Chapter 2: No Late Day!

Author's Note Part 1: So at the moment that I'm writing this Author's Note, Fanfiction isn't working properly, so I can't post the first chapter. So, I have no idea what you guys will think of it yet. However, I'm hoping that you guys like it, and will continue to like it as I continue to write this.

For the people who have watched Kill La Kill, you all know what this chapter is about, but just so you guys know, it will have more added into it, since I'm going to be taking "Traps" from reality TV shows such as "Wipeout" and "Ninja Warrior", the latter of which I believe would fits in quite well with this. (I'm also using the Sub version of the name, but I'm basing this story off the Dub.)

Now, for those of you looking forwards to the Gurren Lagann parts of this, you'll be glad to know that I put a little something special in this chapter just for you. So, look forwards to… The bus scene. That's the only info you're getting, since I want to keep it partially a surprise.

In terms of the pairing for this chapter. It will be established upon more, along with the two getting closer together after those eight years of separation. It's highly likely that the two will actually get together either by the end of this chapter, or somewhere in the next one. So for those of you that are looking forwards to that, there you go.

Anyways, I think that I've gone on long enough in this Author's Note, so I'll let you get to actually reading the second chapter of "Kill La Kill: Reunited"!

3rd Person POV:

The Slums of Hanno City. This was where all the No-Stars of Honnouji Academy lived due to the social living structure that Satsuki had established. Hence, this was where Mako's father's clinic was located, and where three of the students of the academy were sleeping. One of which was Mako, while the other two were none other than Ryuko and Alex. Unfortunately, the former wasn't sleeping very well, as could be seen by her tossing and turning under her blanket.

Suddenly, she shot up from her futon, her eyes wide with fear as she reaches out due to the dream she had, yelling one word. "Senketsu!" She exclaims, and even though the Mankanshoku family is able to sleep through it, Alex is suddenly up and on his feet, his eyes wide as he looks around the immediate area for the cause of Ryuko's exclamation. The female in question looks at her childhood friend in surprise at his response.

However, her face flushes a few seconds later when she realizes that he's shirtless as he turns to her with a raised eyebrow, before seeing her drenched sheets, and the way she was clenching them. He lets out a sigh as he sits back down on his futon.

"Nightmare?" He asks her, and she attempts to quell her blush as she nods in response. Before anything else can be said though, the two of them hear a siren start to go off, before Mako shoots up from her own futon seconds later, yelling in fear as she quickly puts on her Academy uniform.

"Ah! We're gonna be late, we're gonna be late, we're gonna be late, we're gonna be late! Hurry up and get dressed you two! Oh, what am I gonna do?!" She exclaims as she runs around the room, the two staring at her in surprise.

"Geez, chill out Mako. It's like, four in the morning." Ryuko tells her friend. However, she suddenly stiffens up when she hears a familiar voice.

No! No! Help! He~~~~lp! Senketsu exclaims, making Ryuko rush out towards the voice, Alex raising an eyebrow as he follows her after grabbing his clothes, only to see Sukuyo cleaning the raven haired female's sailor uniform.

"Oh, Mako, I have your lunch all packed up and waiting in the kitchen." She tells her daughter while Ryuko stares at her outfit with horror on her face, making Alex glance between the two as he puts on his clothes.

"S-Senketsu…" She says, moving over to get a closer look as Sukuyo looks up at her with a smile.

"Good morning Ryuko. Sleep well?" She asks, making the raven haired female nod in response.

"Yes ma'am, I did. Excuse me but… Is that my uniform you're washing?" She asks, getting a large smile from the brunette woman in response.

"It sure is hun. I'm just giving it one last scrub for good measure. I can't believe how filthy it was." She tells Ryuko, the 17 year old gaining a nervous smile on her face in response as she clasps her hands.

"Thanks ma'am, but, uh, I can take it from here." Ryuko says, only for Sukuyo to get a stern look on her face as she takes the sailor outfit and starts wringing it out.

"No you won't!" She exclaims. "What's your job as a student? To get educated. What's my job as a mom? To do the laundry." She tells Ryuko, not noticing as the girl seems to flinch and gaze in horror each time she wrings the clothing, making Alex continue to look between the two before Ms. Mankanshoku hangs the outfit up, and starts to whack it to get the excess water out as she continues talking.

"That clear?" She asks as she whacks the clothes. "Now eat your breakfast." ~Whack!~ "And get to school!" ~Whack!~ However, Ryuko doesn't give up.

"But, I can't go to school without my uniform." She argues, trying her best to get Senketsu back and free him from the torture. However, the siren goes off again, and Mako speaks up.

"Ah! I totally forgot to keep panicking! Come on Ryuko, Alex! It's the big day!" She exclaims, making the two turn to look at her in confusion.

"Big day?" They ask in unison, just as Barazou and Matarou suddenly pop up into view and smile at the two.

"No way! It's your big day?!" They exclaim together, completely confusing the two even more before Mako suddenly leaps out the window and starts to push them along as she runs. However, Alex had managed to grab Ryuko's case for her Scissor for her, and Mako was pushing the raven haired girl in question into Alex's back, making the two blush, though Alex's was much less noticeable.

"You're fine in your PJ's just move!" The brunette exclaims as she pushes her two friends towards the door. However, at the doorway Ryuko holds her arms out and stops herself as Senketsu starts talking.

Wait Ryuko! These assassins can't hear me! You're the only one who can! He exclaims. Ryuko stopping causes Alex to stumble a bit, while Mako flips over Ryuko. Then Ryuko turns back towards Senketsu as he's placed down on an ironing board. Please don't leave me! I'm begging you! He cries, just before the iron is put down, and he yells out in pain.

"Hang in there Senketsu!" She exclaims, making Alex's eyes widen, while Mako looks at Ryuko with an innocent expression as she stands back up.

"Senketsu? What's that? Oh wait, did you give your uniform a name? Boy, you must have been really lonely when Alex wasn't around." She says, before grabbing her two friends by the back of their shirts and pulling them out the door.

"Wait!" Ryuko tries to argue, while Alex simply allows it to happen since he knew that when it came to changing girl's minds, it was way too hard.

"Even more reason to get you to school! We need to get you some more friends quick!" Mako exclaims, making Alex narrow his eyes.

"Not too sure if that's a good idea Mako, from what you told me yesterday everyone there either wants to kill her, or oogle her when she's wearing Senketsu." He says with a growl at the end. However, his words appear to go unheard by Mako as she suddenly leaps off the stairs, and below them Alex and Ryuko can see a literal sea of students moving along the largest pathway in the slums towards the Academy, before they fall in.

"I'm sorry! Senketsu!" Ryuko tries to yell to him. Unfortunately, Senketsu can't seem to hear her. Luckily, after a few seconds Alex manages to "swim" over to the other two, and they use Ryuko's case as a makeshift raft. Unfortunately, it wasn't that big, and as Mako was draped over it, Ryuko had been forced to sit on Alex's knee, causing her to blush up a storm.

"Uh, w-what's with everyone?" She asks with a slight stutter, caused entirely by her close proximity to the boy that she liked.

"Yeah Mako, everyone's acting like major coo-coo clocks." Alex adds.

"Today is when the No-stars of Honnouji Academy risk their lives to get to school. It's a day of reckoning. It's a day of death. It's…" She trails off as she stands up on the case and looks at the two in "seriousness", since her face just couldn't be taken that way. "No Late Day!" She exclaims. In response to her exclamation and all the yells in the background, Ryuko and Alex share a look, before turning back to Mako.

"Huh?" They ask in sync once again as the sun begins to clear the houses, and cause a ray of light to shine between them and Mako, while a chorus can be heard exclaiming "Hallelujah!" In the background.

"No Late Day? What the hell is that?" Ryuko asks her friend. However, before Mako has a chance to answer, the buildings behind Ryuko and Alex suddenly explode outwards, and a large contraption with a tall, buff man standing on it appears laughing.

"Do I detect some confusion Ryuko Matoi and Alexander Kirigaya?!" He exclaims, making Alex stand up to face him as he lets Ryuko stand beside him, and lifts Mako so that she can sit on his shoulders, for some reason the girl looking and weighing more like a 13 year old than a 17 year old.

"Bite me! Elite jerk!" Ryuko exclaims with a glare.

"Yeah, screw off! You know I showed up yesterday, so you can't really blame me for being confused!" Alex yells up at the man, who simply glares down at them.

"My title is Chair of the Disciplinary Committee! And my name is Ira Gamagoori!" The now named Ira yells at them as Ryuko and Alex leap off the crowd of students and onto a random pipe on the pathway. "Listen up you two! You are participating in No Late Day! Once in every semester you will be required to run an obstacle course, designed by the Disciplinary Committee!" He exclaims.

"It begins at four AM, when the siren goes off in the slums! No-star students will then have to evade the Disciplinary Committee's traps on the way to school! The objective is to make it to the Academy by the time the first bell tolls! At 8:30 AM! But, if you happen to be late, you will be expelled on the- What the hell?!" However, he cuts himself off as his eyes widen at the sight of Ryuko. "That, is not a regulation uniform!" He exclaims, and Ryuko's face fills with a blush as she attempts to cover her bare midriff.

"But, my Kamui's still in the laundry! It's getting delivered!" She yells at him, Alex nodding beside her.

"Ha! Spare the excuses! The evidence is clear, you left for school in a slutty outfit. You're a disgrace. To the Academy and Lady Satsuki! It's a mortal insult!" He exclaims, Red Kanji appearing in the air between the two parties, making Alex sigh.

Great, don't tell me that came through with me… He mutters, before chuckling. Though, it should make for some entertainment. He continues, before he notices that Mako had managed to get off his shoulders while he was lost in thought, and was now arguing with Ira. He sighs as the sight, before sitting beside Ryuko as she stares up at the two with a bored look on her face.

"This a normal occurrence?" He asks her, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah, just wait until she goes on one of her rants though. Those are usually very confusing to understand unless you follow them closely. And the ways that she tries to argue through hand motions and such? Don't even get me started." She explains, the two listening to the argument as they converse, both of them shivering when Ira revealed that he slept naked, and chuckling lightly when Mako explained how her own PJ's looked, before Ira looks at Ryuko as the two stand up.

"Matoi! I've decided to overlook your choice in wardrobe for now! And Kirigaya! You're in luck that Lady Satsuki has decided to allow your own choice in uniform! But I'm curious as to how you think you'll be able to reach the school without your precious Kamui, Matoi." He says, just before lifting something that looked like a detonator, and pressing the button.

When he does this, large cement walls with golden spikes on top appear on either side of where the students are, and blocking them from exiting as it leads right up to the One-star level of the city. "Behold, the Disciplinary Committee's impregnable barrier!" He exclaims, Mako looking at the two walls in shock while Ryuko grits her teeth.

"Oh, my, God." Mako says in response, before everyone looks forwards to find similar walls, except that the tops were actually paths filled with traps. "Look at that you two! It's like the city's been turned into an amusement park! I've never seen anything like this!" Mako exclaims. And while most would have been shocked by what she said, the two standing beside her get it.

Most of the traps that they could currently see seemed to be styled after rides and attractions from an amusement park. Ranging from a Ferris Wheel that had spikes on blocks instead of carts, Spinning Teacups filled with spikes, and a cage that had white tigers in it, it did indeed look like an amusement park. However, a few seconds later the brunette yells.

"Ah! You see what time it is?! We've only got three hours before first period!" She exclaims. However, Ryuko and Alex simply share a look, before similar cocky smirks appear on their faces as they scoff.

"The way he talked it up, I was expecting something scarier. Alright then, I'm up for this." She says, pulling her Scissor out of her case and pointing it at Ira. "You hear that! I'm gonna bust through all the lame traps you made!" Ryuko exclaims, making Ira give her a condescending grin.

"We'll see! Students! You're commute begins… Now!" He exclaims, and the No-stars immediately start rushing up the starting stairs as if the gates of hell had opened behind them. Through it all, Alex simply laughs in his head.

Right, like this is gonna be a challenge. After helping to stop the moon from impacting the earth with minutes to spare, this is gonna be nothing! He thinks, sticking close to Ryuko and Mako as his fellow black haired friend tells them to do just that. Suddenly, the steps change to become a ramp, and Alex looks down at it with a bored look as he simply continues to run, leaving small indents in the metal as if he was wearing heels behind, while Ryuko is forced to stab Scissor into the ground, holding Mako to keep her from falling.

As Alex reaches the top, Mako is tossed up, coincidentally landing on the checkpoint button as Ryuko leaps up after her. As the raven haired female lands, the three turn to look at Ira as he laughs while passing by them in a cart that was heading up towards the academy by cables on the top.

"Congratulations on clearing the first checkpoint! I forgot to mention, use of the No-star cable cars is prohibited! Obey the rules and stick to the prescribed route! See you up at the academy!... Maybe!" He exclaims as he continues to move, Ryuko and Alex glaring at him as he goes, while Mako looks at the checkpoint board.

"999 more traps to go?! That's more than usual!" Mako exclaims, looking at the board in shock.

"He's trying to psych us up more than usual. Wig us out… Come on Mako, Alex." She says, turning to head towards the next trap, only to suddenly bump into another student, who falls to the ground with a cry of pain. However, Alex can't help but notice that it seemed a bit… Forced.

"Look, it's our classmate! Maiko Oogure!" Mako exclaims, making Alex raise an eyebrow at her knowledge, since from what he'd heard between Ryuko and her the night before, Mako slept during most of their classes.

"Are you okay?! Can you get up, can you move?" Ryuko asks the girl on the ground, and at that point, Alex tunes the three out as he begins to think.

Let's see. The girl bumped into Ryuko, but she hit into her from the direction of the stairs. Meaning that she'd been walking down them… Alright, so she says that she had tried the trap, but ended up getting hurt on it, hence the cast. He thinks, eyeing the cast as the other three continue to talk amongst themselves.

However… How the hell did she even get the cast on there to begin with? He thinks, eyeing the surroundings, only to see a small medical station at each checkpoint. Alright, so that answers that. But still… I can't help but feel like there's something else going on here… He continues to think, just before the girl suddenly cries out in more pain as Ryuko agrees to leave her, making his eyes narrow.

No… This can't be a… I mean, it would be perfect… But Ira doesn't seem like the kind of guy to think up elaborate ones… He continues to think as Ryuko decides to help the girl, Mako cheering off to the side, before looking forwards.

"Look! Do you see what I see?! That's the second checkpoint!" She exclaims, and Alex follows her line of sight to see a large loop-de-loop, which had no visible handholds except for the spikes, which have students falling off them constantly. "How the heck are we supposed to get up there?!" Mako yells, and Ryuko's eye twitches as she looks at the trap, before laughing bitterly.

"We're so screwed… This'd be cake if I had Senketsu…" The raven haired female mutters, while Alex simply looks at the trap, before humming as he looks at the girl beside him, as well as the one that she's supporting. I could easily help us get through this… But if I turn out to be right… He thinks, before shaking his head as he decides to simply do this the way the Disciplinary Committee wants them to, even though it went against what he usually did.

A few minutes later, the four can be seen traversing the upside-down spikes of the loop-de-loop, and the Mankanshoku's can be seen driving towards them in their car, Senketsu in the backseat while Matarou was in the bed, and Guts was in the passenger seat. However, at that point Maiko started to lose her grip on Ryuko's shoulder, and fell, the other three looking on in horror… Before the girl caught herself on Ryuko's pants, pulling them down and exposing her panties.

At the sight, the Mankanshoku's gained large nosebleeds, and promptly drove off the road, crashing into another car, and catapulting them out of their own causing Barazou to slam his head into a telephone poll, and making Matarou be the one to get Senketsu to Ryuko with Guts, while the four students finally made it past the loop, panting to regain their breath. Well, Ryuko and Mako were panting, while Alex was breathing a bit heavier than normal, and Maiko was fine since she'd been carried.

What followed for them were more traps, some of which were safe, while others were deadly. One was a large expanse of logs that swung down and tried to squash you against the buildings on either side, while another was that you had to run up a wall that was curved, and pull yourself up onto the top. Later came a plank that led over a large pot filled with supposed lava.

However, Maiko once again gained a sharp pain in her arm as she got halfway across, stopping Mako and Alex from continuing as the plank started to split just as Ryuko came back, sending them falling down. Luckily, Alex and Ryuko managed to grab Mako and Maiko respectively, and hop along the skulls that were floating on the lava all the way to safety.

Afterwards there was a fairly sharp incline, which the group started to run up, only to stop at the sound of something falling. A few seconds later, a large cement boulder could be seen dropping onto the path, before it started rolling towards them. At the sight, the four promptly did an about face, and ran in the opposite direction.

"Alright, what the hell is up with all the Indiana Jones references?! First the lava, now a boulder, and I'm fairly sure the logs would count as well!" Alex shouts as they run, before they end up running on top of the boulder, just before it impacts a metal wall, and explodes. Luckily, the four had been on a piece that was left intact, and were rocketed up to the next checkpoint.

However, this one was yet another trap that crossed over supposed lava, but had a wall on either side that you had to stretch your arms and legs out to "hold" onto. Ryuko and Maiko got across with the prior carrying the latter, while Alex carried Mako across. However, they were quickly confronted by the next trap, which were four large bouncy balls crossing over the a different pit of lava.

At the sight, Alex felt one of his eyebrows twitch. "Alright, now these aren't even original! These are the Big Balls from Wipeout!" He exclaims with a huff, not noticing Maiko's sweatdrop at the exclamation as he was too busy glaring at the "trap". Luckily, the four got across this one without trouble, before they continued along. However, the next trap they came across was a rather stupid one.

"Ooo! Swiss cheese!" Mako exclaims, pointing at a trail of the cheese in question. "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese!" She exclaims, following the trail and eating it as she went until she reached a piece that was under a wicker basket held up by a stick. Just as Ryuko was about to run forwards to get her, Alex held her back.

"Pay attention. She didn't hit the stick, and there's nothing attached to it. Thus, it won't fall when she has the cheese." He tells her, making her blink as she realizes that he's right while Mako walks back over to them, except now she was holding a pie… And the basket was upside down as if it was now a bowl.

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" She exclaims, holding up the pie for them to see clearly, before she then went on to start eating that as well. While this happens, none of the three notice Maiko slightly steaming in the background. The next obstacle they find gets another groan out of Alex at the sight of it.

"And now we've got the Boxing Wall, or whatever the hell it's called, from, once again, Wipeout!" He exclaims, the group now looking at a wall of boxing gloves, which was situated over a mud pit. After getting across, with Maiko once again almost falling in if Alex hadn't grabbed her before Ryuko could try, which would have ended with her in the mud if the glove jutting out next to her was any indication, they arrived at the next trap.

This one was a set of stone pillars situated over a lake filled with crocodiles. Once again, Maiko almost fell in, and Ryuko was about to leap forwards to help her, only for Alex to jump between their pillar and his at that point, pushing Maiko back onto hers as he landed, before catching Mako as she jumped, once again missing Maiko's glare as he did so. The group quickly make it to the next checkpoint, which was a swing over a large pad filled with spikes.

Alex had Mako on his back when he did it, getting the two across with no problem, before he was quickly followed by Ryuko. Afterwards, Maiko attempted to swing with one hand, only to lose her grip at the last second, and fall a bit short of the platform, instead catching onto Ryuko's pants, and revealing her panties once again. However, this time Alex noticed two important details.

The first was that Matarou and Guts were passing by at that exact moment, and remembered them passing by earlier during the loop-de-loop when Maiko had revealed Ryuko's panties the first time. The second important piece of information was that Maiko could have caught onto Ryuko's arm, but for some reason didn't try to. At the sight, Alex's eyebrows furrow as he starts to believe that what he'd thought earlier might actually be true.

Which if that's the case, it's a good thing I didn't take the easy way out of the loop… He admits, glad that he'd taken the harder route and stayed safe. As they continue to go through the traps, Alex also noticed that there appeared to be a bulge in the back of Maiko's shirt, which was roughly square in shape. Finally, they made it to the last checkpoint in the Slums, and looked up at the One-star area of the city.

"What time is it?" Ryuko asks in exhaustion, and at this point, Alex was panting a bit as well, though not as bad as the others.

"It's eight." Maiko responds. "There's only thirty minutes left… We'll never make it." She continues, making the other three frown. Though Alex frowns simply due to the girl's apparent lack of faith. And it appeared that Mako agreed.

"We can't quit now! If we don't get up there I won't be able to go to school anymore!" She exclaims, while Ryuko looks over the edge of the checkpoint to look at a group of students that were apparently taking role call in a field. Maiko revealed that they were the students that couldn't get through the traps, but couldn't accept that they'd be kicked out of the school and their homes the following day.

At the sight, Alex grits his teeth and looks away from the sad sight as Ryuko turns to look at the One-star area. "Alright, from the looks of those condos, they look like they're gonna be super tough to get past." She says, before the group suddenly notices a bus rolling along the road. "Hey look, it's a school bus!" She exclaims… Just before said school bus drives over mines. "Great, a mine field." She continues sarcastically.

"It can take it, it's armor plated. That's One-star privileges for ya'." Maiko continues as the bus starts to close in on their next checkpoint, which they were supposed to reach by shooting up there from the cannon they were sitting on.

"It's passing the checkpoint!" Mako exclaims, while the other three simply stare at the bus, Alex thinking of something as Mako starts yelling about how she wanted to ride in it. After a few seconds, he turns to the others.

"I have a plan. If we can get up there in time, we can take it." He tells them, getting nods in agreement, before they launch, barely making it before the bus arrives. After jumping off the large cushion that was set to keep anyone from dying since the cannon wasn't a trap, Alex immediately looks over at Maiko. "Think you could fake being in pain and stop the bus?" He asks, surprising her, but getting a nod in response.

Alex watches as Maiko stumbles out onto the road, before successfully stopping the bus. However, he notices something else, and a victorious smile appears on his face. Gotcha! You bitch! He thinks to himself, before him and Ryuko run out there, knock out the driver with Ryuko spitting on his knocked out form, before punting all the other One-stars out, allowing Mako to get in, before Alex stops Maiko at the entrance.

"You know, you had the other two fooled real well. But you didn't think about one li~~~ttle detail… I've had a trick like this played on me before." He says with a large grin, making Maiko gasp in shock as he suddenly grabs her and tosses her over the edge of the One-star area. "Make sure to use that parachute well!" He exclaims with a laugh.

"Alex?! What the hell was that… For…" Ryuko trails off from yelling at her childhood friend as he points in the direction that he'd thrown Maiko, allowing her to see the girl holding onto a parachute that she'd deployed… With both hands. "She was… Faking?" She asks as Alex gets into the bus, and starts it up.

"Yeah, I thought it was a bit fishy how she just happened to bump into you from the direction of the next trap the first time, and she just kept on getting more suspicious as time went on. The clincher for me was when she pretended to be in pain in front of the bus. She gave off the exact yell of pain as she has been this entire time. So that told me that she'd been faking the entire time." He explains, getting gasps from the two in response, before Ryuko growls as she clenches her fist.

"That bitch! If there's one thing I hate it's liars…" She exclaims, before noticing that Alex was in the driver's seat. "Wait, do you… Know how to drive bus?" She asks, getting a large grin from him in response.

"Who said anything about me driving a this stupid Academy bus?" He asks, turning back towards the dashboard with his hand raised, the part of the his glove covering the first knuckle of his index finger stretching out, before becoming a silver drill head that covered the rest of his finger. With a grin, he sticks his finger in the cigarette lighter. The reaction is instantaneous as a bright green light is emitted, before the girls feel the bus shift around them, glowing a green similar to what's shining from the cigarette lighter.

The headlights turned on, and glowed a bright green, while the rest of the bus took on actual color. The main color being red on the top half of the bus, while the bottom half turned yellow, and the frame turned black. Meanwhile, the grill was twisted to form a grinning mouth filled with sharp white teeth. The rubber on the wheels became slightly more reinforced, while the wheels themselves gained drills that jutted out. "Now, let's get rolling!" He exclaims Pressing down on the accelerator and causing the bus to shoot forwards.

At the sight of the bus barreling over the mines, the people living in the One-star area of the town immediately pull out guns that they had, and tried shooting the bus. Unfortunately, for them, the bullets did nothing but bounce off the reinforced steel, which was even more reinforced thanks to the upgrades done by Alex. "How the hell did you do this?!" Ryuko exclaims, Alex simply giving her a large smile in response.

"It was a piece of cake." He says, before he sees Mako staring forwards with wide eyes.

"Oh, my, God! Ryuko, Alex, those people have RPG's! That's awesome! Wait, they're aiming them at us, not awesome!" She exclaims, making the eyes of the two in question widen as they turn and look out the front of the bus, seeing that there were indeed missiles heading straight towards them, launched from RPG's. Four in fact. In response, Alex grits his teeth.

"You think those flimsy rockets will do anything to us?!" He yells, surprising the two in the bus with him as he suddenly pushes down on a button on the dashboard, and the drills on the wheels suddenly shoot off, before acting like missiles themselves as they launch at the incoming RPG launched missiles, and intercepting them in midair, creating a large explosion that blankets the area in smoke. There's silence for a few seconds, before the bus suddenly comes shooting through the smoke, still heading towards the Academy.

"Like I said before, you think those flimsy rockets would do anything?!" He yelled, pushing the accelerator even harder, and making them rocket into the air as they drive up the ramp that led into the Two-star district, before driving off it, and completely clearing that area, as well as the Third-star district. As they get closer to the entrance to the Academy, he twists the wheel , causing the bus to spin in the air.

As he does this, he presses a different, bright green button on the dashboard, and the result is a fairly large drill extending from the mouth-like grill in the front, before the grill closed, and the drill grew bigger, blocking the sight of where the bus was headed for the people inside. The bus's spinning allowing the drill to act just like it was supposed to, and causing them to drill through the entrance.

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"

After a few seconds, the bus drills straight through the cement, before entering the courtyard and landing on its wheels, coming to a skidding halt in front of the entrance. With the dramatic entrance achieved, the three exit the bus, with the two girls staring at Alex in shock. Finally, after a few seconds, Ryuko is the first to speak.

"Alright, just how the hell did you do that?!" She exclaims, Alex giving her a cocky smirk in response.

"Let's just say that it has to do with the reason I was gone for eight years and leave it at that for now. I don't exactly trust telling you everything while we're on school grounds. Hell, I'm not gonna trust telling you even in the Slums since I have no doubt that the school has wiretapped that place as well." He says, giving a meaningful glance around. Ryuko goes to argue, but instead decides to growl in annoyance since she figured that he was probably right.

"Fine, but you better at least tell me something that you don't care if the bitch Satsuki knows." She says, getting a genuine smile from Alex in response.

"Of course, you're my oldest friend Ryuko." He tells her, making her cheeks flush once again as she turns away from him. A few seconds later however, Mako speaks up.

"Guys, we have fifteen minutes to get to class before first period!" She exclaims, making Ryuko and Alex smirk as the prior attempts to get rid of the blush in her cheeks.

"Heh, piece of cake." Ryuko says, Alex nodding in agreement beside her.

"Yeah, though I'd prefer to get there now so that we can rest while we wait." He says, getting nods of agreement from the other two, before they hear a familiar sound.

"Guts!" Mako exclaims, looking at her dog running towards them with Senketsu riding him before leaping off the dog and into Ryuko's arms.

"Well, guess you can change into your pal there once we get inside." He says, making Ryuko raise an eyebrow in confusion and slight surprise.

"Pal?" She asks, Alex nodding in response.

"Yeah, pal. The thing's eye widens whenever it gets hit, and it was literally riding Guts to school just a few seconds ago… That, and the thing has a mouth that's dropping open right now." He says, referring to the part of the shirt that was open in the shape of a mouth. Suddenly, it closed, before opening once again. "…And, I can't understand him apparently." He adds, making the outfit close its mouth.

Damn. Well, at least he knows I'm alive… Also, can you tell him I'm a guy. I really don't like being referred to as an "it" right now… Senketsu says to Ryuko.

"Sure thing Senketsu." She says, before turning to face Alex. "He says that he's glad that you know he's alive, and to stop calling him an "it"." She says with a smirk, making Alex shrug in response.

"Fair enough. I just didn't want to assume a gender and be completely wrong, offending him even more. That, and I wasn't even sure if he could have a gender." He admits. "Anyways, we should probably get to class. I'd hate to make it by all the traps, only to be expelled because we spent too much time talking." He says, getting nods of agreement from the other three, Guts included, as they walk into the Academy.

Later that day after school was left out, the four made their way back to their house, where Ryuko and Alex immediately made their way to the small dining room since the Mankanshoku's were in the bedroom, and sat down across from one another. After a few seconds, Alex lets out a sigh as he leans forwards on the table, and starts speaking.

"Alright, so since I'm not sure if that Satsuki chick has bugged the house, or a part of the Slums that's in earshot of this, I can't tell you everything, or really a lot for that matter. What I can tell you right now is that about eight years ago, I was… Relocated, so to speak." He tells her, making her nod, though a frown was on her face at him being so secretive.

"Alright, so then what kept you there?" Ryuko asks him, and he flinches as he hunches over a bit.

"Until about a week or so ago? Can't say. I mean, I know what kept me there, but in the current conditions, that's one of the few things I'm not able to say. Because if Satsuki or anyone else besides you found out just where and how I got there, it wouldn't end well for anyone." He tells her, before sighing. "Sorry I can't say that much to you Ryuko." He tells her.

"It's fine, I get it." Ryuko says, holding up her hands in understanding. "But what else can you tell me?" She asks. Unlike her "teacher" Mikisugi, she really did understand Alex's reasoning. She trusted him even after eight years of separation. In response to her question, Alex lets off a sigh.

"Like I said before, not much. But, what I can tell you is that this outfit that I have on is similar to your own." He tells her, making her eyes widen. "Yeah, the only difference from yours, from what I heard from Mako at least, is that mine doesn't need blood to work." He tells her, making her eyes widen even more.

"Then… What does yours need?" She asks, and the response she gets is the cocky smirk that she didn't realize just how much she'd missed these past eight years.

"The only thing it needs?… Fighting spirit." He tells her, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Fighting… Spirit?" She asks, getting a nod.

"Yeah. Though one of my friends from where I was… Relocated, explained it in a much more complex and "right" way, but that's essentially it. Fighting spirit, the will to live, willpower." He tells her, before chuckling as he leans back in his chair. "I can't tell you exactly how many times I've been in this thing…" He tells her, a reminiscent smile coming across his face at the memories.

"So then, if your outfit's like my Kamui Senketsu, then did you name it?" She asks, getting more laughter out of the teen sitting across from her, and she couldn't help but love the sound.

"Did I name it? No, my oldest brother did." He tells her, making her raise an eyebrow since he didn't have any brothers. "Oh, right. My oldest brother from there named it… Or rather, them. What I'm wearing now is just half the outfit. The other half appears when I, "transform" it." He tells her, getting a nod in response. "Anyways, their name, though I suppose that as it is now I should say its name, is Gurren Lagann." He tells her, making her raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Crimson Face?" She asks, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah, like I said, my oldest brother named it, and it was really a spur of the moment thing. So, I'm currently wearing Gurren Lagann, which is like your Senketsu, and my reason for being away remains unknown until we find a place for me to explain it all without any fear of anyone overhearing… And when I'm ready to tell you." He tells her, making her eyes widen.

"What do you mean, ready to tell me?" She growls out, not liking where this was going because of her other run in with Mikisugi. She may trust Alex, but she didn't like the way that sentence was worded. His own eyes widen at her question as he realizes how it must have sounded to her.

"Ryuko, it's not that I don't trust you. Quite the opposite in fact, I trust you with my life. However… The past eight years haven't been sunshine and rainbows for me, alright. You told me last night how your father was killed, and you're searching for the murderer? Honestly, and please don't get made when I say this, but that's nothing compared to what I had to go through a mere month ago." He tells her, successfully quenching her anger, while at the same time revealing that she was right the day before when she thought that he had it worse than her.

"Alright, fine. I believe you. When you're ready, you can tell me all about your "travel" at my father's mansion." She tells him, getting a grateful smile in return as he stands up, Ryuko doing the same, before she was surprised by the hug that he gave her, as well as the peck on the cheek, making her blush a bright red at the feeling.

"Thanks Ryuko. You don't know how much that means to me." He tells her as he goes to pull away… Only to be stopped by the fist holding his right sleeve in a tight grip. At the feeling, he suddenly freezes, realizing what he'd done a second beforehand as he turns to look over his shoulder at Ryuko, who's eyes were shadowed by her hair. "Eh-heh… Uh… Ryuko, uh, I can explain-" However, he's cut off when Ryuko turns him around completely and presses her lips to his, shocking him at the feeling.

After a few seconds, Ryuko's grip lessens, and it allows him to bring his right hand up to place it on her cheek as they continue the kiss, before separating a few seconds later, Ryuko's face a bright crimson (Heh) though containing a large, bright smile, while he had an identical smile of his own. "So… Does this mean that we're, together?" He asks.

"Heh, yeah, I'd say that it means we're together." She says, her blush receding slightly as she gets used to what just happened. "And it also means that I can do this again." She says, before pulling him in for another kiss, this time a bit more roughly than the first time, and he responds by wrapping his arms around her waist as she places her hands on his shoulders.

By the time that they separate, they're both panting for breath, but have the same smiles as before. "Damn, I didn't know kissing felt that good." Ryuko says breathlessly.

"Heh, neither did I. After all, I already knew how I felt about you before I got "relocated", so it's not like I was going after anyone else while I was there." Alex admits, making Ryuko blush slightly again, before she pushes it down as she gives him another smile.

"Well the same applies here." She tells him, and Alex's smile grows at her words as he quickly gives her another kiss, before pulling away.

"Well it's nice to know I wormed my way into your heart so quickly. Now, how about we get started on our homework? After all, we managed to make it to class today, I'd rather not get a missed homework tomorrow." He says, making Ryuko chuckle in response.

"Sure thing. I think we can both agree to that train of logic, even if the homework is boring as hell." She tells him, making him laugh as Ryuko enjoys the sound even more now that they were together, before they each take out their assigned work and start working on them, now sitting side by side.

Author's Note Part 2: Well guys, I told you in the first Author's Note that these two would be together by this chapter or the next, and lo and behold, they're together at the end of this one. Now, like I said in the first chapter, Limes are definitely going to be a thing in this, as well as Original Chapters. So, next chapter is going to either continue with canon, or be an Original one, just like the first chapter.

As for the bus scene, how'd you guys like how I changed that from canon? I mean, I'm almost certain that almost everyone watching was wondering at some point "How the hell has Ryuko not figured out that Maiko is a spy?", whenever the spy in question just "happened" to get hurt whenever Senketsu got close, as well as almost caused her death a number of times. So in this one, I've had Alex take on that roll.

And for those of you paying attention, you should all know what he's been through by this point, and thus should know what situation I was talking about when I had him tell the spy about a similar trap…

Anyways, what else…? Oh, the traps. Yeah, like I stated in the first Author's Note, I took a few from Wipeout, Ninja Warrior, and also made reference to Indiana Jones during those times, since honestly, who didn't immediately think "Indiana Jones!" When they saw the cement boulder trap? (Except for those of you who haven't seen any of the movies that is.)

But, I think that's about all I have to say on the chapter. So, thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I hope to see you all next time!

P.s. I went through and edited this after posting the first chapter, so here's my response to the review I received.

Anime PJ:

Eh, that's alright. You'll just be out of the loop for a little while. And it's absolutely fine that you say similar things for my stories, since it lets me know that you like them. As for Ryuko getting flustered and getting laughs out of you, I'm glad I was able to portray that well, though now that they're together… Yeah, things are gonna continue to develop between them.

It's also nice to know that you don't mind OP-ness, I just don't want to make Alex a complete Gary Sue or anything like that, even though I think that I already have pretty much. But either way, thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one!