I took a jaunt through Tumblr the other day (something I don't often do), and I was suddenly and forcefully reminded that there are some legitimate big dogs in the world of KlK fanfics. There are people out there with names like Goethe With an Umlaut, Gingham Dog, and Death to Dr. Mario…heh… or some such. People out there who write like witch doctors. It made me feel incredibly… small. It's a good but definitely humbling feeling.

Anyway, chapter 11, woohoo!

xxx

She swung to a puttering stop outside Mako's complex. Still gasping for air, Ryuko swung her leg over the seat of her bike and clutched at her knees, bending over to rest her weight on them as she struggled to gain control over her physiological reflexes. Her stomach heaved as she grappled with the thoughts that squirmed and tore through her head like a centipede crawling in her brain.

What have… there's nowhere left to…there's nothing… no one…

She licked her lips, eyes raking the surroundings as if expecting members of the REVOCS security detail to appear around every corner. She all but hissed at an old lady, and in response she eeped and dropped the garbage bag she was clutching before shuffling away, muttering about "kids these days." Still, despite the shock, a firm, square voice called out to Ryuko from behind her eyes.

You did the right thing.

You saved her.

Ryuko turned as she felt the bike shift beneath her. Satsuki swung her leg to mirror Ryuko's position, clutching at her own knees, grappling with her own panic. Something best described as "accepted terror" roiled in her chest and stomach as she leaned forward, looking at the ground.

What can you do?

How can you save her?

Satsuki turned her head to sneak a peek at Ryuko and found that the other girl had done the same. They locked eyes, and for a moment each stared inquisitively at the other, the same question on both minds.

What the hell is your problem?

Ryuko broke the tension by suddenly and unwillingly laughing. Satsuki frowned and leaned back, throwing her head up. Despite the imposing intention of the gesture, Ryuko only laughed harder, snorting a little as she struggled to get herself under control.

"I'm sorry…" Ryuko hid her mouth behind the back of her hand, eyes crinkling as she released her nervous energy in uncontrolled mirth. "Your hair…"

Satsuki's hands flew to her head and were met with one continuous rat-nest. Pinking a little, she struggled to smooth out the wind-swept tangles as she continued to look at the still-giggling Ryuko from the corner of her eye. "You look like a… ah… ha… a pirate!" Tears of hysterical mirth were gushing from Ryuko's face now. Satsuki frowned, giving up on her attempts to make her hair stop looking like tarred spaghetti.

"Stop it."

"I- I can't!"

And she really couldn't. When she thought about it later, she couldn't quite figure out why it was so funny. Satsuki sighed, waiting for Ryuko to stop. Suddenly, her hand flew to Ryuko's forehead, stopping suddenly to hover an inch or two away from touching her. Startled, Ryuko went silent instantly, her eyes going wide and glassy as she struggled to see the hand that was too close for her to focus on. Softly, using only the tips of her fingers, Satsuki stroked the short, fuzzed tuft of hair that stuck up off of Ryuko's forehead where her red streak had been.

"You look rather 'special' as well," she murmured before shuddering and pulling away. The black hairs were soft and pleasant to touch, but what was left of the red streak felt strange. An inexplicable but oddly familiar sense of dread passed through Satsuki when those crimson wisps brushed against her skin, and she quickly twisted her hands together on her lap and moved to stand. "I should go."

Ryuko, struggling to subdue the blush that had torn from her stomach to her ears the moment she had felt Satsuki's fingers in her hair, stood as well, eyes widening.

"Go? But…no! Where would…why? We just got here! You can't go!"

"I…" Satsuki paused, licking her lips and shifting her eyes upwards as she struggled with her intentions. She knew what Ryuko meant but hadn't said: Don't go back. Why would you go back there after I saved you? In her mind, Satsuki smiled, but the gesture didn't reach her face. She envied Ryuko her innocence, her confusion, her utter lack of bitter pragmatism. She couldn't express her thoughts, she couldn't tell her what she was feeling, that she could never be free until she had done her job, that she was grateful to Ryuko for her sentimental rescue but it may have undone her, that there were things Satsuki never wanted her to understand. She couldn't, so instead she hid behind the dictator she kept on call within. Drawing herself up tall and staring balefully down at Ryuko, Satsuki sneered, hating herself.

"What I do is of no business of yours. You'll do well to keep your mouth tightly shut or you'll betray the fool who knocks around in your empty skull."

Ryuko's mouth opened, then shut with a sharp clack of teeth, her face reddening in shame and anger. As Satsuki turned to the street to hail a cab, Ryuko grabbed her by the shoulder, fisting at the material of her coat. Satsuki whipped around and grabbed the wrist that held her, suddenly jerking to a stop as she realized Ryuko's forehead was pressed to hers. Her peripheral just managed to catch sight of bared teeth before her eyes flicked up to match Ryuko's intense glare. Both defiant, they pressed their heads together, trying to force the other to give ground. So they stood as if frozen for a long moment.

Ryuko struggled with her thoughts. She had no words to express herself. The hurt at Satsuki's stinging cruelty translated to anger, masking her confusion and betrayal in swirling crimson. Who are you? Why do you want to go back there? Are they right? Is there something wrong with you? Why do I waste my time on you, why do I want you so much? Why are you so goddamn, fucking beautiful? With the beginnings of a growl, Ryuko opened her fist and shoved at Satsuki's shoulder, simultaneously jerking her head back and away. She pivoted to turn her back, shoving her fists into her pockets and shouting over her shoulder.

"Yeah? You think you're hot stuff, huh? I'm surprised you can even talk around that fucking silver spoon in your mouth. God, what did I ever see in you?" She turned back around suddenly, her raw disdain breaking a little to reveal the emotion hidden beneath. "I thought… back then… You were the coolest, greatest thing in my life. I never gave up looking for you, I thought we would've been friends. God!" Furious with herself, Ryuko smashed her fist into her own eye, grinding it brutally as she struggled to contain herself. Cooling slightly, she set her mouth into a hard, dirty line. She felt as though the great, sparkling mystery she had held in a precious corner of her heart was suddenly garbage, squirming with maggots and glazed over in slime. Something deadened in Ryuko's chest - there was no Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny was dead, and Santa Claus was just some drunk. Slowly, keeping her head down, Ryuko raised an accusing finger to a frozen Satsuki.

"Heh. I thought you were something special, some great mystery. Well, mystery solved, Sherlock! You're just an asshole - a huge, shitty asshole. Remind me to kill myself before I waste my time on you again!"

The words sliced through Satsuki like a hot knife, and a spasm of pain in her chest nearly had her whimpering. She wanted… she wasn't sure what she wanted. No, she wanted contradictory things. She wanted to rush forward and speak her heart, her intentions, to confide her lifelong suffering, to cry. She wanted to hold back, lock her steel castle, to turn and walk away, to scoff. She wanted Ryuko to hate her, love her, scorn her. She wanted…

Recognizing the destructive hurricane of thought and emotion, Satsuki stopped suddenly, body stiffening as she gathered the thoughts together and threw them into a remote corner of her mind, locking them up tight. Calm. Use your head. Still, she couldn't bear to see Ryuko standing there, defeated in her defiance. The mortar between the stones of her mind-castle began to crumble… something slipped through, and Satsuki moved before she thought.

Ryuko startled as she felt Satsuki's arms wrap tentatively around her, awkwardly patting her back. Holy shit, she sucks at hugging. Still, Ryuko felt her anger fade as she instinctively hugged back, the heat of Satsuki's body burning indelibly into her skin. Ryuko pushed away, clearing her throat, as she felt her blush begin to rise again.

Embarrassed, Satsuki looked away, pinking as she resisted the urge to slap herself. Instead, she cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry. That was… rude. Rude for me to say that, and…to…" She straightened herself, her shoulders aligning to create perfect right angles. "I apologize."

The silence drew on, long and painful. Ryuko snapped her mouth shut and rubbed the back of her neck as she attempted to smother the gremlins in her throat that begged her to start spewing questions.

"So… uh. You wanna come in for coffee?"

Satsuki sighed, shoulders rounding in defeat.

"Tea, please."

xxx

"Madam?" the voice was quiet, demure in every respect, almost shrieking in the high-pitched tremor of fear. It annoyed her.

Ragyo turned slowly, careful to make sure a burning beam of red light fell across his eyes. Across the table, Nui happily hummed her own theme song, obliviously sewing together a pinned pattern of white and gold. Ragyo brushed the silken fabric with the tips of her fingers as she turned. Sleepily, one orange eye slid out from under the blue tie before promptly shutting with an inaudible groan.

"Yes?"

The servant trembled in his perfect black suit before holding out a tray to her. On it lay a little purple flash drive. Ragyo plucked it up as one would pluck the strings of a harp, bringing it close to her face for scrutiny.

"This was found in the gardens, Madam. We believe it was left by the intruder."

"Has it been accessed?"

"Not yet, madam." Incongruously, he made a low bow, as if he had just realized that he had forgotten to upon his arrival and was hoping that it wasn't too late.

"See to it." Ragyo dropped the bit of plastic back onto the tray, enjoying the sharp silver ping it created. "Pay particular attention as to whether its source can be traced.

"Yes, madam." He all but scuttled away.

xxx

Mako was surprisingly pleased with her houseguest.

"Kuvira!" she screeched, quivering like a dog that can't decide whether to run away or rush forward. "You're…in…my house!?Ahhhh! So coooooool!" Satsuki unconsciously backed into a corner by the doorjamb, grinning in what she thought was a placating manner. Mako apparently made a decision and leapt, fully intent on grabbing and smushing Satsuki's face, and, Ryuko, recognizing the dangerous tilt to Satsuki's eyebrows, grabbed Mako out of the air and held her by the waist under her arm.

"She gets… excited." Ryuko tilted her head to address a squirming Mako as she settled her gently on the floor. "Mako, this is Satsuki. I invited her in for tea." Mako tilted her head, confused a little.

"Sa - tsu - ki? Ki? Oh, Kiki, I get it! Hello! OMG! I can't believe you're here! Everyone univocally agrees that you're Kuvira." Mako flipped her arms around in a mockery of metalbending forms. "'Cause your face is all like 'merr' but then your eyes are all like 'bam' and everyone goes 'aaaahhh!' I don't think you're evil and dumb like her, though. I bet you could make one mean dictator speech, if you were a dictator. Like, I can just see you yelling all inspiring-like on the top of a tower or something. Oh my butts! My BF said he knows you but it's all very hush-hush! I'mma take a picture! Cheese!"

Ryuko grabbed Mako's phone just as Satsuki began to rumble deep in her chest like some wild jungle animal.

"Mako! Calm down!"

"I am perfectly calm! You calm down, Korra!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

Mako started to gesticulate wildly, as if trying to explain over sixty episodes of a television series in one fantastic feat of physical prowess. Clearing her throat, Satsuki leaned into Ryuko, speaking in her ear.

"Can you direct me to the facilities… and to a comb, maybe?" Knowing she would have another breakdown if she looked at Satsuki's hair for too long, Ryuko quickly pointed her to the bathroom. Murmuring her thanks, Satsuki disappeared, and, after putting a kettle on the stove to boil, Ryuko caught Mako's attention.

"Hey, Mako, check what I got." Furtively peeking at the closed bathroom door, Ryuko slid the stolen laptop out of her backpack and handed it to the other girl. Mako cooed (apparently forgetting that a stolen computer wasn't in the original plan) and threw herself backwards onto the couch, opening the laptop. Uncomfortable, Ryuko fidgeted and danced on the balls of her toes, biting her lip. "Uhh, not here. In your workspace, maybe?" I wonder if Satsuki would even care… Regardless, she definitely didn't want Satsuki to know that she had looted her house with Achaean abandon. Mako shrugged and complied, shifting into the back room. Still dancing and periodically looking at the bathroom door, Ryuko followed her.

Inside said bathroom, Satsuki coaxed her hair back into glossy submission with a comb she found in the mirror cupboard. Sighing, she went to place it back where she found it when she noticed the disinfectant hiding behind a furry toothbrush. Carefully, she picked it up and uncapped it, studying the white paste inside for an inordinate amount of time. Finally, making her decision, she crossed her arms at the hem of her shirt and pulled the article over her head, wincing as the motion pulled at the muscles in her shoulders.

She examined herself in the mirror as if she was some kind of alien species, softly ghosting her fingers over the harsh purple bruises. Noticing that her ribs showed more than usual, she tried to recalculate how long she had been…there. Surely not more than a day or two? Gently patting her own stomach as if in reassurance, she squeezed the antiseptic onto the tips of a few fingers and applied it to the clawed welts in her skin.

She must be planning to do it soon. Or… at least she has other plans for me. In any case, I won't model again anytime soon. The thought both filled her with dread of the unknown and a tingling pleasure. Satsuki hated modeling, especially the derogatory remarks Nui insisted on making any time she had a shoot. Sneering at the memory, she turned around and looked over her shoulder to apply the cream to her back, but twisting her arms around and looking in the mirror proved to be much more confusing than she originally thought. When she needed to move her right arm down, she instead moved her left one up. In the end, she had to close her eyes to do it properly. Finally finished, she slid her shirt back over her head, rolling her shoulders until the cloth stopped sticking to the disinfectant.

For a long moment, she considered taking her pants off to take care of her thighs, but the thought of looking at her own lower body inexplicably filled her with dread, making a cold, thin sheen break out on her skin. She huffed, pushing the absurd feeling aside and tossed the antiseptic back where it belonged, leaving her pants where they were.

I'll remember this if I get gangrene and have to amputate my legs. The rather macabre image that came to mind of hopping around without legs, cursing the day she didn't apply antibacterial cream, made her smile a little as she pushed open the bathroom door.

To her surprise, she was alone, the kettle shrieking on the stove. Absently, Satsuki wandered into the kitchen to turn off the gas and pour the boiling water into a mug she found hanging over the sink. Disinclined to root around in a stranger's kitchen for tea, she sipped the hot water and settled into a chair. Peeking around over the rim of her cup, but catching no sight of Mako or Ryuko, Satsuki considered her escape.

I could just leave. No problem. She settled into the soft chair and set her mug aside, leaning her head back. I should. Just as soon as…

Finally overcome by her body, Satsuki barely fought the sleep that quickly overtook her.

xxx

"Weird. There's nothing on it. No password, no programs. It has all its factory settings…but…" Ryuko threw her head back and groaned. It would be just her luck to steal a brand new computer for Intel purposes.

"But what?"

"The hard drive's almost completely full. I just gotta find where this baby keeps her goods. Don't worry, Ryuko!" Mako threw her arms unexpectedly around Ryuko's neck, making the laptop fly from the desk. Ryuko leapt to the floor to catch it, cradling it softly to her chest as all the wind was knocked out of her.

"Thanks… Mako" she wheezed, reaching up to place the precious bit of machinery back onto the desk before curling her hands under her neck in little dinosaur claws as she gasped for air. Despite her predicament, she appreciated everything Mako was doing for her. No need to be rude.

A few minutes later, Mako handed her the computer.

"Got it. Pretty well hidden. Like, crazy good." She stretched elaborately, yawning with tongue curled inwards like a cat. "G'night. You two can stay if you want, but I need my sweet beauty rest!" Mako went to hurl herself from the room, a toothbrush already somehow in her mouth, when Ryuko snatched at her hand desperately. At the word 'two' Ryuko remembered that Satsuki was still out in the living room, waiting to hear why she had been kidnapped. Panicking, Ryuko clutched at Mako's hand.

"Mako," she whispered, "What do I say to her? I kidnapped her!" Intrigued but not fazed, coconut-head knelt on the floor in front of Ryuko, pushing her toothbrush to one side of her mouth.

"Why?"

"'Cause… I though… I thought I was saving her, but…" Ryuko gulped, fidgeting. "She wasn't doing anything to stop her… Nothing! Is it just easier? Maybe she's not really that creepy. Maybe Satsuki's the creepy one? I don't understand and there's no way in hell I can go out there and have a conversation with her!"

"Maybe…" Mako paused before putting on a 'guru' voice. "She's waiting and listening for the time to strike. She's a good earthbender." Ryuko sighed, giving up on Mako and waving at her to go to bed. She gave Ryuko an unsolicited squeeze before wishing her luck and disappearing.

Mustering all her courage, Ryuko stomped fearsomely into the living area, only to deflate immediately when she found Satsuki asleep in an armchair, a cup of steaming water on the endtable next to her. Sighing, Ryuko raked a hand through her hair and plopped onto the couch, opening the laptop. For a moment she stared at Satsuki and her long limbs lying loose and relaxed in the plush burgundy recliner. Licking her dry lips, Ryuko tore her eyes away to study the one scrap of intelligence she had managed to gather.

A hidden file was open before her, but at first it looked like there was nothing of importance. There were no documents, no encrypted files, just videos and pictures. Hundreds of videos. Thousands of pictures. Already bored and disappointed, she clicked the window into preview mode, turning the picture icons into thumbnails. Her stomach jerked and Ryuko looked away hastily as her eyes were assaulted with an altogether uncomfortable amount of bare skin.

Fuck me. Did I actually steal REVOCS' porn collection? Damn it! She was about to slam the lid of the machine shut when greedy curiosity convinced her to open a photo. Before she could stop herself, she had double-clicked a random thumbnail.

Shit, that's some kinky porno. Her eyes perused the image lazily, unconcerned, when a realization punched her forcefully in the gut. That wasn't just some greasy actor tied to the bed, faking pain as her head was yanked back by the hair. It wasn't just a set up in some sleazy shop to help sex-deprived adolescence abuse themselves. It was real… it was Satsuki.

Ryuko gasped for air as she recognized the smooth lines of her jaw, her neck. Her eyes lingered for a moment upon the swell of her bared breasts before, immediately ashamed, Ryuko flicked her head away, pinching at the bridge of her nose. She looked back just as quickly, whimpering and gripping at her hair as something (she didn't know what) bubbled under her ribcage. Frantically, Ryuko tried to soothe herself.

Calm down, shit. Fuck, Ryuko, calm down. It's not real. It can't be. She's a model, she probably does this kind of shit all the time. In that particular frame, Ryuko couldn't see the owner of the hand that held Satsuki by the hair. Hastily she exed out of the photo, impulsively clicking on another.

She was curled up with her mother, arms held protectively to her chest as she glared into the camera with unabashed hatred. Ragyo's arms held her to her, fingers creeping suspiciously upon the inner aspect of her daughter's thigh. Ragyo's smile was soft, matronly, pressed into Satsuki's shoulder. Ryuko nearly cried out, pressing the back arrow on the viewer repeatedly and with such rapidity that her eyes barely had time to register the photos before they were whisked away to be replaced by another.

Fuck. Fuck. Oh, God! She couldn't see much, but she could see enough. Ragyo. Nui. Satsuki. Fingers. Hands. Handcuffs. This can't be real. Bruises. Blindfolds. A little girl in a white nightdress. It might… it might not. Click, click, click. Squirming. Struggling. Teeth. Blood. Vicious smiles in soft lighting.

Ryuko stopped herself, one hand grabbing the wrist of the other. The flashing images stopped and one image glared back at her: She was on her knees, the photo taken from above. One shoulder lifted against the pressure of steel cuffs, she stared impassively into the lens, bright blue eyes sparkling and naked skin glowing in the orange blaze of firelight.

Ryuko's brain struggled to objectify, to forget, to tell itself to treat these pictures as she would those in a dirty magazine. It wasn't real, how could it be? So you might as well enjoy yourself. Ryuko locked her hands together and shoved them between her thighs, curling over herself as she put as much pressure as she could onto her hands. No, no, no. She was racing, falling. What was she to think? Was there anything to think?

A soft sound in the corner of the room had Ryuko's head whipping around. Satsuki had shifted in her sleep. All pretense fell away in Ryuko's mind. The person in those photos was real, alive, and right next to her. It was real. It was fucked up. It was devastating.

Ryuko screeched suddenly, dashing the computer to the ground. Her thoughts were a mindless fuzz of static and ire. Startled by the noise, Satsuki jerked up, crying out a little.

"Ah, what's wrong? Shh… shh, calm down. Are you okay?" Still groggy, she sat forward in her chair, reaching a hand out to a distraught Ryuko.

Looking up suddenly, Ryuko stared at her, breathing heavily, hands in the middle of tearing her own hair.

"I…"

Ryuko wanted… she wanted it all to go away. Suddenly, all Ryuko wanted to do was soothe away the pain of harsh years that told on Satsuki's face as she sat, sleepy and unguarded, before her.

"What? Ryuko, what?"

Her hands moved without her consent, reaching out suddenly to cup her face. Tired, torn, Ryuko pressed her lips to Satsuki's, wanting nothing but to heal. Still, alarm bells sounded in her brain even as she nearly fainted under the sensation of that mouth.

Ryuko, you monster. You're so fucked up.

xxx

Yaya!