The ocean waves washed over the warm sands of a secluded beach as the evening sun began to set upon the horizon: its golden glow reflecting off of the sea which sparkled with light as a cool breeze moved through the leaves of a bent over palm tree close to the shoreline, just on the edge of the lush grass before the empty beach. Against this tree, Satsuki Kiryūin leaned: her jet black hair cut short still and with a soft smile upon her face as she looked out towards the calm waters with folded arms. Sat upon the tree, a fair distance from Satsuki, was Mako Mankanshoku. As the two continued to enjoy their sunset view, Ryuko Matoi sat herself down upon the tree. Placing herself in the open gap between the two other women. Within her left hand she held 3 ice creams, and upon her face a warm smile. Satsuki and Mako turned to look at Ryuko as she passed them both an ice cream each, keeping one to herself of course: the three exchanging friendly smiles and pleasant laughs.
Running her free hand through her hair to brush her partings back into place, Ryuko went to take a bite of her ice cream whilst watching the sun set across the water when Mako began to slowly dissolve into countless tiny bits and float away into thin air. Ryuko lowered the ice cream from her mouth. Satsuki too began to break apart just like Mako and vanish into the wind. Ryuko's smile disappeared just like her companions and she bowed her head before pushing herself off of the tree as everything around her broke down in a similar fashion to Satsuki & Mako and she found herself free falling into a pure white void before landing on to a huge shard of glass floating in a black abyss adorned with several other chunks and shards of broken glass with dozens upon dozens of glowing red lines spread out in the darkness. Rising back up to her feet: Ryuko found herself gripping in her right hand a familiar crimson scissor blade.
With narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow she raced forward, leaping from glass pane to glass pane: swiping away the dark beasts in the shape of animated clothing with glowing crimson eyes and maws that leaped out to confront the Life Fiber-Human Hybrid. With each swipe they burst into clouds of blood and smoke and after a short sprint up a flight of glass stairs: Ryuko found herself looking upon an unconscious Mako. Rushing over to her, Ryuko frantically picked Mako up in her arms whilst kneeling down and tried to shake her awake only for a slowly encroaching rainbow glow to catch her attention. Ryuko quickly turned her head around to see Satsuki standing there with her back to Ryuko & Mako and staring up at a giant, glowing orange cocoon. Her hair back to its original long length. Satsuki slowly turned around and looked directly at younger sister: Ryuko & Satsuki locking eyes before Satsuki held out her right arm as if to beckon Ryuko towards her. Without thinking, Ryuko broke into a sprint towards her elder sister, slowly raising her Scissor Blade as she ran to then strike at Satsuki: who effortlessly caught the strike with the Bakuzan, the two struggling against each other for a brief moment before Ryuko managed to overpower Satsuki and took a mighty swing at her which forced Satsuki to back-flip away.
As Satsuki made her recovery and began floating back down to the ground she began to break apart into several glowing pieces before landing: in her place now standing Ragyo Kiryūin. Ryuko & Satsuki's mother. Ragyo folded her arms and smirked. Ryuko dashed straight towards her in blinded fury, cutting straight through the two balls of orange energy Ragyo lobbed towards her without effort before leaping up to bring her Scissor Blade down upon the rainbow haired woman. Suddenly a white door materialized before Ryuko and in front of Ragyo, coming between the two: the Scissor Blade cutting it open so that a blinding light engulfed Ragyo whilst Ryuko fell through said door on the other side and rolled onto a glass spiral staircase hanging in a Life Fiber covered void. Looking up, Ryuko saw Satsuki running up the staircase and broke into a quick run after her elder sister. Several more shadowy Life Fiber beasts leaped out onto the stairs from the surrounding void but Ryuko had no time for them and with a series of quick swipes followed by a leaping strike, cut them all down. Satsuki doing the same with her Bakuzan a couple of flights up from Ryuko.
As Ryuko looked up as the blood and smoke dissipated around her, she saw a hooded figure standing in the darkness a few steps above her but before she could reach out to them reality warped around her and she now found herself standing in a very classy, pure white hallway with stained glass windows to both her left and right. At the end of this hallway stood Nui Harime with the other half of the Scissor Blade in her right hand, resting over her shoulder with a devilish grin plastered across her face as she looked down upon Ryuko. Ryuko tightened her grip upon the Scissor Blade before rising to her feet and moving straight towards Nui with both hands now around her weapon. Nui swung her Scissor Blade forth and sent out a wave of purple energy towards Ryuko, who leaped over it. and swung her own blade forth to cut through the 2nd wave Nui had launched afterwards. Satsuki then appearing in Ryuko's place and dodging around several pillars of multicolored energy that Ragyo, who had taken Nui's place, had caused to erupt from the ground. Satsuki leaping in to the air and taking a swing at her mother upon drawing close enough to her. Ryuko again appeared, replacing Satsuki, and locked blades with the similarly returned Nui before the two began swinging at one another: each swing Ryuko & Nui swapping places with Satsuki & Ragyo and vice versa until Nui leaped backwards into the air and Ryuko then proceeded to toss her Scissor Blade straight at her: Nui bursting into a cloud of blood and Life Fibers upon contact whilst Satsuki brought her Bakuzan down upon Ragyo who disappeared into an explosion of multicolored light.
Ryuko took a deep breath upon catching the Scissor Blade as it returned to her like a boomerang, taking hold of it in her right hand again whilst catching her breath and looking forward. The hallway was empty, Nui was indeed gone. All that was left before her was a doorway. Pressing onward, Ryuko ran to the doors and pushed them both open with great force: stepping out into a pristine science lap on the other side and finding her father, Isshin Matoi, standing before her. Before Ryuko could react beyond an expression of wide eyes and an open mouth she found herself being engulfed by the Life Fibers and then lost consciousness as the darkness over took her. As she drifted off into a deep slumber, the darkness began to fade before finally cracking and allowing light to overtake the still unconscious Ryuko who was now flying over the ocean with her back to the waves below soon to be laid upon the warm sands... Satsuki to her left and Mako to her right. All three joined hand by hand. Smiles upon each of their sleeping faces, and a faint crimson glow emanating from Ryuko's chest exactly where her Heart would be.
But of course, this respite could not last and the still knocked out Ryuko proceeded to fall back into the void after everything and everyone around her once again faded away into nothingness. She kept falling and falling, sinking deeper into the abyss before finally beginning to wake. Opening her eyes to be greeted by a faint glow in the distance...
Flipping herself around as she continued to drift down, Ryuko landed upon a circular Life Fiber platform. The orange, pulsing ground beneath giving a warm glow which helped to contrast against the bleak darkness surrounding her. She looked down to find herself now in the old rabbit patterned pajamas that Mako had once gifted her, her eyes widening as she found herself in such odd clothing for her current predicament.
"Wait, what the hell!?" Ryuko tugged at collar whilst looking herself over. "The hell am I doing in these... where am I? What is any of this? I must be dreaming..." Ryuko proceeded to raise her right hand up to her left arm and pinched herself: only for nothing to happen, minus a sharp self inflicted pain. "Ow! That usually works..." She grumbled, rubbing her arm. The hybrid girl let out a sigh whilst folding her arms behind her head and looking around. Nothing. She began to frown. She hated weird dreams like this. Just as she was beginning to lose patience a voice rang through her mind, catching her off guard.
What do you desire...?
"What..." Ryuko lowered her arms and looked to her left and then her right, perplexed by such an odd question. Three panes of glass drifted down in front of her. Across each of them, a different memory of her past. On her left side, she saw herself standing before the ruins of her childhood home: contemplating everything that had transpired back then. Directly in front of her she saw herself battling with Satsuki for the first time, the two sisters locking blades in the middle of Honnōji Academy. To her right she saw herself battling with Ragyo above the Planet Earth for the sake of everyone and everything.
Wisdom, a sharp mind that will grant you mastery of power? Vitality, a rugged body that will endure even the toughest of challenges? Balance, a body and mind of equal merit and potential? Which of these do you seek?
Ryuko stared intensely at each and every memory, going over it all in her mind. She did not know why but she felt curiously intrigued by these questions and pondered them all for several seconds of deafening silence before finally reaching out for her answer. And like that all 3 panes began to crack and shattered before exploding before Ryuko: none of the shards somehow flying towards her however.
"This just keeps getting weirder... hope I wake up soon, breakfast sounds good right about now." Ryuko was promptly cut off by the Scissor Blade falling from the sky and lodging itself into the Life Fiber platform she stood upon: directly in front of her. "Gah..." Ryuko jumped back on reflex, amazed she was not hit by the blade itself on its descent. "This old thing again... heh." She allowed a small smile to creep onto her face as she reached out for her old weapon: wrapping both hands around its hilt and slowly pulling it out of the ground and then raising it up towards the dark sky to look upon the familiar blade once more. But without warning the ground beneath her began to dull before splitting apart and then exploding into crimson light. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" Ryuko let out a terrified scream whilst hugging her Scissor Blade as she began to fall deeper and deeper into the abyss: closing her eyes in fright as she fell and fell, only to suddenly come to a sudden halt. "Huh...?"
Peeking with one eye open, the young woman found that her descent had fallen by her Scissor Blade becoming lodged into another Life Fiber platform floating in the void. Slowly she let go of her blade and stepped on to the platform itself, looking around in confusion before nervously extending her hand to pull her Scissor Blade out of the ground: bracing herself for another fall. Only for nothing to happen. She frowned.
"Sure, be picky why don't you." The red highlight toting girl rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand whilst resting the crimson blade in her right over her shoulder. As she spoke 3 more glass panes began making their way down to her from the void above and showed 3 more memories whilst the mysterious voice spoke in her mind once again.
What power do you seek?
To Ryuko's left the memory of Mako leaping towards her in the middle of school and Ryuko then spinning her around and placing her gently down besides her played upon the pane's surface. Straight ahead on the middle pane played out the memory of her battle with Satsuki during the Tri-City Schools Raid Trip. Finally, the last memory playing to her right showed her and Senketsu unleashing their true power in both mind and body: bathed in golden light.
The power of a guardian, kindness to aid friends? The power of the warrior, invincible courage? Or a mystic power, inner strength? What is it you seek?
Ryuko once again made her choice after some small time spent deliberating and just as before the glass shattered and she found herself alone in the void once again. The platform beneath her remaining this time but slowly losing the Life Fibers that covered it: revealing a stained glass mural of herself and Senketsu, with Satsuki and Mako alongside them. On this depiction Ryuko held Senketsu close, arms wrapped around the sentient Sailor Uniform, whilst Ryuko herself stood alone and Satsuki and Mako were depicted on either side of the rebellious youth, the two of them seemingly in mid-air. Satsuki shown to be asleep whilst Mako looked aside, seemingly in her own world, and reached out to something not depicted. Ryuko could make out the silhouette of a hunchbacked man standing behind all of them, and behind Isshin was the ever present rainbow pattern.
The Life Fiber infused girl stood there in silence, just staring and studying the picture before her. Her eyes scanning over every little detail but always returning to the center: to her and Senketsu. She pressed her free hand to chest and felt a warmth within her. A smile crept onto her face, but so to did a tear escape from one of her eyes. Before Ryuko could kneel down to press her hand against the glass in a show of affection to her lost companion a stirring in the abyss caught her attention. She tightened her grip around the Scissor Blade and looked around with a furrowed brow. Suddenly the stained glass platform began to shake and then tilt, Ryuko beginning to lose her balance before sliding off and falling into the darkness...
"Urgh..." Ryuko pushed herself up as she shuck her head and opened her eyes, finding herself standing in a very shallow lake of water with the Scissor Blade embedded into the ground besides her. Using the crimson weapon as balance, she managed to get herself back up onto her feet and then proceeded to remove it from the ground. Looking around she could see now she was in an entirely different locale. The sky once again was filled with shattered shards of glass and Life Fibers covered the pitch black expanses beyond the glass like a spider's web. All around her was an endless expanse of clear water and nothing else. "Getting real tired of these constant scenery changes..."
As Ryuko continued to look around and survey her surroundings ripples began to spread out across the water's surface followed by the ground itself beginning to shake, causing Ryuko to lose her balance for a moment as a whirlpool opened up before her. From this whirlpool shot out several dozen strands of Life Fibers, one after the other. Each one reaching out into the shattered sky above whilst Ryuko jumped back. The water beneath her began to turn red as the shattered glass above changed from reflecting a clear blue sky to one of a setting sun: an orange hue engulfing the area as a shadowy giant COVER beast emerged from the whirlpool, unleashing a deafening roar that shuck the area and caused even greater ripples to burst out through the now bloody pool. Ryuko narrowed her eyes and assumed a battle ready stance, her right foot sliding forward as she kept her left behind her whilst she spun the Scissor Blade around her wrist behind her before bringing it to a halt in front of her and pointing it towards the COVER with a grin.
"Alright. Let's go." The girl with the crimson highlight dashed forward as the COVER brought it rights fist down upon the lake, several Life Fiber spikes bursting up out of the ground which Ryuko promptly dodged and weaved around, leaping up into the air and running up the Life Fiber beast's arm to strike in the back of its head with her Scissor Blade before leaping off of it and sliding to a halt on the ground as it turned around to catch her whilst unleashing a furious roar followed by a beam of orange energy from its mouth. Dodge rolling to the side, Ryuko managed to avoid the beam and broke forward into a sprint, sliding underneath the COVER's legs and slicing at both of its legs whilst passing by before jumping and spinning through the air to twist and turn and see the COVER's fist coming straight at her: Ryuko barely managing to block the strike with her Scissor Blade and flying back from the recoil but managing to regain control and save the fall, sliding backwards to a halt across the bloody lake.
But before she could react further, Ryuko found herself trapped by Life Fibers that had shot out from the COVER's palms: entangling her and lifting her up into the air whilst beginning to tighten and squeeze. She struggled and struggled with gritted teeth as the beast increased the intensity of its hold before finally managing to flip her Scissor Blade around and cut herself free: flipping around and striking the COVER across the face with her blade before back-flipping to safety as it stumbled back.
As the COVER recovered it raised up both of its arm before bringing them down upon the ground. From the initial crater created by the impact shot over several cracks, with chunks of the ground flying up into the air: including the ground beneath Ryuko who then fell off as her chunk began to flip around, seeing the COVER below her beginning to charge up a large orb of orange and yellow energy to throw at her. Thinking fast Ryuko threw her Scissor Blade, the crimson weapon cutting straight through the ball of Life Fiber energy and causing it to explode, knocking the COVER onto its behind and knocking Ryuko back, sending her tumbling through the air before falling back down and landing a short distance in front of the COVER with her Scissor Blade embedded into the lake next to her.
"I never do get a nice landing..." She grumbled whilst stumbling back up onto her feet and then yanking the Scissor Blade out of the crimson waters. Just as Ryuko had finished recovering the COVER beast began to push itself back up and let out another enraged roar. "How many times do I have to knock you on your ass?!" Leaping forth to bring her weapon down upon the COVER, Ryuko's leaping strike was quickly blocked and she found herself being knocked back as the Life Fiber monstrosity managed to push itself back up onto its feet entirely.
Taking a swipe at Ryuko, the beast swung forth its left arm, followed by another with its right, the first of which Ryuko leaped over and the 2nd of which she slid underneath. Taking the opening before her, the Life Fiber Human hybrid made several slashes to the COVER's left leg before leaping up and striking at its chest a few times. Ending with an upwards slice and back-flip to safety. Not even a second after landing Ryuko was once again forced on to the defensive as several spikes composed of Life Fibers broke out of the ground around her, forcing the rebellious youth to dodge around them: keeping her on the move as the COVER rose up into the sky and began charging up another huge ball of swirling orange and yellow energy between its hands. All the while Ryuko was forced to keep dodging as more and more spikes rose from the red waters. The energy ball above the COVER reached the peak of its growth just as the Life Fiber spikes began to relent and Ryuko skidded to her left to look up and see the COVER begin its throw. The sphere of destructive energy racing towards her as the waters around her grew violent and the ground began to shake.
"Oh hell no!" Ryuko made a mighty leap up into the air, spinning her Scissor Blade around her wrist as she ascended: creating a vortex of her own energy channeled through the blade to repel the energy blast of the COVER just enough to hold it back as she flipped around in mid-air and took hold of her weapon with both hands. "Scissor Blade! Decapitation Mode!" With one mighty swing she cleaved the energy ball straight in two with a torrent of crimson energy launched from her Scissor Blade after it had unfolded and extended to twice its original length: the wave of blood red power racing straight towards the COVER beast and passing straight through whilst Ryuko fell back to the ground.
Landing with grace, Ryuko held her still extended Scissor Blade out to her side with her left hand to the floor before looking up to see the split energy ball finally explode followed by the COVER splitting in two and then also exploding into a shower of Life Fibers and blood. Taking a deep breath, she let out a sigh of relief and stood back up.
"Well that's that." Twirling her Scissor Blade around after it folded back up into its normal state, Ryuko looked to the sky as it began to rain and rested her blade upon her shoulder. The water once again became clear and the sky reflected in the shattered glass above returned to normal, the rain subsiding soon after as Ryuko continued to stare out towards the Life Fiber void above her before beginning to feel drowsy and then falling into a deep slumber: falling backwards into the water, Scissor Blade still in hand and then slowly sinking down in a deep abyss.
"Ryuko... Ryuko... Ryuko. Get up." Satsuki, clothed in her dressing gown and a pair of slippers, stood over Ryuko as her younger sister laid sprawled out in her bed, the quilt kicked half off of herself whilst she made several loud snores. Satsuki just narrowed her eyes after Ryuko refused to wake up, proceeding to reach down and grab the bottom of her bed instead, lifting it up ever so slightly. Ryuko began to stir from her slumber.
"H-huh...? What..." Satsuki continued to tilt the bed further, Ryuko beginning to lose balance. "HEY! What're you doing?!" The younger sister exclaimed. Satsuki promptly let go of the bed and it returned to its natural position with a thud, the elder sister smirking as she folded her arms.
"Breakfast is almost ready and you're still in bed." Satsuki explained. Ryuko sat up on her bed and scratched the back of her head whilst letting out a yawn. "We may be on vacation but no one is going to bring you breakfast in bed.""Alright, alright... I'm getting up." Ryuko pushed herself out of bed, tugging at the bottom of her pajama shirt as she stood up, proceeding to stretch and then hold her arms behind her head whilst looking over to Satsuki who had moved towards the bedroom door. It was a double bedroom, a bed on either side of the room. The sisters sharing said room together whilst on their little vacation. "So what are we having?"
"A full course obviously, Gamagori has even taken the liberty of doing your eggs exactly as you like them." Satsuki smiled. "You should probably tidy up of course however before coming down for them. You know what he'd say otherwise." She followed up. Ryuko chuckled.
"Yeah, I know. Alright. Gimme a couple of minutes then." Satsuki nodded to her sister then turned to leave the room. Ryuko took the time for a 2nd stretch and another yawn before turning around to her bed, beginning the process of making it, intending to then grab some fresh clothes from the wardrobe before heading off to the bathroom to freshen up and change. All the while thinking back on what little she could remember of her strange dream from the night before...