I do not own Kamen Rider Gaim and CROSS ANGE. I'm just doing this for the heck of it and to have some fun. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1: A Fruitful Beginning!

The universe is a special and vast space with many planets, stars, and people living in those planets as each of them have lives that are unique in their own way. Each of them has their own kind of people, rules, laws, limitations, virtues, and worlds. Yes, the universe is filled with various other worlds that can all be connected with each other one way or another. But, something prevents these worlds from connecting or ever meeting with each other. Some can speculate that it's the laws of the universe, to which all of these worlds reside in. And actually, that may be true.

However, there has to be something more than just the universe's laws or strict restriction to keep balance between all of these places. There may be an answer, but at the moment, no one can really know for sure. So the best fallback many have to believe is that nature itself, within these worlds, are holding back the very essence within their respective space to not go beyond anything that can upset this balance.

Regardless, there may be a chance for all of these worlds, people, friend and foe alike to meet and possibly form everlasting relationships whether they are positive or negative. But one thing's for sure, though. All of these worlds are connected, either by the strings of fate or perhaps by the vast endless seas that have yet to be ventured.

Unbeknownst to these worlds, something is out there watching their every movement.

Somewhere out in the sea is a fishing boat with its crew, all adult males either playing cards or reading magazines, patiently waited for the net to catch a group of fish that would hopefully fall into their trap. However, nothing has come yet so as usual, they're all passing the time by keeping themselves busy. After all, it's a beauty day with clear blue skies, bright sunlight, shiny ocean surface, and the fact all of this made it the perfect day to go out fishing. Hopefully, though, they'll be able to catch a decent amount of fish and get paid handsomely for their catch.

If they can get one before they call it a day.

On their boat, however, is not another adult male but a seventeen year old with spiky blue hair and emerald green eyes that carried an allure within them, almost enough to probably captivate people, yet also has an indifferent vibe to them. Like all the other men, he wore the fisherman's uniform as well. He quietly sat on one of the crates, carrying a fishing pole in hand, waiting to catch his own fish instead of waiting for a flock somewhere down below to get caught in the net.

His name is Takeo Shuichi.

Beside him are two buckets, one held the bait while the other contained some of the smaller fish that he managed to catch earlier in the day. Although he hasn't caught anything noteworthy, a catch was still a catch to him. After all, it was better than just sitting around to wait for the apparent herd to be caught in the net. So this was a good way to pass the time.

Reasons that do not need to be said or explained, he cannot simply eat or cook up these little fishes (no matter how much he wants to), since they're considered to be a catch and the crew will need to come back with something. Otherwise, they'll be out of a pay so they'll need to bring back whatever they can. And since he works for these guys part-time, that rule also applies to him as well. So therefore, he must restrict himself from cooking these little guys up and settle for what little portions he can eat.

Therefore, this is why he's catching his own set of fish, just so he could get paid and have some more cash in his pocket to provide himself with whatever he'll need once he gets back to the docks and out into the city. Also, it's also a way to prove his worth as a fisherman…

"Yo, Takeo!" one of the other fisher man playing cards called out. "Take a little break from that and play some cards with us! We've got enough for one more person, and you'll fit the bill nicely…!"

Without looking at him, he replied, "No thank you. I prefer doing this to pass the time."

"Ah, come on…! It's only been, like what, a year since you started to work for us…? All you've done around here is work and catch your own fish from time to time." said another fisherman.

His friends gave him a look that basically just says, 'Did you really just say that?' and in turn, he blinked at them before realizing what he said.

"Oh, uh, well….I mean, true, this is part of our job but in times like this, especially since we're waiting to catch a few fishes, we should take the time to relax and whatnot. And you guys can't deny that, right?"

"Guy's gotta a point. So come on, kid, put the fishing pole down and get your butt off the wood and come sit in a real chair." said one of the other fisherman.

Carefully, Takeo noticed the string beginning to move ever so slightly before it turned into a tug. This one was different from the other ones he felt before. With these little fish, they would probably have enough strength to move a tiny stone or pebble. But this one, on the other hand, seems to be a bit stronger and the tug on the pole's string is proving to be evident of that. So he started to reel it back knowing his had caught something that had to be a little bigger than the fish inside the bucket so far.

Reeling back, he used his strength to pull the fish out of the water and then catching it afterwards. Lo and behold, he caught decent sized fish to feed one or two people. Taking the hook out of its mouth, he placed it into the bucket.

Unfortunately, that average sized fish seemed to be his only decent catch of the day. After that the herd of fish that everyone waited for finally got caught inside the net, but it wasn't that many to be honest. As a bonus though, they managed to catch a few crabs, lobsters, and a few squids or octopuses here and there. In any case though, the team decided to call it a day knowing they'd probably be out all night trying to catch something that won't be caught in their net.

Of course, the other men were trying to include Takeo to play a few cards with them and whatnot, but the boy politely denied them seeing as he was enjoying the ride back. Well, that and not to mention he was mentally draining himself to keep a level composure to hide his overall presence in order to catch his own set of fish and sea creatures. If there was one thing that people can sometime overlook when studying the concepts of the animal kingdom is that all predators must hide their presence in order to catch their prey off guard and go for the attack.

As such, that type of thing applies to real world situations like stalking, or even being a gun hired assassin, and maybe people just out in the woods hunting for deer, rabbits, and other animals as well. In any case, though, he was just happy to be back on land and start heading home already. Being outside in the sun, and out in sea all day, was more than enough outside activity for him.

So after turning in whatever they caught for the day, changing into their normal clothes, Takeo bid everyone a farewell saying that they'll see each other on Monday and then start the whole process all over again. Since today is the start of the weekend, he figured he's rather spend it just staying at him. There wasn't any particular need for him to go out anywhere unless it was to buy groceries and other necessities. In any case, though, he can just relax and have a peaceful time to himself.

Takeo stopped and thought to himself for a moment. He honestly forgot if he was going to be good on food since he forgot to check his fridge this morning to determine if he was going to go buy some things. Alright, looks like he'll have to stop by home real quick to check and if there isn't anything that'll last him, he'll have head to the market and buy his stuff. Speaking of which, he might need to check some of the coupons and reward point savings to see if he can get a discount.

Arriving at his apartment, which is basically a small room with nothing noteworthy save for a few posters of the city and a couple of fishing equipment, Takeo walked over to the fridge and opened it to look through it. Thankfully, he was glad to have checked it first before lazing around like an idiot with not food to keep him alive. Inside there was only a couple of eggs, tomatoes, onions, salad, and some milk. Looking at said milk, he took it by the hand and lightly shook it before seeing that he had really little to go on.

Closing the fridge, the young man went over to his desk and brought out a pen and paper to write down a couple of things that he'll need. Luckily, since he has an oven, he should probably buy some frozen foods and then just heat that up for his dinner later. Of course, he would make his own dinner the old fashion way by hand, but he just wasn't feeling it today.

In any case, he better head out before the store closes.

Inside the market, Takeo carried an empty basket in his hand starting to look around for all of the stuff in his list. Going through each section of the store, he picked up some more eggs (he only had three left), bread, carrots, potatoes, chicken, more milk, two tomatoes, juice, and just for the heck of it, other things that seemed to catch his eye like a bag of chips to have for a snack.

As he checked everything off his list, he saw that there was one more thing that he needed to get. And that was scallion. Looking around he managed to find some and took in his hand before putting it in the basket.

Seeing that he had everything that he needed, Takeo went over to the cashier to pay for his stuff. Of course, there was a line so he waited for a bit until it he was next to pay. So keeping himself a little occupied, he quietly listened to whatever song they were playing in here. And for someone like him, who doesn't listen to music all that much, he kind of likes it. It was both clam and soothing, something that can be catchy and grow on you a little if given enough time.

"Is this Jazz music…?" That was the question running through his head as he continued to listen.

Taking another step in line, Takeo noticed that he was about to go up next and lifted up his basket seeing that the person in front of him is almost done paying. After said person finished paying, he gently placed his basket on the counter as the cashier man started to take everything out one by one and scanned them all before coming up with the amount he needed to pay. Afterwards, he put them all in a bag and then bid him a goodnight.

Heading back to his apartment again, Takeo was about to walk by an alley until he stopped before turning around to go a different way. If there was one thing he's learned is that never walk by an alley unless you wanna get jumped by some gang members, shady looking, and other people who fall into those categories altogether or worse. In any case, though, he'd rather not deal with any shady guys threatening to take his life if he doesn't hand over any of his belongings. Ideally, not to mention absolutely smart, people should just avoid a potential problem by thinking about what the problem will be and then what could happen, afterwards find a solution to it.

In something like this, the best course of action is to walk away and ignore it altogether.

On his little venture back home, albeit a different route, Takeo mentally sighed as his flat expression never broke as he tilted his head to the side in order to avoid an oncoming object that was thrown at him. Seeing that it was a rock, he dropped the bag (thankfully the eggs were safely in the middle section protected by the other foods that he bought) then turned around to see a couple of goons that he's quite familiar with unfortunately.

Like anyone else who grew up any kind of neighborhood you get the luxury of knowing or encountering certain people, who you'd either become friends with for life or don't ever want to see again for the rest of your life. These guys fall into the latter. And no, it's not because he's afraid of them or anything like that, it was just because they're stubborn and pains in the neck that he might get wrinkles early if he has to deal with them any longer.

"Hmph! You dodged that pretty well, Shuichi! But let's see if you can…"

Ignoring the generic and one dimensional dialogue this guy was spouting like a really bad movie, Takeo cut the whole thing short before quickly tearing off a wood branch from the tree beside him; before charging towards each of these guys with his weapon before knocking one out with his bare fist, kicked another away with a powerful kick, and then bombed the leader with the stick upside the head. In all honesty, these guys were extremely weak for being…a gang? Ah, whatever. He could care less about their friendship and what group relationship they have. Point is, they weren't really tough compared to someone who actually trained and knows how to fight properly rather than street brawl.

Dropping the stick he walked back to the bag and picked it up before quickly heading back home. He doesn't want to be responsible for a couple of idiots.

"I really hate getting into these kinds of situations."

(Takeo's Apartment)

Sitting on his futon Takeo waited for a frozen pizza of his heat up as he just idly flipped through each channel to see if there was something he wanted to watch. Thankfully, an old movie was playing so he left it on that channel as he quietly watched while keeping in mind that he'll have to take out his pizza soon.

Speaking of food, it sure does smell good. Maybe he'll check on it in a couple of minutes and determine whether or not he should give it a few more minutes to heat up or take out.

Fifteen minutes had passed and he took out his pizza seeing that it was already heated up and crunchy. After eating and watching the movie, he put the plate into the sink and washed it before sitting back to watch some more TV until he went to bed and turned everything off.

(?)

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

A collision of blades echoed throughout the field as two figures were fiercely battling it out, as they clashed their weapons, locking into each other with neither letting up resulting into a stand still. But both were trying their absolute hardest to gain the upper hand and look for a decisive chance to strike and put the other out for good. More sparks were flying off their bodies, which seem to be encased in some kind of strange armor.

It was hard to see what they looked like due to the darkness obscuring their figures, however, from what some might be able to make out…they looked to be similar in appearances. But with all this darkness, it was hard to exactly see what was going on. All that could be heard is just the clash of their weapons. And of course, it'd be impossible for someone to be able to make out what kind of weapon they have based on their battle.

SPARKING!

Instantly, after that 'Sparking!' announcement was made, the two warriors collided with each once more as a bright flash of energy erupt leaving nothing but a void of emptiness.

(Present)

The next morning Takeo felt a little off for some reason. After waking up this morning, he's been having the strangest feeling lately. But he just thought it was some paranoia that he developed after watching that scary movie last night. Well…okay, the movie wasn't that scary since there was a bunch of predictable clichés that just made it easy for him to "predict" who was going to die or not and what actions these so called "people" (dumbasses) would take. Obviously all of them were downright stupid to the core of whatever part and character they were playing.

Oh well, it's not the actors fault that most writers can't make good scary movies anymore. In any case, he should probably figure out how he should spend his time today. As much as he would like to stay home all day and practically do nothing, even he knows that it would be a waste of time if one doesn't go out to enjoy a nice day and get a little bit of fresh air and stretch out the legs for a walk. Besides, walks can be fun in its own way.

He was dressed in a black/green jacket with a blue shirt underneath that has black a samurai helmet with two crossed swords behind it, black cargo pants, and navy colored boots with black rubber soles. On his left wrist, he also wore an orange bracelet with a little green orb on it. Around his neck hidden underneath his shirt is a necklace with a silver swordfish.

Stepping out the door, Takeo started his aimless walk.

The scenery was quite average but also nice. People were just walking about doing what they want, cars continued to drive on with a few honks here and there, the trees seemed a little lively themselves with the birds occupying their branches. Heck, it's just everyday life in a normal city with hardly anything going on. And this is just how he prefers it.

Takeo really took his time to get around. As stated, he doesn't have anywhere to go in particular so why bother rushing at all? Besides, just sightseeing everything is enough in itself. There were a few shops he's been meaning to go into and check out a few stuff. But he's not going to buy anything unless he really wants whatever they have for some reason, so it's just going to be browsing.

Once he stopped by his an antique shop, Takeo briefly greeted the owner before walking around to check out what they got. And he has to say the stuff in here is really interesting, there was a couple of old knick knacks, statues, fake portraits (don't get him wrong he's not some art expert or anything, but some people do sell these and will be straight with you about it), and some other stuff that was worth checking out.

When he headed out the door, a sudden chill ran through his spine as he started t get goose bumps all of a sudden. Completely out of the blue, he felt something stopping him from advancing any further. Soon a shadowy shape of what seemed like a hand advanced towards him, lightly bumping into his chest. From there, he could have sworn that a person walked passed him and felt their eyes looking at the back of his head. Then he felt their breath running down his neck.

Slowly, and carefully, he turned his to see if he could get a look at them. Much to his surprise, this person was literally transparent despite the face he could literally feel his hand on his chest and his breath, too. Unfortunately, he couldn't make out their appearance due to their ghost-like state of being, but he could see they had blue eyes that just held a sense of malice in them. And from the looks of their lower jaw line this person was obviously telling him something.

…But…

He couldn't hear anything.

Whatever words are being spoken to him, they were completely muted.

Thankfully, after for what felt like hours, this person just disappeared as he slowly regained his bearings. Not to mention any sensitivity that was left in his mind.

Reassuring the store owner that he was okay, Takeo decided to walk around a little more wanting to clear his head of that…delusion that just happened. Yeah, it was a delusion. So in order to fix that, he'll just have to clear his head by either meditating or occupy himself with something that'll replace his delusion.

Meditation can be done in different ways besides just sitting around all day doing nothing. Of course, that way can be pretty relaxing but he prefers to walk around and just clear his head by focusing on his stroll. That's pretty much his form of it in a sense. After all, he bets artists do something like that all time whether it is writing, drawing, playing a sport, etc.

Oh well, he'll just stick to walking around. That should help him clear his head.

Maybe he'll spend a few more minutes outside before heading back home to make some chicken soup out of the stuff he bought last night.

(Takeo's Apartment)

Walking through the hallway, the young fisherman spotted a package in front of his door. In response, he just blinked thinking it was odd that a package, of all things, was out in the middle of the hall in front of his door of all places. Now, this spells out a massive prank that's just waiting to set up a laugh for whoever set it up. And the reason why he's assuming this is because some of his neighbors have kids and they love playing around with almost just about anyone inside the building. That, and the fact he hardly orders anything unless it was related to fishing. Plus, other interests too.

In any case, he may as well open the darn thing and let those kids have their laugh. They won't stop bugging him unless he "falls" for their little tricks. Bending down on his knees, he opened the package and was surprised by how well it was wrapped. Almost seemed like that it was done by a professional or just someone in the business who knows what they're doing. Well, in any case, he opened the package and was surprised that nothing happened.

No tricks, gimmicks, or even snickers of the kids that he would hear. In fact, he found a strange looking object inside that had to be a buckle from the looks of it. It was mainly black with silver edges and has an odd knife attached to the right side of it. Moreover, there was a stupid looking lock of an orange design.

…

…

…

Okay, this has got to be meant for someone else…right?

Looking at the wrapping, which thankfully hasn't been too tattered up, had his name and address on it. Frowning, Takeo looked inside the box a little more to see if there was anything else inside. Lo and behold, he found a note. And of course, for whatever reason there is in the world, it had his name.

Deciding to play along and indulge the situation until he figures out what exactly this is, he started to read the note.

Dear, Takeo Shuichi

Take care of these items, for they will aid you on your journey towards a better tomorrow and onward into the everlasting future. With this Orange Lockseed and Sengoku Driver, you are hereby titled Armored Rider Gaim…! Do not fear, and do not struggle to raise your sword and strive toward the path of the dawn.

Blinking, the young man could feel that someone out there is just pulling his leg. Seriously, what the heck is with the wording of this letter? It's like he's playing an RPG game, where the main hero finds a letter, which is actually the plot of the story, just to let the player know what's going to happen and what to expect. Also, it's basically the tutorial for when after the letter is read and then you just go off to whatever adventure the creators of the game had thought of.

Heaving a sigh, the spiky blue haired boy took the Orange Lockseed and Sengoku Driver out in the back where he just left them by the dumpster and end this ridiculous joke already. Afterwards, he entered his apartment again and started to make his chicken soup. And since soup is so easy to make, it wasn't long before he had himself a couple of bowls or so.

In his defense, he actually skipped breakfast this morning. So he was quite hungry.

After washing his bowl, he walked over to his desk where he picked up a magazine. There were some bookmark stickers on the pages he wanted to read. So may as well do it now before he forgets. Approximately five minutes into reading the magazine, an unexpected noise surprised him.

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

KNOCK!

...A knock on his door.

Perplexed, Takeo narrowed his eyes wanting to ignore the knock. Hopefully, whoever it is will just go away and leave him alone.

Unfortunately, however, the knocks just kept coming and coming until it started to become something hectic…

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

This person literally has the dull to repeatedly pound on his door and cause trouble for his neighbors! Knowing that he couldn't ignore something like that, or wait for his neighbors to respond to the noise, the young man decided to take action and confront whoever's disturbing his quiet time.

"Listen here…." he began only to be silenced when no one was standing in front of him. Heck, he even looked around to see no one in the halls or even feel the presence of someone hiding. "What the…?" Scratching his head, he closed his door and was about to go back to reading until a knock caught his attention again. "Someone had better be playing a prank on me."

Reluctantly, he opened his door again then carefully took around look from both left and right, only to find no one…again. Heaving a sigh, Takeo looked down only to see the familiar objects sitting on the floor in front of his door, causing him to widen his eyes in pure shock. Feeling his heart dropping down his stomach, the spiky blue haired teen gulped as he blinked at the Lockseed and Sengoku Driver. Slowly bending to his knees, Takeo took the two objects in his hand then went back inside to close his door.

"Okay, just what kind of game is this…?" Was the first thing that popped into his head, staring at the lock and buckle on his table. When he put them out by the dumpster, he was positive that the door could only be opened from the inside unless someone had the key to open it. The dumpster is located in the ally, which also serves something as a backdoor for people who want to exit there. However, said door has a lock on it from the inside, and only residents can open it if they want to throw away their trash. In short, the door has no lock or anything for someone to picklock from outside.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Takeo took a breath and started to think of alternative. And that was that someone could have broken through the front entrance, since everyone in this building needs a key in order to get through the gate and then just head to their apartments. Sadly enough, it's been done before, much to his discomfort. No, wait…On second thought, that's a stupid idea. Not too long ago, the building got security cameras installed about a year ago. And since then, no one has been breaking in since. Especially, with the security alert system that was also installed around the same time.

Darn it…Just what the heck is going on…?

"Maybe I should just sleep on it."

(?)

"Are you really not going to take up your sword, and unsheathe it…?" a deep voice bellowed from within the darkness.

"What?" Takeo questioned, suddenly finding himself in the abyss. Instantly, a swift slash came at him with unprecedented speed, tearing his shirt in half while blood gushed out of his chest. "Gah!"

Staggering back, Takeo dropped knees holding onto his chest trying to stop the bleeding. But that was pretty much impossible due to precise that had attack had damaged him. Moreover, the cut was so precise that he didn't feel the sting of it until right now.

"What are you doing?" demanded the voice. Takeo looks up able to see the silhouette of someone walking towards him. "You continue to reject my blade…! Is your wish to die by your own hand?!"

"Wish…? What are you talking about? I have no such thing!" Takeo retaliated. Heck, if this person was going to kill him then he may as well go down giving him the finger.

A foot soon made contact with his abdomen making him skid back ten feet away. Coughing blood, the young man set his sights on the figure walking over to him.

"Liar." it spoke. "That fact that you're refusing to die and continue to stand your ground is proof that you're contradicting yourself. And therefore, you have desires, thus subconsciously agreeing with me."

"You…"

"Hmm…I'm starting to see what it is. Perhaps a change is what's needed, and then…when the time is right, you shall finally see the truth."

Before anything could be said and done, Takeo had been instantly decapitated within the blink of an eye. It all happened so fast that he didn't even see this person move or even feel it happen. Soon his decapitated head fell onto the floor as blood gushed out of his neck like a geyser, spilling all over the place. His body had long dropped after with the blood gushing out still.

(Reality)

Shooting up from his futon, Takeo was covered in a cold sweat as he heavily breathed in and out before frantically getting up and running to the bathroom. Looking at his reflection, he touched his neck and looked to see if he had any cuts or something to indicate that he had been harmed in any way. Fortunately, there wasn't. However that didn't stop him from touching his own head to see if it was still attached like it should for human being. Again, thankfully, everything seemed to be normal.

Turning the faucet on, he cupped both hands together and slashed water on his face to cool himself down. After getting five splashes in, he went into the kitchen to get himself a drink of water before chugging down one big glass. As his nerves were settling down, so was his mind. Getting back to a proper train of thought, he rubbed his temples.

"Alright….Alright…." repeating those words to himself, he rubbed some sweat off his forehead then inhaled and exhaled. "Oh man…"

Balancing himself out, the young man lied back down on his futon starting to think what he did before falling asleep.

…

…

…

Wait a minute.

Looking around, he saw the Lockseed and Sengoku Driver on the table where he left them and then immediately frowned knowing this mess had to be related to these objects. Having quite enough about these two things, he opened his window and was about to just throw them out back into the alley, since his room is several feet above it. As he was about to do that, the bluenette stopped himself seeing something that completely caught him off guard.

The alley wall that he sees from his window is gone! And no, it's not gone like when a building has been destroyed by a bulldozer where you can see the other building next to it, or spot the empty lot where you can get a better view of things and see the sky. There was literally nothing there, anywhere for that matter…! He looks down and can't see the alley or the dumpster. Because now, he was in some kind of empty void where he literally can't see nothing but menacing clouds and ominous colors!

"W-What the heck…?" he exclaimed, stepping back then falling down on his behind. "No, no, no, no, this can't be happening. Not one bit, not one bit, this all has to be a dream…again…Please let it be one…!"

Unfortunately, whatever phenomenon is targeting him hasn't released its hold on him, because now Takeo was beginning to slowly sink into the ground. It was like he was being taken in by quick sand, but it was his own floor of all things!

Struggling, although he knows it's pointless, Takeo tried to break free by constantly lifting up his legs in hopes of being able to (somehow) drag his feet up into the surface and step out of this accursed floor! However, remembering that people will sink faster in quick sand if they struggle, he stopped and was about to think of a way to break free but this just made things worse.

"D-Dammit!" he yelled, being swallowed by the floor.

Irritation...Dumbfounded…

Hell, literally every negative word you can find on the dictionary can tell you all the definitions as to how Takeo is feeling at this moment. And that was just internally, no less. Physically, on the other hand, his head felt like it was throbbing while also feeling that he's been spinning around a rollercoaster ride for too long, and that he's almost positive that he just landed on something very unpleasant to which he has no desires of speaking of it.

But hey, at least he's still alive…somehow.

Rubbing his head to sooth any after pains, he decided to take stock of his surroundings because he certainly isn't in his room anymore. And first thing that stands out is the ruble all around and the fact he's inside a ruined building no less. So he's either in those places that would be bulldozed soon, and then get rebuilt later on.

…Strange…

Why would he be inside of place like this, if he was brought in here by (he can't believe that he's actually acknowledging this now) some supernatural or magical force that brought him into God knows where….? Hell, he's actually willing to throw up if he's brought into some generic, cheesy anime with that same predictable plot.

In any case, he should try to cover his general surroundings and make out his location. So exiting through the ruined door frame, Takeo instantly widened his eyes at what he was seeing. Hell, he rubbed his eyes to see if he was just seeing things and even slapped himself a little. But, everything that he was seeing, along with the pain of his reddened cheeks, told him that he was hallucinating or seeing things.

Ruins…

That's all there was to it. Everything was completely destroyed, the buildings were beaten beyond repair and most of them looked as though they were already on their last legs, about to collapse soon. Moreover, everywhere he looked, the sky was completely gray just to add how lifeless this city had become. However, there were some plants and trees all over the place. No doubt Mother Nature is doing her work to fill this decimated city with some form of beauty and life.

But even so, everywhere he looked, it was all the same. Hell, he doubts there are any people or animals left roaming around this place. Moreover, aside from the lack of human or animal life, there was something very odd he noticed earlier with the plants and everything else nature related. Wherever he looks there seems to be fruit on the vines and up in the trees, as well. Now he can understand that nature is taking over and doing its own thing by freely growing all over the place, but…something about these plants and especially the fruit.

Before he could think about it some more, the sound of a small branch cracking caught his attention as he quickly took a few leaps back, wanting to distance himself from whoever or whatever was nearby him. If there was anything that apocalyptic type movies, including zombie ones, has taught people through its messages is that people will go crazy and try to off you for a certain number of reasons. One of them being is that the person had gone completely mad or just want off someone in order to keep their group as small as possible in order to maintain their reserves as best as possible.

If he was dealing with a person he can understand both the former and latter. That is…if he was actually dealing with people.

Because right now, he was face to face with creatures that certainly aren't humans at all. Three of them stood before him as one had blue skin, the other red skin, and green skin for the last one. Despite the different skin colors they all shared the same gray exoskeleton armor, as each of them were bulky looking with long silver claws on their fingers, and had bronze tusks on their "cheeks", and shared the same bronze teeth. However, their faces were different though, because the blue one has round eyes, the red has horizontal shaped eyes, and the green one seems kind of menacing looking.

In any case, though…

"I have to get the heck out of here…!" With that, Takeo turned around and quickly ran for his freaking life. And so with that, the chase begins.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit…!" Are the words that kept repeating in Takeo's mind, continuing to run for his life.

The sad thing is that it hasn't even been a full minute yet, to his estimation that is, since he started to run from these creatures and he's already panicking like some moron not using their heads to think through a situation like this. But who could blame him? After all, he is dealing with something that alien (he can't believe that he just admitted to using the "extra terrestrial" phrase) or perhaps something from a lab experiment that's gone horribly wrong like you would read in comic books. Well, in any case, his top priority is to hopefully outrun these fast enough for him to hide inside another building or maybe through the bushes or trees.

"What are you doing?"the voice from before, from his dream, spoke.

This caused Takeo to widen his eyes but thankfully it didn't surprise him enough to stop running.

"Save your breath. You know just as well as I do that if you speak, you'll run out of energy to flee from the Inves."

"Ives? Those creatures…?"

"Yes, those weaklings are called Elementary Inves, the lower forms of the rest above them to which they would likely to evolve into someday…That is, if you don't kill them before they get to you."

"And let me guess, you want me to attach that Sengoku Driver thing onto my waist and then use that Orange Lockseed thing…"

"If you know, then why don't you…?"

"First of all, it was obvious that those objects are meant to empower me somehow once I saw these Elementary Inves creatures and the fruit growing around these parts. Couldn't help but notice they almost look like locks, just like the Orange Lockseed I'm carrying right now. So the connections are obvious. But…I have no intention of getting involved with whatever you have planned for me, nor do I care what your ambitions are. Therefore, I'd rather just keep running and avoid these pointless conflicts and return back to my normal, mundane, everyday life."

"How boring…" it scoffed. "You would rather sit around and wait for death to arrive, rather than to let loose and explore? That's no way to live. Not in my view point, anyway. Well, we'll agree to disagree. Regardless, though, you do want to live and keep living on with your boring vision of a life. So here are two options. One: Continue to keep roaming around in this decimated wasteland and keep running from those creatures, until you eventually die from old age or get killed. Two: Fight them and continue with road that shall soon open before you. The choice is yours…"

An ultimatum…that's the last thing he would want to deal with. In hindsight, he probably should have seen this coming. And now with these two choices before him, he has to take great consideration to both his decision and the consequences that will come in later time.

But…it should be obvious what he needs to do. No, rather…the answer has been in front of him this whole entire time. Even without this strange voice to tell him so otherwise.

He needs to fight.

Attaching the Sengoku Driver onto his waist a yellow belt materialized as the Indicator, which is on the left side of the belt, showed the faceplate of a samurai's head. Afterwards, he quickly examined the Lockseed to see a button and pushed it only for the shackle to open in response.

ORANGE!

Inserting the Lockseed into the Driver's slot, Takeo pushed the shackle down as some type of horn-like music rang through the belt. But then, he heard something like a zipper open up and looks us to see a zipper portal above him along with a large metallic orange with studs floating above him. Surprised, he stared the orange that seems ready to descend onto him.

LOCK ON!

Knowing the process of this wasn't done yet, the young man looks down the Cutting Blade knowing it had to play a key part in this. So without giving so much as a second though, he pressed it down as the blade cut the Orange Lockseed open. As it did, the top had the image of half cut orange slice while the bottom had the decoration of a sword.

SOIYA!

The large orange had immediately descended on top of his shoulders completely covering his head underneath. His body was enveloped in some type of energy that materialized it into a dark blue bodysuit with quilted leather, giving him mobility. His arms and legs were covered in gold bracers with additional ones on his legs for extra protection. On the side of his left hip was a black sword that has a gold line and a cross-like guard that also seems to be the trigger of a gun. No doubt it was one of those sword gun type weapons.

ORANGE ARMS! HANAMICHI ON STAGE!

Takeo's head, from inside the orange, became covered by a blue helmet with a silver mouth guard that was more or less resemble to insect teeth, a gray visor, and a golden sword ornament decoration on his forehead. But another change began to occur, as the orange had begun to fold onto him. The visor had become orange taking after an orange slice, gold side decorations, and the helmet took more of a samurai's features with studded orange steel. As the orange was disassembling his shoulders became covered in armored shoulder pads, his chest plate has a black line on the top, and from his back is a silver plate inside facing outwards.

This is Armored Rider Gaim!

"H-Huh!?" wondered the orange themed samurai, looking at himself from bottom and to his hands. He touched his head to feel the helmet with his right hand. Then, feeling that he was holding something on his left hand, he looks at an odd sword he carried with the blade taking after an orange slice. "What the heck is this…?"

Stopping, Gaim turns to face the three Inves as the red Elementary Inves tries to slash him with its claws, but he parried with his sword dubbed Daidaimaru and kicked it back. The green Elementary Inves pushed its comrade to the side and charges at him, along with the blue one as they were about to get the jump on him. Swiftly pulling the other sword known as Musou Saber from his waist, Gaim was able to slash both of them as sparks flew off their bodies and fell onto the ground. However, that wouldn't keep them down for long as the trio would stand back on their feet and growled at him.

Instinctively, Gaim backhands the hilt of Daidaimaru and got into a stance before rushing towards the trio of Inves as he leaps towards them, then spins himself around getting a 360 degree slash at all of them. As expected, the Inves were pushed back but knowing he had to at least get rid of one of them, he charges over to the green one seeing that it was nearby and digs Daidaimaru at its head, making it scream in agonizing pain.

And once he pulled it out, the green Elementary Inves exploded.

Gaim had gotten a little careless once he decided to take a breath, because the other two Elementary Inves took this opportunity to strike him from behind, with their claws. Sparks flew off his armor while he stumbled forward trying to regain balance. As he did, he leaped forward before turning around in mid air as he was falling. Remembering that the Musou Saber was also a sword-gun weapon, he pulled the trigger as yellow energy-like bullets came out of the barrel and hit both targets.

Although he isn't good at marksmanship or anything related to long range, however from where he is, he doubts that he would have missed them. Falling onto the ground, he tries to shoot them again but was surprised to find out that it was out of bullets.

"Oh crap, don't tell me that this is just a one time with this weapon…!" he thought before quickly getting on his feet. Parrying their attacks, Gaim pushes them back and then goes at them again with both his swords. "There's gotta be a way for me to end this quickly. If I can get one heavy hit on these guys, then I should be home free. Question is: How do I do that?"

Knowing the answer has to lie within the tools and weapons that he's using, Gaim tried to think back to when he performed his transformation earlier. And he came up with two possible answers, which might actually turn out to be one and the same regardless if he uses one or the other. The first was this Cutting Blade on the belt's right side knowing it must do more than just open the Orange Lockseed and let him transform. And speaking of which, the Orange Lockseed may have a role to play as well considering he does see a slot on the Musou Saber for it. Not to mention he can take off this ridiculous looking armor with it too if he takes it off.

Deciding to keep things safe, Gaim decided to use the Cutting Blade and pushed it down once.

ORANGE SQUASH!

Sheathing Musou Saber, Gaim readies himself as the blade of Daidaimaru glowed in a fierce orange aura while the two Elementary Inves were rushing towards him. Waiting for them to come closer, the orange-samurai themed Rider saw his window of opportunity and slashed both Inves with his blade as they both exploded afterwards.

With a tiresome sigh, Gaim slumps his shoulders knowing that this was not his day at all. As much as he wanted to take this suit off, he knew that more of these Inves creatures had to be roaming around in this place somewhere. So if any of them were nearby, he would certainly need to keep this armor on in order to fight them off again.

"What do I do now?" questioned Gaim, trying to figure out what his next course of action should be.

"Now that you've survived your first ordeal, I suppose a little reward should come into order."

"Oh not you again…!" Gaim frowned. "Aren't you done with me yet!?"

"Don't worry. I assure you that this will be the last time you and I will speak…for now. But before we part ways, I'll give you a little present."

Gaim blinked as he felt something materializing in the palm of his hand. It was another Lockseed colored white and pink with the design of a cherry blossom follower on it. However, he took note of the code that read LV.01. It was different from his Orange Lockseed which read LS.07.

"Piece of advice, that Lockseed doesn't onto the Driver."

Frowning, Gaim decided to give it a try and see what'll happen. Of course, since this voice is applying this Lockseed is different from the one on his buckle, he quickly opened and tossed it in the air as it suddenly transformed into…a motorcycle?

"This is called the Sakura Hurricane…"

"Wow, what a ridiculous name."

"Take it however you want. In any case, ride on this in order to open a Zipper Portal, much like how you summoned the orange with your Orange Lockseed. And in by doing so, you'll be able to travel back and forth through…certain places."

"Sure, just add cryptic and sketchy as hell too. Because why not…?"

"And so with that, we shall be parting ways. But…by the time we meet again, you better have an answer for me."

Gaim just left things as they were. Sighing and face palming wasn't going to help much, aside from expressing his dislike for whatever situation he got himself into. Knowing that he's going to make a big mistake by getting on this vehicle and entering these, quote unquote, "certain places" it certainly had to be better (although he doubts it) than this decimated city with weird monsters roaming around.

Mounting the Sakurai Hurricane, Gaim revved the engine and then drove down the street until a Zipper Portal opened. Entering it, he found himself roaming inside a forest now, though it was slightly different from the ruined city thanks to a little key difference that he spotted. While that other place is a city and nearly covered by nature, this forest is obviously what it is, but the thing that stands out is that he spotted more fruits and other types of weird looking plants that don't seem to exist in anything that he's ever read before. Therefore, this has to be a different place.

And no doubt those Inves creatures are residing here, thus making it their home. Wanting to just catch a break already from this stuff, Gaim continued on forward and make it to another "certain place", so he looks down at the controls and noticed button. Pressing it, another Zipper Portal appeared as he entered through it once more.

Arriving out of the Zipper Portal, Gaim stops his bike once he realized that he was in an alley. Thankfully nobody seemed to be around, however he doubts that he was back home…Not even in the slightest. So dismounting the Sakura Hurricane, he looks at it wondering how he can turn it back into a Lockseed. Sadly to say, it took him almost about ten to fifteen minutes to figure out how to transform the machine back into a Lockseed and then flipped the Orange Lockseed up in order to undo the transformation.

Takeo breathed in and out knowing he needed to keep his composure. Calming his nerves, the young man walks out of the alley but then instantly stopped with widen eyes after spotting something rather shocking.

There were floating cars and other vehicles that are levitating through the air, holographic billboards and other screens, but also…people were somehow able to "carry" their stuff with a green light enveloping their things.

Speechless, Takeo had only one thought in his mind…

"Please tell me this is all just a dream!"

Hey, guys. Really hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of this story, and sorry that I didn't have too much of the characters talking, since it was just the MC by himself most of the time. Although, I promise you that things will start to pick up next chapter, and of course, the other Riders will start to appear since there's obviously a big cast of characters and everything.