Natural Selection
Chapter 24: Borrowed Time
"You sure you're going to alright down there?"
Satsuki's bedding outside the prison cells seemed even poorer than the hard slabs Ryuko and Nui had to contend with, little more than a pair of blankets and a lonely pillow. She hadn't even settled down despite the lights going out, sat cross-legged with her hands held by her sides.
"I have slept in far worse conditions than this during my travels. Don't worry yourself."
"Okay, if you're sure. Just figured I'd ask, what with… whatever it is you're doing right now."
"What I am attempting is meditation. A thought occurred to me on our way back. I told you that I could not connect to Senketsu, but I may have been too hasty. I told him to search my memories so that he could copy Junketsu's transformations, and he was able to do so. I believe that we do have a limited mental link, albeit one that I cannot grasp just yet. As such, I am going to try altering my mental state. If nothing else, maybe I'll hear him once my usual thoughts are out of the way."
"Dumbing yourself down to get to my level, huh?"
"I wouldn't put it like that. I…"
"Quiet in the cells!" A voice called out, a circle of light from a torch flashing both of them for a moment. Ryuko was positive the guard tried to get as much of it into her eyes as possible, shielding herself with a hand.
"Keep your shirt on Nudist, it's not like we're disturbing anyone! You ain't exactly got many other guests!"
"Ryuko, it's fine. We can talk in the morning. We have time now."
"Yeah, I guess. Good luck with your meditation then."
"Thank you. See you in the morning."
"Yeah, you too."
With that, Satsuki closed her eyes and set into calm breathing. The torchlight snapped out, boots shuffling somewhere out of sight as the Nudist returned to his post. Ryuko cursed him out internally, rolling over to face the wall and putting on the act of sleep. Waiting for the shadow at the other end of the cell to make a move.
She wasn't left waiting long. The shadow made no noise, yet she could feel it prowling across the makeshift room, slow and purposeful. It stopped briefly by the side of the bunk, twin thuds echoing just before it struck, slipping onto the bed with her. Thin arms wrapped around her chest, something cold pressing into the crook of her neck and all along her back. Ryuko spared a look back, a mass of blonde hair encroaching up and coming over as a second blanket, binding them closer together.
"Not taking off your dress?"
"And give these disgusting brutes a show of my glory? Not likely."
Nui's voice resonated in her mind, as clear as if they'd been speaking normally. Cuddled up like this, their fibers could come together in communication, free from any human interference.
"Ooh, I should put up some curtains! Then we'll have some privacy. That can be a tomorrow job."
"I dunno if it's worth putting up with their whining. And then they'll go to Satsuki and have her talk us down too."
"The audacity of these naked apes. We play along for a spell and suddenly they think they can give us orders."
"Gotta feel sorry for them, honestly. This is the closest they've come to a win and it's only because we've given it to them."
There was a faint giggle, one of Nui's fingers tracing circles on Ryuko's breast.
"How adorably pathetic. It's such a shame that Satsuki's in league with them, otherwise we could have such fun debasing their newly found superiority complex."
Ryuko made a non-committal noise, flinching as she felt Nui pick up on the hesitation.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're going to hold back on her account."
"I'm just… not any time soon. She told me that we're on our last chances with her, and I don't wanna fuck anything up right now. Not after we've only just gotten back together."
"Last chances? That's bold of her to declare."
"Given everything, I think it's a bit overly generous of her, seeing as we've both tried to kill her at least once."
Nui's emotions went into flux; indignation, sadness, something close to shame that quickly filtered back into indignation, love and hate, all mixed up so finely that it was hard to tell one from the other.
"I wasn't wrong. Not totally. She does want to kill the Life Fibers. She told us as much herself. Even if we aren't to be included, I am really supposed to sit back and watch as she destroys my whole world?"
Ryuko sighed, turning her gaze to Satsuki. Meditation was over; their sister had settled down into proper sleep now. In the moonlight shining through the bars, Ryuko could make out the handle of Bakuzan-Prime, clutched tightly next to Satsuki even in the midst of dreams. Memories of the night came rushing back at the sight of it, bringing everything else with it.
"Let's just sort out the mum problem first, and then we can figure out we're going to do about the rest of the war."
"You don't want to kill her too, do you?"
"No, but I certainly want to belt her good and proper for all of this bullshit."
"Even though she beat you so badly last time?"
"I'd feel worse if I just went along with things without trying. I don't know if I can trust her – trust anything right now. I don't want to be stuck with her for eternity if we're just going to be at each other's throats about this."
Nui's arms tightened around her.
"You can trust me Ryuko. Always and forever."
Ryuko smiled, rested a hand on top of one of Nui's.
"Yeah, I know."
"And because you can trust me, you don't need that annoying hanger-on anymore, right?"
She meant Mako. She didn't need to say it. As soon as the thought started coming through, it brought with it a dark storm of impressions. Mental pictures drowned in foul temperament; childlike scribblings of a brown-haired girl being punished by a blonde one. Ryuko caught her breath before it could hitch, and did her best to dispel the images from her mind's eye.
"I told you already, I'm going to break up with her. Just need to find a good moment for it, is all."
Not for the same reasons Nui would have wanted, obviously, but this overwhelming hatred had certainly sped up Ryuko's plans to do so. The storm subsided, returning to the usual glowing impressions that she received from her sister.
"Oh, I'm so glad. You should really do something about that boy as well, even if you haven't been all mushy with him."
"Yeah, I got something to say to Uzu as well, don't you worry."
She felt Nui shift behind her, clearly trying to process the feeling Ryuko was unconsciously transmitting with those words. All power to her really, Ryuko didn't exactly know what the feeling was herself.
"Ryuko… how… much exactly, have you done with that girl?"
Images of another bad night flickered through. Of a lonely, broken thing solicitating a warm body in a fruitless search for love and the rage that came after being denied. Painful and deeply embarrassing as it was to remember, Ryuko held onto it, to the stunned surprise of being kicked out of her own bed by a human and the way her heart had ripped in two. Better to broadcast all of that to Nui, rather than what actually went on between her and Mako day-to-day.
Nui's feelings cooled, relief underpinned by an indignant ripple at the thought that anyone would deny a Kiryuin anything, not least having one of their beautiful bodies presented to them.
"Pearls before swine. Oh, I should have been there, so you wouldn't have needed to resort to such a disgrace. But it's okay. I'm here now. My work's all done, and now that Osaka is taken care of, everything should be coming together soon. Soon, we'll be together forever."
"Yeah. Soon."
She faked a wide yawn, shifted a little.
"I'm going to get some sleep. Sooner we get through tomorrow, sooner we get to having Junketsu fixed up."
"Ooh, I really don't like that we're letting some human work on him. Such divine clothing should only be attended to by a member of the family."
"Same, but it's either this or nothing at all, and he knows something about mum. Jun's not happy, but if he's fine with it we can't really complain."
"All I'm saying is, I'm taking a good look at him the first opportunity we get. Can't trust shoddy human stitching one bit."
"I know, I know."
She turned over, pecked Nui on the forehead.
"Now go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
"Nighty-night."
Nui made herself comfortable against Ryuko's back, the warmth of her mind slowly ebbing out and replaced by a cool darkness as she drifted off to sleep. Ryuko held her hand for a while longer, until the breathing behind her had levelled out, replaced by the familiar little mewling noises Nui tended to make while resting. Then, gingerly, she began to extract herself from the entangling arms, folding blonde tresses away until she was freed from her sister's embrace completely.
Stepping over, she left Nui there and made her way to the toilet. There was no lock on the door, but it could close, and that was good enough for her purposes. Flipping the lid down, she took a seat. Breathed out deeply, cupping her face in her hands.
"This is so fucked."
The mental images Nui had imparted were still hanging around in her mind's eye, that scribble-cast parody of Mako and the tortures Nui had wished upon it in a heartbeat. Strung up and lashed. Held down and drowned. Ripped and torn and reassembled, so that it could be done all over again.
She knew Nui probably wouldn't like Mako. Nui didn't like anyone outside the family. Whenever the sisters had been required to go out as a team for REVOCS events, she would never be more than a few paces away from Satsuki or Ryuko, supernaturally keeping a close but constant distance even as she gabbed on and on about new product lines to the press. But there was something different about this, something personal. If such thoughts were close enough to the surface to come out in casual conversation, then Nui had been brewing on this for a while. And for the life of her, Ryuko couldn't think of a single thing occurring between Nui and Mako that could earn such ire.
They'd met before, even if Nui didn't seem to remember it. A rare time of leisure for Nui, taking a break from… whatever it was their mother had her doing usually. And, as expected, she'd wanted to do nothing else with it but spend it with her sister, turning up at Honnouji and introducing herself by appearing slap-bang in the middle of a student council meeting. But that had been before Ryuko had started her relationship with Mako, back when the latest member of the council had been doing everything to keep her head down and not trigger another arson attack from the Tyrant of Honnouji. Mako and Nui had barely exchanged words beyond a polite greeting.
Thoughts of the past made her eye twitch involuntarily, as her mind replaced its previous pictures with memories of flame and dead No-Stars. She shook the thoughts away, knocking her head against the cistern in the process.
A low groan escaped her as she let herself go boneless, limply staring at the ceiling. Did it even matter if Mako had actually done anything to actually annoy Nui? She knew first-hand how easily her sister set to taking people apart without blinking. She'd seen it for herself, the night Nui had attempted to disassemble Satsuki, seen it in snatched scraps of the fight against the Naked Nudists. She just didn't know when exactly her sister had become this kind of person, and she sincerely doubted that it had come around at the same time of the Mind Stitching. Not with the way Nui had dodged their questions earlier.
Nui might have promised that Ryuko could trust her unreservedly, but there was too much ambiguity here. Too much unsaid, too much unknown.
"Why do I even care? It's just humans. Let her go nuts if she wants."
"You know why." An answer immediately replied from the back of her mind, sounding far too much like Satsuki. Ryuko sighed and finally got up, hitting the flush to complete the illusion.
Returning the main cell, she found Nui all skew-whiff, arms reaching out in her sleep and hair everywhere. Slowly, she slipped herself back into place, pulling one of Nui's arms over her once more. The effect was immediate, Nui unconsciously latching onto her and aggressively cuddling up, the familiar cold of her body imposing itself.
Despite herself, Ryuko couldn't help but smile. This much was the same at least, and this she could work with. She'd break up with Mako come the morning, and that would probably cheer Nui up enough that she might start spilling the beans. Then they'd get Junketsu back and find out exactly what it was their mother was up to, and maybe finally all get on the same page.
If only the whole 'dad still being alive' situation was so easy to figure out.
"Arm up. Okay, now hold it. Make a fist. Uncurl your fingers. Okay, now move them as you please. Very good. And the other one."
He repeated the motion on the other side, receiving a nod from the attending nurse.
"Aren't you lucky Toad? A nice woman is giving you orders. You must be in heaven."
"Nonon, that is hardly helpful."
"Oh, give me a break! I'm the one who got stuck on bedside duty cause Satsuki was running about helping keep the place together. Do you know how many times you almost died?"
"I have missed you as well Nonon."
A swift punch to the arm was delivered, Nonon shaking her hand out as she struck hard muscle.
"Next time you go off on a suicide mission, you're the one telling Satsuki about it, not me."
"Well, given the various tribulations you seem to have suffered, you're in surprisingly good health, Mr Gamagoori." The nurse cut in. "I would recommend you take it easy for a while, but given the current state of affairs, I imagine you'll be running straight back to the front."
"From the sounds of it, we need as many men as we can. In the meantime, please allow me to repay your service. My mother is a nurse supporting the armed forces in Yokosuka, so I am well acquainted with this sort of work."
"We'll take you up on that. Get ready to be worked to the bone, not everyone has been as lucky as you."
"Oh please, put him on bedpan duty." Nonon snickered. The nurse just rolled her eyes.
"You little friend has been very concerned for you."
"I am aware. This is merely how she shows her affection."
That earned him another punch to the arm. Then, through the muddle of the medical bay, he picked up the unmistakable clack of heels. Satsuki was working her way through the bedlam, elegantly stepping past an orderly and his stack of towels, taking half of them off his hands and depositing them where they were required without missing a beat, continuing onwards with nothing more than a flip of her hair.
"Ira. Good to see you on your feet again."
"Good to be back ma'am. Fit and ready to serve once again."
Satsuki gave him an odd look, one he couldn't quite parse. Then it faded, replaced by a small smile.
"As if I should have expected anything else. Come along then, we'll need to get you two armed and ready."
She turned on her heel, and they fell into familiar lockstep behind her.
"I assume Nudist Beach have deigned to provide us with equipment?"
"Unfortunately, Nudist weapons are rather thin on the ground right now. What we do have is a surplus of Life Fibers, and Shiro Iori's new wealth of knowledge from tutorage under Doctor Matoi."
She stopped all of a sudden, turned back to look at him.
"However, given recent events, if you wouldn't be comfortable wearing a Goku Uniform, I'm sure that something else can be arranged."
He was hit by the memories all at once. Long nights under Honnouji at Nui's mercy and the blinding rage that had followed, every inch of him screaming with an agony that simply wouldn't end. The fires that refused to die until twin swords scythed through the angry cloth and set him free. He blinked them away, focused on the now.
"Not likely. I would shame myself by fighting at anything less than full strength. I will not shy away from using Life Fibers just because they were Nui's weapon of choice. If anything, doing so would be proof that she has cowed me into submission, and that will not stand."
Satsuki nodded, once again wearing that strange expression.
"As you wish."
And with that she took to leading again, taking them deep through the Nudist base. There was a sudden, sharp sting to his hip. He didn't rise to the bait, merely looking down at Nonon with a raised eyebrow. She had that impish grin locked in place, the one that promised that he was about to be embarrassed beyond belief.
"For shame Toad. We've been apart for so long, and you're not even going to compliment Satsuki's new outfit?"
"I am hardly wearing him to make a fashion statement."
Ah yes. The outfit. The black and red assemble, daringly cut short in all the wrong places. Satsuki's hair hung low and shielded the gap of her lower back, but the skirt was still quite high and the fabric clinging to her so closely that he might have even described it as protective. And this was before it transformed and robbed the imagination further. He could feel heat swelling in his cheeks with the promised embarrassment, keeping his head high and his gaze forward.
"Yes, I remember the Kamui. The culmination of your work, I presume?"
"No, that one was destroyed by Ryuko. But Doctor Matoi was kind enough to exploit me as a test subject for Senketsu here, and now we're attached at the hip. It's only thanks to him that I was able to save you at all."
"Then he has my thanks as well."
Satsuki's head tilted, looking to her chest.
"I do not exactly have rapport with him that Ryuko and Junketsu do, but I presume that he is saying 'you're welcome'. He's quite friendly like that."
No matter the organisation, Life Fiber laboratories were sealed up behind great bulkheads, and the Nudist labs were no different. Shiro was waiting for them inside, talking to his uncle. They both snapped to attention as the trio entered, bowing to Satsuki.
"Please gentlemen. We are beyond the point where you two need to bow to me."
"Unfortunately for you young miss, we are beyond the point that particular force of habit can be stopped." Soroi said.
"Nevertheless, do not stop yourselves on my account."
"Oh, we were just finishing up. Shiro was just telling me about his efforts during the attack on the city, and I was just telling him how proud I am of him."
Shiro's stoic face was broken by a rare flush of red.
"It was nothing uncle. Everyone else was fighting, I simply had to do the same."
Soroi chuckled, patting his nephew's shoulder.
"Very well, I shall spare you any further embarrassment. Lady Satsuki, are you particularly needed right now? It has been ever so long since we spoke last."
"As it so happens, I actually have a rare moment of leisure time. Come, we'll adjourn in one of the side rooms, on the off-chance something goes awry here."
"If you're expecting something to go wrong, you'll be waiting quite a while ma'am." Shiro said.
"Then I will hold you to that. If anything interrupts our tea, you'll catch hell."
He saw her and Soroi out with another bow, turning to Ira and Nonon once they had vanished.
"Right then. Gamagoori, I already know how your uniform will go, so once the measurements are taken, we'll pretty much be done with you unless you have any particular thoughts or problems. As for you Ms Jakuzure, as you haven't had the previous experience in wearing a Goku Uniform, I'd like to start you off with a One-Star and see how- "
Little hands grabbed his collar and yanked him down, Nonon smiling far too sweetly for the death grip she had the boy in.
"If the Toad and Saviour Complex can wear three stars, then that's where I'm going too. I'm not going to be the only one around here with less."
"But, the threat of bio-energy build-up in an unpractised user…"
"What was that!? You saying I'm not strong enough to keep up?"
Shiro looked over her to Ira.
"And you've been fighting alongside this little maniac?"
"Choose your words carefully Toad, I'm not afraid to put you back in the hospital."
"You certainly have made some colourful friends, my lady." Soroi noted, watching Nonon squabble with Ira through the wide glass window of the upstairs laboratory.
"Yes, I'm quite blessed to have them. It has certainly made my travels a good deal noisier." Satsuki smiled, watching over the boiling water.
"Are you quite sure that you don't want me to take care of the tea?"
"Unfortunately for you Soroi, I have gotten quite used to preparing it myself, and you have done so very much for me all these years. Please, indulge this childish impulse of mine."
She'd snatched the tea-making kit out of his hand before he'd had a chance to set up even the slightest hint of a teapot or coaster. Satisfied that the fire was under control, she returned to the long table that overlooked the hall below. Any sewing equipment that had once rested here had been done away with long before they had taken over the room, probably by Doctor Matoi now that the first and last Nudist Kamui had been completed. Now the pale table was in the middle of another transformation, the cold sterility chipped away with colourful little cloths and rows of snacks. Where exactly Soroi had been hiding all of this other paraphernalia was beyond Satsuki, but at this point in her life she was simply deciding not to question such things.
She took a seat alongside him, watched Nonon squark at Shiro as he measured the width of her chest and the argument over inches that followed.
"It should be ready soon."
"Of course. It always feels longer than it actually is."
They sat in silence for a moment, until Satsuki could properly grasp her courage.
"Did you suffer as well? Under that thing Ragyo made of Ryuko?"
"No. Even at her darkest, Lady Ryuko has always been civil with me, even if it tarnished her image as a heartless queen from time to time. I remember once an enterprising Club President attempted to take me hostage as a bargaining chip against her."
"I'm sure that ended well for them."
"The body was rendered into a fine mist, but only after Lady Ryuko was assured of my safety."
"I'm sorry. I left her wellbeing on your hands as much as I did the Elites. It was far too much to ask of all of you. It should have been my duty."
"Don't be ridiculous Lady Satsuki. Given what we know now, I don't think anyone could have prevented the way things ended up. If you had remained behind, I shudder to think of what might have happened to you in the process."
"I cannot accept that. If you're seriously telling me that all of this senseless loss of life, every cruelty inflicted upon Honnouji, every inch of madness could not be avoided, then I am an even greater failure than I thought."
"Is it so unthinkable? Ragyo has always been attempting to mould each of you into her perfect children. That she was so willing to rob Lady Ryuko of any free will for asking simple questions is testament to that. And- "he said pointedly, sliding a tray of biscuits towards her. "If I might be so blunt, you are not a failure. You are a very put-upon young woman who has been burdened with a great and frankly unfair task. One you have risen to admirably, but one that never should have been placed upon your shoulders to begin with. Grown men would have cracked and faltered under the strain that you have endured over all these years, but you have carried on each and every day without a word of complaint since you were but a girl. Lady Satsuki, I shall say so again. You have failed no-one."
She slid a chocolate biscuit free, bit it cleanly in half. Sitting down with Soroi had been a mistake. Already she could feel the knot in her back loosening, her usual prepared tension falling away. If she relaxed any further, she might never want to return to war.
"I think that is the first time I've heard you refer to mother without an honorific." She noted, pushing down the swell in her heart.
"Believe me young miss, I have a great deal of far curter words for her should I be given the opportunity."
He stared at his hands, and she could see him cursing the lines and wrinkles there.
"If anyone has failed in protecting you and your sisters, it is I. I was a part of that household as much as you were, and unlike you, I was responsible for your upbringing. There is… so much I should have prevented."
"I at least had the faint protection of actually being her daughter. To be beaten and… used, certainly, but her pride at least had her forge a tool from me before I was disposed of. You would have had no such 'kindnesses' afforded to you. Had you intervened, she would have killed you in a heartbeat, and we would have been without a pillar of support."
She fished out a second biscuit, turning it over between her fingers.
"I'm sure if we were to ask Ryuko and Nui where in the estate they feel safest, I'm sure your office would be the first place that would mention, as would I. Even if you could not disrupt the evils at play, simply by virtue of your position, being a confidant, playmate and figure of authority… all of this has likely ensured that we are all better off than any attack you could have staged on her."
"My lady…"
The water was reaching a steady bubble now, and so she spared him the tears in his eyes and rose from her seat, inspecting the teapot and adding leaves.
"Thank you Soroi. Truly, thank you for everything."
She set about adding the water, giving the both of them time to compose themselves. As she returned to the table, Shiro was setting about testing Ira's new uniform, the taller boy vanishing into golden light and coming out bare-chested but armoured. Soroi tucked his handkerchief away back into his breast pocket.
"I think, young miss, that it is long past the point where we should be blaming ourselves for matters out of our control. Our opponent is a woman that held every card, and even if we had superior hands, she could have simply flipped the table and pummelled us both. We know that our efforts were not wholly fruitless. That your sisters are willing to sit down and discuss the situation at hand, to willingly stay close to you instead of returning to your mother's side is testament to that."
"Well, Ryuko is at least. Nui is only here because of her, and I imagine is straining to slip the leash."
"Lady Nui has always been the most difficult to come to terms with. I fear your mother has hurt her the worst of all of you, and disguised it so carefully that even the young miss cannot recognise it. But, nevertheless, she is just as conflicted in her own way. She will stay as well, even if she grumbles about it."
"I hope you're right. For everyone's sake."
"Young miss, I have not watched over the three of you since infancy and not come to learn a thing or two about you all. Lady Nui has a human heart as much as you or Lady Ryuko. It is simply buried deeper down."
She found her gaze tracking to Ira, watching as he put the new uniform through its paces, the flaming fist making short work of the test uniforms in its path.
"I'm not sure many would agree with you on that front."
"And I would not blame them. As with Lady Ryuko, they have only seen what your mother made of Lady Nui."
"I… sometimes, it feels like more than that. That she truly enjoys who she is, what she does. And I don't know if I can save that. I'm not sure if she wants to change."
An old hand found hers, squeezed it softly.
"Keep the faith young miss. We have time now, and she's as far away from your mother as she's ever been. Just keep talking to her, and I'm sure she'll come to know who actually has her best interests at heart."
There was a blinding pink flash from below, rising in time with a mad cackle. Nonon rocketed up, clad in a form-fitting jumpsuit with mechanised attachments, twin speakers hanging by her shoulders. Atop her head, Marika sat at the centre of a tall pillar of a hat, the robotic monkey matching its master's manic glee as it yanked on levers racked up all along the inside. At the command, the speakers cracked open, lying on a tremendous barrage of missiles to the ground below. As the flames rose, Nonon spun about in mid-air, giving Satsuki a wave that lasted right up until her uniform burst into steam. It took Nonon and Marika both a second to realise that they were quite naked and no longer had thrusters, having just enough time to blink before they dropped like a stone, Ira scrambling to catch them. Satsuki allowed herself the ghost of a smile at the sight of it.
"Right then. Tea."
She prepared the cups and poured the tea, bringing the drinks over to the table.
"Here you are."
"Thank you, young miss."
"Do not hesitate to provide criticism. I appreciate that I am unlikely to have matched your skills."
"I'm sure that it will be delicious regardless."
Child that she was, she waited and watched as he sipped, hiding away in her own cup when he looked back to her.
"It is lovely my dear. You've worked as hard on this as you do in everything."
Something hot and wet ran down the side of her face before she could speak. Caught on the tip of her finger, she flicked it away.
"Damn it all. I wasn't supposed to shed tears until the job was done."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with crying when it's needed. But let us talk of happier things while we have the time. Tell me about your travels, young miss. I must confess, if I had not been tied down to the Kiryuins, I might have gone out and seen the world for myself. Let this old man live through you for a spell."
Drying her cheek, she drank her tea and spoke of her treks across Europe, leaving out details of cutthroat guerrilla groups and daring swordfights.
Uzu was back on guard duty, replacing the absent Satsuki. And, once again, he was doing his best to help pass the time with a game of shogi. And, once again, Ryuko was getting her arse handed to her. Looking up from what would surely be a masterclass in strategic boardgame comebacks, she causally craned her head about the room, looking for what she already knew wasn't there.
"No Mako today?"
"What, am I not pretty enough for you?"
"I resent the implication that this prison might in any way be lacking in beauty when I'm standing right here." Nui's voice carried over. Ryuko couldn't see her, but last she had, her sister had been going full-throttle with her curtains plan, much to the chagrin of the guards.
"So yeah, we've covered on that front." Ryuko chuckled. "Nah, I just had some things I wanted to say to her is all."
"Well, you're out of luck today. Nudist Beach are shipping out all the No-Stars she brought with her here back to Honnouji, so she's having to oversee that, make sure everyone's present and accounted for and all. If it makes you feel better, I think she'd rather be hanging around here as well."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. Last I saw of her, she was getting dragged off complaining about she'd finally gotten comfy. Was wearing a whole-ass kotatsu as a shell and everything. I don't think she misses being in charge of anything one bit."
She wasn't even going to touch the subject of wearing a kotatsu in the middle of summer. The mental image hit Ryuko first, bringing a smile to her lips that was quickly wiped out by the idea that Nudists might be manhandling her girlfriend. The spike of anger was dulled by the other part of what he'd said.
"Yeah, can't say I blame her. She's been through a lot because of me. A lot that she probably wasn't ready for."
"Given how… unique her worldview tends to be, she's risen to it pretty admirably, all things considered."
Ryuko surrendered a half-hearted hum, made a half-hearted move.
"Still, at least she won't have to worry as much after today. Sucks for you though, still need to keep babysitting my arse."
"Eh, I'd come visit even if wasn't on guard duty. You'd go spare if it was just the two of you in here."
"Yeah, I know. Satsuki's orders and everything."
Uzu didn't make a play in response. Odd, given how snappy his moves had been so far, running rings around her pieces. When she looked up, his face was set in stone, thin-lipped and serious.
"Come on, I can't have stumped you that badly."
"Ryuko, I've got something to say to you."
She felt her half-hearted smile lock at the side, her heart sinking a little. She closed her eyes, breathed in, and steeled herself.
"Yeah, something I've got coming I imagine. Go on then, let me have it. If anyone's got the right to, it's you."
"I'm sorry."
She snapped to attention, locked in on him.
"Fucking what?"
The shogi board was shifted to the side, Uzu pressing his forehead to the ground where it had sat a second before.
"I've been thinking a lot. About a lot of things, really. About power, and where I stand. About Honnouji and how we got here, and where we're going. And I've come to the conclusion that I've been doing wrong by you for the longest time. So, I'm sorry."
"I… what… no! Fuck no, what the hell do you have to apologise for? I'm the one that went off the chain, I'm the one who's been kicking the shit outta you day in, day out for years now. I'm the fucking Tyrant of Honnouji, what the actual fuck have you done to wrong me? Other than, you know, the whole working for Satsuki thing. But we already had that one out back when I was… you know, even crazier! You won that one!"
"I didn't win. You weren't yourself. I was fighting Junketsu more than I was fighting you."
"Oh, fuck off with the false modesty! I was still in control, and if you hadn't knocked some sense into me, I might have burnt the whole city down! Take your damn win and hold it!"
"I refuse whole-heartedly!"
"You stubborn prick."
Uzu chuckled, sat himself up.
"Yeah, that's kind of the problem. Look, you know that I was working for Satsuki. Still am, but whatever. Do you know why she scouted me out to work at Honnouji?"
"Something about your gangs running amuck over some of her projects, and how you were obviously strong, but unrefined."
"The ultimate stage to test my blade on." Uzu said, stroking his chin and lost in the memory. "Boy, did I get more than I bargained for on that one. But, that was only half the reason."
"Yeah, a babysitter for me, I get that."
"Not a babysitter. A friend. Something you had precious few of and seemed to be fighting against making. Gamagoori was supposed to help keep you organised, Inumuta was there to run the city so you might get out more. But I was there so you had someone to talk to, someone you might connect with."
"Fucking of course. God-damnit Satsuki, I don't need you setting up playdates for me."
"Yeah, I kind of asked her what the hell she was thinking too. But we didn't get into that until later, when she could trust me more and start talking about Life Fibers and the real reasons for Honnouji, even if you weren't entirely aware of them."
"So what, you're apologising because you think you've been a bad friend to me?"
"That's the long and short of it. I mean, I like to think we've always gotten along. We've got pretty similar interests, even outside of swinging blades at one another. But… that was entirely where the problem lay. You kept kicking my arse. Casually, seriously, every time we fought you'd come out on top. And well, I'd kind of built my whole ego on being really, really good at fighting. It was hard to see you as a friend when all I could see was a wall in front of me, and that wall was a girl two years younger than me. So maybe I didn't try to connect with you as much as I should have, because I could see was the next fight, something to overcome."
He sighed.
"Let's not beat around the bush. You're like the epitome of a spoilt rich kid, and you used to be worse about it. I don't remember a day that didn't go by without you and Gamagoori butting heads because he would try to get you to do things properly, instead of the way you wanted. And do we even need to talk about you and Inumuta? Maybe it was a little insulting for Satsuki to try and push us at one another, but I do think you needed to actually level with someone outside your family. Like, I don't know half of what's been going on behind closed doors, and even I know that your whole situation is supremely fucked up."
"If we wanted empty human moralising about the state of our family, we'd wait until Satsuki came back." Nui hissed from her cell. "Keep those all-seeing eyes to yourself before they get poked out."
Uzu didn't spare her a glance.
"What I'm saying here is, you needed a friend, but I wanted a rivalry. And maybe, maybe if I'd gotten over my stupid wounded pride and actually tried to be more than a rival, maybe you would have had someone to confide in, and we could have avoided the Tyrant of Honnouji being born in the first place. So… yeah, I'm sorry." He finished, somewhat limply.
Ryuko sat there for a second, processing everything that had been said. Then, she took a deep breath and leant forward, looking at him properly.
"What are you, fucking stupid?"
"Huh… oi, I'm pouring my heart out here!"
"Yeah, and you're still being a dumbass about it. What the hell were you supposed to do about my own mother filling my head up with strings and making me into her puppet? How would being better friends have stopped Junketsu from taking all my misery and hang-ups and turning them into a personality that only wanted to lash out?"
"Well, I don't know, but I should have done something!"
"And let's get something straight. I am a spoilt rich kid. I've been rotten since birth, and that's before I was taught that literally all humans are a lower form of life. In what reality do you think that I would have gotten over my fucking stupid pride and lowered myself to making friends with a human, especially one weaker than me? You had nothing going for you from the start."
"Big words, given that you're dating one."
"Yeah, I know, and look what it took to get us there! People died! In droves! And that's not even the worst I could have been, if you hadn't cracked me over the head and stopped me from going completely kill-crazy! And even after that, when I was a soulless monster, you kept trying, even if it was as simple and stupid as feeding into my bloodlust! Do you know how much of an outlet you've probably provided over the years, stopping even more people from getting torn up by me?"
He was staring blankly, so she kept pressing.
"Under the circumstances, I'd say you've been as a good a friend as possible! Better than I deserved even! So get over yourself Uzu. This… this has nothing to do with you. And frankly, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted nothing more to do with me. If anything, you deserve a break from putting up with my bullshit."
For some reason, he relaxed a little, smiling at her.
"Nope, can't do that. I'm too deep into your bullshit at this point. And I've still got a job to do, so I'm gonna be your friend even if it kills me."
"It might!" Nui chimed.
"Anyway, lord knows that you need a friend. And you're not so bad when you're not looking for reasons to hate the entire world. So unfortunately, you're stuck with me beyond babysitting duty."
"I… you…" Ryuko stalled. Her gaze dropped to the floor. Then, defeated, she looked up again, blowing the red strands of her divinity away from her eye.
"Fine, you know what? If I can't make you see sense, then I guess it's your funeral."
"Hey, I never said I wasn't gonna keep being stubborn. Just going to put it to good use instead of channelling it into swinging a sword all day."
"Well, as I've had my pride taken down a peg or two these last few weeks, I guess we're at the point where I can actually get over myself and say something I've been wanting to say since day one."
She poked her arm through the bars, offering him her hand.
"Hey, I'm Ryuko Kiryuin, and I'm your new boss. You seem cool, unlike these two jackasses. Wanna be friends?"
Uzu stared at her hand for a second, then snorted with laughter.
"Uzu Sanageyama." He said, taking it and shaking. "It'd be my pleasure, but I've gotta ask for a fight first. Kind of my thing."
They held the gesture for a moment, before both bursting out laughing far too hard for how small the joke was. In the next cell over, Nui watched with sour eyes.
"Oh Honnouji, home sweet home! How I have missed you!"
"And still standing, to everyone's surprise."
"Yes, shockingly quiet if anything." Maiko said, standing at the centre of the great archway that led into the academy proper. The few students she and Houka had as an honour guard for the trip back were already bustling with fresh tasks, trooping about and making preparations for the trading between Honnouji and Nudist Beach.
"Even these fight-crazed lunatics are going to be worn down after everything that's happened. And I could not be happier for it. Maybe we'll actually get some progress made from here on out."
"Here's hoping. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a big chair to sit in and hand out executive orders from."
"Ogure, could you try not to be insufferable about this?"
"Oh, give a girl a break! I finally got everything I want, and there's no Kiryuins or otherwise to get under my feet this time! And, I am absolutely dedicated to this war. I just want to have the pleasure of giving my all for humanity from the largest and most comfortable chair possible. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
She transformed and was off before he could get another word in edgeways, soaring towards the peak of Honnouji Academy and the Student Council Chambers within. Touching down on the precipice, she made a solid beeline for the familiar room, the chairs still set up as they'd been left, and her throne sitting tallest amongst them. With great gravitas and aplome, the new and future queen of Honnouji made herself truly comfortable for the first time since taking the title.
The throne was grand, the cushions were fat to bursting and the view utterly magnificent. The only thing it was missing was servants by her side, but she would have no end to people to wait on her every word in the days to come. Fixing her own drink for today would suffice.
As she was doing so, there was a knock at the door.
"Enter!" She declared, not looking back. Subtle clicks filled the dull space of the chamber behind her.
"Well then, what is it that needs seeing to first?"
She spun about, only for her smile to freeze on her face at the sight of the woman before her. A woman she hadn't seen before. Dark-skinned and dressed wholly in white, every part the consummate professional from the sight of her. The woman removed her aviator sunglasses, slipping them into a breast pocket.
"What needs seeing to is a great deal of many things, and communication between this academy and REVOCS headquarters has been rather lacking in recent days. Judging by your attire you seem to be a member of the student council, so perhaps you can answer my questions regarding what exactly occurred during the battle in Osaka, and why I'm speaking to an underling instead of Ryuko Kiryuin or Nui Harime."
SECRETARY TO RAGYO KIRYUIN – REI HOUOUMARU