AN: So this is coming out quicker than any story I've written in a long while. Here's Part IV and Part V is already in the works. I hope you guys enjoy how it's going.

Kamen Rider: OOO

Bring Me to Life – Part IV

The combination lock on the gate around the building had been used so many times, the numbers had worn off. But Aia never had to worry about people breaking in. There was nothing of value inside, the lock just served as a sign. If it was open, the weird girl was inside, and she was not to be messed with. She had been known to be rather violent with trespassers. This place was important to her, and Aia would kill to keep what was left of it safe. She couldn't care less about the house she lived in with her father. But this was different.

Even if the weird girl wasn't around, no one really wanted to go in, anyway. The stale smell of smoke from the fire that destroyed the building six years prior still lingered in the air. Or maybe Aia's memory just wouldn't let her forget it. She certainly couldn't forget anything else about that night. No matter how much she tried to cover the scars. Even though she could count so many more good memories of the place than bad, the bad were just so strong. She tried to make them go away. And when she couldn't, she just gave up.

For six years, on and off again, she worked on little projects at a time, something to give new life to the Cous Coussier. She had a strong belief that the nightmares could be driven away if she filled the place with the life and the love that her mother and her sister gave it. But no one could give it the life they did. She didn't know anyone like them. There WAS no one like them. She only knew idiots who passed judgment at every turn. No one had the love that those two women had. So every project that Aia began, ended in tears. Oh, Eiji would come along and make everything better. But then he was gone again. And each day, each nightmare, just repeated itself over and over.

It wasn't Aia he wanted to be with. Otherwise he wouldn't be gone so often and for so long. The one his entire life was spent chasing after was Ankh. Ankh was who he wanted. Ankh was who they all saw when they looked at Aia. That had been made clear. Her resemblance was why Eiji had looked after her for so long when he was home, and why her father resented her. Maybe 'resent' was a strong word. She hadn't missed the hurt in his eyes when she ran away from him. But the rift between them had started a long time ago, even before her mother and aunt died. Aia couldn't remember if he ever was as close as she wanted him to be. It had been apparent since she was born there was something not quite human about her. A fact that was pointed out to her constantly. It was bad enough to hear it from strangers, but family… She wasn't sure she had a family at all. In fact, she was damn sure she didn't have a family

Ankh was the one they saw. Ankh was the one they wanted. At least, he was the one Eiji wanted. She saw the hurt in his eyes every now and then when he was addressing her. Especially if she had done or said something that Ankh would have. She knew Eiji wished it really was Ankh, not Aia. And if Aia could make it happen for him, then at least she could say she did something worthwhile. It's not like she was worth anything else.

The medal halves that had been a comfort earlier in the evening, now felt like a heavy burden. Because she now knew the price they carried. Unless the core was inside of her, it was just a broken medal, nothing more than a trinket. It didn't take a genius to figure out that what made Aia resemble Ankh so much, was that she possessed a part of Ankh. The part that made his core whole. So only she could give him new life. She just had to give up hers in return

It wasn't long before she absorbed the halves again, and Ankh's consciousness crept into her own. But it didn't take control. This time it stayed in the background, observing. After a moment, she almost physically felt his presence, like he was standing beside her. When she looked, she could have sworn she saw his faint image standing among some discarded wood scraps, that piercing gaze of his sweeping over what was one his nest, his home.

The roof had caved in. The stairs leading up to the second floor attic that he and Eiji had shared were almost completely gone, save for the railing on the wall. The walls around the bulk of the restaurant were black and weakened from waters that were used to extinguish the fire. And the only thing holding the second floor up was a single pillar, that Aia had braced beams against for support. And Ankh knew that it was the only thing supporting the second floor because he could see the weakened walls slightly bent out of shape , sagging from the weight of the building.

This meant that one wrong move could bring the entire building down on Aia. He didn't know why the condition of the building affected him so much. But he was overwhelmed by the sight. He had noticed several projects that had been begun to restore the place but were never finished. That still didn't ease the pang in his… well, not HIS chest. But the emotion was there, and it was frightening, because he shouldn't be able to feel this kind of thing. But he knew the feeling didn't come from Aia this time. This was his nest, his home. And it was gone…

What… what happened…? The lips of the image didn't move at all as his eyes met hers, the voice that rang in Aia's head was not something she would have thought she'd hear from the Greeed. Aia tore her gaze away from his, attempting to ignore the presence as she moved around the building, casually picking things up, looking them over, and tossing them aside.

"Shit happens…" The voice was forced, very controlled, but Ankh sensed something in the reply as his gaze on her turned into a hard glare.

She didn't count on what happened next. It shouldn't have been able to happen. The image of Ankh walked over to her, grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, holding her shoulders firmly. The image was still faint, she could see almost straight through him, but his hands felt so real. She finally noticed that they were standing in that same white void where she first met him, it just resembled the remains of the Cous Coussier. Once she realized that, the image of Ankh was more visible, more real.

"What the hell kind of answer is that?

Without the threat of the fight earlier, she had a chance to look him over more completely. He looked like the pictures of her father when he was younger, but at the same time, he didn't. And it wasn't just his hair or the Greeed arm. His stance had a slight slouch to it, but there was something in it that made him seem taller, not shorter. His face held nothing soft about it. Every line was hard and precise. His features were set in a permanent scowl. But there was something in his eyes, something she never even saw in her father's eyes. And she didn't want to see it, because it was making her doubt her decision.

"The only one you'll get from me…" She jerked her shoulders out of his grip and turned away, her voice just as hard and controlled as the first reply had been. But after a moment or two, the voice was soft, choked as she stared around the room, avoiding his gaze. "I'm sure Uncle Eiji will tell you all about it, and everything else that you missed out on in the last twenty years…"

Ankh stared at her for a moment as she dug around for some tool or another, his brow rose at the bitterness in her voice. It was odd for someone to feel that way toward Eiji. Eiji was the idiot who went out of his way, put his life on the line, to protect strangers, to help them. But then… his previous encounter with Aia showed him that the detective had changed over the years… Couldn't Eiji have changed, also?

Humans did whatever they pleased to fulfill their desires. Eiji sacrificed himself for the sake of others. But it was his choice if he became a little more selfish as he got older. Then why did the thought not sit right with him? What happened to cause this girl's bitterness toward Eiji? Why the hell did he care?

"Would you be satisfied with this body?"

Wait, what? He stared at her a moment as she tossed one tool aside, looking around for another. She finally met his eyes again. The color of her eyes was odd, there was almost a liquid feel to them as they shifted between a pale blue and a light grey, almost white. There was something… sad… in them. Granted, he didn't have any knowledge of the emotion to connect to it, but it was just the feel as the colors swirled in the irises, like tears that refused to fall.

"Huh…?"

There was a flash in the eyes. Ankh thought he saw a streak of red in them for a moment before they went back to the grayish blue swirl. Anger. He knew that emotion well. But she was no threat to him. Her body and mind were already weakened by the fights, and she didn't stop running once she left her father until she'd gotten here. She was too tired to be a threat. She didn't really want a confrontation. That, he could see. But he didn't think it was the fatigue speaking when she said what she did.

"When you possessed Tou-san… You wanted his body as your own. You wanted the experiences of a human being that were denied to you as a Greeed. You told Uncle Eiji that you got what you wanted in the end, but I think I know you better than that, even in the short time we were merged. You want to see the vibrant colors again, you want to feel that satin sheet you draped across your nest again, you want the taste of ice candy again, there were still things you didn't get to experience through Tou-san… You want my strength. Don't forget I was watching when you fought that dummy back there…"

Ankh didn't deny that, any of it. More than anything, he wanted that kind of life and everything it had to offer. The desire had been brushed off by all of his so-called acquaintances, even Eiji, until the Rider had experienced it, himself. But, still… to have this girl offering that… It didn't matter that she was female. He was certain he could adjust. Couldn't be THAT different from possessing the detective, could it? But did she honestly understand what that meant?

"You realize, when I possessed that detective, it was because he was near death. He had no consciousness to fight me for control. Now I don't know how me and you are able to be conscious here at the same time… But as we are, you can take it back whenever you want to. In order for you to give up that body completely…"

"I would have to die, or close enough to it that this consciousness disappears... Uncle Eiji said, over time, Tou-san's body stayed alive while you possessed it, healing on its own… When that happens…" She shrugged a little. "We'll keep going through it as long as you want… If all I have to do is disappear…"

Ankh didn't know what to say for a moment. Yeah, she understood what that meant. And her quick and matter-of-fact answer was said with such a steady, unfeeling voice. The sadness was still in her eyes was the only sign of her feeling anything. Ankh was stunned, which was no easy feat. He didn't know what surprised him most, what she was offering, or his reaction to it. There was no reason he should be hesitating in answering. Take it before she had second thoughts! What was stopping him?

"That can most certainly be arranged…"

There was a crack in her voice as her eyes changed again. There was a swirl of yellow that was barely visible. It didn't take a genius to decode it. Ankh didn't even have to be human, even a Greeed figured it out. It was fear. But it was brief as what looked like flames took over. It wasn't the bright red of anger like Ankh saw earlier. It was the fire of determination. This girl was serious about offering Ankh her body as a vessel. She was frightened, but determined enough to make it happen. What the hell was going through this girl's head?

And it took him a second too late to realize she wasn't going to wait for an answer from him.

She had found the tool she was looking for during the conversation with Ankh in her mind. And he didn't notice. He hadn't realized what she was doing until the sledge hammer was in swing, taking out the only support holding up the second floor.