Finding His World
References: TV-Nihon Subs
Spoilers from Episode 25: "Heretic Rider, On Call!", Episode 26: "RX! Dai-Shocker Attack", Episode 27: "BLACK x BLACK RX".
Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider Decade or any Kamen Rider at all.
...
"Welcome home"
Tsukasa gave a start; he wasn't expecting anything like this from Natsumi.
"I was also waiting for you to return, Tsukasa-kun. No matter which world you go to, this is the place you always return to, Tsukasa-kun. That's why I say 'Welcome home'."
Quickly she hugged him and went inside the house, leaving Tsukasa outside, alone with his thoughts.
"What was that?" he asked himself. "Was that really Natsumikan?" Then he shrugged and went into the photo studio and asked the old geezer inside to develop the photo of the Shinkenger's Caretaker for him.
"With any luck," he thought aloud. "This photo could be another stroke of genius."
Natsumi snuck up from behind him, and jabbed him once again with Hikari-ke Hiden: Warai no Tsubo (Hikari Family Secret: Laughing Pressure Point). Tsukasa fell to the floor laughing.
"Baka Tsukasa-kun, always thinking that you're a genius even though you can't take proper pictures…" She said teasingly.
"Oi, Natsumikan!" Tsukasa jumped up furiously and began to chase the now screaming Natsumi around the studio.
...
"It looks more like a picture of children and their parent rather than samurai." Yuusuke commented upon looking at the newly developed photo.
As always Tsukasa was self absorbed. "That's my talent."
"It's done!"
Natsumi walked into the room holding a tray of cookies which she set onto the table where the photo now lay. "What do you think?" she asked looking directly at Tsukasa.
"I think she captured herself quite cutely on a cookie… of course the Natsumikan in front of me is better… and she made a camera? Wait, what am I thinking? Did I just think that she's cute? Well… maybe…" Tsukasa thought in his mind.
Instead he reached out and grabbed her cookie portrait and teased her, "What's this, Natsumikan? You made yourself look too nice." Taking a bite out of the cookie, he thought, "Mhm, not bad at all."
"Mou! I worked really hard on them too!" Natsumi pouted.
Even as Kivala-chan sped over to the old man, nothing could ruin her mood as Natsumi bit into Tsukasa's cookie portrait.
...
"No matter where they went, it would always be the same; some Rider would always call Tsukasa-kun the Destroyer of Worlds and Tsukasa would have to fight." Thought Natsumi bitterly.
As it was RX's world was no exception. After seeing Decade defeat two Imagin and Fangire, Kamen Rider Black RX still went and confronted Tsukasa.
"DECADE! DESTROYER OF WORLDS!" Screamed RX. "I won't let you have your way with this world!"
"Stop!"
Natsumi raced into the no-man's land between Decade and RX. "Tsukasa-kun isn't a destroyer of worlds!"
RX was taken back. "Tsukasa….kun?"
As a show of good faith, Tsukasa decided to help out Natsumi with her claim by turning back into his usual self.
RX was still confused. "So this means you're not Joe the Haze?" and he as well turned back into Minami Koutarou.
Natsumi was still trying to make Koutarou see sense. "Believe me, Tsukasa-kun isn't a destroyer of worlds. Seriously, no idiot would fall to this…" and she turned around and jabbed Tsukasa right in his pressure point so that he would fall laughing.
Sparing a glance towards Tsukasa, Koutarou turned to Natsumi. "Okay."
...
After their talk with Koutarou, Tsukasa changed back into his regular clothing and set out into the city with his camera. About 10 minutes into taking pictures he found the most beautiful thing to take a photo of; Natsumi, to be precise.
With her head held high and beautiful posture, Tsukasa could only stutter "N-N-Natsumikan" before he took a picture before she came over to him.
"Did you have to say that you don't need a home to return to?" she asked, her eyes full of questions.
"There's no need for you to worry about me." Came the reply.
As much as she didn't want to admit, his words came with a sharp jab to her heart. "But what if, what if you don't find your world, Tsukasa-kun? Why not live with me in my world?"
Tsukasa started to blush. "Live with you?" he asked incredulously.
Natsumi also started to blush. "Not like that, I meant, come to our world and live there."
"I think I'd rather live with you though…"
Natsumi's joy and happiness only lasted for a few seconds as another portal had opened and through it came Apollo Geist and the Dai Shocker.
…
"Decade is too much trouble for us." Apollo Geist said, taking something out of his helmet. "Allow me to take the flame of your life!"
"LOOK OUT!"
Natsumi was caught in the crossfire of the light that came out of the device. Instantly, she fell and would've fallen into the ground had Tsukasa's arms not caught her.
"Natsumikan! Oi! Natsumi!" cried an anguished Tsukasa as tears started to blur his vision. "Natsumi!"
But nothing, not even his tears falling quickly on her face could awaken her.
...
"Unknown?"
"Yeah… They can't do anything." Replied Yuusuke.
"Nothing at all?" asked Tsukasa desperately.
"It appears to be that way… all we know is that Natsumi-chan's life is in danger." Yuusuke said.
Tsukasa looked long and hard at the figure lying down on the hospital bed.
"There was so much I wanted to tell you, Natsumikan…" he murmured. He crossed the room in three steps and took her limp hand in his. "I won't let you die. This time, I'll be the one waiting for you to come back." and he gently put back her hand and left the room.
"Poor thing."
Tsukasa turned at the sound of that hated voice. "Narutaki." He growled.
"This is what happens to all that you come in contact with Decade." Narutaki proclaimed. "This is the fate that will fall upon every world! Including you." Raising a finger he pointed at Yuusuke, and then he vanished.
"Bastard…" Tsukasa muttered, and then he left for the roof top of the hospital.
...
Tsukasa was alone on the rooftop with his mind remembering his recent memories with Natsumi.
-Flashback-
"If I'm not going to find my own world, then I might as well keep on traveling throughout the worlds." Tsukasa mused.
Natsumi went up to him as defiant as ever. "Even if you pass through, you still need a home to return to."
Tsukasa looked deeply into her eyes as she into his. "I don't need that."
But his eyes told the truth.
...
"Is it that wrong for Kamen Riders to exist? For Tsukasa-kun to exist?" demanded Natsumi.
The resulting tension froze like ice within the small living room of the photo studio. The Shinkengers could only gape at the cute girl standing up for the so-called destroyer of worlds. However, Tsukasa was also wondering the same question. "Why is it in every world that I am not wanted, not accepted?"
Natsumi, realizing what she had done fled the room with every pair of eyes on her.
"Er… Tsukasa-san. Maybe you should go and comfort her…" prompted Takeru, offering back his camera.
"Thanks." Replied Tsukasa bluntly and raced after Natsumi who he found in the dark room. "Natsumi, I'm coming in." and he opened the door-
CRASH!
"Oi Natsumikan!" shouted Tsukasa in surprise as Natsumi flushed a deep red and turned away. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, I was just looking at one of your earlier photos. Sorry I made a big fuss…" she mumbled.
"Ahh… umm… It wasn't your fault. It was just that stupid Kaito."
At the mention of him insulting Kaito, her face brightened. "That sounds more like the Tsukasa I know." She whispered and went forward to embrace him.
"Heh? Natsumikan?" questioned Tsukasa, not attempting to break the embrace.
Looking up at his eyes she responded. "Shut up. Just enjoy it."
...
Leaving her back in the dark room to sort out her feelings he went back into the living room which was now void except for Hikoma and Eijiro.
"I'll just leave the coffee here. Drink up for your children samurai as well." Eijiro was saying.
Tsukasa noted a slight wringing of hands in Hikoma's body posture. "Something wrong Hikoma-san?"
"No, I was just admiring Eijiro-dono's calm." Replied Hikoma
"It's really not that big a deal."
"As you can see, it is to me! Whenever I send out Tono-sama-tachi, my hands are always wringing in despair." Explained Hikoma. "Is there anything I can do but wait?"
Pondering on the old man's thoughts, Tsukasa returned to his camera maintenance.
Natsumi, on the other hand, was just outside the living room before she stopped in her tracks upon hearing Tsukasa's voice.
"I have a theory that waiting isn't as pointless as it seems," Tsukasa said. The click of his camera was heard as he pulled the shutter. "If someone is waiting, then that place becomes a place to return to. You may send them off, but they will always return, just like I will always return to Natsumikan."
Natsumi was startled. "T-t-Tsukasa-kun…? Returning to me?" She stuttered as she came out of the shadows.
Surprised as well, Tsukasa blushed deep red. "Ahh… Natsumikan. Umm…"
"Baka! Go and help them!" Natsumi shooed him away as she entered the kitchen to help make the cookie portraits.
-Flashback Ends-
"It's the first time I've ever seen Tsukasa with so many openings."
Yuusuke turned towards the direction of the voice and found Daiki Kaito walking towards them with the Decadriver in his hands.
"Kaito-san…"
"Thanks to his foolishness I've obtained the greatest treasure." He held up the Decadriver in his hands.
"Still gathering treasure? You have an easy going life." Tsukasa replied his voice full of despair.
"I don't like your tone of voice!" challenged Kaito. "Why don't you face me like a man?"
"I don't have time to play around!" Turning to face Kaito, Yuusuke could finally comprehend a bit what Tsukasa was feeling. "Why is Natsumikan in that state?"
"Natsumikan?" caught off guard, Kaito was speechless for about 2 seconds, then he remembered. "Oh! That girl! Your girlfriend!"
Ignoring the jibe about Natsumi being his girlfriend, Tsukasa pressed on. "Who is that Apollo Giest?"
"Well… I'll tell you."
...
"So he wants to use his "perfecter" to extend his lifespan?" asked Tsukasa sceptically. "I don't know; he seemed pretty healthy to me…"
"Even so…" Yuusuke wondered. "Hey, Tsukasa! We have to steal the perfecter to give Natsumi-chan's life back."
"Yeah… that appears to be my purpose in this world." Tsukasa replied.
"To save Natsumikan." He thought.
"Well then, I'll steal the perfecter away from you." Kaito said, nonchalantly.
Tsukasa's eyes narrowed. "Kaito, you thieving-"
Turning swiftly to face Tsukasa he said, "I'm just here to get in your way, just like you always get in my way. By the way, it won't be a fair fight if you don't have this."
Tossing the Decadriver back to Tsukasa, Kaito left. "Ja ne"
"Damn that thief." Tsukasa said under his breath. "Yuusuke, take care of Natsumi. I'm going after the perfecter."
...
When he finally found the cursed Apollo Geist it was during Apollo's recruitment speech. Crouching down behind the bushes he silently stared at the two enemies.
"Hey! Tsukasa-san!" Koutarou came up running behind him. "I heard that you're now spending to fight for your comrades."
"No," said Tsukasa fiercely. "I'm fighting for Natsumi."
Pulling out his Henshin card, he inserted it into his Decadriver. "Henshin!"
"Kamen Ride: Decade!"
...
"Looks like I win." Picking up the perfecter from the floor, Kaitou in his DiEnd form looked smugly at Decade. Pulling a card from his deck, he inserted it into his Diendriver.
The gun activated. "Attack Ride: Invisible!"
"Kaito! Wait!" Desperately Decade reached out to touch… nothing.
"Tsukasa!" Yuusuke came running into the fray. "It's Natsumi-chan!"
"What?"
Kamen Rider Black and RX came running in as well. RX spoke. "Leave it to us."
"Yes…" and he ran off towards the hospital.
...
As they entered Natsumi's hospital room they already knew that something was wrong. The doctors looked at Tsukasa. "I'm sorry, we did all we could."
And just like that Tsukasa lost his world.
"I'm sorry Natsumi!" he cried out in his anguish. "I'm sorry I couldn't beat that thieving bastard to save your life!"
"Who's a thieving bastard?"
Kaito was at the door waving the perfecter as a reminder to Tsukasa that he had failed.
"And here I was hoping to steal your treasure while your guard was let down. But it looks like death has its grip on her already. What a shame."
"You…" Tsukasa pulled and pushed Kaito up against the wall. "If you hadn't been such an idiot I could've saved her! Why did you do this?"
"Get off me!" Kaito kicked him off and Tsukasa crashed into the opposite wall. "Take it!" tossing him the perfecter.
"Nani…?"
"Take it, but from now on… look me properly in the eye."
Yuusuke came up behind him. "Tsukasa, do you know how to use it?"
"No, but if it can take life, then it'll restore it." He replied before activating the perfecter. The light that the device emitted immediately entered his body and he nearly fell unconscious had he not the thought of Natsumi on his mind.
"This… is… for… Natsumi…" he said through gritted teeth and he placed the machine on her face. As the perfecter hummed, he knew that he had succeeded.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The machine on his left indicated that Natsumi's heartbeat had been restored and Tsukasa's heart felt more alive then it had ever before.
"Tsukasa-kun…. Yuusuke…" mumbled Natsumi.
Yuusuke, being Yuusuke was running Natsumi's brain through simple tests. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…"
"Are you well?"
"Yeah…"
"How many fingers?"
"Three…"
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness! Natsumi-chan! Oh, thank goodness!" and he leapt forward to hug her.
"Wait!" pushing off Yuusuke, she stared questionably at Tsukasa. "What happened?"
Tsukasa smiled.
"I'll tell you later… but for now," he hugged her tightly to his body. "Welcome back."
...
"So that's about it."
Tsukasa and Natsumi were alone in the hospital room. Tsukasa had just finished recapping the events that had lead up to his saving her life.
"I need to get going now, Natsumikan."
"Wait." Natsumi held onto his hand. "Can you stay here tonight with me?"
"Well…" Tsukasa smiled playfully.
"Tsukasa-kun…" pouted Natsumi.
"Only for you. You remember how you said if I didn't find my world I could stay with you?"
"Yeah?"
"I guess I found it." He moved closer.
"This world?" she started to blush as she knew what was going to happen.
"No, Natsumikan. It's you." And as their lips met, Tsukasa knew that wherever he was, as long as he had Natsumi, he would always be in his world.