Warren had entered Ryuki's mind to find out more about this Ifrit, in a more personal manner. After the last time Ifrit took control of Ryuki and nearly cost them their lives, Ryuki had no choice but to lock up his Yin-self in his prison. Warren wanted to have a little chat with Ifrit.

When Warren arrived at the cage, he could see a human figure suspended by chains that were locked onto his arms and legs. A steel muzzle covered the lower half of his face but his blue eyes stared out at Warren hatefully.

Warren opened the cage and entered before he looked up at Ifrit. He sure looked like Ryuki, except for his black hair and blue eyes. Warren could also sense nothing but malevolence coming from the imprisoned boy. "I guess you know who I am, huh?" Ifrit responded with a snarl. "I bet you can't talk with that thing on, huh? Let me help you with that." Warren snapped his fingers and the muzzle snapped off. "There, feeling better?"

"What do you want?" Ifrit demanded. "If it's a fight you want then you're out of luck! I'm in chains!"

"I just want to talk," said Warren. He had experience talking with talking to angry people like this. He just had to be calm and direct when dealing with this one.

"Well, too bad all I want is to kill you!" Ifrit snapped.

"Why are you so angry?" Warren asked.

"Wouldn't you be if you were locked up like this?" Ifrit questioned back as he regarded his position. "I'm locked up like an animal!"

"Well, after what you did, I can say that you deserve it," said Warren. Ifrit growled.

"Look, if you just came here to make fun of me, then you can just leave!" Ifrit snapped.

"I'm here to offer you a second chance," said Warren.


SCHOOL DAYS: 555


He parked his bike in the parking lot before removing his helmet. He had cold blue eyes and his hair was short, spiky and unkempt. He wore the school uniform for the most part, but with the white shirt not tucked in and the tie around his neck worn loosely with the top button of his shirt undone. And, instead of the school's blazer he wore a black leather bomber jacket with fur around his cuffs, the collar and the hem of the jacket.

"So, this is Sakakino High, hm? Guess that teme has some good taste at least," the boy muttered as he held onto his helmet before marching over to where the collective students were standing. They were in front of a message board, looking at classroom assignments. Today was the entrance ceremony and these students were freshmen just like him.

Well, maybe not exactly like him but pretty similar.

He shoved his way through the crowd, rudely, to get to the front to see which class he would get. He probably stepped on some shoes but didn't care. All he cared about was getting this thing over with…

And that was when he saw HER.

She was beautiful and had a really curvy figure. Her chest wasn't so bad either. She wore one of the two standard uniform for the girls, which was a black waist coat worn over a white shirt with a red bow tie and a short skirt. She wore black thigh high stockings. Her hair was long and dark and she had brown eyes. The girl noted he was staring at her and smiled. "Oh, hello," she greeted politely.

"Hi," he answered.

"So, you're a new student here?" she asked.

"Yup, and starting today I'm a freshman," he replied.

"Really, so am I. What class are you in?" she asked him.

He looked at the message board and found his name. "There," he pointed. His name was written among the names grouped together in Class 1-4.

"Wow, we're classmates!" she said happily. "I'm Kotonoha Katsura."

"My friends call me Ryuji Hasuma," he introduced himself.

And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


It was several months later when a security guard in Sakakino High was doing his rounds. That was when he found a girl standing in the schoolyard. "Hey, are you a student in this school?"

The girl, in a sad tone, answered, "I wasn't able to enter this school…"

"Why?" the security guard asked, curious.

"Because…" the girl's lips curled into a smile, "I'm an Orphenoch."

To the guard's horror, the young girl changed into a monster that was tall, skinny, and had gray skin. Fins rose from her head, forearms, and waist. She looked very similar to a fish as she stalked towards the guard. She was armed with a crossbow. This monster was known as an Orphenoch. The Archerfish Orphenoch to be precise. The guard screamed in terror, but the Archerfish Orphenoch raised her weapon and fired at him. The arrow knocked the walkie-talkie out of his hand and cut him deeply. The guard cried in pan as he stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the monster. The Archerfish Orphenoch only giggled sinisterly as she reached out for the man.

Suddenly, a roaring engine caught her attention, making her turn to look. What she got was a fist to the face. The Archerfish cried in pain as she fell backwards from the assault. Looking up, she saw that a figure on a motorcycle had attacked it. The person was donned in a black bodysuit that had red lines painted on it that glowed in the night. As he dismounted, she saw that the figure had silver metal chest armor and armored shoulder pads. His head was covered by a black helmet that had a pair of large glowing yellow eyes and short antennae. Around his waist was a metal belt which had a flashlight and camera attached on the sides. The middle looked like it may have been able to double as a cell phone.

"Who are you?" the Archerfish Orphenoch demanded as she got back to its feet.

"Your executioner, bitch," the figure snorted before he reached to his belt and then pulled a chip out of it. He then went to his bike and pulled out a handlebar as he slid in the chip.

"Ready."

When he drew the handlebar out there was a red blade that looked like to be made of crystal.

"I won't let you stop me!" the Archerfish Orphenoch hissed as she took aim at the armored figure. She then shot an arrow at the man. The armored figure rolled to the side before he grabbed his buckle and opened it, revealing that it was indeed a cell phone. He pressed the Enter button before shutting it again.

"Exceed Charge."

A stream of red energy traveled up the red lines connected to the belt, down the figure's arm and into the sword, making it shine. Gripping the weapon, the armored figure dashed towards the Archerfish Orphenoch with no hesitation in stopping. The Orphenoch likewise charged to try and kill the man who was trying to stop her. When the two were only a few steps from each other, the armored figure slashed widely before dashing past. Both fighters came to a stop, standing still. The silence lasted for a moment before the Archerfish was engulfed in blue flames before exploding. A red Phi symbol hung in the air before the Archerfish Orphenoch dissolved into a pile of ash.

"Heh," the armored figure snorted as he replaced the chip and powered down his sword. "Small fry." He mounted his bike and rode away.


The next morning, the security guard was telling his colleagues about what he'd experienced. First it was the Orphenoch and then the appearance of the mysterious Masked Rider who'd saved him.

Ryuji entered through the school gate and parked his bike before he got off and headed to class. At the shoe lockers he met his best friend, Kotonoha.

"Morning, Kotonoha," Ryuji greeted.

"Ohayo, Ryuji-kun," the girl greeted sweetly.

In class, there was a lot of talk about the appearance of the 'Masked Rider' again. Otome was with her friends, talking about the masked hero.

"Why is everyone always talking about him? It's not like he's real or anything," scoffed Ryuji.

"True, but they believe he's real," stated Kotonoha.

"What about you? Do you think he's real?" Ryuji asked his friend.

"There's no such thing as the Masked Rider. Just an urban legend," said Kotonoha with a shake of her head.

"Hey, I agree with you," Ryuji agreed. "I bet this whole Masked Rider and Orphenoch business is just some sort of publicity stunt or something the tabloid made up."

The door slid open as the teacher came in. It was their homeroom teacher, as well as their World and Japanese History teacher, Warren Smith.

"Rise, Bow, Sit," said Kotonoha as Warren went to the front of the class to take attendance.


During lunch break, Warren and Ryuji were in private conference. Well, that was the excuse. What they were really doing was official business between them. As part of his 'parole' Ryuji had to report every time he used the Faiz Gear. He also had to report in on who he was fighting with it.

"So it was a girl who had applied to school here but failed?" asked Warren.

"Seems like it," Ryuji shrugged. "She wasn't much of a challenge though. She was probably a newly spawned Orphenoch and the power messed with her mind."

"Possibly," Warren nodded. "It seems that most of the Orphenochs are popping up around here. A few variations, but this area is where they pop up."

"Doesn't matter where they are," Ryuji snorted. "I'll dust them all."

Warren frowned. As his parole officer, Warren was to make sure Ryuji kept out of trouble and didn't abuse his power. "Don't enjoy this job too much. This is your duty, not a game. Consider it as community service."

"Right…right…I gotcha," Ryuji rolled his eyes. He checked his watch. "Excuse me, but Kotonoha's waiting for me in the cafeteria."

Ryuji quickly exited the room and headed back to the cafeteria. Scanning through the room, he tried to spot Kotonoha. Still, he didn't see her anywhere. It was odd since she usually would be where she said she would be. Still, shrugging, he headed to somewhere that some of the students would eat their lunch. The roof.

Traveling up the stairs, he opened the door to see who was up there. At the far end, he spotted Kotonoha, and she wasn't alone. Beside her was a girl with a shoulder-length black hair and the other was a boy with short dark hair. He didn't recognize the pair of them, but he was wary.

"Oh, hello, Ryuji-kun," Kotonoha smiled.

"Hey Kotonoha," Ryuji waved. "Who are these two?"

"Oh, these are Saionji-san," Kotonoha smiled, referring to the girl. "And Itou-san," She gestured to the boy.

"Hey, I'm Ryuji," Ryuji introduced himself. "Ryuji Hasuma."

"Well, take a seat, Hasuma-san," Sekai said. Ryuji nodded and went over, planting himself next to Kotonoha. He glanced at Makoto and noted how the boy kept looking at his best friend. For some reason he couldn't fathom why he wanted to tear the boy's eyes out.

The four then had lunch together, as well as did some talking. Sekai actually befriended Kotonoha one day during gym class since class 1-4 and -1-3 always shared a gym period. Ryuji himself never bothered to befriend anyone except for Kotonoha. That was enough for him, though.

"So, tell us about yourself, Hasuma-san," said Sekai.

"Well, there's not much to say, really," Ryuji said. "I am Kotonoha's assistant."

"So, you're the assistant class rep," said Sekai.

"Hey, she's my best friend. I wanted to help," said Ryuji. Actually, he threatened people to elect him as the assistant since Kotonoha would probably end up doing all the work since he didn't trust anyone else to pull their weight. At least Kotonoha could trust him.

"So, have you heard about what happened last night? The Masked Rider showed up," said Makoto.

"Don't tell me you actually believe that stuff," said Ryuji with a frown. "It's just tabloid nonsense. It can't be real. Something like that belongs on TV, not in real life."

"Well, but there are witnesses and…"

"No concrete evidence," Ryuji cut Makoto off. "The Masked Rider is just an urban legend, the same as these monsters. They are like vampires and werewolves. People have heard about them, but there's no evidence except for eyewitness account. The guard must've been drunk or something and dreamt what he saw."

"Katsura-san, what do you think?" Makoto asked the long-haired girl.

"I agree with Ryuji-kun," said Kotonoha. "All these talks of Masked Riders and monsters sounds like something from a TV show."

The bell rang and Sekai decided it was time to go. "Well, I'm headed to class. What about you, Makoto?"

"Oh, I'll catch up. I need to talk with Katsura-san," said Makoto.

"Me?" Kotonoha pointed to herself. Makoto nodded.

"Well, don't be late, Kotonoha," Ryuji said to his friend as he followed after Sekai. Actually, Ryuji hung back and stood behind the door as he listened in on the conversation. He didn't trust Kotonoha to be alone with that boy.

That was the reason why he was spying on them from a crack in the door. However, he also had company in Sekai using his shoulders as a stool so she could see through a higher portion of the crack in the door.

"He'd better not blow this," Sekai muttered to herself.

"Blow what?" asked Ryuji with a frown.

"Makoto has been crushing on Katsura-san since the beginning of the year," Sekai explained. "They travel to school on the same train. Makoto got infatuated with her so I'm helping them out."

Ryuji had to bite his tongue to keep from cursing. Luckily he didn't break the skin or else blue flames would have shot out of his mouth. Still, there was no way he could let Makoto just waltz up and begin dating Kotonoha. They didn't know anything about each other. For all he knew, Itou could be some kind of sex addict that couldn't choose a girl if his life depended on it.

"Katsura-san, do you want to go out sometime…?" Makoto began to ask. Ryuji clenched his fists. He didn't know why or understand but he felt angered by this boy's audacity.

"You mean…on a date?" Katsura questioned shyly, blushing a little.

"Yeah, after school," said Makoto.

"This is it…" said Sekai eagerly as Ryuji's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," declined Kotonoha.

Sekai nearly fell down the stairs but Ryuji managed to grab hold of her before she did. They both listened in as Sekai let out a hushed, "What!?" Ryuji, however, was grinning.

"Huh, why not?" Makoto asked.

"I'm sorry, but I like someone else," Kotonoha answered. Ryuji narrowed his eyes.

'Who? She likes someone else? Who?' Ryuji thought in his mind. He continued to eavesdrop.

"He's someone special, and you can say we're very close. I really like him, but I don't know if he likes me like that," said Kotonoha.

"So, you're waiting for him?" Makoto asked.

"I just want him to see me as more than a friend," said Kotonoha. "I'm sorry, Itou-san. I'm sure you're a nice guy but I can't date you until I find out if he really likes me or not."

Makoto looked thoughtful. "It must be someone pretty special, huh?"

She nodded. "The person I like has always been by my side, supporting me from the beginning," she answered. "You can say that I really love him."

"Then, whoever this guy is, he's lucky," said Makoto.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay…"


Makoto was disappointed to say the least, but he was half-expecting the answer anyway. A girl like Kotonoha didn't stay single long or refrained from seeing a guy she liked. Still, he had a chance. If this guy didn't return her feelings then maybe he could give it another shot. Sekai said she'd support him, but right now he needed a friend. Something to take the edge off. Hope springs eternal after all.


Ryuji was quiet as he and Kotonoha walked to his bike. Kotonoha didn't know why he was quiet but she knew him well enough by now. When he wanted to speak, he would speak.

He eventually did.

"So, what did Itou talk with you about?" Ryuji asked.

"Oh, he wanted to ask me out," she answered.

"Oh." He knew it already.

"I said no."

"I see…" Ryuji said.

"You sound relieved," she stated.

"Well, of course I do. I don't think that guy's good enough for you," said Ryuji.

"And what makes you say that?" she questioned further.

"I'm your best friend! Of course I should have an opinion on whom you date! I want you to be happy!" he told her.

"Ryuji-kun, do you want to know why I declined his offer?" Kotonoha asked.

"If you wanna tell me…"

"I like someone else," she answered.

"Oh, and do I know this person you like?" Ryuji asked.

Kotonoha giggled. She couldn't believe his dense he was. It was so cute. She didn't answer but instead pecked him on the cheek. He blushed a little.

"Come on, let's get home," said Kotonoha.

"Um…sure…"


"And so she declines when this Itou guy asks her out and the only reason she gave him was that she liked someone else," said Ryuji to Warren. Both were sitting in the living room. As both Ryuji's parole officer and legal guardian, Ryuji was required to stay with him.

Warren could only stare at his young friend and say, "Ryuji, didn't you get any hints from that?'

"What hints?" Ryuji blinked.

Warren wondered just how many hits Ryuji had taken to the head to be this thickheaded and dense. Even Warren could see that Kotonoha had a thing for Ryuji. It was so obvious by the way they always spent their time together and that Kotonoha would insist on studying with him. Ryuji's grades had pretty much improved since the tutoring sessions. Kotonoha even got Ryuji interested in reading…

So how could someone as smart as Ryuji possibly NOT realize that his best friend was crushing on him?

"Ryuji, just think about it. Who do you think Kotonoha might like to date one day?" Warren asked. He received a blank expression. "Never mind…"


Kotonoha was in her room and sitting at her desk with a book open. Of course, her eyes weren't on her book but at the cell phone in her hand. On the screen was a picture of her and Ryuji together. She smiled and gave the screen a kiss. "Ryuji-kun…" On her desk was also a framed picture of both her and Ryuji together. She gave the picture a smile and said, "Ryuji-kun, I do hope you're thinking of me tonight."


Ryuji was at his desk with his chin on the tabletop and arms hanging at his side. Homework was just so damn boring. His eyes then glanced at a framed photograph of him and Kotonoha. He picked it up and stood up straight to gaze at it. The picture had been taken during the summer festival that he'd gone to with Kotonoha and Kokoro. He was dressed casually as the two girls were dressed in yukata. Kotonoha was in a white one and Kokoro was in a red one.

He'd taken the picture with a digital camera. There were several other pictures too of them together.

When Makoto had asked Kotonoha out, Ryuji felt angry and upset. He wanted to beat Makoto up for even thinking it and didn't even know why. This just confused and gave Ryuji a headache.

'What hints?' he asked himself mentally. As he was trying to think of an answer, he heard a knock at the door. "Come in!"

Warren opened the door and said, "Suit up. There's an Orphenoch on the attack."

Ryuji let out a sigh. Off to work.


Sekai sighed as she waited for the train. She had a shift at the Radish to work, but her mind was elsewhere. She was so sure that Kotonoha wasn't seeing anyone nor was she interested in anyone. Apparently her information was wrong though. There was someone she was interested in. Well, in a way she was relieved since it meant that she now had a shot at Makoto herself.

As she was waiting, she heard a shuffling noise. Glancing she saw it was a homeless man who was getting up. She wanted to ignore him, but he was coming closer.

"Hey," he grunted as he stumbled closer. "Want to see a trick?"

"Trick?" Sekai mumbled.

The homeless man grinned before a weird gray pattern appeared on his face. Then, to her horror, his body began to shift and mutate. He emerged in a gray body that looked like it had spikes running up the arms in a crisscross pattern. The head was concealed by a cage of spikes and organic material. The monster chuckled darkly as it eyed Sekai, who was gaping in horror.

The Cactus Orphenoch would enjoy this one.

He marched towards the terrified girl but all of a sudden there was the roar of an engine. The Cactus Imagin turned around in time to receive a wheel in the face as Faiz rammed into him. The bike soared through the air and landed before Faiz spun the bike around to face the Orphenoch. Sekai gaped at the Rider's appearance but he ignored her. He got off his bike and charged into battle.

The Cactus Orphenoch roared and swiped at Faiz who blocked and then retaliated with a punch. The Orphenoch struck again but his fist was caught and Faiz thrust his hand forward in a palm strike. He then smashed his fist across the Orphenoch's face before sending him crashing against one of the support pillars with a kick.

Sekai, meanwhile, couldn't believe what she was seeing and then realized she had the chance to catch Faiz on camera. She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out her camera phone. She aimed the lens and got ready to take a picture as Faiz and the Orphenoch battled.

The Orphenoch was sent tumbling along the floor by another kick from Faiz. The Rider reached to his belt and pulled out the Mission Memory as he took the camera off his belt. He slipped the Mission Memory over the lens.

"Ready."

A handle swung out from under the camera and he strapped it onto his right fist. He then reached down and opened up the cell phone and pressed Enter.

"Exceed Charge."

The Cactus Orphenoch got up and charged at Faiz, right as the energy from his belt transferred into the Faiz Shot. Faiz stood in place and waited for the Orphenoch to come at him. Once in range, Faiz charged right back. He dodged the first two strikes and then threw his fist into the Orphenoch.

SMASH!

The Orphenoch was hit by the Faiz Shot and stumbled backwards. Blue flames then erupted from his body before he exploded and crumbled into dust. A glowing Phi symbol appeared in the air before it faded.

Satisfied that his enemy was now just dust Faiz turned to get back to his bike. Sekai wasn't around. She must've fled. Good. He didn't need to worry about her. He then went to his bike and got on before riding off.


"Setsuna, check this out!" announced Sekai the next morning in class. Setsuna, her best friend, was in her seat and reading the morning paper.

"What?" Setsuna responded and Sekai showed the pictures she got last night.

"I saw him! I saw the Masked Rider!" Sekai proclaimed loudly.


Ryuji sneezed as he and Kotonoha entered their classroom.

"What's wrong?" Kotonoha asked her friend.

"I dunno. Maybe I caught a cold," he answered.


Sekai had become one of the most sought after individuals in the school. Rumor spread around that she had actual pictures of the Masked Rider fighting a monster. There wasn't a time when she wasn't being mobbed by students. Of course, Makoto was next to her and Taisuke kept stalking her in hopes of getting copies for herself.

Sekai wasn't one to turn down the chance to being popular, but this was getting to be a little much.

During lunch, Sekai managed to escape to the roof with Makoto and met up with Ryuji and Kotonoha who were having their lunch there. She showed them the pictures.

Ryuji stared at the pictures and responded, "So, you finally got photographic evidence."

"That's right!" Sekai proclaimed proudly. "I think I'm gonna sell them to a newspaper or something!"

"That is if they believe those pics are authentic," Ryuji pointed out.

"Oh, come on!" Sekai exclaimed, "You can't still be skeptical, can you?"

"It's kinda convenient that you were the only one who got the pictures in the first place," commented Ryuji.

"I have doubts too," Kotonoha added.

"Katsura-san, you too?" Sekai looked towards Makoto. "What do you think, Makoto?"

"Well, these pictures do look real," said Makoto. "Too real."

Sekai groaned. "So, even these pictures won't be good enough for the newspapers?"

"You could just sell them to a tabloid," suggested Ryuji.

"But I really wanted them to be in a real newspaper, not the tabloids," Sekai frowned.

"Or you could just put them on a blog," added Kotonoha.

"A blog?" Sekai looked thoughtful. "Hey, that's not a bad idea! Thanks, Katsura-san!"

Sekai knew just who to ask.


"You want me to put this up on MY blog?" Setsuna asked her best friend.

"Yes, because I know you love this kind of stuff," Sekai stated. Setsuna had a blog on the internet which was focused on the weird, the unexplained, and conspiracy theories.

"Well, of course I do," said Setsuna. "But I thought you'd rather want them in a newspaper than online."

"Well, I've been told that these pictures won't exactly be considered legitimate," said Sekai, sighing, "But I was hoping for at least some recognition."

"Just upload them into my phone," said Setsuna. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Setsuna. You're a real pal!" Sekai hugged her friend.

"OK, now stop that."

"Sorry."


The final bell rang and it was after school. At the shoe lockers, Kotonoha opened up her locker to find not just her shoes but a letter. "What's this?" Kotonoha took it out and examined it. She blushed. "A love letter?"

Ryuji's eyebrow twitched. "A love letter? For you?"

"Yes, it looks like it," said Kotonoha. She opened up the envelope and took the letter out. She skimmed through it.

"So, are you going to respond?" Ryuji asked.

Kotonoha shrugged. "I don't know if I should. It would be impolite to decline…"

"Kotonoha, you better not. What if this guy is a psycho-stalker-rapist?" said Ryuji, worried.

"Well, then I think I'd need my bodyguard, won't I?" said Kotonoha, smiling. She looped her arm around his. "Come on, I'm just joking. I'll meet this guy but I'll turn him down."

"OK," said Ryuji, blushing. "Come on, let's go home."


Warren had been observing Ryuji and Kotonoha for months and while he was a patient man by nature, even he had his limits. He was particularly frustrated that no progress had occurred between his student and best friend. Now, it was time for…an intervention!

Warren was pacing in front of Ryuji who was sitting on the couch between Warren's two kids, Alex and Tessa. To the twins, Ryuji was like a big brother who they loved so much.

"OK, Ryuji, I want to know if you're either blind or stupid?" Warren began.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryuji demanded, angered by the insult.

"I'm not insulting you. I just want to know how you don't realize what is going on in front of you!" Warren snapped.

"Hey, I notice tons of stuff!"

"Oh really? You think you're observant?" Warren questioned.

"Yes, I am!"

"So, how come you don't notice when a girl likes you!?" Warren yelled out. Ryuji blinked.

"There a girl who likes me?" Ryuji asked bluntly and Warren facefaulted. His kids giggled.

"OK, let's start with your relationship with Kotonoha," said Warren. "What do you think of her?"

"Well, she's my best friend," said Ryuji.

"Go on…" Warren prompted.

"And she's really intelligent, responsible, kind, and a very nice person," continued Ryuji.

"What else?"

"And she's…cute," said Ryuji. 'Especially when she puts on those reading glasses.'

'OK, now we're getting somewhere,' thought Warren triumphantly. "OK, so you admit that you like her."

"Isn't that obvious?" Ryuji shot back. "She's my best friend. Of course I like her."

"But how much?" Warren asked. "And how much do you think she likes you?"

"Well, I guess we really like each other. We're friends, aren't we?" Ryuji was getting confused and irritated.

"OK, but do you know how Kotonoha feels about you?" Warren asked.

"What do you mean?"

Now Warren was getting frustrated. For months he'd seen the signs and yet Ryuji was unable to see them since he considered Kotonoha as a friend and nothing else. Now it was up to Warren to clarify a few things. "Must I draw you a picture? She invites you over to her house for dinner when her parents are out. She asks you to come over to study. She asks you to train her in self defense and martial arts. She also makes lunch for you." Warren tapped Ryuji's forehead. "Just think about WHY she does all that!"

Ryuji batted Warren's hand away and growled before he did just that. Warren's eye twitched since he could see that Ryuji wasn't getting the answer. Time to yell it out.

"YOU IDIOT! SHE DIGS YOU!!!"


Ryuji snorted as he lay in bed. Kotonoha was in love with him? That was just ridiculous. They were just friends…and yet, the thought of her loving him didn't exactly seem so unappealing. He did like her but he wasn't sure if it ever went beyond that. Well, he had to admit that she was attractive. She had a nice figure, and a nice smile, and really warm eyes. She was also smart and would help him with his schoolwork. She would just volunteer. He even joined her in the student council to be closer to her and lend his assistance.

Kotonoha was his first friend in the school and his closest one. He didn't have that many friends in school. Well, to be honest, his only friend was Kotonoha and he preferred it that way. He didn't have to divide his attention and neither would she.

Kotonoha would always do nice things for him and not ask for anything in return. She was just content with being…close…to…him…

Wait a sec.

Ryuji sat up quickly, eyes wide, "Oh my god!!!"


"Good, NOW he gets it," said Warren. He then sensed something. "Another one?"


The woman was running for her life. She'd just been out on a date with when all of a sudden this…thing showed up and turned her date to dust. So, with self-preservation instincts guiding her, she made tracks quickly. Unfortunately, the thing was still chasing her.

The Snail Orphenoch was definitely not a slow one. He was fast on its feet and he intended to kill her…but not before having some fun with her. He wouldn't be much fun if he couldn't hear her screams as he had his sick way with her.

"Oh, come on, baby! Don't run! I promise to make it feel good!" the Snail Orphenoch crowed.

Suddenly, a figure bedecked in armor landed between the Orphenoch and its prey before a fist met with the monster's face.

The Orphenoch recovered and glared at the interloper. "Faiz!?"

Faiz didn't answer and immediately attacked. He struck with punches and kicks, showing no mercy for this rapist/murderer. He absolutely hated them since they took advantage of women for their own sick and selfish desires and pleasure. In Faiz's opinion, rape was punishable by death.

The Snail Orphenoch, now frightened for his life, decided to abandon the battle. However, Faiz was not about to let him leave.

"You can't run," said Faiz.

He reached down to the right side of his belt and pulled out the odd implement that resembled a telescopic flashlight. He reached down to his phone and slipped out the Mission Memory before slipping it into a slot on the flashlight.

"Ready."

The flashlight extended and Faiz got down on one knee to connect it to a port on his right leg. He opened up the phone and pushed the Enter button.

"Exceed Charge."

The energy traveled through the photon stream from his belt and into his right leg. He looked over to see the Orphenoch running and then he jumped up. Faiz he brought his legs together, the sole of his right boot glowing, before he went into a flying kick position with his left leg tucked in and the right leg extended. The Faiz Pointer fired a line of red energy which then expanded into a cone-like energy construct that was aimed at the fleeing Orphenoch. The Rider then dropped into the cone, which began spinning like a drill and drilling right through the Orphenoch. Faiz himself turned into energy and went right through the monster along with the cone.

"GAAAHHHHHH!!" the Orphenoch screamed as the energy passed through him. The attack didn't leave any superficial damage, but the energy was dealing a lethal blow down to the cellular level

Faiz reappeared behind the Orphenoch in a crouch. The Orphenoch was enveloped in an explosion of blue flames with a red Phi symbol hovering behind him. The Orphenoch finally crumbled into dust.

Faiz turned to glare at the pile of dust which had been the rapist Orphenoch a moment ago. He would have spit on it if he could, but the helmet prevented that. So, he just walked up to the ashen pile and kicked it, making it blow off in the wind. Growling, he headed back to his bike and mounted it. He then roared off into the distance, leaving a stunned woman behind.

Miyako Serizawa gulped as she watched the fight and the Masked Rider ride away. She cursed herself for not having a camera, but she had been on a date and didn't feel the need to carry one. Of course, now she knew that the talk about gray monsters and a Masked Rider who was fighting them was real.

However, she got one up on other witnesses. She got the Rider's name.

"Faiz, huh?" she pondered. "Bet the boss would love to hear that."


At school, Ryuji pretty much couldn't look at Kotonoha without blushing. The idea of her being in love with him and his own feelings for her made him break out in a cold sweat with his heart pounding in her chest. He couldn't say two words to her without stuttering and this worried her. When it got really bad she took him to the nurse's office to get some rest.

He was pretty much like that all day until the end of school. He asked her to meet him on the roof.

"Ryuji-kun, what's wrong?" Kotonoha asked her friend as they stood atop the school's rooftop.

Ryuji sighed and said, "I'm not good with words Kotonoha, so I'm just going to be really blunt. I do hope you can excuse me and forgive me for what I am about to do."

She blinked but gasped when he grabbed her shoulders and then pulled her over as he leaned down to capture her lips. She went stiff before she relaxed and her eyelids slid close. Ryuji then felt it as she kissed him back and the first thought that popped in his head was how sweet her lips tasted. He then broke the kiss but Kotonoha moaned in protest.

"Was that what you wanted?" Ryuji asked. Kotonoha seemed dazed. "Kotonoha?"

"Sugoi…" said Kotonoha. Her knees felt like jelly and looked ready to give away. He helped her over to the bench and they sat down. "What took you so long?"

"I guess that means that you really do like me, huh?" Ryuji asked awkwardly. "But how long have you had feelings for me?"

"I've always loved you, Ryuji-kun," she said honestly. "Didn't you notice the hints?"

"No, sorry, but I had it all laid out in front of me to help me figure it out," he said, chuckling.

"That's good. I was afraid that you'd never notice it," said Kotonoha, relieved.

"I just need to ask one thing."

"Alright."

"Why me?" Ryuji asked her.


Kamen Rider Chrome: This is the first chap of my AU Kamen Rider/School Days story. I sure hope you enjoy this because it took me awhile to think about what direction I wanted it to take. It's a 'what if' story, basically.