it's a duet. You wanted a duet, right?" That was right. Ryuko was plenty aware that Rei still looked a bit awkward, and she needed to do something about.
"Yeah, alright, queue it up. Yo Rei, get down here!" Rei looked like she was going to jump out of her skin.
"Wha – me?"
"Yeah, c'mon, this is a duet number too. We gotta show those guys who's boss, right?" Oh boy, I'm gonna need this, Rei thought as she downed the rest of her drink. She already felt pretty tipsy, a sort of soothing warmth spreading from her belly. Getting drunk used to be a source of anxiety for her, it was hard now to relearn it as part of a good time. But seeing Ryuko up there, so confident, she almost forgot for a second. Shit, yeah, alright, whatever you say!
But when she was up at the front of the room, trying to listen as Ryuko explained how it all worked, the appraising eyes wouldn't let up. The eyes of people who used to be her enemies, who she was pretty sure still didn't think she belonged with them. She felt small, not sure they even knew how much she wanted to be there with them, and to enjoy it. Did they think less of Ryuko for bringing her along?
Then Mako gave her a thumbs up, a huge smile, and a mouthed "you got this!". Rei didn't really care for Mako – this by all appearances ordinary girl who seemed destined to become a housewife and offered no resistance to her fate. Why did Ryuko hold her in such high regard? Frankly, Rei thought she was setting a bad example for someone as extraordinary as Ryuko. That, and Rei couldn't help but dislike that every time Mako was in town, Ryuko would go off to do things with her just the two of them. (Little did she know that Ryuko didn't think Rei would appreciate "Mako things", her word for the lazy, unproductive nothing that they usually did together. Rei had to be doing something, she wouldn't get just sitting feeding the ducks at the park for hours, right?)
But seeing that encouraging smile, Rei got what Ryuko liked about her. Everyone belonged with her. And hadn't Ryuko once been their enemy too?
"You ready?" Ryuko asked, giving her a little shake.
"Mhm! We've got this!"
When the song was done, it was greeted with appreciative applause.
"I must say, I've known you all my life, and I had no idea you could sing like that Rei," Shiro nodded.
"Aw well, we weren't exactly friends back then. A-and it's not like I had any training or anything, I've just heard this song before," Rei said demurely. Those eyes didn't look nearly so hostile now. It would take more than one song to become of the gang, but still, she felt like they were looking at her not as Ryuko's girlfiend, but as Rei. Even Nonon was sitting up at attention.
"Well still, that was – not that I know much about music – pretty good. Wouldn't you say, Nonon?"
"Hmm, what I can tell you is that this one," She pointed at Ryuko, "Has absolutely no pitch control! Swinging all over like a goddamn police siren."
"Aw man!" Ryuko groaned, "Looks like I'm just dead weight, holding you down," She threw a hand over her forehead and went on, dramatically, "Just promise me you won't forget me when you're a star!"
When Rei and Ryuko sat back down, Nonon turned to her, saying "That was… interesting. You've given me an idea, actually."
"Wait, really? I gave you an idea? Well, what is it?"
"You'll see. You've just got a very unique singing voice, is all." Rei smiled. Nonon played hard to impress, always had, so if you got through to her that meant something.
"So? Karyoke review?" Ryuko nudged her.
"Oh! It's good, it's good. I don't know why I always get so nervous."
"Nah, nah we all do it sometimes. I used to be such a little shut-in, y'know. Oh, speaking of which, watch this."
"Next up, Nonon!" Mako called, as if on cue. Nonon jumped a full foot in her chair.
"Ohh no! I thought I made it very clear that I wasn't," Mako had already pressed the play button. It was one of her own songs. "What the hell are you doing!"
"Nonon! Nonon! Nonon!" Ryuko started the chant, Mako picked it up, and soon everyone was egging her own. Face redder than her hair, Nonon bolted for the exit.
"Nonon! Hey, c'mon," Uzu made her stop up short, "I don't know who told you you had a bad voice, but if I ever see 'em I'm gonna punch 'em for ya!"
"Shut up! I told you I didn't -," Now Saiban was saying something to her too, "You to? Fine! I'll prove it to you!" Suddenly she was stalking up, grabbing the microphone from Mako's hand. Rei had known Nonon for a long time too, so to see her cave in (for someone other than Satsuki) was really a sight to behold. A she nestled into Ryuko's chest to watch Nonon scream out the lyrics, she had to acknowledge that, yeah, this was really fun.
"God that was great!" Ryuko shouted, flopping onto the bed with her clothing in a messy state of half undress. Even she – with her practically unlimited reserves of energy, was exhausted, although the liquor didn't help with that. Rei was about the same, if not more thoroughly done with everything. She felt herself sobering up with a light headache, frustrated because she felt torn between "no, don't leave!" and "everyone get out and let me sleep!".
By the time they'd managed to chase everyone out it was late into the night, but Ryuko didn't have to worry about patrolling the city that night, it was Nonon's turn. Rei was a little worried she might be too drunk, but apparently Saiban didn't get drunk when she did, and he could basically puppet her body with her permission. So, thank god, there was nothing to stop them from sleeping. Nothing except for Rei's own pent up temper.
"Damn, I just wish we could do this more often, y'know?" Ryuko said as she rolled over, lazily pulling the sheet around herself. Something about how lazily, obliviously Ryuko said that pushed Rei's annoyance over the edge
"You know, they're all pulling their weight," She said from the doorway of the walk in closet.
Ryuko looked up, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You were wondering why we couldn't have nights like this often," Rei shrugged, "I'm just telling you why."
"You're telling me it like you expect me to do something about it. Wait - you're not seriously talking about the Kamui now, are you?" (now that Saiban had been revealed all the secrecy was over and done with)
"What if I am?"
"Oh my god, seriously? Did Shiro put you up to this?" Ryuko whined.
"No, of course not! You just - you act like you don't know why we can't do this more often – or like there's nothing you can do about it."
"Well, there's nothing I'm going to do about it."
"Seriously?"
"What, you seriously think I should?"
"Yes! Of course you should, you're the only one who can."
"Have ya never heard the old saying 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should?'"
"That's not a saying, that's from a movie or something."
"Doesn't mean it's not true!" Ryuko was genuinely angry now. She knew she shouldn't have considered this issue done. But why couldn't she just let everyone do their own thing over there while she lived her own life? Obviously it was going to be a slippery slope from helping in the first raid to sparring with Nonon to this. But now that she was being dragged back in, despite what she'd once told Satsuki, she didn't want this.
"Fine then. Give me one good reason why you shouldn't help them – that's all they want, help." Rei crossed their arms. Ryuko didn't like this. Rei was much smarter than her, she probably had every possible comeback planned out already. Better choose the smartest sounding answer.
"Well, for one, this is the exact arms-race bullshit I warned them about, like, months ago! Like back in the 1900s with the cold war and shit. I thought you guys were smarter than to repeat history," She said venomously. Yeah, you're all soo much smarter than me, huh? Why can I figure this shit out and not you?
"We aren't starting an arms race, Ryuko, we're ending it before it begins."
"Right, I'm sure they said that too! Like, they already have four Kamuis, and you say the arms race isn't already started."
"Yeah, they have four. Ryuko, Nui made those based off of Junketsu years ago. They don't know how to make more!" Rei sneered derisively, "I don't think they even have the abilities without a hybrid or your father's research."
"Sure, you say that now."
"Well even if that's so, they still have four Kamuis now. They must not have wearers for them yet or they'd have used them already, but once they do, they won't hesitate."
"So? Me and Nonon can take 'em!"
"Ryuko they will kill Nonon."
"No."
"She's as strong as you were when you first bonded with Senketsu. Against four of Junketsu at once. Do you really think she'll have a chance." Fuck. No. Ryuko realized with horror. An image of Nonon torn apart by creatures moving their human hosts like puppets flashed before her mind. Like vultures.
"T-then I'll take care of them."
"You think you could manage it?"
"Probably."
"Maybe. Do you really want to find out?"
"Well, I…"
"Yeah. You see the problem. Look, it doesn't make any sense not to help. They're going to do it anyway, it will just take a lot longer."
"So? If they're going to do it anyway then what's the problem ? I don't have to defeat their Kamuis, I just have to protect everyone until they can make the new ones. They can't stop me from doing that."
"That's absurd! It could take years!"
"That doesn't matter though. They can't win if we're careful enough."
"… Ryuko, what do you think REVOCS is after?"
"… Uh, to kill Satsuki and me?" Rei was looking at her in an appalled manner. "Is that not right?"
"No of course it's not, don't be stupid! They're trying to destabilize the new order, turn things back the way they were back when Ragyo ruled."
"Pfft. Nobody's gonna let them do that."
"No? This experiment is something new, everyone's used to living under the dynasties. Satsuki's made a lot of promises that things are going to get better, and if they make her wrong, she's lost."
"What? Well, but things are better now! Like, so much better."
"Ryuko, you live in a penthouse on an eighty-or-so-story building. Do you really think you know what's going on down on the ground floor?"
"Yeah, of course I do, I only spend every damn night wandering around the city."
"And what about the rest of Japan, the rest of the world?"
"Well, I… I don't know! Look, I'm get it, I'm important, but if I do this now, I'll have to stop going to school to work on it."
"Oh please, you already only go when you feel like it. You'd have flunked out long ago if it weren't for your name and you know it!"
"Okay now, you know I'm doing a lot better now. And I'm not fucking quitting, what would I do then?"
"Ryuko, you're a trillionaire. Even with Satsuki bleeding your fortune as fast as she can sign checks you'll be rich for the rest of your life. You don't need to go to college, hell, you don't even need to work. You should spending your time on something that's actually useful."
"Rich coming from the one who told me I should be majoring in fashion design."
"Well, then go part time or something! It isn't that you shouldn't use you fashion skills, you would be using them. Look, you're a good fashion designer but a terrible student, everyone knows it. So stop acting like everything revolves around you and do what you were born to do!"
Now Ryuko stood up, got in Rei's face. "What's that supposed to mean?" She growled.
"You never think about anything that's beyond what you see. You have no idea how much you'd be helping, but you won't just because you don't want to!"
"Well maybe you could fucking tell me how much it helps. Or you can just keep being a whiny know-it-all. Your choice."
"Well, I…" I wouldn't know where to begin. Rei was sure the arms race thing was what upset Ryuko, she wasn't that logical. How was she supposed to persuade her? Satsuki should've done this job, she wasn't cut out for it. Ryuko started to storm off. Wait, where are you going? Come back! "Ryuko, look, if none of that matters to you, at least think of your friends. They're all sacrificing so much, especially Satsuki. Did you know she gets almost no sleep these days? Just… think about how much it would help her, if you would do this. Ryuko? Wait, where are you going?"
"I'll be right back. I think someone left the TV on." Ryuko said with such a snarkily emphatic tone that told Rei neither of those things was true. Fuck! No I've messed it up! Dammit, what was I supposed to say! Little did Rei know Ryuko was fleeing, knowing all too well she didn't have a comeback. Especially against that last part.
Ryuko did eventually return, maybe two hours later. Rei had laid down, accepting her defeat. She pretended she was still asleep until Ryuko laid down, forehead to forehead, and wrapped her arms around Rei's chest. She stirred a little bit, just enough to see Ryuko smile a little , push a string of frizzy brown hair behind her ear. They didn't resolve anything that night, but still, those arms pulled her closer until her face was practically nestled into Ryuko's breasts. They felt like absolution.
Unbeknownst to Rei, there was another side to their typical arguments. Whenever things went unresolved for long enough, Ryuko would inevitably end up griping about it to Satsuki. She would ambush her older sister whenever she happened by the penthouse, ostensibly for a quick chat, but usually they ended up settling down for the length of a movie or TV episode and going on long, meandering conversations in which Ryuko would invariably spill the beans. Of course this didn't help things. Satsuki always took Ryuko's side, feeling a rush of wistful pride because she understood her dear sister better than her own girlfriend. And then Ryuko would only dig in her heels deeper. Except this time:
"Ah, I shoulda known you'd be keen on it too. But still, at least you don't make it personal. 'you never think about anything beyond yourself'," Ryuko misquoted Rei, gesturing with her hands, "I think that was way out of line."
"Mmm, I don't disagree," Satsuki said, but as much as she wanted that to be it, she could tell this was bothering Ryuko. Ryuko seemed to think Rei was very smart and supremely logical, admired it, in fact, and it didn't sit right with her that Rei had resorted to personal attacks. I can't believe I'm doing this, Satsuki thought as she spoke, "But I think she probably was a little frustrated."
"Hmm? How so?"
"Well, maybe you should try seeing things from her perspective," Satsuki said plainly. From Rei or almost anybody else, Ryuko might have taken offense to this. But not Satsuki, never Satsuki. They spoke their minds when they were together (well, maybe not everything on their minds).
"I mean, I thought I did. She thinks it would be useful if I helped. I disagree."
"Hmm," Satsuki hummed thoughtfully. "Has she ever told you about her past?"
Oh, shit. Ryuko sensed immediately that there was something she should have known. "I, uh, I never asked. Fuck, I probably should have," She said, throwing herself back against her pillow.
"Yes, I suppose you should have. But, she did give me permission to talk about it if I saw fit. She says its good to discuss it – what her psychiatrist told her."
"Really? Alright then. Lay it on me."
Satsuki cleared her throat, "Rei was born in Somalia, a country in Africa that has been plagued by civil war and anarchy for as long as anyone can remember. When she was four, the civil war came to her village, mercenaries killed everyone except her, she hid. But her village was a secret test by REVOCS - the people there had high life-fiber compatibilities – and Ragyo came to collect her. So she grew up with me and with Nui. You can imagine what that was like."
"Yeah…" Ryuko nodded, listening while at the same time lost in thought. She could see it now, and suddenly everything clicked and she understood all too well.
"Same brutal training I received, only worse, because she started hers even before I was born."
"She has the, the same, uh -,"
"The scars?" Satsuki motioned to her back. Ryuko nodded. "It's only now, as you know, that's she's finally free from all that. And if things had gone a little differently back then she wouldn't be here now. She knows better than any of us what oppression and cruelty looks like – she's felt being a starving child at the very bottom of the ladder. She really believes in what we're doing now."
"Yeah, yeah I know," Ryuko sniffed
"She really enjoyed that night, you know that, right? I don't think she ever had anything like that before. So I don't think it's too surprising that she wants to do anything necessary to protect her new life. And that she'd be frustrated that you aren't doing everything you can to – oh! Ryuko? Are you okay?"
Ryuko looked up at her with glassy eyes. "Fuck. I'm such a jerk. I didn't even - I shoulda asked."
What? Oh no, Ryuko, you can't cry. I didn't mean that! "It's not your fault, you didn't know."
"Yeah, but, I shoulda."
"Are you alright? I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Satsuki said softly.
"S'okay," Ryuko smiled thinly, wiped her eyes. She knew what she needed to do now. "Thankyou for telling me that."
"Here, I'll go get -,"
"- No no! It's alright, really. I just need time to think about that."
"Oh. Okay." Satsuki stood to go. This is a good thing, she told herself. Ryuko isn't mine. My pain isn't hers to feel. At least, she and Rei. This will be good for them. She told herself these things over and over again.
As Satsuki was getting ready to leave, Ryuko looked up from her thoughts again. "Hey, Sats?"
"Yes?"
They're all sacrificing so much, especially Satsuki. Did you know she gets almost no sleep these days?
"How've you been lately?" When Ryuko saw surprise on Satsuki's face, she laughed softly, "I know, I know I never ask, I'm sorry. Just as you're running out the door too."
"No, it's alright."
"Cuz, y'know, we all noticed you haven't been around as much lately. And I know it's not because you're mad at me, just you're really busy. But you're not too busy, right?"
Satsuki smiled, "I'm fine, really. Yes, I've been very busy, but things are going well."
"No, but like – I mean, how are you doing?"
"Oh I'm alright. Really, it's been very helpful to have Rei around, she's really helped reduce my workload." More time mope at home - when she should have been working on her dissertation - and wonder what had gone wrong that Rei could be reasonably happy and well adjusted just months after her release while she still felt like she was sleepwalking through everything.
"Alright, alright. I was just thinking, 'cuz we talk a lot about what I want outta life and stuff, and not ever about what you want. And I care, alright? I wanna make sure you're happy."
Satsuki's heart could've burst, but she pulled up her bag and soldiered on, "I want to guarantee peace and prosperity for as many people as I can, for as long as I can. The best thing to want, I think."
"Well, yeah, but that's not all you do, right?"
Satsuki shook her head. "But it's working. It'll just be a little longer now."
"No, this is gonna last the rest of your life, isn't it?"
Satsuki shrugged. Don't you dare cry again, not for me. Not your job.
"Okay, well come around more often, okay? It was really fun hanging out with you that night, really."
"I will. Take care, Ryuko."
Fuck, everyone's got so many problems except me. Maybe I am self centered, Ryuko thought. But no matter. She knew what she had to do now. For Rei's and Satsuki's sakes.
That night, the argument was still lingering unresolved like a bad taste in the mouth. Rei walked into the bathroom for her evening shower and found Ryuko already there, lounging in the vast bathtub, steam rising from the bubblers.
"Hey," Ryuko greeted her with a nod. Rei responded with a nonverbal grunt. "How was your day?"
"Fine."
"Care to join?"
"Didn't you say you had an essay due tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but I – wait, no, this is wrong. I will get it done. I was waiting for you, though."
"Oh?"
"Well yeah. I want to apologize."
Oh, thank god! Truth be told Rei was ready to put it behind her, but stubbornness kept her demeanor frosty. "You do?"
"Yeah, of course," Ryuko shot her a meaningful glance and, with the shape of her naked figure glimmering through the water, God, wow, she's incredible. Rei had started undressing, and she wasn't stopping now as Ryuko beckoned with her finger, "C'mon, I got some shit to say."
Rei went to dip her toes in and "Ah! Ryuko that's boiling!"
"Oh shit, yeah, sorry, human temperature ranges, right." She pressed a few buttons on the control panel to make the bubbler pipe in cold water, and turned the main faucet so it added some cold water. "Better?" She asked after a minute.
"Better." Rei managed to get one foot in, then the other, until she was sitting by Ryuko's side.
"Good, now I can do this shit properly." Ryuko took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for Saturday. I was being stupid and selfish and not thinking. I do that a lot. I didn't mean to upset you any, really."
"It's alright, really. I should really be apologizing to you."
"What? Nah."
"No, I'm serious. I wasn't being respectful. I said some hurtful things I didn't mean."
"I don't even remember it," Ryuko put her arm over Rei's shoulders, "Point is, you don't gotta worry about that anymore. I'm gonna do it."
Rei beamed, and Ryuko leaned in to kiss her. "Does that make it up?"
"You didn't have to -,"
"But I am," Another thing Ryuko was doing was slowly shifting until Rei was sitting between her legs. Having her on all sides was even more soothing than the warm waters of the bath, even if her body was like a hot water bottle. "You were right, and if you want to apologize for being mean, fine, but I won't let you apologize for that."
"You don't get to tell me that!" Rei giggled.
"Oh? Well can I tell you that you're gonna sit her with me fer as long as I want, essay or not?" Ryuko wrapped a leg around Rei's waist pulling her even tighter. She squirmed involuntarily; another, very different sort of heat was building inside her. It was almost uncomfortable, but in a situation like this she could never refuse Ryuko anything.
"M-maybe. But I'm gonna apologize anyway. Because it was wrong of me to try to force you to make such a big decision for my sake. I was just – mmnm! I was just – stop that!"
"What?" Ryuko mumbled around Rei's shoulderblade. "Mmm listenin'."
"I had such a good time that night, I just wanted to protect that, but I forgot how much I already owe you."
"You don't owe me anything, don't be stupid."
"No, really. I wouldn't know any of these wonderful people without you, I wouldn't have tried so many amazing things without you. And I wonder, sometimes, why you would even choose me to begin with."
"But I love sharing things with you."
"But you could've picked someone – anyone else, and you chose me. I feel like I'm on my wa to having friends, a family now. I-I've never really had anything like that before. And it's because of you."
"Yeah, that was me too, once. God, I feel that so hard."
"Ryuko, I – I never felt a joy like that before you. I won't ever forget again, I promise."
"Oh, stop that, you're gonna make me blush," Ryuko grinned as he fingers curled possessively around Rei's chin and neck, just how she liked. Meanwhile, the other was creeping down past her navel. Rei could've protested that they weren't done talking yet, but that wasn't up to her to decide anymore.
"Mmm, you're already blushing."
"Am I? Oh dear, there's gonna have to be some reparations for that," Ryuko said, and then, just as her hand reached its destination, drawing a breathy gasp from Rei, she said softly, almost whispering:
"I'll do what it takes to protect your joy, Rei. I promise you that. Whatever it takes."