Infinite darkness came over Honnouji-Academy. There was no doubt about it - today was the day Ragyo's plan shall succeed. Humanity shall be consumed by the Life Fibers, and the parasitarian life forms should finally be able to infest the entire galaxy, as they were always supposed to be. And yet, Nudist Beach was trying to stop them. A foolish attempt, as Ragyo believed. The satellite was prepared, Shinra Koketsu finished, and the COVERS collected the humans needed to gather energy and ultimately destroy the planet. It was a well thought out plan - and yet, as the scissor blades melted through Ragyo's body, it seemed as if this construction of a perfected plan Ragyo had in her mind... all of this presented the idea that the plan has failed.

But of course, Ragyo was not unprepared. As both of her daughters stood in front of her, believing they have crushed her plans, a last chance came up into her mind. There was this tool Ragyo raised from the very moment it was born - and it was clear as the dark sky for her, that this tool would do absolutely everything for it's... "mother". It didn't had her blood, her genes, yet it was raised by her, and it believed it could somehow surpass the status of being a simple tool by doing everything it can to satisfy her. At least, this is how Ragyo saw her loyal servant Nui. Nothing but a simple tool that was seeking for a family, and knowing that, it is easy to manipulate and order actions, no matter how cruel they are, even if they expect the ultimate sacrifice. With a self conscious face expression and the knowledge Nui would do everything for her, she turned her split head into the direction of her youngest, well, adoptive daughter, so to speak, forcing her to do this very ultimate sacrifice.

"Nui!" she said. Ryuko and Satsuki seemed surprise when she yelled her name, yet Satsuki did not hesitate and grabbed Ryuko's heirloom.

"Cast your body away!" Ragyo continued. When her tool heard that, it turned around instantly, and as it saw it's mother, torn apart into four parts, it seemed as if would not hesitate any further - after all, the live of it's mother was at stakes.

"Oui, Maman!" was said, and it confirmed Ragyo's belief... but the moment the ultimate deed could have been performed, the Life Fiber hybrid stopped with a shocked expression, as it saw how Satsuki Kiryuin finally decapitated Ragyo with the dual scissor blades, once and for all. Blood left the body of the mother, and covered the oh so beautiful Kamui Shinra Koketsu in red color, tainting it, and revealing that even though Ragyo believed to be divine, to be godlike, she could fall just like the others.

This gaze destroyed a part inside the tool's body. It paralyzed it. Ragyo twitched her eyes, disbelief flew through her entire body and mind, and a strange coldness came over her, even though she was worn by clothing. She looked down to her daughter, her own creation... and this creation destroyed her.

"Sats...uki..." Ragyo mumbled. It was not to believe. It was not to be. Her head slowly fell off her body, and the neck was revealed. There was no bone anymore - Ragyo sacrificed her humanity and her human body a long time ago. And yet, even with all the inhuman powers she had, she failed. Without a living host, the Kamui is unable to function, and due to the severe damage it received and that could not be fixed without the powers of the primordial Life Fiber that was dying due to the attacks of the Nudist Beach soldiers, it slowly dissolved, as well as Ragyo's body. The Life Fibers slowly died off and ascended into the air, until they disappeared.

After a few seconds, nothing was left of the empress of the REVOCS empire. All she left in this world were these three creations she brought upon this world - a human and two Life Fiber Hybrids.

Everything happened in an instant. The primordial Life Fiber lost it's colors, it's beautiful strength, it died as the Kamui slowly vanished from this world. The COVERS, that kept the humans as prisoners, opened up, and losing the things they could feast on, they died. Everything died. It seemed as if the world was saved. Explosions were audible, even a horrifying scream came out of the primordial Life Fibers inner parts, as if millions of living beings suddenly died in mere seconds. Junketsu closed his eyes, as Satsuki noticed. There was nothing left for him. Inside, he seemed to die when his brothers and sisters, if Life Fibers can be that, died. Senketsu observed the area. There was nothing left.

The clones of the Grand Couturier lost their strength when the primordial Life Fiber died - and thus, they dissolved. Ryuko saw that first. Then Satsuki - then Mikisugi, the Elite-Four that were continuing their assault on the primordial Life Fiber and the satellite connections... even Mako noticed it.

The tool did not. The tool observed how it's home died. It turned it's back to the two sisters, to the Nudist Beach soldiers, to everything, just to watch how the primordial Life Fiber slowly died off. It was gone. Everything was gone.

A last explosion occured, and then, the battle was over. Fire arised from the primordial Life Fiber, and it burned everything on it down. Nudist Beach was celebrating. The Elite-Four were celebrating.

Ryuko jumped down to her foe, her rival, the tool Nui was, to confront her one last time. She stood with her back to Ryuko.

"It's over." Ryuko said and kept her scissor blades ready. Slowly, Ryuko approached her.

"You lost."

Nui seemed to ignore Ryuko. Her body stance spoke a clear language: she failed. Her shoulders were lowered, the once so pretentious and self conscious, pesky Nui gave up. And Ryuko noticed that. Swiftly, Ryuko's face expression changed.

"Hey. I'm talking to you."

Nui slowly turned to the right. Ryuko saw the one eye she had left.

There were tears leaving it. Seeing this surprised Ryuko. What, was she trying to fool Ryuko now? Ryuko knew her tricks - this must have been one of them. Weirdly enough, it seemed that Nui however truly did not knew what to say, or how to react. Of course not - everything she had or believed to have was destroyed in one minute. Even now, clones are dying around her. She can hear their shocked moans, before they disappear. Until only the mistress is left.

"Nui?" Ryuko asked. Nui didn't gave an answer, but there really was no need for one. Her entire body said enough, her mouth said enough, her face... said enough. Ryuko watched the primordial Life Fiber slowly disappear, and Nui did the same. They both stood at the edge of the Honnouji walls. Satsuki was behind them, awaiting an action. But nothing happened.

"... I guess I lost." Nui said. Ryuko nodded. In Nui's voice was more than just a feeling of frustration audible - it was genuine desperation and sadness.

"That's all on you."

"... yes... I know..." Nui quietly answered and looked down. A tear fell down her face. The Nudist Beach soldiers arrived at the walls to pick up Ryuko and Satsuki, but as they saw the three of them just standing there, even Mikisugi thought there was no reason to interrupt them.

"Let's just go. We'll leave them be." he said.

...

The night sky was clear again. Nui looked up on it. Ryuko came even closer to Nui, until she stood almost next to her. A part of the destroyed Shinra Koketsu Kamui was still hovering around. It was hovering in front of them, slowly down the walls, until it landed in the ocean at one point. The tool whimpered.

"... you killed my mother." Nui teared up.

"Your... mother?"

"... she... she did everything for me."

Nui sounded like a little child. Not like a psychopath, or an insane person, rather did she sound like a hurt and lonely little girl that lost it's parents.

"I... see."

"... are you happy now?" Nui asks as she looked into Ryuko's face, slightly crying. She wasn't broken, but it was well visible Nui was defeated. There was no need to kill her anymore, as Ryuko believed at this point. Seeing Nui so defeated and destroyed was enough. Maybe even too much.

Still, there was no satisfaction in defeating Nui for Ryuko, neither for Satsuki. Suddenly, Nui kneeled down on the ground. She just looked down. Down to the city of Honno. Down to the ocean. Down to the ground. Ryuko looked down to her. She shrinked her scissor blades away. Senketsu was looking up to Ryuko.

A minute passed, in which Ryuko didn't say a single thing. The longer the minute was going on, the more tears fell onto the ground, tainting it darker than it was. Nui was crying - because Ryuko and Satsuki killed her mother, or at least the thing she saw as her mother.

In a sense, Ryuko felt like she repeated Nui's deeds.

Nui killed Ryuko's and Satsuki's dad.

Ryuko and Satsuki killed Nui's mother.

The cycle was complete.

"Is... there something you always wanted, too, Nui?" Ryuko asked. Nui didn't answer anymore. She just sat on the ground.

"... I'm sorry." Ryuko said. Ryuko carefully approached Nui, and as she was close enough, Nui grabbed her dark arms around Ryuko's legs and kept her crying face at them, so that the tears could be catched. Ryuko looked back to Satsuki. Her big sister didn't said anything - she just watched them. It wasn't her battle, and neither was it her true foe. Her true foe died moments ago. This is Ryuko's battle. And it was over the moment Nui cried.

"I want my mama..." Nui mumbled.

"... I want my dad too." Ryuko says. Somehow, she wanted to comfort Nui, at the same time though, she still felt hate for her. On the other hand, there was no need to kill her, or let the flow of blood continue.

"... but I guess we gotta grow out of everything at one point. That's... how life is, I suppose. And... mom... never grew out."

"... you... know I wish I just had a family... why... why do I always lose...?"

"You always lose? What... do you mean?"

"... I try... and I try... and I try to make my mother happy... and she just never is... I just wanted her... to acknowledge me... for years... and now she is gone... and it's unfair, she, she..." and Nui mumbled, and mumbled. And sure, while none of the things she said justified her actions, they made clear to Ryuko what kind of person is hidden behind the psychopathic behaviour. Truth is: there is not a person, just a little girl looking for a family. Nui kept going on - telling Ryuko how she has been mistreated, attacked by humans, how they hurt her at any time they could, and how Ragyo was the only person that really "seemed" to understand her. It seems to appear that Nui was born as a normal child as well and raised as such, yet in a manner that paved a path for psychopathy, loss of empathy, and genuine malevolence. Ragyo used this wish of her tool for her own plans. It's likely Ragyo never cared for Nui at all, unless Nui had a use. It would explain why she wanted her sacrifice to save her own body.

Ryuko brought up Nui onto her legs. The psychopath was looking onto the ground, destroyed by the thought everything she had was gone.

"Look, Nui." Ryuko said and looked directly into Nui's sad face.

"I can't let you get away without a punishment. You did evil things. None of these things can be excused. Maybe... maybe I can understand why you killed dad. And it's okay. I... would have done the same, in a situation like yours, if I'm being honest. Without friends... without family... without anyone... life can suck. I know it myself. I've been in that situation. I was alone all the time as well. And then I met Mako... and Senketsu... and finally Satsuki." Ryuko said and looked to her big sister. She slowly came closer. Nui didn't reacted. There was nothing to do.

"Still... we gotta move on. I doubt Mikisugi, Tsumugu and the rest will just let you go for free. But they are no assholes... well Tsumugu maybe is." Ryuko smiled briefly and moved on.

"... but maybe we'll find a way to make sure you are not alone. There's always a way out of everything, even the worst situations. That's a promise. But you gotta accept you'll have to do a lot... to make up for everything you did. If you keep at it though... maybe one day you'll look back today and be grateful you took the chance."

Nui didn't knew how to answer. But at the very least, her sad expression slowly disappeared.

"You don't have to accept that offer though. If you want, Satsuki and me, we'll just leave you here. I suppose Honnouji will be cleared and we all will go on to live our own lives. I could imagine someone like you, who hates humans so much, doesn't want to do anything with them.

I wouldn't blame you if you would." Ryuko answered and slowly stepped back to Satsuki. Nui looked to her.

"I'll be down there at the entrance for a while. If we don't see each other again... I hope your freedom of mother... and the Life Fibers... maybe helps you find a new, and good purpose in life." Ryuko ended and walked away with her big sister. Nui was watching them slowly leave the walls of Honnouji. She was all alone now.

Nui looked at her black arms. They were shining in different colors. Briefly after looking up, just as the both sisters are about to walk down the stairs, Nui ran to them.

"Wait." she said hopeful. Ryuko and Satsuki looked back to her.

"... I wanna try... please." Nui said. Ryuko and Satsuki looked at each other. They nodded. Ryuko reached her arm to Nui's, and as Nui arrived, Nui carefully took Ryuko's hand. Nui clearly felt discomfort, but at the same time, maybe this closed a dark chapter, and made space for a new one. Ryuko, or someone else, will support her - help her what is right and what is wrong. And still - her deeds shall not be forgotten.

Maybe this is a fair agreement. Maybe there can be redemption even in those who may not deserve any. And maybe those who do not deserve it are the ones who make the difference.

Only time can tell...

AN: If you liked this story, leave me a review please! I'm also writing a large, fully fleshed out sequel story for KILL la KILL called "Shadows Of Our Past". Ryuko, Satsuki and Nui appear in this story too - themes like the one spoken about in this story are a major subject of it, so if you liked this little story, you will most likely like Shadows of Our Past too! :)