For Tumblr/deviantArt User Feulin, sorry to keep you waiting. You know how artists' muses come and goes, and mine keeps going on too many vacations.
I promised Feulin a oneshot of Hongo Takeshi x Kisaragi Honey, aka Kamen Rider Ichi-Go x Cutey Honey, and give it I shall, as promised.
Note that this Cutey Honey is the original 70s one, as is Rider 1 being the original version… However, you know how I roll; Super Imaginative Chogokin version of Ichi-Go for his physical appearances. No, not the brand new sleek looking Ichi-Go SIC, but the original gritty and fearsome SIC one, with the mouthplate/Crusher capable of being opened to reveal Hongo's face. Now, on with the show~
October 13th, 1973
"Kazami… I wish you luck on your battle against Baron Tusk."
Coming back to Japan from defeating remnants of Gel-Shocker and destroying Deathron bases worldwide, Hongo Takeshi and Ichimonji Hayato—aka Kamen Riders Ichi-Go and Ni-Go—assisted their junior Kazami Shiro, aka Kamen Rider V3, after he was captured in a trap by one of Deathron's commander Baron Tusk. A week after defeating the last Kiba Clan monster, the Double Riders parted ways once again to patrol the world, entrusting Japan's safety to Kazami. The Third Rider told them that only the Baron remains and he wished to face him alone. They agreed.
However, before the Legendary Duo leave the country, the two decided to patrol Japan just in case there are any sort of trouble too far for Kazami to help. Ichimonji went northward towards Hokkaido, while Hongo travelled southward to Kyushu. Usually, it would take weeks or months for anybody to travel from one side of the country to another. Thanks to the Cyclones, the specialized motorcycles the Double Riders uses, the trip could be taken in days. Of course, they could have taken the bullet trains to get to certain places faster, but what's a Kamen Rider without their rides?
Hongo's patrol took him to a particular city, he missed out the name, but he remembered the locals talking about an all-girls school, located far from the city, sitting near the cliffs. They mentioned this one troublemaker that goes by the name Kisaragi who keeps escaping to have fun.
"That's a name I haven't heard in a while." Hongo pondered, lounging in a café. He remembered a Professor Kisaragi visiting Jounan University, lecturing about robotics engineering. He believes of the possibility of how man and machine can coexist in harmony. Hongo smiled grimly, considering what happened to him, "If only he knew…"
Then, he heard something distant. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he heard someone breaking a door, and a voice cried out for help.
Paying for his meal, Hongo dashed to his motorcycle, and rode swiftly to the source of the cry.
Hongo arrived at the Kisaragi Household, yet he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"If there's one thing I've learned, is that "nothing out of the ordinary" is where the situation is most deceiving." Removing his helmet and hanging it on the bike's handle, Hongo checked the perimeter. The gate looked undisturbed, and the door looked fine… unless you count the broken handle as fine.
Using his cyborg legs, Hongo easily jumped over the gate, and sneakily went into the mansion. As he entered the living room, he found the furniture ransacked and turned over. 'They must be looking for something, whoever they are.' He thought. Hongo saw a stairway going down, but he heard footsteps behind him.
"Who goes there?!" he cried out, and six masked men in suit appeared out of nowhere, "Are you the minions of Destron?"
One of them laughed at Hongo, "Ha! I don't know what this Destron you are talking about, but for meddling with the affairs of Panther Claw, you will be silenced!"
Hongo recognized the name. Aside from remnants of Shocker, Gel-Shocker, and the international branches of Destron, he and Ichimonji encountered another villainous group calling themselves Panther Claw. Rumors has it that the majority of the crime bosses were women, but because the two were busy with destroying Destron bases, none had the time to deal with Panther Claw.
However, he could think about their connections later. Hongo easily parried a punch from one of the goons, and slammed him into another. One after another, each of the goons was thrown like ragdolls before Hongo's martial prowess. Hongo heard scuffling downstairs, so he made for the stairway as he kicked one of them away.
Hongo entered some sort of laboratory, and there were more Panther Claw goons inside. However, he saw someone lying on the floor. "Professor Kisaragi!"
The professor was dying in a pool of his own blood, but Hongo had no time to check on him as the goons assaulted him. Hongo punched one of them away, and kicked another. "What have you done to him?!" Hongo demanded on a goon he held in a chokehold.
"Hrrk! I'll never tell—" Hongo strengthen his chokehold, making sure the pain wasn't strong enough to knock him out. Before he could get anything out of him, one of the goon shot him, taking his life.
Hongo dropped the deceased minion and charged the gunman. The goon was surprised that Hongo easily dodged every single shot and disarmed him. "Shooting your own comrades, huh? You villains have no shame."
"Who is this guy?!" the goon cried out, then he put a finger to his ear, "Call for backup, we need them—"
Before they could do so, something crash landed into the living room, distracting Hongo for a while. The goon took his chance to grab his gun, but instead of aiming at Hongo, he pointed at his own head and pulled the trigger.
After watching the goon taking his own life, Hongo grimaced at the situation. "Panther Claw… what kind of organization are you?" As the sound of fighting continued upstairs, Hongo ran back towards the stairway, and approached the dying Professor Kisaragi. "Professor, hang in there!"
Professor Kisaragi coughed up blood, but he was still conscious, "Who… who is there?"
"Professor, it's me, Hongo Takeshi, from Jounan. Do you remember?" Hongo asked, hoping to keep him alive. The professor was getting weaker, but he remembered Hongo.
"Hongo… I remember. Please, listen to me." Realizing that he will not last long, Hongo listened intently to his dying words. "Please… find my daughter… Her name is… Honey." He raised his hand, Hongo held it with his.
"Please… find her… take her into my lab. I have… something to say to her. It's important-" The professor coughed, and after a few seconds, drew his last breath.
Hongo was angry. Not only did this event reminded him of how Professor Midorikawa, but now there's also a daughter being involved. He did not like this one bit, but he intends to fulfill his dying wish.
Fortunately, Hongo did not have to look, because he heard someone coming down the stairs. It was woman, wearing a white/red motorcyclist gear. Other than a long yellow scarf, what caught his attention was her face. For the first time in a long while, Hongo managed to think of a word that he never thought he'd say, 'She's… beautiful.'
Unfortunately, the woman with the long black hair looked angry, "You! What did you do to my papa?!"
Realizing the situation, he raised his hands, "Wait! This is not what it looked like! I just—"
"No excuses! You'll pay for this!"
The woman did an amazingly high jump, she stretched her right foot towards Hongo. With a mighty shout, her kick impacted Hongo's crossed arms.
Hongo was thrown quite far, taken aback on how strong she was. 'Ugh… can't believe that I'm in this situation again. But her strength… it's inhuman!'
Hongo dodged and parried her strikes as he attempts to calm her down, "Wait! This is a misunderstanding! I'm an acquaintance of the professor, by the time I got here, there were suspicious men already inside his house!"
"The only suspicious man I see is you!" the woman cried, as she jumped back and prepared herself for a kick. Hongo saw it coming, and decided to use his left arm to block it.
To their surprise, they heard a metallic clang as their limb clashed against each other. Time stood still as the two realized who they're facing.
'This person… is a robot?'
The biker woman took a step back, and said, "Who… just who are you?"
"My name is Hongo Takeshi, and I am not your enemy. As I said, I'm knew the professor, back when I attended Jounan university." Hongo paused, thinking of a reason of why he's here, "I was in the neighborhood, and—"
Before he finished, the woman gasped, "Papa!" and turned around to the professor's body. She shook him in a hopeless attempt to wake him up. Her tearful cry echoed through the laboratory. Hongo stood silently, fist clenched as he laments of another life lost by villains.
However, there was one thing he could do. Looking to the nearest cupboard, Hongo found a large white sheet of cloth. He approached the object and held it. "I'm sorry, miss." He said to the mourning daughter, "But I wouldn't leave him like this if I were you. Let's cover him up."
Calming herself, the woman took a few deep breaths, and nodded. Hongo carried his body while the woman cleared a table to make a makeshift deathbed. Hongo laid the professor's body unto the table, with the woman covering him with the sheet.
Hongo already knew the answer of who she is, but he needed to make sure, "I assume you're Honey, the professor's daughter?"
The woman, known as Honey, responded, "Um, yes. I am… why do you ask?" Hongo could hear the sorrow from her voice, she was barely holding herself together as she put another piece of cloth over the professor's head.
"Your father's last words… he told me to—"
Before he could finish, the two heard someone coming downstairs, "Hey, thief! Where are you… Oh."
It was a young man, wearing a red hat, and yellow shirt under a light brown jacket. Hongo stood between Honey and the man, "Who are you?" he asked.
The young man was slightly intimidated by how deep his voice was, not to mention how tall he was, but stood his ground, "My… my name is Hayami Seiji, a reporter." Seiji then saw a woman behind him, he noticed an older man, before he saw her covering his face with a cloth. Realizing what had happened to him, Seiji removed his hat and lowered it in respect, and asked, "What on earth happened here?"
That did it. Honey's tears burst out, "That's what I want to know!" She cried out, and continued, "How was I able to transform myself. Why did Panther Claw attacked my house?!"
"Panther Claw?" Seiji asked, he walked to Honey to confirm what she said, "Hey, you just said Panther Claw, right?"
Honey wiped her tears away as she answered the reporter's question. "Yes, they attacked this house and killed my father…"
Hongo was in a lost. He heard of Panther Claw during his travels in Swiss and Australia, but for some odd reason he could never found them. His most likely theory, is that Panther Claw was avoiding detection from Shocker, its successor Gel-Shocker, and Destron. He only heard rumors, so Hongo asked Seiji for confirmation, "Excuse me, but this Panther Claw… what are they, exactly?"
"Panther Claw… they're a nefarious group of international criminals behind the recent problems of thievery and vandalism all over the world. At least they weren't as terrible of a problem we had two years ago… Who were responsible again, Shocker was it?"
Hongo flinched a bit. He knew that no matter how low key he and Ichimonji made it, they knew the people would spread rumors of Shocker and Gel-Shocker, especially from the surviving victims.
Seiji shook his head, and exclaimed, "Still, the Panther Claw! This is the big scoop I'm looking for!"
'Crap. I think I knew where this is going.' Hongo thought, seeing the reporter beginning to become a bit too nosy. Before he could told him to leave Honey alone, she turned around and slapped the reporter with the back of her hand.
"To hell with your scoop!" she yelled out. Honey could not bear the sorrow anymore, and cried her heart out as she lightly pounded Seiji with her fist in frustration, "I want my Papa back! Give me back my Papa!"
Seiji held her steadily as Honey cried into his chest, he told her, "Cry, cry as much as you want." The reporter paused as he comforted her, "Alright. I'll forget about this scoop, and keep this thing a secret. I swear, I'll help you fight Panther Claw!"
Hongo stood cross armed, busy in his thoughts. After a few minutes of thinking—and letting Honey mourn her father—the Rider approached the two, "Listen, there must be a reason for Panther Claw to go after your father. Whatever it is, the answer must be in this house." Hongo took a knee, since Honey was sitting down, "With your permission, I would like to search whatever it is they were after. You could help, if you want to."
"Also… your father told me something before he passed away." Hongo could see Honey's eye lightening up, even if just a bit, "He told me to find you, and take you to his laboratory. He told me that he has something to say to you, but…" Hongo looked at the professor's body, before returning his gaze to Honey, "Maybe there's a recorder tape somewhere in the lab. But since I do not know my way around…"
Honey wiped the remaining tears below her eyes, and stood up. "It's… it's alright. I'll guide you through his lab." And with that, Hongo followed Honey.
Followed by Seiji behind them, "Hey, wait for me!"
Hanging above the ceiling, the trio could see what can only be described as transparent mannequins. Multiple male and female bodies hung lifelessly, Hongo was amazed on how humanlike some of the bodies were.
"I heard your father was a robotics engineering genius… but these are amazing! They're transparent, but have mechanical insides. How did he made them like this?" Seiji blurted out. Hongo nodded in agreement, he may still be learning about robotics ever since his body was remodeled, but even he knew he would never catch up to Professor Kisaragi's skills.
Hongo's ears detected something, it was coming from a purple curtain in the hallway, "Hey, did you hear that?"
"What are you talking about, Hongo-san? There's…" Seiji began to notice the sound, "Is that a recorder tape turning on? I think it came from that curtain."
Honey approached and pulled the curtain cord, revealing whatever was behind it. The three gasped as they saw Professor Kisaragi. Or at least, a transparent robot that resembles him. "Papa…"
Seiji took a few steps closer, inspecting it. "Is this… a robot? The resemblance is uncanny!"
"My dearest Honey." The robot began to say, surprising the trio. "I will now tell you of a secret I have been keeping from you."
"This… I think this is a pre-recorded message from your father." Seiji guessed. "How did he get a tape inside of it, I don't see any openings…"
The robot continued its message, "Do not be surprised, but you are not my daughter."
Hongo listened intently to the message. He was right to guess that Honey wasn't human, but he never expected that she was an android. 'It's a miracle that he wasn't a target for Gel-Shocker or Destron. But to think that she's been living all this time, not realizing that she's not human…'
The recording explained how Honey was considered the professor's masterpiece, yet still treated as his own daughter. Hongo knew that he was a good man, but was skeptical that androids would have souls and emotions. What he experienced when he met Honey changed it all. 'There are still much for me to learn, it seems.'
However, what concerned him is that Panther Claw was after this Elemental Transforming Device the recording mentioned. It unfortunately did not say what it was exactly, but the way the professor said, "Except for you…" to Honey, made Hongo realize something. 'Could this device… have something to do with Honey's being? Could she be the device itself?'
He could have come up with more theories, but he held those thoughts for now. As the recording was almost over.
"Goodbye, Honey. Goodbye, my beautiful daughter."
"Papa!" Honey cried, but it was no use. The recording was over, and the robot deactivated. The three stood in silence as they took time to digest the information they received.
[Man, things just get a bit more complicated for you, huh, Hongo?]
[Nevertheless, Ichimonji, I'm still contemplating whether I should stay here and help her for a while. Or let her deal with this herself. It may just be a few seconds, but she's a great fighter.]
As Hongo walked behind Seiji and Honey, he was communicating with Ichimonji Hayato via built-in radio within his body. He also sent an image of Kisaragi Honey thanks to a recorder camera in one of his eyes.
[Don't tell me you're leaving me on my lonesome so you can hook up with her? And I thought I was a ladies man. Nice catch, by the way.]
[Heh, put a sock in it, Ichimonji. Professor Kisaragi had worked hard in creating Honey, and until I see what Panther Claw can do, I'll also gauge on how strong they are.]
[Oh, on first name basis already? You sure work fast, Hongo. What, you know what her favorite food is? Her preferred line of clothing?]
Putting the palm of his hand on his forehead, Hongo sighed in frustration. How can Ichimonji be such an annoyance sometimes?
He was about to continue the conversation, until Honey cried out suddenly, "Panther Claw!" Hongo noticed that Seiji was next to her, and both men listened to what she has to say, "They killed my father… I will never forgive them!"
Holding a wrench, making Hongo wonder where did she get that, Honey declared, "Father. Watch me… I'll use these hands of mine to kill every single one of those villainous Panther Claw." To finalize her commitment, she bended the wrench like it was paper.
"Huh, you two are still here?" she asked, throwing away the wrench at Seiji's direction as she turned around, "Panther Claw will be back later, and anybody hanging around will be killed."
Hongo had the urge to open his mouth in awe, but his dignity wouldn't allow it. 'That is… some woman.'
[Man, she's a feisty one, Hongo. Most definitely a nice catch, she is.]
As Seiji cried out in pain after accidentally throwing the wrench upwards instead of behind him, leading to the object falling into his toe, Hongo sighed, "Walk it off, you'll be fine." And walked back upstairs.
After helping Honey redecorate her house, Hongo decided to stay in the laboratory for the day. He reasoned that there must be something else that Panther Claw was after, and if they did decide to come back here, he'd make sure he'll defeat them.
Hongo searched through the professor's research data—with Honey's permission—and compiled them into memory. He did not know it, but by the time he was done, it was nighttime.
"All these robotics research… I can see how passionate the professor was for this subject." Hongo muttered, "But why would Panther Claw wants this? Hayami said that Panther Claw mostly went after jewelries and other things associated to women… Huh?"
Hongo picked up a blueprint of a robot. But this was no mere robot; even though its body shape is that of a human, its size however, was not. "A fifty meter tall giant robot? What is this?"
Inspecting the bluepring further, Hongo discovered that it was originally made as a construction robot. Easily lifting any heavy objects and was able to power an entire city thanks to its core. But its design seemed a bit… Dark for Hongo. Then, he noticed something peculiar around its waist. "G… O… D? What does this mean?"
"It means, that you've known too much."
Hongo instinctively strike the source of the voice with a backhanded left chop, but the assailant in white blocked it. Hongo took a step back, and shouted, "Who are you?!"
The man in white adjusted his black tie, tightening his black gloves as he answered, "Oh, nobody in particular. Just a passing through executioner, is all I am."
With a smirk, the so-called executioner continued, "You see, I was hoping to get here when those Panther Claw goons attacked the house. They were ridiculously undisciplined and weak, but their numbers were numerous. I've come in earlier to… negotiate with the professor."
Still holding the blueprint, Hongo exclaimed, "So, you're the one who killed the professor."
The man scoffed at Hongo's accusation, "Please, if I was to kill him, things would have gone differently… No, my orders were to bring him alive, or salvage anything important from his research. What you're holding is it."
"I knew it, you're with Destron, aren't you?" Hongo pointed. However, the response he got was unexpected.
The man laughed. His baritone echoed through the empty laboratory. "Hilarious! To think the great Hongo Takeshi would mistake me as part of a dying organization!"
Seeing his started expression, the man continued, "Oh yes, I have heard of you… Hongo Takeshi, the prodigy with an IQ of six hundred. Star Student of Jounan University, and a most excellent racer. No wonder Shocker desired your body to be used… How unfortunate that they never managed to kill you."
Alerted, Hongo took a defensive stance as he put the blueprint into his jacket. "Alright, so you're not Destron. What are you then?"
"Very well." The man answered, "I will at least tell you this; the Government of Darkness may be small in numbers now, but soon we shall grow, and the world will bow down to my Leader. And if anybody opposes, I will be the last thing they see."
Hongo raised an eyebrow. Not only he said Government of Darkness in English, but the way he said Leader unnerves him. 'Could it be?'
Before he could continue, the man jumped high, raising his right hand upwards for a chop. Hongo backstepped, dodging the man's attack. He was fast, but the man was even faster than Hongo. Stronger too, since his strikes pushed him back.
Hongo was smart, he could see that the man in white let himself open on purpose at certain strikes, but he knew that if he took the bait, he would be countered, and Hongo would be in a world of hurt. A few minutes of stalemating, the two were near the stairway. Hongo decided to take the fight outside. 'Besides, the professor is still here, and we haven't finished digging his grave yet.'
Hongo did something he rarely do; turning his back on an enemy and run. "A change of venues, Hongo? Don't mind if I do!" the man taunted as he ran after him.
Reaching the front yard, Hongo was startled three Panther Claw goons falling hard into the pavement. Looking up, he saw Honey, now in red, throwing them off the roof.
"Hongo-san! Are you alright?" Honey shouted, but before either could responded, a Panther Claw goon snuck up behind her, attempting to push her off. But Honey caught him and the two were rolling down the roof.
Hongo was horrified that she was about to become pancake, but his worries were vanished as she touched her necklace and shouted something he would get used to.
"HONEY FLASH!"
Her entire body was engulfed in brightness, as her being transformed into a new form. Her red hair and dress now turned green, Hongo noticed that she looked like a stewardess now, and miraculously, she bend her way in midair, and crashed into a window.
There was one word Hongo could have described her actions, 'Incredibe…'
A sudden jolt of pain strike Hongo's chest, he was thrown a meter away as his body rolled to a tree. "Where are you looking at, Hongo?" the man in white taunted, "Don't tell me that you were distracted by something simple as a woman's body!"
Hongo cursed at himself, getting up after the hit. The man in white dashed forward, and continued his barrage. Hongo, however, had learned the pattern of his attacks, and was able to counter some of them. Sensing that he's winning, Hongo went into the offense. He hit the joints of his limbs, attempting to immobilize him, but the man's body was tougher than he'd expected. Still, it had some effect as the man in white had a pained expression.
Instead of anger, the man in white smiled. "Ah… that's more like it. I think it's time I ended this."
The man straightened himself, as he began to arch his arms, slowly going into his center as they formed an X pattern. The pointer and middle fingers of both hands extended, the man shouted his own transformation phrase.
"APOLLO CHANGE!"
"At times, I appear as a racer."
Black Claw, a villainess of the Panther Claw, searched her surroundings for the source of the voice.
"At other times, a stewardess, a model, a singer, and a photographer. However, my true identity is!"
Black Claw shielded her eyes as bright light came through the woods. After it faded, outcome a woman wearing a stylized battlesuit. The red top covers her torso—also emphasizes her cleavage—while the rest that covered her legs were black. Both hands and feet were now covered in yellow gloves and boots, one of her hand holding a sword with yellow crossguard.
She raised her sword as the wind blows on her pink hair, and declared, "I am the Warrior of Love, Cutie Honey!"
Black Claw was angry, using her clawed gauntlet on her right arm, she attempted to stab Cutie Honey with it, but each strike were easily dodged and parried. Even with the ability to extend them, her claw was no match for Cutie Honey's agility.
However, like the majority of villains, Black Claw doesn't really fight fair.
As Honey swiped her blade, she vanished with an afterimage. The warrior searched around, before seeing that Black Claw's head was on the ground. She immediately backstepped, throwing the heart-shaped band on her right arm, before it turned into a weapon.
"HONEY BOOMERANG!" she cried out, the band managed to cut through Black Claw's head claw, but it flew towards Honey, hitting her in the chin.
Honey dodged an attack as she jumped back up, but Black Claw hit her sword before Honey could counter, the blade stuck into a tree's trunk.
Black Claw laughed, thinking that the fight will be over soon. She was wrong.
"HONEY BEAM!" A blinding light came from Cutie Honey's neck ribbon, which was also her transformation device. Black Claw angrily threw her away, but she threw Honey towards the tree where her sword was stuck on. As her feet stepped into the trunk, Honey grabbed her sword and rebounded, and was about to deal the finishing blow.
Honey didn't expect that Black Claw could shoot her gauntlet off her hand, the gauntlet's caught Honey's sword arm between two blades, and it plunges itself into the mansion's wall. Honey was stuck, hanging like a painting with a loose nail.
"You're finished!"
Black Claw still has one weapon; her left hand. The claws of her fingers were quite sharp, if Honey got hit by them, it would be bad news for her. Black Claw leaped with her hand extended to Honey's torso, hoping to impale her.
Cutie Honey could have loosen the grip of her right hand, letting the sword fall down to her left, but her hand was stuck in the leftmost of the gauntlet. As Black Claw drew even closer, Honey had to do something quick.
Both of her feet kicked the wall, bouncing her lower body upwards. Thanks to her flexible joints, she managed to kick the sword down to her left side, and by the time Black Claw was centimeters closer to her, she gripped the sword with her left hand, and plunged it into Black Claw's heart.
Black Claw moaned in agony, Honey straightened her stuck hand turned it, allowing her to drop down. The villainess grabbed her gauntlet and pulled it off the wall, but that would be her last action.
Honey's sword glowed with an unknown energy; it entered into Black Claw's body, and engulfed her as she screams in pain. Finally, she exploded into smithereens. A few seconds later, nothing was left of Black Claw, only Honey's sword, lying still on the ground.
Panting, Honey sat down and caught her breath. "Un… unbelievable. I did all of this?" she asked herself, looking at her hands as she does so. Hardening her expression, she tightened he hands into fists, and vowed, "Father. I will use this power you give me to stop Panther Claw. I will avenge you, and help anybody they threaten."
As soon as she did so, a loud gunfire was heard nearby. Honey heard someone screaming, a man. She knew that Seiji didn't look like a combatant, so that leaves only one man. "Hongo-san!"
Reaching for her sword, she ran to the location of the gunfire, the number of shots increased as she got closer. She reached her destination, and was shocked.
Leaning against a tree, was Hongo Takeshi. His riding jacket was torn to pieces, bits of his shirt was torn, and he was bleeding. But what shocked her most was the gunman.
It was a man in black body armor, the most prominent thing he has were his reddish crimson, fearsome helmet with large wing-like protrusions on its sides, arching backwards. Red flame shaped fabric attached to his chest. Long white cape fluttering to the wind, the edges has flame patterns sewn into the fabric. His belt buckle, a round, shield-like pattern that resembles a ship's steering wheel, with the pointy bits looking like knifes, the sharp edges were positioned counter clockwise. And the last thing was his large red shield gripped to his left hand, which has a similar shape to his buckle. His armor and posture reminded Honey of the Greek God Apollo.
"Ah, so this is Kisaragi's android… Fascinating getup, but if you think that little knife of yours could match me, think twice."
His baritone voice snapped Honey back to reality. She strode towards Hongo, and stood in front of him, then she asked, "Who are you?! What did you do to Hongo-san?" As the caped man slowly approached her, she continued, "If you think I'll let you do as you please, think again! This is my home, Hongo-san is my guest, and you are not. I'll give you a warning, leave now or I'll kick you out!"
The nightly wind blew their surroundings, Honey's hair fluttered a bit. The caped man let out a slow laugh, which became a hearty one. "Ha! You have spunk, I'll give you that."
Honey gritted her teeth in annoyance, but she felt someone grabbing her shoulder, "Don't… he's a strong enemy."
"Hongo-san! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… too bad about my jacket, but they can be replaced." Hongo added, he threw the damaged fabric off of him, and cracked his gloved hands. "So… were you really after the blueprint, or was that all a ruse? Answer me, Apollo Geist!"
Honey cocked her eyebrow, but Apollo Geist saved her the trouble by answering, "Heh, so you figured it out… True, I was after the blueprint. But I had already send copies of it a week ago, my real mission was to destroy the original. Seeing that the… infamous Hongo Takeshi was in the vicinity, I cannot help but to test your might." He took a step forward, brandishing a shotgun, the Apollo Shot, with his right hand, "But, I believe that it's time to end this." He twirled his firearm before taking another step forward.
Before they could do anything, Honey stepped forwards and stood in front of Hongo, "No! I won't let you hurt him anymore!"
Hongo was surprised. So few were willing to lay down their lives to protect someone they just met, being the one protected instead of protecting gave Hongo an odd feeling.
With a laugh, Apollo said, "Little lady, I congratulate you for being courageous, but it will do no good against me. Besides, he doesn't really need protecting." Pointing his Apollo Shot against them he added, "Come on, Hongo… don't tell you you'd rather have her do all the fighting."
Standing her ground, Honey prepared herself for the second fight in her life. She wanted to ask Hongo what's really going on, but whoever this Apollo Geist is, he was far too dangerous.
"You're right… I would not want her to do all the fighting."
Honey turned her head, she saw something on Hongo's face as his anger became quite clear. Two symmetrical scars appeared beneath his eyes, both sides has two other lines close to his cheeks. 'Are those… surgery scars? What happened to him?' Honey thought, but she was even more surprised as she saw what was on his waist.
It was a red belt, with two gray boxy units on each sides. In front was a turbine in the place of the buckle, surrounded by a gray covering.
"Because I will be fighting alongside her."
This caught her off guard. Most men in this age would rather have women not do anything and let themselves do all the work. The men she met whenever she escaped her dorms were either morons, perverts, or moronic perverts.
Hongo Takeshi was definitely none of that.
Swiftly, Hongo motioned his hand to his sides, and let out a shout. He thrust his right hand to his upper left, his left hand positioned near the boxy unit of the belt.
"RIDEEEEER…"
Slowly, he moved his right arm to his upper right, followed by an odd siren-like noise as he motioned his arm. Then, he thrust his left arm to the upper right, and pulled his right arm back, the position was now the opposite of how he started it. Finally, Hongo shouted one last word; the word that shall become the most iconic word people will recognize his… people by.
"HENSHIN!"
The turbine on his belt, the Typhoon, activated. Gusts of winds gathered into it. Hongo jumped skyward, Honey could not believe how high he could jump, but what's even more unbelievable was how he emitted a bright rainbow colored light. A few seconds later, a figure dropped down in front of her.
"Oh my God… The red scarf, the grasshopper helmet… I can't believe it." Honey slowly approached the figure formerly known as Hongo Takeshi, who slowly arisen to combat. She finished her sentence with a question, "Hongo-san… are you the Kamen Rider?"
Hongo Takeshi, known as Kamen Rider Ichi-Go now, looked to his right, and nodded. "Kisaragi-san… I'll explain everything later, but for now." He positioned his body to the right, taking a fighting stance as he did so. "Will you allow me to fight alongside you?"
Kisaragi Honey would scream like a little girl now, since she's standing in front of an urban legend turned real. A masked hero with a red scarf who rides a motorcycle righting wrong, and fights to defend the defenseless against an unknown force was quite a popular rumor two years ago. Another was that there were two of them, doubling the popularity as they dubbed the mysterious duo as The Double Riders.
However, Cutie Honey doesn't have the time to express her joy. One thing she expressed, though, is excitement. She'd taken her own stance, her right hand holding her sword, she pointed it as she stood back-to-back with Kamen Rider Ichi-Go. With a small giggle, she answered the Rider, "You don't even need to ask."
(Play BGM – Let's Go Rider Kick)
"How cute, but enough games!"
Apollo Geist pulled the trigger of his weapon, and its rounds burst through the barrel. The heroic duo dodged it, and rushed towards the shield-wielding foe.
"RIDER PUNCH!" Ichi-Go shouted, his right fist striking against Apollo's shield, named the Geist Cutter.
And at the same time, Cutie Honey thrust her sword toApollo's right, but he parried it with his Apollo Shot. With a swift motion, he pointed the barrel to her head, but Ichi-Go reached out with his left hand and pushed it away.
Apollo stepped back, and uses the sharp edges of his Geist Cutter to attack. Honey blocked it with he sword, and Ichi-Go dove in to strike an opened spot. However, Apollo saw through it, and nonchalantly aimed his shotgun to his right, the blast prevented Ichi-Go to attack.
The shielded gunman swung his Geist Cutter to the left, his strength forced Honey to lose her guard, and Apollo took his chance by giving her a roundhouse kick. Her head was introduced to his boots, and as he spun around, Apollo aimed at Ichi-Go and fired away.
The Rider dodged by jumping up. He did a frontflip, and extended his right foot towards Apollo Geist.
"RIDER KICK!"
Normally, this signature attack would finish any monsters in one blow, but Apollo Geist is no mere monster. For one thing, his shield was incredibly durable. Despite the force of the kick, his shield took it as if it was nothing. "Hah! You have to do better than that, Rider!"
Ichi-Go rebounded from the shield, but for a few milliseconds, he saw something disadvantageous from his shield.
Honey, now recovered from the kick, jumped next to the Ichi-Go, "Rider, this guy is tough! Any ideas?"
"Yes, I think so. See that shield?" he pointed with his head, "There are gaps separating the edges and the center. It might be difficult, but perhaps you could stab his shoulder, wounding him in the process, as I kick it?"
Smirking, she answered, "Worth a shot. Let's do this."
The duo dashed again, Apollo sighed, "This again? If you think doing the same thing over and over would tire me, you are—"
He was interrupted by Ichi-Go's flying kick. He blocked it, but as Honey closed in, he took a step back and aimed, "You are mistaken if you—ARGH!"
Honey had her right hand extended, the sword that she gripped was thrown between the gaps of his shield, piercing his shoulder. Apollo grunted as he pried it off his shoulder. "Neat trick. I'd thought that you can only work well when the other one is with you."
Ichi-Go retorted, "True, battling alongside Ni-Go may be the most effective method, but I think teaming up with someone else might throw off the enemy. Don't rely on just one ally when you have more."
Honey added, "Yeah. Besides, I think he and I have great chemistry." She looked at the Rider on her left, who was also looking at her, and winked, "We should do this more often."
Hongo had a small smile beneath his mask. 'Huh, she's a spirited woman, I'll give her that. Courageous too, I'm sure she could handle herself from now on.'
"Tch, if you enjoy each other's company so badly, let me send you to hell so you can flirt all you want!"
Pulling the trigger of the Apollo Shot, the heroic duo did not dodge to the side this time. Rather, they both jumped up. As they reached the peak of their jump, the two looked at each other again and nodded, thinking the same thing.
As gravity pulled their body back down, Honey extended her left foot, and aimed towards Apollo Geist. Kamen Rider Ichi-Go also did the same with his right foot.
"HONEY…" "…RIDER…."
As they're closing in to the enemy, both of their feet glowed with energy, intertwining with each other harmoniously as they unleashed their combined attack
"DOUBLE KICK!"
Their feet struck Apollo's shield, the force of their combined attack was powerful, but he's still able to stand his ground. Unfortunately, the wound on his shoulder weakened his concentration, and ultimately the duo kicked him away, throwing Apollo Geist far into the woods.
Ichi-Go and Honey landed, pausing to catch their breath. Then, Ichi-Go walked into the woods, checking if Apollo Geist was still alive or not. Honey took this chance to grab her sword back.
Suddenly, the two heard a ghostly voice, "Grr… you are stronger than I thought… Fortunately for you, my Leader has called me back for a matter of upmost importance. If it wasn't for this wound that girl gave me, you wouldn't have won. I congratulate the two of you for seizing the day, but you will not defeat me!"
A ball of fire sprang out of the woods, almost hitting Honey before she ducked down. The fireball then flew away into the sky.
"So… you're leaving already, Hongo-san?"
"Yes. I thank you for your hospitality, Kisaragi-san, but as long as someone like him is still around, I cannot rest."
"Oh, silly. Didn't I tell you it's okay to call me Honey-chan? I am younger than you, after all."
"Er… right."
It was two in the morning, as the two walked into the road leading to the town. The mansion grounds were surprisingly vast, so Hongo had to walk back to his motorcycle. Along the way, the two managed to talk about each other. For once, Hongo opened up to his… experience against Shocker. Honey's responses soothed the painful memories, somehow, and he was grateful for it.
"By the way, Kisa.. Er, Honey-chan." Hongo finally called her, making the blond smile cutely. "You're still in highschool, aren't you? And you live in a boarding school? Shouldn't you go back there?"
Honey laughed a bit, "Oh come on. I'll be fine, the night is still young, and the fact that I teamed up with the one and only Kamen Rider made today a bearable day. Also… thank you for the help."
"You're welcome. I know you're a strong woman, I believe you can handle the Panther Claw herself. I don't know if we'll meet again, but let it be known that I'll help you if you call me." Hongo added, "Oh, speaking of which, calling me the one and only is… inaccurate. There's two more after me."
This got Honey's attention, so she asked, "Wait, really? I thought there was three more after you! I heard that there's another Kamen Rider… except he uses a car! What kind of Kamen Rider rides a car, shouldn't he call himself Kamen Driver or something?"
"Well, about that—"
They were interrupted by Seiji and his brother, Junpei, who were way behind them. The two brothers accidentally hit their feet on some rocks and fell down.
Hongo saw the exit, alongside his bike, and said, "Anyway, I need to be going. I also need to buy a new jacket too."
As Honey saw Hongo sitting on his bike, an idea sprung in her mind. Spontaneously, she jumped behind the back of the seat, "Hey! I know some shops that are still open at this hour! I could take you there!"
Despite her ample bosoms hitting his back, Hongo managed to respond, "Um, it's fine. I'll find them."
"Nu-uh. I saw how battered that jacket looked before it got torn apart. And I don't think you're following today's fashion, do you?"
His confused silence answered Honey's question, and she added, "Come on. I did help you beat that Apollo guy, just this once, please?"
A few seconds of silence later, Hongo gave her his helmet. "Safety first." He told her, revving up his bike as he did so.
With a smile, she put the helmet on and hugged Hongo's back. 'Hrmm… are young women these days this… gifted?' he silently thought to himself. But shrugged off any unnecessary thoughts, and together with Honey, rode into the city.
"Hey, no fair Hongo! I saw her first!"
Followed by Seiji and his little brother on his own motorcycle.
God… DAMN.
Feulin, I promised to write you this ages ago, and only now, days before the beginning of 2015, has This Stranger finally finishes it.
Again, this is just a one-shot. As much as I want a continuation, I dunno how to fit Cutie Honey into the Kamen Rider lore, since her 70s anime is a 35 episode anime. And the Riders have been appearing since… ever. But for now, enjoy the only Kamen Rider x Cutie Honey fanfic in this website. Hell, maybe in the whole damn internet.
Wazzat, wanna know why I even made this other than because I want to write one for Feulin?
She draw fanarts of Hongo x Honey. Yes, the pairing Hongo x Honey. Those two are basically Japan's Superman/Captain America and Wonder Woman, both also fights for justice and have influenced a LOT of things in Japan.
Hongo x Honey Forever, Motherfucker!
Anyway, I might be busy writing the All-Stars DX3 Arc for Rising unto the Stars, but having only an Italian subbed video of DX3 on youtube kinda makes it hard to accurately follow the plot while creating original events for this special. Hopefully I'd found the English version somewhere, but until I'm done with it—and since I'm not always around—The Stranger wish you a Happy New Year. Try not to get drunk for any partygoers reading this, yeah?
Also, this isn't exactly a complete version of the first episode of the original Cutie Honey Anime. If you want to know what really happened, go fin and watch it. Hella fun show, it is.
