Well, this took a bit longer than I'd like. Having two jobs doesn't leave me much time to write, and IF is still sucking a lot of what time I do have up. That said, I hope this was worth the wait and that you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kill la Kill. This is a fanmade work purely for entertainment purposes. KlK is owned by Studio Trigger.

.-.

As grateful as he was for Ryūko coming to his and Mako's rescue, (Well, more Mako's at the moment,) and as much as he was still in shock over her outfit and what it was apparently capable of, Koji could only sigh and shake his head as the girl so brazenly challenged Lady Satsuki for the second time in such a short period.

Fukuroda started things with Matoi this time, Koji thought, So the fight with him on its own shouldn't affect Kiryūin's opinion of her. But this? It's like that idiot doesn't even care about what happened earlier! Kiryūin's willing to overlook that incident only because I offered to personally help Matoi integrate into the school! There's no way this is gonna stand!

As the extended silence after Ryūko's demand only grew more tense, Koji noticed she seemed to be arguing with herself, though he couldn't hear exactly what about. Talking to yourself can be a sign of intelligence, sure, but responding to yourself? After a while longer, Ryūko seemed to have come to a decision, dropping the microphone and turning towards the cross he was still suspended on. Oh, so she is gonna get me down after all.

"Wow, Ryūko-chan!" Mako yelled out when the girl had gotten next to the cross, just a bit too loud for Koji's still pounding head. "Who knew you could fight so well in such a revealing outfit?" Ryūko blushed intensely and darted her eyes between her two fellows quickly, narrowing at Koji.

"Stop staring at me you pervert!"

"I'm staring at you because you still need to cut me down from here, you-"

"Your name is Matoi Ryūko?" The three turned in the direction of Satsuki's voice, cutting off Koji's retort to Ryūko's accusation. "You are the daughter of Matoi Isshin, correct?"

Ryūko's rage flared back up, and the girl's face bore an expression of pure malice, pupils as small as the point of a sewing pin as she snarled up at the Student Council President. Koji noticed large amounts of sweat on Ryūko's body, and her legs shaking as if it was a struggle for her to stand. His eyes narrowed in concern. It was clear this mystery outfit was putting a huge strain on her in exchange for whatever power it offered.

Still, despite the strain Ryūko lifted her scissor blade and brandished it at Satsuki.

"So, you do know who my father is!?" she yelled out as a burst of steam shot out from her outfit around her chest. At that moment the strain overcame Ryūko's endurance, and she fell to one knee, barely managing to prop herself up with her scissor blade.

Matoi really is too hot-blooded for her own good.

Koji noticed Ryūko was looking down towards the part of her outfit which resembled an eye, and seemed to be talking to herself again. This time he managed to overhear some of the conversation.

"…Why are you drinking so damn much then? I barely had any left to start with! You have any idea how hungry I am right now!?"

Is… Is she talking to her outfit? And what's she talking to it about in the first place?

The argument stopped, and Ryūko forced herself to her feet once again, her endurance continuing to amaze Koji. "Fine, then…" she said. "We'll finish this some other time, Kiryūin Satsuki!" With surprising speed for someone who'd lost as much blood as she apparently had,Ryūko dashed off towards the academy entrance once again.

"Oh Hell no! You ain't getting away this time!" Sanageyama yelled out. "After her! Come on!" he called to a group of One-Stars and Boxing Club members, who immediately followed his lead and began to rush after the transfer student.

Crack! A sharp clacking sound produced by the sheath of Lady Satsuki's katana resounded throughout the courtyard, and all students present turned their attention towards her as she looked down at Sanageyama.

"Don't bother."

"B-but Lady Satsuki!" Sanageyama protested. "She's the one who-"

"She will return. You will have your chance soon, Sanageyama. Leave her until then." Satsuki turned to leave, her trademark radiance fading as her long obsidian hair billowed in the wind. A short moment later, the crowd of gathered students began to disperse, content to return home and get on with their personal lives. Sanageyama clenched his fists and cursed as he headed towards Koji.

"Damn it."

"You okay, Uzu?" Koji asked. "Do you and Matoi know each other or something? Because she didn't seem to recognize you if so."

Sanageyama's angered expression as he looked to Koji made the One-Star freeze up, convinced he'd said the wrong thing just then. The Three-Star's face softened as he took a deep breath and began to undo the shackles still binding Koji to the cross.

"You could say I don't really like her reputation. Let's get you down from there and leave it at that."

Reputation? Koji's thoughts began to race almost faster than he could keep up with. Ryūko Matoi was several things. A hot-blooded fool. A girl who seemed to be doing what Koji wished he could do over the past two years. Determined. Strong. Possibly insane. But none of these truly described anything about the girl. Just before the final shackle was undone and Koji fell off the metal cross and onto the ground, he thought to himself.

Ryūko… Just who are you?

.-.

Ryūko panted loudly as she ran down Honno Town's central street through the No-Star slums. Her uniform had changed again since she left the academy, now resembling a standard sailor uniform, though it was completely black save for its red scarf, which now contained the eye-like pattern. What little blood she had left pounded in her ears. Her head, chest, and abdomen were wracked with intense pain. She could barely breathe, and her lips had begun to turn blue. It took all the energy she could spare to stay conscious.

"Ryūko," her uniform spoke to her, "Your skin has become even colder than it was before, and I can hardly feel your pulse, despite the speed of your heartbeat. I believe you have gone into hypovolemic shock."

"S-Senketsu," Ryūko responded in between her ragged breaths, "I-If you don't have a-any ideas t-to help, then at l-least start l-looking for somebody!"

"I do not believe it possible for you to receive help at this point, but very well." The eye on the uniform, Senketsu, began to look from side to side, although its own field of vision was limited due to resting on Ryūko's body. While Ryūko did pass by many residents of the slums as she desperately raced on, she fought the growing urge to attack as best she could. It wouldn't matter how much blood she got if she was discovered. Skidding to a halt with a large cloud of dust and dirt dispersing into the air, Ryūko ducked into an alleyway right as her strength gave out.

The girl crashed down to the ground, scraping her knees and elbows which allowed more blood to leak out of her body. Her scissor blade clattered weakly to the ground next to her. God damnit… Ryūko thought to herself. This can't be where it ends…

"Huh? I'll call you back, Mom." a No-Star student passing by the alley had heard the noise of the scissor blade. He looked in and stopped moving when he noticed Ryūko.

"Isn't that the girl who got into a fight with the Boxing Club Captain?" Though Ryūko straddled the razor-thin line between undeath and actual death, she had enough presence of mind left to realize her luck. She made a desperate effort to at least roll over onto her back. All she needed was for her fingernails to contact the boy's skin, just above a major artery. And a No-Star wouldn't be missed, wouldn't be investigated. What little time she'd spent at Honnōji so far had taught her that much.

"Oh shit, she's bleeding!" The No-Star rushed over to Ryūko's prone body and propped up her back from behind. "Oh my God. You're in really bad shape… Don't worry, I'm gonna get you to a doctor. What's your name?"

"R-Ryūko… w-why… are you…?"

"Why am I helping you?" The No-Star guessed. "Hey. We No-Stars gotta stick together. And standing up to Kiryūin and Fukuroda like that's kinda made you a hero around here. The only other person that's stood up for us before without dying is Narukami-san." The boy lifted Ryūko's left arm onto his shoulder and held her side with his right. She just needed to hold on a little longer. Ryūko's eyes narrowed a little, though in her state it seemed more like they were simply closing. Narukami… That's the One-Star I met before… right? As the No-Star helped her up onto her feet again, unsteady though they may be, Ryūko shifted her gaze over to him.

"T-thanks… and sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he responded, a soft smile on his face. "Besides, what do you have to be sorry for?"

"This…"

It was a slight brush against his neck, but it was all the purchase against his skin Ryūko needed. Her nails dug into his carotid artery first, followed by her fingertips. All across the No-Star's face, his veins and arteries began to bulge, a blue spiderweb spreading over his head. In Ryūko's hand, her own veins bulged out slightly as well, the precious fluid being drained out of the No-Star's body and into her own bloodstream, quickly converted by her body until it was indistinguishable from her own blood.

Immediately the vampiress felt strength begin to return to her body, the pain and hunger fading away as color returned to her lips and heat to her skin. The sheer agony of what was happening to him made the No-Star want to scream out in a hybrid of terror and pain, but fortunately for Ryūko, he'd already lost enough blood it wasn't possible any more. Within another few seconds, the boy's body was completely dried out, and it fell from her fingers with a barely audible shhlup.

"Damn it… That's not enough. I need more…"Ryūko bent to pick up her scissor blade. She was still weak, but she was no longer on death's door. She had a chance at survival again. Hefting the flat of the blade onto her shoulder, the Kanto Vagabond turned to walk back uptown, this time with specific prey in mind. All the while, Senketsu's eye stared up at her.

"I see now what you meant by hunger, Ryūko." The uniform said to her. "You are what humans refer to as a Vampire."

"Yep." Ryūko paused for a moment to snag a lemon from a shop when the owner wasn't looking. "That's me, Senketsu. An inhuman monster." The girl sharply bit into the sour fruit with her fangs, not even bothering to remove the bitter peeling. A second later, all the juice had been sucked out, leaving it as shriveled up as the body she just left behind, tossed carelessly over her shoulder.

"You claim yourself a monster, and yet you showed regret for taking that boy's life. A truly inhuman monster would not have emotions such as that."

Ryūko sighed lightly, her mood darkening as she thought on what Senketsu had said. She didn't have much time to do so, however, as a familiar voice called out to her.

"Ryūko-chaaaan!" Mako came flying towards Ryūko in a similar manner to when she had tackled her brother Matarō when they had first met, though this time her arms were outstretched instead of crossed. The vampiress was startled, but made sure to catch Mako out of the air and gently place her back on the ground.

"Uh, hey Mako. What's up?"

"I'm looking for you, silly! You're really fast, you know! Koji-san was pretty upset you just ran off like that!"

"Oh really?" Ryūko placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. "What's he want with me, then?"

"Well Lady Satsuki did tell him to look after you from now on, right?"

Ryūko snorted in response and bared her fangs. "He can just forget about that. Sure, he might've helped me out a bit, but I got no intention of ever becoming one of Kiryūin's lackeys. She knows what happened to my dad, and I'm gonna make her tell me." Ryūko took a moment to compose herself before continuing. "So, did he send you to come find me, Mako?"

"Nope! I actually wanted to invite you over to dinner at my house tonight! You said something about being hungry earlier, so why not?"

A look of shock crossed Ryūko's face. Mako's inviting me to dinner? To her house? …And she expects to survive the night… Had Mako known what exactly Ryūko was, the girl would surely have at least hesitated before inviting a vampire into her home. Right? If there was one thing Ryūko knew about Mako Mankanshoku as a person, it's that she was nothing if not friendly. And Ryūko really didn't want to have to kill her. But I need more blood.

As Ryūko wrestled with her conscience, Senketsu took note of how conflicted she was, choosing to stay silent. "I… I'd love to, Mako."

"Great!" Mako suddenly grabbed hold of Ryūko's hand and pulled her along as she ran. "This is gonna be so much fun! After dinner I'll ask my dad to take a look at you since you're so banged up, he's a doctor you know! Oh, and maybe we can have a sleepover!"

Mako rambled on as she and Ryūko grew ever-closer towards the No-Star's house, with the latter's face slowly changing into a dejected expression. "Yeah… fun."

.-.

Ryūko stared on dumbfounded at the scene in front of her. Mako's family had quite an appetite, to say the least. Each of them, from Mako's parents to even her dog devoured croquettes by the plate and drained miso soup by the bowl. It was even a little intimidating, something the vampiress hadn't felt in a long time. Even her confrontations with Kiryūin hadn't made her feel like this.

"Don't be shy, Ryūko!" Mako said, chewing her food at the same time. "Mom's Mystery Croquettes and Mystery Soup are great!"

"Yeah, it's not poisonous or anything!" Matarō, the youngest member of the family agreed, "You just gotta make sure Guts doesn't eat it all first!" The boy pulled open a window and tossed the dog in question outside, though Guts quickly jumped back in and resumed eating as if nothing happened. Ryūko's gaze shifted slightly to the left. She noticed a bucket of what seemed to be perfectly good fried chicken on the counter behind Mako's mother, Sukuyo. Her shocked expression briefly altered into one of concern.

Well, they've all been eating this for who knows how long, and they're all fine. Clicking her chopsticks together a few times, Ryūko watched carefully for an opening. She struck fast as lightning as Matarō drew back his own hand, pinching a few croquettes and dropping them on her plate. Ryūko took a slow, tentative bite, testing the flavor as much as she could before swallowing. Shortly after her eyes lit up.

"Oh, wow! These are great, ma'am!"

"Thank you, Ryūko dear!" Sukuyo responded, a warm and motherly smile on her face. "Feel free to eat as much as you want."

As the meal went on, Ryūko found herself slowly becoming more comfortable, laughing and talking with Mako's family as if it were as natural as breathing for her. Though the conversation did shift towards the events involving Fukuroda and Ryūko's attire for the fight, which Matarō referred to as 'totally awesome', the Mankanshokus never pried too deeply at her personal life.

It was enough to make the drifter guilty at the thought of what she would do to them once sleep had taken hold.

"So anyway Ryūko," Mako's dad Barazō spoke, bringing the girl back to attention, "Mako tells me you took some pretty hard knocks today."

"Y-yeah. I hate to admit it, but Fukuroda knows how to box pretty well. Mako said you could help patch me up?"

"Sure can, little lady! I happen to be the best back-alley doctor around!"

"If you compare the number of people Daddy's killed to those he's saved, then he's killed a lot more!" Mako said with the same sunny grin on her face. Ryūko nearly choked on her soup as a large bead of sweat rolled down her face.

"Umm, Mako? That's a bad thing…"

"Don't worry about it," Barazō waved her off, "If they're dead they can't sue!"

"W-well, in that case, how much would I owe you for this, sir?"

"Absolutely nothing, Ryūko! A friend of Mako's is always welcome in this house!"

The drifter nearly choked again. "Are you serious?!"

.-.

2:47 AM. Ryūko hadn't been able to get to sleep that night. Or rather, it'd be more accurate to say that as a vampire, she didn't need to get to sleep that night. Darkness was her element. She could move about in sunlight, to be certain, but the scant blessings offered to her by this cursed existence were enhanced under the pale light of the moon. She felt stronger, healed faster, focused sharper. Upon first figuring out what she was, she'd tried turning into a bat, though it hadn't worked. It was childish on her part, but even now Ryūko was still disappointed she couldn't do it.

Slowly pushing down her covers so as not to wake Mako, Ryūko sat up and lifted the bunny-print pajama shirt she was borrowing. She ran a hand over the bandages and gauze wrapped around her abdomen and other arm. Mako said her father had killed people before, but he'd done an expert job in dressing her wounds. Pulling her shirt back down, she looked over to where Senketsu was resting on a hanger.

"You should get some rest, Ryūko." the uniform spoke to her. "I understand that your condition provides you with more stamina than a normal human, but you will still run out of energy at some point. Ryūko frowned. Her 'condition'. 'Normal human.' Senketsu required her blood in order to awaken. For all intents and purposes, the uniform was a vampire as well. So why did it… he say something like that? Condition implied her vampirism could be cured, that there was a possibility one day she wouldn't need to murder people to keep herself alive.

A foolish, childish fantasy.

"I'm gonna get to sleep soon, Senketsu." Ryūko whispered in response. "I just need some more blo- …food first." Turning back towards Mako, she took a slow, deep breath, mentally preparing herself. As silent as a shadow, Ryūko moved forwards, looming over the sleeping No-Star student. She opened her mouth to reveal her sharp fangs, the only obvious sign of her curse. Ryūko leaned down, her fangs hovering right over Mako's jugular. All she had to do was bite down and suck. It wouldn't take long. Mako wouldn't even wake up, she'd simply die in her sleep. But then Ryūko would have to drain the rest of the family dry. Even Guts would have to be dealt with.

The thought made her hesitate. Mako had invited her, a perfect stranger, into her home for dinner out of nothing but the goodness of her heart. And the rest of her family had welcomed her in with nothing but the same. They'd shared their food with her. They took care of her injuries. Hell, they were even allowing her to sleep in Mako's own bedroom. Ryūko slowly drew back and closed her mouth.

She just couldn't do it. But she still needed blood.

Ryūko stripped down to her underwear before grabbing Senketsu off his hanger and dressing in him again. I can't kill them. I just can't. But I have to get blood from somebody. Carefully stepping around Mako, Ryūko gently pulled open the window and stepped outside, closing it again after she did so. Beginning her trek uptown again, Ryūko clenched her left hand into a fist.

"Come on, Senketsu. We're going hunting."

.-.

Koji stretched out his arms and yawned as he descended the stairs to the bottom floor of Honnōji Academy, where the Sewing Club's meetings were held. He'd had a restless night and was still half asleep. I guess I did those stretches wrong last night. I'll need to ask Shizune from the Yoga Club for some pointers later. Coming up to the large steel doors that marked the entrance, Koji fumbled around in his pocket before pulling out his ID and holding it up to the camera. A row of lights slowly turned green one by one as his membership in the club was confirmed, and a larger red light turned on and flashed in time with a beeping sound as the doors slid open.

Koji opened up the small locker he had in the club room to put away his bag and pull out his lab coat and facemask. It wouldn't be good if he accidentally inhaled any Life Fibers. The club room was rather empty at the moment, though Koji felt that was normal, given the hour. He tended to arrive a bit earlier than most members other than Iori. Upon entering the club president's office, Koji's heart stopped briefly.

Standing before him was none other than Satsuki Kiryūin herself. Holding her sheathed katana in front of her as always, the imposing figure of the Student Council President let off a pressure that was nearly debilitating. It took all the willpower Koji could muster to not fall to the floor and kneel on sight.

"Ah, L-lady Satsuki! W-what brings you here t-today?" Koji quickly greeted her with a deep bow.

"Cease your stammering, Narukami. It does not befit a potential council member." Koji gulped and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"As to my presence here," Satsuki continued, taking a few steps closer to him, "I would like to ask you a few questions about the incident between Matoi and Fukuroda yesterday." Koji's face paled at the mention of the two's second fight, something Satsuki took notice of. "Do not worry. You will not be punished for something out of your control such as that."

"It would be my honor to provide you with any information I can, Lady Satsuki."

"Very well. Have you noticed anything strange about Matoi Ryūko?"

Koji shouldn't have been shocked by that question, all things considered, and yet he was. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.

"Well, for starters, Matoi's pupils look like gears. She also has a grudge against you despite not knowing you existed until yesterday, though since she thinks you know why her dad's dead I guess that makes some sense. N-no offense, my lady."

"Matoi's eyes and personal motivations do not interest me, Narukami."

"O-of course, Lady Satsuki. Other than the sharp teeth, nothing about Matoi personally strikes me as strange. I'm more interested in the outfit she was wearing."

"Oh?" Satsuki's eyebrow raised slightly. "Continue, Narukami. This should prove promising."

…Does Kiryūin know something about the outfit Matoi has?

"I've never seen anything like it before. Fukuroda completely outclassed Matoi in their first fight, but after she got ahold of that outfit, he couldn't even touch her. It doesn't seem possible, but that outfit has to be made of Life Fibers. That's the only explanation I can think of for how strong it made her. But as far as I know, the Sewing Club's never made anything like that. Not even the prototype Four-Star Uniform we tested a few months ago had the power to absorb a Goku Uniform's Banshi."

Though Satsuki's face remained stoic and unchanging, internally a new understanding dawned on her. I see. This outfit Matoi Ryūko has must be the Kamui that Mother sent Harime Nui to claim from Matoi Isshin.

"And how is the Two-Star Goku Uniform for Hakodate proceeding?"

"We finished it yesterday, my lady. We'll be able to present it to her soon."

"Thank you, Narukami. That is all I wished to know." Satsuki turned towards the entrance of the Sewing Club, with the tell-tale clack of her heel echoing. "One more thing before I leave, Narukami. Three more No-Star students have turned up dead. Investigate them, and find the vampire responsible."

Koji breathed out in relief as Satsuki left the Sewing Club's headquarters, then fell into a more solemn mood as the steel doors slid shut once again.

"Three more students in one day? God damn it. Whoever this vampire is, they're really gonna get it now." Koji tore a piece of paper out of his notebook and hastily scrawled an apology note to Iori. "I hate to skip class two days in a row, but I wouldn't be able to ignore something like this, even if Kiryūin hadn't ordered me to check it out." Koji opened his locker again, putting away his coat and mask to pull out his bag.

First, I need to ask Inumuta who died.

.-.

*knock knock knock* Koji rapped his knuckles on the home where the first dead student used to live, quietly waiting for the boy's parents to answer. Checking the clipboard he'd brought, he saw the boy's name was Hirotaka Kakyoin.

A few moments later, the door creaked open, revealing an auburn-haired woman in her late thirties, a stained apron hanging from around her neck. "Yes? May I help you, young man?" the woman asked, a warm smile on her face.

"Mrs. Kakyoin? My name's Koji Narukami. I'm here to ask you a few questions about your son, on behalf of Lady Satsuki."

"Ara ara? My Hiro hasn't been getting himself into any trouble, has he?"

Ah. So she doesn't know.

"I… There's no easy way for me to say this, ma'am. Your… your son is dead."

"O-oh… I-I see." Mrs. Kakyoin's smile slowly melted off her face, a frown growing instead. The light slowly left her eyes. "I need to sit down for a moment. You're free to come in if you'd like." Koji followed the older woman into her kitchen and sat down at the table. Looking around he noticed that the house was relatively well kept, despite the poor status No-Stars lived in.

"I really hate to keep bothering you, ma'am, but I'm trying to track down the person who killed your son. If you have any information that might help, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"I'm sorry. I don't have much. Hiro was a good boy. He always made it to school on time and did his homework. He may have struggled with schoolwork, but he put in his best effort."

So, nothing Kiryūin could possibly use to justify her or her goons killing him, Koji thought, copying down what Mrs. Kakyoin said into his notes. I guess this really was the vampire again.

"Mrs. Kakyoin, you are aware that your son hadn't come home last night, correct?"

"Yes, I am. Occasionally Hiro would stay the night at a friend's house. He'd actually told me he was planning to the last time I spoke to him… I- I just…" Tears began to roll down the woman's face just before she buried it in her hands, quietly sobbing. Koji couldn't begin to imagine the pain she must have felt. All he knew was it made him burn with anger.

In this state, she probably won't be able to talk about her son anymore.

"Thank you for your time, Mrs. Kakyoin," Koji began as he stood up from the table. "You may not believe it, but you've been a great help. I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry about your son."

"H-Hiro looked up to you, y-you know." Koji stayed silent as the older woman stood up herself and pulled him into a hug. "W-when he got h-home yesterday, a-all he could talk a-about was how cool y-you and the M-Matoi girl are."

…Matoi? She might know something about this. I should have a talk with her.

"…Thank you, Mrs. Kakyoin. I promise, I will find the monster who killed your son. In the meantime, I recommend you and your husband stay with a family member for a while."

"Oh, well, I'm afraid that without my Hiro, I don't have anyone left." The widow's expression grew darker. In just a moment, it seemed like she'd aged another ten years.

"I… I'm sorry. Hang… hang in there, okay?" Mrs. Kakyoin nodded sadly, and Koji found himself growing worried about her. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to ensure her safety. Koji excused himself and turned towards the door, determined to track down Ryūko and find out if she'd seen Hiro.

"Just one question before you go, young man. H-how did my son die?"

"…He was stabbed in the neck, Mrs. Kakyoin.

.-.

When Koji made it back to the school's main entrance, the sun had fully risen and all the clouds had left the sky. By all accounts it was a warm and pleasant day, aside from the little issue of dead students and all. Koji's eyebrows narrowed in interest when he noticed a large crowd in the courtyard, a mix of No and One-Star students surrounding two others. One wore a Two-Star uniform and held a giant tennis racket in her hand, who Koji recognized as Omiko Hakodate, while the other wore an all-black sailor uniform, and had an unmistakable red stripe in her hair. The second girl was none other than…

"Oh for fuck's sake, Matoi." Koji couldn't quite make out what the two were arguing over, though he noticed Matoi's anger after she dramatically posed for a few moments, clearly expecting something to happen. "Eh? Wait… Is she talking to her outfit? Ohhhh…. I get it! That's the same outfit she had yesterday, and it can transform between its two states somehow!" If Koji had any doubts Ryūko's outfit was woven with Life Fibers before, they were well and truly buried now. Transforming was something only Three-Star Goku Uniforms were capable of, meaning Matoi's outfit was made with at least 30% of its weave as Life Fibers.

"That doesn't explain the Banshi absorption, though…" Koji trailed off as tennis balls pounded down on Ryūko's face like machinegun fire, forcing the girl back and flinging her over the side of the school wall. Rushing over to look over the edge, Koji saw Ryūko land in the sewers below, oblivious to Mako's abduction by the Tennis Club Captain.

"Great. Guess I'll have to wait until Mr. Mikisugi confirms she doesn't have pneumonia before I can ask her anything about Hirotaka." Koji raised one leg over the top of the wall and made sure to place it firmly on a service ladder before lifting his other leg over. He could've just jumped over and been perfectly fine due to the enhancements provided by his Goku Uniform, but he'd prefer not to go swimming in sewer water like Ryūko had if he could help it.

As the light of the sun faded over his head, a foul stench assaulted his nose. He was in the sewers for sure. The water actually seems somewhat clean here, though. He thought as his foot touched down on the concrete below. The 'river' wasn't flowing very quickly either, so Ryūko couldn't have washed away too far.

Sure enough, as Koji reached the large chamber this part of the sewers drained into, he spotted Ryūko hanging by the straps of her uniform from a rusted, broken down pipe a short distance beneath him.

She's lucky that thing didn't impale her. Koji mused, looking around for some easy way to get her down. He sighed in resignation upon realizing there wasn't. He'd have to get his uniform wet after all.

.-.

Upon tracking down Mr. Mikisugi's apartment, Koji roughly kicked the door with his foot a few times to make sure the teacher heard. The man had a reputation for skipping classes, so Koji had a feeling he'd be at home. Mikisugi teaching a No-Star class was likely the only reason he hadn't been 'terminated' from his position yet. Besides, it was a little difficult to knock with the unconscious Ryūko in his arms.

"Yes?" a rough voice asked as the door creaked open to reveal a seemingly middle-aged man with messy, blue hair and aviator sunglasses. "Oh, hello there Koji. You know weddings are one floor down, right?" the teacher joked.

Koji rolled his eyes and shook his head in response. "Matoi's not my bride, Mr. Mikisugi, she's your student. She lost a fight with Hakodate and fell in the sewer. I need you to make sure she doesn't have pneumonia."

"That's all well and good, Koji," Mikisugi said as the One-Star gently set Ryūko down on a couch, "But I'm a teacher, not a doctor."

"I know that, but between us, I doubt Mr. Mankanshoku can treat pneumonia if she has it. Not to mention, I don't really think she'd be safe with the Academy's actual nursing staff."

Mikisugi took a slow sip of coffee, an eternally unreadable expression on his face. He pulled his other hand out of his pocket to rub the back of his neck. "Oh really? What makes you think she'd be safe here?"

"Because you're her homeroom teacher, and I know you care about your students, despite the frequent absences." Koji pulled a blanket over Ryūko's sleeping form, taking note of her expression. The girl seemed peaceful, if a bit troubled. A second later, the boy stood up and lightly bowed to Mr. Mikisugi, before preparing to leave the apartment. "At any rate, I have some important business I need to take care of for Lady Satsuki, so I'll be seeing you later."

"Ah, yes. Lady Satsuki. If I recall correctly, she offered you a Three-Star Goku Uniform, though for what I don't know." Koji instantly stopped in his tracks.

How does Mr. Mikisugi of all people know about that? Nobody but me, Iori, the Elite Four, and Kiryūin herself should know!

"…You heard about that, sir?"

"I'm curious," the teacher said, ignoring the question. "How loyal are you to Satsuki Kiryūin?"

What kind of question is that? "…I'm as loyal as one could reasonably expect a student concerned about his schoolmates to be," Koji said, being as vague as he thought possible. Mr. Mikisugi caught on to the non-answer. It told him nothing, yet everything he needed to know about the One-Star's priorities. With a slight wave of his hand, their conversation ended and Koji resumed his investigation of the innocent deaths.

.-.

Several hours later, Koji walked up to the house of the last of the three dead No-Stars, Reimi Kishibe. From what he recalled of the times he'd spoken to her, the girl lived alone, with her parents living in Osaka. That being the case, he chalked up the fact her death had even been noticed to Inumuta's information network.

Well, at least her parents won't end up suffering too badly when it comes to their housing and finances over this. Koji grimly thought to himself, trying to find any positives he could in the situation. One such positive would mean he wouldn't need to knock or wait for anyone to answer the door. Koji reached his hand out towards the doorknob, but hesitated for a moment when he noticed the door was open just the slightest possible amount.That on its own wasn't very strange, given that Kishibe was murdered after all, but combined with how the girl had been living on her own it gave Koji pause.

I don't hear Reimi's dog. I've got to be careful. The vampire might still be here.

Koji quietly made his way around to the back of the house, watching his every step. Though he believed the vampire could move around in sunlight, there was a possibility it would be asleep if it was here. If it wasn't asleep, then he didn't want to wake it up. When Koji located the back window, what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

They were difficult to make out, but when he did so it was obvious there were three different sets of fingerprints on the window. Time seemed to slow down and the breeze seemed to die out. Koji very slowly reached into his pocket to pull out his phone and made sure to mute the volume and turn off the flash before taking a photo of the window, making sure to capture all three sets.

Koji then pulled back the window before stepping into the house as silently as he could. A quick look around told him he was in Reimi's bedroom, what surely would have been an awkward situation if the girl were still alive. Speaking of Reimi, the state of her body shocked Koji, his blood turning to ice as he realized what it meant. Kishibe's body was lying face down on the bed, sheets soaked and dried through with blood. Instead of the desiccated state the others had been found in, several deep knife wounds were gouged into its back. Lying on the floor was the body of the girl's dog, neck slashed open.

Reimi and her dog weren't killed by the vampire. We have a second murderer.

Koji quickly reached into his other pocket and gripped a large, specialized seam ripper. The Sewing Club used them for cutting through Life Fibers, so if needed it could tear through flesh just as easily. The One-Star kept his guard up as he slowly crept through the halls of what he thought an empty house, following a faint dripping sound. Shortly after he realized it was coming from the bathroom.

Koji placed his ear to the door, listening for any potential movement, but the constant drip of water was all that greeted him. A few moments later, Koji carefully grabbed the doorknob and slowly twisted it in his hand, before quickly throwing it open and jumping in with the seam ripper held up. His eyes met the sight of a body, surely one that once belonged to the man who killed Kishibe and her dog, although it seemed the vampire had gotten to him before Koji had.

The blond breathed a sigh of relief before resuming his sweep of the house. Once he'd confirmed the vampire was no longer present in the building, he unmuted his phone and dialed Iori's number.

"Koji," came the Sewing Club President's voice, "How's the investigation coming?"

"Better than I expected, Shirō," Koji responded. "I may have found an actual clue as to the vampire's identity. I found some fingerprints on Reimi Kishibe's back window, three sets in fact." Koji left Kishibe's house through the front door and began his walk back towards Honnōji Academy proper.

"One of them is obviously Reimi's, another belonged to a man who I'm positive actually murdered her before the vampire got him, and the third must belong to the vampire itself. I'll send the picture over to you in a minute, and I'd appreciate it if you'd ask Inumua to take a look at them for me."

"Got it. Great work so far, Koji. Oh, and by the way, I suggest you make it back to school as fast as you can. Matoi's gotten into another fight with Hakodate."

Koji rubbed his fingers against his head as Iori hung up on his end of the call. Nothing could ever be simple for him around here, could it?

.-.

Ryūko determinedly strode back into Honnōji Academy's courtyard with a new fire in her step. She took a quick glance at her left hand, the red glove known as the Sekki Tekko resting on it.

"So, that pervert Mikisugi said this thing'll let me feed you blood, right Senketsu?"

"Indeed. He also said that if you managed to defeat Omiko Hakodate he would provide you more information on your father."

"Alright then." Ryūko clenched her left hand. "Then let's find that tennis bitch and beat her ass!"

"Ryūko, do you know where the tennis courts are?" The delinquent slowed her pace.

"Huh. I actually don't. I bet that One-Star'd know, but Mikisugi said he ran off to do some shit for Kiryūin."

"You mean Koji?" Senketsu asked.

"Yeah, him. What's his deal? First he interferes my first day here and gets Kiryūin to leave me alone, then he gets me out of the sewers, but apparently he's working for Kiryūin directly? Oh, and let's not forget how he's supposed to make sure I'm not causing any problems for her." Ryūko ranted, her blood pressure rising slightly. "I mean, what kind of game is he-"

Ryūko's ranting stopped when her eyes fell on a group of Tennis Club members surrounding another student, who appeared to be tied up and immobile. "Is that…?"

It was. The Tennis Club members tossed their balls up into the air one by one, volleying them directly towards Mako Mankanshoku. "Oh, Hell no!" Ryūko dashed towards the court as quickly as she could, putting all her strength into a running leap and readying her guitar case. The club members prepared another round of serves.

Clang! The tennis balls bounced harmlessly off of the guitar case. Ryūko hatefully glared out at the crowd of students with her fangs bared, immediately scaring most of them into backing off. One student that hadn't lost her nerve sent another tennis ball hurtling towards the pair, which Ryūko immediately backhanded over the school walls.

"Ryūko-chan!"

"Heya Mako," the drifter said, pulling out her scissor blade and cutting through Mako's bonds, "Sorry I'm late."

"Well, well, well," The green haired swordsman Uzu Sanageyama walked forwards with his arms crossed, and he was not happy to see Ryūko. "So, the little bat bitch comes fluttering back, huh?"

"Hah! Who're you callin' bitch? Way I see it, you're just Kiryūin's dancing monkey! And what's with the 'bat' stuff?"

"…I know what you are." He said quietly. Those five words nearly stopped Ryūko's heart and caused her eyes to widen.

"What?" The two stared each other down, clearly preparing for a fight. Sanageyama reached for his bamboo sword with his right hand.

"Ryūko," Senketsu spoke to his wearer, "You do not have enough experience to take on a Three-Star. I would suggest another retreat." But before Ryūko could retort, Hakodate took the moment to speak up.

"Chairman Sanageyama, please allow me to deal with Matoi for you." Sanageyama held his glare for a few seconds more, then turned to Hakodate and nodded.

"All right."

Immediately the Tennis Club members regained their spirit, lining up and waiting for their Captain's signal. "Well, looks like it's time to give you another beating, transfer student!" Hakodate ran her tongue over her shark-like teeth in a predatory grin.

"Yeah, right!" Ryūko retorted. "I'm the one kicking your ass! Let' go, Senketsu!" Holding the Sekki Tekko up, she twisted and pulled a tab with her right hand, piercing her wrist with a needle and drawing out some of her blood. Dozens of bright, star-shaped pinkish red lights shone forth from her uniform, and when they faded she was wearing the same revealing outfit from the day before, bright blush included.

"Wow. That looked painful and embarrassing, you masochistic stripper!"

"Bite my ass and let's get started already, Sharkface!"

Hakodate's shark-like grin turned into a scowl. "Let's see you deal with this! One Hundred Ten Million Cannonball Serves!" On her mark, the Tennis Club members launched a synchronized volley of blazing fast tennis balls. In response, Ryūko smirked and brandished her blade. In seemingly a single swing, she cut all the balls in half and out of the air, explosions of yellow thread littering the ground.

A sharp whistle rang in her ears. "Fault!" the voice of Sanageyama cried out from atop a referee's tower. "You're disqualified, Matoi!"

"Say what?!"

"Sure, you blocked Hakodate's attack, but cutting balls in half is against the rules of tennis!"

Ryūko looked down at her feet, noticing the green and white rectangle indicating a tennis court. "What the- When did that get there? And what about yesterday?"

"That was then, this is now."

"Bullshit! When we were boxing-"

"Well you aren't boxing now, Bat-Girl! You're disqualified!"

"No! She won!" Everyone present looked on in confusion as Mako spontaneously appeared next to Ryūko. "Ryūko-chan won! She won!"

"Say what?"

"Ryūko-chan rescued me!" Mako exclaimed, jumping into Ryūko's arms only to immediately jump out. "She may have lost the match, but she won with friendship! And winning with friendship means winning at life, so listen up! If you're going to be like that then you leave her no choice! Ryūko-chan will win! Even in tennis, even in tennis, even in tennis she'll win!"

"Fine, then." Sanageyama reached to his side, pulling up a tennis racket and tossing it to Ryūko. "Here."

Ryūko caught the racket out of the air, then shook her head a few times to regain focus after Mako's speech. "Alright, let's do this!"

.-.

Koji wheezed lightly as he raced into the academy courtyard, unsurprised by the ten-foot-tall, spike studded walls of the tennis court. He could hear loud cheering and the voice of Sanageyama calling out the score. It seemed just like yesterday, they were making Ryūko fight the club captains on their own turf.

Koji continuously apologized to the people he pushed past in the audience, making his way over to Mako just in time for the girl to pull Ryūko's scissor blade out of the wall and toss it down to the girl on the court. He watched as she easily caught and spun the blade around, pulling a black thread out of her skirt and tying up the hilt of her scissor blade into an improvised racket.

So she's transformed her uniform again.

Sanageyama blew on his whistle and prepared to fault Ryūko, but before he could a telling light shone brightly from the academy's main tower. Everyone present instantly recognized Satsuki Kiryūin's presence.

"It's all right," she called out commandingly, "Play along, Hakodate. Show the power of your Two-Star uniform."

"Kiryūin Satsuki," Ryūko growled. "Giving orders to your goons from up high again. It's creepy as shit!"

"Show me just how much of that Kamui's power you can weild, Matoi."

So Matoi's uniform is something called a Kamui? Koji thought, oblivious to the rest of their conversation. 'Godrobe', huh? I guess that explains the skimpiness. After all, what need for clothes would something as powerful as a god have? When it transforms, the Life Fibers must all concentrate in her extremities to provide her limbs more power.

A sudden burst of loud cheering snapped Koji out of his fabric-induced trance and back to the match, just in time to see Ryūko swing her blade towards Hakodate's midair body, destroying her Goku Uniform. He watched intently as the Banshi was once again absorbed into the Kamui.

"You did it, Ryūko-chan!"

The crowd's cheers were silenced when Sanageyama jumped down from the referee tower, pulling his sword off his back and readying it. Koji quickly jumped down as well, hoping to try and defuse the situation.

"Woah, woah, woah! I don't know who started it this time, but Matoi won fair and square Uzu!"

"Out of my way, Koji! You don't understand what's going on here!" Koji opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Satsuki suddenly appeared behind Sanageyama, sending a shiver up his spine.

"Narukami is correct, Sanageyama. Matoi is the winner of this match. You will have your chance soon." Sanageyama cursed under his breath, but relented. Ryūko roughly pushed Koji back and brandished her scissor blade menacingly at the Student Council President.

"So, are you going to tell me? Are you the woman with the other scissor blade?" A silence tense enough to be cut filled the air, everyone watching stone-still as Ryūko and Satsuki stared each other down. A single blink would be enough to miss the opening move, which Koji did.

Near instantly, a deep cut formed in Senketsu's shoulder piece, Ryūko's mouth open in shock. Koji looked on in fear, suddenly realizing just how futile his plans of rebellion really were.

The point of Satsuki's katana hovered centimeters above the ground.

"If you truly wish to know, then you must ask the question with your skill!"

Ryūko's legs were unsteady, as was her heart. She'd clearly underestimated Satsuki. She angled her head down, clearly talking to her Kamui again. "That's because you took too much blood again!"

Satsuki narrowed her eyes and brought her katana up horizontally. Koji wisely backed up another few feet and looked for any sort of cracks he could use to climb back out of the court. "This blade's name is Bakuzan. It's sharp enough to cut through even a Kamui. Its blade is sharper than even your scissor."

Suddenly, another blast of steam shot out of the Kamui, this time seemingly intentional. Hidden by the steam cloud, Ryūko jumped back, grabbing hold of Mako and Koji.

"Mark my words, Kiryūin Satsuki! Next time, I'll finish this once and for all! Come on guys, let's go!" Another burst of steam erupted to cover Ryūko's escape with her two 'accomplices'.

"You and me need to have a little talk, One-Star." Ryūko leaned her head in close to Koji and whispered in his ear, the boy shivering in response.

"That's fine, Matoi. I need to talk to you too."

.-.

NEXT EPISODE

Satsuki Kiryūin, the beautiful, supreme ruler of Honnōji Academy. And also the owner of another Kamui. Before that overwhelming power, Ryūko and I are helpless. Before the confrontation, secrets are revealed, and Koji must decide where his loyalties truly lie. What's wrong, Ryūko? Hurry up! Wear me and use me properly already!

Next time on Kill all Kill Polaris: Junketsu.

.-.

Sorry about skipping over most of the fight with Hakodate, I wasn't going to change anything and we all know what happens anyway. Next chapter obviously sees Junketsu appear, and also some interactions/clashing between our two protagonists. Thanks for reading, be sure to let me know any questions/comments, and see you next time!