Horseshoes and Hand-grenades

X: 20-1-8 20-5-1-13

"Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is a success."

-Henry Ford

"All done!" said Ryutaros, showing his hand-drawn posters to the Imagin. "Look at what I've drawn! This is going to be such an amazing show!"

"Really good work on the bird," said Sieg, pointing to the crayon sketch of a quetzal. "It looks just like the real thing."

"Sieg is right, Ryu-chan," said Urataros. "And your drawing of Joji fighting the quetzal is quite marvelous."

"I know! Naomi-chan's been giving me lots of drawing lessons! I wanna make children smile when I show them my pictures!"

While the Swan, Turtle and Dragon Imagin continued to talk about the posters, Momotaros looked up, as if sensing something in the air. Kintaros cracked his neck with a finger, also sharing that similar feeling.

"Looks like we have trouble, don't we Momonoji?" said the bear-like Imagin. He let go of his balloons and watch them float into the air."Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready," said Momotaros. He let go of the red balloons in his hand. "I'm off!

The red Imagin transformed into an orb of golden light and flew into the sky, speeding toward Motoyama's location as fast as he possibly could.

0-0-0-0-0-

Chosuke, JK and Norio ran across the streets of the Kyoto Movie Village, taking a glance behind them every now and then to ensure that Aries Zodiarts was nowhere to be seen. When they came to a park bench, they slowed down to a stop and sat down. Chosuke placed a hand over his heart, taking in some deep breaths. JK just looked around, making sure that the Zodiarts wasn't following them.

"What's going on, Kaizou?" he asked the gossip broker. "Isn't that the same Aries Zodiarts that started this whole mess? The same Zodiarts that's caused Gentaro to be revived by Ophiuchus and the same one that caused Ryusei to become a psychopath?"

"It can't be the same one," JK answered, shaking his head. "Tatsumori was sent into a coma after Gentaro summoned Ophiuchus to swallow him whole. Then, Gentaro smashed the Horoscope Switch related to Aries, and Tatsumori is stuck in some kind of coma and being treated at a local hospital. Going by that logic, Aries Zodiarts' appearance shouldn't be possible. Unless..."

"Unless what?" asked Norio, slowly waking up from Aries' spell. "What's going on JK?"

"Unless Gamou somehow found someone to become a replacement Aries Zodiarts," JK began to pull on his hair and shook his head. "This is definitely not good."

Chosuke noticed something flying into the air, lazily floating around and rising higher and higher until they were small dots in the sky above.

"Look!" he exclaimed using Norio's binoculars to look up into the sky. "Red and yellow balloons. There are other Zodiarts in Kyoto and an emergency meeting at the rendezvous point."

"We still need to find Gentaro!" JK hissed. "What's the plan?"

"Let's split up," said Norio. "JK, you go follow Kengo and the others. Chosuke and I will meet up at the rendezvous point. Contact Tomoko and Erin on all the information you can gather and don't engage in combat unless absolutely necessary. Alright?"

"You don't have to worry about me." JK crossed his arms into an X, his hands forming the letters J and K in front of his friends. "I'm Kaizou Jingu after all."

"Your name's sort of familiar," said Chosuke. "I think I've heard it long ago from my parents."

"I'll explain its significance after we get out of Kyoto. Get going and head toward the rendezvous point; we don't want to keep our audience waiting."

Norio and Chosuke nodded their heads, and the three soon went their separate ways.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

Neither Libra nor his Dustards attacked the space otaku, the painter, the psychotic martial artist or the oxygen-deprived girl. They stayed still, waiting for the first move to be made. It was a very awkward silence following a frightening situation between Yukina's delusional dreams, Ryusei's psychopathic behavior and the entrance of the Zodiarts of the Scales preparing to kill them all. Yuki's hand was still inside her Hayabusa plushie, her eyes analyzing the situation. They were outnumbered at least twenty to one and without immediate help, and neither Ryusei or Yukina were going to be of any help. She and Motoyama were on her own.

"What shall we do?" Yuki asked out loud. She looked and saw the Dustards preparing their steel staffs, waiting for their master's command. "Oh dear, we're so alone and so helpless. Right, Motoyama?" She nudged Motoyama with her elbow and winked. Motoyama nodded his head and closed his eyes.

"Cut the melodrama crap, girl," Libra hissed, slamming his staff onto the ground. "You're in our way."

"Are we? Well, maybe we should enlighten you with something like...this!"

Yuki pulled out the item tucked away in her plushie. It was the deactivated form of the Flashake Foodroid. It activated, revealing its flippers and glowing yellow eyes. The space otaku tossed the Foodroid into the air, releasing a burst of light that blinded everyone within a five foot radius. Motoyama pressed on the red button on the Liner belt, the belt playing an electronic tune at the touch.

"Momotaros!" he said. "Come to me!"

"I'm already here!" Momotaros replied, his golden orb form entering Motoyama's body. The painter's hair was spiked up with a prominent red streak shown. His red eyes showed a look of determination as he held a Liner Pass in his hand.

"Henshin!" he announced, passing the Liner Pass in front of the belt.

Sword Form

Motoyama was covered in black and silver armor, before six pieces of red armor attached to his face, torso, shoulders and legs. In his hand was a sword with a red blade, crackling with electricity. He spread his legs and arms out in a pose. This was Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form, the first of Den-O's multiple forms.

"Ore...sanjou!" Momotaros cried.

"Den-O KITA!" Yuki cried, bending her knees before rising in the air.

"Girl," said Sword Den-O, turning to Yuki. "Gather your stuff and run the hell away from here! The yellow balloons have flow into the air."

"All right, then." Yuki gathered the remains of her Hayabusa plushie into her arms. "Will you be alright, Momotaros?"

"Tch. I'm always fine. Don't worry about me. I've been waiting for a challenge for quite some time."

Yuki nodded her head as she approached Yukina. She took the unconscious girl into her arms and began to run off. Ryusei soon followed after her, remembering his mission, leaving Sword Den-O all by himself. The red Kamen Rider grunted and began to charge through the army of Dustards, knocking them down with a few swipes of his sword.

"Iku ze! Iku ze! Iku ze!" He exclaimed, barreling through his enemies.

0-0-0-0-0-

Kengo Utahoshi fiddled with the golden snake necklace adorning his neck. It showed his ownership to the Serpent-bearer, the sign that his past life was gone. His new life revolved around worshiping the great serpent Ophiuchus, and to the person who made him see the light. Everything regarding friendship, bonds and happiness went away. All that he saw was a world where Ophiucus's influence spread across the masses, bending them to his will. The thought of seeing those mindless drones assembled to worship the serpent made him shiver with delight. He smiled as he continued to walk around Kyoto, acting as if he was visiting the town and all of its wonders.

"Serpent of the Obsidian Knives," he told Jiro. "What do you think about our master's enemies?"

"They shall fall underneath his might," Jiro snarled, his hands clenched into fists. "Master Ophiuchus and the Serpent-bearer are formidable opponents that would not bow down to some pathetic club and their magic of friendship. It makes me sick just thinking about how much they accomplished with their smiles and laughter."

"Then I see we both are on the same boat," Kengo chuckled. He turned around, seeing the chained ballerina looking around in fear. "And what about you, little Mockingbird? What do you think of master's generosity? He's sparing you from the sensation of killing and even healed all of the wounds that the Serpent of Obsidian Knives gave you. You should be happy that you can show off your beauty and voice for just a little while longer."

If Misa Torizaki could look down at her feet, she would've seen no knife wound from the day before. The blindfold prevented her from doing such a task. She didn't say a word at all, shaking her head in fear and obedience.

"Cat got your little tongue?" Jiro chuckled, placing a kiss on Misa's lips. Misa just flinched and shoved Jiro away from her. He let out a laugh. "Feisty, isn't she?"

"Only when she's begging for mercy," Kengo cackled. "It's such a shame that master won't let us have fun with her. But you know what they say, 'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' Do you know what that means Torizaki?"

"N-no..." Misa whispered, shaking her head. "I don't know."

"It's a quote from a famous novel in the West," Jiro laughed. "Mockingbirds don't do anything mean to people. They just sing pretty songs all day and make people happy. Well, little Mockingbird..." He placed a hand on one of Misa's breasts. The ballerina didn't even flinch as Jiro continued to speak. "Where we're going, you're going to make everyone very happy."

Kengo let a out harsh laugh as they continued to walk the empty road, oblivious to JK trailing them from behind, a look of absolute disgust on his face. JK, holding his cellphone into the air, stopped the video recording and began to follow them once more. With a few quick strokes of his thumb, he finished typing a message to a couple of people, sending the video recording along with it. Once the phone read, "Message sent!", he pocketed the phone and proceeded to continue his pursuit.

"That's it..." he thought to himself. "Keep talking to yourselves. I'll make sure to expose your plans to the Kamen Rider Club and ensure that you don't get away with it." He patted his jean pockets and nodded his head. "I, Kaizou Jingu, will knock you all down."

0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Someone save me!" Tomoko wailed, falling onto her knees in terror. Her normally pallid face was covered in tribal makeup as she exclaimed, "I have been captured by the Lord of the Dead!"

Joji grinned, dressed in his apparel as the Aztec God Mictlantecuhtli. His neck was adorned with a necklace of fake eyeballs, and on his head was a headdress made out of owl feathers and papery banners. Decorating his earlobes were ear-spools—round ring-like earrings—made out of white craft foam. His eyes were covered by a blindfold, and his body was covered in red paint to represent blood. He grinned at Tomoko and grabbed her hand.

"You're coming with me to the Underworld," He hissed into his captive's ear. "You'll be spending time with me for all eternity."

"N-no!" Tomoko stammered, struggling to push the evil god away. "I won't! Can anyone save me?! Someone help me!"

While Daisuke waited for his cue to rescue the maiden, Erin held Tomoko's tablet in her hands. She saw a light beep and read the message JK sent to the group. Erin then played the video, staying silent as she saw Kengo and Jiro shoving Misa around like she was their plaything.

"Who would do such a thing?" she gasped. "That's...inhuman!"

"Erin! Daisuke-san!" cried a voice. The two girls turned to see Yuki rush toward them, her Hayabusa plushie in her hands, and an unconscious Yukina on her back. She panted for breath and said, "Libra Zodiarts was found spotted in the Senban Torii! Momotaros said that the yellow balloons were also released and told me to come here!"

"Where's everyone else?" asked Erin.

"I'm not sure, but they'll most likely be coming here to set the trap for Ryusei." The space otaku set Yukina onto the floor and sat down. "I haven't heard word from Miu or Shun at all, so they must be working on unlocking all of those files from Kengo's father."

"Hana's still busy promoting the show, and I don't have word from Chosuke or Norio at all. It's all adding to my feeling of worry. It's like we've been lead into a trap. Wait," Erin observed Yuki placing Yukina's body onto the ground. "Why is she here? What happened?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Yuki explained. "But it all started with her asking about Gentaro's...love life..."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Den-O Sword Form swiped his sword in the air, only to be blocked by Libra Zodiart's staff. The two moved their fight from the thousand torii to a forest of bamboo. The two were going neck and neck, neither of them showing any sign of giving up so soon. Den-O was determined to stop whatever Libra was planning, while Libra was determined to destroy one of the pathetic Kamen Riders once and for all.

"What are you supposed to be anyway?" asked Sword Den-O. "A cockroach? Seems pretty stupid if you ask me."

Libra snarled and fired a bolt of electricity from his antenna. The electricity struck Sword Den-O's chest and knocked him back into a wall of large bamboo stalks.

"Think I'm stupid now?" Libra snarled, slowly approaching the fallen Kamen Rider. "I think you should brush up on your biology: cockroaches are said to survive even the most deadly of nuclear apocalypses."

"Yet they still can be squashed like any other stupid bug in the world," Sword Den-O slowly stood up and pointed his sword at the Zodiarts of the Scales. "You're no exception."

The Kamen Rider rushed toward Libra once more, sword in the air. Libra raised his staff in preparation to block the attack, but was surprised when he found Den-O raise his foot into the air and kick him in the chest. The Zodiarts fell onto the ground in pain.

"Here we go!" said Sword Den-O scanning his Liner Pass across his belt once more. Red bolts of electricity flew from the scanner to the pass.

Full Charge

Sword Den-O tossed the Liner Pass away as he raised his sword into the air. Red bolts of electricity wrapped around his blade.

"It's time for my hissatsu attack!" said Den-O. "Hissatsu...part 3!"

The sword blade flew into the air as Sword Den-O controlled it with its handle. The blade dove toward Libra, cutting him with a diagonal slash. Den-O cut through the air horizontally, the blade attacking Libra in the same way. Finally, Den-O raised his handle into the air.

"Say goodbye, Kafka!" He exclaimed, bringing the handle down.

Just as the blade could deliver the coup de gras, Libra tapped the ground with his staff. He was surrounded by a blue orb of light that teleported him away, the blade instead slicing some bamboo in half. As the bamboo fell onto the ground, Den-O just snarled.

"Run away, why don't you?" He exclaimed. "I'll beat your ass so hard, you won't be able to feel it!"

"That's enough for now," said Motoyama. "We better report this to the others."

Den-O just scoffed and removed the transformation belt around his waist. The armor peeled off, revealing Motoyama with his bag of art supplies and Momotaros standing next to him. The painter looked around, seeing the tranquility of the bamboo forest. If it wasn't for the fact that there were monsters roaming around Kyoto, he would've love to sit down, set up his easel, and sketch the beauty all around him. Alas, he would have to wait until later.

"We didn't even figure out why Principal Hayami was here," said Motoyama. "Some Kamen Rider I am."

"It's alright," said Momotaros, a hand on his partner's shoulder. "It was your first time on the field; you can't always expect things to immediately appear in front of you."

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, what's that?"

Motoyama turned to his right and noticed something peculiar. Approaching it, he saw the remains of a stone pillar. The top of the pillar had a strange symbol on top. He began to piece the rubble together until he found a full picture of what he saw. Was this why Libra Zodiarts came here? What was this pillar's purpose?

"That looks pretty strange," said the red Imagin. "Wonder how we can get a good replica of this?"

Thinking quick, Motoyama pulled out a piece of charcoal and some paper from his bag, placing the paper over the design. He immediately rubbed the charcoal over the paper until he could see an exact replica of the design in front of his eyes. Once he finished rubbing the design, and his fingers turning completely black from the pressure he placed on the charcoal, Motoyama blew on the paper to get rid of any excess charcoal and pulled out a can of sealant in his bag.

"Stand back," he told Momotaros, shaking the sealant and hearing the small ball inside rattle with each shake. "I'm going to let this seal and then we'll send this for analysis."

"Couldn't it have been easier to just take a photo on your cellphone?"

"It could, but I wanted to have a copy of a charcoal sketch for home. It looks magnificent."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Once Shun and Miu found the name of a scientist who used to work on the Fourze Driver, the two headed toward the office where he worked. The man was known as Kuneiru Emoto, and he had been a prominent member in the field of astronomy for quite some time. If there was anyone who knew about space technology and how it related to Kengo's father, a map to Kyoto and forty Astroswitches, it would be him.

Of course, they couldn't reveal about how they knew about the Astroswitches or the existence of the Rabbit Hatch. The last thing they needed was too many people in the know about the Kamen Rider Club's plans, and said people getting involved with the Zodiarts and Ophiuchus. So the plan was to get as much information as possible—without using Urataros as a bargaining chip—and then relaying it back to the group. Easier said then done, right?

"This must be the place," said Miu, seeing the number "326" in front of them. "Here goes."

The Club Chairman knocked on the door. The door immediately opened, revealing the bespectacled and awkwardly shy scientist smiling back at them.

"Ah," He began. "I've never seen you two before. May I get some names?"

"Miu Kazashiro and Shun Daimonji," Miu answered. "We're from the Twin Spica University."

"Oh, yes! That university has an amazing space program that has many students graduating with full marks. And what brings you to see me?"

"We've come to talk to you about Kyoto's history with space," Shun answered. "You see, Miu and I are doing a paper about this city and were wondering if there were any astronomical findings you could tell us about."

"Certainly. Come right this way, and I'll get some tea brewing for the three of us."

Miu and Shun nodded their heads and stepped inside. The office was simple—four white walls with posters of Earth, the Moon and many other planets, the desk having a chunk of a meteorite as a paperweight and a small cabinet to the side with a basket of teabags and a kettle for tea. There was nothing out of the ordinary or anything that would point to Emoto to working with dangerous forces. Still, that didn't mean that Miu and Shun could be careless to the danger they were in.

"Do you know about the Four Guardians?" asked Emoto, carefully dropping four teabags and water into his kettle. He flipped the switch on and sat himself down, a pleasant smile on his face.

"All kids know the old myth," said Shun. "There's the Azure Dragon, the Black Turtle, the White Tiger and the Vermilion Bird. They each represent one specific element—Water, Earth, Metal and Fire—and they all relate to specific compass directions: Azure Dragon for East, Black Turtle for North, White Tiger for West and Vermilion Bird for Sout. There's also the legend of the fifth being, the Yellow Dragon, that appears in the center."

"Correct. Now, what would happen if people could harness their power? What would it mean for humans to obtain an equal footing to the Four Guardians? Have you ever thought about that?"

"It is an interesting idea," said Miu, slowly nodding her head. "It also brings me to our question. Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

She pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to Emoto. The man took the paper into his hands, adjusted his glasses and stared at it for a few seconds. He then looked at his two guests.

"W-where did you obtain these?" he asked. "I haven't seen these since the accident with..." He shook his head. "No. Who are you?"

"We told you," said Miu, crossing a leg over the armrest. "We're from Twin Spica University. We're here to do a report on-"

"I don't mean that!" Emoto snapped, standing up. He showed them the map of Kyoto marked with four different symbols. "How did you obtain a copy of this? What are your true identities? Don't play dumb with me."

"We're not playing anything, Emoto-san," Shun explained calmly. "We're here to uncover the truth about what happened with you and Rokuro Uta-"

"Don't you dare say that name in front of me!" Emoto snarled, rummaging for something in his pocket. "What are your true motives? Tell me now!"

"What about your true motives?" Miu retorted. "Aren't you going to tell the truth about the research held on the moon? I'm sure you have plenty of material to give us. Like how you're currently working with the chairman of Amanogawa High and-"

"Shut up!" Emoto snarled, pulling the item out of his pocket. It was a Horoscope Switch topped with the sign of Virgo. Miu and Shun didn't flinch, but that didn't stop him from glaring at them. "I should send you both to the Dark Nebula so that you'll never snoop around in our business ever again!"

"Well, if you're going to do that," Shun took a glance at the shelf. "You should at least give us a chance to have some tea first."

Before Emoto could react, Shun took the tea kettle from its heating base and poured all of its contents over him. The astronomer screamed in terror when he felt the hot water touch his face, his face turning red with both anger and from being in contact with boiling water. When he was finally able to blink, he saw Miu snatch his Zodiarts Switch, nod toward Shun before seeing the two escaped his office. Glad that he was still able to see, Emoto stumbled his way out of his office and into the hallway, trying to remember where the water fountains were. When he found them, he immediately began splashing ice cold water all over his face, feeling his skin cool down and the pain slowly faded away.

As his breathing slowed and his skin no longer felt like it was on fire, the astronomer walked back to his office and slammed the door shut. He screamed as he punched door with a fist. He was suckered by two college students into revealing his secret! How could he have fallen so low?!

Kunieru Emoto took a deep breath as he walked to his drawer to find some medicine to alleviate the tingling sensation in his cheeks. He had a very important call to make regarding the situation.

0-0-0-0-0-

With their job of giving balloons over, Hana and the Imagin—minus Momotaros who was still with Motoyama at the moment—were passing out Ryutaros' posters for the show. They were only able to hear one or two people actually say they would make it—as opposed to people taking the posters out of kindness—but it still wouldn't be enough for an audience. Then again, that was to be expected - there was a low chance for people to be interested in a Trojan play devised to lure an enemy out into the open.

"We need to find Daimonji-sempai," said Hana, sitting on the park bench. "Then Urataros can easily convince people to come to the show and thus draw in a crowd big enough that Ryusei couldn't resist checking it out."

"We're doing fine by ourselves," said Kintaros, passing a poster to a few girls coming their way. They promptly ignored the Imagin in the elephant suit. "We don't need that big of an audience in the first place."

"We need a big enough audience to lure that cuckoo bird Ryusei into our trap, though," said Ryutaros, passing two posters to a family of four. "Then we'll catch him in a big net and hang him up to dry. Or, maybe we can tar and feather him and see how he likes it!"

"That is actually a very painful and humiliating torture, Ryutaros," said Sieg. "We're trying to capture Ryusei Sakuta, not kill him."

"Well I-" Ryutaros stopped and turned around. "I think I'm needed somewhere."

"Is JK in trouble?" asked Urataros. "I thought he knew better than to get himself captured by the enemy."

"Either way, I better go see! Bye bye!"

With a wave of his hand, Ryutaros transformed into an orb of light, the green dragon suit falling in a collapsed heap. He soon spiraled into the sky and zoomed off.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

JK continued to prowl after his prey, his mind focused on one goal: obtaining information. He would sometimes catch a glimpse of one or two things about them—like a flash of gold shining around Kengo's neck—but other than that, there was nothing that related to Gentaro Kisaragi or his motives. Scribbling down everything he observed into a notepad in his pocket, things seemed to be going smoothly. Nothing could go wrong.

The sound of footsteps caught his attention. JK perked his ears up and quickly pulled out his cellphone. Reflecting back at him was a boy with light brown hair, dressed in a red shirt, black hooded jacket, pants and sneakers with flames painted on them. The person smiled with an expression of interest and amusement on his face.

"Hello, JK," said the person. "Do you know who I am?"

"Am I supposed to?" JK asked, keeping his eyes on the reflection. "Am I supposed to keep tabs on people who aren't in my circle of clients?"

"I thought I taught you better, JK. What did I tell Nitta just as he was about to behead you? Ah yes. 'I'll befriend him, that way this spiky-haired jerk would know what it's like to have friends.'"

"...Gentaro," JK whispered, his eyes widening with surprise. He took a deep breath, keeping his heart rate calm as he asked, "What do you want?"

"You remember who I am, hmm? I thought Master made the mind wipe permanent. Ah well, nothing lasts forever I suppose." Gentaro chuckled and shook his head. "I suppose I should be thankful that your memories came back. It would be difficult to pluck them out of your tiny little head if you couldn't remember anything. Now, let me see what really makes you tick."

"Over my dead body, Kisaragi!"

JK turned around and pulled out a pair of guns in their holsters, firing a round of rubber bullets at Gentaro. In a blink of an eye, Gentaro caught them in midair before sending them back. JK bent back, his hands reaching the ground until his body formed a bridge as the bullets passed by him, before lifting his feet forward and back. The knowledge broker snarled as he fired another round of rubber bullets, only for Gentaro to point at the projectiles.

"Pyxis!" he hissed, flicking his finger in the air. The bullets turned around and zoomed toward JK as JK quickly ran to a park bench. He jumped just as the bullets reached his chest, firing two more shots at Gentaro. Gentaro yawned and waved his hand, the four bullets now chasing after the gun-slinger. JK snarled as he landed on his feet, pulling his jacket over his face to protect himself.

"And I thought Makise was an annoying Pyxis," he said, feeling the bullet assault him like a barrage of bees. He swiped his jacket at the bullets, scattering them everywhere. "Well, let's see if you like this! Go, Ryutaros!"

JK pulled out a belt and wrapped it around his waist, pressing the purple button the side. An electronic hip-hop tune played as an orb of light entered his body. JK's feathery hair was covered with a green cap and his bangs were streaked with purple. His purple eyes shined with glee as he brought out a Liner Pass in hand.

"Henshin!" said Ryutaros, scanning the Liner Pass across the belt.

Gun Form

A black and silver suit covered his body and purple dragon wrapped around his body, soon forming a dragon-like mask and padded shoulders. The Kamen Rider then pulled out segments of a weapon across his waist, attaching the parts to become a gun. This was Kamen Rider Den-O Gun Form, but this mattered not to Gentaro. To him, the Kamen Rider was just another annoying pest to get rid of.

"Do you mind if I knock you down?" asked Gun Den-O pointing at Gentaro.

"Do you mind if-" Gentaro began.

"Can't hear you though!" Ryutaros fired a round of bullets at his target, his feet shuffling around as if in a dance. Gentaro rolled out of the way and began to charge toward the gun-slinger Kamen Rider.

"Scutum!" Gentaro shouted, seeing a bullet about to pierce his heart. A silver and blue shield stamped with a constellation materialized, blocking the bullet. Gun Den-O moaned.

"That's not fair!" He exclaimed, lowering his hand. "You're cheating!"

The shield faded as Gentaro landed a punch across Gun Den-O's face. Den-O responded with a punch of his own. The two soon began to exchange blows, Gentaro kicking Den-O in the stomach and Den-O replying with a slap across the face. Gentaro currently had Gun Den-O in a Sleeper Hold when he spoke.

"Who uses guns on a poor defenseless teenager?" he asked mockingly. "I didn't know JK was one to fight so dirty; must've come from somewhere in his family."

"How dare he..." JK snarled within the shared minds between him and Ryutaros. "How dare he insult my family in that way!"

"Did I touch a nerve? I'm so sorry, JK. Maybe I should kiss that nerve and make it all better..."

"I'm not letting you do that," said Ryutaros, firing his gun at Gentaro's feet. Gentaro stepped back from the gunshot, releasing his grip on Kamen Rider Den-O who proceeded to instigate a flurry of kicks and punches. "You've done very bad stuff, Kisaragi. I'm sending you to the bad place!"

"You and what army?" Gentaro asked sarcastically, blocking the attacks by cross his arms over his head. Being dead also meant that he could easily absorb more pain than a normal human. "I highly doubt that there's an army of Kamen Riders ready to assault me; you're bluffing."

Gun Den-O raised a hand into the air and snapped his fingers. Instantly, Gentaro founded himself surrounded by a ring of street dancers coming from out of nowhere, introducing themselves in a sequence of flips and hip-hop footwork. The group pointed their fingers at Gentaro, Gentaro only looking at the situation with slight annoyance.

"I had no idea you had a bunch of groupies doing your bidding," he drawled out. "It's just like a gossip broker to have his own ring of secrets and lies that do dirty work for him."

"Aren't you the same?" asked Gun Den-O. "You have all of your little cronies running around doing your dirty work while you kick back and watch." He pointed his gun at Gentaro's heart once more. "I'm actually here, getting down and dirty, letting my friends know that I'm doing my job. I'm not like you at all."

The street dancers jumped onto Gentaro, mobbing the Serpent-bearer under the immense pressure of the pile forming on top of him. Even though breathing oxygen was no longer necessary, Gentaro still felt the pressure of at least seven bodies crushing him onto the ground. Gun Den-O sauntered over to his enemy, pointing his gun onto Gentaro's forehead. He pulled out a Liner Pass, placing it near the scanner of his belt.

"Any last words before I blast you to oblivion?" he asked.

Gentaro lowered his gaze and smiled. Then, he whispered, "Hercules."

With a groan, the Serpent-bearer slowly stood up. With the strength of twenty men, the dogpile smothering him was beginning to tremble from feeling Gentaro stand on his feet and lifting the people on top of him over his head! Gun Den-O gulped as Gentaro let out a powerful roar as the street dancers were thrown everywhere. The Serpent-bearer smiled as a red aura materialized around him.

"Me and my big mouth," Gun Den-O muttered.

"You and your big mouth indeed," Gentaro laughed. "Oh, I hope I didn't forget to mention this one little thing."

"What's that?"

"I've been taking kickboxing lessons with Haruka-sensei for quite some time."

Before Ryutaros could register exactly what was said, Gentaro clopped his feet like a horse and raised his right foot in the air. He swung it toward the Kamen Rider's head, knocking him onto the ground. Gun Den-O groaned as Gentaro smiled once more.

"Circinus," He hissed, holding his hands out.

A pair of sharp blades mounted on his wrists, decorated with the designs of a king snake and coral snake respectively. Gentaro nudged his opponent onto his back, placing one of the blades on his neck.

"Are you going to kill me now?" asked Gun Den-O.

"Not yet. I decide when I kill you when I find that it's time to do so. But for now, I have a warning for you, JK. I know you can hear me underneath this little kid who's possessing you, so listen close." Gentaro leaned close and whispered, "Keep your friends close, and your past closer."

"Wait, what do you mean by-"

"Kingsnake: Obliterate!"

The blade on Gentaro's right wrist fired an orb of fire that incinerated Gun Den-O. The mixed voices of Ryutaros and JK screamed in terror as the Kamen Rider armor exploded in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke died down, the tired and exhausted forms of the purple Imagin and gossip broker were revealed. JK raised a hand into the air when Gentaro lifted him up to his feet.

"Why?" JK whispered. "Why are you attacking us? Why are you turning your back on your friends?"

"Friends?" Gentaro laughed. "When have I ever considered a gossip like you my friend? Don't make me laugh. I despise cowards and slimeballs like you the most." He lifted JK higher into the air, the blade on his left wrist glowing. "People like you should be burned at stake and your ashes used as fertilizer. You make me sick."

"B-but I haven't done anything bad to you, Gentaro! Even if I've been such a coward, I've never betrayed you! I've always be for you! Please don't kill me..."

"Too late." Gentaro narrowed his eyes on the blade on his left wrist began to glow. "Coral Snake: Eng-"

Axe/Wing Form

Two axes zoomed toward Gentaro and knocked him back. JK fell onto the ground with a thud as he saw two figures approach the scene. One of them was Kamen Rider Den-O Wing Form, the other was a Kamen Rider with yellow and black armor, a prominent axe blade in-between a grid-like mask. The axes soon returned to their respective owners, the two warriors preparing to strike.

"Chosuke? Norio?" JK asked with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We aren't going to leave you by yourself," said Wing Den-O. "So Kintaros came and fused with his Singularity Point to become Den-O Axe Form."

"And with this, our strength shall make Gentaro Kisaragi cry!" Axe Den-O exclaimed. As he shouted, items showered the ground like snow. JK picked one up and inspected it: it was a tissue.

"Cry?" Gentaro repeated. "I'm not the one who's going to be crying once I get done with you two!" He pointed his blades toward the Kamen Riders and said, "I'm going to be the one that kills you!"

"JK, get Ryutaros and run to the rendezvous point!" said Wing Den-O. "The show's about to start."

"But what about-"

"You're in no condition to follow them! We can save Misa later; your safety is more important!"

There was urgency in Sieg's voice, as if he was also vocalizing Norio's worry for his fellow student. JK stood up, slowly nodding his head.

"All right," he said, reaching out toward his Imagin partner. "Come on, Ryutaros. We have to get going."

"L-Let me in first," Ryutaros replied, slowly transforming into an orb of light. The orb circled JK and entered inside his chest, although the gossip broker remained the same. JK placed a hand over his heart and turned to the Kamen Riders.

"Kick Gentaro's ass for me," He told them. "But don't kill him yet."

"Will do," said Wing Den-O. He held his boomerang and axe in hand. "Time for a little rematch."

"I'll be glad to fulfill your death wish, Eguchi," said Gentaro, eyes glowing with fury. "You and Chosuke will have the glory to be the first to die by my hands."

JK began to run back to the rendezvous point, hearing Axe and Wing Den-O making their declarations to defeat Gentaro. By the time Gentaro uttered,"Let's do this man-to-man!", he was already long gone.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

Ryusei wandered the city, trying to find where Yuki ran off to. Throughout all the confusion, and his desire to strangle Yukina half to death, he lost track of his true target. He snarled as his eyes kept watch for a girl with long black hair and wearing an Amanogawa High school uniform. There was none in sight.

He heard something beep in his pocket. Ryusei rushed toward an empty alley way and pulled out the Meteorswitch in his pocket. Pressing onto a button, he said, "What do you need, Father?"

"Ryusei," said Tachibana, replying back. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything you want, I shall comply. What do you need me to do?"

"That pesky Kamen Rider Club stole something important from me. I need you to obtain it before they make it to their rendezvous point. Dismember the club through any means necessary. Understood?"

Ryusei grinned as his left hand began to spark with electricity. The electricity morphed into a dagger that he twirled in his hand.

"As you wish, Father," he whispered.

Translation Notes

-oji is a suffix that is reserved for older people, which is part of Kintaro's speaking style. Momo is Japanese for "peach" (best remembered for Aang's Winged Lemur Momo from Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Regarding Momotaros, his catchphrase doesn't have an accurate translation. Most subbing groups leave it as it is, but it basically means something on the terms of "I have arrived!". For the word hissatsu, it sort of means like a finishing move. In the subs, this is also left as it is.

And so, the first ten chapters of "Horseshoes and Hand-grenades" have come to pass. It's been quite a journey to create this story, and I want to share this with all the people who have taken the time to read this story and appreciate the hard work I put into it.

First off, I want to thank Kazuki Nakushima and Riku Sanjo for creating this spectacular show. In the wake of the Great Tokyo Earthquake that transpired in March 2011, they created this show to lift up the spirits of all the people who lost everything. Gentaro Kisaragi was a person to bring smiles back on people's faces by befriending everyone, and it is this spirit of this theme that radiates throughout the show.

Second, I want to thank the stars of Kamen Rider Fourze for their work on the show. It was a joy to see them in action and to play their roles with energy and enthusiasm. I wish for their success in all future projects.

Third, I wish to thank reviewers Galvantula866 and Yami no Paladin, Kamen Rider Fourze fans who I've conversed over characters in the show, ensuring that I am using all that I can to the best of my ability. I wish I could explain all the characters to the people who have left reviews but have no idea who is whom, but I am doing my best to describe these characters as best as I can.

Fourth, I want to thank Masterdramon for his masterpiece "My Dark King", who inspired my writing when it came to "Horsehoes and Hand-grenades". I loved his descriptive style and have done my best to emulate it—while adding my little flare to the story—and hope to see this story continue to follow his style.

So, to all who continue to read this story, switch on your youthful days and I'll see you in XI: Team Spirit. Oh, and happy holidays!