"Contract Complete!" the Pangolin Imagin said before splitting Taisuke in half and opening him like a door. Kotonoha gasped in shock when she saw this but Ryuji wore a neutral expression. He watched as the Imagin entered the green time portal and Taisuke's body closed up and he slumped to the ground.
"Sawanaga-san!" Kotonoha shouted as she helped the boy up. Though she didn't like him all that much, she was too nice to just leave him be. Ryuji took out a blank ticket from his pocket and held it over Sawanaga's head. The date was displayed clearly (23rd May 2007) along with the image of the Imagin and Ryuji nodded. Though it was protocol to ask why such a date was significant, all he was interested in was getting to that time. He took out his Rider Pass and slipped the ticket inside.
"Koto-chan, stay here with him," Ryuji said as he pressed a button on his wrist communicator. "I got an Imagin to hunt down." The ChronoLiner sped out of the portal to pick Ryuji up. One of the doors opened as it stopped in front of the teens before Ryuji boarded it.
"Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha said. "Be careful and good luck."
Ryuji gave her a nod. He would come back. The door slid close as he waved at her before the ChronoLiner went into another portal, headed towards the date written on the ticket.
23rd May 2007
In the past, Taisuke screamed as sand poured out from his body and then formed into the Pangolin Imagin. The Imagin gave Taisuke a grin before knocking him out with a punch to the head. He was in the school hallway and when the students saw the Imagin coming out of Taisuke like that, they screamed.
"Yes, run! Run!" it laughed. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" The Imagin then started its rampage by attacking students but then he was thrown backwards by a punch. Looking up, he glared at the figure. "You!" It was that damn Rider!
Ryuji had arrived. He and the others had shown up sometime during the second semester. Due to that, nobody recognized him but they were awed by how brave he was taking on this monster.
"Yes, and I'm here to finish you off," said Ryuji. His eyes went over to Taisuke's unconscious form and he smirked before turning his attention back towards the Imagin.
"Now, it's time we finish this. That's all I'm interested in."
"Not protecting these people?" the Imagin questioned.
"If they die here by your hands, the laws of time will restore them. I don't like most of them, but that doesn't mean I won't protect them."
The Imagin snorted, displayed its claws and then lunged towards Ryuji.
"Henshin!" Ryuji slid the pass into the belt.
"IFRIT FORM!"
The armor formed over Ryuji as he charged at the Imagin. The claws missed the Rider when he ducked and then tackled the Imagin in the chest. The Imagin staggered backwards but Ifrit grabbed it by the arm and then ran towards the windows. He jumped through one, shattering it, pulling the Imagin down with him before they landed on the ground. Ifrit needed his space and outside was the ideal place.
"Let me say this from the beginning; I am very pissed off!" Ifrit announced.
Unlike Ifrit, the Pangolin Imagin had landed on its back. Ifrit let its arm go and made some distance, going into an Ifrit-Ken stance. The Imagin growled and then fired the plates on its body like missiles. Ifrit tried to dodge but there were too many and they were moving fast. He screamed as the plates slammed into him, causing sparks to fly. When the onslaught ceased, Ifrit noticed he was being watched by the students. Some even had their camera phones out taking snap shots. He grunted about stupid kids before turning his attention back to the Imagin and just in time too before its claws reached his throat. He leaned backwards and raised his left leg, hitting the Imagin hard between the legs. The Imagin doubled over in pain while Ifrit righted himself. He put down his left leg and raised his right leg, hitting the Imagin in the face with it before bringing it down for a heel kick that forced the Imagin to the ground. He then went around the Imagin, picked it up by its legs and then started to spin around and around. The Imagin howled as it was being spun before Ifrit tossed him away and into the bulletin board. The board was smashed to pieces but Ifrit didn't need to worry about it. Collateral damage was the norm with this job.
The Imagin was in a daze as it got out of the pile wood as Ifrit's right hand was engulfed in blue flames. The flames then reformed and solidified into one of his Ifrit Daos. He pressed down on the switch located at the top of his belt.
"FULL CHARGE!"
Energy transferred from the belt into the sword as the temperature started to drop. The Imagin looked to see Ifrit charging at him with a glowing blue blade. Snarling, it charged right back but that would be a bad move on its part. Ifrit swung his sword as the Imagin thrust its right claw forward but Ifrit had been quicker and the Imagin was slashed across the chest. When the blade made contact, the Imagin became covered in ice in less than a second. Again, Ifrit slashed down with his sword, slicing the Imagin right in half and the frozen halves dropped to the ground before shattering into pieces.
Ifrit, satisfied, decided to leave. He'd taken care of the Imagin so there was no reason to stay here. He looked to see a crowd of students in the distance and could see Sekai, Makoto and Kotonoha among them. With a shrug, he leapt upwards as the ChronoLiner appeared and he landed at an open doorway before walking inside the train as it flew off and into a portal back to the present.
When Ryuji returned to the present, he was welcomed by an overly affectionate girl kissing him hard on the lips. He enjoyed it for a second before she pulled away, smiling brightly.
"OK, what was that for?" he asked.
"For being you," she replied simply, "Being a hero."
Ryuji sighed, "Just a guy doing his job because I need to pay rent and the reward I get from defeating that Imagin would be enough."
Kotonoha frowned. "Is that all you care about?"
"A guy needs a place to live and well since I don't have any other skills save for fighting, being paid to fight the Imagin is the perfect job for me." Kotonoha gave him a look. "Alright, the pay is just a bonus. I really want to protect you and this world from being overrun by Imagin." Kotonoha smiled at his answer. "So, where is that Sawanaga guy?"
"DOUBLE-DATE DISASTER!"
A week later…
Ryuji loved Kotonoha Katsura with all his heart. How could he not? She was compassionate, kind, gentle and very cute. Though, her assets were attractive, they were nothing compared to her gentle nature. Plus, the sex was great. The things they did on Christmas night in that hotel room…he had NO idea she could be that flexible. He also remembered how passionate she was in bed and how she loved to claw at his back. He carried those marks proudly since they were testaments of her love for him and well he had given her a love bite too.
Training under him, Kotonoha had gained some confidence. She could stand up for herself if given the chance. Because he loved her, he could never say no to any of her requests…
Except now.
"No," he stated firmly.
"But, Ryuji-kun…" Kotonoha begged. "You promised."
Ryuji scowled which made Kotonoha giggle.
"Koto-chan, I agreed to the double date when I didn't know who we were going out with. Now, you tell me it's them?"
"Ryuji-kun, it's been 2 months since. Can't you forgive them?"
"For breaking your trust and heart, no," Ryuji shook his head. "I can't believe you're even thinking I would consider this now. I don't even like them."
"You don't like anybody," she corrected.
"That's not true," he said, leaning close to kiss her cheek. "I like you."
Both of them were on the school roof, having lunch together on a bench. Kotonoha always made lunch for the two of them and Ryuji enjoyed the food she made. It had a very unique taste to him.
"So, do you like me enough to go out on a double date?" Kotonoha asked.
"Ugh," groaned Ryuji. She just had to use that to her advantage. Honestly, he loved this girl so much that he would be considered 'whipped' for being obedient, though he doubted anyone would say that within his range unless they were stupid, or Warren. "Fine, we'll go, but don't expect me to be chummy with them."
Smiling, Kotonoha gave Ryuji a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you."
Ryuji sighed. The things he would endure for this girl.
It'd been two months since Ryuji returned and decided to stay in this world as its designated Rider against the Imagin threat. So far, there hadn't been that much on Imagin activity, but still…That didn't mean he could slack off. He trained himself often to make sure he was ready. Of course, he also spent time with Kotonoha on dates or just hanging out with her. She was, understandably, his only friend in this school, which was how he preferred it though Kotonoha often thought he felt a little lonely. A lot of the students were afraid of Ryuji due to his temper. She was the only one who knew he was kind at heart, despite his tough exterior. She could always break that wall and find his true self, the kind boy whom she fell in love with.
In her mind, she heard the voice of her partner, 'Lady Kotonoha, you sure know how to control your man, just like a real Amazon should.'
A month ago, Otome had apologized to her for bullying her for a long time. Though Otome would still tease Kotonoha, she was no longer a bully. Of course, maybe it was because she was afraid of what Ryuji would do to them. They had seen him punch a hole in the wall and Otome knew it wasn't smart to anger him. The rest of her posse weren't exactly thrilled and tried to bully Kotonoha despite Otome's warning. What they got was, instead of Ryuji coming to interrupt them, was a sudden change in Kotonoha's behavior as she gave each of them a black eye and a few bruises when they tried to harass her. Since then Kotonoha was left alone.
Some would say that Ryuji was rubbing off on her. Actually, it all had been due to Kotonoha's new partner, the Amazon Imagin named Athena. He could tell when Athena was in control since Kotonoha's eyes would turn green and her hair would be done up in a ponytail with green streak in it. Kotonoha did look good with a ponytail but he and Athena didn't particularly get along, especially after she hijacked his body when he got into trouble fighting a powerful Lobster Imagin. To be controlled like that…well at least he got a new form out of it. Athena, on the other hand, disliked males in general and only tolerated him because he was Kotonoha's boyfriend.
Kotonoha didn't know how to respond to her Imagin's words. She wasn't controlling Ryuji, was she? Sure, she made him do a lot of things with her but nothing he didn't want to do, right? Well, he didn't want to go on this double date but she'd managed to make him agree to it.
"Just don't glare at them the whole time, OK?" she requested. "Please?"
"I'll try, but I can't promise though," he replied.
It was a routine student's life for Ryuji. Go to class, listen to some boring lecture, take notes, go home and study. He wasn't exactly very motivated when it came to school work but luckily for him Kotonoha would tutor him…though at some point they would end up making out on the floor and forgetting studying altogether.
The final bell rang and Ryuji packed up his things along with Kotonoha. They both left class together, hand in hand as they exited and bumped into Taisuke.
Taisuke Sawanaga was on Ryuji's list of the people he hated the most. Makoto and Sekai's names were on it and after what Taisuke had tried to do to Kotonoha during the last school festival he'd earned a special place on that list. Kotonoha did feel a little sorry for Taisuke whenever he ran in terror of Ryuji but that was a given seeing as the beating he'd gotten took several weeks to heal.
Kotonoha was on good terms with Makoto and Sekai again but occasionally Ryuji would find Makoto glancing at Kotonoha. Obviously, the guy was still an indecisive idiot and was wondering if he still loved Kotonoha. As if Ryuji would let Makoto take Kotonoha away. The Ifrit Rider still kept thinking of killing Makoto in a way that it looked like an accident but that would just upset Kotonoha and he didn't like making her upset.
"So, you want to join my family for dinner later?" asked Kotonoha. Her parents, though wary of him, were very accepting since he'd protected her from a molester (Taisuke). They had met during Christmas Eve dinner and got along well. Though Ryuji was Ryuki's Yin, he still remembered his proper manners. He could be a gentleman, but he chose to ignore his manners most of the time in casual company.
"Do you even need to ask?" he replied. Suddenly, his wrist watch began beeping frantically. "Oh, hell no!"
"Is it an Imagin?" she asked.
"What else could ruin my mood," grumbled Ryuji. "Stay here while I go check it out." He knew it would be useless to tell her that but what else could he say? He dashed straight towards the source of the disturbance.
The Imagin was a Black Bear Imagin and using his steel clubs to break several store windows as people panicked and fled away to safety. The Imagin seemed amused as it did this and continued smashing windows, laughing, as the people ran. "Now this is what it means to feel alive!"
Ryuji arrived to the scene and had his Ifrit Belt on. He was about to activate it when all of a sudden a roaring motorbike could be heard. The bike slammed hard into the Imagin and sent it tumbling across the ground. Ryuji's eyes widened when he saw the person on the bike.
It was another Kamen Rider and it was one he knew well…Kamen Rider Garoh Hunter Form.
The Imagin got back to its feet as Garoh strode forward. It tried to smash him to the ground with its clubs but the Wolf Rider leapt up an impressive height before dropping down to slam his knees into the Imagin's shoulders. He then bounded off and snapped his legs forward, smashing his feet into the Imagin's feet and sending it staggering backwards.
"Is that all you got?" Garoh taunted. As he said this he was configuring his Gasher into Scimitar Mode. "I was expecting better from you."
Roaring, the Black Bear Imagin charged at Garoh who waved his Pass over his belt.
"FULL CHARGE!"
The Imagin brought his clubs high above his head, ready to smash the Rider into the ground but Garoh spun on his heels and got behind the Imagin before slashing downward with his charged up scimitar. The Imagin was sliced completely in half before exploding in a fiery blaze.
Kenzaki's armor fell off and he smirked, "Heh, now that was easy." Of course, he wasn't expecting a pissed off boy who resembled his friend Ryuki stomping towards him.
"Hey, teme! That was my Imagin to kill!" the other boy shouted. Kenzaki looked to the boy and stared him down. He noticed the belt and the Rider Pass and put two and two together.
"So, you're a Rider too, huh?" said Kenzaki, scrutinizing the boy.
"That's right! Name's Ryuji Hasuma!" He poked Kenzaki in the chest, "Let me tell you this from the beginning; I am very ticked off!"
Kenzaki didn't like this kid's tone of voice but to hear the name 'Hasuma' and that the fact this kid looked like Ryuki with his hair out made him curious. "Hey, are you related to a Ryuki Hasuma by any chance?"
"Sure I am, Kenzaki Tsukuba," Ryuji replied. "Don't be so surprised. I was part of him until recently. I used to go by Ifrit then."
"Ifrit?" Kenzaki had heard about Ryuki's other half. "So…you're a clone?" That was the only explanation he could come up with.
"No!" Ryuji snapped. "I'm the physical embodiment of his Yin! Now, why the hell are you on my turf!"
"Hey, don't be angry cause you were too slow," Kenzaki retorted but then Ryuji struck hard with his fist which Kenzaki caught in his hand. "Hey!"
"You and me, right here, right now!" challenged Ryuji. "It's go time! Henshin!"
"Very well," Kenzaki sighed. "Henshin!"
"IFRIT FORM!"
"HUNTER FORM!"
Despite his words to stay away, Kotonoha once again went against his request after some coaxing from her own Imagin partner. Kotonoha could hear the sound of fighting and followed it. She assumed her boyfriend was fighting an Imagin but was surprised to see him fighting another warrior clad in armor. She'd been told that these warriors were called Kamen Riders. Could this be a new enemy like Katherine?
'Who is that?' questioned Athena.
"I don't know," responded Kotonoha.
The other Rider was clad in black armor that was based on a wolf and was fighting with the same ferocity. Neither Rider was armed but that didn't make the fight any less brutal. The movements appeared deadly and she knew she would be hurt if she tried to interfere.
Garoh Hunter Form was using his GekiJyu Wolf-Ken style against the Ifrit Rider and soon discovered that his opponent was a practitioner of one of the GenJyuKen styles. From what he heard from his adopted father in the past, the GenJyuKen users had been evil.
Kotonoha watched as the two warriors fought furiously. She wasn't sure what to do. If she interfered, she would get hurt and…she remembered when it'd happened before and she saw her boyfriend change. It had not been a pretty sight and it haunted her nightmares for many nights.
Garoh started by executing one of his most used attacks, "Gekiwaza! Gon Gon Ken!" His right fist became engulfed in purple flames, which was his violet Fierce Ki. Watching as the fist came close, Ifrit prepared his own special technique, his Gengi.
At first, he had been apprehensive at using Gengi but he realized that by practicing GenJyuKen he'd absorbed some of the Mythical Ki from the scroll. It kept building up and wasn't released since he never used the Gengi before. He then found out, the hard way, that Mythical Ki needed to be expelled once in a while or else the user would be overwhelmed and go berserk. Of course, using the Mythical Ki also caused the user to go berserk and thus Ifrit performed meditative exercises to keep himself balanced and regulate the intake and outtake of Mythical Ki in his body.
"Gengi! Shogai Domu!" He thrust his arms out in front of him, palms facing forward as Mythical Ki enveloped his body and then expanded into a dome shape, deflecting Garoh's attack. Ifrit dropped the dome and performed another attack, "Gengi! Jigoku Tsume!" His fingers were curled and then he covered them in Mythical Ki before slashing Garoh across the chest. The part that got slashed became covered in ice and Garoh was bewildered.
"Ifrit-Ken was originally a fire-based technique, but I managed to use it with my ice power. That is the end result. A few more slashes and you'll be ice cubes," boasted Ifrit.
"Well, then, looks like I have to call in a replacement," said Garoh as he pressed a red button on his belt and swiped the Pass over it.
"SAVAGE FORM!"
Okami's presence left him and was soon replaced by Buraki who quickly took over. His additional armor vanished and was then replaced by red draconic armor.
Now he was Kamen Rider Garoh Savage Form.
Without saying his signature catchphrase, Garoh formed two fireballs in hand. "Fire beats ice any day."
Ifrit formed his twin Ifrit Dao and charged for the Imoogi powered Rider. Garoh hurled the fireballs at Ifrit who cancelled them out with his blades. When he got into range, he started slashing at Garoh who ducked and rammed both palms into his gut. Ifrit was sent reeling and then recovered just in time to see a torrent of flames that Garoh blasted him towards him. Luckily, he had his swords crossed to block the flames. He concentrated and blasted back with his cold blue flames. Garoh pushed back too and red hot and cold blue flames were pushing each other back as Kotonoha watched. It seemed like an even match when all of a sudden…
"NYAO NYAO DAN!" A giant ethereal cat got in between the flames before spinning around and striking both Riders with its tail before vanishing and making the flames disperse. Kotonoha wondered where it'd come from when she heard a new voice.
"Yamette, Rider no Baka!" it was a female voice coming from a girl with long and braided black hair and storm blue eyes, wearing a white vest over a blue turtleneck shirt, a denim miniskirt, black tights and white boots. Around her neck was a medallion modeled after a dragon. Her body glowed with Ki as she glared at the two Riders.
Garoh's transformation failed at the moment he saw the girl and he became Kenzaki again once Buraki left. "Neko!"
Ifrit's armor also vanished as he turned his eyes towards this girl, his sister. "Damn, Neko-nee! Why'd you have to do that?"
Neko knew this was her brother's Yin so he was practically her brother too, just like how she treated Kat like family.
She stomped towards Kenzaki and pulled him by his ear and to his feet. He couldn't feel pain but this was nothing compared to when she got into her tirade. Kotonoha ran towards Ryuji and helped him up.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away?" he responded. He caught her frown. "Sorry. Thanks for asking, but I'm fine."
"Athena talked me into coming," she said apologetically.
"I thought so," Ryuji sighed. Kotonoha's eyes went towards Neko who was scolding Kenzaki about fighting her brother.
"So, that is your sister? The good one?" she asked. Ryuji had told her about his family.
"Pretty much and the one I fought is her boyfriend, Kenzaki." He snickered as he continued to watch Neko scolding Kenzaki. "Serves him right."
When Neko stopped she approached them with Kenzaki following, head bowed. Neko's eyes went towards her new brother and then to Kotonoha. She smiled and bowed in greeting, "Konnichiwa."
Kotonoha bowed in greeting too as Ryuji stood by her side. Kotonoha introduced herself, "I'm Kotonoha Katsura."
"Well, I bet Ifrit-chan has told you about me but I might as well make an introduction," said Neko. She'd practiced for this. Since Kenzaki had a speech for being a GekiJyuKen user, she already had one of her own, "Born in the light of the dragon's fang and wielding the claws of the cat. The Blade of Justice. Hasuma Confrontation Style swordswoman and GekiJyu Cat-Ken user. Watashi wa Hasuma Neko." She was proud and confident, a contrast to Kotonoha.
Kotonoha blinked at the lengthy introduction. She turned towards Ryuji who shrugged.
"And I am Gekiryuken," introduced Neko's medallion, causing Kotonoha to gasp. Though, she'd seen a lot since dating Ryuji so she shouldn't be surprised.
A green haze of energy flew out of Kotonoha and took form. It was a humanoid female figure clad in a green armored top that left her stomach bare and matching shorts. She had spiked shoulder pads and green gauntlets and boots. Her skin was tanned and she had a skirt of feathers around her waist and golden bracelets and anklets. Her hawk-like helmet covered her entire head and left the lower half of her face and mouth exposed. She had green hawk-like eyes and a frown on her face. A sword was in a holster at her hip. For an Imagin, she was sure attractive.
"It is an honor to meet you," said Athena. Though she held no respect for men, she knew a strong woman when she saw one. She got down on one knee and placed her right fist to her heart, "I am the Amazon Imagin, Lady Neko, and my name is Athena."
This was surprising. Usually she was high and mighty. She was never this humbled. Neko liked the praise and Kenzaki looked a little suspicious but then a red haze of energy left his body and reformed into the Imoogi Imagin, Buraki.
"Wow, you're hot!" complimented Buraki. "Want to go out?"
Athena stood at full height and glared down on Buraki. She snorted, "You are not worthy." Her eyes were cold but Buraki didn't take the hint.
"Aw, come on! It would be worth your while." He attempted to reach for her shoulder but Athena took offence and immediately kneed him in the crotch. Kenzaki and Ryuji flinched and looked away as Buraki collapsed on the ground, holding his 'jewels' and writhing in pain.
"Nice one," Neko said. Buraki always flirted with her but she was too nice to hit him for it. It was good to see the pervert getting what he deserved.
"You are welcome, Lady Neko," nodded Athena. "I was impressed at how you handled your male. It was very forceful. You act like an Amazon, just like Lady Kotonoha."
Ryuji and Kenzaki couldn't stop glaring at each other. Both used opposing JyuKen schools. While Kenzaki's was the Beast Fist of Justice, Ryuji's was the Beast Fist of Destruction. Still Ryuji was this world's Rider and had used his skills to defeat a number of Imagin.
"You have a problem with the style I use, don't you?" asked Ryuji.
"You practice GenJyuKen," stated Kenzaki.
"You got a good eye to recognize it," replied Ryuji. He spoke proudly, "The Infernal Power of the Demon. GenJyu Ifrit-Ken. That's my style."
"Where did you learn it? How did you learn it?" questioned Kenzaki.
Ryuji shrugged. "Before I came here, I spent a year traveling. Found the scroll and studied it. I found out I liked it so I decided to make it my own. Why?"
"You do know that Mythical Ki is…"
"Malevolent? Trust me, I do." He remembered the time he'd gone berserk, involuntarily turning into a GenJyu form. "And while it is meant for destruction, I will use it to protect this world. Techniques are only evil in the wrong hands. Aren't RinJyuKen and GekiJyuKen different branches of the same school?" Kenzaki eye's widened at this. "I studied some history too to know more about the Beast Fist style. Would've studied GekiJyuKen too if GenJyuKen didn't look so exciting."
Kenzaki huffed at the answer but accepted it nonetheless. Ryuji wasn't evil but the Mythical Ki he felt just felt wrong…
"Can we continue this conversation elsewhere?" asked Neko. "I mean the police are going to get here soon."
"Let's go to my place," said Ryuji. "We just need to take a train there but it's cozy."
Athena remained in Kotonoha's body during the entire trip since the Amazon Imagin would draw unwanted attention. The one time she was out, people assumed Athena was a cos-player of some sort.
They arrived in front of the apartment building and went up the elevator to where Ryuji lived. He unlocked it and invited them inside. "Tadaima," he said as they came inside.
"Okaeri, Ryuji," an Imagin greeted them at the door. This Imagin was clad in a full black robe and wearing an apron. His hood was up so only the eyes were visible along with the red skin of his face and a pair of long horns coming out of his forehead. He wore golden boots and gloves.
Kenzaki was suddenly on high alert when this Imagin appeared but then Ryuji explained, "It's fine. Loki here is my Imagin partner. Come inside."
They removed their footwear and slipped on some comfortable house slippers. Why Ryuji, who detested most people, had many pairs of slippers was anybody's guess but maybe it was for any surprise guests. Loki went back into the kitchen to make some drinks.
The place didn't look too bad. The living room was fully furnished with a blue carpet and black leather chairs and a couch with a coffee table and a TV. The curtains were blue.
Kenzaki and Neko sat down on the couch as Kotonoha took a seat on a chair. Athena appeared, standing at her side vigilantly. Ryuji sat on another chair, and turned his head to face Kenzaki and Neko.
"OK, you two are bounty hunters, so why are you here?" asked Ryuji, getting to the point. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't a job. So, give me a good reason because you're on my turf now, and I need to be in the loop."
"We don't need to tell you anything," said Kenzaki gruffly, crossing his arms. It appeared that he didn't like Ryuji.
"There's an A-Class bounty on the loose on this world," stated Neko.
"Neko!" Kenzaki exclaimed. "That was classified!"
"We may need his help, Ken-kun," Neko reasoned.
Kenzaki sighed. "Fine." He continued for Neko, "He's been using the recent increase of Imagin activity to cover his tracks. I take it there have been a lot of seemingly random Imagin attacks recently, right?"
"Yeah, there have been a few," replied Ryuji.
"Well, we think he's planning something, and he's been manipulating the Imagin to his ends. We also think it has something to do with the original history of this world as well as something else about this world."
"Original history?" Kotonoha questioned. Ryuji bristled at hearing this. He hadn't told her about it.
"This world has special properties too," explained Kenzaki. "Sometimes people with special powers that end up here lose the use of their powers, at least temporarily."
"The same thing happened to us," added Ryuji. "Plus we de-aged. So, what does this A-Class teme want?"
"I've made some tea!" announced Loki as he came into the living room. He was holding a tray with teacups on it. He kneeled at the table and placed down the tray. "Please, enjoy!"
Ryuji groaned, "Loki, you don't have to serve tea." The Imagin Loki stood up and walked over to Ryuji's side.
"But we have guests. It's courteous to do so," said Loki. He then bowed before stating, "I am Ryuji's Imagin servant. Please, call me if you need anything." He looked intimidating, but was actually kind at heart. "Please, tell me if you need anything." He stood straight at Ryuji's side.
"Loki…" sighed Ryuji.
"You did wish for help and I am only granting your wish," reasoned Loki.
"Anyway, Loki, you can forget about dinner," informed Ryuji, "Because Koto-chan invited me over to her place tonight."
Loki nodded, "It is alright. I haven't begun preparations yet anyway."
"So, how can Ryuji-kun help?" Kotonoha asked the bounty hunters.
"Well, we're not sure what our bounty wants to be exact," said Neko. "But he's an A-Class criminal so we need to stop him at whatever he is doing."
"He may try to change the past and is manipulating the Imagin to do so," said Kenzaki.
"That's obvious," said Ryuji. "So, do you have a Wanted poster?"
Kenzaki pulled out a poster. It depicted a man with short black hair and slanted red eyes. "His name's Tatsuya Hirakawa, no known aliases, and no known living relatives. Normally he'd be classified as a C-Class, because he's a jumper. Jumps between worlds. However, the guy's manipulative. He's been promising Imagin power and each of them their own world in his Multiverse. Guy's trouble. We're not sure what else he's capable of."
"If he's an A-Class now, he must mean trouble," said Ryuji.
"He's a tricky one too," added Neko.
Ryuji looked at the two bounty hunters and decided to say something. "Well, you also must notice you've been de-aged to teenagers, right? You both look 16," Ryuji pointed out.
"We noticed when we got here," Kenzaki grumbled. His powers were inaccessible for the moment but he would regain them in time. It was the same for Neko.
"It could mean your guy here has also been de-aged," said Ryuji.
"Also, that means you have to go to school while you're here," said Kotonoha.
"Why?" Kenzaki questioned.
"It's what we did to blend in," answered Ryuji. "If you want to catch this guy you need to blend in and not stick out."
"Fine," Kenzaki sighed. He was a bounty hunter who did what it took to get a job done, even if it meant going to school. He was home-schooled all his life on the GaroLiner so he never really went to high school.
Neko whispered into his ear, "Perk up. You'll get to see me in that uniform…" Kenzaki took one look at the uniform Kotonoha was wearing and grinned. Ryuji didn't like the way Kenzaki was eyeing his girl and neither did Athena. "Ano, Ifrit-chan?"
"Hai?" Ryuji responded.
"Is it OK if Ken-kun and I stay here?" Neko asked.
Ryuji and Kenzaki's eyes went wide at her request. They looked at each other. Upon first meeting each other, they'd silently agreed that they both disliked each other. To be living together would end up with one of them dead, to say the least.
"Are you sure you want to stay here?" asked Kenzaki.
"It's fine if she stays here," said Ryuji, emphasizing 'she'. He was alright with letting Neko stay but not her boyfriend. "You, however…"
"I wouldn't want to be under the same roof as you either," Kenzaki shot back.
"Same here, teme," Ryuji retorted.
Neko, Kotonoha and the Imagin could see sparks flying out of the two boy's eyes as they glared at each other hatefully.
"You know, you both are very alike," commented Kotonoha, causing both boys to look at her.
"We're not!" they denied in unison before turning towards each other, "Stop that! Hey!" They started to butt heads and growling like animals.
"You know, you're right," giggled Neko. "Ken-kun…" She purred as she went over to Kenzaki and rubbed herself against him. He couldn't feel pain but there were other sensations he could feel. "Let's stay here, please…"
Kenzaki's face went red as he lost his train of thought. She was pressing up against him and he could feel 'them' very well. "Oh…OK…"
Ryuji rolled his eyes. Kenzaki was so whipped. Well, Neko was his sister so he might as well tolerate the Wolf-Ken user. "Fine, you both can stay here," he said before turning towards Loki, "Loki, prepare the room and about dinner, you can make it for them."
Loki bowed and replied, "I understand."
Ryuji stood up and turned to Kotonoha, "Ikuzo."
Kotonoha smiled and gave a nod before standing up and taking Ryuji's hand. Neko smiled. These two were so in love. Athena would stay behind though but she was still connected to Kotonoha so she could come during emergencies.
"Ja ne," Ryuji said before he and Kotonoha went to the door, changed into their shoes, and exited the apartment.
"Alright, time to make dinner!" Loki said pleasantly before he went to the kitchen.
Though it was a little early for dinner, Ryuji loved coming over to Kotonoha's place. Sure, her parents would be out working but Kokoro would be there…at least she should be.
Kotonoha and Ryuji both entered her home and the boy found out that his girlfriend's family wasn't around. He followed her into the living room after changing into a pair of indoor slippers.
"Where are your parents and Kokoro-chan?" asked Ryuji curiously. Kotonoha's face adopted a mischievous smile as she stepped up towards him.
"I lied," she stated.
"Lied?"
"My family isn't here. They're all visiting relatives. I stayed to take care of the house…"
The gears in Ryuji's head were starting to turn before he grinned, "So…we're not having dinner…"
"Oh, we are," she said silkily as she looped her arms around his neck. "Just not right away. You can wait, right?"
"If I got something to do," he said as he placed his hands to her hips. "Of course." He leaned down to claim her lips.
They began to make out as their tongues wrestled with each other. Kotonoha began to rub against him as his arms wrapped around her waist. His left hand then went to fondle right breast, causing her to gasp. She pulled away, licking her lips. "Tasty."
"You're really naughty, Koto-chan," he said.
"You want to punish me?" she said teasingly.
"Not here," he said before he lifted her up and carried her bridal style. She had her arms around his neck for support. "Let's go, my Koto-chan."
Kotonoha giggled. Ryuji could be so sweet and a perfect gentleman but that was only in private. Most people saw a delinquent but she saw another side of him. He carried her the whole way to her room. Dinner could wait. First, he wanted to have a little 'snack'.
"I'm still saying he's getting some right now," said Kenzaki as he sat across from Neko at the dining table.
"Ken-kun, I think you're assuming too much," spoke Neko with some disdain. Kenzaki had just told Neko that Ryuji and Kotonoha were having sex right now. "Her family's home. How would they have the chance?"
"The girl was lying about her folks being home, couldn't you tell?" said Kenzaki. "I've seen a lot of liars, and she's actually a pretty good one. Right this minute they are going at it like rabbits."
"Are you trying to make me lose my appetite?" Neko questioned suspiciously.
"Actually, he's telling the truth," said Athena as she sat down next to Neko. "I can feel Lady Kotonoha's emotions right now through our link and right now…" Athena shuddered and gasped. Neko didn't need to hear anything more.
Loki had prepared a pretty modest dinner. They had bowls of rice in front of them and in the middle of the table were plates of chicken stir-fry and fish tempura along with sliced beef. Loki was a great cook and when he was done eventually sat down to join them.
Loki could also feel his host's emotions through their link and luckily for him his mask hid his blush. The things they were doing…were some of them even possible? He never knew a human girl could be so flexible and Athena wondered how a human male could have that much stamina…
There wasn't anymore further conversation about what Ryuji and Kotonoha did in private since Neko didn't want to have that image in her mind while eating. She didn't want to lose her appetite and the food just looked too good to pass up.
"Itadakimasu," the two humans and Imagin said before they ate.
"Itadakimasu."
Both Kotonoha and Ryuji sat next to each other as they ate dinner. He'd shed off his blazer and tie as did she. Of course, they had shed off more clothing while they were…
Both were comfortable with each other and were deeply in love. Though, many made the mistake to assume that she was in an abusive relationship because of Ryuji's reputation, which wasn't a good one, but she would defend him. There was that incident when she got a bad bruise but only because when she'd been training with Ryuji she got cocky and the sandbag hit back when she punched it.
Kotonoha's family wouldn't be back for a few more days and Ryuji would've loved to spend the night. He did have guests at his own place but they could wait. It was a weekend tomorrow anyway and well…
Oh, the double date.
That would be very awkward for them all. He just knew something would go wrong but he could never find the strength to argue with his girlfriend.
Kotonoha gasped and Ryuji looked down to see his hand on her thigh. He swiftly pulled back his hand. Sometimes he couldn't even control his hand. Kotonoha blushed and giggled a little at his reaction. There was no reason for him to be so shy about it since they had gone way beyond 'B'. They were already doing 'C' with each other. As rough as he seemed, he could be so gentle…She wore a wistful smile as she thought back to what'd happened in her bedroom. His smell would be all over her sheets.
Out of a whim, she'd stolen one of Ryuji's jackets because she had been told that wearing it while she slept would be like he was caressing her. He never found out she ever did it and well he'd incorrectly concluded that it must've gotten lost in the wash or he'd misplace that piece of clothing. The jacket, black with blue lining and red sleeves, was currently hanging in her closet.
Ryuji's eyes glanced at Kotonoha and he could see her cleavage peaking out from her shirt, which had some of the top buttons undone and she hadn't bothered to put on a bra since afterwards…the thought made his cheeks turn red and it was embarrassing. They had done it enough times to not be shy about the subject, at least with each other, but right now his pants were becoming a little tighter than he was normally comfortable with due a stray thought of him ravishing Kotonoha right on the dining table and licking condiments right off her body…
He knew he would be sleeping over and after breakfast he would have to go back and change for the double date, which was still a bad idea whichever way he thought about it. He would rather be fighting an army of Imagin than hang around with those two. Heck, he would rather be going on a double date with Kenzaki and Neko…
For him and Kenzaki, it'd been loathe at first sight. Even within Ryuki, he never held much respect for the other Rider and now it seemed that his animosity towards Kenzaki Tsukuba had only intensified. Maybe it was because they practiced different Beast Fist Schools. Kenzaki was a practitioner of the GekiJyu Wolf-Ken (Fierce Beast Wolf-Fist) while Ryuji himself was a practitioner of the GenJyu Ifrit-Ken (Mythical Beast Ifrit-Fist). The GenJyuKen and GekiJyuKen had once been enemies and the GekiJyuKen had defeated the GenJyuKen. So, they were naturally enemies by choice but also allies since they were on the same side: the side of justice.
That didn't mean Ryuji had to like it. He chewed on some chicken and got some sauce at the corner of his lip. He felt Kotonoha dabbing the spot with a napkin to clean it off and he smiled. She was so affectionate and was a great cook (he was the only one who thought so, however). She would make a good wife one day.
When Ryuji returned home the next morning, he caught both Neko and Kenzaki grinning at him as they sat in the living room.
"Tadaima," Ryuji greeted.
"Okaeri," said Loki.
"Okaeri, Ifrit-chan," Neko greeted. "So, how was dinner at Kotonoha's last night?"
"It was…fine," he said. He didn't like the way they were looking at him. "I had breakfast there too."
"We noticed," said Kenzaki. "You didn't come back last night."
"I was worried when you didn't return but it's a good thing you left a message on the answering machine," spoke Loki. "So, you spent the night there?"
Ryuji chose not to answer. He had spent the night at Kotonoha's. Waking up to see her by his side, naked as a newborn, had been a wonderful sight in the morning. He didn't want to wake up and cuddled with her until she finally awoke. As much as he wanted to stay in bed with her all day, they did have an appointment with Makoto and Sekai later. So, Ryuji had reluctantly left the comfort of her bed and gone to take a shower…she followed him in of course and the rest was history.
"I need to get changed and take another shower," said Ryuji.
"Sounds like something's important is going to happen," said Neko.
"I'm not sure it should be called important."
"What is it?" Kenzaki asked curiously.
"A double date."
Makoto and Sekai met up with Ryuji and Kotonoha at the station and things started off with some tension. Ryuji wouldn't stop glaring at Sekai and Makoto. They were on his list of the people he disliked, which was a long one, and they were near the top of it. He'd already added Kenzaki to that list but these two still ranked pretty high. The only reason he'd agreed to this was for Kotonoha's sake. Any other time he would be dreaming of killing them and making it look like an accident.
"Makoto-kun, Saionji-san," Kotonoha greeted, "Konnichiwa."
The two greeted back but were still shivering under Ryuji's gaze. They could feel the temperature dropping by several degrees. They were all dressed appropriately, casual, but Ryuji added a bit of flare to give off a 'tough guy' appearance, mainly black leather pants, boots, a chain belt, a black t-shirt with a blue claw on it, a matching bomber jacket and black gloves.
The first stop was lunch at a nearby café. After ordering what they wanted, Kotonoha went to the bathroom to freshen up a bit, leaving Makoto and Sekai at Ryuji's mercy. The other couple was seated together as Ryuji sat across from them, eyes still narrowed with disdain and disgust.
"Let's set some ground rules so we can get things clear," began Ryuji. "I don't like either of you." That was a given. "But, because Koto-chan wants to be friends with you, that's the only thing stopping me from crushing your heads like grapes." The two gulped at his threat. "You two broke her trust and heart, so don't expect me to be chummy with you. I will tolerate you, but that's it. I would never do this under any other circumstances except to keep Koto-chan happy. If she's unhappy, I'm unhappy, OK?" Sekai and Makoto nodded. "Good." He leaned back, arms crossed in front of his chest. "I'm glad we had this conversation."
"I'm back," said Kotonoha as she sat down. "So, were you all talking about me while I was gone?" she joked lightly. Makoto and Sekai looked a little nervous. "Are you two okay?"
"We're fine," said Makoto. "Right, Sekai?"
"Hai, hai," Sekai added. "Nothing's wrong."
Kotonoha glanced at Ryuji who was smirking. She wondered what he'd said to them but she doubt it had to be good. The food came and they began eating, talking about stuff that'd happened lately, until Sekai started talking about the monsters (Imagin) that had been attacking for a while now and that mysterious masked hero (Kamen Rider Ifrit) who's been fighting them.
"I mean, who is he really?" Sekai asked curiously. "How does he get the gear to fight these things?" Kotonoha knew, but she wasn't telling.
"I only thought monsters were things you saw in movies or read about in books," said Makoto. "Not something you see on the news. It's just…not normal."
"And what is normal?" commented Ryuji. "And, well, all I know is that this armored guy, this 'Kamen Rider Ifrit', is a hero in his own right. Haven't you noticed that the monsters haven't attacked as much lately?"
"But you have to admit that these monsters and this Kamen Rider started showing up at the same time," Makoto argued.
"Are you implying something?" Ryuji glared.
Makoto gulped but didn't falter, "What I'm trying to say is it's pretty convenient for him to show up when these things start attacking."
"Maybe his equipment lets him track them," Ryuji retorted.
"And about that. Where did he get it? It looks far too advanced," said Makoto.
"Well, I think he's awesome," said Sekai.
"Taisuke can't shut up about him," Makoto said, "It's the same with some of the girls in class."
"Katou-san is also an admirer," spoke Kotonoha. Ryuji grimaced. The people who admired his alter-ego were people he disliked. He wouldn't be left alone if his identity was ever blown. Thank goodness. At least he could trust Kotonoha to keep his secret safe.
Lunch was had with light conversation and a little teasing. It wasn't as bad as Ryuji first assumed, though Sekai and Makoto were a little uneasy around him. Next, they watched a movie and instead of some cheesy romance, they watched a horror movie. Kotonoha and Ryuji both enjoyed it as they cuddled together while Sekai and Makoto were freaked out by it a little. Makoto never really took the time to get to know Kotonoha's likes and dislikes but Ryuji did. She liked everything occult related and horror movies, which didn't match her appearance. Then again, men were only attracted to her because of her ample bosom. OK, Ryuji was guilty of that too but he also loved her for her patience, compassion and kindness. He often thought she was too kind for her own good but that was before she took that dozuki and used it on Sauron.
He'd asked her about it and she confessed that she just had the urge to buy it. He guessed that Sauron must've been trying to influence Kotonoha while her powers were still weak. It might've explained why she'd been shocked when Kotonoha had it already.
After the movie, they went to an all you can eat buffet that specialized in pastries. Ryuji had eaten a lot, surprising Sekai and Makoto, but Kotonoha laughed and joked about her boyfriend's above average appetite.
Monday came along the next day with two new faces joining the school.
"How exactly is this blending in?" asked Kenzaki. He was dressed in the basic uniform, but still stood out. Despite looking 16, he still had his silver hair, different colored eyes and scar. He was also wearing gloves. He was getting a lot of strange looks as he walked along the hallway with Ryuji.
"Stop your complaining," said Ryuji. Kenzaki had actually been separated from Neko. He ended up with Ryuji and Kotonoha, while Neko ended up with Makoto and Sekai. Kenzaki didn't like it for two reasons. One: he liked being with Neko. Two: he hated being with Ryuji. The two practiced opposing styles, it was obvious that the two wouldn't get along with each other. They could remain civil, but only to some extent and for both Kotonoha and Neko's sake. "Be lucky it isn't summer; then you'd have a really hard time explaining your 'exotic' skin color."
"Exotic? Nice way of putting freakish," retorted Kenzaki. His metallic silver skin really was a type of metal, the result of an accident that gave Kenzaki his powers. His metal body gave him a lot of power, but at the same time alienated him from everyone.
"You're not freakish," said Ryuji. "At least you were born normally."
"So, how was your date?" Kenzaki asked. "You didn't talk about it when you got back, which was pretty late."
"It wasn't so bad…but Koto-chan kept trying to make me smile more."
"How did that go?"
"I nearly broke my own face." Trying to crack an insincere smile had hurt.
"Sounds like fun," said Kenzaki. He and Neko had spent the day searching for info on their bounty, but came out empty. This guy was covering his tracks well. "At least you have a girl who's willing to put out…" muttered Kenzaki. He meant to say it under his breath, but Ryuji's hearing had picked it up.
"What was that?" he growled. "Are you implying my Koto-chan is a…"
"I meant nothing by it. I just think you're lucky to have a girl who feels so connected to you that she's willing to go all the way with you. I love Neko with all my heart, but we've been together for two years now and well…It's frustrating."
"She's not ready," huffed Ryuji. "Give Neko-nee time. Maybe she's waiting for marriage before she does it."
"I know, I know" said Kenzaki. "I told her I'm willing to wait for her, doesn't make it any easier."
"The waiting makes it worth it at the end," said Ryuji calmly.
"You sound a lot wiser than I gave you credit for," admired Kenzaki.
"Loki keeps telling me talk things out instead of going straight to fighting," Ryuji shrugged. "It works well enough. I use my words to scare people away."
"I don't think that was the idea…"
"It works, doesn't it?" Ryuji asked. "Oh, and here's our class." When he opened the door, he was suddenly glomped by his beautiful girlfriend. "Ohayo, Koto-chan."
Neko felt a little out of place since she was in school again. The last time had been so long ago and was just a memory. Still she loved the way Kenzaki stared at her when she showed off her uniform, which was the same type that Kotonoha sported. The skirt was a little too short but she liked it and so did he. The thigh high socks also seem to enhance her look. She let her hair out of its usual braid. Gekiryuken still hung around her neck.
As soon as she came into the door, she felt all eyes on her, especially from the boys and some curious look from the girls who were probably staring at her strange piece of jewelry (Gekiryuken). She didn't like the attention but as soon as they heard her surname was Hasuma, they retreated. 'Ryuji must have a reputation,' she guessed. She ended up being seated where a girl named Setsuna Kiyoura once sat at. She looked behind her to see Makoto and Sekai looking. Obviously they were checking her out since she was the new girl. She adjusted the bowtie and took out a notebook, paying attention as the teacher started the lesson.
'Wow' thought Makoto, 'She's pretty cute…'
'Now I know why I never liked school,' thought Kenzaki. 'It's a snore fest!' He was seated behind Ryuji and he could see the other Rider was struggling to keep awake. 'And he feels the same.'
Yesterday, Kenzaki and Neko had sat down for a little talk regarding their alliance with Ryuji. To make it work, Neko suggested that Kenzaki had to at least tolerate Ryuji, which he found impossible but then when Neko started pointing out their similarities (though he flat out denied them). He relented when he realized that Ryuji wasn't the enemy. They were on a job and had to act professionally. Besides, Ryuji was doing a fine job handling the Imagin in this world though Kenzaki would never admit it to his face.
As the teacher went on with this lecture, there was a sudden tremor, surprising some of the students. The teacher told them to remain calm since it was just a small one but then there were more and more tremors rocking through the classroom. Ryuji's eyes scanned the area as did Kenzaki. Kotonoha was frightened and immediately clutched onto Ryuji's arm.
BOOM!
The floor suddenly exploded, sending broken pieces of it flying and dust scattering. Ryuji waved away the dust clouding his vision and narrowed his eyes when he saw two figures. Two inhuman figures.
They were both wearing helmets with red goggles and sharp noses along with a sharp spike at the top. Over their blue clad bodies they wore sleeveless red coats. Their right hands were replaced by drills and Ryuji and Kenzaki instantly knew what they were…
Mole Imagin. One had a 'No. 1' on its coat while the other had a 'No. 2'.
In class 1-3, everything was in a panic as this…thing suddenly leapt out from the floor and started attacking. It was another Mole Imagin with a 'No. 3' on its own coat. It threw students aside like ragdolls as it made its way towards Neko. For some reason, this Imagin was targeting her.
"Die!" the Mole Imagin roared as it thrust its spinning drill to her face. Quicker than the eye could see, she tossed a small packet into the Imagin's face which broke and blinded it with white powder. She could see Sekai and Makoto were frozen so she ran up to them, grabbed them by the arms and dragged them with her out of the class while the Mole Imagin was recovering.
Otome and her girlfriends screamed as the Imagin made its way towards the students. The teacher had been knocked out when the piece of the floor dropped onto his head. The students cowered in fear as the Imagin looked at them menacingly.
Of course, the two Imagin were after two specific people, who were currently standing in their way.
"Koto-chan, we'll handle this. Get everyone out of here," Ryuji ordered.
Kenzaki cracked his knuckles, "This is gonna be fun."
Kotonoha nodded and while the two Mole Imagin were distracted she quickly led the rest of the class outside. Of course, the two Mole Imagin were more interested in these two.
"Why are you here?" Ryuji asked.
"What else?" asked Mole-1.
"To kill you," finished Mole-2.
"You take care of the ugly one, OK?" said Ryuji as he revealed his Pass and his belt appeared.
"Sure," replied Kenzaki. "First one that kills his opponent, wins," he challenged. He wrapped his belt around his waist.
Ryuji agreed, "You're on."
The two Mole Imagin, annoyed at being ignored, rushed at the two Riders.
"Henshin!"
Neko smirked as Gekiryuken turned into his sword form. Her classmates and teacher were all long gone by now, leaving her alone to deal with this. "Kill me?" she responded.
"You shouldn't be here," said Mole-3. "So, you must die!" He rushed towards her.
Neko rolled her eyes. "Let's see about that, shall we? Gekiryu Henshin!"
"IFRIT FORM!"
"PREDATOR FORM!"
Both Ryuji and Kenzaki transformed into their respective forms. Ifrit was the first to attack, leaping after Mole-1. Garoh attacked next, quickly slamming a rapid succession of punches into Mole-2. Mole-2 was sent flying by the strength and speed behind Garoh's punches.
Ryukendo was wailing on Mole-3, slashing at the Imagin with her sword rapidly and not allowing her opponent to fight back. It wasn't a stretch to say that she was upset.
Neko had always had a strong sense of hearing but when she'd heard Kenzaki…
'Does he really want to do it so badly?' she wondered mentally.
"Ojou-sama!" Gekiryuken alerted. "Look out!"
Ryukendo barely dodged a strike to the head but countered with a powerful kick to the Imagin's gut.
Ifrit's hands were engulfed in blue flames before he formed his Ifrit Dao. As for Garoh, he'd configured his Gasher into the axe formation and using his new weapon to hack away at Mole-2. Ifrit and Mole-1 were exchanging blows as they went up the steps and jumped onto the highest desk. Mole-1 had its drill spinning and thrusting it at the Rider who kept dodging before countering with vicious slash attacks.
As for Mole-2, the Imagin was being thrashed by Garoh's strength. The fusion between Kenzaki and Garoh brought about this transformation which was powerful both offensively and defensively.
"Time to take this outside, needle-nose," quipped Ifrit as he grabbed his opponent by the nose ad dragged it towards the window. He then leapt through the glass.
CRASH!
Pieces of shattered glass rained onto the ground as Ifrit landed with Mole-1. The students who'd evacuated the building earlier were being treated to a show. Ifrit grimaced, 'Idiots! They should be running away!' What he got instead was the entire student body cheering him on and the 'Kamen Rider Ifrit Fanclub' holding up a banner with his image on it, shouting loudly. The teachers were keeping them at bay.
Mole-1 suddenly leapt up and then dove into the ground. It used its drill to dig himself a hole and disappear into the ground. Alarmed, Ifrit looked around to try and sense his opponent. "Come out, you…" Ifrit growled, gripping his swords.
The ground behind him suddenly exploded and he spun around to get a fistful of dirt in the visor before Mole-1 started to strike him hard with the drill. Sparks flew as he screamed, dropping his weapons as Mole-1 grabbed Ifrit by the shoulder tightly to drill in deeper into his armor. Ifrit gritted his teeth as unbelievable pain ran through his body.
'Ryuji-kun!' Kotonoha was scared. Her boyfriend was getting killed and she could do nothing.
CRASH!
"!"
Mole-2 was suddenly seen flying through the air, right out of the window, and slammed into Mole-1. This freed Ifrit from his torment as Garoh ran towards him and helped him up.
"Are you okay?" Garoh asked with a mixture of Kenzaki and Byakko's voices. Garoh placed his hand onto Ifrit's shoulder only to have it slapped away.
Ifrit grunted, "Mind your own business." His entire body glowed with ice cold Ki. "Time to get serious."
Back with Kamen Rider Ryukendo and the 3rd Mole Imagin, the class had seen better days as most of the furniture had been wrecked by the two fighting. Still, neither side would let up. Ryukendo guarded herself with hr arm mounted shield as she slashed at the Imagin with Gekiryuken. She then stabbed at Mole-3 but it managed to dodge to the side before diving into the ground and digging a hole. Ryukendo looked down into the hole an then heard the ground behind her explode as the Imagin leapt at her. She spun on her heels, dodging the overhead strike and then bringing down her blade to slash onto the Imagin's side as it came down.
"Ojou-sama, it's time to finish this!" said Gekiryuken.
"Yes, but not here!" said Ryukendo. The Imagin charged at her and struck with its drill but she stepped backwards to avoid the attack, barely, before stabbing it in the gut with her sword. "Outside!" She then ran straight for the wall with her opponent before smashing right through the wall. She kicked the Mole Imagin off her sword and then found herself outside with Garoh and Ifrit who were still fighting their own Mole Imagin.
"Glad you could make it," said Ifrit as he noticed a few of the students taking snapshots of the new Rider with their cell phones. They had been taking pictures since the start of the fight.
"Let's just finish this!" Ryukendo said irritably as she gripped her Keyblade. "Gekiryuken! Ryuou Raimei Giri!" The blade of her sword glowed yellow and crackled with arches of electricity.
Garoh tossed his opponent away before he produced his Pass and swiped it over his belt buckle. "FULL CHARGE!" Energy leapt off his belt and into his axe as he tossed the Pass away.
Ifrit got some distance between him and his own opponent. He tossed the Dao in his left hand into the air before pressing the switch on his belt. "FULL CHARGE!" The energy arched around him before going into his weapon, causing the blade to glow.
Ryukendo shouted and then charged at Mole-3 before landing an electrified blow to its body. Garoh had jumped upwards with his axe before coming back down to slice Mole-2 straight down the middle. Finally, Ifrit caught his Dao in his left hand and threw it at the Imagin swiftly. The edge of the blade imbedded itself into the Imagin's chest before he skated towards his opponent along a sheet of ice that suddenly appeared under his feet and Mole-1's. He gripped the embedded Dao's handle before swiping down with it, slashing the Imagin across the chest before using his other Dao to stab it in the stomach resulting in its entire body being frozen over in ice.
The Mole Imagin that Ryukendo and Garoh finished off let out screams of anguish before they exploded in fiery blazes. The one that Ifrit defeated shattered into a million pieces as soon as he withdrew his sword. The cheers of the entire student body were almost deafening. Using the smoke to cover their tracks, the trio left the scene.
Several minutes later, the police came to take statements and there were paramedics treating any of the wounded. Taisuke was going on and on about how awesome Kamen Rider Ifrit while talking with Sekai and Makoto as the fanclub started discussing on new posters and T-shirts to support their idol and the two new Riders on the scene. Otome was with her own group of friend, obviously fawning over the three Riders. They didn't know Ryukendo was female because of the armor. Inconspicuously, the three Riders had reverted back to human form and joined the rest of the students without rousing suspicion.
"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha cried when she ran into him and hugged him tight. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he said with a hand on the spot where the Imagin had tried to drill through him. "Nothing I can't handle."
She sighed, relieved, before kissing him.
Of course, another couple wasn't so happy.
"Ken-kun," began Neko.
"Hai, Neko?" asked Kenzaki.
"We need to have a talk, now," she said. Kenzaki gulped. When a girl said she needed to talk, it wasn't good. "Come with me."
"OK," Kenzaki nodded as he followed the girl to the back of the building where they could talk in private.
"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.
"Well, I heard you talking to Ifrit-chan," said Neko. Automatically, Kenzaki's breath caught in his throat. He knew what Neko meant. "'At least you have a girl who's willing to put out'," she repeated his words before turning to face him, asking, "Do you really feel that way?"
Kenzaki was silent for a moment. He couldn't really look at Neko right now. "Hai…" he finally said. With that Neko nearly burst into tears. "Neko…"
"Is that all you really want from me? Is it!"
"No! Of course not!" said Kenzaki. "I love you for you, Neko. Not just your body."
"So that is what you want!" cried Neko.
"What! No! I mean…Argh!" growled Kenzaki. "All I said is that it's frustrating! We've been dating for two years! Two years! A guy gets…a little frustrated when this kind of thing happens." 'It doesn't help that she has a smoking hot body and likes sleeping in the same bed as me.' "I love you Neko, more than anything else in the world. You know that. And nothing can change that, nothing at all."
Neko turned away from him, eyes screwed shut as tears started to flow from them. She balled her fists as she shook.
"Neko…" he reached over but his hand was slapped away.
"I need to be alone," she finally said as she walked past him. "I'll see you at home." She didn't even look him in the eye.
Kenzaki just stood there as she left him. For a few minutes he didn't make a move until je gripped his hair before shouting and punching the wall, hard. He spoke, "What is wrong with me? I can't even keep my comments to myself! Now I probably lost her!"
"She's upset," said Ryuji as he walked over. "It happens." Kenzaki then turned to look at him just in time to receive a fist to the face. Kenzaki was on the ground with a bleeding nose as Ryuji flicked his wrist.
"OK, I know I deserve that," Kenzaki said as he wiped his nose.
"Neko-nee is as much my sister as she is Ryuki's," stated Ryuji. "So, I have every right to defend her honor."
Kenzaki sighed. "I screwed up, huh?"
"Girls don't like it when you talk about 'putting out'," said Ryuji. "Sex has to be pleasurable for both partners and it helps when both are in love."
"It's easy for you to say," Kenzaki said as he stood up. "You did it after a few months."
"Our first time was on Christmas night in a hotel," said Ryuji. "What I'm trying to say is the first time has to be special. Maybe she's waiting for the right time."
"But-"
"It's been 2 years," Ryuji finished. "What's wrong with waiting any longer?"
Kenzaki leaned back against the wall before sliding down to the ground. "Well, it was fun while it lasted," said Kenzaki.
"What do you mean?" questioned Ryuji curiously.
Kenzaki answered, "I think my life with Neko's over. I mean, let's face it. Our relationship wasn't really based on a solid foundation. She refuses to believe that I don't blame her for what happened to my family, and I tried to kill her." He scoffed and said sarcastically, "Yeah, great way to start a relationship and show how much you love someone." Kenzaki rested his head in his hand. He let out a deep sigh. He then stood up and walked off. Ryuji watched the other Rider walk of dejectedly. As much as he disliked Kenzaki, he couldn't help but sympathize.
The school had to be closed after the Imagin attack. No way could they continue with holes in the floor, broken desks, shattered windows and several injured students. Currently, Neko was depressed and her only company was Gekiryuken.
"Ojou-sama, are you alright?" he asked.
"I don't know…" she said, hurt. "I know Ken-kun wants to do it, but…"
"You're not sure if you want to pursue a physical relationship," he deduced. She nodded. "Maybe if you let him explain…"
"Are you taking his side now?" she snapped, clutching Gekiryuken tightly.
"No, it's just…" Gekiryuken paused. "I guess you don't want to talk about him."
"Not at the moment," she confessed. "Well, it's still early and school let us out already. I might as well do something to pass the time."
Both Ryuji and Kotonoha returned to his apartment, welcomed by their respective Imagin partners. The girl wore a worried expression on her face after her boyfriend had told her what'd happened to his sister and her own boyfriend. They both sat on the couch discussing things as Loki went to the kitchen to make some tea and get some cookies for the couple to snack on.
"Will they be alright?" asked Kotonoha.
"Kenzaki's tough and my sister has Gekiryuken," assured Ryuji. "They can take care of themselves."
"I know, but I can't help but worry. We should help them patch things up," she suggested.
"Perhaps," he partly agreed, "But let's give them some space first. They need to sort out their emotions."
"But it would be terrible for them to break up. They've been together for two years," Kotonoha said, recalling what Ryuji had told her about Neko and Kenzaki's relationship.
"It wasn't exactly like a bed of roses for them when it started," Ryuji frowned. "It wasn't love at first sight for them. They had to build their relationship on some really shaky foundation."
"How did they meet?" Kotonoha asked. Ryuji shook his head.
"It's not my story to tell," he said. "For now, let's just relax, OK?"
"I guess," Kotonoha said solemnly as Ryuji wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close against his chest. As cold as he was because of his powers, he could be warm on some rare occasions, like now.
"It's aright…" he assured her. He felt her hand on the spot where the drill had nearly pierced right through him. "Koto-chan?" She trembled. "Koto-chan?"
"When I saw you getting drilled and screaming, I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you," she said.
"I'm still here, Koto-chan," he said, trying to comfort her. "I'm not going anywhere…"
"I don't know what I would do if you died," she sniffled.
'I do,' Ryuji thought, recalling what Ryan had shown them. Seeing Kotonoha's eyes so lifeless frightened him. He didn't want her to lose her mind because of him. "I swear that I won't leave you."
"Really?"
"Really. Now, please stop crying."
Neko poked at the fish she had ordered. It seemed that even her favorite food wasn't helping her feel better.
She felt really confused at the moment. She had heard that Kenzaki wanted to have sex with her, but it sounded like it was something he was really looking forward to. Neko had to admit that the thought was tempting, but it sounded like he was hoping for it to go like Kotonoha and Ryuji would do it. In short terms, apparently like rabbits when they got the chance.
Again, the thought was tempting. She had seen Kenzaki without a shirt and she liked what she saw. Still, her mama had told her the facts of life and consequences. She wanted the first time to be special but Kenzaki seemed to want it as soon as possible.
"Why do boys have to be such jerks?" Neko mumbled.
"So they can find the right woman to keep them in line, Ojou-sama," Gekiryuken answered from his necklace position.
Neko giggled a little. She had to admit to that too. Kenzaki would have gotten his butt kicked or fired so many times if she wasn't there to calm him down.
Kenzaki was walking through the GaroLiner. As he walked through the Dining Car, he was greeted by looks from his fellow teammates. They were confused for two reasons. One: the absence of Neko, and Two: the mixed look of anger and sadness on Kenzaki's face. "I'll be in my room. No one is to bother me. No one," he said.
"What about Neko?" asked Kumiko.
"…" Kenzaki stopped and stood silently for a moment. "I said no one. Besides, I doubt Neko will be looking for me any time soon," and with that said Kenzaki teleported into his room.
Kenzaki and Neko are having relationship issues. This is so not good, especially since they still have a bounty to hunt. Hope things don't get any worse for these characters.