MINNA! I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I KNOW IT'S VERY VERY VERY LATE!
Actually this chapter is a crossover with Shinkenger, because I just finished the series, and I'm still suffering the afterglow of the show, so if you don't know Shinkenger, or you hate it, I won't blame you for just clicking back. GOMENASAI!
For those who know and like Shinkenger, I hope you enjoy this story! Yes, afterglows make obsessions for me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider, nor do I own Shinkenger *melts*.
Chapter 9
"...Like I said, Shota, I don't need a bodyguard! If they come, let them come! I'll take care of them!"
The peaceful afternoon at Narumi Detective Agency was rudely invaded by a shrill protest from outside, drawing the attention of its inhabitants.
As the door opened, a man appeared, retorting, "Yes, you, no, we need protection, and this is the best place to get it. You know that the incidents have been increasing, don't you?"
"Anou..." Akiko began, and the couple turned their heads. "Ah! So sorry! Is this the Narumi Detective Agency?" When Akiko nodded, the man continued, "My name is Kaede Shota, and this is my fiancée, Mako. We've come to ask for your help."
Shoutarou got up from his chair, and made coffee for them. "What would you like from us?"
"...nothing..." Mako muttered, pissed that she couldn't get her way.
Shota looked at his fiancée. "Mako... Anyway, we need a security team at our wedding, which is tomorrow. We know about the recent string of attacks on weddings, but Mako didn't want to cancel, so this is our best bet."
"Ah, that Dopant, huh. We're on."
"Count me out of this," Philip appeared from his hideout, got himself some coffee, and disappeared back in.
The next morning, Philip went out early, while Akiko and Shoutarou got ready for the wedding.
Philip walked along the streets, searching for the game center that he'd seen a few days ago.
"There it is!" he quickened his steps, and went in, soaking in the wonderful excitement of the youths that were furiously abusing the game controls and the virtual villains. He walked around a bit, looked over people's shoulders to study them, before one particular person caught his attention.
The virtual hero's actions were so realistic, and some of the moves were even familiar to himself, as a rider. The spins, the dodges, and the kicks, oh the kicks; every move was perfect. And the finishing move, a brilliant display of the staff, as it slashed across the villain's body in one clean stroke.
"Unbelievable."
The wedding bells rang, signaling the beginning of the procession. Shoutarou leaned on the pillar, watching his client's soon-to-be-wife walk through the huge church doors. He hoped for this wedding, at least, to be a success.
The famous Wedding March by Wagner echoed in the tall white church, and the white-clad bride strode forward, accompanied by her father. From the aisle, her wheelchair-bound mother watched, crying as her daughter's dream finally came true.
Akiko looked so happy Shoutarou wondered if she was going to ask some random person to marry her now just so she could live this pleasure.
The groom received his fiancée, and Shoutarou got on his feet, alert for any sign of that monster.
"Like I said, Shota, I don't need a bodyguard!"
Shoutarou smirked. She was going to realize he was a necessity in this wedding, as the dark monstrosity crashed through the eighth church, crashing this eighth wedding in the month.
"Philip! Henshin now."
Philip had been caught by his new friend, just by that one word he said. They got along immediately, with his friend explaining things to a very curious Philip. After all it was his current obsession- video games.
"This is amazing! How do you even manage to do that?"
Without glancing at Philip, he answered, "Well…You could say I had a year's special training. Yes! " He had won.
Philip, still wide-eyed, stared at him in admiration.
He turned to look at Philip, and held out his hand, "I'm Chiaki. Tani Chiaki."
"Philip." They shook hands.
Turning back to the game console, Chiaki explained, "You need to imagine you're the one fighting, then you can really get into the game."
Philip nodded, and felt a familiar feeling—the W driver had materialized around his waist.
Oh no, he panicked, and covered the belt with his bag. Chiaki noticed his suddenly restless movements and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I err…have a stomachache. I'm going to the toilet." And Philip rushed away, keeping the driver hidden.
In the safe confines of the cubicle, Philip relaxed. "Ok, Shoutarou. Sorry to keep you waiting."
The wedding guests took to their feet and wasted no time in escaping, but the bride did not flinch. Shota, Shoutarou's client and the groom, tried to urge her to move, but instead, she lifted her veil.
"You! How dare you crash my wedding? That's about as far as you get, crashing people's big days. I will personally put a stop to this. SHODOPHONE!"
Shota, haven given up on getting her to move, and seeing her produce her weird phone, decided it was not wise to stay on.
Shoutarou noticed the materializing cyclone memory, pressed it in and inserted his own memory.
"HENSHIN!"
"CYCLONE!JOKER!"
Mako waved her phone in front of her, and pink strokes appeared, forming the word 天 –"Heaven".
"IPPITSU SOUJOU!"
In a flash of light, a pink suit wrapped around her, and the kanji formed a helmet around her.
"ShinkenPink! Shiraishi Mako! Mairu!"
The Dopant laughed, "No one should get married, if I cannot! HAAAA!"
W rushed towards the Dopant, delivering a wind-enhanced punch. ShinkenPink and W took turns dealing the Dopant blows in half-darkness.
"Ku…" The Dopant ran out of the shadows into the middle of the church, and ShinkenPink gasped.
"Usukawa Tayuu? But…How?"
W went ahead, continuing his attack. "Don't let your guard down!"
"Ha…Hai!" And ShinkenPink resumed her partnership with W.
A Shamisen materialized in the Dopant's hands, one that is made of blood-red bones for the neck and ribs where the soundboard was supposed to be. "Take this!" The Dopant began playing a melody, one that was very familiar to Mako, one that could never be erased no matter how many years she had retired from being a Shinkenger.
Don't be deceived! This cannot be Tayuu. She was absorbed by Doukoku. Mako forced herself not to listen to the melody and tried to focus on attacking. "Eh! Why can't I move?"
"Ho ho ho! This memory is rather useful. With this playing, you won't even be able to lift a finger, let alone attack me!"
Philip was thoroughly confused. Who was this girl in pink? Another Rider? And why does she seem to know the Dopant?
"Philip, nothing around here makes sense anymore. Stop trying to make sense of it and it'll spare you a whole lot of headache." Shoutarou said, just as the Xtreme memory flew in, accompanied by what seemed to be a pink flying turtle. In coordinated strokes, the two attacked the Dopant, one snapping the Shamisen strings and the other distracting it by attacking the head.
"Now!"
"Ah." Shoutarou nodded, and loaded the Joker memory into the Maximum Drive slot.
"JOKER: MAXIMUM DRIVE!"
"SHINKENMARU!"
Both Rider and Samurai leapt into the air.
"TENKUU NO MAI!" "JOKER EXTREME!"
ShinkenPink descended first, slashing at the Dopant, followed by the two halves of W, who delivered the breaking attack.
A giant explosion drove the memory out of the woman, who fell.
ShinkenPink picked up the memory. "What is this?"
"USUKAWATAYUU" the memory pronounced one last time before shattering with great heat, causing Mako to drop it.
Shoutarou reversed his transformation as well, and walked over. "That's a Gaia Memory. People, humans, use it to become super-human beings."
"Gedoushuu…"
"What?"
"The memory used had the name of a Gedoushuu that I knew and fought before."
"You are…"
"ShinkenPink. Well, I was."
"Maybe it'll be better if I explained, Shoutarou." A new voice entered, accompanied by clear footsteps echoing in the church.
"Tsukasa!"
"Tsukasa!"
"Long time no see, huh, Mako-chan." The passing-through rider greeted Mako.
"Since when did I say you could call me –chan?"
"Never mind that now. How are Tono-sama and the others?"
Mako thought hard. "They're fine, I guess. I haven't seen them in a few years."
"Tsukasa, you'd better explain." Shoutarou reminded Tsukasa.
"Of course. Mako-chan here (Mako: Grr….) is one of the 5, no, 6 Samurais that I met on my journey, in the world of Shinkenger. As ShinkenPink, she fights with her Tono-sama against the Gedoushuu, which are monsters from the Sanzu River."
Mako took over. "Usukawa Tayuu was one of them, but she was human once, strayed from her path. That's why I remember her so well. In the end she got absorbed by the Gedoushuu General, Chimatsuri Doukoku, whom we defeated."
Shoutarou nodded awkwardly, not sure if he fully understood.
"By the way, my name is Shiraishi Mako. Nice to meet you."
Philip got out of the toilet with many questions in his head, wandering brainlessly back to his friend, Chiaki.
"Oi, Philip. What happened to you? You were gone for almost an hour!" Chiaki's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Ah Chiaki. Gomen. I was really busy."
"Haa…" It must have been a bad stomachache, Chiaki concluded, and said, "Here. Sit."
"Would you like to try the game?"
Philip's eyes lit up. "Ok!"
Imagine I'm the one fighting...
Closing his eyes, Philip imagined FangJoker, fighting against a Dopant.
The game began, and Philip gave his all.
"Sugoi…" Chiaki was taken aback by Philip's style. It was powerful yet graceful, wild yet restrained, as though it was on the edge of going out of control.
"FANG: MAXIMUM DRIVE!" rang inside Philip's mind.
"FANG STRIDER!" hearing Shoutarou's and his own voice as one, Philip delivered the final kick to the monster. K.O. appeared on the screen, and the victory music played.
"That was amazing! You're a natural! I've never seen anything like that before!" Chiaki bounced up and down with excitement, dragging Philip along with his wave of hyper energy.
Philip sighed, the adrenaline beginning to settle. "Now I know why people like this so much." Philip crashed back into the chair exhausted.
Chiaki smiled brightly.
As previous events came back to his mind after he recovered from the afterglow of the game, Philip muttered, "Usukawa… Tayuu…"
"What?"
"Ah! Nothing. Nothing at all."
I swear he said Usukawa Tayuu…
Chiaki looked at his new, strange friend, worry beginning to surface in his mind.
Usukawa…
What does this mean for me?
For some reason I just like leaving cliffhangers nowadays, but anyways, if you're a fellow Shinkenger fan, PLEASE REVIEW! ONEGAI DESUKARA!
