"Holy shit, Satsuki," Ryuko grunted as she slowly lifted the large suit case and dropped it into the trunk of the car, "We're only going to be gone for week!" Four years had passed since Ryuko and Satsuki started dating and they were finally taking a real vacation, as in one that was not tied to one of Satsuki's many business trips.

"Exactly, we're going to be gone for a week," Satsuki approached the car and put a much smaller bag in the trunk alongside the suit case, "So I brought a week's worth of essentials." Ryuko placed her own suitcase into the trunk and shut it.

"It better not be full of tea…" Ryuko muttered and scowled as Satsuki handed her the keys before going to their respective sides of the car, "Seriously, when are you going to get your license?"

"You know I don't like to drive. Besides, why would I when I have you?" Satsuki smirked and winked, which warranted an exaggerated eye roll from Ryuko as they got into the car and shut the doors. Ryuko started the engine and Satsuki sighed as she looked down at her phone. Ryuko placed her hand on Satsuki's thigh and smiled.

"Hey, relax… I'm pretty sure your business can run without you for a week." Ryuko squeezed Satsuki's thigh before putting her hand back on the wheel and stepping on the gas pedal. "Besides, the therapists said we needed to get away, just the two of us… Especially you. You haven't had a vacation in… Fuck, Satsuki, have you ever had a vacation?" Satsuki furrowed her brows at Ryuko.

"Of course I have. Remember Singapore?"

"That was business, stupid."

"I only had a few meetings-"

"Still business." Satsuki shrugged and looked forward.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Ryuko looked over at Satsuki sympathetically when they came to a stop light.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, I promise…" The light turned green and Ryuko looked to either side of the intersection before proceeding down the street. "We're not going to be all that far from Honnouji, you know." Satsuki let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Ryuko was right, they were just renting a traditional Japanese manor on a beach in Okinawa for the week. Satsuki had been much farther from Honnouji on business trips. But she knew it was not the break from her business that was making her nervous. "It'll be fun, I promise." Ryuko smiled briefly at Satsuki before turning onto the onramp for the freeway. Satsuki looked around confused.

"Ryuko, the airport is southbound."

"I know, I… I need to make a quick stop…" Satsuki was about to protest until she realized that there was only one place north of the city that Ryuko ever visited. They were silent for the rest of the ride until Ryuko pulled onto a long gravel driveway that led to the burned ruins of her childhood home. She turned off the engine and they both stepped out, shutting the car doors behind them. Ryuko immediately shoved her hands in her pockets and sighed before proceeding slowly into the rubble with Satsuki in tow.

Nature had taken over the ruins; small bushes grew anywhere there was ash-mixed dirt and leafy vines clung to the walls that still stood. Ryuko and Satsuki carefully maneuvered their way around the debris and bushes until they came to a small ancestral shrine that sat against the wall of the far side of the house. It was heavily weathered from years of exposure and vines had begun to wrap themselves around it. Ryuko stopped in front of it and pulled two sticks of incense out of her pocket, handing one to Satsuki.

"One for dad…" Satsuki looked over the thin red stick in her hand. The only memory she had left of her father was him introducing her to Junketsu, claiming that it was to be her 'wedding dress' before he disappeared from her life. She had assumed her mother had killed him until she later learned that he had actually escaped in order to save Ryuko and develop a weapon capable of defeating the Life Fibers. "And one for Senketsu…"

Ryuko placed her stick in the burner sitting on top of the shrine and Satsuki followed her lead. Ryuko pulled a small book of matches from her pocket and lit the two sticks, then took a step back to watch them burn. They gave off a strong smokey, cinnamon scent, which only grew stronger as the wind blew on them, causing them to burn faster. Satsuki stepped up to Ryuko and wrapped her arms around her shoulders from behind. Ryuko pulled her hands out of her pockets and rested them on Satsuki's forearms, lifting one of them to her lips to leave a brief kiss on her wrist.

. . .

"I seriously hate flying in your jet, Satsuki," Ryuko complained as she stormed into the bedroom and immediately dropped the luggage. Satsuki followed behind and gently set down her bags.

"What's wrong with my jet?"

"It's just so… pretentious!" Ryuko groaned as she flopped down on the bed. Satsuki crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"It's not pretentious, it's practical. You know how much I travel. I can't depend on commercial airlines and their shifty schedules, it makes perfect sense to have a private jet." Ryuko struggled to think of a good comeback but eventually gave up and instead opted to blow a brief raspberry. Satsuki rolled her eyes again and sat down next to Ryuko on the bed, placing a hand on her bare knee. "God, you're annoying," she said with a gentle smile and Ryuko smiled back.

"Yeah, but that's why you love me. You'd get bored with someone who didn't challenge your patience. Besides…" Ryuko's smile grew increasingly mischievous as she folded her arms behind her head, "I know you can't get enough of me." After four years, Satsuki knew Ryuko's cues well. She hoisted herself onto the bed and straddled her hips before leaning down to share a passionate kiss. Ryuko pulled her hands out from behind her head and buried them in Satsuki's short hair (Satsuki had decided to keep the haircut Ryuko gave her four years ago despite Ryuko's pleads to do something more creative with it), pulling her deeper into the kiss.

"We should.. go for a… walk on the beach… before the sun sets," Satsuki attempted to suggest between kisses earning a sensual groan from Ryuko.

"We could… Or we could, you know…" Ryuko slid her fingers under the strap of Satsuki's white summer dress and pulled it down off her shoulder. Satsuki knew this cue, too, and smiled as she sat up and started to pull off her dress with Ryuko's help.

"Hey," she began as she finally freed herself from the dress, "We've actually come really far, you know."

"What do you mean?" Ryuko reached around and unhooked Satsuki's bra as she patiently unbuttoned Ryuko's white, short-sleeved button-up.

"Well, you know…" Satsuki paused and looked Ryuko up and down after gently pulling her shirt open. She ran her hand down the smooth skin on her stomach, earning an excited shiver from Ryuko. "There was a time when this was impossible…" Ryuko sat up and let her shirt fall off her shoulders before reaching behind her and unhooking her own bra, tossing both off to the side.

"That's the power of patience, guidance, and love…" Ryuko snaked a hand behind Satsuki's head and pulled her down gently as she leaned back onto her elbow. Satsuki happily accepted the invitation and began to trail kisses down Ryuko's neck and chest. "Mmm, especially love…" Ryuko tightened her grip on Satsuki's hair as her kisses found their way down her stomach.

. . .

Ryuko was woken up by the harsh, metallic sound of the shower curtain sliding open in the bathroom. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes; she wanted to go back to sleep but her back was stiff and sore due to a combination of the unfamiliar bed and the activities of the night before. She pushed off the sheets and sleepily made her way to bathroom. She leaned against the door, scratching the back of her head as Satsuki stepped out of the shower with her towel draped over her shoulders.

"Wow, you're awake," Satsuki blinked in bewilderment before wrapping her towel around herself.

"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep anymore…" Ryuko rubbed her eyes and shared a brief kiss with Satsuki who chuckled slightly.

"You need a shower, love," Ryuko ran her hand through her messy hair as Satsuki ran her toothbrush under the faucet and squeezed a dab of toothpaste on the bristles.

"Yeah, I do…" She turned around and reentered the bedroom, looking around at the bags on the floor, "Hey, do you remember which bag I put my shampoo in?" Satsuki spit out her mouthful of minty froth before answering.

"I think you put it in mine. It didn't fit in yours, remember?" Ryuko kneeled in front of Satsuki's large suitcase and flipped open the lid, staring at the contents for a few seconds before starting to dig through it.

"Did I?" She became increasingly frustrated the longer she spent rooting through the clothes, "Dammit, I hope I didn't leave it behind-" Ryuko stopped when her hand grasped around a small box with a soft, velvety surface. She pulled it out and immediately recognized it as a box you would get from a jewelry store. Curious, she opened it and was nearly blinded by the glare from the platinum-banded ring inside. She titled it away from the morning light coming in through the window and took a closer look. The ring bore one large, circular diamond accompanied by two smaller rubies on each side with several tiny alternating rubies and diamonds set in the platinum band on either side of the three larger gemstones.

"Holy shit," Ryuko whispered to herself as she continued to look the ring over, only looking away when she heard Satsuki enter the room behind her, wearing her signature white bathrobe, "Hey Sats, what's this?" Ryuko became even more confused when Satsuki froze, a deep red blush quickly taking over her face. "Satsuki?…" Satsuki looked off to the side and swallowed hard as she bit her lip.

"It's, um… an engagement ring…" To her surprise Ryuko burst out laughing.

"An engagement ring? Did one of your egomaniacal foreign suitors get it for you hoping you'd suddenly gain an interest in men?" Satsuki looked up, still blushing and biting her lip nervously.

"Um, no… Ryuko…" Ryuko wiped away a tear, still laughing hysterically, as Satsuki came and kneeled down next to her, "It's… It's for you…" Ryuko froze, blinking at Satsuki who was staring down at the ground. It took a full minute before she was finally able to speak, though it came out in a weak whisper.

"What?…" Satsuki immediately interrupted her with a fast-paced ramble.

"I took a look back in the records. Immediately after you were born, Ragyo did her experiments on you and thought you died, so you were never issued a legitimate birth certificate. Your legal birth certificate that you were given after our father escaped with you lists you as "Matoi". Our father also used a fake name for both himself and the mother, so legally, we're not related. The only thing tying you to the Kiryuins was Ragyo's word (and she's gone) and DNA, and the last time I checked they don't pull blood when you get a marriage license-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Satsuki, what's all this about?…" Ryuko looked Satsuki up and down as she took a deep breath and gently took the small box from her hand, pulled the ring out, and slipped it onto Ryuko's right ring finger. She swallowed hard once more and held on tight to Ryuko's hands.

"Ryuko… Will you please marry me?…" Ryuko just stared at Satsuki for the longest time, unsure how to deal with the wave of emotions flooding through her. She eventually settled on throwing her arms around Satsuki's neck and whispering just loud enough for her to hear.

"Yes…"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hey, sorry for the long wait! Thank you all so much for all your love and support during the making of this project! I never anticipated such a positive reaction to my first fanfic in years. Seriously, thank you! I couldn't have done it without all your words of encouragement. I'm sorry to cut this series short but I really want to work on other projects, both fanfics and original work. Thank you again! Look forward to more Ryuko la Satsuki fics in the future!