True Nui rushed forward, life fiber claws unveiled. With a wicked smile she threw several swipes at Ryūko, who blocked each with her own attacks using her life fiber severing blades. After the two traded attacks Nui grabbed each of Ryūko's blades, latching them in her claws. Both of them struggled against each other's strength, the blades quaking within Nui's grip. Ryūko appeared to be wearing her black and white skull jacket, white shirt red bow and black skirt, a vision of the past before she wore Senketsu.

Ryūko managed to pull her blades apart, out of Nui's grip. While Nui's arms were blown to each side, Ryūko fired off a kick, the blow connecting with Nui's chest and pushing her back. Ryūko then turned around and ran back while Nui gave chase, Ryūko running towards a large stone block about eight feet tall. Once Ryūko reached the perfectly smooth block, she leapt against it and kicked off, flipping backwards over the head of Nui who was almost directly behind her as she reached the block.

When Ryūko landed, she proceeded with her own rush towards Nui who hurried to turn around in time, the two trading blows once again with Ryūko now being the aggressor, whipping her blades at Nui like a furious berserker and Nui blocking each blow playfully, like a child playing with dolls.

Behind Ryūko appeared a doppelganger, placed on the ground while Nui was chasing her. As the doppelganger dashed towards Ryūko it bared one of it's life fiber claws like a spear leaning in and extending it's arm with it's body. Feeling the presence behind her, Ryūko hooked the real Nui's claws within the three blades of each Ryūko's weapons. Ryūko then leant to right as the attack came from the left, the doppelganger's claw flying by her by an inch.

Nui used this as her opportunity, violently whipping away her claws to free her hands, grabbing the arm of the doppelganger, and swinging around the fake Nui like a mace at Ryūko. The blow sent Ryūko flying to the side, landing with a violent crash. Ryūko managed to keep a hold of her blades but as she recovered from the crash, she opened her eyes to see Nui holding her claws in an open hand, towards Ryūko's neck.

Nui smiled with casual glee, "I win!~"

Ryūko however grinned smugly, "Hm I wouldn't be so sure bitch." She then tapped the inside of Nui's leg with one of her blades as she held one up towards Nui's crotch.

Nui looked down at the blade curiously, "Oooooo how dirty of you Ryūko~ But are you sure you can do enough damage like that before I can remove your head?"

Ryūko glared threateningly, "How about we find out?"

Nui's smile widened, meeting Ryūko's threatening question with one of her own, "You sure you want me to answer that?"

Suddenly a loud voice echoed out to the two. It was Mikisugi's voice which seemed to have a mechanical reverberation suggesting it came from a speaker, "Alright that's enough you two, reset."

Nui stepped away from Ryūko while she brushed herself off. Ryūko then picked herself up, rubbed her chin with her wrist and checked her blades. The two was in the extremely large grey chamber split up into a grid with black lines. Within the chamber were many of the smooth grey blocks identical to the one Ryūko leapt off of, many of which seem to bare claw marks and missing pieces, suggesting a longer battle had occurred. These large grey blocks lowered back into the grid floor, returning the room to a completely flat empty chamber.

Ryūko sighed with frustration, "I guess we'll call that a draw..."

Nui replied, her voice layered with a judgemental harshness, "Then that's a failure for both of us."

Ryūko scoffed, "Tch, that's definitely something you would say."

Above them at the centre of the backmost wall was a rectangular window made of thick reinforced glass. On the other side of the glass was the laboratory, with Mikisugi standing before the window, watching Ryūko and Nui observantly.

The chamber shifted, the blocks extending out from the floor, this time instead of dotting around, the blocks formed a large pyramid-like tower with the peak at the centre of the chamber. Nui dragged her claws along each other playfully, causing sparks to fly off of them. Ryūko stretched her arms and her back before assuming her combat stance. A loud beeping sound played throughout the chamber, causing Ryūko and Nui to begin fighting once more, flipping around the arena, continuously trading blows and using what ever tactics they could to win.

Back in the laboratory, Satsuki stepped forwards towards the window to stand next to Mikisugi and join him in watching Nui and Ryūko.

After a moment watching, Satsuki spoke up, her tone cold but inquisitive, "Are you absolutely sure that them training by fighting each other is a good idea?"

Mikisugi raised his eyebrows turning his head to Satsuki, "I told you already, it wasn't my idea, it was theirs trust me, I almost couldn't believe my ears when they came in yesterday telling me they want to train by fighting each other, and besides, after what happened they need to do something to get back into the fight."

Satsuki shut her eyes, baring a solemn frown, "I'm aware... But them fighting each other could cause them to tap into their aggression from the past... They need to be able to work together against another threat."

Mikisugi sighed, looking back into the arena, "How are we supposed to do that...? No one other than the servants of the threads can lay a finger on these two... Well maybe Tsumugu could... But are you sure you're not apprehensive about this for a different reason?"

Satsuki looked down at the ground, replying sombrely, "What Ryūko said, it... hurt to hear... I remember a time when I believed the battle was over, I was ready to give up, ready to let go of the future, too attached to the past... but I managed to let go of the past, and live a new life free of that because the people I cared about made me realise there was a life ahead worth moving toards, but now that past... its returning, crawling upon us..."

Mikisugi questioned sympathetically, "You scared of that? The past coming back?"

Satsuki continued in response, her voice a cocktail of melancholy and sentimentality, "I'm afraid of losing what I've gained since that past, I'm afraid that if we begin to let it rule over our present we can't keep the new lives we fought so hard for and let go of the past to get even if we win the fight, it was foolish of me to not realise that Ryūko felt the same way..."

Mikisugi nodded, "Its tough to see how others are feeling when you're caught in your own turmoil, don't beat yourself up too much over it."

Satsuki's face turned from sombreness to stoic determination as she looked back up out at Nui and Ryūko, "But Nui is right, we can't just stop fighting despite that, or we really will be giving up this new life we fought for in the first place, I just don't know if this is the right way to do it. Fostering aggression amongst us to improve individually instead of a partnership to move forward."

The fighting in the arena let up once more with another tie as Ryūko and Nui came to a stand still, Nui held her claws against Ryūko's neck while Ryūko had her blades was against Nui's neck, the edge of Ryūko's blade drawing the slightest bit of blood from Nui.

Mikisugi chimed in again through the speaker, "Alright, round over."

Ryūko and Nui broke away from their positions against each other, Ryūko letting out a deep breath from the release in tension. Nui however wiped with quick flick a drop of the blood from her small wound and licked it off of her finger.

Ryūko sighed with exasperated frustration, "Yo Nui you feel like you're improving at all?"

True Nui replied with a smug arrogance, "Improve? Why on earth would I need to do that? I'm already perfect!~"

Meanwhile The ghostly translucent form of clone Nui hovered in the air, sewing up true Nui's wound, clone Nui being dressed in a purple skirt and jacket combo paired with a pink T-shirt and white trainers. She looked at true Nui with a awkward irritation.

Ryūko responded, prodding at Nui's confidence, "Is that why you got your ass kicked and was almost killed by the Reaper?"

True Nui answered as she pouted while her wound sealed up, clone Nui looking at her with mild irritation as her image disappeared, "Hm! I merely underestimated them, I won't make the same mistake again."

Ryūko scoffed at Nui's reply, "save your excuses, if that was true you would have some way to beat that trick of his."

Nui spread her arms open, presenting proudly, "Of course I do! I just won't get hit!"

Ryūko questioned, baring a fed up expression, "And what if you do get hit?"

Nui pondered for a moment before answering, "Well then... I pull out the threads like Rei did!"

Ryūko continued, digging further into Nui's logic, "From what I heard, Rei was only able to do that because the wound was small making it harder for the threads to dig inside, you may not be so lucky."

Nui smiled smugly, "I don't need luck, I'm too good for that."

Ryūko began to grow frustrated by Nui's persistent arrogance, "Oh yeah? Then I'm guessing it wasn't luck when I kicked you ass?"

Nui replied joyfully, her playful demeanour beginning to push Ryūko's buttons, "Of course! Who else besides lady Ragyō herself would I submit my dignity to than my beloved Ryūko?~"

Ryūko snapped back, her anger increasing by the second, "Like hell! Don't even try to pull some bullshit like that! I remember the stupid look on your face when you realised your arms were chopped off, freaking priceless."

Nui's face twisted into a psychotic smile as it seemed she too grew infuriated by this remark, "How about I cut out those eyes of yours so you never see my face again?"

Ryūko shot at Nui an enraged glare, "Try it bitch! I got my own way of never seeing your face again."

Watching over the exchange, Mikisugi wiped his eyebrows wearily, a look of exhausted frustration on his face as he spoke to Satsuki, "OK I'm starting to see your point." He then spoke into the mic connected to the arena's speakers, "Hey! That's enough you two, break it up!" He continued as Ryūko and Nui's attention was shifted to the window of the laboratory, "Lets just take a break to cool off."

Ryūko shot a glare towards Nui who casually waltz away towards the exit of the arena, with Ryūko soon making her way out of the chamber as well.

Mikisugi proceeded to turn away from the window, shooting a look at Satsuki, "You should probably head home, sticking around here ain't gonna ease your worries, but if you need me I'll be in my office."

Mikisugi then walked away to leave the laboratory, while Satsuki continued staring down at Ryūko who proceeded to make her own way out of the testing chamber.

Ryūko made her way to a rec room. The walls of the rec room were coloured a light greyish blue with the back-most wall holding three dark leather sofas, the front-most right corner of the room holding a kitchen counter with a few cabinets and a kitchen sink. At the left most wall was an arcade machine, the top featuring a stylised blazing writing reading: "HELL FLAME SWAT" At the centre of the room was a foosball table with two nudist beach agents playing against each other at furious speeds.

Mako, dressed in her school uniform, sat on the right sofa, jumping up as soon as Ryūko entered the room. Mako gave her a hug which Ryūko reciprocated and the two proceeded to sit back down on the sofa. Mako pulled out a wrapped up bento box out of the chest area from her uniform shirt and handed it to Ryūko.

Ryūko smiled as she unwrapped the bento box, "Thanks Mako, brings back old times..." She took out a croquette from the bento, biting down on it quickly as her mouth filled with the taste of Mako's mother's somehow delicious cooking, "How was school?"

Mako answered as she pondered to herself, "Oh it was alright! Kinda boring without you guys there though, I tried to take some notes from today's lessons for you and not-scary-Nui but I fell asleep part way through each one..."

Ryūko sighed sombrely, "I'm sorry Mako... things are just a bit weird right now..."

Mako shook her head vigorously, "Oh don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're up and moving again! And besides you probably got things a lot more rough here, fighting with the scary Nui all day-"

Suddenly Mako froze up as through the glass swinging door of the rec room walked true Nui, as though Mako's words had summoned the devil herself. The nudist agents Jumped in their skin at Nui's arrival before quickly hurrying past her out of the rec room.

Ryūko glared at Nui who proceeded to walk across the rec room silently and sat down on the left most sofa, "Hey shit for brains, pretty sure Mikisugi meant for us to separate so we can cool down. And anyway why are you out and not clone Nui? I'm sure she's bored as hell of that room."

Nui sat up straight on the sofa with her legs crossed and her hands on one of her knees, stacked on top of each other, "I'll have you know I get quite bored of that room as well, and we're actually undergoing dimension fatigue right now, so you're stuck with me."

Mako uttered to Ryūko quietly, "Maybe we should go some where else..."

Ryūko growled with frustration, "Hell no, we were here first, she should piss off."

Nui spoke up casually, interrupting Ryūko's complaints, "You've gotten quite comfortable around me you know."

Ryūko replied in angry confusion, "How the hell do you figure that?"

Nui answered as she sat back into the sofa, sinking into the leather, "The fact you're allowing yourself to get angry around me. I thought you learned more self control than that."

Ryūko sighed as she crossed her arms and sat back in her seat, resting her head on the back of the sofa, her aggression seemingly somewhat simmering down, "Let's just say I'm out of practice when it comes to dealing with your bullshit." Ryūko turned her head, looking at Nui with a judgemental gaze, "Like saying you're perfect, when we both know how much of a failure you see yourself as."

Nui glared at Ryūko with a cold stare, her singular eye oozing with animosity, "You've got some nerve..."

Ryūko Shot back her own similarly cold glare, "Am I wrong?"

The scene went silent, Mako looking at the two of them with frenzied panic. she then shut her eyes building herself up and trying to suppress her anxiety in the situation.

"STOP IT BOTH Of YOU!" Suddenly Mako shouted breaking the silence, surprising Ryūko and irritating Nui, Mako continuing while as she jumped up from her seat, "We're not gonna get anywhere while you're always at each other's throats!"

Ryūko Sat up in her seat, "Mako, she's the bitch that killed my dad!"

Mako withdrew, her voice quieting down, "I-I know... But... wouldn't of you done the same thing if you were told to by a mom that meant everything to you, had no friends and slept in a windowless chamber everyday?"

Ryūko froze up, her mind shifted back to what Nui had said yesterday morning, followed by a memory of a pure white church, Ryūko standing in her pristine wedding gown before the central altar, scissor blade in hand, a feeling of familiarity she refused to accept.

Ryūko snapped out of the memory like awaking from a dream, "N-no! you can't expect me to get along with her, I'm sorry Mako, but you just can't..."

Nui suddenly cut in, putting on a joyful face, "Why not? Love and hate are two sides of the same coin after all!~"

Ryūko snapped, shouting back at Nui, "Shut the hell up!"

Mako turned her head towards Nui, welling up her confidence once again, almost to the point she seemed she was going to burst.

Nui Looked at Mako with mild irritation, "Ugh can you just get on with it?"

"Nui!" Mako suddenly shouted, "You're hurting a lot aren't you?!"

Nui gave an annoyed dismissive, "What?"

Mako immediately seemed intimidated, however she continued in a more timid tone, "W-well you are hurting... aren't you? Ryūko knows it at least..."

Ryūko started looking concerned at Mako, "Wait Mako what are you-"

Nui interrupted, her eye closed and she bore a smile that twitched with rage, "Oh does she?"

Mako tried to continue, her voice driven down to the squeak of a mouse, "Well with what you said to her yesterday..."

Nui smiled idly, however her hand revealed her true rage, squeezing the sofa to the point the threaded leather casing was about to pop, "You know bobble head, you're starting to get on my nerves..."

Ryūko shot up from her seat, "Wait what are you-"

"Can't you just admit that you and Ryūko felt the same way?!" This time Mako was the one to interrupt.

For once Nui seemed genuinely shocked, "W-what?"

Ryūko looked the same way, unable to respond.

"Ryūko lost her dad... because of you! And now you lost your Mom, your weird alien thread friends have rejected you! You feel alone, just like how Ryūko did." Mako shot Nui an angry stare, well as angry as Mako can look.

Ryūko and Nui were stunned, all of the Mako's words defying every expectation they had of what she could say, let alone what she would.

"M-Mako?" Was all Ryūko could utter in her shock.

Mako prepared for the worse, try to stand up straight and doing all she could to prevent herself from shaking.

However to both Ryūko's and Mako's surprise, Nui seemed to stand up calmly, a stoic frown on her face. she then walked towards the door to the rec room as Mako and Ryūko continued to stare at her.

Nui eventually stopped at the door, turning her head slightly to send an emotionless glare at Mako and Ryūko, "Ryūko get yourself ready for the next round of training."

Ryūko, dumbfounded, replied almost out of pure reaction, "Oh e-er yeah..."

Nui added on "Oh and bobble head?"

Mako jumped in her skin at the mention, "Y-yes?"

Despite Mako's panic, Nui continued with a calm monotone voice, "What I feel... Is none of your concern."

Nui then suddenly left the rec room, pulling on the door and causing a mighty slam, smashing the glass of the door, causing the remaining metal frame to fall off it's hinges and leaving cracks in the attached on walls.

Ryūko, still seemingly stunned at what had just occurred turned her head to Mako, "I'm sorry Mako... But what the hell?!"

Mako looked about panicking, trying to think of a response, "I er... well... I... I'm sorry Ryūko, I was just trying to help..."

Ryūko looked at mako wearily, "I get that... but this is Nui we're talking about, she's too dangerous."

Meanwhile true Nui walked down the many twisting corridors of the nudist beach HQ, spooking every agent walked past. She strode without her usual casual demeanour, her body baring the same focused stoicism she unveiled in the rec room, with her face continuing the monotone frowning expression. Clone Nui floated beside her, following true Nui as she walked. Clone Nui watched true Nui with an anxious stare, she recognised this behaviour from the original Nui's memories, a façade to hide her emotions, knowing that lashing out would only make things worse, she hadn't expected to see true Nui to act this way around anyone after the death of Ragyō.

Clone Nui tried to attentively speak up to the silent true Nui, "uh... N-Nui-"

"Not... One... More... Word." However true Nui broke her silence, quickly shutting down clone Nui from speaking any further, causing her to fade away baring a depressingly hopeless look on her face.

In a different section of the complex, Mikisugi was in a fairly conventional office. The walls were coloured the same greyish blue as other nudist beach rooms and the room featured all you would expect, a clock on right wall, a couple of metal filing cabinets, a decently sized book case etc.

He sat in front of a modest modern wooden desk, typing into a laptop baring the nudist beach insignia on the back of it's screen. Surrounding the laptop was various items you would expect from a desk, a steel pot containing a few pencils and pens, a small potted plant, a newton's cradle with silver beads and black string hung on a metal frame, a black telephone handset and a photo featuring Mikisugi, Tsumugu, Isshin Matoi, a young woman which was likely Kinue Kinagase; Tsumugu's sister, and one other individual, a man who's face was mostly concealed by the reflection of a nearby light. They all were posing for the photo in lab coats and were smiling, even Tsumugu which may be a surreally rare sight.

As Mikisugi typed he stared into screen of the laptop with a stoic expression. However this stare was broken as he sat back in his black office chair, sighing and scratching his head, pulling away from his laptop.

Suddenly there was a small knock at the entrance to the office, that being a dark oak door, this causing Mikisugi to call out to the other side of the door, "Yeah come in."

The door swung open slowly to reveal Shirō Iori at the door, once again wearing the same nudist beach gear lab coat combo, "Hey, not interrupting your work too much am I?"

Mikisugi closed his laptop as he replied, "Nah you're good, what's up?"

Iori stepped inside, casually breaking into an explanation, "Well I completed my analysis on the remains of what we believe to be the devices the servants used to generate those "thread portals" of theirs, as well as the machinery we discovered close to the origin points of the high velocity life fiber jammer which we believe was used to generate the jammer."

Mikisugi nodded as he clasped his hands together and laid his arms gently atop his laptop, with his elbows on his desk, "Nice, that was quicker than I was expecting, anything good?"

Iori closed his eyes as he sighed with disappointment, "I'm afraid it was so quick because of how little we have, the servant's capabilities for covering their tracks are still shining through, as it seems each of the devices seemed to have been exposed to some sort of corrosive substance, destroying the tools almost entirely with little residual left of the substance, perhaps they used life fibers for that as well. At any rate only a few tiny pieces are left of each, the same going for the jammer generators. Must of had a trigger in place for after usage to destroy the devices, preventing reverse engineering."

Mikisugi had his own disappointed sigh as he laid his head back, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Of course... Those bastards have thought of everything..."

Iori looked at Mikisugi with a stare mixed with curiosity and concern, "Are you alright Mikisugi? You seem more stressed out than usual."

Mikisugi raised his head, his expression changing to a weary smile, "Yeah I'm fine, just have a bit of a conundrum..."

Iori replied quickly, ready to lend his ear, "Well tell me about it, Perhaps I could give some input."

Mikisugi rested his head on his hand, propping it up with his elbow, a confuddled look on his face, "It's about Nui and Ryūko. Honestly I was excited when they told me they wanted to train together, But Satsuki pointed it out, that all it seems to be doing is causing them to increase their aggression for each other, while we need them to be able to work together."

Iori held his chin thoughtfully as he pondered his answer, "Hm... Well have you considered that you might be too limited in scope regarding their improvement?"

Mikisugi looked at Iori curiously, "What do you mean?"

Iori began to elaborate, "Well you seem to be focusing purely on a combat level, but what you failed to realise that combat is the only experience Ryūko and true Nui have with each other, and almost always as each other's opposition."

Mikisugi itched his chin, taking in Iori's supposition, "Then what do you suggest?"

Iori replied as he gestured with his right hand while his other hand was in his pocket, "This might sound strange, but how about..."

"Playing house." Seemingly a short while later Mikisugi stood in the large testing chamber arena before Nui and Ryūko, who looked confused from Mikisugi's sudden announcement.

Ryūko raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Mikisugi closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath, preparing himself like a soldier entering a battle, he then answered baring a stalwart gaze, "For the next few weeks, you two... will be living together. In between training sessions that is."