DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kamen Rider, that goes to Ishinomori Productions, yadda yadda, I'm only gonna do this once, because I don't need to do it at all.

TENSION: A KAMEN RIDER TALE

"Wake up, Mr. Riku!"

"You have to wake up!"

The young man's eyes fluttered open slowly, wincing at the harsh artificial light that shone upon him. Two silhouettes stood in that light, bathed in its repulsively clinical glow.

"Riku… I am… Riku?" he uttered, his voice soft, as though it had not spoken in years. One of the two silhouettes cried out in joy, nodding its head frantically.

"Yes!" the person said in a masculine voice. Both of them were men, the young man, Riku, deduced, judging by the squareness of their shoulders and short hair. "Your name is Hamano Riku! Do not forget that! You don't have much time before the final brainwashing begins! You have to escape!" Yanking Riku off of the cold-That's what he was feeling, cold- operating table, throwing a gown onto him.

"W-wait! What's going on?" Riku exclaimed, confused and alarmed.

"We don't have time to explain, Hamano! We have to get you out of here!" cried the second man. Riku could see them now; a short, portly man, his face greasy with sweat and tears, and a taller one with a receding hairline, his face pale as death. Hamano frowned at the second man.

"I… Where do I know you from…?" he muttered, as a loud crash was heard from behind them, causing the men to quicken their pace, dragging him to a large arch.

"We have to send him away," said the first man, chest heaving as he placed himself in front of the door.

"Of course we do! Only question is… No, I know what we'll do." The second man stepped over to the arch, pressing several buttons and entering in some sort of code, as the arch lit up, a swirling purple vortex dancing chaotically within its boundaries. "Hamano, step through here, quickly. It will take you to the place you need to be, but you have to hurry. Everything that happens after depends on you… And the Kamen Riders." Riku's eyes widened as the term brought image after image, fact after fact, to his mind, unbidden, for just the briefest of moments before fading away.

"Wha… Who are-" Riku was cut off as a powerful impact sent the first man flying into the arch. Screaming, he disintegrated immediately in the brilliant purple light. Riku looked at the grisly display, horrified. "You want me to step into that?" he cried at his remaining savior, before looking over at the first man's assailant. A titanic humanoid figure stood in the doorway, its features save for a pair of glowing red eyes obscured by the glare. The thing's arms were grotesquely massive, especially in the forearms, resembling the limbs of some huge ape. Its frame was tall and slender, making its arms seem even larger. Some sort of fur covered its body, as if it were some sasquatch-like beast.

"Give… Tension…" The thing uttered, its voice guttural and painful to hear. Riku stepped back, horrified. The man noticed this, and pushed him towards the arch.

"You're made of sturdier stuff then he was; trust me, we made sure of it. Now, you have to escape. Would you rather be with that thing?" The man's panicked expression told Riku everything he needed to know. Gulping, he ran towards the purple light, looking back for only a minute to see another figure drop down from the ceiling, standing between the monster and the man…

And then darkness.

And then light.

Oh, the light, the glow. He saw things in that glow. He saw multiple suns around him, and in those suns he saw a great tower fall, he saw the great glowing ziggurat in the sky, saw the hundred-strong warriors take down the goliath, saw all of these things, and he wept at their glory.

And then the darkness returned.

When he awoke, he did not know how long he had slept, how long he had been out. Rising to his feet unsteadily, he looked at his surroundings. A copse of trees surrounded him, a building to his left. Getting up slowly, he began walking towards it, when an explosion tossed him back, causing him to land on his back with a grunt. Looking at the source, he looked at the source, to see two humanoids walking out of a massive blaze, their insectoid helmets keeping them safe from the blaze. Riku's eyes widened in shock as he gazed upon them.

"Double… Riders?"