Disclaimer: Kamen Rider is owned by Toei, Bandai, and Ishimori Productions. I want to thank all the readers of this fic so far; rest assured that I will do my best to give you a story that is really worth reading. This story is best viewed in 1/2 page mode.

Previously on Kamen Rider Valtere:

Valtere defeated the Wivere* Aguima that attacked them on the school rooftop. Hiro's body, however, suffered from terrible injuries due to the fight. Fearing the danger that lay ahead, Hiro opted to end the soul-binding contract with Valtere.

Meanwhile, the Grave Maiden was devising a plan to make Hiro change his mind.

Episode 4: The Grave Maiden's Grave Plans! VOICE in big trouble!

Friday - Tennotsukai Academy – Class 3-A – 8:11 a.m.

"ZECT** Paradise?" Kanzaki Anna asked, as blankly as ever. Kagami Keisuke nodded, showing his right hand that held four tickets to the famous theme park.

"My father gave me these. He wanted me to invite you guys to its grand opening tomorrow," informed Keisuke who, contrary to Anna, was looking as hyper as ever.

"That's fun!" exclaimed Yui, "So, that means, we'll gain exclusive coverage of the event?"

"Exclusive coverage?" Anna said, "I thought you are excited on the rides..."

"I am! But of course I'm much more interested in getting the big scoop," answered Yui promptly. Anna paused at the thought, "What about Sakaguchi?"

Keisuke frowned, until he saw the familiar figure of a tall, skinny guy, with bandages in many parts of his body, entering the classroom.

"I told you he's coming today," Yui smiled.

"Saka-dono!" cried Keisuke like a child who was reunited with his mother after many years.

"Hey, It's not like I died or something," reacted Hiro, "So what's up?"

Yui gazed inquisitively. "You're surprisingly fine today, Hiro! Have you recovered that quickly?"

He nodded, "Just had a good rest, I guess."

Truth is, Hiro himself was surprised. When he woke up this morning, he didn't feel his back hurt like before, and most of his wounds have healed so fast. He felt so light and relieved that he almost forgot all the things that happened yesterday. He even almost forgot that he told Valtere he wanted to end the contract.

Then again, Hiro couldn't be completely blamed for not remembering. Valtere hadn't reappeared to him after their conversation yesterday. Hiro couldn't tell if the silver-haired Illusori already left him for good, because he still had the belt tattoo marked around his waist. He felt a bit guilty on the way he treated Valtere yesterday. He was too angry and scared that he didn't even realize the words that were coming out of his mouth.

Perhaps he was just too overwhelmed with what's happening around him. He only wanted a normal life; he didn't have that "superhero" complex or whatever they call it, and never would he ever wish to have it. His life was already too complicated to be involved in such stuff. Valtere gave me a chance to be a hero. And I declined it. He thought.

"It is decided then. Next issue's feature story will be: "Trip to Paradise! Exclusive VOICE Preview! Hiro-kun, you're gonna write this one," Yui ordered. Her voice snapped Hiro back into reality.

"Eh? Why me?" asked Hiro in shock, "But I already had that –"

"Your story on Tennotsukai pond's gold-shelled crayfish will now officially be done by Keisuke –"

"Oi, Suzuki-chan! I'm a… okay, I'll do it," answered Keisuke, who clammed up when he saw Yui's imperious stare.

Friday - Unknown Location – Nighttime

The room was shady; the candle-lit lamps hanging on the walls contributed very little illumination, nevertheless enough for the two people inside to see each other. Sugita spoke, looking intently to the table where the Grave Maiden was seated. "So this is… what you mean when you said you had a plan?"

The Maiden, dressed in a white cowl with the hood almost covering its face, answered in a somewhat misty voice, "I thought you already know… that I hate being interrupted, right?"

"My apologies," Sugita lowered his head. The Grave Maiden beamed, turning her sight back to the parchment that lay on the table.

"Tell me, Esquirra, am I being mean to Sakaguchi?" the Maiden asked, still reading the contents of the parchment. Sugita, who recognized at once when he was called "Esquirra" by the Grave Maiden, replied, "If you ask me, yes."

"I see." said the Maiden.

"That technique," Sugita ogled at the parchment, "you don't mean to torture his mind, do you?"

"No, of course not," the Maiden answered with a smile, "I just want to straighten his resolve."

Saturday – Sakaguchi Residence – 9:03 a.m.

Hiro rushed down the stairs to see Yui, Anna and Keisuke waiting for him in the receiving room. "Hey, why are you guys here? You didn't have to pick me up!"

"Why not, Hiro? Aren't you glad that Yui-chan and the others actually cared about you?" snapped Natsumi, Hiro's older sister, who was also downstairs. Hiro noticed that Natsumi emphasized Yui's name, which made him blush a bit. "And what's with those clothes? You should've worn something more fashionable, like a Johnny's!"

"I'm fine with this, nee-chan!" said Hiro irritably.

"No it's not! And your hair – make it more ikemen-like!" Natsumi stroked Hiro's hair with her hand, but Hiro was pushing her hand away.

"Stop it, nee!" Hiro cried childishly. He glanced at Yui, who looked stunning in a blue dress, laughing at him.

"That's Sakaguchi-dono for you! Very independent, not following the trend, instead making his own statement!" hollered Keisuke.

"Geez Kagami… Stop sounding like you're the president of the Sakaguchi Hiro fanclub…" said Anna spitefully.

Saturday – ZECT Paradise – 10:20 a.m.

"Everyone, thank you for coming in this momentous event. Have fun in Paradise!" ZECT President Kagami Arata said, concluding his speech and the whole opening program.

The people at the venue applauded. Some men and women in suits and elegant dresses respectively, shook hands with the ZECT president while the other visitors immediately rushed into the newly-built amusement park to try the attractions. A camera flash took Kagami-san's attention. He looked at where the light came from and saw his son, Kagami Keisuke, taking shots of him. "Keisuke! How was my speech, eh?"

"Great, tochan!" Keisuke answered, "Oh, by the way, I have brought Sakaguchi-dono and the others here!"

"Hiro-kun!" Kagami-san muttered as he saw the group walking toward him, "I guess you're already worn out being addressed '–dono' by my son, aren't you?"

"Not really, Kagami-san," Hiro responded, "I've grown used to it."

"Sakaguchi secretly loves being called a 'lord,' if I would say," commented Anna snidely. Everybody laughed. Kagami-san then talked to Yui. "Suzuki-chan! You're getting more beautiful each time we meet!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Kagami-san," Yui said politely.

"I wouldn't even wonder if either Keisuke or Hiro here would ask you out for a date soon…"

"Nah, father, she's one of the boys," snapped Keisuke. Hiro pretended not to hear what Kagami-san had said, or else his face would burn like crazy. President Kagami spoke again, "Keisuke, why don't you take them for a tour inside? We have a lot of unique rides here."

"No problem, tochan!" the president's son gave a thumbs-up.

"Off you go, then. I have a meeting to attend to," Kagami-san said with a smile. Hiro and the others smiled back.

"Thank you very much, Kagami-san!" the VOICE members bowed as the ZECT President waved goodbye to them.

ZECT Paradise – 10:45 a.m.

"100% cool… no, 110% cool!" Yui exclaimed.

"What?" Hiro was confused.

"Kagami-san, that is!" Yui answered, "Even as the president of such a big company, he's still as striking and lively as ever! He even called me beautiful…"

"No wonder Keisuke's just as lively…" muttered Hiro, sounding a bit annoyed.

The four teenagers strolled inside the theme park. They went into different places: first into "Mirror World," a house full of mirrors; then into ZECT's famed "WORM," a hologram monster that copies the appearance of people who looked directly at it; next into the "time-travelling" train called the Den-Liner; then into the "Fangire Castle" which is, in essence, a horror house; and they also embarked on a journey into the "Caves of the Linto Tribe."

They also had fun playing with the robot called "Auto-Vajin," created by ZECT's partner company, Smart Brain. Lastly, they tried beating a costumed Oni named Hibiki in the Ongeki: drum-playing challenge before taking a break at the Agito Restaurant.

Agito Restaurant (inside ZECT Paradise) – 12:59 p.m.

"Ah! That was exhausting!" Keisuke remarked.

"Here are your orders! Insalata Della Casa, Bruschetta Ala Romana, Linguine Pomodoro, Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Cannelloni," announced the waiter, who then served their food on the table.

"They sure have weird names for such simple dishes," Anna sneered.

"Alright then! Itadakimasu!" shouted Keisuke. The others followed and they all ate.

"You seem deeply in thought, Hiro. Anything wrong?" Yui asked Hiro, who was unusually quiet.

"No, nothing." Hiro answered. Thoughts about Valtere still bothers him.

"Hey, I have an idea," Yui declared, " Why don't we take a group picture?"

"Great, I have the camer –" offered Keisuke, but Yui interrupted him.

"No, not your camera. Let's do it in a studio," Yui pointed outside the window, to a place called Hikari Photo Studio, "What do you think, Anna?"

"Not bad, let's go after we e –"

"AHHH!"

Hiro and the others heard loud screams from outside. They looked at the window, and saw a lot of people running away. Some costumers also panicked and went out of the restaurant at once. Yui turned her head left and right, "What's happening?".

"I don't know, but we should get out of here, quick!" answered Hiro, who seemed to have a gist of what's happening. The four of them stood up and ran to the doorway.

ZECT Paradise – 1:21 p.m.

Moments ago, this place was paradise. This time, however, the newly-opened theme park was saddled with chaos. People, young and old, were running for their life while they were being chased by green, imp-like monsters with glowing symbols in the forehead. Hiro, who was already outside the Agito Restaurant, saw this and was aghast. He clearly remembered those creatures – they were the same ones who attacked Yui and him the other night.

"What are those?" asked Yui, horror-struck.

"You don't remember?" Hiro asked back, even though he already knew the answer. Yui lost her memories of that night's events.

"You mean, you know what these are, Sakaguchi?" asked Anna who, for the first time, showed intense emotion.

"I've not heard of this…" muttered Keisuke.

One Ympe Aguima* noticed them, and started charging towards their direction. Hiro yelled, "RUN!"

They advanced as fast as they could. More and more Ympes were now following them. "Why are they after us?" cried Keisuke.

"Maybe they wanted the President's son! Keisuke, turn yourself in!" shouted Anna.

"Oi, this isn't the time for jokes!" Yui said, panting.

No, it wasn't Keisuke. It's me who they want I think, Hiro said to himself. They continued to run, striding past the WORM, who duplicated the image of the Aguima; and bumping with the guy who wore the Hibiki costume earlier.

"Let's go hide on the Mirror House!" ordered Keisuke, still running.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea," said Anna.

"Hey, wait! Keis – "shouted Hiro, but it was too late. Keisuke had already entered the Mirror House when a big, dark, energy ball crashed into it and exploded the house.

ZECT Paradise – 1:44 p.m.

It happened so fast that they couldn't believe their eyes. Shattered mirrors flew away in the air, as the Mirror House, with Keisuke in it, was blown into pieces. "KEISUKE!"

The three of them trembled. Yui cried out in tears. Anna muttered, "That's too cruel."

Hiro was the most affected. He was the one involved in this battle, yet innocent people are dying in his place.

"No…" Hiro swayed his head in disbelief, "NO!"

Anna looked around and saw a horde of Ympes watching, but not dashing toward them. She turned her head up, and spotted the blue, flying monster that launched the attack on the Mirror House.

"I think we should run away now," she said, but Yui seemed not to listen. Hiro stood up, tears flowing from his eyes, "Let's go."

ZECT Paradise – 1:50 p.m.

It took a while for Yui to recover, but the Aguimas didn't do anything until they started running again. Now, it wasn't just the Ympes who were following them, but a flying Wivere* too.

The Wivere sent off another round of destructive spheres, blasting the Den-Liner out of track and demolishing the Fangire Castle. The people trying to escape from the castle (which was built like a maze) didn't survive. Meanwhile, the Ympes continued to chase after Hiro, running over the Auto-Vajin (which short-circuited and set ablaze) in the process. When they reached the Linto Cave, the three of them decided to stop.

"I… can't anymore," said Yui, catching her breath. Flashes of a previous incident returned to Hiro's mind, the night when he and Yui set off to investigate the bike-riding ghost:

"I… c-can't… any…more…"

"Just a little more! Come on!"

But it was too late. The monsters already caught up with them and seized Yui.

Is this the end? Hiro thought. For a while now he felt tempted to call for Valtere, but his pride won't allow it.

The hell with pride! said the other part of his mind. Keisuke and many other people died because of that pride!

But what do I do? retorted another part. I don't even know if Valtere's still inside me!

Then why don't you try?

But…

There was a loud swoosh, and then a massive explosion. The Wivere fired at the Linto Cave, destroying it and sending a storm of dust and rocks toward Hiro and the others.

"AHHHHH!" Hiro heard Yui and Anna's shrieks as he ducked to avoid the flying rocks. He called for them in the midst of the gust. "Anna! Yui!"

ZECT Paradise – 2:09 p.m.

The aftereffect of the cave explosion subsided. Large rock chunks filled the area, while street lamps were blown over. Ice cream stalls, tables, chairs, umbrellas and the like were also flown apart. Mysteriously, all the Aguimas disappeared after that explosion. Hiro, who was fortunately unharmed, surveyed the place, hoping to see Anna and Yui in one piece. But what he discovered was too much for his mind to bear.

He saw Anna's unmoving hand under the lump of rock. Dozens of other people were also down, though he couldn't infer if they were dead or just unconscious. Yui, on the other hand, was out of sight. Hiro knelt, horror and guilt-stricken. "This couldn't be happening... This couldn't be happening!" he wept.

A few minutes later, while Hiro was still crying in grief, someone appeared in front of him. That person wore a purple cowl, with the hood almost covering the face. Hiro veered his head up, and saw the mysterious person looking back at him.

The hooded woman spoke, in an ironically airy voice, "Hello, Sakaguchi-kun."

(To be continued)

Next Time: With all these tragedies happening, where the hell is Valtere?

Stay tuned for Episode 5: Nightmare on Paradise! Confrontation with the Maiden!

The first sub-arc of Kamen Rider Valtere is about to conclude! Stay tuned for the action-packed continuation!

(Super Hero Time Announcer: There will be no SHT this time, as respect to this segment's hosts who unfortunately suffered a terrible fate in this episode of Kamen Rider Valtere. If you ask me, the writer might've done that to get rid of Keisuke-san, who started to become really, really demanding :P)

Notes:

* I've decided to give official names to the Aguima, in the same manner as how the Kaijins/monsters were labeled in real Kamen Rider shows. The Aguima types will be loosely based on folkloric creatures. Up to this part, two kinds were introduced: the Ympe Aguima (the green monsters in the first chapter, and in this one) and the Wivere Aguima (the blue, flying monster with a crocodile head).

** A reference to ZECT, the name of the organization which manages the Masked Rider systems in KR Kabuto. The ZECT in this story, however, is very different (well, for the most part) from the canon. Also throughout this chapter were a lot (and I mean a massive lot) of other references, didn't you notice?

Added note for those who may be asking: HEY? IS THIS AU OR SOMETHING? The answer is YES and NO. Yes, because you could consider it like that (Story-wise, the world of KR Valtere is a world where most of the previous Kamen Rider characters are coexisting, devoid of their knowledge whatsoever of their own Rider systems), and No, because you won't see them be involved in Hiro's Rider stuff (they were just meant to be cameos, for the mean time ^^,)