Chapter 4

It hadn't been long since she had heard Satsuki's final words, words that crushed her spirit and sent her wailing into the older girl's chest. The more Ryuko thought about her sister's final words, the more the sadness gripped her. The words were unfinished, a fact that ate away at her heart. Unable to explain her words, Satsuki had left her to bear the uncertainty of her feelings, of the future all alone. For the first time in such a long time, Ryuko was afraid.

The weeping girl knew she had to move on, as painful as it was. With what strength she had, Ryuko did her best to quieten her heaving sobs as she lifted her head from Satsuki's chest. Blinking past the tears as best as she could, all she could see was red; the colour which dyed her life and seemingly everything around her. She could see the red that pooled around her, feeling the warmth of the blood that lathered her arm and covered part of her face. Not wanting to stare at the blood any longer, Ryuko turned her gaze to face the girl she had held in her arms to the very end. Several more tears began to fall as she noticed the slight smile on Satsuki's tear streaked face. With one arm still cradling her neck, Ryuko used her free arm to gently shut the fallen girl's eyelids, paying her final respects as she did.

Despite what she had told her before she died, Ryuko never had the chance to consolidate her feelings towards Satsuki as a sister, to fully realise the feelings that stemmed from her words and actions. Moving her free hand away from her sister's eyes, she cupped her sister's cheek gently.

"Satsuki...I wish we had met under better circumstances too," thought Ryuko as she delicately moved her thumb to wipe away a tear from Satsuki's face. "I wonder what it would've been like to live with you, if this craziness hadn't taken a hold of our lives..."

At her last thought, Ryuko could only wonder how she would've changed if they had stayed together. Would she have turned out better? Would she still have had her rough personality? Would she have been doted on? As her train of thought continued, Ryuko couldn't help but let out a bittersweet smile. Even as her questions continued to swell inside her mind, she knew that there was one thing that would stay the same if things had been different.

"...I'll always love you Satsuki," murmured Ryuko softly with a slight hint of happiness. Without thinking, she lowered her head, feeling a softness against her lips as it brushed Satsuki's. Planting a soft, familial kiss on her lips as she lowered her head further, Ryuko bid her farewell with one final tear. "Goodbye, Onee-chan..."

Having composed herself a little, Ryuko turned to face the grim reality before her. Using her free hand, she began to inch her red blade embedded out of Satsuki's body. Even though she had calmed down a bit, she didn't trust herself to change the size of her scissor blade smoothly. Treating her sister's body like glass, she managed to free the blade. Ryuko winced as more blood began to pour out from Satsuki's wound, spilling over herself and Senketsu.

"Don't you dare drink it," Ryuko warned in a calm, stern voice, devoid of anger.

"I wouldn't dare dream of it."

Ryuko breathed a long sigh of relief, closing her eyes as she did. She hadn't meant to lash out at her partner, especially after remembering what had happened with Maiko. "Sorry Senketsu. I know yo-"

"It's okay Ryuko. You don't have to force yourself to talk," Senketsu interrupted. Even though he wasn't human, he understood why she had spoken out. It was natural to protect the ones you care for and their memories; he had done the same for Ryuko. Even though she appeared strong and calm, deep down, her wounds had yet to begin healing.

Hearing her Kamui's reassuring words, Ryuko felt the guilt from her outburst fade a little. Feeling more level headed, she transformed her red scissor blade into its portable form before pocketing it, breathing a sigh of relief as she noted the roughness of the transformation. Taking a much needed distraction, Ryuko absorbed her surroundings in its entirety. Without the constant danger of being attacked looming over her, she finally noticed that her last fight had led her to an extravagant dining room of sorts. While whatever furniture placed in the room had all been broken and splintered, the room itself was still decorated with grand, alluring windows and flowing drapes.

Having looked down to see Satsuki's bare form, Ryuko walked over to one of drapes hanging from the wall. With a firm tug, she tore away one of the white drapes and began to wrap her sister's body, ensuring that her chest was bound firmly. While clothing was a symbol of their enemy, it somehow felt right to dress Satsuki modestly. She had spent so long fighting, laying herself bare to fight for the world she found beauty in, even after having been tainted by her mother for so long. Covering her only felt right; now that her fight was over, she could finally rest comfortably in the warmth that now enveloped her. Having finished covering the girl she held in her arms, Ryuko began her solemn walk to retrieve Satsuki's half of the scissor blade.

Time seemed to stretch as she walked back to where everything had begun to go awry. The walk seemed long and arduous as she became lost in her thoughts with Satsuki in her arms. What would she do when she found everyone? How could she explain it to them? Would they understand? Time seemed to slow with every step she took, with dread creeping up on her with every passing thought. Senketsu felt sympathy for the poor girl that wore him; first having to deal with the emotions from losing the last of her real family and now dealing with the nerve-wracking pressure of informing the others of Satsuki's death. Looking up, the Kamui watched as Ryuko's expression slowly darkened.

Ryuko didn't want to think anymore. About what to say, what excuses to give, how to justify or how to explain what had happened. Placing one foot after the other, she tried to purge the thoughts that hung over her to no avail. With all the pressure looming over her, Ryuko felt as if she was going to break. Her breath quickened, taking an erratic pace as panic and anxiety gripped her. Instinctively, Ryuko braced herself only to feel Satsuki's body pressing against hers. For reasons unknown, she suddenly felt calmer; soothed almost. Looking down at Satsuki, it looked like she was only sleeping, as if she was still alive. As she continued walking, Ryuko began to wonder why her heart had felt lighter only to quickly realise why. With a slight smile, she thanked her sister silently. Even in death, it was Satsuki's presence, her mere touch that had soothed her. Closing her eyes and tightening her hold, Ryuko could feel almost feel that Satsuki was still alive. Mere moments later, she began to lose herself in a daydream.

"Ryuko-chan!"

Recognising the familiar, bubbly cry, Senketsu froze Ryuko's movements; the jolt waking her from her stupor. With her mind back in the real world, she focused her vision on the horizon to make out Mako's silhouette.

"Ryuko-chan!" yelled Mako again as she came running blindly in her Two-Star Goku Uniform with both arms outstretched. With a sudden leap, the former fight club president dived to greet her best friend with an overenthusiastic hug only to meet the tiled floors of the manor face first as her best friend shifted her body. Repositioning herself after her sidestep, Ryuko continued to walk onward to meet with the rest of the group that came franticly running, following Mako's steps. Listening, she frowned as she heard the spring in everyone's steps along with their elated greetings.

"Ryuko! Matoi-kun! Oi! Ryuko!" everyone yelled one after another. As they reached closer, their optimism died; the glad expressions paling as it turned into shock as they saw Satsuki in Ryuko's arms. While everyone had slowed down, pace for the Elite Four frantically quickened for a different reason; for concern and for answers.

"Satsuki-sama! Satsuki! Satsuki-chan!" yelled Satsuki's elites in unison. Finally reaching Ryuko, four surrounded her, unsure of what to do at the sight of Satsuki's fragile form. To them, she looked as if she was only sleeping, weary and injured from the fight with Ragyo. However, from the look on Ryuko's face, they knew that not everything was as it seemed.

"Matoi, what is Satsuki-sama's condition?" the largest of the Elite Four asked nervously, suddenly regretting his actions.

"What happened back there?" came Sanageyama's crude voice.

"Will she be alright?" echoed Inumuta in concern.

"Is she-"

"She's dead," Ryuko interrupted Nonon, deadpan. Whatever sadness the four close friends kept reserved was quickly brought to the forefront, their strong, stoic masks shattering like brittle glass. Their eyes quickly dampened and remained that way for some. For others, tears freely streamed down their faces for minutes on end. Hearing the four do their best to stifle their sobs only made Ryuko feel worse as she began to settle Satsuki's body on the floor. As her own tears began to fall once more, the she felt a hand overlap hers with gentle and sympathetic touch. Looking to her left, she saw Mako helping her lay Satsuki to rest.

"Thank you Mako," Ryuko thought to herself, regretting her cold response to Mako's greeting.

"It's okay Ryuko-chan," whispered Mako, noticing the apologetic look on her friend's face.

"How is anything okay?" Nonon snapped venomously, her eyes only just beginning to dampen. "Satsuki-chan is dead! How could you let this happen? You were the strongest out of all of us! We entrusted her to you!"

"Ja-Jakuzure!" Inumuta called out, half startled, in concern.

"Shut up Dog!" barked the musician before returning her gaze to Ryuko. "You...you never deserved the respect and attention that Satsuki gave you. Even though you stood at her level, as her equal..."

"Enough Jakuzure!" shouted Gamagoori, bringing a halt to Nonon's verbal onslaught. "We all lost someone important to us today..."

In a matter of seconds, the anger subsided enough for the harsh reality to settle, sending the small girl falling to her knees in tears as her chest heaved with heavy sob. Holding her childhood friend in her arms, Nonon didn't notice that her words were more venomous than first thought. Ryuko stood silently with her eyes downcast, feeling pathetic and ashamed from the scolding she had received. As much as she wanted to retort, to defend herself, she knew she couldn't. She had lost the right to. She was a failure as a human being and, moreover, as a sibling. As baseless as Nonon's words were, she was right.

Ryuko knew she was the strongest out of them all and above all else, she knew she was responsible for Satsuki's death. Looking at Nonon as she cried, Ryuko was only reminded of how weak she was. She had betrayed everyone's expectations, especially Soroi's. She was too crass, too weak to notice Satsuki was in trouble, too weak to fight back and too weak to release her from the life fibers. As she kept watching the small girl mourn the loss of her friend, Ryuko could only see the difference in their strength. Out of Satsuki's Elite Four, she never thought that Nonon would've been the last to cry. Biting her lower lip in frustration, all Ryuko could do was wait for the stinging venom subside. Feeling a large hand on her shoulder, she looked up.

"Come Matoi. Let her have some space," spoke Ira as gently as he could while leading Ryuko away from Satsuki and Nonon, her eyes now downcast. Casting an eye towards the sobbing girl, Inumuta reached out to place a hand reassuringly onto Nonon's shoulder only to be stopped halfway by Sanageyama.

"Let her be Hoka," said Uzu quietly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Give her time."

Turning his head away from Jakuzure, Inumuta nodded in agreement before joining Ryuko and Gamagoori with his companion. The mood between the four was tense; at least, it felt that way for Ryuko. She didn't have to look at the three elites to feel their gaze boring their way to her core. Everyone had questions. Everyone needed answers. It felt like an inquisition to her, unrelenting and merciless. Even amongst her allies, she felt like they would tear her apart. All alone, she wanted to cry. Noticing the obvious discomfort in Ryuko, the overly large man called out to her as gently as he possible could.

"Matoi," called Gamagoori, still sounding crass. "Don't…take Jakuzure's words to heart. She's known Satsuki-sama far longer than all of us. It is understandable that she is the most hurt out of all of us."

Slowly looking up, Ryuko made eye contact with the three boys around her, finally seeing the soft, concerned expressions they wore. Save for Nonon, their eyes were only visibly damp with fresh red streaks decorating the sides of their faces. While Ryuko knew Gamagoori meant well, she knew from his earlier pause that on some level he agreed with Nonon.

"Thanks," Ryuko lied reluctantly, playing along as best as she could.

"Tell us what happened Ryuko," asked Ira more quietly, keeping outside of earshot of the pink haired musician. Closing her eyes, Ryuko took a deep breath in preparation for the long story.

"Well, we all know what happened after Nui tried to off herself. Iori equipped a squad of Mikisugi's Nudists with anti-freeze agent and managed to pacify her."

"A brilliant streak of luck in all honesty," commented Inumuta. "Who knows what would've happened if everything went to her plan."

"It wasn't that lucky since Ragyo snatched Nui back anyway. After absorbing her, she went for the Original Life Fiber like you all saw. Satsuki and I chased her for god knows how long. Sometime later, we ended up crashing here."

"What happened next? Is Ragyo still alive?" Sanageyama

"Was it Ragyo that killed Satsuki-sama?" bellowed Gama, slowly forgetting the reason why he lead Ryuko away.

"It doesn't matter who killed Satsuki or how she died. We need to focus on who or what could've killed her," the blue haired teen interjected quickly.

"What?!" yelled Gamagoori in a fit rage. "How dare you be so callous Inumuta! Do you not have any loyalty as part of Satsuki-sama's Elite Four or had nothing really changed from back when you were a lonely stray?"

Seeing the visible twitch in Hoka's eyes at Gamagoori's comment, the formerly blinded swordsman set himself between the two to try and defuse the situation. "Hey c'mon! Cool it! No isn't the time to fi-"

"I did it," said Ryuko, just loud enough for the three to hear. "I killed Satsuki..."

Ryuko's words had cut through the three boys, stopping them in their tracks. While Gamagoori and Sanageyama stood in stunned silence, Inumuta let out a heavy sigh, not of sadness but of frustration. "Ah, she said it..."

"Did you know all this time Hoka?" asked Gamagoori half in shock and surprise.

"Yeah, I did. When I saw Nonon with Satsuki earlier, I saw the blood splatter on the drapes. Analysing the shape of the seepage, I determined the rough dimensions of the aperture of Satsuki-sama's wound. Only a scissor blade could inflict such a wide wound."

Turning his head, the overly large man to spot quickly wiping away her tears before returning her gaze to the floor, readying herself to be scorned and blamed further. Gamagoori quickly turned to the black clad girl and bowed, opting to convey his feelings in earnest.

"Forgive me Matoi. It seems that I was the one who was callous. I apologise for being so insensitive to your pain. I apologise as well Hoka. I overstepped my bounds to have questioned your loyalty..."

"Don't mind it Ira. It's been a tough day for all of us."

"How the hell can you three be so calm...after that bitch admitted it..." spat Nonon from afar.

Turning around, Uzu could only watch as the small girl stood before walking fiercely towards the group. Taking long yet fast strides, Nonon closed the distance between herself and the group of four in a seemingly flustered gait. Shoving the spectacled boy out of the way, she wound back her arm and delivered a hard slap across Ryuko's cheek. The three boys winced as they heard the loud snap that sent the taller girl's face to the side. Ryuko stood silently without any thought of retaliation as her left cheek began to swell and redden from the stinging pain. Seeing the stoic look on her face only made Nonon further seethe with anger.

"We Elite Four were Satsuki-sama's spear and shield! We were her limbs, her face. I don't care what you felt or what may have happened. We're nothing without her!"

Turning her head to face the girl that slapped her, Ryuko did her best to hold in her tears. Clenching her fists, she began to endure Jakuzure's sting words once more.

"You were stronger than us, stronger than Satsuki! You should've been able to find a way to save her," Nonon screamed in tears as she leant her head against the taller girl and began to pound her fists against her chest. Ryuko's emotions were amiss as she felt the weak beats from the short girl, not knowing if she should hold her to comfort her or remain stoic. "Now that she's gone, what are we? Satsuki-sama found us...saved us. She said we would all come back alive but now...all we're left with are memories of her. We owed her our lives, we all treasured her...unlike you."

At her last sentence, Nonon pushed herself away to stand alone, making it clear to Ryuko that she didn't need to be comforted. "Ever since you two met, all you ever did was mouth off and butt heads with her at every turn. When she offered to explain everything to you, to take you in, you rejected her. Even when Satsuki-sama went through all the trouble to save you from Junketsu, the only thing on your mind afterwards was to punch her face in. It's no surprise I guess. It's typical of you. You always loved to hate her; that's all you ever did! That's all you ever felt!"

"I loved her..."

"Huh?" Nonon sneered at the girl's quiet reply. Suddenly feeling herself being lifted, the small girl quickly found herself staring into Ryuko's deathly glare.

"I said I loved her!" Ryuko declared with an unusual and resolute clarity in her voice. With a forceful shove, she sent the girl she held to the floor half sprawled. Half panicked and shaken, Nonon shuffled backwards as she saw Ryuko take several strong steps forward, planting her Kamui's stiletto heel firmly into the ground.

"Don't think that you know everything about me! Don't give me this crap about how nice Satsuki was, how she saved you or how you treasured her. Don't you even fucking dare talk about how all you have left to remember her by are the memories you have of her! Of all the fond memories you have of her! At least you had them!"

Nonon sat motionlessly with her mouth agape from Ryuko's fiery words. The seething rage that came from Satsuki's sister had pacified any thought of fighting back from Nonon's mind. She had awoken the sleeping emotions within Ryuko. Deep down, Nonon knew that she was going to reap the consequences of her aggression. As she saw tears beginning to stream down from Ryuko's face, she braced herself for what was to come next.

"You all would've had them...years and years of fond memories as you all worked together. But do you know what memories I have? What fond memories I have of the sister I never knew I had? Nothing. You're right; I was a bitch. All I ever did together with her was fight, even after she saved me."

Ryuko paused, finding the next words beginning to be caught inside her throat. The anger had subsided from her voice. The only thing that remained was honesty, something that she was unaccustomed to. Despite the hot tears that fell, she persevered and continued to convey the feelings that she had been trying to bury.

"Do you know what memory I have of Satsuki where we didn't fight? The only memory I could call fond? It was when she laid there, dying in my arms. It was the only time where we spoke normally, honestly...the only time...when I could admit that I loved her, that I cared for her, that I didn't want her to go. How could you even begin to compare your sadness with mine? We had beaten Ragyo...the fight was supposed to be over. We were supposed to have won, to come back alive and live making new memories together but now? All I'm left with is a memory that I don't want to forget, no matter how much I want to! I loved her... I loved her dammit..."

As Ryuko openly wept and sobbed, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she to see Mako wearing a genuinely sad and sympathetic expression that overrode her usual silliness. One after another Gamagoori, Sanageyama and Inumuta had lent a reassuring hand on her shoulders. Moved by her speech, they too began to weep openly from their resonating sympathy.

As Nonon watched as they gathered to comfort Ryuko, she felt more numb than betrayed. Moving a hand to her face, her mouth opened in shock as she finally felt the tears that had been sliding down the side of her face for the past several minutes as she listened to Ryuko speak. Casting her gaze to the floor, Nonon felt defeated physically and emotionally. Even though she had lost the war of words and of feelings which she started, it didn't stop her from feeling bitter about it. Slowly gathering herself and standing up, Nonon approached Ryuko with her head tilted downward in a vain attempt to hide the tears she had shed.

"Fine. I get your feelings," Nonon said bitterly, conceding defeat. "But words are just words. If you really do love Satsuki-sama, if you really do care...if you really are her sister, then act like it. Stop moping around and find a way to avenge her."

Looking down at the girl in front of her, Ryuko appreciated Nonon's scrappiness. It was a crude way of showing comfort, a tough form of love, but it suited her just fine. "I will. I'll show you the strength of my resolve; like a skyscraper built inside my mind."

Nonon's gaze shot upward towards Ryuko upon hearing her last sentence. "What?! H-how?" Stunned from the words, she stood silently with her mouth hanging open; her legs beginning to buckle from the strange surge of feelings that stirred within. Moving quickly, Inumuta caught her on the verge of collapse.

"H-hey, Nonon! Hey! Are you alright?" asked the spectacled boy in concern with no response. With a sudden shove, the small girl freed herself from Inumuta before backing away from Ryuko in a mixture of confusion and shock. Scrambling back to where she had come from, Nonon lent over Satsuki and returned to tending to her own grief in private, giving an occasional glance at Ryuko. The pink haired girl's sudden reaction was strange to the remaining three boys and had even managed to put a quizzical look on Ryuko's face. With strangeness on mind, Nonon's last words sparked a question in her mind.

"Wait, avenge? What's going on? What did Nonon mean by revenge?" asked Ryuko while the thought was still fresh in her mind.

"Matoi, what do you remember about Satsuki's death. What exactly happened with your fight with Ragyo?" spoke Gamagoori in an unusual serious yet quiet tone.

"We fought hard against Ragyo and her Life Fiber Domination. After tearing Shinra Kouketsu to bits, we killed Ragyo and then, from out of nowhere, we were attacked. Satsuki froze up; she couldn't move. The life fibers ate away at Ragyo's body and evolved. Satsuki got hit by these gross looking threads. It sapped her strength..."

"Dammit! So they made it here too..." cursed Uzu.

"What do you mean they?"

With a heavy sigh, Inumuta readied himself for his explanation. "We didn't come here just to look for you or back you up. We were running..."

"Running? From what? Don't tell me..."

"The Original Life Fiber isn't dead. When you and Satsuki-sama chased after Ragyo, something happened. Everything around it started to decay. Animals, plants, the remnants of the COVERs, anything organic like the treated wood from the shanty homes were eaten away by life fibers."

"When we saw what was happening to the animals on the shoreline, we began evacuating as many people as we could onboard the Naked Soul," Sanageyama explained further. "Mid-way through its rampage, the Original Life Fiber finally rebuilt itself and started heading towards the mainland. We chased after you with everyone else on the Naked Soul."

"God dammit!" the red streak girl yelled in frustration.

"Instead of using humans as a near infinite fuel source like before, the Original Life Fiber is directly breaking down any organic matter to quickly fuel and repair itself," the computer expert continued. "We believe it is coming to the mainland to eat away all life on earth by itself."

"This...this is so messed up," Ryuko uttered out through clenched teeth, frustrated at how everything made sense on some twisted level. "It must've sensed that Ragyo died somehow and began to act..."

"Given the power of Ragyo's Life Fiber Domination, it wouldn't be a surprise for the Original Life Fiber to be able to communicate with Raygo on some level."

"God dammit! It must've been from the scrap pieces of that god damn ultimate Kamui of hers," Ryuko cursed. Remembering the ambush, Ryuko noticed one glaring bit of information missing which had stopped everything from making sense. "Where is the Original Life Fiber now?"

"It is already on the mainland. It arrived two hours ago," Ira answered with a grimly. Ryuko clenched her jaw. The timing had fit in with the ambush. "When we tried to fight at first, the Life Fiber threads regenerated endlessly, even from scrap and ashes COVERs. When we knew we couldn't win, we made our way to the mainland as fast as we could using our uniforms to power the Naked Soul. We made it here a little before the Original Life Fiber did and began evacuating as many civilians as we could."

"We were really hard pressed back there. We left behind the Two-Stars to take charge of the evacuation. None of us here could fight a monster like that so we went to look for you for help..." piped the green haired teen with shame lightly lacing his voice.

"We honestly didn't know if you and Satsuki-sama were still fighting Ragyo but we were desperate," admitted Inumuta.

With an apologetic bow, the three teens spoke in unison as they tipped their heads forward in a slight bow. "Ryuko, please help us. You are the only hope we have left."

Ryuko could only stare at the three men, taken aback at the sudden level of respect they showed, that she now commanded. Seeing them humbled, Ryuko felt a small jolt of surprise as she felt her hand clutch her chest as if it was trying to clasp a phantom feeling. It wasn't so long ago that she had called them incomprehensible fools. Thinking back to their declaration onboard the Naked Soul, she felt the small spark of warmth grow into an all familiar feeling.

"Thank you. Really...thank you all," said Ryuko gently, appreciative of the support and loyalty from her new group of friends. Taking in a sharp breath, she refocused herself at the matter at hand, shaking off the emotional anxiety she had been carrying. "Alright. Tell me where I need to go."

"The Original Life Fiber should be making its way further inland from the coast," Mikisugi butted in from seemingly out of nowhere. "Communications from the Two-Stars report that civilian have been cleared from its proximity. We don't know where it is exactly but it should be trying to find a concentrated source of organic material."

"The Kiryuin estate is quite isolated and surrounded by lush forest," piped up the computer expert. "With an overhead view, it shouldn't be too hard to find a trail."

"Can't we get a satellite feed of some sort?" questioned the swordsman.

"I don't have my computer here and even if I did, I can't get a signal from here, especially with a majority of the estate communication infrastructure in ruin."

"Calm down," Ryuko calmly ordered. "Getting an overhead shouldn't be a problem. Senketsu Shippu!"

At her command, Senketsu shifted into flight form, sending the red streaked teen into a hover. As the blood fuelled jets whirred to full power, Ryuko heard a scream.

"Matoi! Wait!" bellowed the overgrown blonde. "You aren't seriously going to charge towards the enemy head first are you? What about us?"

"Hey, you guys were the ones that were looking for me for help."

"That doesn't mean you doing everything yourself," yelled Sanageyama from below, trying to make himself heard. Senketsu's jets whirred slower, bringing Ryuko to the ground.

"This...this is something I gotta do...alone if need be," spoke Ryuko solemnly, addressing everyone present. Spotting a small metallic object quickly flying into view, the girl moved her hand to catch it. Opening her palm, she saw another high tech earpiece.

"Another communicator. Keep in touch Matoi," said Inumuta.

"Oi, catch!" came Nonon's voice sharply. Moving her other hand to catch the second object, she felt the all too familiar handle of Satsuki's half of the scissor blade. Turning her head, Ryuko could see a newfound fire burning in the petite girl's eyes. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she inserted her replacement ear piece.

"Please, take care of Satsuki."

"I will."

At full power, Ryuko took off at breakneck speed, soaring into the sky with both scissor blades in hand, just like she had done when she set out to fight Ragyo from the Naked Soul but this time, alone. Watching the trails of red etching itself into the sky, Nonon soon felt the presence of her other friends close by.

"Seems like you're feeling better," commented Sanageyama bluntly, not caring about etiquette once again. Nonon slowly turned towards his voice and cast a deathly glare towards him. Despite her small stature, the sharp look in her eyes made it known to the swordsman that she should not to be trifled with.

"Close your eyes."

Sanageyama recoiled slightly from the bold command with unease beginning to settle in. He knew Nonon was Satsuki's closest friend but it still came as a bit of a surprise how much Satsuki's commandeering personality rubbed off on her. "Wha? What for?"

With a quick grab of his black Three-Star uniform, Nonon pulled Uzu down to her height and slapped her palm over his eyes. "Just shut up and do what you're told for once Monkey!"

With the initial surprise from the sudden movement subsiding, Uzu laughed inwardly. As serious as Nonon was, her hand was nowhere near large enough to cover both of his eyes. Despite her insult and vain attempt to cover his eyes, the sound of Nonon's voice had already convinced him to oblige her request. If there was something he had learned when he sealed his eyesight, it was that sound never lies. Seeing the taller boy's eyelids finally shut, Nonon steered his head to face where she wanted.

"Argh! What the hell? What am I supposed to be doing..." Uzu complained, his neck sore from the sudden movement.

"Just keep quiet. What do you see. Use your third eye!"

The other two boys watched on in curiosity, eyeing any changes in expression on the swordsman's face. Slowly as seconds passed, disbelief had lead Sanageyama's eyes to snap open.

"Uzu! What did you see?" bellowed Gamagoori in nervous anticipation.

"I don't know...but...it's..."

"What did you see Jakuzure..." asked Inumuta inquisitively, putting particular emphasis on the small elite.

"Honestly, I don't know what I saw or heard," replied Nonon, more gently than when she had spoken with Uzu. "But we have our orders. Send for Iori, Soroi and the Mankanshoku family. We'll take care of Satsuki."

Author's Notes:

Hi everyone. Sorry for the huge delay. This chapter has been harder to write than I thought. A lot of you should have noticed the altered summary which puts this fic as an 'Alternate Ending.' This essentially meant that I had to make my own plot devices to actually make sense which has been a total pain.

However, the main reason for the delay is that I've been tied up with a stressful few months of work but I'll be honest. Now that Kill la Kill has finished, I'm not feeling any pressure to crunch chapters out every week which is killing my drive to write. I've actually had this chapter half done a few days after the season finale aired and I've been lazy with finishing this chapter.

I've also been watching too much Yowamushi Pedal and have gotten too much into cycling to fully focus on this fanfic. However, this doesn't mean that I'll stop writing. It just means that updates are gonna be sparse, especially with ANOTHER action chapter. The next chapter will be the last chapter for a while. I was thinking of exploring alternative endings but we'll see.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and drop a review if you wish.