Satsuki remained silent, unsure of how to respond. It had not been her intention for Soroi to know the entire truth.

"I'm sorry." She murmured finally. "I didn't wish to burden you with the knowledge of Mother's actions."

Soroi knelt by her side, and took her hand into his. "Ojou-sama, I have been burdened with that for a long time. Ever since I first comforted you from your night terrors as a child. And as I said then, I only wish that I could have protected you for all these years. From her."

Satsuki shifted, not wanting to cry again in fear that she would not be able to stop. "There was nothing you could do." She replied softly. "It was necessary for me to endure it in order to deceive her. Your never-ending support was all that I needed to survive it."

Satsuki pulled her hand out of his warm grasp, and pulled her old uniform top out of the neat pile by her side. She gracefully pulled it over her arms and began buttoning the front with fingers that trembled slightly from exhaustion. Soroi and Ryuuko both turned their gaze as she pulled on her pants.

"What news do you have, Soroi?" she asked.

"Nudist Beach and the Elite Four were forced to retreat against the COVERS." Soroi responded. "The priority became to evacuate the arena, as the suits began attacking the civilians and absorbing them. Your mother disappeared after a large explosion, and all of Honnoji is in the process of being evacuated to Nudist Beach's headquarters in Osaka. We are also receiving reports of COVERS descending on cities across Japan, primarily in cities with academies that are subjugated by Honnoji. So far there have been no media reports on the attacks, for reasons that we are still unsure of."

Satsuki took Soroi's proffered arm and pulled herself shakily into a standing position. "Your thoughts, Matoi?" she asked.

Ryuuko was slow to respond. "I don't think we have any choice but to head to Osaka and regroup there. Senketsu and I aren't strong enough to defeat our mother on our own, we need more resources and we need to figure out a plan."

Satsuki scoffed playfully. "A plan, Ryuuko? That's not normally your style."

Ryuuko smiled in response. "Maybe I'm just taking a page out of your book, Kiryuin. You are the one who normally has everyone playing along to your plan."

"Perhaps, but did Satsuki-chan plan this?" A high pitched voice rang out as the room suddenly went dark. A horde of white suits crashed suddenly though the windows and stood menacingly against the wall as Nui stepped lightly into the room with an amused smile.

"Nui!" Ryuuko shouted, brandishing her scissor half in the woman's direction. Her eyes fluttered across the room, hoping for an egress point that involved not fighting. She could not find one.

"I came here to find Satsuki-chan under Ragyo-sama's orders, and instead I found both Kiryuin sisters. Lucky me!" Nui exclaimed, and her smile widened. "I never imagined that the two of you could possibly be sisters, but I should have known better. You are both too adorable not to be! Like Ragyo-sama says, la vie est drole!" Nui giggled wildly, fluttering easily around the room to avoid Ryuuko's swings with the scissor half. She pulled out her own, and trapped Ryuuko's half with an easy swing.

"As cute as I find you, Ryuuko-chan, I have my orders to leave you alone for now. Ragyo-sama wishes to speak to Satsuki-chan alone." Nui purred, and poked Ryuuko in the nose with her free hand. The suits that were against the wall descended suddenly, three of them forming a wall in front of Ryuuko. A piercing scream filled the room, and Ryuuko forced her way through the gap between two suits far enough to see Satsuki being pulled towards another suit by a red thread.

"Matoi!" Satsuki cried, struggling violently against the thread. Soroi rushed forwards, but was sent flying across the room by another suit and lay against the wall, apparently unconscious.

"No, Satsuki!" Ryuuko screamed, but could only extend a hand helplessly as she watched her sister be aborbed by the white suit. Nui's laugh suddenly filled Ryuuko's ears, and a sharp pain on the back of her head caused Ryuuko's vision to flicker and turn black. Nui's laugh was the last thing that she remembered.

End.

AN: I'm sorry it is so short, but this was the only way I could think of ending this while steering the plot back to the current plot of KLK. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and support, it's been fun writing this and I have a few ideas for future storylines for new stories. Cheers!