Just a little companion fic to 'The Secret Origin of Machin Chaser'. I'll be going back to school soon, so don't expect anything new until spring. It'll probably be the next installment of my Digimon series 'Return to the Digital World', as that has been on-hold for YEARS, and it's just not fair of me to work on fics at the back of the line-up over those waiting at the front.

On another note, if you're interested, I still have a poll up regarding which Hogwarts Houses the cast of OOO would fit into. I plan on putting up polls asking the same question for Fourze, Wizard, and Gaim, but I won't take the old one down until I have at least 3 people vote, so I still need two voters for OOO, if it's not too much to ask. I'm getting ideas for a long-term crossover project out of this, but I need your help!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kamen Rider Drive or its characters. Toei does, and I am not them.

WORD COUNT: 494

Krim thought about his first warrior a lot after his death. The young man had been rather cold and blunt at first, but he'd started to open up near the end. And his dedication to protecting human life had been unquestionable, even if his willingness to get along with his fellow humans wasn't so stellar.

Really, Krim should have tried harder to dissuade him from engaging in battle with Heart. He'd seen first-hand what that Roidmude was capable of. But perhaps that was why the boy (he may have been in his twenties, but Krim couldn't help but think of him as young in comparison) had charged in so recklessly. He hadn't spoken to his family in ages; a breakdown in communication between him and his father had put a rift between them, one that Krim was certain the boy felt partially responsible for. He'd been a loner before Krim had recruited him, so for all the 'dead' scientist knew, he'd been trying to take revenge for him, for the one 'person' he had any connection to.

After Proto-Drive's death and the destruction of the prototype Driver, Krim had been devastated. Then Shijima Kiriko had come across their hideout, hoping to find the hero who'd saved her life. She'd been hit hard by the news at first, but instead of walking away, she'd vowed to honour her saviour by helping to continue his mission. She'd brought on Sawagami Rinna as the chief mechanic, helping to develop Tridoron and the new Driver much more quickly than Krim could have done on his own.

And Kiriko had also recommended a successor as Drive. Not a replacement - no one could ever replace the original. Tomari Shinnosuke where his predecessor had been standoffish, chatty and liable to make witty remarks in the heat of battle instead of near-silent and straightforward. But his dedication, his drive was just as strong; he was just a lot more open about it. Despite their wildly different personalities, Krim could see that, at their cores, they were shockingly similar.

Just when he thought his last protegé-of-sorts could rest in peace, the Reaper appeared before them.

If Krim had still had an actual, beating heart, it would have stopped when he saw the Roidmude's face. How dare he imitate the young man he'd taken under his wing?! The first one who'd made Krim feel somewhat alive again, as if, even in death, he could still make a difference!

It was probably Heart's idea; to disgrace the proud fighter by putting his face on once of the monsters he'd sworn to defeat. The Reaper had even taken on a dark version of the boy's personality, something that stung Krim's soul with every word, every look. Yes, that was something Heart would have devised.

He wouldn't stand for this. It hurt too much to explain to Kiriko, Rinna, or even Shinnosuke, but Krim vowed, one way or another, that this mockery would end.

THE END

We don't know much so far about Proto-Drive, but following my line of thinking in the other fic, Mr. Belt must have recognised Chase's face as that of his old partner, so I figure he'd be pretty upset.

So, that's it for me until spring, see you then!

Spectre