THE LEGACY OF CAIN

Part 3: Wrath of the Orochi

"Who's Sheila?"

"Huh?" Yokoshima looked up from his chocolate milkshake when Asmodeus asked that question. He and Asmodeus were at Angel Mort enjoying each other's company and the sweets.

"Who's Sheila?" Asmodeus repeated.

"Where did you hear that name?" asked Yokoshima.

"Yoko-kun, you're not cheating on me, are you?" Asmodeus asked worriedly.

"Of course not, Asmo-chan!" responded Yokoshima sincerely. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Asmodeus' brows furrowed. She explained, "My older sister Satan told me that Shinichi told her that you were happy that Sheila was back."

"Oh, Shinichi told your sister," Yokoshima realized. "That makes sense."

"So, who's Sheila?" Asmodeus asked again.

"I guess you can say…she's my first love," Yokoshima admitted.

"First love?" Asmodeus repeated, looking a little agitated. Was she jealous?

"Yeah, back when I was in GIN-SHOCKER," Yokoshima elaborated. He then frowned sadly, "But then she died…or at least I thought she was dead."

"Huh?" Now Asmodeus was confused, but then considering how Yokoshima had been killed before then brought back to life she shouldn't be surprised.

"Asmo-chan, you want to meet her?" Yokoshima asked.

Now Asmodeus was being put on the spot. 'Yoko-kun wants me to meet his ex? Should I say yes?' She asked, "Are…are you sure?" Yokoshima nodded.


The Teleportal opened up and both Yokoshima and Asmodeus exited it into the Hive's Main Hall. This was Asmodeus' first time in the NEO-NUMBERS' base to be honest so she was a bit overwhelmed by all the technology she saw.

"Oh, Yokoshima, you brought a guest," said Dr. Magi, smiling.

"Hi, Dr. Magi!" smiled Yokoshima. "I brought Asmo-chan here to meet with Sheila. Is she busy?"

"Oh, we've just finished doing some work. She's free now," said Dr. Magi.

Asmodeus looked around for this mysterious 'Sheila' but didn't see anyone. "So, where is she?"

"Sheila, can you come out?" asked Yokoshima. That was when Sheila's face appeared on the primary monitor, the big screen that was at the control console.

"Hello, Yokoshima," said Sheila.

Asmodeus yelped. She stammered, "Tha-tha-that's Sheila!?" Yokoshima nodded.

"Yup," he confirmed. "Sheila, this is my girlfriend, Asmodeus."

"Hello, Asmodeus, I am Sheila and welcome to the Hive," Sheila greeted.

"Sheila's an AI," Yokoshima told Asmodeus.

"An AI?" Asmodeus asked. She remembered Yuji telling her about these AI things.

"Yeah, and she used to be in a tank," Yokoshima added.

"A tank?" Asmodeus asked, still gawking at Sheila. Her boyfriend used to be in love with a tank?


Asmodeus returned to her home in the Meta-World and told her sisters, "I met Yoko-kun's ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, so you met the computer lady," Leviathan noted.

"You've met her too?" asked Asmodeus.

"No, but Daichi told me about her. He even told me she used to be part of a tank," said Leviathan.

"Shogo told me about it too. He said it was one weird relationship," added Lucifer. "I mean…a bug cyborg and a tank? How did that work?"

"You were jealous, weren't you?" Leviathan teased.

Asmodeus, blushing, denied, "N-no! Of course I wasn't!"

"Asmo was jealous of a computer~" Beelzebub teased.

"Shut up!" Asmodeus then chased Beelzebub around as the others laughed.


The Teleportal opened, allowing Yuji and his family entry into the main hall of the Hive as they walked out of it. Maria was holding Yuji's hand.

"Greetings, Yuji Fudo and friends and welcome to the Hive," AI-Shin chirped with joy as he welcomed them. "Now, here is the main hall that also doubles as the control center for the base. There are surveillance monitors there, security control there, and also environmental controls to make the base homely, not to mention the Teleportal controls. By the way, does anyone feel a little ill after going through the Teleportal?"

Melanie was in the corner, holding her head with Yuji rubbing her back. "I hate that thing..." she grumbled.

"Yes, the tingling and vibrations in your bones will pass. Just walk it off. Oh, and I can't forget this lovely lady over here."

Sheila's face appeared on the monitor as she spoke, "Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Hive. I am the Hive Command Centre AI. You may call me Sheila."

Phoebe, Lilith and Maria all said, "Hi!" as Stella bowed. Reina, Melanie and Asura all nodded in greeting.

Yuji greeted, "Hey there."

AI-Shin explained, "Sheila here helps Dr. Magi around here and she's also our security system. Now that we're all acquainted, if you will all follow me..." AI-Shin began the tour and proceeded to show them the recreation center that provided games and arcades, the theatre room for movies, the training room having a gym with a boxing/wrestling ring.

"And this is the mess hall," AI-Shin said, "The food is provided using an oven that materializes what you want. Just speak into the microphone and the oven will make what you want."

"Cake~!" Maria, Phoebe, and Lilith cried.

TING!

The oven opens to present a cake.

"The default setting for cake is a chocolate cake," AI-Shin explained.

"YAY!" they cheered.

"This oven works like that guy's invention in 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'."

"I remember that movie," Reina nodded

AI-Shin then brought the group to the roof the base. "And here's our pool, with a Jacuzzi and hot tub."

Lilith glanced at Yuji and grinned mischievously, as did Reina. Yuji, of course, was oblivious to their lusty glares.

"And from here you can see the entire canyon. We are surrounded by high mountain walls. You can also see the waterfall, the lake, and the wide green fields of grass. Chiaki planted a vegetable patch nearby if I'm not mistaken."

Sora marveled as she gazed over the building, "Wow! This view is awesome!" She sprouted her wings and takes to the skies to explore.

"This is premium real-estate and ARMOR built this base just for us so that Dr. Irie could have his basement back."

"I can't imagine the things that were going on in that basement," Yuji joked.

"We could," Reina and Lilith said.

"Well, that's the tour of the base," AI-Shin sighed. "Sorry I couldn't show you the restricted places like the lab. All accounts of it being...restricted."

"That's kind of obvious," Asura deadpanned.

"Anyway, you guys can use the base too while you're in our neck of the woods. Just call up Dr. Magi and he'll open up a Teleportal. We can't actually tell you where the base is so you could fly here, unfortunately, but the Teleportal will lock to your location and bring you straight here."

Maria's stomach growled as she tugged Yuji's sleeve, "Papa, I'm getting hungry."

Yuji nodded, "OK, then let's head back inside. Sora, let's go!"

"OK~!" she responded before touching down.

"Just don't over order," AI-Shin cautioned. "That machine can't take too many at once! The last time it did the cleanup was huge!"

"Got it," Yuji nodded.

AI-Shin turned to the waterfall and blinked, "Hey, is that Hana and Michiru skinny dipping at the waterfall?"

"I'll be back later!" Yuji said as he transcended to fly over to the waterfall.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Lilith cried as she also sprouted her wings and gave chase.

"I swear..." Asura sighed as she held her head.

"Hey, wait for me! I wanna see too!" shouted AI-Shin as he chased after the group.


The Hinamizawa Gaming Club was at the Furude Shrine as Shinichi had earlier instructed and he was there to welcome them.

"OK, thank you all for coming," said Shinichi as he stood before the group. "Now, be sure to prepare yourselves. This is going to be a bumpy ride."

"What? Are we going to fly there or something?" Mion asked, cocking an eyebrow. She wanted to see what the NEO-NUMBERS' new base looked like.

"Better," smiled Shinichi. He activated his wrist-mounted com-link and called, "Dr. Magi, prep up the Teleportal and lock onto my coordinates."

"Teleportal?" everyone repeated questionably, exchanging looks of confusion. All of a sudden, a glowing circle of spiraling light burst into existence, causing everyone except for Shinichi to jump in shock.

"This is the Teleportal, which is the only way to get to the base in the blink of an eye," said Shinichi, gesturing towards the tunnel of light which was the Teleportal.

"Who thought of the name?" Shion asked, still staring at the Teleportal dubiously.

"Dr. Magi, from the words 'teleport' and 'portal'," said Shinichi. "'Wormhole' just didn't seem like a catchy name."

"Is it safe?" asked Keiichi.

"It should be," said Shinichi. "Relax, we tested this baby and everything turned out OK. I've even used it a few times so there's nothing to fear…except for some initial queasiness." They still weren't moving. "Trust me, you guys. Everything will be OK."

"I trust him," said Rena as she took his hand.

"OK, we got a volunteer!" spoke up Shinichi. "Anyone else? Those who don't speak now will be called chickens!"

"OK, that's it!" Mion snapped. She wasn't going to let herself be called a chicken. "Let's go, gang!"

Shinichi kissed Rena's hand and smiled. "Let's go, Rena." They then both entered the Teleportal, vanishing into the light. Mion led the others in, one by one, single file and they all vanished before the Teleportal winked out of existence.


Several human shapes could be seen coming into the base through the Teleportal before they exited and the Teleportal was deactivated.

"Welcome, everyone," greeted Dr. Magi from the controls. "I hope the ride wasn't too bumpy."

"Woah…" Keiichi was feeling a little dazed. "Does anyone feel like your bones are vibrating?"

"I do," said Satoshi. Everyone else in the Hinamizawa Gaming Club felt a little woozy, with the exception of Rena, Hanyuu and Shinichi.

"I feel sick," groaned Shion.

"You'll get used to it," said Shinichi. "Everyone, welcome to the Hive."

"The 'Hive'?" Mion cocked an eyebrow as she looked around the main floor of the base. "That's the best you could come up with?"

"We put all our suggestions into a hat and Dr. Magi picked the name out of the hat so the name sticks," said Shinichi, shrugging.

"That's correct," affirmed Dr. Magi.

"I'm guessing Shogo suggested the name," said Shion.

"That was our first guess," commented Shinichi.

Sheila's face suddenly appeared on the main monitor, causing everyone to jump as she spoke, "Hello, and welcome to the Hive."

"Who's that?" asked Keiichi.

"Oh, that's Sheila. She's the command centre's AI. She used to be in a tank," Shinichi introduced. "Say hi to Sheila everyone." They all greeted the digital woman who smiled at them. "So, anyway, how about I give you guys that tour I promised you?"

"Where is this base anyway?" asked Satoko.

"A boxed canyon in the middle of nowhere," answered Dr. Magi. He pointed to the exit. "You can see for yourselves through that door." He pointed to the elevator, "And that will take you up to the higher levels."

"Right now you're all standing in the main hall, which is where the control centre is," said Shinichi. "What we just came out of was the Teleportal System."

"Tele…Portal…?" Satoshi asked.

"A teleportation portal, but since that's a mouthful we decided to just shorten it to 'Teleportal'."

"Clever," remarked Keiichi.

Shinichi explained, "We've got a cafeteria, gym, training room, recreation room and living quarters," Shinichi listed. "And we've got our own pool on the roof."

Keiichi whistled, impressed, "And ARMOR just gave you this base?"

"After saving the world several times I think we deserve it," said Shinichi. "It's a reward for good work, and I don't think we could use Dr. Irie's clinic for a base any longer."

"That kinda makes sense," admitted Keiichi.

"This place seems more like a hotel than a base," Shion concluded, whistling after she heard what they had here.

"Yeah, you would at least think they had an armory," Satoko agreed.

"Right, I forgot about the armory," Shinichi realized. "It's next to the vehicle bay where we keep all our vehicles. Come on, I'll show you." Shinichi took them down to the armory where they stored their weapons and Mion was impressed by their collection. He then led them down to the vehicle bay. Parked inside were their bikes, the jeep, Chiaki's pickup truck and also a tank. Chiaki was doing some maintenance on the jeep.

"Wow! You guys have your own tank!" Mion exclaimed as she admired the war machine.

"Yeah, but it was made very clear we couldn't use it for anything except for dire situations," Shinichi replied. "Oh, and Chiaki here is our resident mechanic."

Chiaki greeted as he looked up from the open hood, "Enjoying the tour?"

Hanyuu ran over to him and cried out, "Chiaki-san!" before hugging him, a hug which he returned.

Shinichi was grinding his teeth as he saw the affectionate exchange and decided to interrupt, "Well, Chiaki, it's been nice seeing you at work but we have a tour to continue."

Hanyuu responded, "You go on ahead. I want to spend some time with Chiaki-san."

Shinichi was about to protest but Rena just grabbed his shoulder and gently led him out

Mion asked, "So, what's next Shinichi?" He wasn't responding. "Um... Shin-chan?"

Shinichi was still a little angry at seeing Hanyuu and Chiaki get all lovey-dovey together. He was acting like a typical, overprotective, older brother which was ironic considering Hanyuu was older than he was, by centuries, despite looking like a teenage girl. He then calmed down and led them to the elevator which they took up to the next floor. The elevator door opened to reveal a hallway that was lined with doors. "And over here are the living quarters. We have these just in case we ever need to do an all-nighter and have to stay in the base. There's also a soda fountain at the end of the hallway." The elevator door closed before it rose up to the next floor which they exited.

Shinichi explained, "And here we have the infirmary and to tell you all about it are our lovely medical officers, Michiru and Hana!"

Michiru and Hana were wearing nurse uniforms. Michiru's was white with pink trim and Hana's was black with purple trim. Michiru wore white knee socks while Hana wore fishnet stockings.

Keiichi and Satoshi ogled them only to be smacked upside the heads by the twins.

"We've been getting that reaction a lot, haven't we, Hana-chan?" asked Michiru cutely.

"It must be these uniforms," said Hana. "Boys often have a fetish for girls in uniforms."

"We do not!" Keiichi and Satoshi denied.

AI-Shin floated into the infirmary and said, "Hey, nobody said we were gonna have company."

"Oh, it's Shin-chan #2," said Mion.

"Hey, whasup, Mion?" greeted AI-Shin. He gave them all a look and settled on Rena before hovering down to her eye level. "And hello to you too, beautiful." Shinichi rolled his eyes but did not get annoyed by AI-Shin's attraction to Rena. The AI inside the Sphere Droid did adopt his personality, as well as his memories, so his feelings for Rena were the same as his. "So, what's going on?" AI-Shin asked his template.

"I was giving them a tour and-" began Shinichi, only to be interrupted.

"A tour? Why didn't you say so? Follow me, gang!" He headed out of the infirmary and to the elevator with the others following.

"Hey, wait up!" called Shinichi, only for Rena to grab his hand. "Rena-chan?" She leaned in close, looking up at his eyes. "Rena-chan?"

"Why don't you give me a tour of your private quarters?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Sure, no problem," said Shinichi. Rena smiled. It was time to 'christen' yet another bed.


"And this is the recreation centre," said AI-Shin as he brought them to a room filled with arcade machines.

"Wow," said Keiichi. "Those are a lot of arcade machines."

"Every game ever made too," said AI-Shin. "And it's all for free too."

"Guess we won't need to go to another arcade ever again," said Satoko.

"But that means going through the Teleportal…and I'm not sure about going through that again…" Rika was still feeling a little queasy from the trip.


"And this here is the home theatre," said AI-Shin.

"Are you sure this is supposed to be a base?" asked Shion.

"Just because this is where we work, doesn't mean we can't make it feel like home," reasoned AI-Shin.


They then arrived at a room filled with exercise equipment as AI-Shin explained, "And here's the gym. It's where the NEO-NUMBERS can work out so they always use the equipment at its highest setting."

"So, why is there a ring?" Keiichi asked, pointing at the wrestling/boxing ring in the middle of the room.

"For spars," said AI-Shin. "This is where the NEO-NUMBERS can spar with each other. This is the training room after all."


"Wow, it's a great view," said Rena as she looked out the window of Shinichi's private quarters in the base. She could see the canyon and saw the green grass, the high mountain walls surrounding the canyon and also the beautiful waterfall in the distance.

"It's an ideal location," said Shinichi. "Strategic too, with no way for enemies to find us since this area has a cloaking barrier that prevents us from being detected by non-friendly forces. And the only way in or out is through the Teleportal system, oh and there is that door in the mountain but we don't use it much."

"So, do you know where we are?" asked Rena.

"Somewhere tropical," Shinichi guessed.

"You don't know?" Rena blinked.

Shinichi admitted in embarrassment, "Well…geography wasn't always my No. 1 subject."

"I guess not," Rena giggled. "I just can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Shinichi asked.

"How much has changed since we met," clarified Rena. She remembered that fateful summer of 1984 when she came across a wounded young man in the rain. Her conscience would not allow her to just leave him so she took him home and took care of him until he woke up. That was when everything changed. It was at that moment that she'd fallen in love.

"A lot has changed, hasn't it?" Shinichi asked. A lot did change. He no longer had patches of missing memories in his mind. He had all his memories again and remembered both the good times and bad times, including the time spent in GIN-SHOCKER and the things he'd done. There was no reason to let himself be dragged down by those memories. The best thing he could do was to just move on. "I love you, Rena-chan."

"I love you too, Shin-kun."


On the night of December 31st, 1987, both the minute and the hour hand on the clock's face pointed towards the number 12.

It was midnight, which meant it was now officially January 1st 1988. With a smile, Shinichi said, "Well, looks like it's time to replace our calendar." The calendar was hung up on the wall of their bedroom. He took down previous year's (1987) calendar and nearly tossed it into the trash but Rena snatched it. "Rena…"

"Aw…but Shin-kun, it's too cute to throw away!" said Rena. The calendar of 1987 had pictures of cute kittens, bunnies and puppies. Rena had obviously picked out the calendar. "Can't we keep it?"

"We don't need it," said Shinichi. "But…you could cut out all the pictures and put them in a scrapbook," he suggested. Rena beamed but then saw Shinichi put up the new calendar and dropped the old one in shock.

"There, looking good," said Shinichi but then Rena pushed him aside and took the calendar down. "Rena, wait! I can explain!"

It was a calendar with pictures on each page and as she flipped through the pages for each month, her eyes widened bit by bit. "Shin-kun…what is this…?" she asked as she shoved the calendar in his face.

"A picture of you in a bikini," he answered.

"Shin-kun!" Rena snapped.

"OK! OK!" Shinichi cowered. "It's a personal calendar I made." Rena blinked.

"You…made this?" she asked, looking at the calendar.

"Yeah, with my own two hands and for our eyes only," said Shinichi. "Those pictures are from my private collection."

"Shin-kun, they're all pictures of me," she told him.

"Yeah? So?" Shinichi asked. "You'd think I'd want a calendar filled with pictures of random women I've never met? I'm not that shallow."

"Shin-kun, you keep dirty magazines under your bed," she deadpanned.

"Kaa-chan insisted on it," Shinichi argued. "She says that the average teen has at least ten dirty magazines under his bed."

"But that still doesn't explain this calendar," said Rena.

"Rena, you're special to me. You were the first girl I saw when I woke up and the first person to be my friend in Hinamizawa. You're also my first love," Shinichi told her.

"But Lina…" Rena began.

"Lina was…a lifetime ago," admitted Shinichi. "I was BLACK 13 back then, not Shinichi Banabara." He had already moved on. "What I'm saying is that when I made that calendar, the only woman I was thinking about was you. Sure, it's a swimsuit-"

"And lingerie…" Rena added.

"And lingerie calendar, but it's really a Rena calendar," said Shinichi. He added, "A calendar with 12 of your sexiest photos."

"That explains the private photo shoot we had," Rena mused aloud and then remembered how that had ended. It had been so hot that neither could resist each other by the time it was over. "So, you really made this by yourself?"

"I had to use some resources and equipment from ARMOR," said Shinichi before explaining the step-by-step process. "First I got this year's calendar and then I developed your photos before I glued them onto each page. Then I put them through the copy machine to make them professional. Finally, I bound the pages together and wallah! A one of a kind Rena Calendar for 1988…and another one I'm saving for 1989."

"Shin-kun, I always knew you were a pervert…" said Rena, giggling.

"It's not a crime that I appreciate how hot my girl is now, is it? As unorthodox as this is, it's how I show my appreciation," said Shinichi.

Rena hung the calendar back up on the hook and then looped her arms around him as she whispered, "I never said that was a bad thing."

"Well, I could've gotten any swimsuit and/or lingerie calendar but I decided to make one with pictures of you. I mean I love porn but right now you're all the porn I need…" He paused before he said, "And that sounded better in my head before I said it aloud." They shared a kiss before Shinichi said, "Happy New Year, Rena-chan."

"Happy New Year, Shin-kun."

Fireworks were exploding right outside their window as they continued to kiss before Shinichi slowly carried Rena to bed so they could make their own fireworks.


"YEAH! WOO-HOO! YEAH!" Yokoshima howled as he shot the fireworks into the midnight sky. "BOOM BABY! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"


The rays of the sun penetrated the glass of the window, shining onto Alan's face. This had the affect of awakening the pseudo-Kryptonian Green Lantern. As he tried to get up, he felt a weight on his chest and tossed the blanket off him to see little Alice, clutching to his pajama shirt tightly. The little girl was wearing white pajamas. Sharing the futon was Yami who was wearing a black nightgown.

Alan and his girls had arranged a system where one of them got to sleep with him. Last night it was Yami. Of course, Alice must've snuck into the futon while he and Yami had been asleep and fallen asleep between them, holding tightly to her father. Alan found the gesture adorable and pretty much encouraged it.

Gently loosening Alice's fingers from his pajamas, he got out of the futon and turned to face the window as he did some stretches before getting himself ready for the day. He then heard whimpering and turned his attention back to the futon. Alice was still asleep but her brows were furrowed and her hand was moving around on the spot where he'd been sleeping, trying to find him again. It seemed to upset her when she didn't find anything to hold. Shaking his head but still smiling, Alan knelt down and gently rolled Alice over to Yami's side of the futon. The blonde assassin then draped an arm around Alice as the little girl clutching onto Yami's nightgown, the two of them sleeping peacefully.

"You should take a picture," Bazel suggested, addressing the scene, "It'll last longer."

"Yeah, it's a sweet picture," admitted Alan, "Cute too." He knew if Rena ever saw this scene she would try and kidnap Yami and Alice for being so cute. Not too long ago these two blondes had actually tried to kill him. Yami was a genetically engineered Deathtron assassin who had fallen for Alan because of his kindness for giving her taiyaki while Alice was a bio-android created by Gebok as a weapon to fight him and Shinichi. Gebok had failed and Shinichi had attempted to kill Alice by sending her to the bottom of the ocean but not only did ARMOR retrieve her, she had been reactivated with a totally new personality and called him her 'daddy'. There was some initial tension between Alice and Shinichi but they managed to get past that and Alice began to call Shinichi her big brother.

Alan then went to get ready for the day. He looked to the calendar and then smiled, "Happy New Year."


It was the first of January in the year 1988, and everyone in Hinamizawa was visiting the Furude Shrine for their first visit to the shrine on the first day of the new year. Shinichi and his family were the first at the shrine and given special treatment since Hanyuu and Rika were part of their family. As Head Priestesses of the Furude Clan, Rika and Hanyuu were responsible in giving out blessings to the people of Hinamizawa on this auspicious day.

When Rika and Hanyuu were dressed in their miko outfits, Shiori just had to take pictures of them. They were indeed growing up into fine and beautiful young women and Shiori was proud to be their mother. Shiori herself was in a kimono with a shawl and had even done her hair up in a bun. Her husband, Tatsuyoshi Kasai, was dressed in his usual black suit and sunglasses. As for Shinichi, he was wearing a red, double-breasted, leather jacket with two vertical rows of gold buttons on the front with white gloves, blue jeans, black boots and finally a red muffler. Little Sho was in a winter jacket to keep warm and was being carried in his mother's arms.

After the family had received their blessings, they all prayed at the shrine and rung the bell together. Shinichi prayed that this year would be a peaceful one.


Deep in the mountains of Hinamizawa, hidden from human eyes, was a steel door that was sealed by chains and also ancient talismans used to ward off evil. A dark and evil miasma was seeping through the cracks of the door. The chains began to rattle as the talismans attempted to keep the darkness at bay. However, more and more of the darkness began to seep out and then all of a sudden there was a massive explosion. The door was shattered to pieces, along with the chains and the paper talismans were all shredded into nothing. A pair of golden eyes could be seen glowing in the darkness of the sealed cavern as a grave voice spoke, "Susano-O…"


As Hanyuu was giving out blessings to the villagers alongside Rika, she suddenly felt a pulse of dark energy that made her gasp. "Hanyuu-chan, are you alright?" asked Chiaki. He and the other NEO-NUMBERS had come and set up some booths providing food and games for the people visiting the shrine. Chiaki was selling wood carvings that were meant to bring good luck to the home and Yokoshima was helping him. He was taking a bit of a break to get his blessing from Hanyuu when she suddenly gasped.

"I just felt something," said Hanyuu said, feeling lightheaded.

"You should rest," Rika suggested. "I can handle things from here."

"Are you sure, Rika?" asked Hanyuu.

"I'm sure," Rika affirmed, "Now, go and have some fun with your boyfriend."

Hanyuu smiled and took Chiaki's hand. "Let's go get some cream puffs," he said to Hanyuu.

Shogo and Daichi were manning the stand that was selling cream puffs. The cream puffs had been provided by Angel Mort. "Can you tell me again why we're doing this?" asked Daichi.

"Mion-sama asked us to," said Shogo. "Thank you," said Shogo as he took payment and handed out a cream puff to a little girl.

"So, she just snaps her fingers and you do whatever she tells you to," remarked Daichi. He strummed a few strings on his guitar.

"It's better than having someone beat you up or being ordered to do the things we did back in GS," Shogo retorted.

"Yeah, good point," Daichi agreed.

"Two cream puffs, please," said Hanyuu as she visited the booth with Chiaki.

"OK, that will be 200 yen each," said Shogo. He then addressed Chiaki, "How is your business doing?"

"We're doing great," answered Chiaki.

"So, you left your artwork with Yokoshima," stated Daichi. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"Yokoshima might be a human wrecking ball, but I'm sure he won't wreck anything," said Chiaki as he and Hanyuu got their cream puffs. After a pause he said, "I better go check to see if he's alright."

While Rika and Hanyuu were the Head Priestesses, there were volunteer shrine maidens working around the Furude Shrine. There was one at a booth selling omikujo (sheets of paper) which had ones fortune for the upcoming year written on it.

"Have a Happy New Year," Michiru greeted after handing a folded omikujo to a customer. "Next, please."

"Michiru, how are you doing?" asked Shinichi as he and his family approached the booth. Rika and Hanyuu were performing their duties as Head Priestesses so it was just Shinichi, his mother, stepfather and little brother.

"I'm doing great!" beamed Michiru.

"Where's Hana?" asked Shinichi. Michiru pointed to another booth opposite from hers and Shinichi turned to see Hana selling mochi rice cakes to the people visiting the shrine. "Why is she wearing a black miko outfit?"

"She doesn't look good in white," was Michiru's honest answer. "So, do you want to buy omikujo?"

After paying Michiru, they selected bamboo sticks with different numbers on them from a box. Taking each stick, Michiru then handed them their omikujo with their corresponding number. Even Sho got one. Luck was classified into dai-ichi (great luck), kicki (good fortune), sho-kichi (middle good fortune) and kyo (bad luck). If you liked your fortune you could keep it. If you didn't like it you could tie it to a branch on a tree on the shrine grounds. The omikujo sheets included horoscope-like predictions for the year's events, with sections on business, health and love.

"Now, let's see what I got." As Shinichi was about to unfold his sheet, he felt a pair of warm hands cover his eyes. "Rena-chan, is that you?" he asked. The girl removed her hands from her boyfriend's eyes and he turned around to face her before kissing her softly on the lips. "Happy New Year, Rena-chan."

"Happy New Year, Shin-kun," she replied. Rena was sporting a red kimono. She wasn't alone, however. The other members of the Hinamizawa Gaming Club were present. Satoshi and Keiichi were wearing jackets with scarves over their clothes while the girls were looking great in their kimonos.

"And Happy New Year to you guys too," greeted Shinichi.


Meanwhile, in Shishibone City, Alan and his girls were all getting ready to go to the city's local shrine, which was just a few blocks away. The girls, following local tradition, were all dressed in kimonos while Alan decided to just go with his green jacket, black t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers. He also wore the scarf Lala had made him. Alice and Celine also wore kimonos.

"How do I look, Daddy?" asked Alice as she showed off her kimono, which was violet and matched her eyes. Her hair was up in a ponytail.

"You look so cute, Alice," said Alan.

"Mau!" Celine called, dressed in her green kimono.

"Aw~ aren't you just adorable," said Alan as he patted Celine on the head.

"Alan, how do I look?" purred Conda. Her blood red kimono was worn very loosely, slipping off her shoulders to show off her cleavage and the obi was tied with the knot in front instead of the back.

"You look like a prostitute," Amora mocked as she wore her own kimono properly, a deep green which was her favorite color.

"Who asked you!?" Conda snapped at the Enchantress.

"No fighting," warned Yami. She was wearing a black kimono.

"Mommy!" Alice jumped up and Yami caught her. "You're so pretty!"

"Well, I guess it's time we go," said Alan.


"So, what did you get?" Rena asked and Shinichi grimaced as he read his sheet omikujo.

"Kyo (bad luck)," he answered. That couldn't be good. "It says here I will face even bigger challenges ahead of me that may affect the people around me and while my love life will improve, it might become too much for me. It also says that I might end up with some physical injuries along the way."

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard and someone screamed as everyone looked up at the sky. There was a stream of flame that flew above the shrine grounds and it was followed by the roar of a beast before it vanished into the distance. However, Shinichi somehow knew that was only the beginning of his bad luck. "Dammit," he cursed as she clenched his omikujo.

"What just happened?" Mion asked, gaping.

"It looks like this year isn't going to be a peaceful one," said Shinichi. Hanyuu was dashing towards him with Chiaki in tow. "Hanyuu-chan, what's wrong?"

"Something just escaped its seal," Hanyuu told him.


In Shishibone City, Alan and his girls were almost at the shrine when all of a sudden a fireball hit a building, causing it to explode.

"What on Midgard!?" Amora shouted.

"Dammit," Alan cursed beneath his breath. Why couldn't he catch a break?

The cause of the explosion was in the streets. He was humanoid, clad in black armor in gold trim. His hands and feet were clawed and its head sported a draconic looking helmet with a single horn protruding from between the dragon's eyes. The face of the helmet's wearer had a pair of gold eyes and a reptilian face with sharp teeth. It also sported a pair of bat-like wings on its back.

"SUSANO-O! COME OUT! SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!" the being called out. He shot another fireball at another building and it exploded tremendously. "SUSANO-O!"

"What is that thing!?" Nana shrieked.

Alan narrowed his eyes before handing Alice and Celine over to Yami and Bishie. He told them, "Get back to the boarding house. I'll take care of this."

"Alright, partner," said Bazel. "Time to usher in the New Year with a bang."

Alan frowned as he replied, eyes glowing green, "I wish I didn't have to."


The draconic fire demon continued to unleash his flames, causing buildings to explode. People ran in panic and he looked at them before unleashing a torrent of flame to incinerate them. However, the people were shielded by a barrier of emerald energy.

"Run!" Sentinel shouted at the evacuating masses before looking at the creature. "You've got some nerve attacking people on New Year's Day!"

"Susano-O, so you've come, finally," said the creature.

Bazel asked, "Susano-O? This guy must have you mixed up with someone else."

Alan addressed the Darkloid, "The name's Alan Smith, buddy."

"Ah, so that is your true name, Susano-O. Well, let me tell you mine. I am Gnol Gnauh, Darkloid General of the Centre."

"A Darkloid?" Alan questioned. "I thought you all were wiped out."

"Yes, I no longer sense my kin but soon we will all return and take this land!" declared Gnol.

"Well, not when I can help it!" said Alan. "Oh, and I'm not Susano-O! It's Sentinel!" He became Sentinel, donning his costume as Bazel formed the Bazel Combat Armor.

"Then let us fight again, Sentinel Susano-O!" In a flash, fireballs were launched at Sentinel and they hit him, causing him to cry out in pain. Those were no normal flames as he felt the flames searing him. Those were flames made with dark magic and since Alan now had the powers of a Kryptonian, he also had the weaknesses and magic was one them.

"OK, this is bad," said Sentinel as he dodged to the side as another volley of fireballs flew at him and exploded. "I really hate dark magic now." They were still in the city and Gnol and he could cause a lot of damage if they continued to fight here. "Hey, follow me!" Sentinel shouted and shot into the air.

"Running, Susano-O?" sneered Gnol. "Hm, very well then!" Wing of flames sprouted from Gnol's back and he took off after Sentinel, trailing flames behind him like a tail.


Showa was flying in the air. If Hanyuu's guess was right then the thing that had just escaped its seal was another one of those Darkloids. It'd been a long time since he last saw one of those demons and he wished that he wouldn't have to look at one again but it would appear that the prediction on the omikujo was right and that it really wasn't his lucky day. He thought his life would improve after Million/Gebok was locked up but it would appear he was wrong.

He felt like the gods, or at least one of them, was purposely making his life difficult for their own enjoyment.

Showa then spotted two figures clashing in the sky. One was covered in emerald energy derived from willpower while the other was bathed in dark flames. As they clashed and bashed against each other, explosions erupted and Showa said, "Looks like I found what I was looking for. Yabuki, it's time to sing!"

Gnol and Sentinel were grappling with each other and the Green Lantern could feel the intense heat radiating from Gnol. "You're weak, Susano-O! Much weaker than I remember!" Sentinel glared at Gnol and then took in a deep breath of air before blowing straight into Gnol's face with gale force winds that sent him tumbling backwards in midair. Gnol straightened himself back up and then inhaled before exhaling a tongue of flame that streamed towards Sentinel. Using his ring, Sentinel conjured a fire extinguisher and started putting out the flames with it, much to Gnol's outrage. "You mock me, Susano-O!?"

"Look, pal! I think you got the wrong guy!" Sentinel shot back.

"How dare you try and confuse me, Susano-O! Even if so much time has passed I still remember the one who sealed me away! I may not be as strong as I once was but I will have my VENGENCE!"

"Seriously, what did I ever do to you!?" Sentinel demanded.

"You were the one who stopped my reign of terror. Long ago I was known by another name, a name that made mortals fall to their knees and bow to me in respect. I was…the YAMATA NO OROCHI!" The Yamata No Orochi was an eight-headed serpent in Japanese's mythology and was said to have been defeated by Susano-O.

"The Orochi?" Bazel asked.

"You defeated me by separating my heads one by one, weakening me with each head you cleaved off my body. Then, you had me sealed away with my other heads sealed in different locations and my main body sealed away as well. But now I am free and…" Gnol's entire body became enveloped in hot flames that were so intense that he was like a miniature sun. "…I WILL INCINERATE YOU, SUSANO-O!"

"COOL DOWN!" Sentinel shouted as he concentrated his ring's power to such an intensity that green flames were radiating from his body.

Bazel grew concerned and even voiced it out, "Are you sure about this? You know those flames CAN hurt you."

"Well, if I don't do something who knows how many people will suffer. I have to stop him here and now, Bazel," said Sentinel.

Gnol roared and flew straight at Sentinel in his charge as Sentinel did the same, rushing at his opponent with fists clenched and one arm drawn back for a punch. However, an arrow of green light suddenly got in-between them and struck the flame-encased Gnol, causing him to scream as there was an explosion of intense anti-demon energy and light. The bright light also momentarily blinded Sentinel before it began to fade. Sentinel knew who had fired the arrow and looked to see Showa in the distance, clad in the green samurai-like armor granted to him by Yabuki, the spirit of the Higurashi no Yaiba. As for the sword itself, the Higurashi no Yaiba had been converted into Bow & Arrow Mode.

In Bow & Arrow Mode, the wing-like guard of the Higurashi no Yaiba had lengthened into an archery bow while the blade itself had been pulled backwards into the handle of the sword that was now a bow. The blade had turned into an arrow with the blade's tip acting as the arrowhead and the pommel acting as the nock of the arrow. Judging by the way he was holding the weapon, which was by the bow and the arrow being pulled back by the nock into the Higurashi no Yaiba's handle, he was preparing for another shot and for good reason too.

"Shinichi," said Sentinel.

"Need help, little brother?" Showa asked. He then said, "Hey, now we match. Green and green."

Gnol recovered and glared at Showa. "So, you have an accomplice, Susano-O," assumed Gnol. "Too afraid to fight your own battles?"

Showa blinked and looked to Sentinel for an explanation, "What's he talking about?"

"He's got me confused with Susano-O," said Sentinel.

"The Susano-O that defeated the Orochi, right?" asked Showa. Sentinel nodded.

Angered at being ignored, Gnol roared and prepared to attack again, only for Showa to release his hold on the arrow's nock, which caused it to spring out and unleash its payload in the form of an energy arrow. This time Gnol dodged but the energy arrow still grazed his arm and it hurt him, which enraged him.

"I think you got him mad," said Bazel.

Gnol roared and unleashed a volley of fireballs at Showa who started dodging by zigzagging and rolling through the air. One of those fireballs managed to hit and caused him to drop his weapon as he cried out but Sentinel was quick enough to catch it. Suddenly, the Higurashi no Yaiba, just as it was turning back into its rusted sword form began to glow with a bright green light which matched the light of Sentinel's ring and it intensified. Gnol was coming at him and by reflex Sentinel swung and slashed Gnol across the torso. Gnol screamed as black blood splashed from the wound and he was forcefully driven back.

"It would…appear…that I am…still not…strong enough," realized Gnol. "Then again…I only have a fraction of my original power." He grinned and stared at Sentinel, "Consider this your lucky day…Susano-O, but remember that I will…return." Gnol then turned his body into flames and then just vanished right before their eyes.

"What was that about?" asked Showa.

"It's a long story," said Sentinel.


Shinichi and Alan returned to Shishibone City where Shinichi used his powers to undo all the damages Gnol had caused. Now they were in his room in the boarding house, talking about what had transpired earlier. Alan was wondering how he could use the Higurashi no Yaiba like that on Gnol when it had not yet chosen him.

"A lot of guys seem to want you dead," said Shinichi.

"Trust me, Shinichi, it's a long list. I've made a career of making enemies," replied Alan.

"But, he called you 'Susano-O'," reminded Shinichi.

"Yeah," Alan confirmed. "I think he was crazy when he kept calling me that."

"Maybe there's a reason for that," said Shinichi. "I think he recognizes the power of your ring."

"My ring?" Alan questioned. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"All we know about Susano-O are from myths or legends," said Shinichi. "But what if Susano-O was actually a Green Lantern. You said it yourself that the Green Lantern Corps has existed for centuries, right? So, it's not too much of a stretch that one of them came to Earth and defeated Gnol."

"That makes sense," agreed Bazel.

"Yeah, that could be true," said Alan. "No wonder he hates me. A ring like mine fucked him up."

"But now he's loose," said Shinichi worriedly. "I never thought I'd see another Darkloid again, and a General no less. This is bad, very bad."

"How bad?" asked Bazel.

"I barely survived my first encounter with four of those Generals, and this guy's power rivaled all four of them," answered Shinichi. "He's powerful, and he called himself the Orochi."

"He said I broke him apart," said Alan. "I mean, he said that Susano-O broke him apart."

"Yep, according to legend, Susano-O was able to defeat the Orochi by severing his heads. The Orochi originally had eight heads and if Gnol is the legendary Orochi as he claims, then that means Susano-O separated his heads and then sealed them away into different locations. If I were him, I'd be looking for them."

"Then we'll just have to find them first and destroy them before he does," said Alan. "We can't let him unseal those heads and regain his full power."

"Looks like this is gonna become a Road Trip!" said Bazel.

"First we need to know where those heads could be," said Shinichi. "I'll go and see Dr. Magi about it. Maybe he can use Sheila to pinpoint the locations for each of the heads." That was when his com-link started beeping. "It's Hanyuu-chan." He tapped the button and answered, "What is it, Hanyuu-chan?"


"No…way…" Alan uttered as he couldn't believe his eyes. Hidden deep in the mountains of Hinamizawa was a statue, but not just any statue, but the statue of Susano-O, the great hero who became legendary for defeating the Yamata No Orochi. It had been hidden here and nobody had found it until now. While Alan and Shinichi had been battling Gnol, Hanyuu and Chiaki had gone deep into the mountains to see where Gnol had arisen from, which was a cave which had been sealed until now. That was also where they had found this statue, which had been standing before the originally sealed cave like some kind of guardian.

"Guess Gnol was in a hurry," remarked Bazel. If he ever saw anything resembling his own sworn enemy, he would've destroyed it in his anger without hesitation. But that wasn't what was surprising. Alan was gaping because Susano-O looked just like him. That was why Hanyuu had called them over.

"OK, now this is freaky," said Shinichi. "Dude looks just like you." Alan could only nod dumbly.


Hanyuu and Alan went with Shinichi's to the NEO-NUMBERS' base to discuss the incident. On the main screen, presented by Sheila were the images of Gnol and the Susano-O statue that had been found.

"It's strange that a Darkloid is after Alan and not Shinichi," wondered Michiru aloud.

"It's because he looks like Susano-O," Hana remarked.

"Dude looks just like you," Yuji noted. He'd been called as well since he was 'in the neighborhood'.

"I get it," grumbled Alan. He'd been getting that a lot. "So, Hanyuu, do you have anything to tell us about the Orochi and Susano-O?"

"Well, all I know is in the legends," Hanyuu admitted.

"Hanyuu, there has to be something in the Furude Clan's archives about this," Alan pressed on. "We need legends, not facts."

"Lighten up," Chiaki chided.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit on edge because some psycho wants to kill me," said Alan.

"What else is new?" quipped Daichi.

"And he ruined the day I had planned. The girls were all wearing really nice kimonos," added Alan.

"I might be able to find something, but you need to give me time," pleaded Hanyuu.

"That thing is going to become too powerful if we wait," Alan stressed.

"Alan, relax," said Shinichi. "We injured him and did a lot of damage to him. It'll probably take months before he heals. The Higurashi no Yaiba does cause a lot of damage on demons, especially Darkloids."

"Sorry, I'm a bit on edge," apologized Alan.

"We know," Yokoshima understood.

"Hanyuu, all we need is a map or something that can help us pinpoint the locations of where the other seven heads are sealed," said Shinichi. "Gnol can't reach full power without them."

"I'll do my best," said Hanyuu, "And I know just where to look: the underground tomb of the four Darkloid Generals."

"That creepy place?" Yokoshima grimaced.

"It's our only lead," said Shinichi. "OK, you go do that and…" He looked to Chiaki, "You, go and look with her." Chiaki gave a nod in affirmative.

"And what do we do about Gnol?" asked Yuji.

"When he strikes, we'll be ready," Alan said firmly.

"But not today because tonight we're having New Year's dinner," said Shinichi. He then looked back at the image of Susano-O and the resemblance he had with Alan. 'Alan was able to use the Higurashi no Yaiba earlier. I better ask Yabuki about it.'


KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Now the mystery of Susano-O deepens. Also, why could Alan use the Higurashi no Yaiba without making an agreement with Yabuki? Also, where are the other heads located? Let me get back to you with those answers. It's gonna be one roller-coaster of an arc, trust me.