Author's Note: Another experiment of mine, a teaser of a possible story to come after some tweaking and fleshing out.
The gigantic shell thundered down the darkened street, and Miyuki hurled herself out of the way just in time, the razor-sharp edge slicing off the hem of her skirt. Stubby arms and legs sprouted from the shell, and then the monster's head, a smile seeming to form on his beaked face as he looked at the girl sprawled on the asphalt. He wrenched a scale off his shell and threw it like a knife at her heart.
In an instant a glittering green jewel was in her hand and she slapped it into her belt. "Henshin!" Miyuki screamed desperately, and a green cocoon of light flashed into being around her. The scale bounced off and went spinning into the darkness. The turtle kaijin jumped and came crashing down on Miyuki, trying to crush her before she could complete her transformation, but he rebounded off her protective energy as well.
Then Miyuki stood, no longer the helpless schoolgirl. Her body was covered in a black suit of a Kevlar-like material, and over that were dark green boots, gauntlets, chestplate and a featureless mask with a thin white fin on the top. Set in the mask were two bright yellow lenses shielding her eyes, and in her hand was a long-bladed katana with an emerald sheen to its edge.
She ran to where the turtle had landed on his back and aimed a powerful swing at one of his protruding legs. It vanished into his shell a split-second before the blade bit into it, and suddenly one of his arms extended from the shell holding a huge spiked mace on a chain. He swung it at Mikyuki's head and she dodged away, then sliced at the chain with all her might.
Her sword sheared through the chain like it was nothing, but out of nowhere another mace held the kaijin's other hand came out of nowhere and slammed between Miyuki's shoulders, sending her flying. She slammed into the trunk of a tree, gouging a hunk out of the wood, and a second later the tree toppled onto her.
"I can't believe this," Ine's tiny voice said reprovingly in Miyuki's head. "You honestly picked Glada to help you fight an armored opponent? What would the other Riders think if they were around to see that?"
The kaijin had righted himself again, then pulled himself into the shell and came rolling at Miyuki, splintering the tree trunk and plowing right over her. She screamed as she felt the razor-sharp edge of shell dig into her back, even through her armor. The thundering noise of his roll stopped, then started again, coming back toward her.
"Fine," Miyuki croaked, "You want a chance to fight? Here's your chance!" She produced a dark red jewel and replaced the green one with it. Again a cocoon flashed around her, and the green of her armor turned to red. The fin on top of her mask vanished and was replaced with a pair of thick cords running from the back of each shoulder to her forearms, pumping power into the thicker gauntlets covering them now.
Miyuki braced herself as the hulk of the turtle kaijin came rolling up to her to crush her into dust, then lashed out with her fist.
For a second there was no sound in the park where the battle raged, and then a burst of noise like a sonic boom that shattered windows up and down the street. The turtle shell flew backward from Miyuki's punch, chips of black carapace shooting back and pelting her from where her punch landed.
Achingly the kaijin got to its feet, whirling its mace. Miyuki was already charging him. She banged her gauntlets in front of her, her belt intoning the words "Shining Strike! Garnet Fist!" A red light erupted around her guantlets.
The kaijin's mace whistled at Miyuki's head but she blocked it on one arm and weapon crumbled into a hundred pieces against her energized gauntlet. She cocked back her other arm, then punched at the kaijin's stomach, her fist piercing right through it and out the other side.
The kaijin screeched liked the sound of two metal plates rubbing together, then the edges of its body started burning white and flaking off. Faster and faster the white crept in and tiny bits fell off and disappeared. Within a few seconds nothing was left.
As soon as the kaijin was gone Miyuki could hear wailing police sirens coming closer. She pulled the gem out of her belt and started running for the edge of the park where she'd left her bike. At least if she was stopped, it wouldn't be because of the suit.
But of course as she ran, the others had to start sniping at each other.
"Honestly, I was the obvious choice! Wait until Kotaro hears about this," Ine said.
Glada scoffed. "Miyuki and I have been together since the beginning. Nothing obvious about letting an unknown quantity wrap themselves all over you! Miyuki and I could've handled it, we just would've needed precision. Something you clearly know all about."
Miyuki sighed as she climbed onto her bike and started it up, the two of them still going at it as she rode away before the police showed up. Did the others have to deal with this kind of garbage? At least she was afforded a little relief when her phone rang.
"Hello?" Miyuki asked, her weariness obvious.
"Onee-san?" asked the little girl on the other end. "When are you coming home? I'm getting hungry."
"I need to stop and talk to Kotaro-san, but I'll be home right after that," Miyuki answered. "Go ahead and start the rice, Mariko."
"I already did."
"Then why do you need to call me?" Miyuki asked, slightly exasperated.
"I don't like being home all by myself. Mom's never home, you're always busy after school since you met Kotaro-san…," Mariko answered.
Miyuki sighed. "I know. But I'm doing important things with him," she said, then would've slapped herself on the forehead if she had a free hand. "I'll be home soon, I promise," she said.
"Okay," Mariko said, sounding slightly disappointed, then hung up.
Another fine day's work. Was this how it was all going to be? Was this what it was like for all heroes?
Because that's what she was now, they insisted. A hero.
Kamen Rider Hosekai.