James ran through the alley, vaulting himself over a low wooden fence. What was he running from? A very angry Kate. She attempted to follow his lead over the wooden fence, but jumped too low and tripped over the low barrier, being forced to curl into a roll, or slam face-first into the concrete.
"Dammit, get back here!" she yelled, getting back on her feet. James jumped over a dumpster blocking his way, turning midair to face Kate. He gave her a playful smirk and childishly stuck his tongue out at her as he fell, falling out of sight behind the dumpster. She growled in anger and punched the wood. She immediately regretted her choice, and jumped back, waving her hand frantically in an effort to nullify the pain shooting up her arm.
"He's good, I'll give him that," she muttered angrily, nursing her hand, "But I will be getting answers. Whether they like it or not,"
Kamen Rider Stone
Cue Opening Theme: Star Ring Child - Aimer
James opened the door to his apartment, and locked the door behind him. The opal on his bracelet glowed, and his partner jumped from the crystal in an orb of light. She flashed for a moment, and reverted to her human form, looking exhausted.
"Do you realize how much energy I just burnt making you fast enough to stay ahead of her?" she panted. James shrugged, and made his way to the couch. He dropped himself into the soft fabric as Opal rested her hands on her knees, trying to get her breathing back to normal. Grabbing the remote, James switched the TV on, a news bulletin scrolling across the screen as he did so.
"And so, the masked figure who has remained unnamed since his arrival, defeated yet another monster that had popped up today," The newscaster stated, the footage of Stone fighting the Bat Wasure playing behind her, "While most of the populous see him as a hero, there are those who have their doubts about this armored being," James sighed and switched off the TV. He knew there were people who didn't like him. Hell, more than once he'd been egged by an angry citizen after finishing a Wasure, demanding that he leave the city and never return.
He could easily do that, but then the Wasure would overtake the city in less than a week. With all their scouts and warriors that came to this city, James was surprised they hadn't tried to invade yet.
"At the door," Opal stated, having regained her breath, with a fierce banging coming from the door not a moment later.
"Dammit James, I know you're in there!" Kate shouted, her voice muffled through the door, "Open the door, or I'll get the building manager, and he'll open it for me!" James grumbled something incoherently about women and their tenacity before rising from the couch and going to the door.
"Hold your horses!" he called out as Kate banged on the door again. He opened the door to see a very angry Kate, her arms crossed and foot idly tapping the ground.
"You can't get away now!" she shouted, pointing her finger at James, "So now-" he cut her off, closing the door in her face. She was shocked into silence, but that shock was quickly replaced by rage. "Open the damn door!" she shouted, smashing her fist into the surface of the wood again and again.
"Stop hitting my door!" James shouted from inside, "It was hard enough to find this place, don't destroy the damn door!"
"Then open it so I stop hitting it!" Kate shouted, rearing back for a larger knock. As she was about to hit the door, it creaked open, and James face appeared where the door had once been. Her eyes widened and she watched in horror as her fist plowed into James's nose, a sickening crack echoing through the hallway. He flew backwards, blood flowing from his nose, smashing into the far wall, and sliding to the floor.
"Ow…" he muttered, reaching to his nose. Kate ran into the room, horrified at what she had done.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God!" she repeated, "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you would actually open it that time!"
"Don't worry, its fine," James said, his voice slightly off due to his nose injury, "You just dislocated it. Give me a second," he reached up, gripping his nose. With a slight hesitation, he twisted his nose back to the proper position, and gave a grunt of pain. His arm shot out, putting a hole through the drywall of the wall that faced the alley that separated his building and another.
"Oops…" he stated, "Sorry Opal. I did it again," Opal just sighed, and pinched the bridge between her eyes. Kate just stared at him in awe. He had relocated his nose with such minimal pain. If she had not seen him kill a monster a few hours ago, that would have been the strangest thing she had seen all day.
"Okay, putting aside what just happened," Kate said as Opal went to shut the door, which had been open the entire time, "Who or what are you two? You certainly aren't human."
"Well, I'm human," James stated, standing up and dusting off his barely bruised knuckles, "Opal is a different story." Kate looked at Opal, who turned into a ball of light and flew around the room for a moment, before reforming in the same spot she had once stood.
"I'm technically a construct of energy that makes it easier for me to interact with humans like you," Opal said, her voice betraying a slight smugness, "Since this moron wears my base body," she thrust her thumb at James, who was in their kitchen, trying to clean the blood from his formerly dislocated nose from his face, "he uses my power as a conduit when he uses that armor you saw. Or, as we call it, the Stone armor," James glared at Opal briefly for the 'moron' comment, before returning to his face.
"Why stone?" Kate asked, suddenly curious. Opal shrugged.
"Beats me," she said, "that was what it was called when we were partnered. Something about 'an unwavering guardian' and other nonsense," Kate stared at Opal, who just shrugged again.
"Either way," James said, moving back into the main area, "We're here to make sure any Wasure, like that monster earlier, don't cause trouble when they reach the surface. Most of them are under the impression that humanity is just an energy source to feed off of." He gave a light sigh, "They put those who just want to live in peace to shame."
(KRS)
The Bishop of the Wasure paced around his lab, the burned Bat Wasure laying on the table in the middle of the room. Ragged breaths escaped his form every few seconds. Bishop was surprised Bat was still alive, with the amount of raw power that had surged through his body.
"What to do with you?" he mused, stopping at the Bat Wasure's side. The burned figure tried to turn its head, an action that only caused it further pain. Bishop gazed at the table that lay next to the patient, and spotted a syringe that made him smile in a dark fashion.
"Well, my friend," he chuckled, picking up the syringe, flicking the side of the small vial, the black liquid inside bubbling dangerously, "It seems that you shall be the latest in my search to create the perfect Wasure wielding dark energy," he plunged the needle into the burned Bat's chest, and pressed the plunger all the ways down. He removed the needle as the spasms began.
All the Wasure in the surrounding area winced at the ear-piercing scream that came from Bishop's laboratory, but kept going about their daily business. Best not to interfere. Many who entered the lab never came back.
(KRS)
James sighed as he sat on his couch, watching the two girls who were currently in his kitchen. Opal was trying to make sure that Kate knew not to take her sweets. That girl held very few things in such a high regard. Her sweets being at the top of her list of about three things she really cared about.
"Look, I'm not going to take anything!" Kate protested, holding up a slice of a chocolate cheesecake James had bought for Opal a week ago. Frankly he was surprised it was still there at all, "Like this; I don't even like cheesecake!" Opal was a blur as she snatched the pastry from Kate's hand, replacing it back in the fridge and closing it in a single motion, hissing at the girl for good measure. "Are you going to help me at all?!" Kate yelled at James.
"Hey, it was a relatively normal day until you showed up!" James said, waving his hand at her, his other reaching for the remote, "You're on your own. I'm not stupid enough to get between Opal and her sweets."
Kate was about to protest, but her eyes shrunk as she saw what was happening on the news. She bolted from the kitchen, and stopped behind the couch, her breathing becoming shallow and rapid. "No no no no no NO!" she screamed, running for the door.
"Whoa, there!" James shouted, grabbing her arm as she tried to claw the door open, "What's going on? What's wrong?"
"That's where my foster parents live!" Kate screamed, "I need to get there, I need to help them!"
"You won't be much help without us," Opal stated, leaning against the wall behind the pair, "The house is being attacked by a Wasure," Kate doubled her efforts in response, making James's job of holding her back even more difficult.
"Opal, we can't let this go unpunished," James stated, his voice taking a dangerous tone. His partner nodded, her form turning into a ball of energy, and flying to his bracer. She entered the gemstone, and the males' eyes became the stark white that signified his fusion with Opal.
"Kate," his now duel voice said, "We'll take you there, but you stay on the sidelines. We've never seen something like this. Understand?" Finally having tired herself out, Kate nodded, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
(KRS)
The white and red motorcycle tore down the road, the driver none other than James, with Kate clinging onto him for both support and dear life. She was scared; scared that she might lose the only family she had. She buried her face into the back of James's vest, the tears falling silently onto the white fabric.
She felt the bike come to a stop, and James tear the helmet from his head. He lightly tapped Kate and she leaned back, allowing him to swing his leg over the bike. He approached the house, which had attracted no crowd surprisingly, and rested a hand over his heart. He could smell the burning flesh.
They were too late.
He let out a savage growl, his anger reaching its peak.
"James, MOVE!" Opal shouted in his mind, and he dove forward, a shadowed figure landing behind him. He turned and saw the new black form of the Bat Wasure. He raised an eyebrow; was this the same Wasure he had fought the previous day? The aura felt the same, but it was also very off at the same time.
The Bat Wasure had turned a pitch black, void of any colors. His back was littered with a series of bone-white spikes, razor sharp and rather intimidating. The wings on the arms had been replaced pair of newer ones sprouting from its back, with painful sounding cracking and squishing. The fingers and toes grown bone-white claws and talons, a single white bone-spike protruding from the stomach. The eyes glowed a brilliant white.
"Well, well," The mutated Bat chuckled, "You fell for it, Stone. I thought you would have known this was a trap. Guess you aren't as smart as I thought." He laughed, and James grit his teeth in anger.
"Keep laughing, asshole," he growled in his duel voice, "See if you're still laughing when you're lying six feet under!" A ring of white glowed around his waist, his driver materializing a second later. He sidestepped the Bat Wasure's charge and threw the white pawn piece into the air. "Let's…"
He caught the piece and slammed it into his driver. "Henshin," he snarled, his voice holding nothing but malice for the monster that had taken Kate's family from her.
CHANGE!
The white armor of Stone formed around him, and he wasted no time in engulfing his hands in flames and bashing the Wasure in the stomach, following with an uppercut to the chin.
The monster slid back a few feet, his head slowly lowering to stare at the armor-clad human again. Wiping a dribble of dull gray blood from the corner of his mouth, he gave a rumble of dark laughter, and the fire that burned around James's hands burned even brighter, showing his rage. He let out a roar as he charged once again, but the Shadow Bat had other plans.
He opened his mouth, a high-pitched screech erupting from its throat as wave after wave of sonic force slammed into Stone, forcing him backwards little by little. "Damn you!" Stone shouted, refusing to give up, even as sparks flew from his armor. He took a few strained steps, but fell to his knees, his armor smoking as the Wasure let up its assault.
Giving a discontent grunt in Stone's direction, Bat turned to Kate. "This time, you're coming with me!" he growled, his clawed hand reaching for her. She fell backwards and tried to crawl away from the monster that had murdered her family.
"Get away!" she shouted, raising her hands in front of her face. The Wasure just laughed and grabbed her wrist. Kate's vision blurred, from tears or from something else she could tell. A loud roar erupted from James, and he rose to his full stature, white flames of aura curling off his form.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" James roared, an explosion of white aura erupting from him. His eyes glowed red underneath his hood, and he flew towards the Wasure, his hand burning with white-hot flames. The mutated Bat turned just in time to get the flaming fist crash into the side of his face. The monster flew back, sliding across the ground for a few feet.
A green aura burst from James arm, a green rook piece appearing over his hand. He slammed his hand onto his driver's lever, ejecting the white pawn piece. Said piece disappeared into white particles, and he slammed the new piece into the buckle, a green rook symbol appearing in front of the driver.
ROOK!
A green projection of a rook rose from the ground, hardening into a rock-like solid. The Wasure chuckled darkly and raised its right claw, his hand covered in dark energy. He swung his arm at the rook structure, the statue being destroyed in an explosion of rubble and darkness. He grunted, and turned away.
"Don't turn your back on me!" James roared, slamming his boot-clad feet into the head of the Wasure. The creature flew towards the burning remains of Kate's home, destroying one of the remaining walls, falling into the burning interior. Kate slowly turned her head to the newly-armored Stone, her mind muddled from fear, sadness and anger.
Stone's hood had become green in color, his helmet taking on a gray color. His upper body was covered in the same armor as his previous form, but it did not go past the belt. His chest was covered in a bulkier variant of his first form, but it had no shoulder pads. His arms and legs, as well as his hips, were covered in a gray bodysuit, and his wrists and ankles had gained small bits of green armor. A small green cape that ended at his waist was connected to his hood. His lower arms were covered in gauntlets that resembled rook pieces, his gloves reinforced with armor.
He rose from his kneeling position, his eyes glowing. The Wasure grasped the edge of the hole he had created, the wood splintering under his grip. He locked onto the new Stone, noticing the change in attire. "It doesn't matter what form you take, Stone!" he snarled, rearing back, "I'll still blow you away!" he let out one of his sonic screeches, the rings from the shockwaves flying towards him.
Stone did not move, instead facing the attack head-on. Sparks flew from his armor, but this time there were no grunts of pain. He took a step towards the monster, slowly and deliberately. Bat tilted his head quizzically, and threw a pair of darkness-enhanced hurricanes at the form. James simply took another step and batted the wind attacks away.
"W… what?" Kate muttered, surprised at the change in power. The mutated Wasure spread its wings, intending to take flight, but in a surprising burst of speed, James ran forward, his right hand wrapping around Bat's neck. The creature struggled to draw breath, but James wouldn't have it.
He slammed Bat into the ground, raising him only to smash him down again. Ignoring Opals' cries of protest in the back of his mind. He threw the Wasure into the air, the creature so dazed he forgot he had wings. As he fell back towards the enraged James, James drew back an aura covered fist, and threw it forward just as the Wasure reached his eye level. The monster was thrown into the street, a small crater forming under his body.
James slowly walked towards him, the eyes of his helmet seemingly aflame. To the Wasure, he looked like a demon from hell. But James didn't care. As far as he was concerned, this monster in front of him didn't deserve mercy, pity, or any form of kindness.
"Maggots like you…," James growled, his voice reaching primal levels, "Don't deserve to draw breath. You, who would rob someone of their family…" his fist tightened, "Go back to whatever you monsters call hell!" Kate watched the brutal display, wondering how James, someone who had been so cheery just a few hours prior, could become this merciless.
James threw the Wasure against the small wall that surrounded Kate's former home, the monster slowly slumping to the ground. The rook piece was ejected from the driver, turning from a forest-green to a bright red. He grabbed it and slammed it back into the Driver.
CAPTURE!
His fists began to glow a bright green, as the Wasure began to stand again. James slammed his fists into the ground, and cracks spread like water towards Bat. James raised his left hand, palm towards the sky, towards the downed Wasure. In a single motion, he closed his hand into a fist. Dirt and stone rose around Bat, and solidified, becoming a coffin made out of the earth. James lowered his hand, and the earthen coffin slowly descended back into the ground, the muffled screams of the Wasure emitting from the coffin.
James turned away from the burial, and ejected the Soul Piece from the driver, the armor almost melting away. His eyes were full of rage, and there were tears rolling down the left side of his face. "James…?" Kate asked tentatively. He was still plenty angry, but now it was less so.
"Take whatever time you need," he muttered, returning to his parked bike. Kate watched him go, and turned back to the house. Something caught the twilight sun within the house, and Kate looked towards the glare. The light was reflecting off of something silver. Something just out of sight. As she looked closer, she held her hands over her mouth, sobs pouring from her mouth. The light was glaring off her step-fathers wedding band.
(KRS)
Another failure. The Bishop of the Wasure was not pleased.
He was grateful for the data his test subject had provided, no doubt. But, still… The failure outweighed the usefulness of the data. His Majesty would not be pleased. He growled, and swiped his hand across his lab table, sending a beaker and a rack of test tubes flying towards a wall, shattering into tiny transparent pieces.
"Damn it all…" he muttered, taking a syringe of the dark liquid he had used on the Bat Wasure. He had been working at it, and it was nearly perfect. All it needed was a little more work. "The serum is usable, but is missing something…" he thought aloud, "Perhaps the answer might lie with that Stone fellow…" a smile crept over his face, "Perhaps he can be of use after all…" He chuckled darkly, gazing at the pure darkness in his hand.
(KRS)
James looked at the girl who was asleep on his couch. Kate had been through so much in the span of a day. Her foster parents, dead. Her home, burned to the ground. She had no one left. He gazed out the window, the rain pattering against the glass. He had never known his family, but he didn't want anyone else to feel how he felt.
He wasn't fast enough this time. He had always been able to find the Wasure before they did any real damage. But this one… had gone too far. His hand curled into a fist as flashes of a fire echoed through his mind, along with a strange-sounding howl and pain. Lots of pain.
"Well, she's finally asleep," Opal muttered, walking over to the boy, shaking him out of thought, "I'm not surprised that she cried so much. If I found out that one of my siblings had been killed…" she gripped her sides and shook in fear, "I understand why she's acting the way she is…" James grunted in response, turning to stare out the window.
For a while, the pair stood there, watching the rain fall outside the window. It was as if the world was crying at the events from the day. It was somewhat poetic, at least, to James. After a while, Opal decided to break the silence.
"So, what do we do with her?" James tensed up at the question. Opal caught on, and waved her hands rapidly, "I mean, I'm not going to throw her out onto the streets! I just think she should be with someone she knows better than us. Come one, this girl just met us earlier today! Maybe another waitress at the diner? One of her school friends?"
"Don't bother," James said, turning back to the window, "She doesn't know any of the other waitresses that well, and her friends didn't return her calls. I don't think she has anyone left…" A tense silence fell in the apartment. The only sound was the steady breathing of Kate from the couch.
"I guess she can bunk with me then," Opal said softly, "It's the least we can do." James nodded in agreement. At least she wouldn't be left alone in the rain. He stared into the darkness of Opals' room and sighed.
"You don't think she'll try to do… anything… do you?" James asked, his voice cracking momentarily.
"I don't know," Opal said, giving her partner a pointed glare, "People do crazy things after this kind of loss. Remember what you tried to do?" She turned and went back to Kate's side, sitting down next to her, and gently raising the sleeping girls head into her lap.
James gazed out the window, wishing he could forget. He glanced down at his hand, seeing it shaking from the stress of the day. He cursed, and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his vest.
Pulling a single stick of the cancerous stress-reliever from the pack, he rested it between his lips. Lighting the small stick, he took a long drag from the cigarette, and blew out a stream of smoke, watching the gray mist get sucked into the vent above him. He closed his eyes as he took another drag, trying to let his mind go blank.
Sleep would not come easily that night.
