Switch On!

Summary: It all started when Kurapika stumbled across a locker that led to a moon base…

Author's Note: This is a Kamen Rider Fourze AU (but don't worry if you don't know/never seen the show! It'll be easy to follow, and prior knowledge isn't necessary). Basically I'm obsessed with both the Kamen Rider franchise and Hunter x Hunter, and I couldn't get the image of Kurapika being a Rider/Fourze out of my head.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider Fourze or Hunter x Hunter.

Henshin- Japanese for "transform".

The first day at a new high school would be frightening for most people. However, most people aren't Kurapika Kurta, nor do most people have the admirable yet slightly manic amount of resolve he has.

His gray eyes scoured over the hordes of high school students who were busy rushing to the school yard and silently fell in step behind them, his blonde bangs falling in front of his eyes before he brushed them aside. Amanogawa High was a renowned school for its academic programs—astronomy, in particular. The school boasts not only a large graduation percentage, but also a shockingly high percentage of students making it into NASA or any other space-related field.

That was hardly the reason Kurapika enrolled. Quite frankly, it was the closest school to his new apartment and getting a full scholarship was simple enough—he was intelligent, and he excelled on the entry tests.

"Oi! Watch your mouth you bastard!"

Kurapika's head swiveled towards the commotion. A tall boy (who looked as though he were too old to be in high school) was shouting in the face of another, rather fat-looking boy. The tall boy's face was completely red with anger and a vein seemed to be throbbing on his forehead. The fat boy was smirking smugly, crossing his arms with defiance.

"What're you going to do about it, Paladiknight?"

"I'll tell you what, you coward!" The so called 'Paladiknight' jabbed his finger into the chest of the other boy. "I'll gladly kick your ass to the moon and back!"

The fat boy snorted before shoving Paladiknight backwards, causing him to lose balance and fall down. "Yeah, right."

"TONPA!" The tall boy stood up and drew back his fist, fully prepared to let it swing. Kurapika decided to intervene, predicting the outcome to be an embarrassing defeat for the taller boy. The blonde slid in between the two boys, thrusting out his arms to both sides, acting as a barrier.

"Break it up," He ordered, a dark undertone in his voice. "You're becoming a nuisance to others."

Tonpa glared but seemed to be back off. "You're lucky pretty boy intervened, Paladinight."

"Same for you, fatty."

The situation dispersed, as did the moderate, bloodthirsty crowd looking for action. Tonpa stormed off in the direction of the gates while the other boy picked up his dropped suitcase (seriously, how old was he?).

"I didn't need your help, but thanks anyway." He remarked, pushing his small glasses up the bridge of his nose and tightening his tie. "I had the situation handled."

Kurapika raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Did you?"

Paladiknight narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. I did." Another word of protest would probably lead to his admittedly short fuse blowing yet again. "I don't recognize you."

"That's because I'm new." Kurapika wasn't much interested in conversing for any longer than he had so he turned on his heel and made his way towards the main building. He heard hurried footsteps follow closely behind.

"H-hey! Wait a sec!"

The blonde didn't halt completely but he did marginally slow his stride. Marginally. "What?"

"What's your name?"

Kurapika turned his head to face him and squinted, inspecting him from head to toe. In place of a school uniform the tall boy wore a blue business suit, complete with impractically small glasses that rested on the tip of his nose. "…Kurapika Kurta."

The other boy scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm Leorio Paladiknight. You said you transferred, yeah?"

"That's correct."

"Where from?"

"From where," Kurapika corrected with a small frown. How did a guy like this manage to get into the school by ending his sentences with prepositions? "And I come from…out of city."

"Ah. Well I've lived here my whole life." Leorio began to cheerfully whistle and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I guess I'll see you later. Maybe."

"Maybe." Kurapika blinked at him and ducked his head, already beginning to weave through the crowd in an attempt to find his homeroom. A blur of green smacked into his stomach and the wind was knocked out of him as he swung his arms in circles to balance himself.

"Oh, sorry!"

The blonde tried to catch his breath and looked at the ground where the boy was knocked down to properly glare at him.

"Kurapika?"

He opened his mouth in shock. "Gon?"

"Kurapika!" Gon leapt to his feet and grinned brightly, looking as though he was only a few seconds from entrapping the other boy in a hug. "Wow, I can't believe it! You go here too?!"

"Gon…what are you doing here?"

"It's been so long!" The younger boy rambled on. "How many years? How come you haven't written? We haven't seen each other in forever!"

Kurapika wasn't exactly lying when he said he came from out of city. The Kurta family had a tendency to travel, settling down where they could sell their goods or offer their services to the community. Then, within a few months (a year if they were lucky) they would pack their belongings and set off to find a new home. It was one such occasion (almost seven years now, if Kurapika's memory served correctly) that the Kurta clan had found themselves living on Whale Island, which is how the blonde met and befriended Gon. Of course, that didn't explain what he was doing inland.

"It's good to see you too," He gave a small smile, recalling how much energy and enthusiasm there was wrapped in the younger boy. Some things never changed. "How's your aunt?"

"Aunt Mito is great!" Gon exclaimed, throwing his arms out and nearly knocking every student within the three foot radius off their feet. "She wanted me to come to Amanogawa High so I could become an astronaut just like Ging!"

"…Ging?"

"My dad." Gon readjusted the strap on his backpack, and if it was at all possible his grin became larger. "I've never really met him, but if I go into space too I'm sure we'll meet!"

"Ne, Gon!" A tuft of white hair appeared without warning, almost causing Kurapika to jump three feet into the air. "We were supposed to be racing."

Without warning the white haired boy narrowed his eyes at Kurapika and protectively stood in front of Gon, like the blonde would be able to steal Gon's friendship away from him, immediately becoming an enemy.

"Ah, that's right! Sorry Killua." The boy with outrageous spikes sheepishly kicked at the ground. "I'll talk to you later, Kurapika!"

Then the two boys took off, gracefully ducking between students and kicking off lockers in an attempt to push ahead of the other. Kurapika only shook his head in disbelief, amazed at the fact that they were in high school.

It seemed that 'maybe' seeing Leorio later would become 'definitely'. They shared the same homeroom and the second Kurapika entered the room he was able to pick out the ridiculously tall teenager sitting in the back, looking cramped in his desk.

Ignoring this, the blonde took a seat up front and patiently waited for the teacher to arrive. He wished he hadn't.

First off, the teacher was huge. Like, takes steroids for recreational use huge. He easily surpassed six feet in height, and his muscles were bulging beneath a suit he obviously didn't want to be wearing.

His hair stuck up in large, gray spikes with outrageous sideburns and when he grinned he looked like a feral beast. The teacher arched a thick eyebrow and began to critically analyze the students in the classroom.

"Ha! Looks like a weak bunch this year."

Kurapika shifted uncomfortably in his seat, before stilling completely. He didn't want to draw attention to himself—and he immediately felt as though he would dislike this teacher.

"The name's Uvogin, but you will address me as 'Sensei'!"

The blonde wanted to sink into the floor. It was going to be a long year.

The lesson was emotionally draining and exhausting. Kurapika trudged out of the classroom, feeling as though he were wading through mud. There was a pain behind his eyeballs—a sure sign of an oncoming headache. He groaned and rubbed his forehead, only barely stepping to the side as Leorio shot past him.

"Hey!" Kurapika shouted after him, his patience dried up. He took off after the tall teenager, clenching his fist as he thought of the venomous words he would shoot at him. If the blonde were paying attention to his surroundings instead of just keeping Leorio in his sights he would have noticed he was chasing the other boy into first years' hallway.

He skidded to a halt when he saw Gon and Killua come out of their classroom. Gon waved to Leorio, jumping up and down while Killua attempted to rein him in and stop him from tackling a group of students.

"Are we going to Yorknew today?" The hazel-eyed boy exclaimed loudly, still jumping up and down in excitement. Killua hissed and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Idiot! Shut up! Do you want everyone to know?"

Kurapika tilted his head curiously. Yorknew? What was that? And what did it have to do with Leorio, Killua, and Gon?

Leorio held up his suitcase, grinning. "Yeah, there's a new switch I want Killua to look at."

Switch? Now his curiosity was piqued. Didn't the saying go curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back? The blonde certainly wouldn't be satisfied until he solved the puzzle.

Much more reserved now, Kurapika carefully and silently shadowed the trio as they attempted to inconspicuously leave the ever-watchful eyes of the teachers and students. They went so far as to leave the main building and go into the older sections that had been closed down years prior. The ceiling tiles were hanging by threads and half of the lights had burned out forever ago.

Leorio stopped in front of the door to an abandoned janitor's closet and looked around before opening it. "Hurry, no one's looking."

Kurapika turned the corner when he heard the door close behind them and swung the door open, his jaw dropping when they weren't in there. How was that possible? He was certain this is where they had entered…

A rusted locker in the corner drew his attention. There was something strange about it…

The blonde pulled the handle up and the metal squeaked on its hinges. What was inside was not what he had expected. Kurapika threw up his arm to protect his eyes from the sudden, blinding light that had radiated.

"Agh!" What the hell was going on?! Was this where Gon, Killua, and Leorio had disappeared to? Swallowing and steeling his resolve, he stepped into what felt like another dimension, throwing his hands out in front of him and gingerly stepping forward.

Something pushed him from behind and he tumbled forward and through an exit, automatic doors in front of him sliding into the wall as he landed on a hard, tile floor.

"The hell?!" Came Leorio's startled yell, and Kurapika brushed his hair out of his face and he looked up.

"That's what I'd like to know." He responded coldly and got to his feet. Killua was staring with wide eyes and Gon only seemed to be smiling.

"Kurapika! How'd you find us?"

"He probably followed us. I thought I noticed someone watching." The white haired boy crossed his arms and angrily pouted at someone getting one over on him.

"Where…is this?"

"Erm." Gon scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Welcome to Yorknew! Our very own…um…moon base." The last words came out in a mumble.

"Moon base." Kurapika repeated drily.

The boy in green pointed towards the window. The blonde rushed towards it and nearly felt his heart drop out of his chest. Earth. He was staring at Earth. "This…isn't real."

Before Leorio could open his mouth to protest that, a computer with a screen the size of a small flat-screen beeped loudly. Killua cursed under his breath and darted over to the keyboard, typing furiously on it and bringing up a large picture.

"Zodiarts!" He spun in his chair, sounding alarmed.

"Zodiarts?"

"Shut up!" Leorio snapped, picking up his suitcase and opening it. "Where?"

"Football stadium."

A small chocorobot sprung out of the suitcase. Only it wasn't exactly a chocorobot…because, well, it had less chocolate and more robot. "Follow it." Leorio ordered, and the robot whirred away noisily, bounding out of the Yorknew base.

"Gon, do you have the Fourze Driver?"

"Yeah…but…"

"Then let's go."

"Leorio!" Killua barked after him. "You can't use the driver; you'll get your ass kicked…again."

The tall boy pointed a finger at him. "We don't have time for that! Gon!"

Gon blinked innocently. "Why doesn't Kurapika use it?"

Silence enveloped the room.

"Eh?" The blonde backed up defensively.

"That…could work." Killua said slowly. "He can't be much worse of a fighter than the old man."

"Hey!"

"Will you? Pleeeease?" Gon was suddenly in Kurapika's personal bubble, giving him the largest puppy eyes he could muster.

"You haven't explained anything to me yet." The blonde accused, glowering at Leorio.

"We'll explain on the way," Gon said hurriedly, taking Kurapika by the wrist and tugging him. The blonde was helpless against the other boy's tenacity. (To be honest, he never stood a chance to begin with.) They darted through the now empty hallways (Leorio panting and struggling to keep up, while Gon hardly looked out of breath). "The Fourze driver uses Astro Switches which are basically like the power of space and grants the user cool abilities like a drill leg or chains." He explained while running. Kurapika was greatly impressed by his stamina, whereas Leorio had begun to wheeze behind them. "Zodiarts are these monster things that have switches and they're pretty much based off constellations. The constellation is based off the user."

"The…user?" Kurapika asked between breaths.

"Zodiarts are humans…kinda. They're given switches, which are like Astro Switches but bad and turns them into monsters. Fourze is the only one that can stop them."

The blonde shook his head in disbelief. "So who gives out the switches?"

Gon's face darkened. "We're here." He said, and wiped off the miniscule amount of sweat on his forehead. The chocorobot that had been sent out earlier ran up to them, beeping and motioning wildly. "So that's where he is? Thanks chocorobot-chan!"

Leorio had doubled over to catch his breath and groaned when Gon and Kurapika took off again. "Wait…for….me."

A loud scream pierced the air and both Gon and Kurapika were nearly knocked over as the football team turned a corner and nearly ran them over, desperate to get away from the monster chasing them.

"Here!" A strange belt was thrust in Kurapika's hands. It was large and somewhat clunky, with four empty slots—two on each side-of a small, black screen in the center. In front of each empty slot was a red lever and to the far right, underneath both red levers was another handle, though it was more curved and looked as though it had to be pulled horizontally rather than flicked up or down like the red 'light switch' levers. Gon seemed frustrated with his lack of action and took it from him, slapping it on the front side of his waist. Instantly the belt snapped around, startling Kurapika. "Use these!"

Gon quickly snapped four switches into each of the empty slots and ran backwards down the hallway they had come down, getting a safe distance away. "Now henshin!"

"How?!"

The Zodiart turned around the corner in front of the pair. Kurapika swallowed at the sight of it. The monster was horse-like, standing upright on two legs and a mane that looked like it was made out of armor instead of hair. It had a horse face, long and majestic, which was also decorated in armor. The monster pointed at the blonde standing in his path. "Move," it growled, taking menacing step forward. "This had nothing to do with you!"

"Kurapika! First switch all of the red levers down!"

He took a step back and did as Gon told him. Once the last lever was in a downwards position a voice that came from nowhere began a countdown.

THREE

TWO

ONE

"Now henshin and pull the lever on the right!"

"Uh, henshin." Kurapika pulled the lever. Why did he let himself get dragged into this? A light burst forth and almost blinded him for the second time that day. He squeezed his brown eyes shut and tried to think over the sudden cacophony of noise.

"REACH FOR THE STARS!" He heard Gon scream. "Put your hand up and reach space!"

"I don't know what that means," Kurapika grumbled, but threw his arm up anyway so that it looked like he was trying to touch the ceiling. Power surged through him and covered his entire body in the strange starlight. When it finally cleared, the blonde held his hands in front of his face. "What is this?"

His hands were gloved—in fact, his entire body was covered in a suit. His head was encased in some kind of helmet, and when he dragged his hands along the edge to feel the shape he tried to stop himself from yelling at Gon for getting him involved. His helmet was a rocket. He looked like an entirely ridiculous version of a combat-oriented astronaut.

"SPACE IS AWESOME!" Gon screamed from the other end of the hallway, and he jumped into the air with his unusually powerful legs and threw his arms out.

There was one empty slot on both his arms and legs—which, if Kurapika had to guess, probably corresponded to the once-empty slots on his belt.

"Try using rocket! That's the switch on your far right."

The blonde pressed down on the button. The mysterious voice, which he had now pegged as the actual driver made another announcement.

ROCKET ON

An obnoxiously bright orange rocket materialized over his right arm and he nearly staggered from the sudden weight. With a battle cry, Kurapika clenched his fist and triggered the rocket, propelling himself forward and tackling the stunned Zodiart.

A ringing sound came from the switch on his furthest left. Unlike the rocket switch, which had a button, this switch had a wheel on the top and Kurapika tentatively flick it forward, all the while getting to his feet and preparing to dodge the Zodiart's next attack.

RADAR ON

It was a similar situation with the rocket, only this time a large touchscreen covered the length of his wrist, with a number pad and large satellite disk attached. The screen flickered once, twice before Killua's face appeared on the screen.

"So you figured it out, huh?" He asked wryly, his voice sounding tinny from the reception. "Well here's the plan—"

The Zodiart jumped up with a roar and punched Kurapika in the stomach, causing him to double over and struggle to catch his breath. It reared its head up and brought a fist down, only for the blonde to roll out of the way.

"Pay attention!"

"Just tell me how to beat this thing!" Kurapika snapped, bending backwards to block a high kick aimed for his face.

"It's the Orion constellation, so it's not a mantle user. That's good luck for you," Killua eyebrows furrowed. "Hey Gon!" He called out. "You gave him drill leg and launcher, right?"

"Yep!" Gon chirped, clapping his hands in moral support for Kurapika.

"Listen up, you're going to activate launcher on your right leg and use the radar to lock onto the Zodiart. Otherwise, you're going to blow up the entire stadium."

"Understood."

"If that doesn't finish him off, use drill leg on your left leg coupled with the launcher. That should be enough to break the Zodiart out of its monster form."

The blonde shot out a leg and the Zodiart stumbled backwards. He landed a few more hits before racing to the other end of the hallway, only a few feet in front of Gon, in order to get the distance to shoot the rockets.

Kurapika clicked the launcher switch forward and quickly pointed the radar towards it. The system was simple enough to learn, even in the limited amount of time he had to figure it out. He stomped his right foot down and several rockets shot from the launcher, all honed for the Zodiart. They all hit in rapid succession, and the monster cried out, falling to the ground.

"I won't be defeated here!" It shrieked, stumbling to its feet. Kurapika clicked the launcher switch back into its original position, as well as the radar on his left arm. The drill switch was by far the tallest switch of the four, and he pressed down on it.

DRILL ON

His right leg was replaced with a large drill, but after using the three other Astro Switches, Kurapika was more adjusted to the feeling and was therefore able to maintain his balance as his right leg had to bend to compensate for the extra length the drill gave.

He leapt up and aimed the rocket downwards, giving his kick more power and speed. The blonde had the sudden thought that this was probably the stupidest thing he's ever done. He thrust his right leg out, and the Zodiart was too hurt to dodge to the attack. It could only watch its attacker in horror.

"RIDER ROCKET DRILL KICK!" Gon cheered, cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice louder. Why is Gon naming my attacks?

It was a direct impact, and the Zodiart screamed out as he collapsed to the ground. Kurapika quickly flicked out all the switches, relieved to find his original body in place. Light shone from the Zodiart and when it dimmed a teenage boy was left groaning on the ground. A red switch rolled towards the blonde.

"Is this the Zodiart switch?" Kurapika held it up and Gon raced down the hallway.

"Yeah, that's it."

The blonde sneered and crushed it. "I can't believe anyone would accept this." The broken pieces fell to the ground. "Now what do we do with him?"

The younger boy shrugged. "We've…never really gotten to that part, to be honest."

Kurapika rolled his eyes and turned on his heel to walk away. He shook his head as he thought of the idiocy of anyone who would willingly throw away their humanity to become a monster.

"Say, Kurapika," Gon tugged on his arm. "How would you like to become Kamen Rider Fourze?"