Thousands of years ago, the ancient Gods created a game. The rules of the Game were simple; each God would choose a champion, a Rider in which they empower with their element. These Riders would fight each other, the winner gaining the enemy Rider's element and losing Rider forfeiting something even more important.

The Riders would fight until only one remained. The winner of this Game would be granted immeasurable power, akin to that of the ancient Gods themselves, which they can wield in any way they see fit. Each century the Gods become bored and begin the game anew.

The year is 2007, the setting is Los Angeles. The Gods have chosen their Riders and the Game is about to begin…

Kamen Rider NEO

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Episode 1: The Game Begins! Riders Emerge!

He was alone and lost… and nearly out of money. Great. He was clad in a dirty white shirt, tan cargos and black combat boots. His body was wrapped in a cloak whose color could only be described as being similar to dried blood. He was leaning against what appeared to be a large piece of metal. He was 17 years old and Japanese. He had dirty blonde hair pulled back in a messy braid with a pair of bangs sticking out that flanked his face left and right. He also wore a black glove over his right hand but not his left, as if he was hiding something. The glove was strange looking; it depicted two snakes enveloping each other's tail. In the center of the circle was a large X. Regardless, he was alone and hungry. His eyes were gold and seemed to crackle with electricity. There was a scar going over his left eye.

He always lived in Tokyo, that is, until he was abandoned by his family. No, he refused to believe that was his family. Families don't treat their children like that. The father wasn't supposed to beat his son, and the mother wasn't supposed to kick the son out when he fought back. Then he met him… the man whose aura radiated with pure power. The man brought him to Los Angeles to train and… He shook his head. Now was not the time to remember those unpleasant memories.

He was simply staring at the wall, trying to think of what he was gonna do next. He heard some screaming. He paid no mind to it. This was a dark alley in downtown LA at ten o'clock at night, screaming was normal.

A young girl turned down his alleyway. She was Japanese and about 11 years old. A man came running after her. "Come on little girl… I just wanna have some fun…" His name was Sergey Fulton. He was a notorious serial killer and pedophile. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going through his sick mind.

"Please… leave me alone…" the girl cried. For reasons beyond himself, he decided to intervene. He pushed the girl behind him, trying to protect her.

He then said to her in Japanese, "Stay back, I won't let him come anywhere near you."

"What the hell do you want, kid?" asked Sergey. He raised his hand to hit him. "Get outta my way!" He swung down his fist and the stranger caught it in mid-strike.

"Big mistake…" electricity began to crackle around him. He placed his gloved palm against Sergey's chest. A blast of pure electricity shot out of his palm and sent Sergey flying into the street, and right on top of a police car. The policeman got out of the car to see what had happened. He ran down the alley and when he got there, the man and the girl were gone.

The two were now in a different alleyway. The man had taken the large piece of metal with him, revealing it to truly be a sword. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Mika," answered the girl.

"Daijoubu desu ka, Mika?"

"Hai!" exclaimed Mika. She looked at him curiously. "Ano… do you need a place to stay? It's the least I can do!" The man looked at her strangely. He was about to say no when his stomach growled loudly, betraying him. She grabbed him by the arm and began pulling him along. "It's settled then!" She then stopped. She looked at him and rubbed the back of her head. "Ano… I forgot to ask. What's your name?"

The man looked at her. "Raiden," he said simply. No point in trying to get away when she was determined to give him a hot meal.

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The building they had walked up to was a restaurant that had the sign that said "CAFÉ LA SALLE" over the door. Raiden looked at Mika. Now why would the girl have gone to this place?

"Ikuyo!" said Mika, pulling Raiden in through the double doors.

Being so late the place was almost empty. There was also a bar in the place. So far, it looked like a perfectly harmless looking cafe. The atmosphere was strangely comforting. A waiter and waitress were taking orders.

Raiden's eyes looked around. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, his golden eyes met with a pair of emerald green eyes. "Would you like a place to sit?" he asked. He looked down. "Mika-chan, we were worried about you!" exclaimed the young man. He, like Mika and Raiden, was Japanese. He had long braided auburn hair that reached down to his waist. His hair was a bit messy at the top and he had a pair of bangs sticking out. His eyes were green. He wore a Chinese shirt under a black jacket, black pants and leather shoes. He also wore a pair of goggles on his head and a sky blue locket around his neck.

"Ano… you see…" Mika tried to speak. "Gomen nasai, Ryuki-niichan," said Mika bowing several times. "But I was…" she trailed off.

"She was attacked," said Raiden bluntly. "That psycho that's been on the loose attacked her." Ryuki looked at Mika, eyes wide.

"Nani?! Mika-chan, daijoubu desu ka?!" he exclaimed.

"Hai, hai" said Mika. "Raiden-niisan saved me!" she said, motioning to Raiden.

"Raiden-niisan?" said Raiden, silently.

"Arigato!" exclaimed Ryuki, bowing to Raiden. "Let me lead you to a table," he said.

The teen led him to a stool that was standing in front of a bar. "Please, take a seat," he said. Raiden did so. Ryuki then moved behind the bar and put on an apron. He then handed him a menu. "We have a fine selection of sandwiches, pasta, cake, pie, chicken, beef and assorted hot and cold beverages." A girl with long black hair and blue eyes who was also wearing an apron and a bow in her hair went over to Ryuki, a red locket around her neck. Ryuki smiled at her, "Konnichiwa, onee-chan."

"Yo, otouto-chan," she said to him. She then looked at Mika. "Mika-chan, we were worried about you!" Ryuki then proceeded to tell the girl what had happened. "I'm glad you're okay."

"All thanks to Raiden-niisan!" said Mika.

"Raiden-niisan?" he muttered again.

Ryuki smiled, "Are you ready to order?"

"A cheeseburger with bacon and fries, and coffee," answered Raiden. All the customers were looking at Raiden. He was kinda scary. He sat there, red cloak flowing to the ground, giant sword strapped to his back.

"Right then," Ryuki jotted everything down on the notepad, "I'm going in the kitchen, now, onee-chan."

"You do that," she said to him. Ryuki escaped into the back doors. "I'm Neko, but you can call me Kat." She extended her hand.

Raiden shook her hand. "Raiden, just Raiden."

Ryuki came out with Raiden's food. "Itadakimasu!" Raiden then dug in hungrily. Ryuki offered him cream for his coffee. He denied the request.

Mika looked at Raiden strangely. "Nani?"

"Raiden-niisan, why do you have a locket like Neko-neechan and Ryuki-niichan?" asked Mika.

"It's a reminder" Raiden answered cryptically. "As to why it's like theirs, I don't know." Raiden heard a van pull up outside. Three men exited the van. They all wore black and had ski-masks on, each carrying high-powered rifles. They stormed into the café. "Honestly, who robs a café?" muttered Raiden.

"Everybody on the floor!" shouted the leader. Kat and Ryuki looked at each other, as if they had a secret they didn't want to expose and complied, as did everyone else, well almost everyone. Raiden simply sat there, enjoying his coffee. One of the men walked up to him and knocked away the mug, smashing it on the ground.

Raiden looked at the shattered mug and growled. "I wasn't finished with that." The gunman pointed his rifle at Raiden's head. He grabbed the barrel of the gun and sent an electric jolt through the man, knocking him unconscious. The brief cry of pain from the thug caught the attention of his two friends. They quickly turned to face the source of the noise. Raiden then turned to the other two gunmen. They readied their guns, despite not knowing what had happened. "Do you really wanna chance it?" They cocked their guns. Obviously, they thought that the odds were in their favor. Raiden leapt up and slammed his fist into the leader's face, sending him sprawling onto the floor. He then looked at the other one as he began to run away. Raiden stomped his foot onto the ground, sending a wave of electricity that took down the final robber. Seeing that his work was finished, Raiden then sat back down and resumed his meal as if nothing happened. The police arrived shortly after, taking the three men into custody. Many of the customers decided that it was time to head home. Well, after the police got through with questioning them.

The police were quick about their investigation. They had caught the people who attempted the robbery so there wasn't much of a reason to collect much evidence beyond witness testimony. It wasn't long before they left, leaving only the four remaining people at the café.

Kat, Ryuki, and Mika were staring at Raiden. "Sugoi!" exclaimed Ryuki. He just couldn't hold in his amazement any longer.

Kat smirked, "Impressive. How'd you do that?"

"I manipulate electricity," said Raiden, as if it meant nothing. The two looked at him. He stopped speaking quite suddenly and grabbed his gloved hand, as if he were in pain. His eyes widened in shock before he looked to Ryuki, Kat, and Mika. "Get everyone out of here, we're about to have company."

"How can you tell?" asked Kat, skeptically.

There was a loud explosion outside. Everyone hurried away from the door but Raiden simply stood.

"Is that enough of a clue?" Raiden asked sarcastically.

He gripped the hilt of his sword and walked outside. Kat and Ryuki escorted everyone out the back exit. They then ran to the front to see what was happening. Raiden stood face to face with a humanoid lion creature. The creature had reddish brown fur all over its body and wearing black leather pants that were held up by an ornate belt. Its hands ended with long and sharp claws. Its mane was the color of silver and its face was skeletal in appearance. It had a black chestplate and shoulder guards as well as chains around its arms. It wore a pair of boots with clawed toes. "One of Ragnarok's projects," said Raiden. Mika, Kat, Ryuki, and Raiden felt a strange feeling, as if time around them had stopped. The beast roared and charged at Raiden.

He was about to dodge when he was slammed by the creature's shoulder, sending him flying. "Fine, you wanna play rough, then let's play!" Raiden's locket glowed with energy. "Henshin!"

A disembodied voice then proclaimed: "LIGHTNING!"

Electricity surrounded Raiden, creating a field around him. The creature leapt at him but was slammed back by energy. When the field vanished, Raiden was clad in a gold leather bodysuit and armor. The armor itself was gold with a black chest plate etched with the symbol of a Kirin. On his right forearm he wore a gold and black gauntlet and on his left forearm was a gold gauntlet in the shape of a dragon's head. On his legs he wore a pair of knee high gold and black metallic boots. His head was concealed under a gold helmet with a black headpiece that held a gold Kirin symbol, gold eyepieces and a split mouth plate. He rested his giant sword on his shoulder.

Introducing: Kamen Rider NEO Raijin…

The three other people who were witnessing the fight were floored at seeing the sudden transformation of the young man they had just met. All three of them could feel the power hidden underneath that was just waiting to come out.

Raijin walked towards the monster. The lion beast lifted one of its claws, attempting to strike the Rider. "Watch out!" Mika yelled. But Raijin stood still. He smacked the claw away with his right arm and punched the monster with his left, sending it a good few feet away. The Rider walked towards the monster.

He broke into a run and tackled into the lion creature, sending it crashing into a bench, smashing it to pieces. He then slashed his sword at the beast and slashed down with his blade before placing his hand on the beast's chest and shocking it with electricity.

With a stroke of his hand, the Kamen Rider created a powerful blast of electricity that sent the beast flying. "IT'S OVER!" he shouted as he leapt up, sword still charged with electricity, and delivered a powerful downward slash with his blade. The lion creature roared and was engulfed in flames before it hit the pavement.

Kat and Ryuki watched in awe as Raijin landed back down and looked at the fallen beast. He then twirled his sword in the air before pointing it at the creature. "Raikoken!" he exclaimed as he sent an arc of electricity at the creature, destroying it. With a wave of his arm he banished his armor. He turned to see Kat and Ryuki staring at him. "Kuso!" he cursed. "Please tell me you didn't see that."

"Okay, we won't say," Kat commented.

"Gomen," Ryuki bowed slightly.

"Well this is just perfect!" Raiden cried angrily. "That was a real nice secret I had once."

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Monday morning…

It was 6 am when Ryuki Narukawa woke up and he smiled. The sun shone through the window of the room that he shared with his twin sister Kat Hasuma. Despite their parents being divorced and gaining separate custody over them the twins remained close. Though they often had conflicting personalities, they both genuinely cared for one another.

Ryuki looked over to his sister who was sleeping haphazardly. Her lower legs were still on the bed but the rest of her body was on the floor. She must've slipped out of bed as per usual with her. Her hair was also a mess as she wasn't one to tie it into a braid like her brother to keep it straight.

Ryuki would wake her up, but she was usually grouchy and in a foul mood so he didn't want to chance it. With a sigh, he took a change of clothing, his towel and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

After brushing his teeth and showering, which took approximately 15 minutes, Ryuki was out of the bathroom and dressed in his high school uniform, which consisted of a white shirt, black tie, blue pants. He fixed his tie and looked into the mirror. He went and grabbed his goggles on his bedside table and put them on his head. His two bangs stuck out at the top. The top of his hair was messy and spiky and was pulled into a braid. His hair was long like his sister's and reached down to his waist and it took special permission for him to keep it at that length.

He looked to his sister, who had completely fallen off her bed and was still snoring, now with the covers covering her head. He shook her. He went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare for the day. He was surprised to see Raiden sitting at the bar, reading the newspaper. He two was dressed in the high school uniform. A pot of coffee and a mug sat next to him. "Ohayo, Raiden-san."

"Ohayo," said Raiden, not turning away from the paper.

"I expected you to still be asleep."

"I'm an insomniac. Don't need sleep."

The Café La Salle usually opened at 10:00 am when their aunt was around. However, since she was absent and she left it, and Mika, in both Ryuki and Kat's care, it would open after they returned to school. Thankfully, they had a trusted group of staff who would watch the shop while they were at school. There was the assistant manager as well as the waiter and waitresses. They hadn't come in yet but they would at 10 or so to run things.

Ryuki went into the kitchen and put on an apron. Flipping his braid over his shoulder he began work. He was going to prepare breakfast. It would take a couple of hours but he had the time. In an hour he would wake up his sister. Raiden offered his help but Ryuki said he didn't need any.

He mixed a bowl of batter for the pancakes and labeled it before mixing another one. He did so with a few other bowls and labeled them too. He could cook them and keep them in the fridge for later and then the cook would cook them, but he wanted the customers to have fresh pancakes so that was why he did this. He looked over their ingredients and then found that they were missing some fresh milk and bread. He quickly ran out the Cafe to get his bike. He put on his helmet and went to the 24 hour convenience store. It wouldn't usually take long.

An hour later…

Okay, it took longer than he originally thought. He had gotten the milk and bread and ran back inside the shop. Raiden was still there reading the paper and drinking his coffee. Ryuki arranged the ingredients needed for breakfast and continued to prepare the batter. Thankfully, they still had fresh beef, chicken and eggs. Looking at the clock, he decided to make breakfast for himself, Mika, his sister, and Raiden. Kat, in her own words, was cursed and couldn't cook. Ryuki had been encouraging, but he learnt the hard way that her words were true. Kat had apologized greatly that day when she accompanied him to the hospital in the ambulance to get his stomach pumped. And it had just been a simple fried egg recipe. Her food, as a fact, was lethal.

Raiden, after Mika begged her older cousins to let him stay, was now their houseguest. This was only if Raiden helped out at the Café and went to school. He begrudgingly agreed after Mika stared at him with her large brown eyes. For some reason he couldn't say no to her.

Mika was Kat and Ryuki's cousin. Their aunt, who owned the Café, was Mika's mother. Kat and Ryuki are running the Café and looking after Mika while her mother was on vacation.

Ryuki got the milk and juice out and arranged the plates of their breakfast in the dining area. He had cooked scrambled eggs, French toast and bacon. He poured the juice and milk, for Mika, his sister and himself respectively and waited. Raiden said he would stick with coffee. He soon heard the sound of footsteps running down the stairs. His sister, shockingly enough, was already dressed for school and was fixing the black bow in her hair. Mika followed her down the stairs.

Ryuki placed his hands together and said, "Itadakimasu." Kat sat down across him and popped a piece of toast into her mouth. Mika sat next to Raiden.

"Ohayo!" said Mika.

"Ohayo," Kat mumbled with the toast in her mouth.

"Onee-chan," Ryuki said in a scolding tone, "Okaasan always said to never speak with your mouth full." He was using a knife and fork.

Kat took out the piece of bread and retorted, "But, remember that I've lived with papa for the past ten years and manners were not his or gramps' forte."

"True, that may be, but proper table manners are not something to laugh about."

"Geez, I'm the older twin and you're acting like you're the more mature one."

"Someone has to." Mika giggled at this.

"Well, both of us are never always mature or too childish. Sometimes I'm there to keep you in line, otouto-chan."

"As it is my duty to make sure you don't pick fights, onee-chan," Ryuki replied.

"I don't always pick fights," Kat said dismissingly as she sipped her orange juice.

"Maybe, but you don't always get into detention either," Ryuki retorted.

Kat stuck her tongue at him, "Bwee!"

"Very mature," said the Kamen Rider as he put down the paper and took a bite of toast.

"We better hurry or we'll be late," Ryuki said as they finished breakfast. "I'll wash these," he said as he took the plates into the kitchen.

Kat put a cigarette into her mouth before lighting it. She blew some smoke.

Mika took the cigarette away from her and put it out on an ashtray, "You shouldn't smoke Kat-neechan or you won't have healthy babies."

"You've been talking to that Kasuga kid online again, haven't you?" Kat asked as she rolled her eyes. "Because that's just so corny."

"He's my friend and he made sense," retorted Mika.

"You should really quit smoking," advised Ryuki.

"And you should really get a girlfriend," she retorted as she got out another cigarette but her twin brother snatched it and the box away. "What's the big idea?!"

"We'll be going to school and I don't think it'll be good for you to smell like tobacco." He threw the box of cigarettes into the air and Raiden zapped it with his lightning.

"Goody-two-shoes," Kat grumbled.

"Come on, let's go," Ryuki smiled to her as he picked up his bag. Kat did the same. They went out to their bikes and revved them up. Raiden rode with Ryuki and Mika rode with Kat.

"So, did you finish your English homework?" Kat asked sweetly.

"No, you can't copy off me again," Ryuki said to her. Kat stuck her tongue at him. The twins' bikes pulled out and raced out into the streets straight towards Murakami High.

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Murakami High was in the far side of the city and was fairly new. It was founded and named after its principal, Mr. Murakami. It had a Japanese curriculum of sorts and had strict discipline… which would explain why Raiden, Ryuki and Kat were standing outside of class and holding pails of water.

"I told you not to do that, but no… you just had to do that," Ryuki glared at his sister who shrugged.

"Okay, how was I supposed to know he was still in his car when I decided to jump over it on my bike?" she replied.

"I think the point was you shouldn't have. Be grateful that Johnson-sensei didn't decide to confiscate your bike."

"So what if he was a Marine? Johnson-sensei doesn't have the right to bark at me like that," Kat huffed. "Given the chance I could beat him."

"Onee-chan…" Ryuki gave her a look.

"Kidding," she said. "Mostly," she muttered. "And why are you here, Lightning boy?"

"I was late too. Simply because I am new to this school should not excuse me from the rules," answered Raiden.

Mr. Johnson walked out of class and looked at the twins and Raiden evenly. He was a large and muscular man in army uniform with crew cut black hair. He stared at Kat and said, "Remember, Hasuma, you're on thin ice. One more stunt like that and I'll take that bike away and use it for spare parts."

Kat said, "Hai, sensei." But was thinking, 'Bite me, Johnson!'

He turned to look at Ryuki and Raiden, "Boys, you two don't have to take the punishment like Hasuma here. You can just join the class."

"Okaasan always told me that siblings should stick together, for better or worse, Smith-sensei," Ryuki said to him sincerely.

"And your mother was right. Of course, you shouldn't let your sister bring you down. You have a future, son. Now, get into class. You three need to learn American History." Johnson walked back in.

"Oh, joy…" Kat rolled her eyes in sarcasm.

"Onee-chan…" Ryuki warned.

"Alright, otouto-chan. Sheesh!" Kat put down the pails she was holding and messaged her shoulders. "Itai… now I'm sore."

"Serves you right," Ryuki said as he put down his pails. Raiden simply put down the pails and walked in, not showing any hint of soreness.

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Later…

"Hey, Tara-san," Ryuki said as he sat down next to a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Hey, Ryuki," Tara said. "Sorry about what happened this morning. You shouldn't have been punished because of me."

"It wasn't your fault. You just happened to be in the way of my sister who chose to jump over you with her bike and ended up leaving tire marks on Johnson-sensei's car."

"But I still want to make it up to you," Tara said to him, blushing a bit.

The teacher, Mr. Funnie, walked into the class. He wore a lab coat. He looked geeky but he was fun. You'll see. "Well, it would seem that someone decided to apply the smoke bomb experiment we had yesterday in the teacher's lounge, most importantly under Johnson's favorite chair." A lot of the students snickered as Kat whistled innocently.

"I think I have a sinking suspicion on whom that person is," Ryuki muttered.

"What?" Tara asked.

"Nothing."

"Now, today we will create our own model rocket and create the fuel based on page 35 of your text books. Your materials are in front of you so you may begin."

"I'll mix the chemicals, okay?" Ryuki offered Tara. He pulled down his goggles.

"And I'll make the rocket. This is gonna be so cool," Tara grinned.

Ryuki looked back to his twin sister who was giggling maniacally. He didn't want to think the worst of her but chemicals and Kat didn't mix. However, he trusted that his sister knew better. He did feel sorry for Raiden, her science partner.

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(10 minutes later)

KA-BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!

"ONEE-CHAN!"

"SORRY!"

"EVERYONE! PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!"

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"Another detention," Kat sighed, looking at the slip of paper in her hand, as she walked to their next class with her brother. It was Geometry. She then said to her brother, "You don't have to sit in detention with me. Don't you have basketball practice or something?"

"I'm on the kendo team, onee-chan," he reminded. "And I will always be by your side, for better or worse."

"You're talking like we're married or something," she said as she opened to door to class followed by her brother.

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It was lunch time and Kat and Ryuki sat together with some of their friends. Tara and her friends, Melissa and Stephanie, were sitting with them too. Melissa was a redhead with short hair and Stephanie was a black girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail. "Everyone, we would like to introduce our friend, Raiden," said Ryuki. Raiden waved his hand at them.

"It's nice to meet you," said the girls in unison.

"Have you heard?" Stephanie asked, "They said that there's a ghost in school or something."

This piqued both Ryuki and Kat's interest.

"Where did you hear?" Tara asked.

"In the bathroom a while ago. Some of the other girls were talking about it. A lot of the students have been attacked and hurt and had claw marks on them. Of course, no one ever saw what did it," Stephanie continued. Now Raiden's interest was piqued.

"Creepy," Melissa shuddered.

"Maybe it's just a really fast cat," Tara supplied uneasily. She didn't like to talk about scary stuff. Stephanie shook her head. "I was afraid of that…"

"Well, the teachers are telling us to be careful and not to walk the corridors alone, especially late in the evening," Stephanie warned.

"Hey, what do you three think?" Melissa asked Raiden, Ryuki and Kat.

"It's probably nothing," said Raiden. However, he knew otherwise. He then gripped his gloved hand in pain.

"There are no such things as ghosts," Kat said adamantly. Kat only believed in whatever she could see and was a skeptic. Her time with her father and grandfather taught her that much. She only believed in facts and not rumors. "Tara's right, it could just be a really fast cat."

"Not so fast, onee-chan," Ryuki said before asking Stephanie, "Which corridor did you say it was?"

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"I can't believe we're cutting gym for this," Kat said as she and Ryuki investigated the so-called 'haunted' corridor.

"It might be a ghost, onee-chan," Ryuki said to her in an optimistic tone, "Be a little more open minded."

"I swear sometimes that you were switched at birth," Kat said jokingly.

"I often think the same of you," Ryuki retorted swiftly. Suddenly, they heard a scream. They looked out the window.

"The gym!" Ryuki shouted.

"Uh huh! I knew we shouldn't have cut gym!" Kat said victoriously.

"Not now!" Ryuki said to her. He looked out the window to make sure no one was looking and jumped. They were on the third floor and Ryuki then used the wind to cushion his fall. Kat, on the other hand, blasted fire out of her hands to slow her decent. "Ikuzo!" Ryuki led the way to the gym. When they entered through the large doors, they found what they were looking for.

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The students cowered behind the gym teacher, Coach James, and were backing away from a creature. It looked like a humanoid cheetah with silver armor plating on its shoulders and chest, a Mohawk and black skull mask. It also had sharp claws and was about to use them on the students. One of the students was bleeding on the arm… it was Tara! The cheetah creature charged at the group but was stopped by a newcomer, Raiden! "Everyone, get out of here!" yelled Raiden. The teacher nodded and ushered the students out of the gym. Raiden's locket started to glow. "Hen--" He was then slammed by the creature and he was sent flying.

"Kuso…" cursed Raiden. He was now stuck in the bleachers.

"HENSHIN!" came two simultaneous voices.

"FIRE!"

"WIND!"

A combined blast of wind and fire slammed into the creature, burning its fur and knocking it away. Raiden turned to see two figures.

One was male and clad in a suit of silver and blue armor which was worn over a darker blue bodysuit. The torso armor was blue with a silver chestplate and shoulder guards. His gauntlets were plated on with golden bracelets on the wrists. Metal plates also adorned his knee-high silver boots. His helmet was blue with a silver faceplate, which had a sharp horn that was part of it. His eyepieces were green. On his chestplate was a blue dragon emblem. "I am the hero destined to use his blade to slash a path into the future! The Dragon of the Storm! Warrior fated to wield the Dragon Fang! Legendary Kamen Rider! My name is… Kazeryu! Tenzan!"

The second was female. Her armor was black with a red heart shaped chestplate that had on it the symbol of a bird. The bodysuit underneath was red. Her black gauntlets and boots had red armor plating and the mouthpiece was silver with a red visor on her helmet. A pair of long silver and curved 'horns' extended from the top of her helmet. Her shoulder guards were broad. She then said her name, "Kamen Rider Honoo."

Kazeryu rushed forward and aimed a fist, but the beast leapt over him. Honoo revealed a card that depicted a bow engulfed in flames and called out, "Phoenix Bow!" The card vanished and a bow appeared in her hand. She aimed, but its speed was amazing and it slashed at her before she could shoot. She grunted and swung out her leg in a kick, but it dodged with ease and ran for the door, fast. However, a gust of wind closed the doors.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Kazeryu said as he too revealed a card that depicted a sword surrounded by a tornado. "Dragon Fang!" The card vanished and a sword appeared in his hand. He rushed forward to slash the creature, but it ran around him and slashed him in the back.

"I got him!" Honoo shouted and fired an arrow, but missed as the beast ran away. She accidentally shot the other Rider instead.

"Itai!" Kazeryu yelled as he held his back. "Onee-chan!"

"Gomen!"

Honoo shot with her arrows and missed, instead she hit the bleachers, some parts of the wall and the basketball hoop. The thing was so fast that she couldn't land a hit.

"That thing's as stubborn as some of the stains on our plates," Honoo quipped.

"How would you know?" Kazeryu retorted. "You never wash them."

"I do… sometimes…"

"Right…" Kazeryu was not convinced.

The beast roared and went for them. This time, Honoo gestured with her head and Kazeryu understood. He created a windstorm so powerful that the cheetah was swept off its feet.

"He can't run if he can't touch the ground!" Honoo said in a sing song voice. She took aim and fired a spinning fire arrow straight into its chest. The creature burst into green flames as it fell to the ground. Kazeryu then slashed his blade, destroying the creature.

They turned to check on Raiden and saw that he was gone; in his place was a note. "Meet me at Café La Salle."

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Kat and Ryuki pulled up in front Café La Salle. They had just gotten out of detention for skipping gym. They got there and Raiden was sitting in the living quarters. He looked at the twins, "We'll talk later." He got up and began helping the customers. Kat and Ryuki looked at him worriedly then went to work. At about ten o'clock they closed down and went to talk with Raiden. They all sat at the table.

"So, you guys are Riders too?" said Raiden.

"Hai," said Ryuki.

"Yeah," said Kat.

"That's too bad," said Raiden. They looked at him. "You know what it means to become a Rider, don't you?"

"It means that we are heroes that protect people," answered Ryuki without missing a beat. Raiden laughed.

"Not that simple," said Raiden. "First off, not all Riders are good." He looked at his glove. "I know that from experience." He looked back at the twins. "Being a Rider means you're nothing but a piece in a cosmic game." They stared at him. "It all began 10,000 years ago. At the time the ancient Gods became bored and created the Game. There was no purpose to this game; it was simply fun for them. In the first Game hundreds of Riders fought each other in a free-for-all Battle Royale to determine the winner. The losers ended up losing something they can never regain."

"Their lives?" asked Ryuki.

"No, not all Riders died in the first Game. They lost the lives of the one they held closest to them." Ryuki and Kat stared at him with wide eyes. "There was a small loophole in the system. If the one you love the most was another Rider, they will not die, but instead, they lose a large portion of their power." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out two cards. One depicted his sword that was charged with lightning. Another showed a Kirin, a creature from Japanese mythology with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the skin and scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox and tail of a lion, surrounded by lightning. "You know what these are right?"

Kat and Ryuki pulled out a card each, the Phoenix Bow and the Dragon Fang respectively. "They're our weapon cards. But neither of us have a creature," answered Kat.

"Yeah, it took me a while to find Raiju. He's been a pretty good companion. But these were cards created by the ancient Gods. They summon our weapons and in my case, Raiju. The creature that I fought Saturday night and you guys fought this afternoon were creatures created by an evil group. They are perverted mockeries of true beasts."

"Who is the group that's making them?" asked Kat.

"An organization bent on either ruling or destroying the world… Ragnarok."

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The game has begun. Three Riders have already joined forces, and they will need each other if they hope to survive. They will face villains whose powers deny the laws of nature. They will meet allies who will bring both pain and joy into their lives. And of course, they must survive high school.

Next time: Episode 2: The Villains Gather… Ragnarok Approaches!