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[writingpaperghost]

Blur the Line (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4: Who's the Real Reaper?

Medic modifies Roidmudes to "aid" Shin's duties. Shin is less than thrilled about this. And when Shin is injured, some painful truths come out.

Hello, hi, it's me. Back after… *checks watch* uh… almost two years exactly. Whoops. I've been working on this chapter off and on since I finished the previous chapter, but finally managed to get it finished in time to post something for Drive's 1oth anniversary. There's like, no way I'll finish this fic before the end of the year, even if that would be cool, but that's fine. We've got this at least, I think it's the longest chapter so far. Hope it was worth the wait!

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42588966/chapters/153164719

“Mr. Heart, Shin,” Medic called, “I have something wonderful to share with you.”

Shin plopped a milk candy in his mouth before looking over, while Heart turned his attention much quicker. “I recall you were working on something new, Medic,” Heart said.

The smile on Medic’s face was… strange. Off. Shin didn’t like it. “Yes, I’ve modified Roidmudes to create the Reaper Legion – they can take over Shin’s job, much more easily going after rogue Roidmudes, as there are more of them.” She seemed incredibly proud of her creation.

Heart seemed interested. Shin was not. Shin was… upset, he decided that was the proper word. “You want to replace me?” He asked, his voice sharper than usual.

“Not at all,” Heart was quick to reassure, “Think of it this way, a job is easier the more people you have doing it.”

“You both just don’t want me fighting,” No matter how much either tried to say, Shin was not going to believe that the creation of these modified Roidmudes weren’t simply just to keep him from fighting – or at least get him to fight less. “So, you’re trying to get them to take my place.”

“Shin,” Medic began, her voice almost loving, “You know we care about you; we want you to be safe.”

He crossed his arms, “You’re trying to coddle me.” Like he was still some child. “I’m not that- that small and helpless anymore.”

That version of him was long gone, burned away with everything else, that night. Even before that, it had been slowly replaced, piece by piece, but whatever was left burned when the world froze. He wasn’t a helpless child who sobbed and hid behind Heart. He wasn’t a helpless anything and he didn’t need Heart or Medic to protect him.

---

Of course, Masanori showed up while both of the “Kyus” were present. He stands in the doorway, staring at the two with confusion, lips turning slowly into a frown. “Why… are there two… Saijos?”

Both of the Kyus stare at him, startled. His question is answered by Gou, though, “One of ‘em’s a Roidmude, we just don’t know which.”

“Oh…” Masanori looks between the two. “Well, they both seem like Kyu, so the Roidmude’s… probably… decently friendly?”

“What kind of deduction is that?” Gou huffed, “Obviously the Roidmude’s just acting, honestly big bro, you’d be terrible at this detective work.”

Kiriko sighed, “Sorry, Masanori, but it’s probably better you come back later.”

He doesn’t respond right away, seemingly in thought. She could see the ideas turning and spinning in his mind, though she wasn’t sure what they were about. Finally, he pulled Kiriko aside, “Have you considered testing to see which is more athletic?”

“What?”

“I mean, we both know Saijo doesn’t really… exercise, but a Roidmude would be naturally quicker. So then all you’d have to do is give them the right motivation… er, Saijo really likes that one anime, maybe something from that but a bit fragile, so they have reason to go after it.” Listening to Masanori’s idea, Kiriko found that it seemed… good enough. But she’d also feel bad if something got broken.

In the end, she uses Colorful Commercial to make a hologram of a Murmur Mansion plate, then dropped it. She hoped that Masanori was right about this. One of the Kyus, the one in white, leaped forward and caught the plate, while the other dawdled behind.

Masanori smiled, “I think that answers it for you,”

Gou looked between the Kyu in white, Masanori, and Kiriko, “Okay, so maybe I stand corrected and you’re decent at this, Nori.”

“Such a vote of confidence,” Masanori mumbled.

Now that they know which is the real Kyu and which was the Roidmude, 072 got a scared expression before running off. Worried and defeated, Kyu explained how he and 072 met. Chase had stayed just long enough to hear that story before hurrying off to go after 072. Masanori left right after himself, saying that he should probably leave them to their jobs.

---

When Shin finds 072, he also finds Proto Zero, though thankfully untransformed. 072 was explaining to Proto Zero as to what had happened earlier, ending by begging to get to stay with Saijo.

He had a human he also wanted to stay with, Shin felt… something about that. Something kind of nice, he thinks. No matter what Proto Zero and Krim chose to do, he was going to make sure that 072 survived this – though that wouldn’t really let him continue to be with Saijo, but that was a different problem.

To Shin’s surprise, Proto Zero seemed to be considering letting 072 go. Then, to Shin’s further surprise, though he probably shouldn’t have been, Medic arrives, with her legion of replacements, but neither 072 or Proto Zero saw her.

The moment she went to attack 072 – and she was surely going to try to kill him – Shin rushed forward, blocking her attack. Now, surely both of their presences were known.

“T-The Grim Reaper?” 072 hurried to hide behind Proto Zero.

“Shin,”

“Shin! Why did you do that?” Medic frowned, “That was dangerous, you could have been hurt.”

Taking a slow breath, Shin asked, “Why were you trying to kill 072?”

Carefully, she answered, “You know what your and the Reaper Legion’s duties are. To deal with rogue Roidmudes,” she looked past Shin, over his shoulder and back at Proto Zero and 072. He didn’t like having his back to Proto Zero, but for this, he’d take the chance.

“Last I checked, my duty was to bring rogue Roidmudes back so they could be reprogrammed,” He said, voice firm, “Not killed.”

“That’s because you can’t destroy their cores,”

“That’s not my point! Are you trying to tell me 072 deserves to die for- for being friends with a human?” He keeps his tone sharp, glaring at her, “If that’s his crime, then aren’t I guilty of it too?”

Something in Medic’s expression wavered, her determination to go through with this. She studied Shin, like she was trying to determine if he was really going through with this. At what point would he give up, decide that this wasn’t worth it?

Except Shin didn’t think that point existed. If it was truly so wrong to be friends with a human, then he should be punished too. He kept his glare steady, waiting for Medic to make her move.

“Fine,” she sighed. “But we’re going to talk about this later.” ‘we’ certainly included Heart in that matter.

But Shin felt good at her agreeing, he had kept 072 both free of being reset or dead. Able to have the chance to be Saijo more, with his friend. He smiled, before Medic left, leaving him with just 072 and Proto Zero.

He turned to face them as 072 spoke, “You- you saved me?”

“Yes,” Shin said, “You seem surprised.”

“You’re the Grim Reaper. You don’t- save Roidmudes.” 072 creeps out from behind Proto Zero, “Are you really friends with a human?”

In that moment, Shin thought of Kiriko’s smile, nodding, “Of course,”

Proto Zero takes a step forward, “That is why you don’t go out of your way to attack humans, correct?”

“No, I just don’t see the point in fighting people who aren’t involved.”

“Then what about Kiriko? When she stood in your way, you stopped yourself from attacking her.” He takes another step towards Shin.

“She wasn’t a part of the fight,” Shin answered quickly, “So even though she put herself in the way, I wasn’t going to hurt someone just because of it.” He turned, quickly leaving.

---

It had been decided that 072 would continue aiding the SIU as he had been under the guise of Kyu previously. Gou… didn’t like that, much – in his eyes working with Chase had obviously been bad enough, but now having another, he was pretty annoyed. When he heard he got all silent, and Kiriko was surprised he didn’t leave the room right then and there.

“What do you know about Shin?” Krim asked, while they were in the Drive Pit and Rinna was doing some tests to see if there was anything strange about 072. Though they didn’t think there was anything unusual, it was a good way to see if it was possible that 072 was somehow unique compared to other Roidmudes. Kiriko just thought that he was further proof that humans and Roidmudes could get along.

“He’s Heart and Medic’s favorite, for one,” 072 answered, “that’s why he was tasked to be the Grim Reaper – he wanted to help but they don’t want him too near to danger. So they let him deal with Rogue Roidmudes or something, though now he’s obviously fighting you guys.”

Gou rolled his eyes, “So why’d he keep Medic from scrapping you?”

Chase answered that one, “He said that he was friends with a human too, and that if it was reason enough to kill 072 then he should be punished too.”

“Like I said, he’s treated differently. He’s… special, more human than the rest of us can ever be.”

“So still not very?” Gou commented. “You’re machines, you can’t be humans.”

“Gou,” Kiriko scolded, though he was unbothered.

---

“He’s getting in the way again,” Shin overheard Brain say as he approached the room that Heart, Brain, and Medic were in. “Heart, you need to keep him under control.”

“He’s not getting in the way, Brain,” Medic hissed, “He’s just… been misguided by that human.”

That’s when Shin reached the room, entering. He looks between the three, waiting for one of them to say something. It’s Heart who speaks first, “Shin… I believe we need to discuss recent events.”

With confidence, Shin said, “072 doesn’t deserve to die just for being friends with a human.”

“Humans just get in the way of our plans, they don’t care about us,” Brain scowled.

“Then what about me?” Shin scowled back, “Do you think I should die for being friends with a human?”

Brain pushed his glasses up, causing a chill to run down Shin’s spine, “Perhaps we should do something about that. You have been rather rebellious lately, maybe we should finally reset you.” Shin’s eyes widen in disbelief at Brain’s suggestion, the room suddenly a lot colder.

Medic turned to Brain, “Absolutely not!”

“Why? Sooner or later, he’ll stop listening to either of you entirely!”

That wasn’t true. They were his family, just because Shin didn’t always agree with them didn’t mean he wouldn’t ever listen to them. It hurt that Brain would even dare to suggest that he might leave them.

Heart steps between the two, “No such measures need to be taken,” he looks at Shin, “though I will have to ask that you not do something like this again, Shin. 072 may not be much of a threat to us, even if he joins the humans, but the same may not be true in the future.”

While Medic’s quick defense of him and Heart keeping Brain from pushing the thought of resetting him further made Shin feel a little better, something didn’t feel quite right after that suggestion. He takes a step back, feeling almost overwhelmed by a feeling of… fear. Numbly, he responded, “Yeah, sure,” before turning and hurrying off.

They wouldn’t reset him, right? They- if they did, he could get seriously damaged, right? So they wouldn’t- Heart and Medic wouldn’t risk something happening to him. Right? Right? He didn’t like feeling this scared for his life, again, it brought back too many painful memories…

“Stay away! Please- please don’t hurt me…” Shin cowered against the wall of the room he was in – some kind of lab filled with all sorts of machinery and tools. There was a table in the center. Shin knew the table was bad – that the last time he’d been on it had hurt so much. He didn’t want to go back there, so when the monster with the numbers 004 on its chest tried to place him there, he hurried away.

Besides 004 was the man who hurt him, appearing completely human but Shin had only seen people so terrible in books and on TV and movies. There weren’t many things Shin knew about the man, but one of them was that he was quick to anger – he saw, earlier, as he hurt 002, how he was so angry. He doesn’t even think 002 had done anything to really make the man angry. He just… hurt him.

As 0014 reached for Shin, he screamed again, but it didn’t matter.

Shin wouldn’t be so afraid again, he wouldn’t let himself be. It was bad, that fear let him be hurt and he wouldn’t be hurt again. Heart and Medic wouldn’t let Brain try to reset him, and Medic would never do so herself. He was safe. Safe. That’s what Heart always tells him.

And Shin refuses to believe that Heart is wrong.

---

Medic had some plan, she’d begun to modify her Reaper Legions even more. Shin still didn’t really see the point to their existence, but he ‘politely’ tagged along. He had no intention of helping – if Medic was going to complain about him fighting and try to replace him with a bunch of other Roidmudes, then he wasn’t going to fight. Mostly, he just wanted to watch and see as these garbage replacements would surely get overwhelmed by Drive and Mach.

Slowly, she’s been capturing the little cars that aid Drive, the Shift Cars. He didn’t really get why she was, but they were at least cute, a little neat. Medic’s already tampered with them, taking control over them, but he still idly poked one – who angrily honked something to the effect of “hey stop poking me”.

When finally, the Riders appear, Medic asks Heart to keep Mach occupied while she has one of her Reapers deal with Drive. Without the Shift Cars, the slowdown effected Kiriko, though Proto Zero, as a Roidmude himself, was unaffected. Two of the Shift Cars end up with them, though, which allowed freedom from the slowdown, and Proto Zero the power to transform. He and the Reaper fight for a bit, until the Reaper pulls out something new.

A stronger slowdown, clearly slowing Drive down, despite being transformed. Shin was too far to risk being affected by it, but he could see it. Suddenly he was concerned for Kiriko again – having a Shift Car wasn’t enough, now, this slowdown was too strong. He resolves to keep an eye on her to make sure she stays safe.

Mach arrives using Deadheat, which seems to have given him just enough speed to traverse the stronger slowdown. He passes the power off the Drive, though begrudgingly. Still, that wasn’t enough, the Reaper was still too strong.

Then from somewhere some new power came, another Shift Car. A new form. Shin groaned to himself – Drive just keeps becoming more of a pain. As he hurries to defeat the Reaper – at least for now – the Reaper still succeeds in one last attack. It misses Drive, but it’s headed straight for the still slowed Kiriko.

Before Shin can even think of what he’s doing, he’s running towards her.

---

Kiriko isn’t entirely sure what happened, at first. There was an even stronger slowdown, one that their Shift Cars couldn’t nullify, but everything else is happening too fast. At least, until she’s in someone’s arms and suddenly the world is moving at the correct speed again.

All she sees is black armor, just like before (it feels warm and cold at the same time, a hum under the armor, and a rhythm like a heartbeat). He holds her in his arms, tumbling to the ground and clearly trying to protect her from it. When he finally stops, he gently lets her down, careful. By the time she looks up…

Shin. The one who saved her was Shin. His black and red armor disappeared, there’s a terrible gash across his side and… she knows that face. She’d never seen Shin up close before, never quite could make out his face when he was in his human form.

His face was the same as Masanori’s.

“Kiriko? Are you okay?” Even though he was injured, he still asked if she was okay. Even though he had Masanori’s face – no, that wasn’t it. He was Masanori. He had always been, hadn’t he? That’s why Masanori was so strange – because he was a Roidmude.

But Roidmudes didn’t grow like she’d seen Masanori had. He’d gotten taller – but how?

He seemed worried by her silence, taking her hand carefully, “Kiriko?”

Then Gou called, “Kiriko!” And next thing she knows Shin’s been shoved to the side, yelping. “Get away from her!”

“You seriously think I’m going to try to hurt her?” Shin hissed, pulling himself up. “Why the hell would I hurt Kiriko?”

For a moment, Gou stared at him, before realization came upon his face. He takes a step back, “No way… Masanori?”

Briefly, for a mere fraction of a second, something soft came to Shin’s face. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and he turns away. “See, Kiriko. I told you. You didn’t really mean it.”

Before either of them can do much else, he takes off. Angrily, Gou called after him, “You’re running away like a coward!”

“He’s injured, Gou,” Kiriko said, and she felt so terribly sad. Like her heart had been torn in two. Masanori was her friend, but how much of that had been a lie? Had they ever really been friends at all? “Let him be.”

“He lied to you, Kiriko!” Gou growled, “He’s just one of those monsters, too!”

Kiriko stands abruptly, “He’s not a monster, Gou!”

“Yes he is,” He said, “He’s just been using you.”

“For ten years?” She turns towards the direction Shin went. “I don’t believe that.” She begins to follow after him.

Gou called after her, “You’re not seriously going after him, are you?” When he doesn’t get a response, he tries again, “Big sis, he could kill you!”

Kiriko doesn’t care. She knows, deep in her heart, that Shin would never do that. So she was going to see if she could find him – his injury was pretty bad, and while he was able to walk away, how long would that be true? Where had Medic gone and would she find him in time? The rational part of her told her he would be fine, that if 072 was right, Shin was perfectly safe and sound.

After a while, she stops to catch her breath. Maybe there was no point of this, Shin was all okay and she was just wasting her time. A noise in an alleyway catches her attention and she warily creeps over. A person, it was too dark out now to make out much more, but a person, certainly.

Carefully, she called out, “Are you okay?” The person looks up, and just barely she can make out Shin’s face. “Shin?”

He looked away, and now she can see his hand clutching his side, where he’d been injured. “I’m fine, go away.”

“You’re still injured,”

“Medic will fix me,”

“Then where is she?” His shoulders slump at her question.

Slowly, he answered, “She just… hasn’t… found me, yet.”  He sounded very tired, in that moment. “So… so… go away…” He slid to the side, before falling to the ground.

Hurrying over, Kiriko finds that he’s passed out. Given his injuries, it seemed like a terrible idea to leave him here, but she wasn’t sure what she could do. Was taking care of the injuries of a Roidmude like taking care of a humans? When Chase was injured, usually Rinna took care of it.

She drags him back to her apartment, doing her best to at least stop his bleeding, though unsure if it would do much in the long term. Maybe she can get Mad Doctor’s help, it wouldn’t be the most pleasant experience, but it would be better than bleeding out. Than dying.

Shin bled – and she knew that Chase, at least, bled, but there was something about Shin that made it feel… different. He’d been more injured than she’d originally thought – more scrapes and bruises, probably from hitting the ground, and the gash was bigger than it had seemed before. Still, she refused to let that deter her and did her best to take care of it.

There were scars on his chest, more than a few. She wondered too if Roidmudes scarred. Again, she wasn’t sure if Chase could get scars, she’d never really paid attention to that. But now that she was looking at Shin… for some reason those scars stood out to her.

In the end, she gets Mad Doctor’s help – asking him to not tell Chase or Krim, not yet, at least. She isn’t sure if he actually agreed, but he went about helping fix Shin, anyway. He endured the treatment with little sound, despite the pain he was surely in.

It’s then that Kiriko has calmed herself enough to question if she really should have brought Shin back to her apartment. It wouldn’t be the first time that Shin had been there – though the previous times were few. But this felt… different – as sure as she was that Shin wouldn’t hurt her, there was some part of her that still… worried.

Maybe that worry was just for Shin’s wellbeing.

---

When Shin wakes up, he hurts, greeted with a ceiling he doesn’t think he’s seen before. He stares and stares at it, until he finally sighs and gathers the energy to sit up. His side hurts – he had a gash there, right, the injury was probably still a bit present – even Medic couldn’t always fix all of it.

When he sits up, he can see more of the room he’s in, though it’s dark, and that’s when he realized that he was in Kiriko’s apartment. That… wasn’t right. His heart jumps into his chest and quickly stumbles off the couch he’d been lying on. Why was he here?

If he was here, then someone had to bring him here. Someone – Kiriko? And they were the one who bandaged his injury – his jacket and shirt had been torn by the Reaper’s attack, so he could clearly see his bandaged side. But why? Why had she taken him back here? Why take care of his injury?

“Masanori?” He looks to the side, where Kiriko stands, looking tired. It was the middle of the night, he reminded himself. After a moment, she seems to realize that he’s awake. “Are you okay?”

“You…” Looking around the room once more, he can only feel confusion. “Why?”

She seems to contemplate for a moment – why, shouldn’t she know the answer? Or was she only debating as to whether or not to tell him? “You were hurt because you protected me, and I wasn’t going to take the chance as to whether or not Medic would find you in time.”

He was a Roidmude to her, why would she care? She knew that Roidmudes could always come back, as long as their core wasn’t destroyed, and as far as she knew the same applied to him. That he could just be given a new body. That didn’t mean it was true, but as far as she knew, it was. None of his injuries should really have mattered to her, certainly not now that she knew he wasn’t human.

Looking away from her, he scoffed, “I’m a Roidmude. It doesn’t matter what happens to our bodies, so long as our core survives.”

“Maybe so but…”

“It doesn’t matter. I should go.” He stumbles towards the door, internally cursing at how unsteady he was. “Medic will take care of me.”

Grabbing ahold of his jacket, Kiriko tugged him back, “Masanori, wait,”

Spinning back to face her and throwing himself off balance, Shin snapped, “That’s not my name!” his sudden change in balance and unstable movement causes him to fall into her, the two of them supported by back of the couch. He braced his hands against the back, sticking Kiriko between the couch and him. “Masanori was never real, I’m Shin. I’m the Grim Reaper.”

Seeming startled by his outburst, Kiriko said with wide eyes, “That couldn’t all have been an act.”

“Who lies for ten years, Kiriko? No one you should want to be around, that much is certain.” Shin pushes himself off of her, away from the couch.

“Then why did you spend time with me for so long? What would Shin, the Grim Reaper, gain from being around a human like that?” He can’t help but hear desperation in her voice, pleading for answers.

Maybe he did owe her those answers, but… he couldn’t give them here and now. The swirling storm of emotions that he can’t chase out of his chest were making it impossible to sort through his thoughts properly. To try explain to her why that night ten years ago, she became the only good human in his eyes, for reasons he couldn’t entirely even understand.

Good human or not, it didn’t matter. He’d surely lost her now, she shouldn’t want anything to do with him. A Roidmude, her enemy. Whatever friendship they had would be gone now, as much as it seemed to tear at Shin’s very being, to the point he could feel it in his core. Maybe this was why Heart, Medic, and Brain hadn’t wanted him to be friends with her. Because sooner or later she’d find out the truth and it would hurt, would cut through him worse than any injury he’d ever had, than the terrible pain of what that man had put him through.

 He turned around again, walking towards the door once more.

“Shin! Please!”

Despite his better judgement, Shin takes one last look back at Kiriko. She stared back at him with pleading eyes. He shouldn’t just leave her like this, should give her something. Or maybe he should just put an end to it all now. “Kiriko…”

“You saved me, ten years ago, didn’t you? Was that why you kept seeing me?”

“I did save you, that night. Because I didn’t want more people getting hurt. After that… it doesn’t matter after that.” Shin saw no reason to try to explain the feelings he didn’t understand. It would only complicate things, anyway. With that, he finally looks away and leaves.

From there he stumbles from Kiriko’s apartment, intent on making his way back to Heart and Medic. Once he was there, Medic could take care of the rest of his injuries, though somehow Kiriko had done quite a lot for them already – he knew they should have been far worse and he really isn’t sure how she managed to pull that off. But it was enough that he should be able to make it back without trouble, and the likelihood of him running into anyone who might cause some, such as Proto Zero or Gou were low.

He doesn’t make it far, though, barely out of the building before he spots what he knows without a doubt will be trouble. They might not have noticed him yet, but there were Proto Zero and Krim Steinbelt. What were they doing here at this time of night? Surely not to see Kiriko, it was too late for that.

Though he tries to quietly duck away so they can’t see him, he stumbles and knocks into the wall, causing a loud enough sound to catch Proto Zero’s attention. Shin cursed to himself, knowing there was enough light that even his dark clothes wouldn’t be enough to hide him from Proto Zero’s notice or recognition. As he and Krim Steinbelt approached, Shin catches sight of one of their little cars on Proto Zero’s shoulder, as well. Was that why they were here?

The Shift Car, looking like an ambulance, honked. “See, he’s here,” it said, “she had me fix him.”

Oh, this was why Shin’s injuries were as healed as they were. It must have been the power of this Shift Car. And then it’d gone and tattled on it to Proto Zero and Krim Steinbelt.

“It seems Mad Doctor was correct,” Krim Steinbelt noted, “Kiriko did aid Shin.”

Grimacing, Shin asked, “What, are you here to finish the job that the Reaper started? Ready to kill me and get it over with?”

“Mad Doctor reported that Kiriko requested his aid in repairing you,” Proto Zero answered.

“You didn’t answer the question,”

Proto Zero’s gaze raked over him, before his eyes settled on Shin’s injury. Though it was healed to the point it no longer bled, the evidence of what had happened before was still visible, more on Shin’s tattered clothes. There were scars there, too, though they likely weren’t as visible in the low lighting. Then again, he wasn’t familiar with the extent of Proto Zero’s vision.

Finally, Proto Zero said, “You were smaller, once. And you have scars.”

“Don’t have a number, either,” Shin responded, his heart thrumming in his chest an ever constant reminder that he wasn’t a real Roidmude, not like the others. Not even like Proto Zero.

Something akin to a curious look came to Proto Zero – not that he was capable of emotions. “You lack a number?”

“Clearly, 072 didn’t tell you much about me.”

“He told us you were Heart and Medic’s favorite,” Krim Steinbelt said.

Any Roidmude knew that. Then again, 072 likely didn’t know much more – he was far from important, and Shin’s true nature was kept secret from most. Only Heart, Medic, Brain, and a few of the Roidmudes that acted as that man’s lackies knew. Thus, there was no way that Proto Zero or Krim Steinbelt could learn about it. But that didn’t stop them from putting two and two together.

They and Kiriko were the only ones who’d seen him during the Global Freeze. They clearly had figured out he’d grown – something no ordinary Roidmude should be capable of. The only thing that might truly tip them off as to what was up with him was if they saw his true Roidmude form. He had no intention of letting them see that.

Krim Steinbelt continued, “But we can gather that you are unlike most Roidmudes, even without knowing your number or your power.”

Shin let out a bitter laugh, “I’ve already let you in on a secret, like I said, I don’t have a number. I never have.” He took a step, wincing. Despite the Shift Car’s effort, his injury still pained him. It likely would until he could get Medic to take care of it. “What are you after? Like this, I wouldn’t be much of a fight.” He was giving them the opportunity. They could easily kill him and shatter his core.

“The Roidmudes can’t be allowed to reach the Promised Number,” Krim Steinbelt declared in a matter of fact tone. “That means no Roidmude can be left behind.”

“I don’t really count towards that,” Shin took another step. Maybe he could get pretty far just by keeping them busy. Though he doubted they’d let him go, not without a fight. “And what about Proto Zero, he’s a Roidmude too?”

Krim Steinbelt’s face switched to a frown, “Chase knows his purpose,”

Unable to help himself, Shin slammed his fist against the wall he leaned against, “You mean to play dutiful soldier until he’s the only one left? And then what? You’ll probably shut him off, dismantle him, destroy his core too. Right? Because the Roidmudes are the problem.” He spat his words, anger palpable in each one. “Somehow, even our creator’s flaws are our sins.”

“That isn’t true,” Obviously, his words struck a nerve in Krim Steinbelt, as he spoke with a simmering anger.

“I don’t believe the words of someone like you.”

Proto Zero took a step towards him, speaking, “How did you grow?”

He knows better than to say what he’s thinking, but at this point he doesn’t really care. He’s not even entirely sure if he’ll make it out of this encounter, even after the work Kiriko did to help him. Not without catching them off guard, at least. So, despite his better judgement, he says what he thinks, “That’s what children do.”

“Children?” Proto Zero intoned.

“Roidmudes can’t be children,” Krim Steinbelt said, again in that confident and certain tone.

It seems he’d truly forgotten about what had happened to Shin. “Who said I was always a Roidmude?”

He stumbled away, leaving the two in something like a stunned silence.

---

It was always fascinating, in a morbid way, to watch Medic’s power heal him, to fill and meld the damages to the parts of him that were metal, to stitch back together the synthetic skin that had replaced most of his original skin. Though she had a less easy time repairing the damages to the parts of Shin that were still organic, though thankfully much of that damage appeared to have been repaired by the Shift Car earlier.

“That was reckless of you,” Medic said, concern audibly lacing her voice.

His chest heaved a heavy breath, “I couldn’t let Kiriko be hurt.”

“If she hadn’t found a way to heal you, you would have died. If the still human parts of your body fail, I can’t fix that.” She sets a hand gently over where he’d been injured, her gloves too thin to block out of sensation of how cold her hands were. “No human is worth your life.”

He looked away, some terrible feeling hanging heavily over him. Maybe she was right – after all, now that she knew what he was, he doubted Kiriko really, truly, wanted anything to do with him. Still, she was the one good human, and even if she hated him, he wanted to keep her safe. And… she had saved him, too. He’s sure that Krim Steinbelt would not let her off easy for helping him.

Out of his vision, he hears the door open, and who he’s certain is Heart come in. As if to confirm that, he hears Heart speak, “How is he, Medic?”

“He’ll be alright,” She said, though there was a clear hint of frustration in her voice. “The human used one of Drive’s Shift Cars to heal the worst of the damage, particularly to his human organs.”

Heart hummed, “How curious… a human showing a Roidmude kindness.”

Shin turned his gaze over towards Heart, whom Medic had joined the side of. “She’s a good human. Better than the others.”

“So you keep saying, yet I have to wonder what she thinks of you now?” Heart mused. Shin knew that he wasn’t being malicious, but it was another attempt at convincing him to abandon Kiriko. Even now, it wouldn’t work.

It didn’t matter what happened, what Kiriko thought of him… even if he could never see her again, never see her smile… he’d protect her. No one made him feel the same strange feeling she did.

He leaned back, letting out a breath. “I don’t intend to find out.”

“Get some rest, Shin,” Medic tells him, “You’ll feel better once your human parts have finished recovering.”

[writingpaperghost]

As From the One, All Things Are Born (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1: Goodbye Gold, Graduate to Grasshopper

Ten years ago, Geryon betrayed the Alchemist Association, taking off with the work of another alchemist and the one hundred Chemies in the Association's possession at the time. Now, ten years later, the Chemies have appeared again, and so has the Gotchadriver, in the hands of three dolls created by Geryon. The situation is far from ideal, but Fuga Kudo has no choice but to place some trust in the creations of his former associate. With another trio seeking out the Chemies and after the Gotchadriver, it's more important than ever to find the Chemies. What really happened ten years ago? Who are Mary, Anselm, and Agatho, the three after the Chemy cards, and why?

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59460031/chapters/151640380

Grey skies, as usual – the weather here, in the Ouroboros Realm, could be nothing else, the snake in the sky consuming its own tail, darkness seeping out to darken the sky. It was a bold place to hide, especially for so long, below the door that sealed the darkness away. But there were few places they could go that they would not be easily found and this was the best, ultimately. Lachesis had grown bored of this world, really, but she wouldn’t leave her master or her sisters, either.

On the other side of the warehouse they had transformed into their home, for the time, Master Geryon and Atropos worked, their voices quiet and unending. They would regularly talk for hours at a time on their work, tinkering with that silly Driver that they’d taken when they fled ten years ago, alongside the Chemies. Truthfully, Lachesis had never known for certain what Atropos’ purpose was, but if she had to guess, she’d say to be Master Geryon’s assistant. Though it wouldn’t explain why he chose to make her look like a child.

Between the three of them, Clotho sparred with Wrestler-G – she didn’t tend to fight in the style of wrestling, but he was one of the Chemies that she would spar with. Practice, she would always say, to make sure she stayed ready for whenever they were found again. They had been here for a while, years having passed since they’d last been found… still, no one trusted that to last.

“Clover…?” From Lachesis’ lap, Happyclover peered up, clearly aware she was losing herself in her thoughts. Happyclover was one of the Chemies that Lachesis had always preferred the company of, not that she was particularly fond of most of them. They were why they were hiding here, after all. Why they were always skirting danger…

Lachesis shook her head, “It’s nothing,” She said quietly, making some attempt to not catch her sisters’ or creator’s attention. Clotho continued her spar, and Master Geryon and Atropos continued their work, so they must not have heard her.

There’s a certain clinking sound that Lachesis knows is Master Geryon cleaning up, meaning he and Atropos must be done with their experiments. That was quick, Lachesis was fairly certain they had only been at it a few hours, at most. Usually, they spent most of the day working, or at least, the Ouroboros Realm’s equivalent of the day.

“I believe we have finished our adjustments,” Master Geryon said, handing the Gotchadriver to Atropos. Of course, they had finished their adjustments more than once before, over the past ten years. But Master Geryon spoke with a certain confidence, every time, that Lachesis could never help but believe him. In all reality, they’d probably be back at it in a day or two.

Atropos returns the Gotchadriver to where they kept it, kept close in case they were found and had to make a quick exit. One day, Lachesis would hold the Gotchadriver for herself, become the one to use it… but that day, at this rate, wouldn’t be for a long time, and Lachesis didn’t mind.

Somewhere in the distance, Lachesis thinks she hears the crackle of fire.

---

Fuga always looked forward to when his students arrived at the Alchemist Academy. He found great fulfillment in nurturing the future of alchemy, even if there was there was always… challenges. Not always bad challenges, but challenges nevertheless. And given the small nature of the Furasu branch – at present, there were only two students – it allowed him to make sure his students got the help they needed.

Despite being on two very different ends of a personality spectrum, Icho and Tsuruhara got along swimmingly. Icho could be loud, often boisterous and excited about her alchemy. Tsuruhara, on the other hand, was quiet, often relying on his tablet to talk, though he too could get quite excitable when it came to alchemy, and especially Chemies.

They were fairly good students, occasionally they got into some shenanigans, but rarely did they ever really find trouble. Of course, nowadays, trouble was hard to find, especially at a school this small. The worst that could really happen was a transmutation gone wrong.

Today though… something was off. It wasn’t his students, it was something in Fuga’s gut that told him that something wasn’t right. But everything seemed to be in order at both schools, and Icho and Tsuruhara were both accounted for. So then, what was it? Or perhaps Fuga was just becoming paranoid.

“Y’know,” he hears Icho say to Tsuruhara, her voice hushed, like she was trying to be subtle. “I always wondered why someone like Mr. Kudo ended up teaching.”

Tsuruhara glanced at her, then back to his alchemy, “Does it matter?” He responded in his usual whisper.

“And at a tiny little school like this,” Icho continued, almost like Tsuruhara had said nothing at all. “Aren’t cha a little curious?”

“Renge…”

Fuga figured it was a good time to get their attention, “Icho, Tsuruhara, how has your assignment been going?”

Icho answered first, a little sheepish, “Well… it’s gettin’ there.” Which Fuga knew by now was Icho for she had hit a slight roadblock and didn’t quite want to admit it yet.

---

“I heard something,” Clotho said, ceasing her movements. As soon as she spoke, the Chemies all fled.

Master Geryon quickly retrieved the Gotchadriver, handing it to Lachesis, to her surprise. “Lachesis, it’s time.”

She looked down at it, “Is it… really ready to face him?”

“It will have to be,” He responded, pushing Atropos behind himself. “I suspect our time of running has come to an end.”

Swiftly, a young woman dressed in black and white landed beside Clotho, swinging her leg up and kicking Clotho in the chest. “He’s right.” She said, eyes still locked on Clotho.

A moment later, black flames erupt around Lachesis, prompting her to hold the Gotchadriver close. “Just hand over the belt and make this easy,” A man dressed in black and purple with a frightening, almost mechanical looking mask, emerged, his hand engulfed in the same black flames.

Then in came a young man, dressed in teal and black, with goggles covering his eyes, though failing to hide the bandages over his left eye. He looked around, seeming just a bit unsure of what to do. His gaze landed on Master Geryon and Atropos.

These three were… new. In the ten years they’d been on the run, they’d never seen them before.

The young woman called out, “Agatho, help Anselm get the Gotchadriver!”

“Right!” The young man, Agatho, responded, hurrying over to Anselm and Lachesis.

He’s cut off by a golden rod speeding past him, between him and the other two. Master Geryon was rushing over now, attempting to intervene. Atropos stayed where she stood, out of the way of the fight. Agatho seemed surprised by the sudden disruption, before reaching his hand out and transmuting a staff out of a nearby poll.

Lachesis dodged out of Anselm’s grasp once more, ducking beneath his arms and braving the flames and rushing through them. They burnt at the ends of her clothes, and she could feel the heat against her skin, but better on the other side of them than stuck in the ring with Anselm. She fought better with a weapon, after all, and the Chemies were too far away for her to use the Gotchadriver.

The young woman pushed Clotho back, causing her to stumble beside Lachesis. They’d never seen someone who could match Clotho’s bare strength, was these three really alchemists? Agatho must be, or at least capable of alchemy, but these flames and that woman… it was hard to say what they were.

Agatho’s staff broke under the force of a swing from Master Geryon’s own. Master Geryon began to swing again, this time nothing to stop his attack from hitting Agatho, when flames erupted around him, Anselm turning his attention to Master Geryon.

The woman hurried over, “Agatho, are you alright?”

“I- I’m fine, Mary.” He seemed to glance at the broken pieces of pipe that had once been his staff, “I guess I still need to work on-“

“Later,” Anselm hissed, then turned his head over to Lachesis and Clotho, “Hand over the Gotchadriver or your creator will burn.” The flames seemed to encroach closer to Master Geryon.

“Take it and run,” Master Geryon called, “Atropos, set the Chemies loose.”

Freeing the Chemies now, they’d flee to who knows where, open a gate to the real world… but better they be scattered than in the hands of these three, certainly. Atropos eyed the ever-closer flames, “Master Geryon…”

“I’m entrusting this to you three,”

Mary frowned, watching as Atropos hurried off, surely to where the Chemies were kept so that they could be freed. Her eyes narrowed, and not taking her eyes off of Atropos she said, “Anselm, make the traitor burn.”

Seeming surprised by that, Agatho looked at her, “Wait, we’re not really going to-“

The flames were on Master Geryon now. He didn’t scream, not quite, but the sounds of his pain would stay in Lachesis’ mind for a long time. Mary and Anselm seemed unphased, but Agatho, even with his eyes obscured, had this distinct look of horror on his face.

“Master Geryon,” Lachesis took a step towards him, before Clotho grabbed her arm, tightly.

“You know what we have to do,” She said, then began pulled Lachesis away. “We have to protect that belt and the Chemies. That’s what Master Geryon wants.”

Pushing past Agatho, Mary began to run towards them, her arm already pulled back in a punch. Before she could hit either of them, she was stopped by a shimmering fog. That was Atropos, returned from freeing the Chemies.

“Atropos!” Clotho called, “You can get us to the human world, right?”

“I can, but…” She glanced over at Master Geryon, a brief moment of seeming distress on her face before she turned her back to them, and a portal to the human world appeared.

Hurrying forward now, still gripping Lachesis’ arm, Clotho grabs Atropos’ wrist and rushes them through the portal. Atropos spares one last glanced at the black flames, which had now consumed Master Geryon.

It had been ten years since the sisters had been in the human world. The portal had brought them out on a rooftop, from there they could still see Chemies fleeing the Ouroboros Realm. Chaos. The alchemists would hate how much Chemies were being seen right now. The sisters would need to find the Chemies first, make sure there was no way for them or the Gotchadriver to fall into the wrong hands.

“We need to find the Chemies,” Clotho said. Despite all that had happened, she still seemed to remain calm.

Relaxing her grip on the Gotchadriver, Lachesis responded, “That’s easier said than done. The alchemists will notice this soon, too…”

“Lachesis,” Atropos turned to face them. In one hand, she held two Chemy Cards, in the other, she held a golden cube. It had been Master Geryon’s, but she must have picked up at some point during the commotion. Atropos holds the Chemy Cards out to Lachesis, “These will allow you to use the Gotchadriver.”

Lachesis took them, staring intently at the two Chemies. Hopper-1 and Steamliner, two Chemies she wasn’t the most familiar with, but she’d take Atropos’ word that they’d allow her to use the Gotchadriver. They seemed… less than thrilled about her, but most Chemies felt that way with her and her sisters, at first. They knew they weren’t human, but something far worse, for a Chemy at least.

“Let’s head there,” Clotho gestured to nearby, where a commotion was obvious. “There’s clearly a lot of Chemies there. Lachesis and I will deal with any Malgams that might appear, but let’s focus on trying to gather as many Chemies as we can.”

Despite it being Clotho who had made the suggestion, Lachesis took the lead. She was a Kamen Rider now, after all, the fate of the Chemies and who knows what else in her hands. She couldn’t let her younger sister show her up. If there was a Malgam… it was Lachesis’ responsibility, even if Clotho might help.

Most of the humans had run far away by the time the three sisters arrived. Most of the Chemies had left, too. They were too slow, it seemed, despite the commotion just a couple minutes before. Still, something didn’t feel quite right… It was eerily quiet and empty, too much so.

Then footsteps, and out from behind a pillar comes Mary. “We won’t let you get away with the Gotchadriver so easily,” She appears to be alone, right now.

Scowling at her, Clotho called, “Then why did you come alone?”

“Because now, I have this,” Mary holds up a Chemy Card, the cries of Kamantis ringing out. The Alchemist Ring on her hand glowed, engulfing the Chemy, and then her. The monster that emerged wasn’t a Malgam though – while there was certainly malice, that wasn’t what had taken over the Chemy. That was alchemy. Mary had transmuted herself and the Chemy.

Perhaps she was human after all.

Taking a step forward, Lachesis placed the Gotchadriver around her waist, a belt appearing from it so it could secure itself. She then held up Hopper-1 and Steamliner’s Chemy Cards, giving each a quick kiss before slotting them into the Driver.

Hopper-1! Steamliner! Gotchanko! Steamhopper!

The two Chemies emerged from the Driver, appearing around her. While Lachesis had experienced the power of Chemies before… it was never like this. This was different, not filled with malice or any other dark emotions. Instead, there was this new… hot and bubbly feeling. Lachesis didn’t know what it was, but it felt like it burned within her. Maybe it was Steamliner’s steam.

This armor that formed around her… this was Kamen Rider Gotchard.

“This is the power of the Gotchadriver…” Mary seemed to examine her closely, for a moment, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll take it.” She then rushed forward, swinging her bladed arm.

Lachesis dodged to the side, Clotho doing the same to stay away from the attack. Clotho then ran and punched Mary, though she was unphased. Atropos, it seemed, had the mind to get away from the fight, though Lachesis couldn’t see where she had gone.

It was time to find out just what Gotchard could do.

---

“Mr. Kudo, look!” Tsuruhara called, voice ringing out from his tablet, Issac. He did something, and then on one of the screens in the classroom, a video appeared. A portal in the sky, on the other side another world could be seen, with hanging flasks and a snake eating its own tail in the sky. And from that portal, one after another, came out Chemies.

After ten years, the Chemies had appeared again. Something told Fuga that Geryon hadn’t let them go for no reason.

With all the Chemies out now, presumably, that meant there were suddenly a hundred Chemies loose in the city. It would be a doozy to clean up all the memories of this, but worse would be the chance of a Malgam. That was something his students certainly weren’t prepared to handle, yet.

“Tsuruhara, Icho, stay here.” He turned towards the door, “I’ll investigate.” Without a word more, he hurried out. They needed to get a handle on the Chemies before someone got hurt. Before there was suddenly a Malgam loose in the city and not enough trained alchemists around to safely deal with it.

If only Geryon hadn’t taken off with the Gotchadriver too… and who knew where that could be now. Still in his hands? Or in someone elses? There were too many things they didn’t know yet.

He managed to seal a few Chemies, erasing the memories of any civilians he found who had saw them, along the way. Then he hears the sound of a fight, leading him to a plaza. Below him, there was a fight – someone using the Gotchadriver, accompanied by a woman in black and gold, fought what must have been a Malgam, though from here Fuga couldn’t sense any malice. That might have just meant that the Malgam wasn’t very strong.

To see the Gotchadriver in action – to finally, after all these years see Kamen Rider Gotchard, was… something, certainly. A powerful alchemy, and he didn’t even know who was using it.

There’s movement beside him, and then a young voice, “Such amazing alchemy. To think this is only a fraction of what the Gotchadriver is capable of.” Now standing beside him was a girl, with short black hair and a black and gold dress. There was something… familiar about her.

She looked up at him, and then he realized. This girl… she was one of Geryon’s dolls, the first he thinks, despite her young appearance. Surprised, he said, “Atropos?”

“It’s been a while, Fuga Kudo,” She responded. She held a gold cube in one hand, Fuga recognized it as being Geryon’s. Why did she have it and not him? She looked back out on the fight, “Aren’t my sisters doing well? Even with that girl having become such a strange Malgam…”

He followed her gaze back to the fight. “Strange Malgam?” From here, he couldn’t find anything too unusual about it.

“It wasn’t malice that created it… no, it was alchemy, I’m sure of it.” She rotated the cube in her hands, piece by piece. Since all the sides were gold, the rotations made little difference in its appearance. “It’s almost a match for my sisters.”

A Malgam created from alchemy and not malice? It wasn’t impossible, certainly, but few alchemists would choose to transmute themselves and a Chemy like this.

Now that Atropos has identified Gotchard and the woman as her sisters, Fuga can determine the woman is Clotho, based on what he can see of her appearance. That meant Gotchard must be Lachesis. He’d admit, he didn’t know much about them, having rarely interacted with any of the three, back before Geryon betrayed the Alchemist Association.

Gotchard jumps into the air and kicks the Malgam. It separates the Chemy, which Fuga quickly seals. It brings the two sisters and the young woman who had once been the Malgam’s attention towards him. Seeming annoyed, though, the young woman ran off and disappeared. Lachesis and Clotho ran up the stairs.

“Atropos!” Clotho called out, then glared at Fuga as she’d gotten closer, “Stay away from her.”

Fuga held up his hands, still holding Kamantis’ Chemy Card in one hand. “I don’t intend to hurt the three of you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Clotho didn’t take her eyes off him as Atropos walked over to join her sisters.

Once she’d returned to her sisters, Atropos said, “You remember Kudo.” Less so a question and more a statement. As though they’d surely remember him.

Lachesis, taking the Driver off her waist and holding it up, responded, “He made this, ten years ago.”

“I did,” Fuga confirmed, though he knew it was unnecessary. “Where’s Geryon?”

That caused a strange reaction in the sisters. A dour expression on Atropos’ usually neutral face, a stiffening and slight frown from Lachesis. Clotho remained the most neutral, answering, “He’s dead. That girl, Mary, and the two others that had been with her killed him.”

“They’ll pay for it,” Atropos added, more than a hint of anger lacing her voice.

“But,” Lachesis added, “Our first priority is to keep this and the Chemies as far away from the three as possible.”

The three had been hidden for ten years, along with Geryon. But the Association knew them and would likely interfere if they found them. Fuga didn’t know how much he trusted Geryon and the sisters, but he knew in this instance, he trusted the Association not to misuse Gotchard’s power even less. Even with three of them, gathering all of the Chemies would be difficult, on their own.

But with help… “Let me help you,” Fuga said, “You can come join the academy, and we can help you find all the Chemies.”

That elicited suspicious looks, the three sisters’ attention on him once more.

Pursing her lips, Lachesis asked, “Why should we trust you? You’re an alchemist, and perhaps you’ve forgotten, but our master betrayed you.”

“I worked with Geryon, ten years ago. And while I cannot deny the evidence that was found against him… I also doubt that his ‘betrayal’ was what it was made out to be. He had no reason to abandon his research.” And if Fuga were being honest, he had always held out hope that he and Geryon might be able to work together again, towards a future where Chemies and humans could live together in peace. That had never quite been Geryon’s goal, to Fuga’s knowledge, but they goals had aligned close enough that it made sense to work together before. He never wanted to believe that things had changed that much.

Still, the sisters didn’t seem convinced, Clotho’s hands tightened into fists, Lachesis bringing the Driver back down towards her waist. But again, it was Atropos who approached him. “I assume, then, that neither you nor your students would tell the Alchemist Association about us?”

Neither Tsuruhara nor Icho would have any reason to think they should, but even if they realized what the sisters were, Fuga was confident he could convince them not to report it. “It’s a small class, they wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t be offering if I intended to report you to the Association.”

“Sisters,” Atropos looked back at Clotho and Lachesis, “I believe that the aid of Kudo and his students would greatly increase our ability to gather the Chemies.”

Lachesis looked between Atropos and Fuga, clearly contemplating. “Well, if Atropos thinks so…”

Clotho moved closer to him, still glaring, “Don’t try anything.”

“Of course not,” Fuga agreed, giving them a warm smile, “I have no intention of tricking or harming you.”

“Lead the way, then.” Lachesis responded, “It’s better than standing around here.”

---

“That Kamen Rider is strong,” Mary said.

“But not stronger than you, right?” Agatho replied, his goggles now pulled up, though his right eye was still bandaged.

Mary frowned, “I wasn’t prepared for her, this time, but… we’ll see.” She glanced to where Anselm worked, tinkering away at something they couldn’t see. “I might need Anselm and his flames, next time.”

Anselm grunted, “The sooner we can get that Driver, the easier it will be to gather the Chemies.”

“Of course,” Mary agreed.

Quietly, Agatho added, “I wonder what will happen then…?”

[writingpaperghost]

A couple bits of my Kamen Rider Gotchard Roleswap AU

To see the Gotchadriver in action – to finally, after all these years see Kamen Rider Gotchard, was… something, certainly. A powerful alchemy, and he didn’t even know who was using it.

There’s movement beside him, and then a young voice, “Such amazing alchemy. To think this is only a fraction of what the Gotchadriver is capable of.” Now standing beside him was a girl, with short black hair and a black and gold dress. There was something… familiar about her.

She looked up at him, and then he realized. This girl… she was one of Geryon’s dolls, the first he thinks, despite her young appearance. Surprised, he said, “Atropos?”

“It’s been a while, Fuga Kudo,” She responded. She held a gold cube in one hand, Fuga recognized it as being Geryon’s. Why did she have it and not him? She looked back out on the fight, “Aren’t my sisters doing well? Even with that girl having become such a strange Malgam…”

He followed her gaze back to the fight. “Strange Malgam?” From here, he couldn’t find anything too unusual about it.

“It wasn’t malice that created it… no, it was alchemy, I’m sure of it.” She rotated the cube in her hands, piece by piece. Since all the sides were gold, the rotations made little difference in its appearance. “It’s almost a match for my sisters.”

A Malgam created from alchemy and not malice? It wasn’t impossible, certainly, but few alchemists would choose to transmute themselves and a Chemy like this.

Now that Atropos has identified Gotchard and the woman as her sisters, Fuga can determine the woman is Clotho, based on what he can see of her appearance. That meant Gotchard must be Lachesis. He’d admit, he didn’t know much about them, having rarely interacted with any of the three, back before Geryon betrayed the Alchemist Association.

---

“That Kamen Rider is strong,” Mary said.

“But not stronger than you, right?” Agatho replied, his goggles now pulled up, though his right eye was still bandaged.

Mary frowned, “I wasn’t prepared for her, this time, but… we’ll see.” She glanced to where Anselm worked, tinkering away at something they couldn’t see. “I might need Anselm and his flames, next time.”

Anselm grunted, “The sooner we can get that Driver, the easier it will be to gather the Chemies.”

“Of course,” Mary agreed.

Quietly, Agatho added, “I wonder what will happen then…?”

[writingpaperghost]

Apparently I made this blog five years ago. Man time flies.

In other news, I finished Gotchard! Or well, the series proper (ignore where I failed to keep up with it after March, I didn't have the motivation, I am not surprised by this). I'm not going to bore anyone with any real opinions on it, you can find those all over Tumblr. The main thing is I overall enjoyed it, even if I wasn't super into it for like, half the show.

And I already have a Roleswap AU started (as you can all see, I seem to have a favorite genre). Still working out the details, but I'll probably post a snippet of the first chapter soonish.

[writingpaperghost]

The Wind Will Take You Along (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1: The W Search/Two Detectives in One

Having recently taken over her father's detective agency, Akiko Narumi finds herself with a lot to worry about. Her best friend, Shoutaro, who doesn't even know of her father's fate, the mysterious boy she now has to protect, Phillip, who aids her on her cases, and the ever looming threat of Dopants and the organization that creates them. Will Akiko be able to make her father proud and not only solve her cases, but protect the city of Fuuto as it's Kamen Rider too? Or will she find herself crumpling under the pressure and the circumstances? As everything changes too much and too fast, Akiko can only hope to keep up.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57870910/chapters/147303886

Her father falls to the ground and there’s blood, a wound in his shoulder as he tumbles. Above him floats that horrible monster, appearing almost like a woman, but with not quite. To her side is another monster, black and purple, equally inhuman. The one that was responsible for the wound in her father’s shoulder.

Uncaring of the monsters still in sight, Akiko rushed to her father’s side on the ground, forgetting all about the boy they’d come here to save. “Dad!” she can see blood staining his white suit jacket, all she can think in that moment is that it’ll never come out.

“Akiko,” her father said, and she stopped just short of touching him. As much as she wants to, she knows she can’t, and it makes this all worse. He doesn’t touch her, either. “protect the boy…” The boy. The damned boy.

Even while dying, his priority was still on his case. Normally, that determination to see things through was something Akiko could at least understand, but now… now Akiko hated it. His dying breaths and all he’ll do is give her a task, not a word of love or anything else. “I…”

Weakly, he reached up, taking ahold of his hat, placing it on Akiko’s own head. It’s lopsided, not quite in the right spot, but she doesn’t bother fixing it. “Becomes someone fit to wear it.”

As his hand falls, Akiko’s heart dropped, “Dad!” wailing, she throws caution to the wind, grabbing her father.

Nothing happened.

He was dead. Never coming back. Again, Akiko wailed, tears in her eyes as she cried and cried, the world around her unimportant.

Then she’s pulled away from her father’s body and suddenly it’s all there again. The people with guns, the monsters, the boy and the briefcase. He was the one who pulled her away, briefcase still in hand.

“Let me ask you a question,” he began, unclasping the briefcase and opening it, once more revealing the strange device and USB sticks within. “are you ready to ride with the devil?”

Later, Akiko would attribute the decision in part to shock over her father’s death, but in the moment… she could only nod and take the device and three of the USBs, while the boy took the other three. Placing the device on her waist, another identical one appeared on the boy’s.

He clicked the button on one of the USBs, and Akiko did the same.

Cyclone!

Joker!

He slots the USB into the right slot of the device on his waist. Then it appears in the same spot on Akiko’s, and she decides not to question it in the moment. She follows suit with the USB in her hand and the other slot, then pushes the two sides of the device apart. Wind whips around them, spinning, as Akiko’s overcome with a strange feeling, like electricity in her veins and the boy falls to the ground unconscious.

Even as strange green and black armor appears on Akiko’s body and she becomes aware of this other presence in her mind, the wind around them doesn’t die down. If anything, it only becomes stronger until it lifts them off the ground.

“Akiko,” a familiar voice snapped Akiko out of her memories, bringing her back to the present. “Are you staring off into space again?” Standing in the front of her father’s – her desk, was Shoutaro Hidari, Akiko’s close friend, and he had been for most of the now two years she’d been in Fuuto. He leaned over, bracing a hand against the desk, watching her.

“I… was just thinking,” She couldn’t tell him that she was remembering that night, nearly a year ago, when her father died. Shoutaro didn’t even know Sokichi Narumi was dead, let alone any of the details of how it happened. Akiko felt a bit bad about it, she wanted to tell Shoutaro, he was probably as close to her father as she’d been, maybe even closer, but… She didn’t want to risk dragging him into the world she was now in, he was in danger enough with his job with the police putting him near Dopant attacks. “And anyway, I’m out of cases, found the last lost dog like an hour ago.” Never mind that the dog had tried to bite her.

Shoutaro shook his head, “A detective who makes a living off of looking for lost pets…” His gaze wandered, landing on the shelf still filled with her father’s old detective books, their pages worn. Akiko had skimmed through a few, she always wondered if they were where her father got his idea of what a detective was from, an idea that Shoutaro picked up, even if he wasn’t so good at being.

“It pays the bills,” Akiko said as she stood up, picking up the casefiles from the day to file away. “Besides, we take other cases. It’s just that lost pets are more common than much else.”

Hands on his hips, Shoutaro considered it for a moment, “Well, I’m sure the boss will be proud of you either way, when he gets back.”

Things like that weren’t uncommon to hear, since so few people really knew that her father was dead. It didn’t make them hurt any less, though. She knew Shoutaro meant well, but the words still made her hurt, made the guilt bubble up again. But she had to keep it together, she couldn’t bring herself to break the news still.

“So!” Akiko wanted to change the subject, anything but Sokichi, “Anything interesting happen today?”

Sighing, Shoutaro answered, “Not yet.” Then, looking a little more hopeful, he added, “But there’s still time left in the day, who knows.”

The last thing a police officer should really be hopeful for is a case. But Akiko knew Shoutaro, he didn’t feel that way out of some desire for thrill or fame, he felt that way because he wanted crimes to be reported to the police, so their perpetrators could be found and dealt with accordingly. He wanted nothing more than to protect Fuuto, even from the things he could do little about directly, like Dopants.

No, the only one who was capable of fighting back against Dopants was the Kamen Rider. A pair Akiko was intimately familiar with. It wasn’t even really that big of a secret that Akiko somehow knew him, Shoutaro and others on the police force she worked with, like Jinno and Maki, knew that well. If you needed the Kamen Rider, or to get a message to him, then you could probably tell Akiko and she’d find a way.

Yet the only thing the police could reasonably do against the Dopants was to arrest the users of the Memories after the fact. Unless they could somehow track down and arrest the members of the organization that was responsible for making and distributing the Gaia Memories, but Akiko didn’t think that was likely. She had more to work with than they did, and she and Phillip still hadn’t learned much more than they’d known a year ago.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Akiko shook her head, “we haven’t even had much of interest here, and usually people bring some interesting cases.”

“Not with you,” Shoutaro countered, “You spend more time chasing lost pets. And you don’t have the same reputation that Boss did, so that probably doesn’t help either.”

Frowning, Akiko countered, “We still get interesting cases,” Then, she gestured towards the door, “I bet one will come in before you leave!”

Shoutaro rolled his eyes, “Sure it will, just face it Akiko, you’re still working up to being a detective like-“

The door opened, and in walked a woman.

Glancing between her and Shoutaro, Akiko noted an odd expression on his face. Then he seemed to smile and said, “Oh, Marina! It’s been a while.”

The woman appeared surprised, “Shoutaro? I didn’t think I’d see you here, I heard you’d join the police.” She, Marina, paused in the doorway.

“I did,” Shoutaro grinned a little, “But Akiko here’s a friend so I like to stop by the agency and see how she’s doing.”

“And because you’re bored,” Akiko grumbled beneath her breath, before brightening up and turning her attention to Marina, “So, what can the Narumi Detective Agency do for you?”

“Ah, yes, you see… I’m worried about my boyfriend,” Marina said, any happiness at seeing Shoutaro fading away. “He seems to be missing.”

A missing boyfriend. Not the most unusual, but certainly far more interesting than a missing dog. “Alright, do you know if something happened that might have caused him to disappear? Any strange behavior or big occurrences?” There were a few things they’d have to figure out before she started her investigation.

“Hold on,” Shoutaro interjected, “If your boyfriend is missing, Marina, shouldn’t you bring this to the police?”

She shook her head, “I have, but I’m not sure that they’ll be of much use… I’d rather have even one more pair of eyes looking for him.”

Glancing at Akiko, Shoutaro frowned, “I suppose so, but…”

Marina continued, “I don’t know much. He’d recently been fired, but I only learned that after he disappeared. He had been going to work that day, I think it might have been when he found out? I haven’t seen him since the day before.”

“Do you know where he was last seen?” That would be where Akiko investigated first. Narrowing down the start would make it a lot easier.

They discussed the case for a little while longer, Marina doing her best to answer Akiko’s questions. Shoutaro assured Marina that the police were surely doing their best to find her boyfriend, which Akiko knew meant that he’d be digging around a bit in his free time. Since he was a part of the unit that dealt with Dopant attacks, he wouldn’t otherwise be anywhere near a missing person’s case. Unless it was thought to be connected, but as it was, there didn’t seem to be a Dopant active currently.

The three part ways, Shoutaro likely to go back the police station, Marina to wherever, and Akiko to begin her investigation. She’d picked up a fair amount from her dad in the year or so that she’d been working with him at the agency, and since the night that she’d met Phillip, she’d only learned more. It made no guarantee that she’d find any clues, but it at least made her a bit more confident in the endeavor.

She missed investigating with her father. It felt so… isolating, being alone. She doesn’t know how he did it for so long. Though she’d never tell Shoutaro, she appreciated being able to investigate with him, if only because it made her feel a bit like her father was still around. Of course, Shoutaro didn’t usually try to correct what she was doing like her father did, and though he tried to emulate the hard-boiled image her father put up, Shoutaro cared too much, no matter how much he tried to pretend he didn’t. Though she often wasn’t working on a case alone, she did the footwork by herself, especially when she wasn’t receiving help from one of her informants or Shoutaro.

Marina’s boyfriend used to work at Windscale, a mid-end clothing store that Akiko was mostly familiar with because Shoutaro liked to frequent it when he needed new clothes. She didn’t really see the appeal, even with some of her attempts to emulate her father’s style of dress. Still, it would be good to ask around with the employees, see if they knew anything further about Marina’s boyfriend.

That drummed up something of a lead. The employee she was talking to told her that Marina’s boyfriend had been pretty angry about being fired. While that didn’t point her towards any answers, it could be a reason. His disappearance could have something to do with the anger, but that alone wasn’t quite enough. She needed more, though she wasn’t entirely sure yet where to look.

She’d go back to the agency, then, and see if Phillip could be of any use. Provided she could get him to pay attention and stop being absorbed in whatever newest topic had taken up his attention. Sighing, she got on the Hardboiler and pulled her helmet on. If someone had told her, a year ago, she’d be riding a motorcycle around Fuuto, she’d have probably called them crazy. But a lot had changed. She had changed, at least she liked to think so.

It's not even halfway back to the agency when she’s forced to stop, several police cars blocking off the road just at an overpass. And with good reason, she figures, given the smoke she can see. Hopping off the Hardboiler, she pulled her helmet off and placed her fedora on her head. Having gotten a bit closer, she can see Shoutaro, Jinno, and Maki, which meant that whatever happened here was no accident.

“A Dopant?” She called to them.

“Bright, glowy, and hot,” Answered Jinno, “Burned a hole straight through the overpass.” He gestured to a clearly still hot and smoking piece of rubble. She could already tell whatever Dopant had caused this was going to be causing a lot more property damage.

Still, the location was kind of odd. Was it destruction for destruction’s sake or something else? “Why the overpass though?”

Shoutaro crossed his arms, “We chased it here. It had been attacking a Windscale store.”

Windscale? She knew there were several locations in the city, but it certainly was an odd time… The question then being, was it a coincidence or not? That’s what Akiko had to figure out, and while she could probably make an educated guess, she’d feel a lot better if she could consult Phillip about it. The last thing she needed was to come to the wrong conclusion.

“We’ll be keeping an eye on other Windscale stores,” Jinno said, “In case it strikes again.”

“And when it does,” Maki added, “We’ll be ready to show it why you don’t mess with the Fuuto PD!”

They all knew that the police couldn’t really fight a Dopant. Guns weren’t usually all that effective, and even Maki knew that. But Akiko couldn’t blame him for hoping they could. Nothing was worse than feeling like you were helpless, and the Dopants brought that to the people of Fuuto more than she liked.

“When did you find it?” She asked. It was possible it was still nearby, or at least the Memory’s user.

“About fifteen minutes ago is when we lost track of it,” Shoutaro answered, obviously knowing what Akiko was thinking. Sometimes, he knew her too well and she worried she wouldn’t be able to keep from him the things she needed to.

Was that a recent enough time to be worth it to try to hunt it down? It was presumably on foot in some capacity and likely had only lost the police because of the damage it had caused. On the Hardboiler, she might be able to catch up with it, depending on just how fast it was. It would be better to stop it now than give it another chance to cause damage. But it wasn’t impossible that whoever was using the Memory had already stopped and was laying low.

She frowned, before turning and heading back to the Hardboiler, “I’m heading back to the agency, I have some leads to look over.” She took her hat off and pulled her helmet on, “You know where to find me.”

It was mostly true, she was going to go back to the agency. It was just also true that she was going to see if she could find anymore sign of the Dopant first. If she was lucky, she could find it and stop it from destroying anything else. She wasn’t looking particularly hard, going at a slower speed and looking around at her surroundings. Just seeing if she could find it, and if she could, she could deal with it, if not, she’d just head back to the agency. Simple.

Down at the end of an alley, she sees something glowing, and even from here she can tell it was orange and hot. Just like the debris she’d seen earlier. The Dopant had definitely been here, though how recently was hard to say. She parked the Hardboiler, taking of her helmet and went to investigate. Upon getting closer, she could more easily tell that the burning chuck of cement was nestled in an intersection between two alleys. Even closer, and she could tell this molten cement must be recent, given how strong the heat is, keeping her from getting too much closer, even with its small size. Still, she stood in the middle of not one, but two alley ways, and that left her unsure just which direction the sudden thudding sound was coming from.

With back, forward, left, and right out of the question, as she could tell by how much louder the sound was becoming that she didn’t have time to determine the sound’s location, that only left up. Pulling up her sleeve, she pointed her arm up and let the SpiderWatch launch its grappling hook out and pull her up. It was never the most pleasant experience to be pulled up by something attached only to her arm, but she’d learned how to get used to it for a short while. Long enough that she can get high above and dodge the Dopant that charged through where she’d once been, leaving a trail of molten lava behind it.

Glowing bright orange, hot, and molten, this had to be the same Dopant that the police had encountered earlier. It didn’t double back, thankfully, so it must not have realized that she had gone up and either thought it had bowled her over and likely burnt her or that she’d somehow run off without it noticing. Which it thought didn’t matter, only that she’d managed to keep herself out of harm.

Still, as she lowered herself back to the ground, she found it odd that it seemed to set a trap like that. Why go through the trouble? And just who or what was it hoping to lure in? The police? She certainly didn’t look like a police officer, though she couldn’t rule out that it was simply hoping to just find someone to hurt.

Well, with more knowledge of the Dopant, it was probably better to head back to the agency and see if Phillip could give her any information that would help with fighting it. And, of course, she still had Marina’s missing boyfriend to worry about, though something told her these two things were more connected than they at first seemed.

Upon her return to the agency, she bypassed hanging up her hat and instead pulled the door that the hat rack sat upon open, climbing down the stairs to the garage. Most didn’t know the room existed, and she’d only been in there a few times when her father had still been alive. He’d told her that there was usually someone in there who liked their privacy, so she could only ever go when he knew that person was gone. And there was rarely even really a reason for her to go in, he’d mostly just asked her to go and clean up on those rare occasions. Since her father’s death, she hadn’t found anyone in there other than Phillip, like this mysterious person left with her father, or never existed to begin with.

Now, the garage was Phillip’s place. The entire upper railing was covered in whiteboards that were usually covered in his notes about whatever his newest interest was. As she reached the end of the steps, Akiko could see him, pacing across the railing, whiteboard marker in hand as he muttered to himself. Despite his movement, he’d simply memorized the layout of the railing and was, in reality, lost within his thoughts and probably entirely unaware of what was going on.

“Phillip,” She called, and when that didn’t elicit any response, she tried again, “Hey, Phillip!”

Finally, that seemed to break him out of his thoughts, “Ah, Akiko, perfect timing. Did you know that Mount Fuji-“

She waved her hand, “I’m sure it’s very interesting, but I need your help with something, so you can come back to that.”

“Ah, but-“

“I need you to look some things up for me. We’ve got another Dopant running around.” She placed a hand on her hip, “I think I have a pretty good idea as to what’s going on, but I want to make sure.”

Though Phillip frowned for a moment, he closed his eyes, “Very well.”

Something about him seemed to shift, a breeze ruffled his hair and his clothes as lights almost seemed to shine on him, giving him some strange, inhuman feel. Akiko was long used to it and about every other odd thing about Phillip. “Windscale,” she began, “[Marina’s boyfriend’s name].”

Phillip hummed, and then a moment later said, “The Magma Memory. Angry at being fired, Yousuke began to attack Windscale locations using the Magma Memory.”

“I figured as much,” Akiko frowned, “I don’t look forward to telling our client about this… but that’s for later.” She turned around, beginning back up the stairs.

Though she couldn’t see it, Phillip rolled his eyes, before turning back to the whiteboards. “Now where was I…?”

She makes her way back to the Windscale location she’d been at earlier. It was a surprise that Yousuke hadn’t attacked there first, since it was where he’d been fired from. Regardless, he’d surely make it there eventually, and she was confident it would be soon.

Sure enough, it doesn’t take much searching around the store to find a man who matched the picture Marina had given her. “You know,” She said, “I’m not the biggest fan of Windscale either, but trying to turn them all into molten lava isn’t exactly the greatest plan.”

“That isn’t what this is about,” Yousuke said, pulling out a USB stick. Without another hesitation, he pressed the button and inserted it into the port that appeared on his arm.

Magma!

Akiko dodged out of the way of the glob of magma that was hurled at her, the top of her fedora just barely getting singled. She frowned, knowing there was no getting around a fight. She’d known from the start, but some part of her had been hoping.

“Fine then,” She pulled out the W Driver, placing it on her waist. “Two can play at that game.” Feeling the connection to Phillip begin, she pulled out the Joker Memory.She knows, back at the garage, Phillip does the same with his own Memory.

Cyclone!

Joker!

The Cyclone Memory appeared in its slot in the Driver and she quickly add her own Joker Memory into it’s own. Then, activating the Driver, she can hear Phillip echo her own words, though spoken at the same time. “Transform.”

Wind whipped around her, lights and circuits forming around her body into green and black armor. It settled against her, the weight and tingling feeling long since having become a second skin to her, even when it bites at her. Another mind sat next to her own, a presence that wouldn’t go away as long as they were like this. She was used to him, too.

Pointing at the Magma Dopant, she and Phillip both said, “Now, count up your sins.”

This is when the battle really starts. They’ve got plenty of practice at this point, after having been the Kamen Rider for nearly a year, and having fought plenty of Dopants. This one would be no different, even if it may be constantly molten hot. They could work around that. They dodge out of the way of a hurdling glob of magma.

“May I suggest a change?” Phillip intoned. Though he had control over a part of her body, he it was a struggle to make it do anything she really didn’t want him to. Even now, she wasn’t always the most comfortable with someone else having any say over what she physically did, but she’d grown used to the nagging influence of Phillip. In a fight, at least, she didn’t always have the attention to try to stop him, and it usually worked out well enough.

As her right hand removed the Cyclone Memory from the right side of the Driver, she asked, “You got something in mind?”

The Cyclone Memory was quickly switched out for the Luna Memory, as Phillip answered, “Getting close is dangerous, obviously the Dopant is quite hot. Likewise, Heat isn’t likely to be of much use.”

Akiko’s left hand, the one she had complete control over, pulled the Joker Memory out of its slot, replacing it with the Trigger Memory, “I see what you mean. Don’t get hit and attack from a distance.”

Where previously her right half had been green with yellow accents, and her left half black with purple accents, each side had now changed. Her right half was now yellow, and her left half blue. Using Luna’s ability to extend the limbs on her right side, Phillip guided them out of the way of the Magma Dopant’s attacks. With her left hand, Akiko did her best to aim her gun.

The flaw in using the Trigger Memory with a Memory like Luna, one that kept her right hand preoccupied, was that Akiko was right-handed. And even with the practice she’s had as Kamen Rider, her aim with her left hand still left much to be desired. Add in the constant swinging and yanking that her right arm was doing, and it was going to be a miracle if any of her shots even landed close to the Magma Dopant.

“I’m finding a flaw in your plan,” She grumbled as they landed across from the Magma Dopant once more. For the moment, at least, they were holding still, and she had time to actually aim.

Finally, she managed to get a few good shots in on the Dopant. “Is it a flaw?” Phillip asked in that somewhat smug tone he often used when he knew that he was right.

As she slotted the Luna Memory into its slot, she responded, “There’s no way you could have planned for this.”

Just as she was about to fire, the ground shook, then opened up beneath the Magma Dopant. Out came jaws, which swallowed up the Magma Dopant.

Akiko couldn’t help but stare at where the Magma Dopant once was. “So… there’s another Dopant.”

And still no clue as to who was making all of the Gaia Memories in the first place.

---

Settled into his apartment for the evening, Shoutaro pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number he called so much, it was on speed dial.

The phone rang once, then twice, and then a voice answered, “Shoutaro,” in a fond tone, “I can’t tell you how nice it is to hear you after today.”

“It’s been a long day, then?”

The voice on the other end scoffed, “It’s been more than long. All day, preparing for the wedding. And he’s so annoying.”

“He’s not a bad person,”

Though he couldn’t see her, he knew she rolled her eyes, “Good people don’t get involved with us.”

A frown came to Shoutaro’s face, “What about me, then?”

“You’re the exception, not the rule.”

“It won’t be for long-“

“I know.” She laughed a little, “You may both care about the city, but you have something he doesn’t. That’s why I like you so much.”

Sheepishly, Shoutaro responded, “Well…”

“Now enough about my day, how was yours?”

He shrugged, even though he knew she couldn’t see it. “Fine. We had a Dopant case, but it got wrapped up pretty quickly…”

“I suppose if you can give him one thing,” She said, “it’s that the Kamen Rider has gotten quite good at dealing with weak Dopants.”

“It keeps people from getting hurt,” Shoutaro said.

“Of course.”

He sighed, “Better something than nothing.”

“I know,” She sounded sympathetic, “I just… don’t think there’s much he can do in the grand scheme of things. Maybe there isn’t really anything for him to do.”

Frowning again, Shoutaro said, “I don’t believe that.”

“I know you don’t.” Again, it was spoken with a fond tone. “I’d love to keep talking, but I’m afraid I have to go.”

The frown lessened, more into something neutral, “I’ll listen to you tomorrow.” “My number one fan,” She said in response.

[writingpaperghost]

Linking With the Only One Called You (Chapter 1)

Amanogawa High School was for those who wanted to reach the stars. Ryuusei Sakuta wanted to be anywhere but, yet he finds himself transferring there anyway. After a whirlwind of a first day, Ryuusei finds himself as a member of the newly formed Kamen Rider Club, as Kamen Rider Fourze. As the Club gains new members and investigate the Zodiart appearances at the school, it becomes clear that not everyone at Amanogawa are what they seem, and even fellow students may turn out to be their enemy. Can friendship really endure when most of the Club has no interest in it?

And just what is the space loving Yuuki Jojima always up to?

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56095588/chapters/142483234

Everything about Amanogawa High School was too bright; its students, its faculty, even its uniform, with its bright blues and reds. Amanogawa was where you went when you wanted a bright future – when you wanted to go to the stars. In that regard, Ryuusei Sakuta was horribly out of place, he had no desire to go to the stars, and his new uniform felt more like a prison compared to his old, dull, uniform back at Subaruboshi. Though he’d shed Subaruboshi’s brown uniform for Amanogawa’s bright blue and red, he wasn’t happy about it.

Amanogawa was a step towards the stars, and Ryuusei wanted nothing more than to stay on Earth.

Where Jirou was.

As he walked past the gate of Amanogawa, his new school, he checked his watch. He still had plenty of time, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. His parents thought that a change of scenery would be good for him, leave behind his problems at Subaruboshi. Ryuusei begged to differ, though, as now he had to start at a new school and deal with the fact that his best friend was in the hospital showing no signs of waking up.

“Make sure to make a few friends,” his mother had told him when she’d seen him off that morning. The last thing Ryuusei wanted to do was make friends, at Amanogawa of all places. Not when he was more worried about the friend he already had.

The homeroom teacher of class 2B seemed nice enough, Ms. Sonoda. He didn’t get to talk with her much, before class, not that he particularly cared to. He wanted the next year or so to go as quickly as possible, so he could go back to Subaruboshi. The bell rang and the class began to quiet down.

“Everyone, we have a new student, through the exchange program with Subaruboshi High School.” Ms. Sonoda introduced Ryuusei, and now all eyes were on him.

It was fortunate, or unfortunate for Ryuusei, that Subaruboshi had recently begun an exchange program with Amanogawa. That program was the only reason he’d found himself at a different school, now. He had the grades for it, but it was his parents who’d practically forced him to apply. It was just his luck that Ryuusei was the one chosen.

“I’m Ryuusei Sakuta,” He hated that he had to be here. “Let’s get along.”

“You can take the empty seat there in front of Utahoshi.” It wasn’t like Ryuusei knew who that was, but it was easy to tell where she was referring to. There was only one open seat in the classroom, after all. He supposed that made the grouchy looking boy behind it Utahoshi. Not that it mattered much, Ryuusei figures as he heads to sit down. He’s not here to make friends.

The girl beside him smiles, “I’m Yuuki Jojima,” she seems too friendly for Ryuusei’s liking. Ms. Sonoda begins to talk, though Jojima doesn’t seem to pay her much mind. “I can show you around-“

“Please pay attention, Jojima,” Ms. Sonoda called out. Jojima winced a little, but turned her attention towards the front with a small frown.

The next few hours went by quickly enough, Ryuusei let the instruction hold his attention more than much else. It was still far too long for his taste, and he was relieved when lunch finally came. He had intended to make a beeline for the cafeteria, but was stopped by Jojima.

“Let me show you around,” Jojima insisted.

Ryuusei hid his grimace with a polite smile, “No thank you, I’ll be alright.”

She frowned just a little, before that smile returned, “Amanogawa’s got some interesting groups, you’re new here, so you’re probably not going to fit in with anyone…”

“I’m not too worried about that,” Friendship isn’t needed here anyway.

“Come on,” Jojima grabbed his wrist and began to drag him out of the classroom, barely giving him any time to protest further. He sighed, deciding it would probably be best to let her do what she wanted.

At the very least, she waited until he had gotten lunch to launch onto her explanation of Amanogawa’s cliques. “You’ve got the popular kids, the football jocks, the nerds, the delinquents, the occult goths…” She listed, gesturing to each group. “And then you’ve got groups like them. I don’t even know what their deal is. Just that Utahoshi probably spends more time in the nurse’s office than in class…” She gestured to where Utahoshi sat with another girl, who appeared to be something of a goth.

“All schools have their in groups of some kind,” Ryuusei responded. That was true even of Subaruboshi, though perhaps not as noticeably as here. Amanogawa appeared to allow a lot more leeway in their dress code. Well, Ryuusei had read the handbook, he knew for a fact their dress code was very lenient, not even requiring the school uniform. His parents had simply insisted he had to wear it, to his own dismay.

“Maybe…” She frowned a little again, before looking at the time. “Ah! Sorry, I have to go, I’m supposed to meet with someone!”

Ryuusei shrugged, “It’s fine.” He wants her gone, anyway. Something about her smile was starting to get on his nerves. She was way too earnest.

Oh, and that odd pair of Utahoshi and the goth had disappeared. They, like Yuuki, must have had somewhere else they’d rather be. Then again, so did Ryuusei, unfortunately for him, he just couldn’t go to where he’d rather be.

The rest of the day passed at about the same speed as earlier. Ryuusei didn’t mind per se, the lectures and assignments were a distraction from his worry. Still, he was relieved when the final bell rang for the day. He needed to try to figure out more about what happened to Jirou, he doubted Amanogawa had any information. He would head back to Subaruboshi to investigate further.

Along the way, he passed by where the football team was practicing, and he heard a commotion. It sounded… an awful lot like a fight, but not any kind of fight he was familiar with. He ducked behind a building and looking around the corner, he saw some monster attacking the football players. What the hell was that?

He might not care for the football players, but he couldn’t allow them to simply be attacked. Tossing his bag aside, he ran at the monster, kicking it away from one of the players. When his feet land back on the ground, he focuses. He has plenty of practice for this, and while the monster was clearly not all that hurt by his kick, he could be enough to hold it off until the all the players were able to escape.

As Ryuusei fought off the monster, he noted it had a weird pattern on it. Something about the locations and arrangement of the circles and lines felt… familiar, though he couldn’t place where.

His fist fight with the monster was interrupted by a bright yellow blur, knocking it away and sending Ryuusei awkwardly tumbling to the ground to avoid the blur. He blinked, and then he could see that the blur that had knocked the monster away was some kind of robot.

“Careful, Utahoshi,” A voice called out, “You’ll hit your new classmate.” Ryuusei glanced in the direction of the voice, finding the goth girl who had been with Utahoshi at lunch as the source.

From the yellow robot came a scoff, the only response to the goth girl’s observation. Frankly, Ryuusei would appreciate it if he – presumably Utahoshi in there – showed a little more concern about not hurting him. There were a lot of questions on Ryuusei’s mind, but he pulled himself up and hurried off to hide behind the corner of a building. He watched as the robot fought the monster, the goth girl watching as well.

She spoke again, “That seems to be the Orion Zodiart,” She glanced at the pages of a book, though Ryuusei couldn’t say as to what the book was about. “A hunter… and he seems to be hunting the students.”

“Now’s not the time for theories,” From the yellow robot came a voice, presumably Utahoshi’s. He sounded strained and out of breath.

It seemed piloting that robot took its toll on Utahoshi, as his movements became more sluggish, and soon the monster was able to get away. Out from the robot came Utahoshi, looking exhausted.

The goth girl hurried over to him, “Utahoshi,” She didn’t seem surprised, but certainly concerned. “Did you overdo it again?”

Utahoshi shook his head, “I’m fine.” Still, he was out of breath, and the goth girl didn’t even seem to believe him.

“Let’s get the Dizer back, then you can get some rest at the Hutch.” The goth girl helped him up.

“Yes… where’d that Sakuta go?” Utahoshi looked around, prompting Ryuusei to duck out of sight, hidden behind the building. He could still faintly hear the two.

There’s a moment of silence, and then the goth girl responded, “He ran off. Probably far away from here.”

“If he’s smart,” Utahoshi’s voice sounded almost dismissive. “But then again, he tried to fight a Zodiart, Nozama, I doubt he’s that bright.”

The goth girl, presumably Nozama, said, “Let’s just get going. It’s better not to linger here.”

Ryuusei waited a bit, until the sound of footsteps and machinery was fading. Utahoshi and Nozama obviously knew something about that monster – a Zodiart, Utahoshi had called it – and Ryuusei wanted to know more. He couldn’t be sure, but it wasn’t impossible that this monster, and by proxy Utahoshi and Nozama, were connected to that night with Jirou…

He’d know for sure if he saw one of those switches.

Carefully, he followed Utahoshi and Nozama. They stored the robot machine, the Dizer, away, and then reentered the school. This part of the school didn’t seem like it was often used, especially given the storage room that the pair had entered. When Ryuusei caught up, he found the storage room empty, no sign of Utahoshi and Nozama.

He investigated the room, though it wasn’t big. There wasn’t really anywhere for anyone to hide, save for a locker. And a locker wouldn’t be big enough for two people to comfortably, if fit at all. Still, there could be a sign of them in there, maybe their bags or something…

When Ryuusei opened the locker, he was met with a bright, blinding white light.

What was this?

He then realized that the white light appeared to be some kind of hallway. He thinks, at the very end, he can see some kind of door. Taking a breath, he stepped in, tightly holding the strap of his bag, and he shut the door of the locker behind him. Step by step, he traversed through the tunnel, seeming to be endlessly white in every direction, save for in front of and behind him.

Finally, he reached the door. It wasn’t like the locker door, or even a regular door. This one was metal, seeming almost like a hatch. Reaching out, he grabbed the handle and turned it, opened the door.

On the other side, the first thing Ryuusei registers is a lot of white. Not as blindingly as the tunnel, but certainly white. He could spy some English text on walls and machinery, but he doesn’t get a chance to try to make out what it says. Instead, he feels the eyes of Utahoshi and Nozama on him.

“What are you doing here?” Utahoshi is quick to ask, standing up from the table, where his briefcase was opened.

Ryuusei turned his attention to them, for now. “I followed you,” He answered plainly.

“Followed us…?” Nozama mumbled, a book clutched to her chest, her fingers covering the lower part of her face.

“That monster, what was it?” He leaned against the wall beside the door, eyes still trained on Utahoshi and Nozama.

“That’s none of your business,” Utahoshi answered, almost as soon as Ryuusei had finished his question. Obviously, he wouldn’t be all that forthcoming with answers. Still, Ryuusei wouldn’t give up so easily.

He frowned, “You know what it is, I heard the two of you talking about it.”

“It’s none of your business,” Utahoshi repeated, this time more forcefully.

Nozama watched them, carefully and curiously. She seemed mostly willing to let this conversation stay between Ryuusei and Utahoshi, and Ryuusei was fine with that. Utahoshi likely had more answers, based on what Ryuusei had seen so far. Though she obviously knew something about what was going on.

Recalling that fateful night, Ryuusei remembered the device in Jirou’s hand… “Does it have something to do with… switches?” That was the best way to describe the device.

That elicited a slight change in expression from Utahoshi, “How did you…?”

“I’ve seen it before, Utahoshi. And it wasn’t here.” While it wasn’t entirely true, Utahoshi’s reaction said enough that his hunch that the incident with Jirou and this monster at Amanogawa were somehow connected.

That statement seemed concern Utahoshi, who took a step back and paced just a little, in thought. “I hadn’t thought any Zodiarts had appeared outside of Amanogawa…”

“Maybe,” Nozama spoke up, taking a few steps closer to Ryuusei, examining him, “this is a sign, a fate that brought Sakuta to this school. Drawn to the Zodiarts.”

Her statement was… odd. Ryuusei wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it, though judging by Utahoshi’s expression, he was somewhat used to it, though still not particularly thrilled. “I doubt that’s the case…” He then turned his attention to Ryuusei, “You need to forget about all of this. It under control.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Ryuusei had seen their solution for that, hitting the monster – Zodiart – with that mech. It wasn’t an awful solution, but it clearly wasn’t the most effective, especially seeing how awful it left Utahoshi. He seemed better now, but it was obvious that piloting that thing left him very drained. It couldn’t be the most viable solution.

“Like you would know,” Utahoshi scoffed.

Looking between Ryuusei and Utahoshi, Nozama wonder aloud, “Maybe he’s the one who could use…” Her gaze then wanders over to a desk, where a strange belt sat.

“No,” Utahoshi shut down that thought before Nozama could elaborate any further. Ryuusei got the impression that, despite the amount of time that they spent together, Utahoshi and Nozama didn’t appear to be all that friendly with each other. “We don’t need anyone-“

Ryuusei decides he can’t upset Utahoshi any more quickly, so he asked, “Just what is that?”

“You ask too many questions,” Utahoshi snapped. “Leave.”

Now that Ryuusei knew the way into their little base, there was no harm in waiting until they were gone to take a closer look. It might even let him get a closer look at that odd belt. As it was, it didn’t seem likely he’d get any more answers from Utahoshi and Nozama, at least with how annoyed Utahoshi seemed.

“Fine then,” He shifted his bag on his shoulder and then turned and left. He’d come back later, when they were gone.

Once back at the school proper, Ryuusei situates himself in a nook by the hallway leading to the storage room, from here, he should be able to see Utahoshi and Nozama leave. Now it was just a matter of killing time, waiting until they finally left. Hopefully, it would be before it got too late, though Ryuusei could always tell his parents he was practicing, surely they’d believe at least one familiar routine was good for him.

Even if, truthfully, he’d kept her practice to places where he was alone and out of the way. He felt too uneasy practicing around others, since that night. A repeat wouldn’t even hurt that much, he just… couldn’t shake the feeling. The memory of that night stays with him, and all Ryuusei can hope to do is find a way to fix what happened. To wake Jirou.

His gaze fell to the watch that Jirou had given him, now a reminder of why he had to find a way to save him. And if that meant figuring out what was going on at this school with Utahoshi, Nozama, and these Zodiart creatures, then so be it. He wasn’t certain there was any connection with what happened to Jirou, but Utahoshi’s reaction gave him the most evidence he’d had yet, and he wasn’t letting go of a lead this easily.

His opportunity arose quick enough, as only about half an hour or so later, Nozama and Utahoshi appeared out of the storage room. Much like after fighting that monster before, Utahoshi looked worse for wear, Nozama helping him along. He can just barely hear Nozama mumbled, “You really are prince of the nurse’s office,” as they pass by. Based on that comment and Jojima’s earlier one at lunch, Ryuusei gets the suspicion that Utahoshi’s poor health was a repeating occurrence.

Regardless of the regularity, as soon as the two were out of the hallway, Ryuusei had a chance to examine their little base more closely. He slips out of his hiding spot and back to the storage room. With no hesitation this time, he opens up the locker and enters the white tunnel. Wherever this led, it certainly wasn’t in the school, he could gather that much even from his first visit. That, and the odd white tunnel certainly helped that theory.

On the other side of the door in that tunnel was where he’d previously spoken with Utahoshi and Nozama. Now that they weren’t here and he could get a closer look, he could see the words “Rabbit Hutch” written on the wall in English. The machinery that was present along the walls appeared very scientific, not something you’d find in an average high school – or even one like Amanogawa. Something about it seemed very… science fiction, in a way. The sort of thing you only saw in regard to space and such.

He didn’t know how much time he had, though. Nozama may come back once she’d gotten Utahoshi to the nurse’s office. He’d have to either be out of this place by then or find somewhere to hide away and avoid notice. So he turned his sights to the belt from earlier. Whatever it was, Utahoshi was adamant that it wouldn’t involve Ryuusei, and frankly, Ryuusei wasn’t sure why Nozama would even suggest that it might.

The belt was… odd. It looked a bit like a kid’s toy, in a way, a light blue color with a lever on the left side. There were four slots, two on each side of some kind of display that maybe showed the silhouette of a person, but it was hard to tell with the screen dark. He picked up the belt, and though it appeared light, there was a certain weight to it that half surprised Ryuusei. It was no kid’s toy, that was for sure.

No, there was this certain… sensation pulsing through it. The casing blocked a lot of it, but every few seconds, Ryuusei felt a tingle, a little jolt as if it was trying to tell him something in it was more than just a strange device. In some ways, it made him want to drop it, end any and all contact with it, but in others… in other ways, he felt like it was trying to tell him something. Trying to reach out and…

The door opened, snapping Ryuusei out of his thoughts. In walked Nozama, who didn’t show it if she was surprised to see him. “Sakuta.”

“Nozama,” He said, quickly setting the belt back down, the odd sensation ceasing. A phantom of the feeling still lingered on his fingertips.

She regarded him for a moment, her gaze once again covering him, searching him, like she was trying to find something. It made Ryuusei uneasy, prompting him to cross his arms. Her lips curved into a smile, “Welcome to the Rabbit Hutch, Sakuta. Something has brought you here.”

“Something has brought me here?” He was unsure what she meant.

“Yes… a cosmic fate, I believe, has brought you here. Your seeking answers, and the moon surely holds them.” She responded, showing him the cover of her book. The title read Astral Moon, the cover depicting a moon surrounded by odd symbols. It appeared to be some kind of fiction book, though knowing so little about Nozama it was hard to say much more. He was beginning to think she fell under the category of occult goth, though.

He blinked, realizing that she was just exaggerating. Of course she was, there was no way she could know anything about why he was so interested in this all or anything about a… a “cosmic fate”. Amanogawa High School is full of characters, it seems.

“That’s…” He struggled to find the words to respond to her with.

She walked over to a lever, “Let me show you where we really are.” She pulled it up, and the shutters that previously covered the windows along the top of the ceiling pulled up, revealing the outside. The very dark and star filled outside – and most notably, the Earth.

He could see the Earth.

“…What the hell?” If he could see the Earth, then he wasn’t on the Earth. The Rabbit Hutch was not on Earth. How? How could two high schools students be hanging out on something in space?

Nozama had an amused smile, “The Rabbit Hutch is a moon base,” She said, “Utahoshi’s father used to work here.”

“Utahoshi’s father?”

She nodded, “He was a scientist. He created that device,” She pointed at the belt he’d been holding, “The Fourze Driver.”

That explained why Utahoshi reacted so oddly. He was probably protective of his father’s work. But just what even was this… Fourze Driver? He looked between the window and Nozama, “Why are you telling me about all this?”

“Neither Utahoshi nor I can use the Fourze Driver, he says it must take a certain person…” Her smile faded, just a little, forming into a small frown.

“And you think I might be that person?” Ryuusei couldn’t imagine why she’d think that. They’d just met and have interacted only twice now. He hadn’t even really known about the Zodiarts until an hour or so ago.

Nodding again, Nozama said, “Your arrival is a sign from the stars-“

He shook his head, “I really don’t think that’s the case.” The stars were sending no signs, and certainly not about him. She’s way too into that occult stuff.

“And yet… you’re one of the few to know about the Zodiarts, and on your first day…” While he might have been one of the few to know what they were called, he doubted so few else had seen them. Even the one earlier would have been seen by the whole football team, and if there had been more of them before, they certainly would have been seen by at least a few more people.

Before they could continue the conversation further, one of the computers beeped, pulling both of their attentions. The screen turned on, displaying that Zodiart from before, seemingly attacking students again.

“The Orion Zodiart,” Nozama observed, eyes darting between the screen, Ryuusei, and the Fourze Driver.

It didn’t seem to be outside this time, so it must be a different attack, one occurring now. “That’s the school’s hallways…” He said, then dashed out the door. Utahoshi’s mech wouldn’t be able to fight inside, and it seemed he didn’t exactly have a plan for that. If it took a certain kind of person to use the Fourze Driver, then they were better off just finding another way to deal with the Zodiart.

And maybe it knew something about what happened to Jirou.

“Sakuta!” Nozama called out, but Ryuusei was already out the door. He was wasting no time in finding where that Zodiart was.

He ran through the halls of Amanogawa, searching for the one from the video. That, and for the fleeing students. Whatever direction they were going, he knew Orion must be in the opposite. When he finally found Orion, he kept behind a corner, watching. It seemed like Orion was after something – maybe the football team? Or his previous attack on them could have been coincidental. It was hard to say yet, but figuring it out might give an advantage against Orion.

While he was watching Orion, Nozama caught up to him, holding the Fourze Driver. “Sakuta,” Her voice was quiet, clearly aware that it was possible for Orion to hear them. “If you can use the Fourze Driver, you’ll be able to fight Orion.”

“If it’s so picky, then it probably won’t like me either,” He responded, looking away from over the corner and over at Nozama.

She held the Fourze Driver out to him anyway, “There’s only one way to know for sure.” There were devices slotted into the holes now, seeming like some kind of switches, but different from the one he’d seen Jirou with. Orange, blue, yellow, and black. She practically shoved it in his hands. “Flip the switches in the belt, then pull the lever. If it doesn’t work, nothing will happen.”

He takes it, begrudgingly, “And if it does?”

“You’ll know,” She smiled, taking several steps back.

Ryuusei sighed, but she wouldn’t be happy until he gave it a try. He placed the belt on his waist, straps coming out and locking around him, fitting perfectly. Then, going across, he activated each switch.

3…

2…

1…

It was quite noisy, a glance around the corner shows that it caught Orion’s attention. “Nozama,” He said, hurriedly.

She smiled, almost disturbingly, “It’s working. Pull the lever and say transform.”

“What?”

“Do it!”

With little else to do other than run, Ryuusei complies. He reached down for the lever and pulled it, “Transform.”

And a sudden burst of steam appeared from the Driver, obscuring him. Then armor appeared, most of what Ryuusei can make out is white. Somehow… it seemed Nozama was right, the Fourze Driver did work for him, though how she knew that was beyond him. It must have been a coincidence.

“So this is Fourze…” Nozama breathed, amazed.

He glanced back at her, “Fourze?”

She nodded, “Yes, Kamen Rider Fourze!” There was an unusual excitement in her voice.

Kamen Rider Fourze, huh? Well, Ryuusei could work with that. If what Nozama and Utahoshi had implied was right, then he should be able to deal with Orion easy. The armor still felt strange on him, pulsing and jolting just as the Fourze Driver had, but he could ignore it. He had a Zodiart to deal with, after all.

“Right, then,” He turned his attention to Orion, “This is between you and me.”

Ryuusei ran at Orion. Fighting wasn’t a new thing to Ryuusei, but this was different than anything before. Spars weren’t intended to be full out fights, weren’t intended to be stopping someone from hurting others. This was a fight, between Fourze and Orion, one that Ryuusei wouldn’t lose. The armor might be new, but the movements needed weren’t, they were practiced, like second nature to him.

His first order of business was to get Orion out of the halls and into somewhere more open. That would be tricky, even with windows, he’d still have to get Orion through…

“Fighting in here will be too hard,” Nozama called out, “Use the Rocket Switch to get him outside!”

She said that like he had anyway of knowing which of the Switches in the belt was which. “A little more description would be useful!” He called back, blocking a swing from Orion.

“The one on the far right,” He ducked to the side and flipped the Switch she said to.

Rocket on!

Out from the Switch came a bright orange rocket that attached itself to Ryuusei’s right arm. “Is this actually-“ Before he can finish his question, the rocket’s thrusters activate. Though it took him a moment to get it under control enough, the rocket gave him enough force he could grab on to Orion and let the rocket take them through the ceiling and out of the building.

They land roughly on the ground, the rocket still blaring. The momentum keeps pushing Ryuusei, forcing him to keep moving around. Maybe he could use it to help him fight, though. After weaving through a few attempts at attacking him, he manages to land a hit on Orion and gets a moment to turn off the Switch. His arm hurt from having a rocket on it, even if the effect was lessened by the suit.

He and Orion resumed their fight. While the rocket was helpful and all, Ryuusei was far more comfortable using his fists, it’s what he knew best. They trade blows until they push each other back, giving some space, and the Switch on the far left began to flash and beep. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he flipped it on anyway.

Radar on!

From his left arm came a panel and a satellite dish. Out came an annoyed voice, “Use the other Switches, for goodness sake.”

“Utahoshi?” Sure enough, that was Utahoshi’s voice, and on the screen was him, seemingly in the Rabbit Hutch once more. He must have hurried there when he realized Orion had appeared.

“Yes,” He said, still sounding annoyed, “If you use Radar, this Switch, together with Launcher, the one on the middle right, you’ll be able to aim missiles at Orion.”

Utahoshi would probably know how these Switches work best, and given this is a fight, Ryuusei figured it would be best to listen to him. “I’ll take your word for it.” He reached and flipped the blue Switch on the middle right.

Launcher on!

He pointed the dish on his arm towards Orion, watching as the screen changed until it seemed to have found its target. He planted his right leg down and the blue apparatus that had attached itself there fired missiles at Orion. Each landed on him, just as Utahoshi said they would.

“Good,” Utahoshi said, “Now you can go back to close combat. Change the Launcher Switch for the other one you have.”

“The other…” Sure enough, he found a Switch of a lighter blue than the Launcher Switch. “Alright, then.” Again, he’d have to take Utahoshi’s word on it. It flipped off the Launcher Switch and swapped it out for the lighter blue one, activating it.

Chainsaw on!

Replacing the launcher on his right leg, now a light blue chainsaw appeared. At this point, it wasn’t even a surprise. It wasn’t exactly Ryuusei’s style, but he could make it work. Now his kicks with that leg would simply… have a bit extra blade to them. Though he attempts to kick Orion, Orion blasts at him, keeping him from getting close.

What a pain. He deactivated the Chainsaw Switch, it wouldn’t do him any good if he couldn’t get close. Well, he’d just have to be faster…

Rocket on!

With the Rocket Switch, he had both more speed, as well as the ability to take to the sky, allowing him to weave between Orion’s blasts. Now how to deal with Orion… he recalls the one Switch he hasn’t used yet, the yellow one. “Let’s see what this one does.”

Drill on!

From the Radar, Utahoshi called out, “What are you doing? Don’t-“ but Ryuusei just rolled his eyes and flipped the Switch off. Utahoshi’s advice was helpful, sure, but Ryuusei could handle it from here. He knew what each of the five Switches he had did, now it was just a matter of using them to defeat Orion.

“Let’s end this fight,” Using the rocket to speedily propel him towards Orion, Ryuusei held the foot that the drill was on out into a kick. He flew through Orion, causing an explosion as the drill dug itself into the ground.

Turning to look at where Orion once stood, he couldn’t see anything. Maybe the Zodiarts weren’t related to that switch Jirou had…

“You did it!” He heard Nozama call out, finally catching up to him. “The first Zodiart defeated by Kamen Rider Fourze…”

Ryuusei sighed, “I guess… what even is a Kamen Rider?”

“Well, urban legends but… they’re heroes who fight for justice!” Nozama quickly pulled something up on a tablet she held, showing him videos of various masked and armored people fighting monsters.

“Heroes who fight for justice…” Well that was not how Ryuusei would describe himself at all. Then again, it seemed likely Nozama had given Fourze that title herself.

Before their conversation could proceed, along came Utahoshi in his mech, “Ryuusei Sakuta.” He said, voice dripping in anger.

It seems Ryuusei had really pissed him off. Not that he thought it took a whole lot to get on Utahoshi’s nerves. “Utahoshi, it seems we’ll be working together from here-“

Utahoshi cut him off with a vicious “No,” and grabbed him by the waist, lifting him up.

“Utahoshi!” Nozama called out, obviously not pleased by this turn on events.

“I’m not working with you, nor am I letting you be Fourze.” Utahoshi said, the mech yanking the Fourze Driver off of Ryuusei as it set him on the ground. Ryuusei stumbled, but was thankful Utahoshi at least wasn’t trying to hurt him. With that mech he certainly could.

Talk about grouchy.

As the mech took off, Nozama called out Utahoshi’s name again, but he obviously wasn’t listening. Her frustration with his actions was evident.

Ryuusei turned and began to walk away. He’d figure something out, he knew how to get to the Rabbit Hutch, after all. Utahoshi would have a hard time keeping him from the Fourze Driver, and Ryuusei didn’t really care all that much what he thought of him.

What an exciting first day at his new school.

---

“So Fourze has appeared at my school,” A man with red eyes sat in a dark room, pondering the most recent events. Mitsuaki Gamou was a patient man, his plan had been in motion for eighteen years, he could wait a while longer. Especially as Fourze’s appearance would surely usher his plan along faster than he could ever otherwise dream of.

And, of course, he had his Horoscopes to aid him. Leo, Virgo, and Libra stood waiting for instruction. And though Scorpio had yet to be graced with his presence, he was being instructed by Libra. There was another he had high hopes for, but the time hadn’t come to give her a Switch, yet…

Yes, his plan was coming along wonderfully.

[writingpaperghost]

Though none of these are the ones I ended up going with, have some of the ideas I threw around for a Fourze Roleswap AU.

First:

We've got Gentaro as the scientist, Kengo as Fourze, Yuuki as Meteor, and Ryuusei as the person who's helping Gentaro at the start.

This one would have required some personality changes to really work, and it felt a bit... boring.

Second:

Gentaro in Kengo's role

Kengo in Yuuki's

Yuuki in Gentaro's

Miu in JK's

JK's in Miu's

Shun in Tomoko's

Tomoko in Ryuusei's

Ryuusei in Shun's

This one could have worked, but definitely would have been complicated. Though it would have been cool having both the Riders as women.

Third:

This is just the first one but with everyone, so.

Gentaro in Kengo's

Kengo in Gentaro's

Yuuki in Ryuusei's

Ryuusei in Yuuki's

Miu in Shun's

Shun in Miu's

Tomoko in JK's

JK in Tomoko's

Honestly, this one just didn't vibe with me as much as I'd have like. It was hard to find an idea that wasn't too different but also still really worked.

Fourth and final:

Just swap Gentaro and Ryuusei.

[writingpaperghost]

Here's a little bit of my W roleswap AU

“Akiko,” a familiar voice snapped Akiko out of her memories, bringing her back to the present. “Are you staring off into space again?” Standing in the front of her father’s – her desk, was Shoutaro Hidari, Akiko’s close friend, and he had been for most of the now two years she’d been in Fuuto. He leaned over, bracing a hand against the desk, watching her.

“I… was just thinking,” She couldn’t tell him that she was remembering that night, nearly a year ago, when her father died. Shoutaro didn’t even know Sokichi Narumi was dead, let alone any of the details of how it happened. Akiko felt a bit bad about it, she wanted to tell Shoutaro, he was probably as close to her father as she’d been, maybe even closer, but… She didn’t want to risk dragging him into the world she was now in, he was in danger enough with his job with the police putting him near Dopant attacks. “And anyway, I’m out of cases, found the last lost dog like an hour ago.” Never mind that the dog had tried to bite her.

Shoutaro shook his head, “A detective who makes a living off of looking for lost pets…” His gaze wandered, landing on the shelf still filled with her father’s old detective books, their pages worn. Akiko had skimmed through a few, she always wondered if they were where her father got his idea of what a detective was from, an idea that Shoutaro picked up, even if he wasn’t so good at being.

“It pays the bills,” Akiko said as she stood up, picking up the casefiles from the day to file away. “Besides, we take other cases. It’s just that lost pets are more common than much else.”

Hands on his hips, Shoutaro considered it for a moment, “Well, I’m sure the boss will be proud of you either way, when he gets back.”

Things like that weren’t uncommon to hear, since so few people really knew that her father was dead. It didn’t make them hurt any less, though. She knew Shoutaro meant well, but the words still made her hurt, made the guilt bubble up again. But she had to keep it together, she couldn’t bring herself to break the news still.

“So!” Akiko wanted to change the subject, anything but Sokichi, “Anything interesting happen today?”

Sighing, Shoutaro answered, “Not yet.” Then, looking a little more hopeful, he added, “But there’s still time left in the day, who knows.”

The last thing a police officer should really be hopeful for is a case. But Akiko knew Shoutaro, he didn’t feel that way out of some desire for thrill or fame, he felt that way because he wanted crimes to be reported to the police, so their perpetrators could be found and dealt with accordingly. He wanted nothing more than to protect Fuuto, even from the things he could do little about directly, like Dopants.

No, the only one who was capable of fighting back against Dopants was the Kamen Rider. A pair Akiko was intimately familiar with. It wasn’t even really that big of a secret that Akiko somehow knew him, Shoutaro and others on the police force she worked with, like Jinno and Maki, knew that well. If you needed the Kamen Rider, or to get a message to him, then you could probably tell Akiko and she’d find a way.

Yet the only thing the police could reasonably do against the Dopants was to arrest the users of the Memories after the fact. Unless they could somehow track down and arrest the members of the organization that was responsible for making and distributing the Gaia Memories, but Akiko didn’t think that was likely. She had more to work with than they did, and she and Phillip still hadn’t learned much more than they’d known a year ago.

[writingpaperghost]

I can't believe I have to be Normal about my DND character for like. Two weeks. I can't. I don't think I'd be able to keep normal about her for one week, after last session.

[writingpaperghost]

I think I'm going to give a little snippet each of my two other Rider roleswap AUs. This is the Fourze one, since I want to maybe get a bit more of the W one before I show anything.

Everything about Amanogawa High School was too bright; its students, its faculty, even its uniform, with its bright blues and reds. Amanogawa was where you went when you wanted a bright future – when you wanted to go to the stars. In that regard, Ryuusei Sakuta was horribly out of place, he had no desire to go to the stars, and his new uniform felt more like a prison compared to his old, dull, uniform back at Subaruboshi. Though he’d shed Subaruboshi’s brown uniform for Amanogawa’s bright blue and red, he wasn’t happy about it.

Amanogawa was a step towards the stars, and Ryuusei wanted nothing more than to stay on Earth.

Where Jirou was.

As he walked past the gate of Amanogawa, his new school, he checked his watch. He still had plenty of time, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. His parents thought that a change of scenery would be good for him, leave behind his problems at Subaruboshi. Ryuusei begged to differ, though, as now he had to start at a new school and deal with the fact that his best friend was in the hospital showing no signs of waking up.

“Make sure to make a few friends,” his mother had told him when she’d seen him off that morning. The last thing Ryuusei wanted to do was make friends, at Amanogawa of all places. Not when he was more worried about the friend he already had.

The homeroom teacher of class 2B seemed nice enough, Ms. Sonoda. He didn’t get to talk with her much, before class, not that he particularly cared to. He wanted the next year or so to go as quickly as possible, so he could go back to Subaruboshi. The bell rang and the class began to quiet down.

“Everyone, we have a new student, through the exchange program with Subaruboshi High School.” Ms. Sonoda introduced Ryuusei, and now all eyes were on him.

It was fortunate, or unfortunate for Ryuusei, that Subaruboshi had recently begun an exchange program with Amanogawa. That program was the only reason he’d found himself at a different school, now. He had the grades for it, but it was his parents who’d practically forced him to apply. It was just his luck that Ryuusei was the one chosen.

“I’m Ryuusei Sakuta,” He hated that he had to be here. “Let’s get along.”

“You can take the empty seat there in front of Utahoshi.” It wasn’t like Ryuusei knew who that was, but it was easy to tell where she was referring to. There was only one open seat in the classroom, after all. He supposed that made the grouchy looking boy behind it Utahoshi. Not that it mattered much, Ryuusei figures as he heads to sit down. He’s not here to make friends.

The girl beside him smiles, “I’m Yuuki Jojima,” she seems too friendly for Ryuusei’s liking. Ms. Sonoda begins to talk, though Jojima doesn’t seem to pay her much mind. “I can show you around-“

“Please pay attention, Jojima,” Ms. Sonoda called out. Jojima winced a little, but turned her attention towards the front with a small frown.

The next few hours went by quickly enough, Ryuusei let the instruction hold his attention more than much else. It was still far too long for his taste, and he was relieved when lunch finally came. He had intended to make a beeline for the cafeteria, but was stopped by Jojima.

“Let me show you around,” Jojima insisted.

Ryuusei hid his grimace with a polite smile, “No thank you, I’ll be alright.”

She frowned just a little, before that smile returned, “Amanogawa’s got some interesting groups, you’re new here, so you’re probably not going to fit in with anyone…”

“I’m not too worried about that,” Friendship isn’t needed here anyway.

“Come on,” Jojima grabbed his wrist and began to drag him out of the classroom, barely giving him any time to protest further. He sighed, deciding it would probably be best to let her do what she wanted.

At the very least, she waited until he had gotten lunch to launch onto her explanation of Amanogawa’s cliques. “You’ve got the popular kids, the football jocks, the nerds, the delinquents, the occult goths…” She listed, gesturing to each group. “And then you’ve got groups like them. I don’t even know what they’re deal is.” She gestured to where Utahoshi sat with another girl, who appeared to be something of a goth.

“All schools have their in groups of some kind,” Ryuusei responded. That was true even of Subaruboshi, though perhaps not as noticeably as here. Amanogawa appeared to allow a lot more leeway in their dress code. Well, Ryuusei had read the handbook, he knew for a fact their dress code was very lenient, not even requiring the school uniform. His parents had simply insisted he had to wear it, to his own dismay.

“Maybe…” She frowned a little again, before looking at the time. “Ah! Sorry, I have to go, I’m supposed to meet with someone!”

Ryuusei shrugged, “It’s fine.” He wants her gone, anyway. Something about her smile was starting to get on his nerves. She was way too earnest.

Oh, and that odd pair of Utahoshi and the goth had disappeared. They, like Yuuki, must have had somewhere else they’d rather be. Then again, so did Ryuusei, unfortunately for him, he just couldn’t go to where he’d rather be.

[writingpaperghost]

Without You (Chapter 30)

Chapter 30: Memories, the Past is Here!

Ikki remembers.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43371954/chapters/139608148

There were flames everywhere, fire consuming what was supposed to be a home. A home. Ikki lived here, it was the only home he’d ever known. He’d been sleeping, but then it was too hot. Fire. Their home was burning.

He was scared, of course, but he had to be brave. For Daiji and Sakura. Because he was their big brother and big brothers were brave. He carefully hurries to his parents room. His parents would make sure they were safe.

When he enters, he finds this is where the fire is the worst. Fire fire fire. His mama’s on the ground, maybe she was still asleep? But his papa’s standing, over her almost. Maybe he was trying to wake her up? Yeah, papa was waking mama up.

Papa turns his gaze over to Ikki, clearly having seen him. Papa doesn’t seem right. No. No, papa wasn’t right. Was this even papa?

“Pa… papa?” Ikki called out. He wanted it to be his papa. He wanted to be imagining things. The fire kept burning. It was too hot. He was scared.

His papa spoke, but it didn’t seem like papa. “Junpei… has a child?”

That wasn’t his papa.

Ikki was scared.

Then, a voice speaks to him, faint and distant, but hopeful. “I can make the scary monster go away.”

He doesn’t know where the voice comes from, but he responds anyway. “That’s papa.”

“It’s actually a monster pretending to be your papa.”

“You’ll make it go away and make papa come back?”

Not papa scowled, “Who are you talking to?”

The voice answered, “Of course.”

Ikki, scared little Ikki, only four when he was seeing his home burn, a monster that looks like his papa standing over his mama, does the only thing he can do, in that moment. Ikki agrees. “Okay.”

He’s overcome with this strange feeling, as something great and terrible bursts out of him, this blue phantasm swirling around him, like a storm that shielded him from the fire and the monster that pretended to be his father. The blue then goes towards not papa.

That was the last thing Ikki could recall, of that day. Prior to encountering Kamen Rider Vail, Ikki couldn’t remember that much. That was the day he made a contract with Vice. But more importantly… the monster that was masquerading as his father that day, was the same as Vail.

How?

Ikki, huddled in his room, sat on the floor, back against the side of his bed, couldn’t help but shake. The memories were so much, something he’d forgotten about for years and years, suddenly came back and overwhelming him. He’d been terrified, then, and even now the memories shook him with a fear he hadn’t realized he’d had for anything other than Akaishi, the man who’d forced himself into the role of father.

Vice sat at his side, a hand on Ikki’s shoulder, watching him carefully as Ikki let out a shuddering breath. “He’s a demon, a big scary one,” Vice said, his own voice sounding somewhat fearful. “Back then, he was weak, stuck in your dad’s body. Weak enough that the burst from making a deal with me was enough to chase him back. I dunno if I could take him on now, since he’s got that Driver.”

That wasn’t very reassuring, but Ikki appreciated the effort. “Dad has a demon.”

“Yeah…”

“Is that why you…? Even before the things they did to us here?” Kagerou and Lovekov hadn’t appeared until after Akaishi had gotten ahold of them, given them to those people who poked and prodded them. For a while, when Kagerou kept a low profile and Sakura still managed to hide Lovekov from him and Daiji, Ikki was the only one with a demon. Until Vice had managed to take a physical form himself, Ikki had thought he was imagining Vice.

Hesitantly, Vice nodded, “I think so. I bet Kage and Lovey would have appeared on their own, sooner or later, even without what was done to you guys.”

Another shaky breath, “What are we going to do…?” He wasn’t sure if Sakura was worried about Vail yet. She probably was. He needed to be able to reassure her, to make sure that Vail couldn’t hurt her or anyone else. They had to figure out how to stop Vail. Would Revi and Vice be enough, if they could challenge Vail without having fought prior? Would Jeanne, Aguilera, and Papillion lend enough power? Vail was strong, but surely not stronger than multiple Riders, multiple Giftexes?

“We’ll just have to fight him and stop him – kick him out of dad!” Vice excitedly said, “I mean, between all of us, we can probably pull that off.”

Despite Vice’s confidence, Ikki was less convinced, “Without hurting dad?”

Vice wilted a little at that, “Er, well, I guess that would be harder…”

“I won’t hurt dad,” Ikki said, “We’ll have to figure out how to get Vail out some other way.” And hopefully the sight of him wouldn’t send Ikki into such a state again. He hoped it was just from remembering…

Again, trying to cheer and reassure Ikki, Vice said, “I’m sure Sakura will come up with some plan – she’s not gonna want to hurt him either, since he’s Hana’s dad.”

“I hope so…”

---

Makoto drags himself to Happy Spa, unsurprised to find Yukimi doing the evening chores. No sign of Genta, probably for the best. Tamaki likely went back to Fenix, first, so it would hopefully be just them. Now was probably a good time to talk to her about the past and what just happened with Genta. With Vail. He suspects she isn’t going to want to, but it needed to happen.

She smiles when she sees him, though it falters for a moment when she sees the state he’s in, “Makoto, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, mama,” He assured.

“If you say so… did Genta mention going out to do anything today? He left and I haven’t seen him.” She at least gave him a good transition into what he wanted to talk about. She wasn’t going to like it, though.

He shook his head, “No, but I saw him not that long ago. Or, well, I saw Vail.”

At the name, she tensed, slowly looking towards him again. “…Vail?” The name was said with a certain fear, though an obvious hope that he was wrong.

“Vail. That’s the name of papa’s demon, isn’t it? Of the Rider that he was, back when he was Junpei Shiranami?” Although it begged the question as to why Vail attacked Revi and Jeanne, but Makoto had… suspicions. Suspicions that he still needed a bit more evidence for and certainly wouldn’t bring up to Yukimi, yet, or anyone else for that matter.

A frown settles on Yukimi’s face as she sets the rag she was holding down on the table. Slowly, she pulls the chair out and sits down, “How do you know about that?”

Makoto wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to tell her. She’d briefly encountered Masumi Karizaki, though not enough to be particularly familiar with him, if she remembered him at all, at least by Karizaki’s recount of the story. And he suspected that, for now, it would be best to keep Weekend a secret. Which didn’t leave him a lot of options to explain how he knew about what had happened.

“I’ve heard, here and there,” he said, “Mostly, I’m just worried about papa.”

“You say you saw Vail…?”

Nodding, Makoto braced his hands on the back of the other chair, leaning back against it, “He tried to attack Jeanne and Revi. Ha- Aguilera and I stopped him, barely, but we didn’t want to hurt him, since he was using papa’s body.”

“Jeanne and Revi... I don’t understand why Vail would go after them…?” Yukimi seemed in thought. “Genta doesn’t even know them, so Vail shouldn’t have anything against them…”

The golden question. There were… a few possible answers, though Makoto didn’t want to consider some of them too much. The most likely answer, of course, was the one he honestly liked the least. Ikki, Daiji, and Sakura; those were names Makoto, Tamaki, and Hana had heard long before meeting the Akaishi siblings. Long before they met Revi, Evil, and Jeanne. They’d learned those names early on in their stay at Happy Spa, even before they were really taken in. When Yukimi let them spend the winter, and Makoto worked so hard to make it up to her.

Tamaki, once, had glanced at the shrine, at the picture of the happy boy and his two little siblings, and softly, Tamaki had asked if they were Genta and Yukimi’s children. Yukimi had smiled, soft but sad, and told them the story. Of Ikki, Daiji, and Sakura, their beloved children who had been taken from them in the night, after Happy Spa had caught ablaze. It had been years since then, even at that point, but it was clear that it still hurt. How could it not? Even Makoto understood that some people loved their children.

When the three were inevitably adopted, properly, and their stay at Happy Spa was undeniably permanent, the three had all came to an agreement. They would be the children Genta and Yukimi had lost, the best that they could be. Not that they’d ever be a good replacement, not that they ever really could replace them. But it was... the least they could do. To try to ease their pain just a little, as repayment for all the good that the two had done for them.

So, the Occam’s Razor said that the most obvious answer is the correct one – meaning, that Ikki, Daiji, and Sakura being the name of both the missing Igarashi siblings and Akaishi siblings, and Vail targeting Jeanne and Revi, were not coincidences. That the two sets of siblings, were, in fact, one and the same.

Makoto hated that idea.

He kept those thoughts to himself, “I don’t know, mama. It’s as much of a mystery to me as it is to you.” A lie, at least in part, but he wouldn’t tell her about his speculation. Especially since he technically had little proof that wasn’t circumstantial. And there was no way he was going to play with her feelings like that.

“Makoto… I know you won’t have a choice about fighting him, but please… please don’t hurt Genta. He’s… he’s a good man, you and I both know he is.” It’s then, that Makoto realized that Yukimi was scared. The woman who’d cared so much for him, Tamaki, and Hana, the woman who took them in and who always seemed to keep their family together, was scared. They both knew, in this situation, Vail would have to be fought. But since he was using Genta’s body, it would be easy for Genta to be hurt in the fight.

She’d already lost her children, it must be terrifying to consider that she might lose her husband, too. She loved him so dearly, surely as dearly as she loved her children. It would break her heart to lose him, too. Makoto knew it, without needing any other thought.

If something happened to Genta, something might happen to Yukimi too. And that was a thought that chilled Makoto to the bone. So badly, so strongly, that he found himself hesitating. He didn’t want to hurt Genta, but would that be in his control?

“Mama, I…” All he had to do was say he’d make sure Genta wouldn’t be hurt. Or at least that he wouldn’t hurt Genta, and then just hope that Tamaki or anyone else wouldn’t do something to hurt him. But instead of any words coming out, his throat only seems to tighten.

Why was this the thing that he was struggling to lie about?

“Lies are our bread and butter, and yet here you are. Failing to lie,” His demon said, “All you have to do is say you won’t hurt Genta. If someone else did, there’s hardly anything you can do about it.”

Makoto screwed his eyes shut, willing with all his might for his demon to shut up. Now was not the time for that. He had to reassure Yukimi, even if it he was struggling. “I… I’ll do my best, mama, not to hurt papa. But…” He opened his eyes, again met with the sight of a scared Yukimi. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. “But Vail is… is a monster, as far as I’ve seen.”

In some ways, that assurance seemed to relieve her. A little bit of that fear seemed to melt away, though clearly not all. It was the best he could give her, though, even though he knew that she’d be more reassured if he could just promise to not hurt him.

Yet Yukimi seemed… happy enough with his answer. “I don’t want you to be hurt, either, Makoto.”

“You won’t,” He said, and that he was certain wouldn’t be a lie. He wouldn’t let her see him hurt, even if he was. That was always the role, as the oldest child. His hurt was best hid away, out of sight and out of mind, somewhere it couldn’t cause any trouble. It was a skill he’d learned well, in his childhood.

That got him a small smile from her, “I’m glad to hear that.”

There’s a lot more he should say. Tell her how much he knows. About Genta and his past, about Vail, about Tamaki and about Hana. About his demon, lurking in the back of his mind, seeming almost as volatile as Vail. She deserves the truth, for all she’s done for him, for all the kindness she’s shown him. Yet if she knew the truth… she’d know what monster he was. Even knowing that she could love Genta, knowing what he’d done, Makoto didn’t think she’d be able to love him. Makoto wasn’t worth that love.

He should tell her the truth, let her know all those things.

But he couldn’t, even if he wanted to. Not a word would come out, when he slowly opened his mouth. He can’t say a thing, not the truth, not a reassurance. Not even a lie. All he could do was shake his head and turn away.

With a deep breath, he finally managed to say, “I’m going to head to bed.” With that, he left, heading towards his room.

---

Karizaki’s lab was tense. Both he and Tabuchi had seen the most recent fight. Both of the Igarashi brothers against Jeanne, Revi, and Aguilera. None of the audio was particularly understandable, a stray attack having messed up the camera. But they’d seen when Makoto had gotten in the way of Tamaki’s attack, when some argument seemed to break out between them and Aguilera, and when a man with an appearance matching Genta Igarashi appeared, before transforming into a Rider and attacking Jeanne and Revi.

There was a lot about that fight that bothered Tabuchi.

“Seems Tamaki Igarashi’s temper has come out,” Karizaki said, tone mostly observational, but there was something of an accusation in it.

Tamaki’s training was more in the hands of Hiromi and Captain Akaishi than Tabuchi’s – they’d only met now, when Tabuchi had taken over the two’s position. Though Tabuchi knew Hiromi well, knew he’d have impressed trying to keep a level head on Tamaki, he knew Captain Akaishi more by reputation. The director’s cold son, level headed, almost to the point of making him seem like he didn’t feel at all.

They knew now, that wasn’t true, as plenty had seen Evil’s bombastic display of emotions.

Perhaps some of that could have rubbed off on Tamaki. Or perhaps Tamaki was simply young, he’d only been at Fenix for a couple years, at most, and had only begun to see proper combat with the completion of Karizaki’s Driver. Inexperience could easily be an answer for the outburst. Or perhaps he simply had a temper. Without being able to even hear what it was about, it was hard to say, though his target was clear. And it was no secret that the civilian that Jeanne had poisoned was someone Tamaki once knew.

“Though what I’m more interested in,” Karizaki continued, now sounding more annoyed. “is that man who looks like Genta Igarashi.”

Then there was him. The mysterious Rider who seemed to have some strange focus on Jeanne and Revi. Tabuchi frowned, “We’ll have to hear Igarashi’s report.”

“If he’s in the mood. He left before the fight was even over,” Karizaki groused, before returning to his work, as he often did when he was annoyed. And Karizaki had pointed out another problem – Tamaki shouldn’t have left while the fight was still occurring, he couldn’t just quit like that. He’d have to talk to him about it.

Yet Tamaki Igarashi never appeared at Fenix – oh, sure, his report was written and turned in, but there wasn’t a sign of Igarashi. Though perhaps that was for the best, at least right now. Give him a chance to calm down, as he’d clearly still been upset when he’d left the fight. Still, they’d have to have quite a talk – this was new behavior, Tabuchi knows that Hiromi would have reported if Igarashi was acting out of line. Though he couldn’t be certain the cause, it was likely from Captain Akaishi revealing himself as Evil, and more likely, Hiromi’s… disappearance. Even now, Tabuchi was hesitant to admit that Hiromi might be dead.

It's not until the next day that Igarashi shows up. He looks tired, certainly, his hair more of a mess and obvious exhaustion. It was unfortunate that it wasn’t likely he’d get any less tired, today.

Karizaki was quick to point at Igarashi and ask, “Igarashi, that Rider, who is he?”

Looking up, clearly uncomfortable, Igarashi opened his mouth, though few words came out. “He…” His ears twitched, his tail raising in a way that easily conveyed his discomfort. Perhaps the man’s similarities to Genta Igarashi were not a coincidence.

In his report, Igarashi referred to the man as simply as “the man whom Makoto Igarashi referred to as ‘Vail’.” Given how all reacted to the appearance of the man, Tabuchi doubted that was entirely true. Igarashi might not have lied, but he likely wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Come on, Igarashi, out with it,” Karizaki snapped, “He looks like your father, and whoever he was, he sure seemed to shake more than a few of you.”

“That’s because…” Igarashi shook his head, a visible action of him clearing his thoughts. “He… sort of is? Maybe? He didn’t talk much. But Makoto seemed convinced…” He stopped, frowning, clearly uncertain. He was second guessing his words.

Tabuchi added, “In your report, you said your brother called him ‘Vail’.”

He bit his lip before responding, “Makoto seemed convinced that he was papa’s demon. That’s all he said.”

Karizaki scoffed, “What would your brother know about demons? Who’s to say your father didn’t just snap?”

“He didn’t snap!” Igarashi growled, “Papa isn’t- isn’t like that! And I don’t know why Makoto thought that, I don’t. But that man looked like papa, but he sure wasn’t him.”

Rolling his eyes, Karizaki seemed unbothered by the outburst, “And then there’s that Driver and Vistamp… I can’t figure out where they came from. It appeared like the Demons Driver, but it definitely wasn’t. Similar… so maybe daddy’s work?”

Obviously, Igarashi had little he could supply to possibly answer that. Though Karizaki clearly wasn’t looking for an actual answer, as he quickly went back to his work, choosing to ignore Tabuchi and Igarashi. With a sigh, Tabuchi figured that was the last of Karizaki’s questions for Igarashi, which meant he was all his. And they had… a fair amount of discussion to have.

“Igarashi,” He began, “I’d like to talk with you.”

Igarashi looked over, clearly aware that this probably wasn’t going to be a conversation he’d enjoy. “Yes, sir.”

Tabuchi leads him out of Karizaki’s lab to a more suitable place to speak, Igarashi quietly following the whole way. He didn’t intend on being too harsh on Igarashi, but the conversation need to happen, just to make sure everything was clear.

“What happened between you and your brother, yesterday?” He finally asked.

There was a moment where Igarashi clearly contemplated what to say. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. But it was important to know, as he didn’t write about it in his report, and it had clearly caused trouble. Finally, Igarashi frowned, “He stopped me when I was fighting Jeanne.”

“And why did he stop you? It seems to have contributed to your argument after.”

He clenched his jaw, before begrudgingly answering, “He thought I was too angry.”

It was true that Igarashi appeared quite irritated, something that obviously was not helped by being interrupted by his brother. “You appeared quite agitated in the footage. Did it have something to do with the civilian Jeanne had poisoned?”

Igarashi looked away, “Yosuke… no, it didn’t.”

Somehow, Tabuchi didn’t think that was true. This wasn’t likely to cease being an issue just from being ignored, even if Igarashi was likely far less inclined to listen to him than if he was Hiromi. Though at this point, he suspected Igarashi wasn’t much in the mood for listening.

“Don’t allow your feelings to cloud your judgement,” He said, causing Igarashi to glance back at him. “It’s hard, but ultimately, allowing yourself to focus on your anger will only cause others to be hurt.”

“Of course,” Though Igarashi agreed, through almost gritted teeth, Tabuchi didn’t think he really did. But there really wasn’t much else he could do, other than try to take measures to ensure that even if Igarashi did lose his temper, it wouldn’t cause trouble. He’d have to talk to Igarashi’s brother, it seems.

---

A knock on Ikki’s door catches both his and Vice’s attention. Warily, Vice disappears, once again becoming a specter only Ikki can see. If it were Sakura, him being out wouldn’t be a problem, but if it were anyone else… it was better if Vice was just out of sight, for now at least.

Whoever was knocking didn’t even wait for a response, instead waiting only a couple of moments before opening the door. Hana peeked in, appearing curious and concerned. “Hey, Ikki, how are you doing?”

“I’m… fine. I should be asking you that, I’m sure seeing your dad like… that, isn’t easy.” Ikki knew far too well how hard it was, but he couldn’t tell her that. Letting her know could be dangerous. So he could only pretend things weren’t as bad as they were.

Hana rolled her eyes, sitting beside Ikki on the bed, “I saw how you reacted – not to mention the fact you’ve hid away. Sakura’s worried, but I figured I’d volunteer to come see you. And, anyway, it’s not like you don’t know papa.”

Despite his best efforts, they obviously noticed something was wrong. Ikki wasn’t really sure how to explain that. He’d have to be careful, too, that their father doesn’t realize he remembered. Doesn’t realize something is up. Who knew what he’d do then, and Ikki really didn’t want to find out.

“I dunno, maybe you should just tell her. It’s kind of a miracle she hasn’t figured it out yet.” Vice suggested, “I mean, sooner or later, her or one of her brothers will figure it out.”

Ikki didn’t want to tell her the truth, didn’t want to put Hana in that danger. But, maybe Vice was right, to some extent. Maybe he could tell Hana a bit of the truth. Certainly not all of it, nothing that might make her think that he has any connection to the Igarashi family – not more than she already did, at least. “It’s just… something about what happened… made me remember something, from when I was really young. And I guess I’m having a hard time processing it.”

“So that’s why you’ve been hiding away,” Hana hummed.

“I just… needed some time to process it…”

“No, no,” She said, “I get it. Obviously, whatever you remembered was… bad. And those things take time. Hell, do you know how long it took Koto not to be afraid of mama and papa? Or really any of us to actually trust them? When bad things happen when you’re a kid, sometimes it takes a really long time to shake it. And that’s when you remember it. Remembering it after having not… I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

Hana wasn’t looking at him, staring at the wall, more than anything. But her words said enough – she understood, to some degree. Ikki doesn’t know why he thought she wouldn’t, he knew enough about how she and her brothers got adopted to know that none of them had the greatest lives before. How much she understood was… harder to say, but it wasn’t like he was trying to talk to Sakura or Daiji about it. While their father had hurt them in many ways, they couldn’t remember before. They couldn’t remember their parents.

Looking over at him, Hana sighed, before hugging him. It surprised Ikki, Hana was affectionate, sure, but mostly it was with her brothers, Sakura, and Hikaru. He and Daiji were rarely, if ever, on the receiving end. But in a way… it was comforting. It was nothing like his mom’s hugs, not quite so warm and loving, but it was… something. Nice. “You’ll be okay, Ikki,” She said, “Eventually. Just take your time, and you’ll be okay.”

Ikki hugged her back. He hadn’t realized how much he needed it. Taking a deep breath, he responded, “I know,” and he did. He knew, in theory, that it would all pass. But in reality, it was more a matter of what lasted longer. Him, or the pain? Maybe, next time, Vail achieves his goal, seemingly to get rid of his host’s children. Maybe, then, Ikki dies and that’s that. But he doesn’t want to think on those things, not with Hana right here, lest she somehow sense his thoughts.

They stayed there for a few moments, before she pulled away, “Great,” She stood and walked towards the door, “By the way, I made curry.”

Hana’s very spicy curry, that Sakura enjoyed so she refused to put less spice in? Ikki didn’t like the sound of that, “I’m not hungry.”

“Sure you aren’t.”

“I’ll make something for myself, I… uh, don’t feel like curry right now.” Anything to get out of this conversation without eating curry or annoying Hana too much.

Again, she rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say, just don’t forget to eat.” With that, she left.

---

Sakura greeted Hana with a smile, “How was Ikki?”

“Okay enough, he says seeing Vail somehow reminded him of something that happened when he was young,” She sits down at the table, between Sakura and Hikaru, a plate of curry already ready. Hikaru was eying his own plate with unease. “He seemed to still be a bit shaken. I reminded him not to forget to eat, he said he wasn’t really hungry for curry.”

“We can remind him to eat again later, then.” Sakura responded, taking a bite of curry. “Unfortunately, our plans can’t stop just because Ikki’s remembered something bad.”

Hikaru frowned, “Are you sure? Especially given what the current plan is…”

A frown curled on Sakura’s lips, “Father desires Giff’s stamp, not his coffin. And father insists this is the best way.”

“Maybe your father doesn’t know best,” Hana scoffed.

“Certainly not,” She agreed, “But you’ve seen only a little of what he can do.”

Moving around the curry on his plate, Hikaru added, “Presumably what he can do if he doesn’t get what he wants?”

“Exactly.”

“Joy,” Hana sighed heavily. “Makoto and Tamaki will be suspicious from the get-go. Makoto might not say anything, but there’s no telling what Tamaki will do.”

“I believe in you,” Sakura said, “and I’m sure he wouldn’t be willing to get you in trouble. I don’t think he’s willing to admit that you might be acting of your own accord, even now.”

“Maybe so.”

[writingpaperghost]

Tank bunny

(via)

[writingpaperghost]

It's occurred to me that, since I don't think I'll ever actually write much for I'll Be Who You Were and I'll Be Even More I could just... do art for it. I'll admit, at this point, I only really have some Ichigou designs and then like, one and a quarter animatics for this AU (the animatic boogeyman really possesses me when it comes to this AU). But maybe I'll draw some more and convey the story through those, in some capacity. (because I totally need more projects)

Also, the AU I'm talking about: https://www.tumblr.com/writingpaperghost/731488788099055616/im-talking-about-the-aforementioned-revice-au?source=share

[writingpaperghost]

Without You (Chapter 29)

Chapter 29: Demon Released, Monster in the Belt

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43371954/chapters/138750334

Catching a glance of his mother working on dinner, Makoto can’t help but recall what Karizaki had told him. About Junpei Shiranami – about his father Genta Igarashi – and his demon. Yukimi knew what happened, she’d been there, and Mr. Buu knew too – it would at least explain why he was so close to the family, and why he was sometimes a bit… odd and they never learned what his job was. But to think, that once upon a time that Genta was a Rider too… it seemed impossible.

Genta was goofy, silly, and really a bit… incompetent, sometimes. Yet the man Karizaki described, at least, the one he described as Junpei Shiranami, was very different. Of course, Karizaki didn’t know all the details, in fact, a lot of what he’d learned had been gleaned after the fact. But he’d still had a hand in it all.

Makoto wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

For years… for twenty-five years, Yukimi had kept what happened between her, Genta, and Mr. Buu. Karizaki didn’t know just what happened to cause the change in character between Junpei and Genta, so Makoto hadn’t a clue either, but if he had to guess, it was likely somehow connected to him being a Rider, or at least having his demon sealed away. Perhaps that had some effect on him, causing the shift in personality.

Makoto wasn’t sure how he felt about Genta’s demon being trapped in the Demons Driver, either.

He didn’t think that George Karizaki knew – he might have known that there was a chance of something like that, that there was something up with the Driver, but Makoto thinks there’s evidence enough to say that if he did know there was a demon in there, he did a good job of hiding it. Makoto wasn’t even sure if Karizaki had a way of knowing there was a demon in the Driver. Regardless, it would explain the strange feeling the Driver gave off, though, as perhaps somehow that was the demon leaking through.

Everything that he had been told by Masumi Karizaki only left him confused on how to process it. He had reason enough to believe it to be true, as wild and outlandish it felt, but what did that mean about everything else? Was it coincidence that Makoto and his siblings stumbled upon the Igarashi family? That they were taken in by them? Were they wrapped up in some kind of inescapable connection to demons – to Giff? Was Genta’s past a part of why his and Yukimi’s children were taken, eighteen years ago? That, perhaps, was the question that haunted Makoto the most. Three children, the oldest only four, taken away from their family, perhaps because someone thought they might have carried the remnants of the experiments done to Genta. Someone able to know who Junpei Shiranami had become, know where to find him, and be heartless enough to take those children.

Was the fire an accident, like the police decided, or was it on purpose? Was it taken advantage of as an opportunity to kidnap three children, or was it intentionally cause to create that opportunity? Just what happened to the missing children afterwards? The worst Makoto’s mind could conjure up would be for them to be used in experiments, just as their father had been (just as Tamaki, Hana, and himself had been, but far younger). The best he could think of was that they ended up with a different family, but were otherwise happy. The most likely answer was that they were dead.

Genta and Yukimi kept up hope that, one day, their children would return. Makoto never knew these children, and while he’d love for it to happen, if only for his parents’ happiness, he knows it’s unlikely. He doesn’t believe it would happen. Even if it did, he doubts that they’d come back unchanged, and at the young age they were taken, they’d be entirely different people, now.

With a sigh, Makoto’s gaze landed on a family portrait. Their parents, smiling, Makoto’s own lips curved into just a small smile, Tamaki and Hana smiling with real happiness. That only made him frown further. Hana was with the Deadmans, now their enemy, and Tamaki still thought too highly of Fenix. Now there were so many players, too, Fenix, the Deadmans, and Weekend. What were any of them really after? How honest were they about their intentions?

When had their lives become so complicated?

Sitting down, Makoto leaned back. He wished to go back to before this all, to before there were Riders and demons and everything. When things were easier and less dangerous. Then again, he had no reason to think it was possible to avoid all of this. Not so long as they were a part of the Igarashi family, if it was true that the connection ran as deep as Genta’s past.

It was hard to say for certain if Karizaki was telling the truth, but his words never wouldn’t leave Makoto’s mind. If it was true, it made everything very different. And if it wasn’t… then it was quite the story, at least.

“Are you okay, Makoto?” Genta’s voice snapped Makoto out of his thoughts.

Opening his eyes, he sees Genta standing beside him, smiling warmly. Something in Makoto felt warm, Genta had always had that sort of effect on Makoto. Maybe it was because he’d never had a father before Genta, all Makoto really knew that he enjoyed the feeling. Yet that feeling was also in conflict with his own thoughts.

Was Genta’s warmth real? Or just a façade to hide the coldness that Karizaki had spoken of? It seemed impossible to know the truth so easily. The Genta he knew wouldn’t have been capable of acting so cold, or even convincingly hide that behavior. But if it was fake, then who was to say that the Genta he knew was real at all.

He sighed, “I’m… fine. I’m just… tired, I guess.”

“Ah, you and Tamaki have been working so hard recently, not to mention your sickness…” Genta frowned for a moment, before smiling again, “Don’t over do it, though. I know you’re always trying to protect your siblings, but you shouldn’t hurt yourself while doing so.”

Makoto glanced away, “I’ll be alright. I’ll just be glad for… whenever the hell it’s over.” There wasn’t much of an end in sight. The Deadmans seemed to never give up, the demons never ending, and even what end could be thought of, getting rid of Giff, was fairly unattainable. They couldn’t beat Jeanne, Evil, or Revi yet, not consistently, they had no chance of being able to defeat Giff if he woke up.

Genta gave him a pat on the back, “I know you two will be able to make it.”

“Papa…” Makoto glanced away, “How did you and mama meet?”

“Huh?” Genta tilted his head, frowning. “Oh, well… to be honest, I don’t really remember. I had an accident not long after we got married and I lost my memories. They never really came back.”

That left two options. Either it was all a coincidence and Genta had no connection to Junpei Shiranami or… or Karizaki was telling the truth, and the reason why Genta acted so different from Junpei was because of whatever this “accident” was that caused Genta to have amnesia. Makoto hoped it was the former, but he couldn’t deny that his gut feeling pointed more towards the latter.

“I guess I’ll have to ask mama, then.”

“Why did you ask?”

Makoto shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess I was just curious.” No need to bring up any bit of the real reason. Especially if Genta really didn’t remember. Besides, no point in bothering him with ghosts and near unbelievable stories.

Dinner feels a bit awkward. Tamaki is back from work, but it’s obvious that he’s still upset about Makoto lying to him about the Smilodon Vistamp’s origin. He was quieter than usual, more focused on his food. It was also likely some of it was bleed over from everything at Fenix, with Mr. Kadota gone and Daiji being Evil – although most didn’t know the exact details and simply that Daiji was the mole – it left Tamaki much more alone. And while Tabuchi was better than nothing, he didn’t make up that support that Mr. Kadota had, or even Daiji had.

Tamaki, of course, insisted that he was fine and that everything was fine. Makoto knew better than to try to argue with him about it, especially right now when Tamaki wasn’t exactly pleased with him. But the lies were necessary, for now at least. Tamaki would surely tell Karizaki that his father was alive, and that would probably be trouble. He’s pretty sure Tamaki would understand – will understand, when the time comes and he learns the truth.

“Or hate us, like everyone else.” His demon chirped.

Makoto held in a groan. His demon was very, very annoying. But he’d need to ignore it, for his own sanity. He gave his food more focus than perhaps was needed, but it allowed him to more easily ignore his demon.

The rest of dinner passes, still uneventful. Tamaki disappeared into his room and Makoto insisted on helping Yukimi clean up. Genta had wandered off elsewhere, probably to work on a video for his Bytube channel. It was probably for the best, it allowed Makoto to further push the matter of Genta’s past without risking Genta learning anything that maybe he shouldn’t.

“…Mama,” Makoto began, taking a deep breath, “How did you and papa meet?”

His gaze glanced over at her, though he didn’t turn his head to face her. She frowned, for a moment, her washing of the dishes stalling. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no real reason. I guess I’m just curious.”

Yukimi thought for a little longer, then answered, “Well, it was a normal day, and there was this… monster attack. I found your father in the rubble afterwards and brought him back here.”

A monster? Well, according to Karizaki, in 1996, there would at least have been the runaway demons that had been caused by his previous failed experiments. Which meant it was unlikely that either Karizaki or Yukimi were lying about that. But beyond that… Karizaki had said that Junpei had gotten left behind after a fight and somehow ended up with a woman, so that could also be true… but she was being vague about the details.

He frowned, unsure of just what to make of the answer. “What did you… think of him?”

“I thought he needed a family. His parents had died, and mine had too, so we were both alone…” A loving look came to her face, “I know you understand that feeling.”

Makoto understood being alone terribly well. And he understood the Igarashi belief of giving a family to those who seemed to need it. Even if he thought that Yukimi wielded that belief too wildly, far too cavalier. “So how long were you two together before you got married?” He was genuinely curious, at that point, even if it had no real connection to the story that Karizaki had told.

Again, Yukimi hesitated, to Makoto’s surprise. She seemed to debate with herself for several moments, before she came to her answer. “Not very long, really. We got married very quickly.”

More reason that Yukimi perhaps was too bold in her kindness. “Papa says he doesn’t remember how you two met, that there was an accident. What happened?”

“Oh, one of those monster attacks… It was terrifying, but I was so relieved that he made it out okay, even if he couldn’t remember.” She smiled again, “We got to fall in love all over.”

For all the things Makoto felt for his parents, sometimes, they could be unbearably mushy. Like right now.

“Ah, okay, thanks…”

Yukimi turned to him with a smile, “I know you said you were just curious, but do you have some other reason,” There was a strangely knowing look, though Makoto could figure out what it was knowing of. “Maybe you’ve found yourself with feelings for someone?”

At that, Makoto went stalk still, shoulders tensing as he tried very hard to keep his grip on the plate in his hand. “W-what? No, no it’s nothing like that at all!”

His words didn’t seem to do much to convince Yukimi, “You know we’re happy for you, whoever they are.”

“I do not have feelings for someone!”

---

The Demons Driver was a curious belt, George found. He’d never had much of a chance to examine it too closely, his time working at Fenix focused instead on making his own Drivers. But if it really had such negative effects on Kadota, then it was worth taking a look, before he was forced to give it to someone else.

At the top of the list of things that were odd or strange that he’d chalked up to simply being because it was an old piece of technology, was that instead of simply harnessing power from the Vistamp, that power also seemed to be going inside the belt itself. Like the Driver was consuming it – and more power, if George had to guess. It was probably what caused what happened to Kadota.

So then, the question was: where was this energy going? How was the Driver consuming it?

To find those answers, George would have to do more digging.

---

The next day is drawing to a close when the Deadmans make their appearance. Jeanne, no sign of Aguilera or Papillion in sight, with only Revi at her side. It doesn’t take long for Tamaki and Makoto to arrive, finding the two on a set of steps. Jeanne sits, legs crossed, leaning back, bracing herself with her arm against the step she sat on. Revi stood, looking around warily, then watching Tamaki and Makoto when they arrived.

“And the Rider’s arrive,” Jeanne said, standing. Her gaze ran across both of them, pausing for a few moments on each. She beckons Revi closer, “We’re evenly numbered, at least.”

“Evil decide he was too good to fight us?” Tamaki growled, “We haven’t seen him since…”

Dismissively, Jeanne waved him off, “The two of us will certainly be too much of a fight for the two of you.”

Makoto’s hand reached into his pocket, feeling the cold Anomalocaris Vistamp. The elder Karizaki seemed confident that so long as he used it at the same time as Tamaki used the Smilodon Vistamp, both wouldn’t face the freezing and burning they usually felt. He could only hope that would actually be the case, otherwise this fight could be more trouble. Especially since Makoto really still wasn’t supposed to have the Anomalocaris Vistamp.

Jeanne pulled out the Cobra Vistamp, prompting Revi to take out the Revice Driver and T-Rex Vistamp. In response, Tamaki is quick to pull out his own Driver and, though perhaps with some hesitation, the Smilodon Vistamp. Not long behind Tamaki, Makoto does the same, fairly confident that Tamaki wouldn’t notice the Anomalocaris Vistamp until it was activated and he was already transformed.

“This time, Jeanne won’t poison us.” His demon said, sounding too confident.

Tamaki transformed, lunging at Jeanne, as she stamped herself and became the Cobra Deadman. Following suit, Revi takes a few steps to the side, keeping himself from the fight between Tamaki and Jeanne. He activated his Vistamp and stamped his Driver.

They’re working together this time.

Fire and ice don’t always go well together, right?

Maybe they’ll blow each other up!

I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Besides…

Together, we both know they’ll be more of a threat.

You’re no fun…

Since Tamaki seemed so focused on Jeanne, probably still pretty upset about what happened to Yusuke last time they fought, that left Makoto to deal with Revi and Vice. Two on one wasn’t the greatest odd, but the Anomalocaris Vistamp was strong, so long as his body didn’t reach its limit. He threw his spear at Vice, then ran at Revi, swinging his fist.

He tried to focus on the fight, really, he did, but all he could do was worry about Tamaki. That kind of anger that he was directing at Jeanne was dangerous, the same sort of anger that resulted in Yusuke getting injured, and in turn made Tamaki even more angry. A terrible cycle, feeding on itself, and sooner or later it would have to come to an end. Makoto worried that the end would be Tamaki becoming so focused on his anger, he gets himself killed, or worse, hurts someone in some irrevocable way that he’ll have to live with.

To do what Makoto himself had done in anger to his father.

In his wandering thoughts and distraction, Makoto’s control slipped, his demon easily taking control of parts of his body. He only realized when his attention came back to the fight, and he realized his body was moving, except he wasn’t the one doing it.

“Fights aren’t the place for distractions. Unless you want to end up like daddy dearest.” His demon commented, not giving up control in the slightest.

“Stop that.” Makoto hissed, “Let me fight.”

Sounding almost gleeful, his demon answered, “No,”

Keeping track of both Revi and Vice was hard, and though Makoto was still very much trying to wrestle back control, something that he was having little luck with, his mind had returned to the fight at least, away from his wandering thoughts. Even without control of his own body, he could at least try to keep an eye on Revi and Vice. Not that his demon seemed to be having half as much trouble – as a whole, he seemed much more accustomed to fighting than he was.

“I’m a demon, of course I am.” His demon responded, tone indicating that he considered this an obvious fact. Makoto hated that the demon knew what he was thinking so well. Then again, it lived in his head, so of course it did.

His demon jabbed their spear at Revi, who caught it, only for ice to quickly travel from his hands and up his arms. Pulling the spear free, Makoto’s demon then swung it at Vice, who had been coming up to help Revi. Vice dodged it, though barely and in a clumsy way. With a huff of frustration, his demon stabbed the spear at Vice, this time managing to hit him, ice again sprawling from the spear tip onto Vice.

Not too far from them, Makoto can see Tamaki’s fight with Jeanne. Tamaki was up close to Jeanne, swinging his daggers, his anger evident. Jeanne dodged each swing, appearing unbothered. She was likely aware of the extent of Tamaki’s anger, and how it would make him a lot more careless.

Makoto’s demon ran turned towards the two, then hurled his spear, hitting Jeanne in the shoulder, ice blossoming from the spot. She hissed, trying to shake the ice off, gaze turning towards Makoto for a moment, before returning to Tamaki, grabbing the blade of Tamaki’s incoming dagger.

Her mouth opens, and Tamaki’s forced to the side in order to dodge her venom. In the process, she pulls the dagger out of Tamaki’s hand, still gripping the blade. She flips it in her hand, flames still licking the blade, and she holds the blade up to the ice on her shoulder, melting it. “Nice try, but fire and ice don’t mix, remember?” The melted ice dripped to the floor, “You’ll just end up with water.”

She kicks at Tamaki, stunning him for a moment while she throws his dagger at Makoto. Easily, his demon dodged out of the way, though Revi and Vice had broken free of their ice in the meantime. Vice came at him first, and his demon grabbed him, shoving him out of the way, then kicking Revi back. He quickly crouched to the ground, picking up Tamaki’s dagger. Taking only a moment to get a feel for it, he then swung at Revi, the flames of the dagger feeling nicely warm against the cold of the Anomalocaris Vistamp.

“What a pain,” his demon grumbled, “I wish these guys would hurry up and lose.”

Again pushing against the demons control, Makoto responded, “Maybe you should get better at this, then.”

“Like you could do any better, always held back by the fear of hurting someone.” Vice came at them, and Makoto’s demon practically snarled, before harshly kicking him back.

His demon reached for his Vistamp, “I’m getting tired of this,” he said, his voice harsh and annoyed. It was Makoto’s voice – his demon always used his voice, but it was different when they were talking among themselves. To anyone who heard him, it would sound like it was Makoto talking, not some monstrous demon that lurks inside him.

Activating his finisher, he jumps into the air and kicks at Revi and Vice, ice exploding around them. He didn’t really care if it fully stopped them or not, he just wanted them out of the way long enough to help with Jeanne, so this fight could be considered more effort to win then it was worth.

Looking back over at Tamaki and Jeanne, he was surprised to see that any progress had been made. Though Tamaki was angry and now down to only one dagger, Jeanne was appearing worse for wear. Still, Tamaki’s anger hadn’t much subsided, that much was obvious.

“Careful wolf,” Jeanne hissed, “Snake aren’t very friendly-“

“Neither are wolves,” Tamaki growled, “And you hurt-!”

“Your dear friend? Don’t get me wrong, I was threatening him, sure,” She punched at him, to which he responded by swinging his dagger. “But he was the one who got in the way of my venom. And to protect you. Such a wonderful friend you have.”

Tamaki kicks, flames licking his leg, beginning to swirl around him. “Stop talking about him!”

Jeanne seemed a lot less bothered by the flames than she ever had Makoto’s ice. Then again, snakes didn’t like the cold, and it was obvious from the get go Makoto’s ice was far too cold for her. The fire, then, must be a welcome difference, if only because it wasn’t cold.

Makoto’s demon approached Jeanne and Tamaki, taking a place at Tamaki’s side, “Your dagger, Tama.” He tossed the dagger to Tamaki, who seemed a bit surprised, though by the action or the different nickname, Makoto wasn’t sure. Still, he caught the dagger, and the fire began to swirl around it more.

Picking up his own spear, Makoto’s demon quickly adjusted his grip on it until it was comfortable in his hands. Before he has a chance to do much more, Tamaki activates his finisher, lunging at Jeanne, fire spiraling around him, so hot that even with the ice to cool them, it seemed too hot for Makoto and his demon. “Damn fire.” His demon hissed.

As Tamaki slashed his daggers at Jeanne’s raised arms, the fire focused there, before exploding outwards, creating a fiery circle for several yards around them. Feeling his demon’s control of him lessen, Makoto winced, a little surprised when his body actually responded. Being in control made both the aches of his body from the fight, and the sweltering heat of the flames all the more obvious.

Jeanne staggered, stumbling to the ground, reaching a hand down to steady herself. Even she couldn’t withstand the full force of Tamaki’s attack, it seemed, and it certainly didn’t help that Tamaki had worn her down. Growling, though, Tamaki did not appear to be done with her. “You hurt Yosuke! He had nothing to do with any of this and-“

“And he protected you,” Jeanne said, voice clipped and strained, “Are you really angry at me, or are you just angry at yourself? You two seemed to be having quite the heart to heart-“

“Shut up!” Tamaki snapped, kicking at her and finally knocking away her transformation. Jeanne hissed, her clothes burned in spots, and Makoto was willing to bet she had at least a few burns on her skins.

She had clearly lost the fight. And Tamaki kept going. He raised his daggers again, it quickly becoming clear that he was going to attack Jeanne again. As he began to swing them, Makoto threw his spear, purposely aiming more towards Tamaki than Jeanne, but not hitting him.

A cloud of ice and freezing mist exploded from the spear, extinguishing Tamaki’s flames and knocking him down. Jeanne still had her arms raised, previously in an attempt to protect herself from Tamaki, now shielding her head just a bit from the ice.

Revi had gotten out of the ice, his transformation gone as he hurried to Jeanne’s side. Quickly, he helped her up, casting a somewhat confused, but grateful look at Makoto. Tamaki looked over at Makoto, easily spotting his spear in the ground.

Standing up, he growled. “Makoto! What the hell?!”

“You were getting a bit overkill, Tamaki. The last thing you want is to kill her.” He crossed his arms. So long as Tamaki was transformed, he wasn’t going to risk dropping the transformation.

It’s impossible to miss how Tamaki seemed to tighten his grip on his daggers. “What do you know about what I want?”

Makoto wasn’t sure he was willing to test his odds against fire, but it really wouldn’t be up to him. “I know you’re angry, and I know you’re taking it out on her-“

“Because she’s the one who hurt Yosuke!”

“And Yosuke will be okay, he’ll survive. You can’t go back from killing someone.”

“I don’t care!”

Over by Revi and Jeanne, Hana appeared, glancing at Jeanne with worry, then over at Makoto and Tamaki. She frowned, “What the hell happened?” She asked. Her gaze stays on the two, eyes dashing back and forth between Tamaki and Makoto. “What’s going on with them?”

“Your brother,” Jeanne began, “is upset I poisoned his friend.”

Narrowing her eyes at Tamaki, Hana huffed, “Seriously?” She crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against her upper arm, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I can’t believe him.”

Tamaki, clearly having had enough of Makoto trying to argue with him, lunged forward, daggers raise, flames licking forth at the air. Makoto braced himself, raising his spear to try to block the attack, ice at his feet, trying to anchor him. Hana rolled her eyes, pulling out the Bee Vistamp and quickly stamping herself. She ran forward and intercepted Tamaki’s attack with her kunai. The force of it alone was enough to send her back into Makoto a little, and she suspects her fuzz has been a bit singed from the fire.

“Hana!” Tamaki growled, “Get the hell out of my way!”

“Make me!” Hana spat back, “What’s gotten into you, anyway? Or have you given up on trying to be the hero so much that you’ve decided to go and attack your own goddamn brother? Who, might I remind, is on your side!”

Taking a step closer to Hana, Tamaki said, “You’re one to talk.”

Before Hana can respond, Revi called out, “Uh, hey, Ha- Aguilera, I think we should get going.”

She glanced over at him, “What? Why?”

“Well…” He pointed off to the side, and her gaze followed. Over by the stairs, where Revi and Jeanne had once been, there was an approaching figure. One that was rather familiar.

Hana startled, “Is that… papa?”

Looking over, Makoto confirmed. It did appear to be Genta, but what was he doing here? Moreso, he appeared to have a Driver – it looked like the Demons Driver, but the colors were wrong.

In a flash, he recalled what Masumi Karizaki had told him. All those years ago, about the man Genta was before. Junpei Shiranami was a Kamen Rider, and Makoto was willing to bet the belt that Genta wore now was the same one that Junpei used. Both it and the Demons Driver were made by the elder Karizaki, after all, so it would explain them both appearing very similar. The question was, then, what was going on?

It wasn’t out of the question that the Driver had remained in Genta’s possession, one way or another, all these years. But why dig it out now? What was Genta even trying to do?

And then Genta activated a Vistamp, stamping it to the Driver. And that’s when Makoto realized something. Whoever this was, this wasn’t Genta Igarashi. Perhaps some remnant of Junpei Shiranami, or perhaps something else. His demon, even if it was supposed to be locked away in the Demons Driver. Enough possibilities, all Makoto could say for certain was that this man wasn’t the Genta they knew.

Perhaps it was because they were closer, or perhaps it was for some other reason, but the Rider, Vail, targets Revi and Jeanne. Quickly, Revi ensures that Jeanne is behind him, having the misfortunate of having to take a punch without the power of any Vistamp to protect him. He grunts and clearly reaches for his Vistamp, but doesn’t get the chance to reach it before Vail punches again.

Seeing this, Hana shoved Tamaki to the side and rushed towards the three, slashing at Vail with her kunai. It did little, seeming not to bother Vail at all. Makoto shook off his surprise, tried to set aside the way his brain was swirling and whirring for a plan. Now wasn’t the time for a plan. He takes his spear and throws it at Vail, hitting him in the front of his shoulder, causing ice to blossom. Quickly, he hurries towards them, pulling his spear free and pushing Vail back with a kick, taking a place next to Hana.

Her voice audibly distressed, Hana wondered, “What is papa doing…?”

Makoto shook his head and responded, “That isn’t papa.”

“Then who is it?”

Pursing his lips, narrowing his eyes and focusing on Vail as he came closer again, Makoto answered, “His demon.” Here, so close to Vail, he could feel it. The same dark presence that came from the Demons Driver. Exactly the same, but stronger. This had to be Genta’s demon, somehow controlling him.

They had to find a way to get him to leave, but without hurting Genta too much. The last thing Makoto wanted to do was be responsible for killing his father again hurting Genta. This wasn’t Genta acting, it was his demon.

Did that make Makoto any less responsible for knocking Mr. Kadota off the cliff? Or for nearly trying to kill Hana? No.

Makoto had ice on his side, a wonderful immobilizer. Perhaps, even, it might be cold enough to shock the demon out of control. Or something. Makoto wasn’t sure and really didn’t have the time to contemplate the pros or cons, beyond the fact that it seemed the least likely to hurt Genta, since he had the suit to protect him from the worst of the cold.

He lets the ice gather on his spear, his best bet of being able to spread it further onto Vail. All he has to do is hit Vail with it, and then it would spread, like before, but hopefully he could get it to spread more. Should he aim for the legs, to try to keep him still? Yes, that should be good. Effective. Makoto could use effectiveness right now. He takes a deep breath, then jabs at the ground at Vail’s feet, dodging another punch in the process. No more time to think, he’d just have to hope his half baked plan would work.

Ice spreads on the ground, then quickly begins to creep up Vail’s legs. Makoto can’t keep the spear there long, he has to pull it out and put some distance from Vail. But he also has to keep Vail in place, until he can get a stronger layer of ice. So quickly, he runs back in, this time occupying Vail’s arms with his spear, and kicked at his legs. Ice spread onto both, but quickly shatter and fall off Vail’s arms, as he easily knocks Makoto back.

Hana seemed to sense enough of his plan, hurrying forward to slash at Vail with her kunai. Good, that would keep him occupied for a few moments. He jabs his spear at Vail’s midsection, able to hold it there long enough for the ice to spread even further. Makoto isn’t sure how much longer he can keep this up, with all the fighting before, his limbs ached terrible, his lungs strained to keep up with his exertion, and the cold was seeping into his bones.

Vail shoved the two back, Makoto tumbling to the ground, transformation disappearing and Vistamp clattering. Ice cracked and shattered, not thick enough to keep Vail in place. Makoto’s heart dropped.

“Uh oh.” His demon intoned, almost mockingly. “If only you were stronger. If only you had more of a demon’s power to draw on… I could help with that.”

“Go to hell,” Makoto spat back in his mind with barely any thought.

His demon cackled, “I think you’ll be the one going there, soon enough.”

He could hear as Hana tried to hold Vail off, but she was no match, and he soon heard a thud as she too hit the ground. They weren’t strong enough, especially after already fighting. What could they do? They were going to die and…

And Tamaki hadn’t helped them. Was he so caught up in his own anger that he’d let his brother and sister die? Some hero. But then again, Makoto didn’t think Fenix employed heroes. He thinks they employed pawns.

Nothing came, though, and soon staggering footsteps leads Vail away from them, disappearing off somewhere. Maybe they’d done enough. Or maybe something else. Hana manages to pull herself up, breathing heavily.

“We… should go. Recover.” She said.

It was smart. There was no fighting left to be done here. He moved his head, looking towards where Tamaki was. He was gone.

[writingpaperghost]

I'm a bit surprised I'm going to say this, given I'm only 8 episodes into Faiz, but. I am mildly obsessed with the characters in Faiz.

Like, Takumi and Yuji both having no dream and having a hard time to understand people with dreams? But Takumi choosing to fight to protect dreams, because at least he can do that, and Yuji doing it because he wouldn't let a repeat happen of what happened to Kaidou?

The Orphenochs making their own little group, unsure of wanting to make more Orphenochs, but still looking out for each other. Yuka ignoring Keitaro and Kaidou tossing his guitar away, removing the things that tethered them to their dreams (their "curse" as Kaidou described it), and in a way, a part of their remaining humanity. Yuji clinging to the idea that he's still human, that he doesn't want to be a monster. And how Yuka and Kaidou were miserable before dying, but becoming an Orphenoch has taken that misery away, or at least lessened it. But Yuji had been happy, and if that accident hadn't happened, if he hadn't been in a coma for two years... maybe he still would be. His parents would still be dead, but maybe things would be okay. But that's not what happened, and he lost his life both literally and figuratively. And he's vocal about the regret he feels over getting revenge, unlike Yuka who, if she feels any regret, doesn't voice it at all.

...Okay, so maybe it's just Takumi and the Orphenochs right now, but still. No one told me Inoue was actually a competent writer, ya'll were giving me the impression he just wrote wild shit that was fun to watch, not like... good in any technical manner.

[writingpaperghost]

Given I suspect Mari's bag is likely a bit heavier than Takumi's, it is impressive that he managed to get them confused not once, but twice. I don't know what I was expecting from him (given my only exposure to him was Kamen Rider 4) but this was not it.

[writingpaperghost]

Without You (Chapter 28)

Chapter 28: Feelings of the Wolf, Friend or Betrayed?

Tamaki sees someone he'd hoped to never see again.

AO3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/43371954/chapters/138306043

Tamaki had been feeling… strangely good about himself. Despite the whispers that still permeated Fenix, he’d heard plenty in and outside that were different. People saw Julio fight, even without his Driver, willing to become a monster, to protect people. Sure, when he fought Jeanne, there were no civilians present, but the point had clearly gotten across.

That couldn’t have been apart of Sakura’s plan, though, he couldn’t imagine what the Deadmans could gain from him feeling good about himself and people thinking well of him, for once. No, more likely, Sakura’s intentions had been more hoping for the sort of reactions people had to seeing the video of Makoto’s fight.

What people saw, when they saw Makoto fight, wasn’t a hero, but a monster. He had been too ruthless, and regardless of how they felt about Aguilera, seeing him hold the Bee Deadman’s own kunai to her neck like that had left a terrible impression. Makoto himself had been quiet and distant since seeing the video. Tamaki really wasn’t sure what to think.

Bad things are happening at his hand, and instead of owning up to it, he keeps claiming that he can’t remember. Tamaki wants to believe him, he did the first time, but this time it’s harder. He suspects, if he hears it again, it will only get even harder to believe.

If there was one person who has been there for Tamaki, supporting him even if he didn’t necessarily agree with him, it was certainly Makoto. If it weren’t for Makoto, he and Hana would probably have been dead by now. Either starved, frozen, or sick. For around five years, there had been no one Tamaki trusted more than Makoto.

In the light of Captain Kadota leaving and Captain Akaishi’s betrayal, he wanted to say that Makoto had been there for him as always, but… that trust that he’d had in Makoto, the very thing that he’d always valued so much in their relationship, seemed to waver in the face of the memory of seeing Captain Kadota fall, in the sight of the Squid Deadman with a kunai against the neck of the Bee Deadman. How could Tamaki trust Makoto like that, when he couldn’t remember doing such things.

The first could be considered a mistake, but the second… the second was a terrible, terrible action, one that Tamaki could barely forgive, if he could at all. For all that Hana had done… the last thing Tamaki wanted to see was her being hurt. Worse if it was at Makoto’s hands.

Did his wavering trust in Makoto make him a bad brother? Or was it understandable enough? There wasn’t anyone for Tamaki to ask, anymore. Hana was with the Deadmans, Makoto was who he was worried about, and Captain Kadota was gone. He wouldn’t dream to bring up his doubts with either of his parents, so that left him with no one.

It wasn’t like Tamaki was unused to being alone, but that didn’t mean he liked it all that much. Tabuchi had been a friend of Captain Kadota’s, but just as Tamaki hadn’t been that close with Captain Akaishi, he had never even properly met Tabuchi until recently. Just, at most, seen him in passing.

But he couldn’t show any of his worries, lest people worry themselves and ask. And that’s the last thing Tamaki needed. Especially now that he’d gone back home to Happy Spa (it was nice to be in his bed again, the one in his dorm at Fenix was never quite so comfortable). And he especially couldn’t let Makoto know about his wavering trust – justified or not, it would only hurt Makoto to hear about it. And with everything going on, Tamaki didn’t want to risk something happening again.

Makoto greets him with a smile, when he gets back to Happy Spa that evening. Tamaki makes it part way through the lobby when Makoto said, “By the way, someone showed up asking for you earlier.”

“They… did?” Who would be looking for him?

“Yeah, said his name was Yosuke… Yosuke something or other, didn’t catch his last name.” Makoto replied, his tone far too casual for the news that he didn’t even realized he’d given Tamaki. But surely this was some other Yosuke… “He said you two were classmates, back in like, elementary or middle school. Something like that. Before you ran, I presume.”

Never mind, Tamaki froze in his spot, that was the same Yosuke.

Looking at him curious, and Tamaki must have looked like a deer in headlights, Makoto continued, “I… take it you remember him?”

“You could say that,” Tamaki said, slowly.

“Well he wanted to meet with you, in the morning before you head to work.”

Unsure of what else to say, Tamaki responded, “I… okay.”

Yosuke was one of the last people Tamaki thought he’d ever see again. He didn’t even think he wanted to – he regretted them parting as they had, but Yosuke had betrayed him – broke his trust and hurt him in a way that few had before or since. His actions that day had been like a stab to the heart. And with Tamaki and his family moving soon… it had spurred Tamaki to run away. Nothing could be worse than the life he had before.

And now Yosuke had found him. How was he supposed to even feel about that?

“Oh, and by the way…” Makoto fished something out of his pocket, before holding out an unfamiliar Vistamp. “Karizaki wanted me to give this to you.”

As far as he knew, Makoto hadn’t visited Fenix today, but it was entirely likely that George had stopped by Happy Spa at some point. He did that, sometimes. Tamaki takes the Vistamp. It was strangely warm. “A… Vistamp.”

“It’s supposed to be like my Anomalocaris, but for you. And hopefully without the… unintended and annoying side effects.” Makoto explained.

Tamaki nodded, “…Alright. Let’s hope it works right.”

“Yes, let’s.”

---

When Tamaki arrives at the spot that Yosuke asked him to meet at, the next morning, he can’t help but feel… nervous. He wasn’t even sure why he decided to actually come – he held no care for Yosuke, anymore, and hadn’t in years. But… perhaps he was feeling bold, or nostalgic. Regardless, once he’s there, Yosuke was waiting, and he couldn’t turn around and leave.

Even though it had been years, Tamaki could still recognize Yosuke.

When Yosuke sees him, he smiles – just like he used to when he was younger, but this time… it looked more pained. Remorseful. Tamaki swallowed the tightness in his throat, choosing to ignore it however he could. There was no reason to hesitate, it was just Yosuke.

Just the person who had torn his heart in two, that fateful day. Who’d torn their friendship, and then Tamaki was too cowardly to ever even speak to them again. Like it or not, while Yosuke might have been the one to begin the tear, it was Tamaki who’d severed it. But at the time, it seemed like such a good idea – he couldn’t imagine being friends with someone who’d hurt him so. He still couldn’t.

“Tamaki – or, you’re using that as your first name now, aren’t you? Would you prefer Igarashi?”

Tamaki bristled, unsure why he felt so… uncertain. He glanced away, “It’s… whatever. Call me whatever you feel like.”

There’s a moment of silence, tense. Tamaki can hear Yosuke breathe, hear him take in an uncertain, nervous breath. He was preparing himself to speak, Tamaki could tell that much. “Tamaki I… well, I’d like to apologize. I hurt you, obviously very badly. And I never got the chance to say that I’m sorry. I still am. You didn’t deserve that, and I’ve never been able to shake the feeling that you wouldn’t have run away if I hadn’t done it.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Tamaki’s quick to say, though the tightness in his chest says otherwise. “And, for the record, it was a lot of things that made me run away, not just what you did.”

He looked back over at Yosuke, who frowned, “I… guess it doesn’t, now.” He shook his head, “Still, you deserved the apology.”

“How’d you even find me, anyway?”

“I saw the video the Deadmans posted and recognized you,” Yosuke explained. “It wasn’t that hard to track you down, from there.”

Tamaki could only hope that Yosuke was the only person to recognize him – he suspects so, given the ears and fur made him a lot harder to recognize. He doubted most people would be able to. He and Yosuke had just been… close, once upon a time.

With a shrug, Tamaki turned away. “Well… I need to get to work.”

Yosuke quickly called out, “I know you may not feel the same, but it was good to see you again.”

And then a voice called out, one that belonged to neither of them, “What a cute little reunion – he’s a friend of yours, isn’t he?”

Both Tamaki and Yosuke quickly turned to face the side, where Jeanne stood, watching them with interest. Unable to help himself, Tamaki growled, “What do you want?”

“Truthfully, I simply wanted to see how you were taking our little videos going public,” she answered, “But I’ve stumbled on to something far more interesting.”

Sparing a quick glance from Jeanne, over to Yosuke, Tamaki stepped closer to Jeanne, reaching into his jacket for his Driver and Vistamp. “Whatever you’re planning, I’d advise against it.”

“Really?” She pulled out the Cobra Vistamp, activating it. “Then let’s find out.”

The Vistamp that found its way to Tamaki’s hand wasn’t the Wolf Vistamp – instead, it was the Vistamp he’d gotten from Makoto the day before, feeling hotter than before. Then again, the Wolf Vistamp wouldn’t be strong enough to defeat Jeanne, and if this new Vistamp were as strong as the Anomalocaris Vistamp… he might stand a chance. There was only one way to find out.

He activated the Vistamp – it proclaimed itself the Smilodon Vistamp – then pressed it against his Driver. Jeanne appeared surprised to see the unfamiliar Vistamp, but quickly stamped herself with her own. Around Tamaki appeared flames, emerging from which was a wolf that twisted around with a saber-tooth tiger, which lunged forward and engulfed Tamaki.

Where Makoto’s Anomalocaris Vistamp seemed to exude ice and cold, the Smilodon Vistamp seemed to let out only heat and flames. It felt hot, like standing next to a fire. In each hand, he finds a blade like a fang, seeming to emanate their own flames. Most of all, though, Tamaki felt… powerful – was this how Makoto felt when he used the Anomalocaris Vistamp?

“A new Vistamp? Well, this will be fun,” Jeanne sounded almost excited, “And no pesky ice like your brother. Let’s see if you can measure up.”

Quickly, Jeanne lunged at him, fangs bared. He blocked her mouth with one dagger, while blocking both of her swiping hands with the other. He hoped to avoid getting poisoned this time, and he thinks it will be possible. Pushing her back, he freed his daggers of her fangs and claws, then slashed, jabbing one of the tips into her retreating arm. Jeanne let out a hiss of pain and pulled further back.

“Quite the power you have there… I wonder if it will be enough to protect your friend?” Her gaze very obviously wandered to Yosuke.

Tamaki kicked her, “Don’t bring a civilian into this!”

“But I could hurt him in quite a few ways,” Jeanne retreated back, using the momentum from his kick to help her. “Venom, of course, my claws, my fangs…”

“You’ve never purposefully dragged a civilian into a fight before.”

She tilted her head, “Maybe I will, now.” Then she spit something at him – a venom that Tamaki dodged, causing it to land harmlessly on the ground. Who knew what that could do to someone, even with the armor.

“Leave him out of this!” He ran at her, swinging his daggers.

Jeanne grabbed both of his wrists, then brought her leg up and kicked him back. Despite the two of them being on more even grounds, now, she still seemed more amused than anything else. “Even with that Vistamp being as strong as your brothers’… he’s still better at using his than you are yours!” She ran at him, swiping her hand, that Tamaki just barely dodged. “Your power is useless if you don’t know how to use it.”

He growled, “I’ll show you useless!” He swung at her again, but she just shoved him back again, sending him off balance and stumbling to the ground.

“What was that?” She asked, mockingly. “It seems my previous plan wasn’t enough. But I’ll give you this chance – show me that you’re becoming stronger, Julio! Show me, or else your dear friend may end up in the hospital…”

Though she stood a distance away, Tamaki could recognize that the movement she was making meant that she was preparing to spit venom again. He struggled to get to his feet enough to move out of the way, but the heat from the Vistamp was getting to be too much. The flames licking at his armor were overheating him, beginning to burn.

But he gets to his feet and takes a staggered step, trying to get out of the way, right as Jeanne spit. Then he’s shoved and knocked to the ground again, Vistamp clattering to the ground. He’s out of the way of Jeanne’s venom, but he doesn’t hear it splatter to the ground. Instead, he hears a sharp intake of air from Yosuke, as if he were in pain, and Jeanne let out an odd hiss.

“You…” She said, “You got in the way… you must be crazy!”

Tamaki forced himself to move and look at where he once was – in his place stood Yosuke, who began to sway. Jeanne’s venom had hit him, instead. He’d protected Tamaki, but now what?

Jeanne shook her head, returning to her human form, “Well, this wasn’t how I expected that fight to go…” With that, she left, gone without a trace.

“Yosuke!” Why hadn’t Yosuke run when it became obvious that Jeanne was going to fight? Why had he gotten in the way of her attack?

Worse yet, why was it that he was somehow braver than Tamaki had ever been?

Yosuke gave him a pained smile, “I’ll be alright, Tamaki.”

“You shouldn’t have protected me – it’s my job to protect you, not the other way around.” Tamaki grabbed him to steady him. “You need a doctor.”

“That’s why I know I’ll be alright. You’ll make sure I am. And I just did what I should have done years ago.” Yosuke didn’t seem all that bothered by the fact he’d just been poisoned. Tamaki couldn’t understand how that was the case.

Though Tamaki winced as Yosuke leaned against him – he hadn’t taken that many hits during the fight, but he thinks he’ll need to have a doctor look at him too. He still feels hot, and too much of him hurt in some manner for him to be able to convince himself he was alright. But he wouldn’t let Yosuke know about that.

---

The Vistamp had burnt him – not too badly, but enough to hurt him some, and the ends of the fur of his tail had been singed, leaving the tip of his tail blackened somewhat. It seemed that, like Makoto Anomalocaris Vistamp, this one too had a side effect from prolonged usage. Tamaki would just have to be careful not to use it for too long.

No, the far stranger thing was George’s confusion at the Vistamp’s very existence. When he’d heard of it, he’d come to see the Vistamp, looking thoroughly perplexed. “This isn’t one of mine,” He said, then looked at Tamaki, “Igarashi, where did you get this?”

Startled, Tamaki answered, “From Makoto. He said it was from you.”

“Well it’s not,” George scowled, “Have him come over here, I need to know where he got this from.”

Tamaki wasn’t going to argue with George, and he himself was rather curious as to just where Makoto had gotten the Vistamp, if not George. No one else could make Vistamps, after all. Makoto arrived in decent time, looking rather relaxed.

Though he soon looked annoyed when George waved the Smilodon Vistamp in his face, demanding, “Where did you get this Vistamp?”

Makoto looked directly at Tamaki, past George, “Like I said. Karizaki.”

“He says he didn’t make it,” Tamaki responded, “So where’d you get it?”

A thoughtful look comes across Makoto’s face, for a moment, and then he answered, “A ghost, then.” And turned and left without another word, and before either George or Tamaki could say anything else.

A thoroughly unhelpful conversation – obviously Makoto wasn’t going to give them a straight answer, and that made Tamaki’s growing distrust of him even stronger. Perhaps something to do with that Weekend group? But Tamaki doubted they’d know how to make Vistamps. Which brought him back to square one – he had no clue who could have made the Vistamp, and neither did George.

There were no more answers to be found on that avenue, as it were. Hopefully something would reveal itself soon, but Tamaki wasn’t getting his hopes up. It did make him more wary of using the Smilodon Vistamp, between the side effects and having no clue where it came from. How could he know the person who made it wasn’t malicious in their intent? How did he know there wouldn’t be some side effect like what the Demons Driver had on Captain Kadota?

Tamaki wished he were as brave as Yosuke.

---

Makoto wandered, once more, into Weekend’s base. “Mr. Karizaki?” He called.

Karizaki turned to face him, “Makoto,” He greeted, “I’ve been looking into the Anomalocaris Vistamp for you, I think I’ve figured out a solution.”

He honestly hadn’t expected Karizaki to have an answer so quickly. “Really?”

“Yes,” Karizaki nodded, “I believe if you were to use it alongside Tamaki using the Smilodon Vistamp, they would negate each other’s negative effects.”

With a frown, Makoto said, “So you’re aware of the burning.”

“Now I am.”

He shook his head, “Well, it’s something.” Karizaki holds out the Anomalocaris Vistamp, and Makoto took it. Still it felt too cold. “Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask… you made the Demons Driver, right?”

Seeming uneasy, Karizaki answered, “That’s correct…”

“So… just what is up with it? It was killing Mr. Kadota, and somehow I don’t think that’s it’s intended purpose.” There was no point in dancing around the question, after all. Though Makoto wasn’t entirely sure that Karizaki had an answer.

Hesitantly, Karizaki said, “The Demons Driver is more intended to be a… containment, than a Driver. And it is currently containing something. That’s what was having such an effect on its user, I suspect.”

Makoto blinked, “A… containment? For what?”

“A… demon.”

That explained the terrible feeling the Driver seemed to give off, odd and dark. Like it was alive. Or well, it had something alive in it, as it turned out. To think, a demon. And no one knew, except its creator – a message that didn’t get passed to anyone in Fenix, obviously.

What happened to Mr. Kadota could have been avoided if the director hadn’t forced Karizaki to give someone the Demons Driver. Though Mr. Kadota would surely insist he preferred it happen to him than to someone else, it shouldn’t have happened at all. Makoto wasn’t sure if he should tell Tamaki about this – Tamaki might not even believe him, not knowing Karizaki’s involvement in Weekend.

The same thing would likely happen to anyone else who tried to use – surely the director would make Karizaki give it someone else, he wouldn’t be satisfied with just two Riders, when he could have three again? Frowning, Makoto asked, “Is there a way to get rid of the demon?”

“You’d have to free it, and it’s a dangerous demon. And even then, I fear what might happen to the human the demon has a contract with if he’s completely destroyed.”

“And who’s that human?”

Again, Karizaki hesitated. He obviously didn’t want to talk much about all this, but Makoto wouldn’t let up easily. Karizaki sighed, “It’s a long story.”

Makoto sat himself down in one of the chairs, “Well I’ve got all day.”

At the very least, Karizaki didn’t try to stall much further, “It was twenty-five years ago…”

As it turned out, Makoto was in for quite the story.