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Eight years... It had been eight years, four months, and sixteen days since Ragyo had tried to encompass the world in Life Fibers, and eight years, four months, and sixteen days since Ryuko had lost her best friend.
Senketsu
He was the only one who'd known how she truly felt, knew her pain in being neither human nor Life Fiber. He was her friend and confidante, the one she truly trusted with all of her heart, and now he was gone. Destroyed from the overkill power that had saved the human race and the very earth itself.
A now twenty five year old Ryuko sat curled up on the couch Satsuki had insisted on buying for her humble abode, a small house that flanked the ocean and had an excellent view of the shore, but the dark haired woman could care less. She closed her sad blue eyes, her mind focused on the past with her long since gone friend.
She was naked, her fingers absently scratching a the soft fabric of the sofa, but even the high quality threads woven into the piece of furniture felt rough against her skin. After all these years she could easily remember how soft and silken Senketsu had felt on her. Like a perfect match.
"Sunday best"
"Its been so long... I wonder if there's even a place for Life Fibers after they die out? Then again, you were never really just a Life Fiber, were you? You were-," Ryuko choked on a sob as tears spilled down her pale cheeks. From there she didn't even try to suppress her weeping, the mourning of her friend that she only allowed once a year while Mako was off on some amazing vacation with her strange, but lovable family and Setsuki was tending to Honnoji Academy. She didn't want any witnesses to her grief; she was supposed to be strong for her friends and family, because she was The Ryuko Matoi, a girl who, against all odds, was undefeatable with her bat crazy and wayward personality, but also because she was too prideful to show her pain to others.
She loved Mako and her family, and Satsuki had become more kind and sisterly over the years, but nothing could fill the hole left by her kamui.
He was the only outfit she wanted to wear.
No amount of cute clothes pleased her, no matter how high quality the threads. They were rough and scratchy against her skin in comparison to her deceased partner and nothing could change it.
She would rather be naked then to wear anything that wasn't Senketsu.
"You know, I'm twenty five now. I... I-I probably wouldn't even fit in you anymore," she chuckled through another sob, futilely wiping away her onslaught of tears,"I've grown. I'm a bit taller now, and my curves are a bit bigger, but I still have a small waist so maybe..." She let out a shaky sigh, leaning her forehead against her knees, her words a sound that was barely even a whisper.
"I miss you."
Suddenly something soft brushed against her arm, tickling her skin, but the sensation was all too familiar.
Ryuko looked to see what invader had dared disturb her, but froze as a single glowing thread laid carelessly on her arm. Tears swelled in her blue eyes once more as she picked the thread up in a ginger hold, looking deeply into the red string, until a sudden pulse from the thread startled her.
Any other person would have thrown the thing away upon sight, but...
"Senketsu?"
A warm glow emanated from the thread and filled Ryuko with so many feelings and memories. A sobbing and hysterical mess now, Ryuko hugged the thread to her chest, tears falling down her cheeks like there was no end to them.
"I-is this all that's left of you? Senketsu! S-Senketsu...", she trailed off, simply holding the last thread of her dear friend close.
He felt so weak in her grasp, so tired, but even so he continued to pulse soothingly, like a steady heart beat.
"Don't you worry, Senketsu! I promise I'll put you back together, even better than before! You'll make all of the other clothes so jealous," she half joked as she wiped away her tears. Carefully she carried her friend to her room and began unceremoniously tearing through her drawers for sewing supplies, Senketsu still clutched in her hand.
"I'll be sure to iron you as much as you want, and hang you out only on nice days, and-"
"Ryuko..."
The woman froze suddenly as she heard that deep, growling voice she'd missed so much. She quickly spun around to look for its source, but she found none.
Then she looked down at the thread in her hands.
Its glow was gone, faded away so that the string was now nothing more than a dull thread void of life. The tears began again, but this time silently.
Senketsu had held on for one last farewell, and now he was gone. Ryuko smiled sadly at the thought and closed her eyes,'No, its just goodbye for now, Senketsu. I'm sure there's something waiting for us on the other side, and its there that we'll meet again.'
Slowly Ryuko stood and placed the dull thread on her dresser, smiling at it one last time before getting dressed.