Chapter Eight: It all Started With a Monkey

Fight club was thirty minutes in when the class got an unexpected guest. Two students had been in the middle of duking it out while the teacher and students watched on from their seats in their newly transformed room, which had altered into a baseball field. Ryuko and Mako were only paying half a mind to the match as they talked about what was going to be for dinner in the dining hall, when the door to the class was kicked off its hinges. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to glance at the intruder.

"Sanageyama, to who do we owe the honor for your visit?" stammered the teacher, sweat trickling down his bald head.

Ryuko stood on her seat to get a better glance and the students were too frozen in awe to murmur out their questions. A boy with wind tossed green hair strode into the room and took his place on the baseball field's home plate. The two warring students quickly scurried off without him even telling them to do so. He held his body in a relaxed position, hands deep in his pants pockets. He was wearing a gray outfit with three stars on its collar, and a regular t-shirt underneath it. He had a belt with three protruding spikes on it and a kendo sword attached to his back.

"I'm Uzu Sanageyama, the head of the physical department and I am here to put one of you to the test," he announced his voice ringing loud and clear. He then pointed a finger at the only standing figure in the seats. "Ryuko Matoi, I am here to challenge you on the behalf of Lady Satsuki."

Everyone's head swiveled around to glance at Ryuko who felt her heart drop in dread. What did he want from her? Did they figure out about Nudist Beach? Surely they couldn't, right?

"Do you accept, Matoi? Or will you run with your tail between your legs?" Uzu jeered. Ryuko shook her head. She wasn't gonna back down from this fight. She would finally be able to go up against Uzu, to test him out and besides, she had Senketsu. She wouldn't lose.

"The only one running from this fight will be you Sanageyama," Ryuko stated as she climbed down from the seats and approached him on the field. He stood a good two heads taller than her and he smiled. Power radiated off of him sending goose bumps up and down her arms.

"Do you want the field to change?" the teacher asked quietly and Sanageyama shook his head. "Make it a dojo," he demanded. The ground whirled around them and soon they were standing on a hardwood floor. The students were now seated on cushions on the floors a good distance from the two fighters and the walls around them were adorned with fake swords and fanciful designs.

"Remember," the teacher reminded "keep it clean. And the winner is determined by... Well whoever wins." A buzzer sounded and the fight started. Ryuko transformed at the very moment the buzzer first signaled. She pulled out her scissor blade and kept to her toes, lightly moving around. This was the head of the department; she had to move super-fast and strike hard to knock him out. Uzu started his own transformation sequence. His clothing ruffled around him and exploded outward before wrapping itself around him in the shape of a giant green kendo outfit. "Blade Regalia!" he announced as the wind caused by his transformation settled down. Holding out his shinai in front of him with one hand he beckoned Ryuko with the other. Ryuko was slightly in awe of his uniform. I've never seen a full uniform like ours before. What do you think it means? Senketsu replied, I don't know. But it probably means we should be extra careful.

"You ready, Senketsu. Let's do this!" Ryuko ran straight at her opponent at top speed and then swerved to the right coming up behind him and striking his back. But he blocked her sword before she could even hit him. Ryuko stumbled back, shocked by the power in his block. She regained her footing and ran at him again, twisting and turning and trying to confuse him before she tried to land a blow on him. But each and every time he managed to block her with one fluid motion of his shinai. This is amazing, Uzu thought. This suit gives me more power, as well as amplifies my gifts. With this suit I'll never have to worry about losing again. I wonder if I'll be worthy to verse lady Satsuki now. But while Uzu was smiling like a little child who had gotten a gift on Christmas, Ryuko was getting worried. If he just kept blocking her, she would never be able to land a blow on him. And he blocked each and every one with assurance, as if he didn't doubt that she would make such a move. This is frustrating! She grumbled.

Ryuko, I have a plan. Why not let me control your body entirely. Maybe then he won't be able to predict your moves, Senketsu offered and Ryuko nodded her head. She felt Senketsu tighten his grip on her body and then she was off, she didn't even know what he was going to do. Senketsu led them closer to the reach of Uzu's shinai and ducked under it, as it began to move. They sailed through the gap in his legs and then launched up into the air. Blade raised, Ryuko was in perfect position to strike a blow to the back of his head. It looks like it worked! Ryuko thought triumphantly but as she drew closer, Uzu's blade once again came to block her own. He simply moved, without trying, his arms up with his blade to block and Ryuko's sword clanged uselessly against his before she dropped back down to the ground, Senketsu giving up control back to her. Uzu still hadn't even turned around. Was he cheating in some way? This was impossible.

"Hey, you!" Ryuko yelled. "There's no cheating allowed!" Uzu slowly turned around at this, taking his time before he responded. "I'm not."

Ryuko was taken aback. Then how was he doing this? Was his uniform like Senketsu? "Are our uniforms the same then?"

"They are similar but they are not. Yours is like the trunk of the tree and mine is like the branch of that tree. They inhabit the same sphere but are different."

"…" Ryuko didn't know what to say to that. She didn't really get what he was saying.

"Anyways," Uzu continued. "I'll explain something to you since you're going to lose shortly anyways. This suit enhances my powers. There is no cheating involved, my gifts existed before this and are only now improved upon. It is much like your suit. It gives your strengths an added boost."

"So he's not cheating?" Ryuko muttered.

"He's not," the teacher added. "Sanageyama is a master at kendo, and possesses Higi: Tengantsu which allows him to predict his opponents muscle movements and therefore their next moves."

"So what you're saying, is that I'm screwed." Ryuko let out a groan. She didn't suppose Senketsu had something in his arsenal to help her with that. No I don't, he added unhelpfully.

"Well now that playtime's over, it's time to get serious. You're in for one hell of a beating Matoi and you won't need special eyes like mine to see it coming." She could hear the cocky smirk in Uzu's voice as he charged at her. She raised her blade and managed to block only his first two thrusts and then she couldn't stop the blows from his shinai. Not only could he predict her attacks but he could also predict her blocks. Ryuko let out a fresh grunt of pain every time she was hit and she struggled to stop them but something was wrong. Senketsu was acting differently. He was tightening around her body and making it harder to move. "Senks, what are you doing?" she cried out but he didn't respond. Instead he pushed her body closer in the way of the next blow. Ryuko hit the wall hard, but spitting out blood didn't allow herself to stay put. Unfortunately her outfit wasn't working with her and her feet stood rooted to the spot. Uzu zoomed in on her and smacked her hard against the back sending her face first into another wall. Ryuko pulled herself free, the taste of plaster and blood mixing. But she didn't have time to worry about her pain; she had to worry about what was wrong with Senketsu.

"What's going on?" she demanded and this time he answered.

"I don't know...I don't feel like myself." Ryuko's body was jerked back and forth as Senketsu fought some invisible battle. Uzu stood on one end of the dojo as he watched Ryuko dance back and forth. What's going on?

Ryuko pulled on the front of her uniform, "What do you mean you don't feel like yourself?"

"I think something's wrong with me," he grunted as Ryuko was propelled backwards into the wall. She struggled to pull herself from the wall but was forced there by her own outfit. She could feel Senketsu's thoughts; he was in pain, but because of what?

"And you thought now was a great time to tell me this? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Ryuko thought back to the times she had noticed him acting a bit oddly. Sometimes he would say things that didn't make sense or she would hear his voice in her head but deeper and darker. He'd disappeared during the night once or twice and when asked where he went he said he didn't remember. And she'd noticed that during her fight club battles he would take control of her limbs sometimes doing things that she didn't want to do. But she'd just thought it was all a part of them getting closer to each other or that he was simply hurt by the probing that had been done to him.

"I'm sorry Ryuko," Senketsu sighed and suddenly the struggle was over. Ryuko could move again and Senketsu's voice was no longer tinged in pain. "I've held it back for now."

"Held what back?"

"I don't know..."

"Hey if you're done over there, you have a fight to finish," Uzu reminded Ryuko who had momentarily forgotten what she had been doing.

"Right," she told him and then asked Senks, are you feeling better?

Yea, for now.

Ryuko called back her scissor blade which she had dropped and brandishing it approached Uzu who suddenly was running around her in circles. He was moving so fast only his afterimage was left and Ryuko looked around in confusion trying to understand what was happening. She knew one of these images was him, but which one?

"Shinsoku: Senbonzuki! Godspeed: one thousand thrusts!" a loud voice sounded to her left and she was treated to multiple swords this time. He was clutching several swords in his hands and as they spun wildly he hit her with them. She was knocked off her feet and sent backwards but then he was behind her as well and hitting her again.

"Augh!" Ryuko screamed as this pattern continued over and over again. Her body felt numb with pain and blood trickled from her mouth. At last he let her fall to the hardwood ground.

"Get up," he demanded "and draw your sword." Ryuko looked up at him from where she was on the floor and coughed out some blood. He was standing above her sword drawn and ready. The lights glimmered off of his kendo armor and she could see her reflection in it. She looked broke and tiny, nothing of the proud and dangerous Ryuko she knew.

She dug her sword into the ground and trying to not rely on it too heavily, got up. Her legs shook underneath her and her breathing was heavy. She slowly raised her blade and pointed it at him before it was swatted away and lodged into the dojo wall just above the heads of the observing students. Ryuko didn't even have time to register this, as she was struck by a hit to the gut, neck, arm, rib, gut again, face and then finally the top of her head. The blows came even faster than before, with such a velocity that knocked the breath straight out of Ryuko. She couldn't even cry out in pain anymore. She went through the floorboards, only her head sticking out.

Uzu leered over her, kendo blade held high over his head as he was about to deliver his finishing blow. "Lady Satsuki was wrong about you. You're weak and untalented. You can't even control your own uniform. And so, to save her from the embarrassment of having had believed in you I will finish you off for her sake."

Ryuko's ears were ringing so hard she had barely heard his speech. She was focusing hard on trying to gather enough strength to move herself before he struck when Mako came to her rescue.

"Nooo!" she yelled as she launched herself from her seat. She landed in between Uzu and Ryuko and placed her hands above her head. "You can't kill Ryuko, you can't! She may not have what you want from her, but what she and Senketsu have is unique and special. People may think she's crazy to speak to a jacket and to call it her friend but she's not. Her jacket would be sad if you killed her, I would be sad if you killed her. My parents would be and so would you!" Mako finally finished and took in a gasp of much needed air.

But Uzu wasn't swayed. "Get out of my way," he snarled when suddenly the loudspeaker in the class blared to life. "Sanageyama report immediately to me." Satsuki's voice came through and Uzu gulped. Had he done something wrong?

He turned back to his opponent but both she and that coconut haired girl had disappeared.

Uzu kneeled down, one knee up and one arm placed on the floor in front of Satsuki's chair. She was facing away from him, her chair swiveled out to the grand window in front of her. The window ran the course of the ceiling to the floor in this giant room and it was the only source of light. The chair, the only piece of furniture in the room was white and majestic, just right for a person of Satsuki's class.

She was sipping some tea as she glanced out the window, the entire view of Honnouji University visible from it.

"Lady Satsuki," he addressed her when he saw she still hadn't said anything. "Why have you called me? I was in the middle of assessing Matoi."

"That is precisely the reason I called you in, Sanageyama. Who gave you the clearance to fight her?"

"My lady, I was only hoping to test out my new suit and my new abilities, as well as seeing for myself if she was good enough to join our cause"

"Sanageyama do you doubt my judgment?" Satsuki asked as she placed her tea cup on the saucer with a clink that resounded through the room.

"I do not," he said as he straightened up from the floor, going back into his original laid back position. "I haven't doubted you ever since we meet back then in high school."

Uzu's mind went back to his high school days. He'd been a young hot blooded youth, confident in is abilities to lead his gang, the Northern Kanto Monkeys against any foe or friend. The school district was in his clutches and all trembled before him. But then she had come, 16 just as him and despite sending his whole gang against her, she had wiped them out with one blast from her sword. He'd still attacked her; he was the leader after all, therefore he was naturally stronger and could defeat her, or so he thought. She had knocked him on his butt flat in three minutes. The great kendo master- defeated by an unknown girl.

"Sanageyama," her voice was cold and harsh, but not uninviting. "I see great potential in you. Follow me and I will give you the opportunity to do so much more with your power." She posed in front of him, hands held on top of the blade she had just defeated him with, back and head held high.

Uzu had been intrigued. He'd been defeated so quickly and now this girl was offering to teach him the secrets to how she had done it. He had thought he was the best but clearly he had a lot left to learn, and she could help him. "I'll join," he said throwing away his hurt pride, as he stood up and dusted off his pants. "But I wanna be able to fight you again. I want to win against you."

The girl looked at him, her eyes glinting as she appraised his request. "Very well. That shall be your reward for embarking on this quest."

Uzu blinked rapidly, coming out of his flashback. "Back then you were right about me, and you were right about your mother, and everything that she's planning on doing. But I have special eyes and I wanted to see for myself whether Matoi was up to the challenge. Regrettably she seems not to be. She is reckless and not worthy of your support. My suit, even so much less stronger than her's, was able to wipe her out like she was nothing."

"That is enough," Lady Satsuki spoke and rose from her chair. Soroi who had been sanding somewhere in the shadows of the room ran up and took her tea before retreating back. She turned towards Uzu and glanced hard at him. "Your little squabble with her has given me an idea. To truly test her I will initiate Fight Week."

"But that's planned to be at the end of the semester," Uzu said, his shock visible on his face.

"I am fully aware of that. But I feel we may have to speed up our whole plan regardless." Satsuki looked away briefly before turning back to face Uzu. "You are dismissed for now. Tell the others we will meet later on. We must discuss our plan for taking down Ragyo."

Mako helped a heavily injured Ryuko hobble over to the nurse's office.

"Don't worry Ryuko-chan," Mako smiled as she shifted Ryuko more closely to her to get a better grip on the barely conscious girl. "Mako's got ya. We're gonna go to the nurse to heal ya."

Ryuko just grunted a response before her back arched out backwards slipping out of Mako's grip. She stumbled back, her body on fire with pain and she gripped at her outfit trying to pull it off.

Senks, what are you doing!? Stop it, it hurts! She howled as she could feel ever nerve ending set aflame.

It's not me, a deep guttural sound rang out in her head and then suddenly with a roar Senketsu untransformed, ripped himself away and ran from Ryuko, disappearing into the crowd of students returning from class.

Mako looked on worriedly but then turned to Ryuko who had collapsed unconscious to the ground and helped her continue on to the nurse's office.

When Ryuko awoke it was dark outside her window. Mako's coconut head was visible just barely under all the piles of blankets she had wrapped herself under while sleeping on the chair. Ryuko looked at her sleeping friend before she turned to examining her body. She felt way better and already the bruises on her body were fading. Her head still hurt but at least it wasn't unbearable. These nurses here were miracle workers. And so were Mako's croquettes. The coconut haired girl had stayed with Ryuko the whole afternoon after the fight and came back to visit the next day during lunch with a fresh box of croquettes. Ryuko had felt strength seeping into her bones almost immediately. Mako had then also stayed with Ryuko during the evening but they had both fallen asleep.

"Matoi Ryuko," came a tap on her open door and the nurse walked in. "Doctor says you're all set to go."

"That was quick," Ryuko voiced out loud. "I swear you guys are miracle workers."

"Oh it's not us, sweetie. It's your body. I've never seen someone take so much damage and then get better so quickly. You must thank the heavens for this blessing," the nurse giggled and then walked out. Ryuko slowly lowered herself from the bed and got dressed into the clothes Mako had brought her. Her body was special, huh? Well she had been known to take a lot of hits that would have brought other people down.

Fully dressed she turned around to wake Mako up.

Satsuki exited the elevator that her brought her to a secret compound underneath the Kiryuin mansion. It was a humongous room with walkways spread out leading to different levels of the chamber. Noise of machinery, more notably of sewing machines, and people's voice all mixed into one creating a racket. Workers clad in lab coats ran around this way and that, amidst smoke bursting from some of the pipes that lined this place.

"Lady Satsuki," Iori came forward to greet the principal of the school as the elevators doors closed behind her and it ascended. "Please follow me," he bowed and she followed him as he led her to a small room, out of the way of people. The room was dark save for a single wall with spotlights trained onto it. A single piece of clothing was on the wall, held in place by long sharp needles. The outfit was a white suit jacket, seamed to the best of the sewing team's ability.

Satsuki approached it cautiously, clutching the blade by her side as she appraised it.

"It is truly a piece of marvelous work," she hummed deep in admiration and Iori bowed at this compliment.

"We made the kamui just as you ordered...but are you truly going to wear it?" Iori fretted. "We've run tests and you've seen the results. Lady Satsuki I implore you to reconsider wearing it."

"I will not change my mind. It has been made up for quite some time. Matoi is an unstable variable in our equation. If she cannot be trusted to help us, she will not be used. If she can wear a kamui then I don't see why I cannot." Satsuki ran a fingertip over the cloth and it shivered underneath her touch. It was cold but alive; she could feel the power pulsing under its seams.

"But Lady, the results…" Iori sputtered out.

"The experiments failed because the people were not capable! Their will was too weak, their minds and body easy to bend. But I am not like them! I will not be bent to the kamui's powers. Ragyo will be defeated and this kamui is the key to it, of that I am certain." Satsuki bite down on her finger hard enough to draw blood. She smeared the fabric with it and watched it come alive. Two eyes, red as her blood appeared from under the lapels of the jacket. It squirmed eager to touch her, the needles straining under the restraint of holding it back.

"My lady..." Iori whimpered as he watched frozen in shock at what she was about to do. She tossed him her sword and he hastily reached to grab it.

"Now watch. Me. Wear. IT!" Satsuki yelled as she freed the monster from its restraints. It jumped on her and began enveloping her in its fibers. She tried to contain her screams and grunts as she doubled over. This power! It was incredible! The fibers squeezed hard against her muscles, hard enough to snap bone and she felt the last amount of air being forced out through her lungs. Your blood! It will be mine! A sycophantic voice filled her head as the clothing continued writhing around her. It seemed the kamui could talk too. My blood is not yours to take, foul beast! I will give it to you when I want and if I want to, and you will be grateful for every drop you receive! Now you will bend to my will and work for me. If you do not, I will consider you working against me and therefore you are as good as dead. I have brought you into this world and I can take you back out. Satsuki mentally screamed as she tried to not panic at her lack of oxygen. She could already see black spots in her vision. If the jacket didn't relent she would be suffocated.

Hmmm. A feisty one. I will lend you my strength for now, but only until I favor your blood. When I grow tired of it I will crush you with all my might. The jacket untied its bounds around her as she slowly pulled herself back up. The jacket began to take its transformed appearance; once it was complete she stood and faced Iori, trying to erase all signs of her struggle.

"My lady...how?" Iori was clearly flabbergasted but pleased to see his lady had survived.

"I told you Iori, my will cannot be destroyed." Satsuki stood in the bright spotlights her head held high. Her uniform was white with accents of blue. Armor covered her whole upper body, and her shoulder blades were much bigger than Ryuko's. She too wore a skirt and had knee high boots with heels on them.

"I will call it Junketsu," Satsuki stated even though she was full aware of the irony. This kamui was less than pure. She could sense its evil intentions. Purity, huh, I like the sound of that. As pure as the blood that runs through your veins which are now mine. Your body is no longer yours; you gave it up as soon as you put me on. The disgusting voice of Junketsu filled Satsuki's head. My body was never mine in the first place, Satsuki bitterly thought as images of Ragyo filled her head. That monster had stolen everything from her, even her own body. She was just an extension of her mother at this point.

Satsuki walked towards Iori analyzing how much power she felt even as she walked. She took the sword from out of his hands. "I thank you for making this," she said as she headed out the door. "I'm going to practice now," and with that she was gone.

Iori stood there quietly, worries for the school president going through his head. "I just hope I don't regret making it," he sighed at last before he exited the room too.