I do not own Kamen Rider Kabuto or Sailor Moon. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I'm just writing about them for the sheer enjoyment of it. I hope that you readers enjoy the story as much as I did writing it.
-Ten-Faced Paladin
Kamen Moon Rider
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chpater 3: Scouts Vs. Riders
Raye knew there was going to be trouble when she heard Sailor Moon announce herself. She was still being held by the golden armored figure. The three armored figures were gazing at Sailor Moon who was standing a few feet away from them, looking angry.
"Attackng an innocent is unforgivable!" Sailor Moon called. "I Sailor Moon will not let this go unpunished."
Kabuto watched the girl in a bit of curiosity. He knew that he shouldn't underestimate this girl. If there were as many attacks as the papers and rumors had said there were, she would have a lot of experience.
"Neither will I, Sailor Venus!" soemone new spoke.
Hakabuto was closest and he turned his gaze to the left. There was a girl in an outfit similar to Sailor Moon's. Her outfit was white and orange. She also had long blonde hair that hung down her back with a red bow tying some of it back. She didn't look happy.
"Sailor Jupiter won't either!" another girl called.
Gatack dared a glance and saw a girl in a green and white outfit. She had brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. She seemed equally angry with how Hakabuto was holding the priestess.
"I, Sailor Mercury will not stand idly by!" yet another person spoke. Kabuto dared a glance closer to Venus and saw a girl in blue and white. She had short blue hair and a very determined look on her face.
"You have to admit," Hakabuto whispered to Raye. "They know how to make an entrance."
Had the situation not been anymore serious, Raye would have started laughing. To be honest, she was quickly growing fearful of the situation. Her friends were probably not going to listen, thinking these men had attacked her. She was also afraid for her friends. The monster that the lady called a daimon was incredibly fast and obviously strong. What worried her was that she knew at least one of these guys could match it. Match it and take it down with one kick.
"So you are the Sailor Scouts that I have heard about," Kabuto nodded. "You're a little late,"
"Well I think we're just in time to save that priestess from you!" Sailor Moon shouted back.
"WHAT?!" Gatack and Hakabuto gasped.
"Let her go now or be moondusted!" Venus shouted from her vantage point.
"We didn't do anything!" Hakabuto argued.
"A likely story!" Jupiter frowned as she tensed for battle.
"Grandmother said this," Kabuto quoted. "The world around us can be percieved in many ways. It takes a keen eye to see the truth."
"Enough!" Venus shouted. "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
Hakabuto's eyes widened underneath his visor as he saw Venus fire a blast of energy from her hand at him. Reacting quickly, Hakabuto gripped Raye's shoulders and pulled her out of the way of the attack, along with himself. It continued along until it hit the ground. The impct from the blast left a small hole.
"You okay?" Hakabuto asked Raye. The girl weakly nodded, still recovering her voice.
Hakabuto gently placed Raye against the wall and turned to face Sailor Venus. He was so focused on facing her, he didn't notice someone trying to come up behind him. It wasn't until Sailor Jupiter grabbed his right arm that he realsied what had happened.
"Oh no," Hakabuto groaned.
"Thanks Jupiter!" Venus smiled. "Venus Crescent beam Smash!"
He couldn't dodge this time and the attack exploded off his right chest. The force pushed him back, almost stumbling. He tried to get get Jupiter off of him, but Venus quickly grabbed his other arm and both of them pinned his arms. Hakabuto knew he might be stronger, but he didn't want to hurt them too badly if they were the good guys.
"Okay buddy!" Sailor Jupiter said sternly. "Why did you attack that girl!?"
"Yeah!" Venus frowned. "Talk!"
Hakabuto sighed as he glanced at the two Sailor Scouts. He knew he had to get them off of him. It wasn't until he got anny idea that he smiled underneath his helmet.
"Okay okay!" he groaned, pretending to give up. "You'll have to get the armor off me though before I can."
"Then how do we get it off?" asked Venus.
"My bracelet," Hakabuto answered. "The one that looks like a beetle."
"I see it," Venus replied, fingering the golden zector on his arm.
"The biggest horn," Hakabuto instructed. "Push it up slightly to unlock it."
"Gotcha," Venus nodded as she followed his instructions to the word.
Venus touched to horn and pushed it slightly. It snapped into an unlocked positon and both scouts began to feel electric shocks run thrugh their hands. They looked to their captive and noticed that his arm, chest, and head armor was loosening as the energy began running through his body.
"Okay," Hakabuto instructed. "It's ready to come off. Just pull the horn all the way to the back."
Venus nodded as she followed the instructions. When the horn touched the far back, he called his order, "Cast Off!"
"Cast off?" asked both Sailor Scouts.
"CAST OFF!" the Zector echoed.
The scouts suddenly felt an impact against their bodies as their captive seemed to almost explode. The pieces of his armor shot like rockets away from him. It also pushed Venus and Jupiter away from him. The two Scouts landed hard as the pieces vanished.
"What the-?" gasped Venus.
"What a cheap trick!" Jupiter growled.
Hakabuto sighed in relief as he stood up. From their hidden places, his horns folded themselves onto his helmet, giving him a new look.
"CHANGE HERCULES BEETLE!" the zector called, activiating his Rider form.
Raye watched from her seat. She was surprised to see the golden figure change like that. When the armor announced itself, Raye suddenly got a flash from her dream. The warriors that stood beside her and the other scouts. Two grasshoppers, a wasp, a dragonfly, a scorpion...
"And three beetles," Raye whispered as it dawned on her.
Now that she looked at the red figure, she did notice a slight insect appearance. Very much like a beetle. When she peered at the blue figure who was facing off against Mercury, she could guess what his motiff was. She had to stop this before someone got seriously hurt.
While Raye struggled to her feet, Gatack was still facing down Mercury. He hadn't made a move since the Sailor Scout had cut him off from running to Hakabuto's aid.
"We don't have to fight," he said to Mercury, truly not wanting to fight her.
"Then why did you attack that girl?" asked Mercury.
"We didn't," Gatack replied honestly. "We stopped a monster from doing that. It's the truth so please let me pass."
"I can't do that," Mercury replied, taking a figting stance.
Gatack sighed as his muscles tensed, "Then I'm sorry for what must be done."
Gatack then charged at Mercury, trying to out her down. He didn't have a problem with fighting girls since many worms had taken the forms of women many times before. Mercury was proving to be a slippery one in how she was dodging his attacks. He kenw she was a one of the good guys so he wasn't about to use his shoulder guns on her.
After taking another swipe at her and missing, Mercury backed off and took another stance as Gatack turned to face her.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury cried as she launched a stream of water at Gatack.
Gatack saw the attack coming and tried to dodge it. Having to fight worms who could go super speeds in the blink of an eye really helped increase one's reflexes. However, the water did manage to catch Gatack's legs and left arm. It really shocked him to see the water encse said body parts in ice.
"Gah!" Gatack gasped as the cold hit him.
Mercury allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She still kept an eye on Gatack's shoulder mounted gun that wasn't frozen. She was hoping to get all of him so that they wouldn't be a threat. She was still ready to jump in case he took a shot at her, but she assumed she had won. She decided to try and get a readout on what exactly her opponent was and what weaknesses it had.
Gattack felt the chill of the ice down to his bones. How Sailor Mercury had managed to do this to him was a complete mystery to him.
'G-gotta g-get f-f-free,' he stuttered to himself, the cold really getting to him.
With his free arm, Gatack reached towards his zector. He was relieved to find that the ice hadn't gotten to it. With shaking fingers, he gripped the mouthpartsof his zector. The energy ran through his armor and actually warmed him slightly. As the outer armor expanded, the ice covering it began to crack. The energy running throough his body even caused the ice on his legs to crack as it warmed.
"What is going on?" Mercury gasped as she tried to get a reading on her Mercury computer.
"C-Cast Off," Gatack spoke as he pullled the mandibles back.
"CAST OFF!" the zector roared.
The ice seemed to expolde as Mercury took cover from the rain of metal and steel. When the downfall stopped, Mercury dared to glance at her opponent. Her mouth was actuallly caught wode open in shock as she gazed at Gatack.
His guns were completely gone. What was on his box-like shoulder pads now looked like short blades styled after stag beetle mandibles. His chest plate was styled after a beetle abdomen and his arms were clear of the cyllindrical sections. His head had the same silver mouthguard and the red eyes were now larger. On the sides of his head two horns rose the the sides. They were styled after stag beetle mandibles.
"CHANGE STAG BEETLE!" the Zector called as the armor kicked into action.
Raye noticed the blue armored man transform. When the armor spoke out she was now certain of it. These three were the warriors from her dream. Three of them anyway. She struggled to her feet as she watched the unfolding events.
"I have to stop this," she whispered weakly. "It has to stop."
Sailor Moon was staring down Kabuto angrily. She and Raye may have their differences every now and then but she was still a precious friend. She would never forgive anyone who wanted to cause her or any of her friends harm.
Kabuto was likewise keeping a careful eye on Sailor Moon. Fighting a human was nothing like fighting a worm. Most worms ran on instinct and just went and did whatever they wanted. A human could strategize and plan ahead. He had never seen any of the Sailor Scouts fight before so he didn't know what to expect. Still, he wasn't about to back down.The girl was obviously angry at the apparent threat to the priestess and wanted some form of retribution. She obviously thought that he and the other riders had done it.
'Some people just never think before acting,' Kabuto sighed at the thought. The thought also brought upmemories of certain other riders he knew.
"Prepare to be moondusted!" Sailor Moon cried as she summoned her sceptre.
Kabuto's head tilted in something close to surprise. To just call an object out of nowhere like that. He hadn't even considered it a possibility unless they had advanced technology. Then he remembered that since this was a different world, a different set of rules probably applied.
"Moon Princess Halation!" Sailor Moon cried as a disk shaped like a crescent moon fired at Kabuto.
It was at an impressive speed at the red rider. Sailor Moon was confident that it was going to hit the target. Kabuto had a fleeting thought at how powerful this attack probably was if she was the strongest of the Scouts.
"Clock Up!" Kabuto said sternly as he hit the button on the side of his belt.
"CLOCK UP!" the zector called as it activated.
Kabuto looked up as he sped up to the point of everything stood still. He saw the magical attack on a few inches from his face.
"Impressive," he mused. Not many ranged attacks got that close to him before.
Taking a step back so he could catch a breather, Kabuto noticed something near the tree that he had defeated a moment ago. It looked like a broken plant seed but it looked too big to be any native kind. He stepped closer to it and saw that the seed was hollow on the inside. Whatever had been inside was probably what made the tree turn into a monster. Kabuto kneeled down and collected the pieces into his left hand before standing up. Most likely the thing that was inside the seed died when Kabuto used his Rider Kick on it.
"Grandmother always did say to take one problem at a time and all the answers will come in time," Kabuto quoted to himself.
Clutching the seed remains, Kabuto walked back to where he stood in front of Sailor Moon's attack, albiet a bit further than where he started. He stood straight and reached to his belt.
"1, 2, 3," the Rhino Beetle Zector echoed as Kabuto pressed the buttons and reset the horn.
"Rider Kick," Kabuto commended as he pulled the horn again.
"RIDER KICK!" the Zector echoed.
As the energy began racing through Kabuto's body for the second time that day, the zector began to speak again.
"CLOCK OVER!" it spoke.
That was when everything began speeding up again. Sailor Moon's attack started spinning towards him again. This time, Kanuto was prepared. When it came within range, Kabuto unleashed another roundhouse which slammed into the spinning moon. There was a sound a little like shattering glass before the spinning moon was hurled back at Sailor Moon.
"Whaagh!" the leader of the Scouts cried as she fell back, avoiding the attack.
The spinning crescent moon just barely missed the girl before landing on the ground. When it stopped, the attack crumbled to dust. Kabuto looked at the girl as she seemed a little in shock. No doubt becauseshe wasn't used to her attacks launched back at her. She tried to move again, but the brooch on the centre of her chest suddenly shuddered and fell to the ground. The attack had probably dislodged it when it rushed past.
Sailor Moon was suddenly engulfed in pink ribbons that flew everywhere. After a few moments they vanished to reveal a shocked girl with two ponytails was sitting on the ground. Kabuto was standing still, not making a movement. The girl was struggling to find some words. The Sailor Scouts were all frozen in shock at what they had just seen. Hakabuto and Gatack were taking it well, but were wondering why anyone would need a flashy transformation like that.
Kabuto looked at the girl before stepping forward towards her. She was desperately trying to cover her face with her hands and shirt. Obviously she had a secret identity to keep.
"Get away from her!" Sailor Jupiter shouted.
Kabuto then found himself facing the three remaining Sailor Scouts. They looked anything but happy. Kabuto stopped his march and looked to the ground. The Scouts were confused at what he was doing until they saw him kneel down and actually scoop up Sailor Moon's brooch in his hand.
"Hey!" Sailor Venus cried. "Give that back!"
Kabuto seemed to ignore her as he stepped forward again. He shrugged past the three enraged/confused scouts. He stopped right in front of the blonde girl again who was still on her behind, now looking afraid. Kabuto kneeled down in front of her and held out the brooch of her.
"My apologies," Kabuto spoke in an even and serious tone. "It wasn't my intention for that too happen. I hope I did not scare you needlessly."
"Uh...uh..n-no," the girl replied hesitantly as she took the brooch back. She had covered her face with her shirt so to keep her identity a secret.
Kabuto nodded as he stood up and walked past the scouts. Hakabuto and Gatack took up his sides. The three of them had their gazes levelled on the Sailor Scouts. It was obviously a standoff now.
"Wait!" Raye screamed as she ran forward between them. "Please stop!"
"What!" the three Scouts shrieked.
Raye didn't seem to listen to them as she turned to the three riders. She took a deep breath before pleacing her hands in front of her and bowing deeply.
"I humbly thank you for rescuing me," she spoke, slightly surprising the older Riders. They hadn't been thanked that much in their line of work before.
Raye didn't seem to be intimidated or surprised as she continued, "Can I please know the names of the men who saved me?"
The two oldest riders were taken aback again. Usually when someone saw them fight super strong monsters and win, they tended to run away fast. Instead, here was a girl who not only thanked them, but also wanted to know who they were. Kabuto decided to begin.
"Kamen Rider Kabuto," Kabuto introduced.
"Heh, Kamen Rider Gatack," Gatack introduced, happy for the appreciation.
"Uh...K-Kamen Rider Hakabuto," the final rider introduced shyly.
"I am Raye Hino," the young priestess smiled. "Again, thank you for saving me."
Kabuto noticed how the girl was putting emphasis in the words relating to rescues. She was making it painfully known as to who was rescued. Gatack was finding that he was loving the praise while Hakabuto was trying not to look too shy, even if they couldn't see his face.
"Ahh, don't mention it," Gatack laughed goofily before looking at the scouts. "No hard feelings?"
The blonde girl with the ponytails finally spoke, "No hard feelings at all! Just a misunderstanding!"
She was laughing nervously, trying not to look dumb. Kabuto didn't react while Hakabuto and Gatack looked at each other in confusion.
"I'm leaving," Kabuto remarked as he began walking for the stairs. Gatack quickly followed him, not seeing a reason to stay. Hakabuto seemed hesitant, but he then stepped closer to Raye.
"I hope we can meet in better circumstances," he spoke before turning to the scouts. "And I hope you don't think poorly of my friends."
Hakabuto, saying his piece began running after his comrades. The girls followed them but when they finally got them in their sights, they heard the words 'clock up' and the three riders vanished.
"Woah!" Serena gasped as she saw them vanish.
"Where'd they go?" asked Venus.
"Raye?" asked Mercury. "What just happened?"
"I think I should explain inside," Raye spoke. "So change back and come inside."
"Kaolinite," Professer Tomoe spoke. "I understand that the heart crystal did not have a talisman."
"I apologize," Kaolinite frowned sadly. "I will ensure to try and be more precise."
"Fear not," the Professer smiled. "I knew that this would not be an easy task. What I am concerned about is the unaccounted interruption. Care to explain?"
Kaolinite frowned even deeper, "I...I don't know. I haven't seen anything like it before. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry Kaolinite," the Professer snickered. "I haven't even seen anything like this myself. I couldn't expect you to know about it either. I only asked because I am curious. Now, do you have a theory?"
"Not much of one," Kaolinite admitted. "I can only assume that wherever these variables came from, it has to do with that energy spike that we felt earlier."
"A sound theory," the Professer nodded. "Although I expect you to continue your duties in the search, please try to find out anything you can about these variables."
"Of course sir," Kaolinite smiled before turning away and heading into the darker parts of the lab.
"Kamen Rider Kabuto, Gatack, and Hakabuto," the professer pondered. "How you intrigue me so. I so look forward to finding out more about you."
Walking down the streets again, Tendou was leading the way with Yagami and Kagami behind him. He was being silent again and ignoring any questions that were sent his way.
"Is he always like this?" Yagami asked Kagami.
"As long as I've known him," Kagami replied.
While the other two riders had a meeting of the minds, Tendou was staring at the broken seed in his hand. The more he thought about it, and the circumstances of where he found it, the more he was certain that it was the key to who had created the monster.
'Daimon,' he mentally corrected. 'That's what that girl said at the shrine.'
All the while he was walking, he was comparing the daimon against what he faced with worms. Daimon were strong. Just as much as Worms. They were pretty fast too. Well below Clock Up speed but still quick for those who were unprepared. He also made notes about the Sailor Scouts. They were full of surprises and seemed to have an affinity to certain parts of nature. They seemed a little young for the job but that wasn't his choice to make. What was a slight detail that he noticed in the fight. There were only four scouts at the fight. Tendou read that there were supposed to be five. One for each planetary body inside the asteroid belt. A second note he made was that there was no representation for Earth. An oddity, but then again, he had only seen them in battle once. The warriors for Mars and Earth probably couldn't be at the battle.
Tendou sighed before looking ahead and putting the seed back into his pocket. One problem at a time. These daimon were a threat that had to be dealt with and an egnima that had to be learned. The way creatures were made would come first before he would deal with those who made them.
Two female figures stood atop a roof while they considered the days events.
"We were expecting the scouts," said the one with shoulder length hair. "But who were those men in the suits of armor?"
"Don't know, don't care," the one with short hair remarked casually. "I don't like the gold one amd if he gets in the way again then I will take him down."
"Personally I think he's friendly," the first figure spoke, earning something of a glare from the second. "He was just worried about the girl."
"We still have to complete our mission," the second figure spoke, earning a nod from the first. "If these armored bugs prove to be a threat to it, we will have to get them out of the way."
The first figure nodded again, albiet a little sadly.
To Be Continued
A/N: There we go. The next chapter is up. The scouts take on the riders and Moon takes a hit. How will the appearance of the riders affect things? Heck, I'm the writer and I'm not even sure. There's just so many ways I can take this. I guess you'll just have to wait and see.