Ryuko is a strange girl.

Not just her preference for violence, hot-headed manner, or even the strange outfit she uses to battle against the others using goku uniforms. Those are just the rules of the game now, and you've come to accept that this academy isn't just any normal school. Something bigger is going on here and Ryuko has a vested interest in finding out what that is.

No, what's strange is the way she behaves around you. After forcibly befriending you and making you a part of her 'team' along with the cheery Mako, her attitude had taken a turn for the strange. Whenever she's around you she seems almost paranoid about something. You don't know what it is, but she never wants you to be out of sight or too far away from her.

Every morning you come down from your dorm room and find Ryuko waiting at the bottom of the stairs in her midriff exposing sailor uniform. She wordlessly escorts you up the gigantic mountain that leads to the gates of the academy, giving the stink eye to anyone who dares get close to you in the process.

She continues to shadow you all the way to your class, even when you aren't in the same lesson together. Before you're even up and out of your seat when the period ends, she's outside waiting impatiently for you.

"What took you so long, asshole?"

Her foul mouth certainly hasn't dulled any since becoming your friend.

"I couldn't get out of class any faster than that," you explain plainly.

"Where's Mako?"

Ryuko snorts derisively, "She got detention. Come on."

You head out into the yard to one side of the main building, which has become your designated hangout spot when Ryuko isn't getting into crazy fights with leaders of different clubs. You have never once complained about getting to spend time with her though. Ryuko is beautiful and sexy. You've seen a lot of her well-toned body in her strange, superpowered outfit while she's trying to 'protect' you. From your perspective, none of the club presidents are even interested in your presence.

She glances at you out of the corner of her eye, "Hey, why are you getting an eyeful?"

You snap back to the front, "Sorry. I was zoning out."

"I never said you had to stop," she smirks. Ryuko doesn't usually tell jokes unless it comes at the expense of someone else. The only thing you can conclude is that she's daring you to do it again. The midday meal is awkward and done in silence. Without Mako here to break the ice, you and Ryuko have very little to say. But just when you think the period is going to go by without anything strange occurring...

Suddenly, out of nowhere, hundreds of students wearing uniforms appear out of thin air and surround you on all sides. Ryuko leaps to her feet and clenches her fists. The crowd parts and allows the Student Council president to pass through. Kiryuin Satsuki stands pridefully at the head of the gang.

"Gah! Not this highbrow bitch again!" Ryuko cries.

"Matoi Ryuko," she snarls, "What do you think you're doing? I was gracefully willing to ignore your sins as long as you kept yourself from mingling with the other promising students – but now you've dragged this boy into your larceny."

"Shut your damn mouth, eyebrows!"

Satsuki slams the bottom of her katana into the dirt, kicking up a dense cloud of dust. "I've tolerated your dirty mouth and destructive behaviour until now. You are only here at this academy at my behest, if not for me you would have been thrown into the gutter weeks ago."

"Psh, big talk! Sounds to me like you're too scared to fight me for real!"

Satsuki's already furrowed brow dropped even further; "Do you not recall the last time we fought? You're not worthy to shine my boots. You've stepped over the line and taken something from me – laying hands on my property. It's time for me to teach you your proper place."

In a flash of light, Satsuki transforms into a supremely skimpy outfit that bears a striking resemblance to the one that Ryuko uses, though it is dyed in her trademark blue and white colours instead of black and red. Ryuko is taken aback by the appearance of something that can match her own godly uniform.

"Heh, you finally decided to get serious? It'll just make kicking your ass feel even better!" Ryuko tugs on the band around her wrist and infuses her clothes with drops of her blood – powering it up and transforming her into her full completed state.

Before you can try to put a stop to the needless violence, Ryuko launches her at Satsuki so quickly that you can't even perceive her body. She turns into a coloured blur, smashing into her at maximum velocity and sending them barrelling through the crowd of lower level students. Bodies fly everywhere. You run and duck for cover before you get caught in the crossfire too.

Satsuki and Ryuko both have their respective weapons drawn, hands moving at inhuman speeds. The rest of the students think better of getting in the way and flee the courtyard, leaving you alone once again.

"I'm not letting you get in my way! You frigid bitch!" Ryuko roars, leaping into the air and coming down on top of Satsuki with an overhead swing.

"You aren't suitable to be my servant, never mind claim what's rightfully mine!" Satsuki fires back in response. Her swordplay is much more refined than Ryuko's is, and soon she shifts the momentum of the fight by delivering a series of blows that force Ryuko onto the defensive. Their power is so great that concrete shatters beneath their bodies, the swords cut with such deadliness that even a momentary brush with one could sever your limbs.

You don't know what brought this on. This is even more intense than you expected from all of the bitter words that Ryuko has to say about her. These two truly despise one another, and you get the impression that it's partly your fault. You decide to hedge your bets and cheer for Ryuko – she is your friend after all. Satsuki's scowl grows even deeper as she hears you hollering, if that was at all possible.

They fly out of your field of view again. In all of the chaos and destruction being wrought by the two girls, what happens to you is going completely unnoticed. A flash of pink fills your vision for a brief moment, giving way to the short and strangely dressed form of a blonde stranger. She's covered with frills and has a patch over one of her eyes.

"Hi!"

"Who are you?"

Wham! Before you even know what's happening, she swings out and knocks you out with a powerful punch. The last thing you see is the dirt approaching from below.

--------

You awaken with a start. It takes a moment, but you quickly realise that you are no longer within the confines of the school. The plush interior of white leather and the enclosed space initially give the impression of a limo, but the rounded windows on either side look out onto some kind of landing pad.

"He's awake!"

You snap back to attention. Across from you is the blonde-haired girl that grabbed you. Despite her unique appearance and sense of style, the real eye-catcher is next to her, with crossed legs and a confident sneer on her face. The woman dominates the small cabin with her sheer presence, though she is also rather... big. Tall, wearing a white dress that covers as little of her body as humanly possible. Her hairs flares outwards like the wings of a swan, revealing a spectrum of colours hiding beneath.

"Uh. Hello."

She smirks, "Good evening. No need for introductions, I already know everything about you. I am Ragyo Kiryuin, I assume that you are already acquainted with my dear daughter?"

Daughter? She must mean the student council president...

The girl to her left is creeping you out. She's leaning forward in her seat like a rabid dog being held tight on a short leash. That, combined with the incredibly mature beauty now giving you a strange look, is liable to put even the sternest person on edge.

"Yes, I am. But... how did you know?"

"Nothing happens in this school without me knowing of it," Ragyo insists, "I am a rather controlling parent, for good or ill – and I'd like to make my own assessment of you."

"Why?"

"Oh? Did she not tell you? Always so coy, isn't she. Satsuki was rather stricken with you when your application first came across her desk. She demanded that you be admitted to the academy post-haste, regardless of your grades or behavioural record."

That sends you for a loop, "Stricken, like... she has a crush on me?"

That's the most unbelievable thing you've seen or heard thus far, and you've had a front row seat to some of the superpowered beatdowns that Ryuko has been dispensing half-nude since she showed up and declared herself your bodyguard. Satsuki is stunning, composed, and more than a little intimidating. Why would she crush on a nobody like you?

Ragyo laughs at your expression; "I see. You're probably wondering how a girl like that falls for a man like you. I should say, like mother like daughter, she and I are alike in that sense. When I first met my husband I simply had to have him no matter what it took. If there's something we desire, we should strive to attain it without delay or remorse – that is what I have taught her."

"But still..."

"Hm? Do you believe that she is mistaken in her assessment?"

"We haven't even talked that much. She's too busy running the school." You're certain that if she speaks with you at length, this whole crush thing will be cleared up right away. There's more to a relationship than looking at the poorly shot profile image from your previous school.

Ragyo titters, "Now, now. There's no need to be so pessimistic. I think it's rather romantic, perhaps you could even call it fate."

You sigh. That just sounds completely insane to you. Why would Satsuki have a crush on you? And she hasn't made any moves to get to know you better beyond calling you into her office on your first day. If you want answers, the only place to get them would be from the girl herself. Ragyo continues to stare a hole through your head. There's a touch of madness to her gaze.

All of a sudden, she pushes herself up and out of her seat, it's easy for her to bridge across to your side in the cramped compartment. Her left hand slams against the back wall and boxes you in. You tense up as she leers at you from above with a vicious smile. Her huge breasts hang down in front of you, threatening to slip loose from the modern dress; and her mouth moves closer and closer to your ear. You shiver as her breath runs across the sensitive skin there.

"If you find the idea of being with my daughter unacceptable, I could always take you for myself."

You stammer, "Wha... What?"

Her other hand clutches your chin and cheek with a surprising amount of strength, forcing you to look her in the eyes again; "Like mother, like daughter. I get a good feeling from you. If Satsuki has chosen you to be her fated partner, then it only makes sense that we have a similar level of 'compatibility.'"

You can feel the sweat dripping down the back of your neck as Ragyo's smell fills your senses. Perfume, shampoo, the scent of an older woman. This is too much for you to handle. You shuffle uncomfortably in your seat and try to ignore the eroticism of the situation. She refuses to let go. She knows that you're boiling under your uniform right now. She wants to crank the pressure higher and higher until it bursts...

Just as quickly as it started – it ends. She releases your head and neatly slots herself back into her place, making sure to tug on the edges of her blouse to prevent any further spillage. She crosses her shapely legs and waves her hand in the air wistfully, "I'm just teasing." You get the impression that she's very serious.

She continues, "I won't object to your courtship with Satsuki. But I needn't say that you should treat her well, like the lady she is. Otherwise there may be unforeseen consequences." A threat, not a suggestion. Not just to treat Satsuki well but to date her in the first place. There's a hidden meaning to what she says. You are going to be Satsuki's boyfriend – she is making that extremely clear.

"Uhm. If she... if she'll have me," you offer, hoping it will satisfy whatever twisted motives Ragyo is hiding.

She smiles, "Very good. I'm so glad that we had the chance to talk like this. You'll find that we're atop the school at the moment. The elevator is open, you can simply take yourself back down to the courtyard. They should be done brawling by now."

Without another word the doors on your left swing open and morph into a set of steps. You bow to Ragyo to try and please her, before hopping out and walking away as fast as your legs can carry you. You do not want to be stuck in there for any longer than you have to. Never in your life have you felt such an incredible pressure from someone else. She's a monster. That's the kind of mother that raises a girl like Satsuki.

There are no further surprises waiting for you. You take the elevator back down to the yard and find Ryuko in a crumpled heap. It looks like the fight came to an inconclusive end, "Are you okay?"

Ryuko opens her eyes and laughs, "Yeah. I scared her off. What happened to you?"

"I was... hiding."

Ryuko notices your hesitation, but says nothing.