Chapter 4: Tardiness and Triggers.
Terry yawned as he got up out of bed. It was exactly one in the morning and he was heading to school. Why? Because he heard rumors that today was No Tardies day, so he wanted to be there before that mess started.
"Did we really have to wake up this early?" Toxin asked.
"If we wanna avoid the shite show today? Yeah, we did have to." Terry replied as he did his morning routine. After he was done, he managed to get to the academy by the time it was four in the morning. "Well… Onto the next stop." He said as he started walking towards his home room and got in by picking the lock and decided to catch up on his sleep while everyone else fought for their lives.
As the saying goes: Work smarter, not harder.
(A few hours later.)
After Mikisugi started calling role, Terry's nap was suddenly interrupted when a cable car of all things came crashing into the classroom. Luckily though, Toxin noticed this ahead of time and got them out of the way before it made impact.
"Yipe!" The host yelped as he jolted awake and noticed Toxin was in control. 'Okay, what did I miss?' He asked his partner.
Ryuko and Mako slowly got out of the car and took a seat as Mikisugi called their names. "Here." They said tiredly.
(Later)
Right around the end of homeroom, Terry got another invitation from Satsuki again, and then found himself having tea in her quarters again. Though this time, she had come back in a fluffy bathrobe, presumably because she had just gotten finished taking a shower.
She now sat in a chair across from him as Sauroi poured them each a glass of tea while she leaned back in her chair and crossed her left leg over her right.
"I take it you feel better after that?" The boy asked.
"Yes. It really helped me release some stress that had built up." Satsuki nodded before she took a sip of her tea. "Have you and Ms. Matoi given my offer any thought as of late?" She inquired.
"Well I have. But I'm not sure about Ryuko." He shrugged. "To be honest? Your proposal seems really appealing to both me and Toxin, but… I just need a little longer to decide. I'll probably figure it out by the end of the day."
"I understand. Let me know what your answer is. I'll be waiting." She told him almost seductively.
"I will." He nodded as he took a sip of his tea. "I have to admit though, the past few times I've seen your body you seem to really have..: Exceptional body proportions." Terry noted, wanting to compliment her on something this visit like he usually did.
"I have good trainers that helped me get this body. And so did you, apparently." The girl noted, recalling the times she's managed to get a feel for Terry's physique.
"Trainers? Please, I got this by myself." The boy boasted, leaning back with a grin on his face. Though his grin disappeared when he saw a man with a red mohawk crouching on a high point while looking at someone who had his sniper rifle's sights on someone. "Oi, who's that and why does he have a sniper rifle?" He asked, causing Satsuki to frown and look at where he was looking.
"I don't know…" She said as she looked at the man. Terry got up and then entered his second battle form.
"Well I'm gonna go see what's going on." He said as he left. The Kiryuin girl frowned as she looked back at the unknown man.
"What are you up to?" She wondered to herself.
On the roof the man on the roof was looking at Ryuko through his scope, his gaze aimed directly at the side of her head, a definite killshot. Right as the man was about to pull the trigger…
"Oi, ya red haired moron!" Terry exclaimed as he walked up to him.
The man turned around and saw Terry glaring at him, who, by using his enhanced eyesight, was able to deduce where this guy was looking.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" The man asked.
"The one who's gonna kick yer ass out of this academy if ya don't 'fess up to why you're here lookin' like yer gonna kill someone." The symbiote host growled.
The mystery gunman got up and lit a cigarette. "There are two things you need to know: One, I don't answer to anyone but the brass of my organization. Two, if you think your life fiber eating sludge ball can beat me, you're sorely mistaken."
"SLUDGE?!" Terry roared, offended by the arrogance of the man in front of him. The boy then had Toxin turn his arm into an ax. "Listen here pal. There are three things you need to know: One, Zealots like you make me sick. Two, this 'sludge' is a living organism and should be treated with respect. And three, I can beat you, because I'm better than anyone else at this school!" He yelled before he charged.
The man whipped out a gun and started shooting needles of all things at him, but Toxin made a shield to protect them both from the volley. Upon getting close, he smacked the gun off to the side and threw a right hook at the man's face.
"We'll be taking those." The two said as they started absorbing the man's gear and weapons, gaining a secondary battle mode that looked like the man's own in the process. "Now, tell us. Who is it you work for again?" He asked.
The man growled, seeing that his offensive options were literally ripped away from him. In a desperate attempt to escape, he tried to headbutt the host, but all that did was make him chuckle in bemusement.
"That was adorable. Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Toxin said before knocking him out. Though then he noticed that he had some sort of speedo-like garment on, which had a symbol on it that he recognized almost immediately: The symbol of the group Mikisugi said he worked for, Nudist Beach.
"... You have got to be kidding me." He facepalmed before he sighed. "Well, better go let Satsuki know about this." He said to himself as he restrained the man and picked him up before walking off. "And by the way, tell Mikisugi that he can kiss having me and Toxin on his side goodbye." He told the man.
As Terry led him towards Satsuki, the guy suddenly slammed the back of his head into his face and made the boy release him before he took the opportunity to escape. Said man was about to go to get his spare gear, when a green pin needle suddenly appeared on his hand.
"Going somewhere?" A voice asked.
"Mikisugi…" The man growled as he turned to face the blue haired man across from him.
(Elsewhere, a little later on)
Ryuko seemed a little tense the next day after school. Right before Terry had managed to take the guy who was looking at her through a sniper scope, said man actually attacked her and nearly got the jump on her, but had stopped for some reason.
It was right around the time she got to the school, she saw that Terry was heading towards the section of the school where Satsuki apparently lived.
"Hey, Terry, where're you going?" She asked as she ran up to him.
"Oh, hey Ryuko. I'm heading to Satsuki's place for another chat." He replied after he stopped and turned to her.
"You've been talking to her a lot lately." The girl noted. "... Did you decide if you're gonna join her or not?"
"Oh yeah. After that runin with that zealot moron from before, I made up my mind. I'm joining her." He replied firmly as they started walking
"Zealot moron?" She asked before she realized who he was talking about. "Oh! You mean that Mohawk guy. Yeah that guy tried to strip me and kill Senketsu."
"Wait, say what now?" Terry asked, doing a double take.
"Yeah. Though he stopped for some reason and disappeared, said he'd be back today to strip me completely." She explained. Terry sighed in aggravation.
"Mikisugi is not doing himself any favors here." He muttered. Right as he said that, they both saw the Mohawk guy standing there in a new set of the same gear.
"I told you I'd be back." He stated.
"And that'll be the last mistake you'll make." Terry growled as he and Toxin transformed. "Three Star Toxin: Symbiote Regalia!" He yelled as he entered a new form. He still had the same hoodie arms, mask and belt. But now he also had what appeared to be blue pants which he had tucked into red combat boots, two utility belts on his wrists, a red combat vest-harness over his hoodie that had several grenades strapped to it, and he had belts of the same needle rounds crossed on his chest, the same guns as the Mohawk guy on his back and of course his sword, Diablo.
Ryuko looked at her friend in surprise upon seeing his new form.
"When the fuck did you get this?" She asked with wide eyes.
"I'll explain later. Let's deal with this guy first." Terry replied curtly as he focused on his opponent..
"Alright." She shrugged as she activated her Kamui. "Life fibers synchronize! Kamui: Senketsu!" She yelled as she transformed. With their weapons in hand, both charged forward, ready to strike.
(Elsewhere)
As this fight was going on, Satsuki was with her Elite four in her chambers. She had just informed them that Terry and his Symbiote would be joining their ranks.
"What? Lady Satsuki, you can't be serious!" Gamagori boomed.
"After all he's done? He's nearly managed to kill you at least twice." Inumuta stated as well, straightening his glasses, which had become crooked during his reaction to this shocking development.
"I am aware of what he's done, make no mistake. However, his ambitions align with my own to an extent. If he joins us, things will move much faster." She explained.
"And what are his ambitions, exactly?" Inumuta questioned, curiously.
"He wishes to create a world in which symbiotes and nothing else rule." She replied.
"Not to seem like a downer, but how is that any different from what your mom is planning?" Sanageyama asked.
"Simple. Rather than consume humans, the symbiotes will devour the life fibers and merge with any compatible human hosts and they will even go so far as to merge with the world itself, strengthening it." Satsuki explained.
"That… Doesn't sound too bad, actually." The kendo boy admitted.
"And you're certain that this boy is trustworthy? He seems… A bit unstable." Gamagori notes.
"Any instability he may have is because of a deep emotional scar he bears from the loss of his uncle at the hands of a group of detestable zealots. I will not fault him for the parts of him that were born of circumstance." Satsuki retorted.
"I… Understand, m'lady." The head of the Disciplinary Club replied after a moment.
Nonon Jakuzure, Satsuki's childhood friend and head of the non athletic clubs as well as music, took notice of the softer side that the black haired girl was showing towards this boy. Something she hadn't seen her show since… The death of her little sister.
'Well then, looks like these two have a good bit in common, don't they?' Jakuzure thought as she smirked to herself.
(Elsewhere)
Back with Terry and Ryuko, it was absolute chaos. Several of the non athletic clubs had started attacking them and the Mohawk guy and now what used to be a three way fight of two against one, was now a multi front war zone.
"Dammit, what the actual fuck?! We have our hands full with this Mohawk guy and now several of the non athletic clubs start attacking us?!" The symbiote host cursed angrily.
"I know, this is crazy!" She nodded as they continued to run through the halls, which were littered with uniforms, unconscious or dead students hanging from threads, or other miscellaneous objects, before a member of the gardening club was thrown in front of them, tied up, and he had grenades shoved in his mouth.
"FUCK!" Terry yelled as he grabbed Ryuko and formed a shield around the two right as the grenades exploded. When the shield lowered, the boy glowered in the direction of their pursuer. "I hate zealots so damn much!" He growled.
"I think I'm starting to know how you feel." Ryuko agreed with a matching angry look on her face.
The man stepped in front of them as he loaded his weapon again. "There are two things you need to know. One: Clothing and humans are not allies. And two: Anything that isn't from the same planet as us is just as evil as the life fibers, end of story." He stated, pointing his gun at Terry's forehead at point blank range.
"Bite me, ya damned zealot!" Terry growled before a tendril smacked the gun away. "It's people like you who killed my uncle, the only person in my life who ever gave a damn about me! So as far as I'm concerned, you can FUCK! OFF!" He roared as a barrage of whip-like tendrils started lashing out in every direction.
"Ngh!" The extremist grunted as he was sent flying back. Ryuko was unfortunately caught in the crossfire, but didn't take much damage from the unexpected assault because, to her surprise, Senketsu separated from her and took the attack for her like a living shield.
"GAH!" Senketsu yelled in pain as he was ripped in several places.
"Senketsu!" The scissor blade wielding girl exclaimed in worry before she ran to her now damaged Kamui. "Senketsu! Hey Senketsu! Are you okay?! Please speak to me! Listen, if it's about what I said before. I just want you to know that I'm-"
"No… Ryuko, it's alright… I'm not that hurt." The Kamui replied.
"Why did you take that attack for me? Even after everything I said to you, everything I did, why? Why did you still protect me?" She questioned with tears in her eyes.
"Isn't that what… Being a partner is all about?" He asked. Ryuko's eyes continued to well up with tears as she hugged the living sailor uniform close.
"You idiot. Don't ever scare me like that again." She told him with shaky breaths. Meanwhile with Terry, he was currently hacking at the guy, who he had managed to figure out was named Tsumugu, with his arms, which were now in the shape of crescent shaped guillotine blades.
"Alright, ya blithering idiot. Time to finish this!" The Irish accented boy exclaimed as he readied himself to do exactly that.
Tsumugu glared at him for a second before he realized he was out of ammo. "We'll finish this another time kid." He said before he tossed one of his thread roll shaped grenades at Terry's feet and used the resulting explosion to cover his escape. Once the smoke of the blast cleared, Terry looked around and saw Tsumugu nowhere in sight.
"Dammit!" He cursed as Ryuko walked up to him.
"He got away, didn't he?" She asked.
"Aye, he did. And I'm pissed." Terry growled before he sighed. "Sorry about losing my cool like that. I didn't mean for Senketsu to get damaged by that attack of mine." He apologized.
"It's alright, at least he's okay." She said as she hugged her uniform close to her, unfortunately unaware that she was currently in her underwear. Terry looked at her before his head quickly snapped in a different direction.
"Uh, Ryuko? You might wanna put Senketsu back on." He pointed out, much to her confusion.
"Why, what's-" She started before she looked down. Upon realizing she was in her underwear, she let out a squeak before she quickly put her Kamui back on. "You saw nothing!" She declared, pointing a finger at her friend.
"Agreed." He nodded. "Have you thought about Satsuki's offer?" The symbiote host asked.
"Kinda. I mean if I'm gonna figure out who killed my dad, my best bet would be to figure it out from the inside… But I still don't like her." The blue eyed girl stated.
"I'm joining her 'cause I'm not interested in joining a group of zealots like the one our mutual assailant was from." Terry stated.
"Yeah speaking of, who does he work for anyway?" Ryuko wondered aloud.
(Elsewhere)
"You really messed things up this time, Tsumugu." Mikisugi said to his colleague as they had a drink at a local bar.
"I stand by what I said: Anything not from the same planet as us is just as evil as the life fibers." The mohawked man retorted.
"I don't care about that. You literally painted us in a bad light for Mr. Guinness and drove him to Satsuki. You just cost us what could've been a highly valuable ally to the organization because you got judgemental. Now he's our enemy, and Ryuko Matoi is likely going to follow along with him." Mikisugi said seriously.
"Then we'll just have to put them both down. Simple as that." The man shrugged.
"Oh for the love of-I don't even know why I even bother. I'm going to try and get Ryuko to stay on our side or at least act as a double agent. So until then, you're gonna stay away from here, got it?" The teacher stated.
"Fine, do whatever you want. Just don't be too surprised if you fail." Tsumugu said bluntly.
"Trust me, I'm well aware of that." Mikisugi sighed as he continued to drink.
(Elsewhere)
Terry was now again at Satsuki's quarters and was this time having dinner with the student council president. The two had just finished a conversation about Terry joining her ranks, and now Satsuki had just suggested that he live in the same district as the elite four since he was a technically three star, or if he preferred, live in the academy near her.
"You really want to keep me close by, don't you?" He asked with a smirk.
"Recent events have proven that to be the most logical course of action." The woman shrugged.
"True enough. I'd keep my allies close too after what's happened." Terry agreed with a nod.
"That being said, there is one instruction that I must insist you follow from now on." She stated, firmly.
"That being?" He asked.
"Unless absolutely necessary you are not to interfere with Matoi's struggles, not only because you'd most likely get in her way but also because we have no idea if she'll come to our side yet." She told him. "So unless I say so, you are not to leave my side, understand?"
"That's… Going to be difficult to follow." He replied with a small frown.
"Then I'll be sure to keep you on a tight leash." She grinned in reply as they continued their dinner.
Dragon Emperor0: Well looks like Tsumugu just screwed Nudist Beach over, again. And Terry and Satsuki are finally on the same team.
ThermalsniperN7: Yep, and Ryuko seems to be indecisive at the moment and is focusing primarily on finding her father's killer. Understandable, but if she becomes a double agent… Actually, I'm not sure what'll happen.
Dragon Emperor0: Me neither, I wonder how living so close to each other will affect their relationship moving forward, Satsuki and Terry that is. Anyway, see you guys next week.