That night, it rained heavily but Aoi didn't care as he ran from his house. His eyes were red as tears streamed from his face with a look of utter misery. He found a bus stop and took shelter quickly. He was cold and also helpless now. He had returned home after the competition. He planned to quietly hide his trophy where his grandparents wouldn't find it. When he entered his room, he was frozen in shock. All over the floor were pieces of the Gunpla he had built, all broken and damaged beyond repair.

If that wasn't the worst of it, his grandmother had confronted him on his hobby. She also tore his trophy from his hands and smashed on the ground. She spat horrible insults at him before kicking him out of the house. He begged and begged to be let back in, but his grandmother didn't lift a finger. It was only an hour later that he gave up and went to wander the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back.

As he continued to contemplate what he would do, someone ran through the rain and reached shelter in the same bus stop next to the boy. Shaking himself to get most of the wetness off, he sat down on the same bench and took a breath.

"Hmm. Some weather, eh?" Frankenstein said. Aoi didn't answer. Turning to him, Frankenstein noticed what was wrong with him, "My dear boy. What happened to you? Where are your shoes?"

"My..." Aoi choked back a sob, "My grandma... she kicked me out of the house..." another sob was heard, "I don't know why..."

Frankenstein frowned, "How troublesome." What kind of parent would throw a child out of the house like that? "So then, you have no other place to go," he said, already guessing the answer.

"Uh... (hick) huh..."

"Well, then my boy," Frankenstein said sympathetically, pulling out a black chip out of his pocket, "From this day forward, you can call me... Father."

The sounds of a terrifying roar filled the dark and stormy night.

Dusk Falls Saga

Episode 10: Unleash the Dragon

The rain stopped as quickly as it came, leaving wet puddles on the roads. Due to Moka's weakness, the gang had to stay inside of the ramen shop until the rain settled. When it finally did, they decided to turn in for the night. Moka and Kurumu followed Shinichi and Mizore back to the estate instead of returning to the girl's dorm house. They were still pretty shaken up over the fact that a girl that was, unlike Fran, generally attracted to Shinichi was staying with him in the estate.

"We're back!" Shinichi said, him and his 'harem' removing their shoes, "And Moka-san and Kurumu-chan are with us!"

"Oh, welcome back everybody," Fran smiled, walking down the stairs with her monstrous assistants. She had her cloak draped around her, indicating that she was going on another outing. "I'll be back soon, alright? You can keep Veronica and Adorea company while I'm out."

"Where are you going, Fran-san?" Shinichi asked.

"Oh, the police needs me to help reconstruct a couple of bodies," Fran answered.

"Reconstruct?" Kurumu blinked.

"There was a murder and apparently the murderer saw fit to tear their victims apart and then leave their body parts around the scene of the crime. Don't wait up. I'll be home late." As the surgeon left with her assistants, Shinichi watched her go with a smile. She was always the happiest and excited when working.

"Well, come on in," Shinichi said, leading the girls to the main living room, "Time I introduced you to Veronica-san and Adorea-san."

"Veronica? You mean Fran-san's younger sister, right?" Moka asked.

"Yeah, that's her alright," Shinichi nodded.

"I still can't believe that Fran's letting her live here after she practically tried to kill her," Kurumu said, aghast. Shinichi had told them about Veronica, and how she attacked the manor to lure out Fran. Shinichi wanted to keep her out, but Fran managed to calm him down long enough to have a heart to heart with her little sister. It worked apparently, though Veronica didn't go unpunished either. She did kill one of the assistants during her first arrival here after all.

"She's not so bad once you get to know her," Shinichi defended. "She's blunt sometimes but that's just due to her life as an assassin. All her life she's done nothing but fight and kill Fran-san thought it'd be a good thing for her to wind down. She's actually pretty nice." If you could ignore the blades and her impulse to kill every enemy in sight.

The group eventually got to the living room where Veronica and Adorea were watching TV together. Like the other residents of the manor, they definitely appeared very odd. Veronica seemed to be around 12 years old. She had pale skin like her sister, cobalt eyes and short dark hair. There was even an X shaped scar on her face. She also had a petite figure and was dressed in a black coat with white frills on the edges and wore a black fedora on her head. Her fingers seemed to be covered in a few scars and bandages.

Adorea on the other hand looked closer to their age. In terms of figure, she was quite drool worthy, to the point that Kurumu felt somewhat envious. Her figure was trim and thin, looking like it was well taken care of. She had luxurious black tied in a ponytail which went past the small of her back and her bust was something to be proud of too. However, her body was wrapped head to toe in white bandages like a mummy and she wore a simple white sundress over it, leaving no visible speck of skin anywhere. Looking over, Veronica saw Shinichi and his friends coming in.

"Oh, you're back. So, how was the toy fair?" Veronica asked.

"Gundam Expo," he corrected. "I won third place for my diorama."

"Third place, huh? So, you didn't get first place," she sighed. "Well, better luck next time." She looked up and saw the girls. "Oh, you brought your friends over."

"Konnichiwa Veronica-san, Adorea-san," Moka greeted.

"How are you doing?" Kurumu greeted.

"Konnichiwa. We're fine," said Veronica. Adorea simply nodded.

"Girls, I'll go make some tea. You make yourselves at home," said Shinichi as he went into the kitchen. As Shinichi's female classmates sat down, Veronica gave them each critical looks.

"OK, I'm just wondering here, but what exactly do three attractive girls like yourselves see in Shinichi?" Veronica asked. She and Shinichi hadn't gotten along at first. They actually fought the first time they had met, mistaking each other for an enemy. Fran manages to stop them from tearing each other to shreds and sit them down to talk. They did start to become closer. They may not exactly be what you might call friends but they weren't enemies either. Veronica's tolerance had turned to acceptance since Shinichi and she would do anything to protect Fran. Maybe Veronica was just jealous and didn't want to share her Onee-sama with anyone else.

"Because..." Moka blushed. "Shinichi-kun is my first!"

"What do you mean by first?" Veronica asked, just to be sure.

"Oh, he was the first to let me drink his blood voluntarily. Since then he frequently lets me drink from him," Moka explained.

"Oh, so that's what you meant. For a moment there I thought you meant sex," Veronica replied, causing Moka to become flushed. "You know, sex is just the exchange of bodily fluids. When you bite him, you're drinking from him and then injecting your saliva to prevent the blood from coagulating. There's not much of a difference." If there was anything equal to Veronica's sharpness in battle, it was her bluntness in conversation.

"Veronica, you're making her uncomfortable," Adorea finally spoke softly, noting Moka's embarrassment from Veronica's assessment.

"Why do people make a big deal out of swapping bodily fluids?" Veronica questioned. She obviously didn't know about the birds and the bees. Given her profession and what she was created for, she was likely never taught about the emotional implications of physical intimacy and sex.

"OK, I got the tea!" Shinichi returned to the living room, oblivious to the awkwardness.

"Shinichi-kun, please tell her that me drinking your blood is nothing like sex!" Moka cried out.

"Eh?" he responded, taken aback by the sudden statement. "Did I miss something?"

"How can you say it's not like sex, Moka? You enjoy it way too much from what I see," commented Kurumu. She had seen Moka feed and she always ended up flushed and moaning in pleasure after each time. Shinichi was now confused. What the heck happened while he was making tea?

Fran arrived to the scene of the crime with her bodyguards close behind her. As expected, there were several police cars parked in front of the humble looking house with some cops scattered here and there and some bystanders were standing near the house, looking on and wondering what happened. There was also yellow tape wrapped in front of the house to keep uncertified personnel away. She walked under the yellow tape and went towards the house. None of the cops stopped her as they all instantly knew who she was. One cop in particular recognized her all too well, to the point of nearly running away in fear. She was a pretty young woman with emerald eyes and light chestnut brown hair. She was dressed up in a grey colored smart suit for women with black heels. Her figure wasn't bad either.

"Ara, Detective Kuhou. It's so nice to see you again," Fran greeted the female police investigator, approaching her.

"I wish I could say the same," Kuhou replied, sweating profoundly as she greeted the younger woman. "If you weren't the best I would've called someone else." Rumiko Kuhou was a detective who regularly had run ins with the young scientist. Ever since the case of the jinmen-sou, she found herself becoming more and more terrified of Fran. She actually had to be sent to the hospital for psychological analysis. She was having nightmares about being chased by one of Fran's goons, getting caught, then getting her clothing torn to shreds until she was left in the nude.

And then, the doctor herself would appear, and cut her up with a manic smile on her face.

She was going to need her pills after this.

"Well, I'm not really the best but thanks for considering me," Fran beamed, seemingly not noticing the paleness of her face. "So, I was told you needed me to reconstruct the bodies."

"Yeah, but everyone else thinks it's an open and shut case. We've alerted all our officers to be on the lookout for a wild animals," Rumiko informed Fran.

"Well, in the meantime, would you mind showing me the remains? I'm ready to get to work," Fran asked.

"Of course," Rumiko nodded, showing Fran into the house. "This way please."

Somewhere else in the town, it was fairly quiet. A train went by on a bridge over a small lot, the clickety-clack of rails echoing in the night air. After the train vanished over the bridge, a small dog ran into the lot, searching through bushes for some scrap meat for dinner. This particular lot was something of a local hangout for some of the thugs that roamed around the streets. People who weren't thugs normally stayed as far away from that lot as much as they could. There were rumors of some unfortunate people getting dragged into this lot for money or any other valuables. If it was a women, they would lose a lot more than just their money.

The recent arrival to the lot wasn't a thug today.

Stumbling out from a bush and startling the dog away, was another Freak. It possessed a mostly black body with swamp green scales on its arms, legs and back. It had a long neck, holding a snake-like head with a single horn. On its spine were frill-like protrusions and it also had sharp teeth and claws. It stumbled onto its feet before kneeling over and falling on its hands. As it let out slow, heavy pants, a black cocoon wrapped around its body and vanished in a haze of black smoke, revealing the person underneath.

"Wha... what did I do...?" Aoi panted, gripping the dirt into his hands slowly. He couldn't remember it clearly, but he did remember fragments of what happened when he last blacked out, like it was a bad dream. We remember returning back to the house and confronting his grandmother, except that time his grandmother screamed in terror, like she was afraid of him now. The next thing he knew, her bloody body parts were just lying on the floor, the look of horror still on her face. Then, his grandfather arrived from his job for his regular visits. The moment he saw his wife's brutalized body, he screamed out in shock and horror, to the point that his heart gave out and he collapsed, dead. He was scared to death. And that was all he could remember before finding himself in the lot.

"Did I... I really do it?" Aoi asked himself, kneeling upright. "But... I couldn't have..."

"The deserved nothing but the worse after what they did to you," a deep voice echoed in his mind.

"But they were my grandparents," Aoi whispered softly, trying to defend them, "They took care of me."

"Took care of you?" the voice sniffed, "In what way? You're grandmother beat you, abused you, and just moments ago disowned you! Your grandfather simply tolerated you or just ignored you! Trust me. You're better off without them."

"But what can I do?" Aoi asked. "And who are you?"

"Oh, you can say that I'm a bit like a god; your god," the voice answered, "And like every god, I simply need you to give me a bit of faith. Just trust me, and I'll make your problems go all away."

"H-how?" Aoi squeaked. He soon got his answer when some unwanted company arrived into the lot. Looking up, Aoi could see that the were the same jocks who repeatedly bullied him everytime he saw them.

"Oh, well look who's here. It's the little four eyes," the lead jock smirked. The other thugs snickered like apes as the older boys started to circle around Aoi. "Didn't realize that you had the guts to walk all the way out here this late in the night," he snickered. "Not bad, not bad at all."

"Heh, yeah! He thinks he's some sorta tough guy now tough guy now!" another jock laughed.

Two off the jocks roughly grabbed Aoi by the arms and pushed against the wall with enough force to knock his glasses off. Aoi gasped sharply from the blow as he nearly buckled over. "That other four eyes ain't here to help you," the leader jeered, cracking his knuckles. "Too bad, I was still looking forward for some payback. Looks like you'll have to be our little messenger boy."

"Disgusting," the voice in Aoi's head coughed. "They look at you as weak and something to be squashed, like a bug. However, they are the weak ones because they pick on those weaker than them. Let me help you show them what true power is."

"...Alright. Show me," Aoi said in a suddenly cold voice. The short, middle school boy looked up that the bullies with glowing blue eyes, slowly getting off from the wall as he strode towards them. The bullies, noting the glow in his eyes, instinctively started stepping backwards in caution.

The interior was a bit of a wreck. OK, not a bit. A complete wreck and also splattered with blood stains on the wall, floor and ceiling. Body parts were found scattered across the floor, all of them clearly belonging to an elderly female. There was one other body found near the entrance that was completely intact. His face held an expression of frozen terror. Both Fran and Rumiko calmly entered the scene of the crime, the two women being professionals and were used to such scenes several times over. "So, what do you have for me, Detective?" Fran asked.

"Neighbours called because they heard a noise. When we got here this is what we found. Their names are Koharu Tatsu and Shimura Tatsu," Rumiko informed Fran. "They're an elderly couple. Koharu was found torn to shreds whereas her husband's body was found. He died of a heart attack."

"I don't think an animal did this," frowned Fran, looking at a severed arm below her.

"How can you tell?" Rumiko asked.

"There aren't any pieces missing. If an animal had done this they would've at least taken a bite," Fran explained. "When you had your forensic team search the place, were there any footprints?"

"Yes, we're trying to identify them right now," Rumiko said.

"And was anyone else living in that house?"

"Their grandson, Aoi Tatsu. We're searching for his whereabouts now," Rumiko answered.

"No wonder that name rang a bell..." Fran thought out loud. Shinichi had mentioned that name a few times. He was a younger boy that Shinichi befriended sometime ago after he saved him from a gang of bullies. She hadn't met Aoi personally, but from what Shinichi said he was a nice boy, if a bit timid. "Do you know anything in particular about him?"

"Ah, yes," Rumiko nodded, her face turning grim, "I managed to pull up the names of the victims and found that they were connected to another case. According to the police report, around 15 years ago Koharu and Shimura's daughter Kagura, then 16 at the time, was found raped in a car park on Nekozawa Street. The police hunted for the rapist for years now, but it's long been since declared a cold case."

Fran's eyes widened in shock, "Oh my. Then that mean's Shinichi's little friend is a child born from rape."

Rumiko nodded before she continued, "Her mother tried to talk her into getting an abortion as soon as they found out she was pregnant, but Kagura wanted to try and raise the child herself. Apparently, she was a born again type of girl who believed that all life had purpose. Eventually nine months later, she gave birth to Aoi. And while the birth was a success, she had to have an emergency hysterectomy due to heavy bleeding from the uterus. She died from a hemorrhaging."

"How terrible!" Fran gasped, covering her both as she was close to tears, "If only I had been there..."

"As his grandparents were his next of kin, they were given legal custody of him," Rumiko finished.

"Have you checked his room for clues of where he might've gone?" Fran inquired.

"We searched it earlier. It's a bit strange, though. There were broken pieces of Gundam models all over the floor," Rumiko informed Fran. "And a broken trophy as well. We're bagging it all for evidence. Maybe we can get some finger prints off them."

"How odd," Fran muttered, wiping the tears from her eyes, "If I remember correctly, those all belong to Aoi-kun. Why would the intruder see fit to destroy models and a trophy? Could it be jealousy?"

"If that's the case, then the intruder might have been looking for Aoi, and the grandparents likely got in the way," Rumiko said.

"Is that so? I think I have a way of discovering our attacker," Fran bent down and inspected Koharu's severed head and the expression of terror frozen on its face. She spoke, "Did you know that the last image a person sees before they die so suddenly is imprinted right in the retina?"

"Isn't that myth?" Rumiko asked.

"To the completely ignorant. I believe, though, we can find out what killed our victim here if we just took a look through her eyes." Fran asked, "Do you mind if I borrow a camera?"

"I'll see what I can do," Rumiko answered.

"I'm really sorry for Veronica-san's manners. She's never socialized with anyone outside the family," Shinichi apologized. After the awkward conversation with Veronica, the girls all went with Shinichi up to his room. Adorea had explained what had happened and Shinichi decided it was best that his friends didn't get any more uncomfortable.

"Has she always been like that?" Moka asked.

"Well, she is an assassin and Fran-san's bodyguard, so her only known interaction with people is when she's slicing them apart," Shinichi answered. Moka went pale as she heard that. "Don't worry. She makes it quick and painless and only does it to protect Fran-san."

"Geez, Shinichi. You live with a lot of dangerous people," Kurumu remarked.

"You get used to them," Shinichi shrugged. A figure in a robe and hood walked by. "Oh, good evening, Kaneda-san." Looking up, the figure nodded at Shinichi but Moka and Kurumu stared at the face under the hood. Kaneda didn't say another word before she continued on her way.

"That was a bug," Kurumu commented. "A very big bug."

"So she is," Shinichi shrugged. "Kaneda-san's one of the residents here in Fran-san's home. You see, Fran-san gives a home to a lot of people who don't belong anywhere else." The way he said that, Moka knew that Shinichi felt he didn't belong anywhere else.

"Is there anything else that we need to know about this place?" Kurumu asked.

"We have a city of intelligent cockroaches living in the basement," Mizore answered.

"And how did you know that?" Moka asked.

"I live here," Mizore smiled cheekily as she looped her arm around Shinichi's. Moka and Kurumu glowered. As Mizore lived with Shinichi, she got more time to spend with him and easier access.

'There's no way I'm losing to her!' both girls thought furiously.

"Come on now, Mizore, be nice," Shinichi told her. Mizore looked at him and noted the look of disapproval on his face. Sighing, she reluctantly let him go, though she still sat close to him.

Seeing that the mood was in the need for a subject change, Moka asked, "So, does Fran-san usually work with the police?"

"Not all the time. They usually ask for her help when bodies need to be reconstructed for identification. Some people even ask her to put bodies together for burial. Fran-san gets hired for all types of jobs, mostly involving surgery," Shinichi said.

"Surgery?" Kurumu's eyes brightened. "Does that include cosmetic surgery?"

"Uh... yeah," he confirmed, the look on his face showing that he knew where the question came from.

"Do you think she could make my breasts bigger?" Kurumu asked.

"Aren't they already big enough?" muttered Moka.

"She could," Shinichi confirmed. "She can do all kind of things with surgery. It's kind of amazing, really." He smiled fondly. "Creepy, but amazing."

"I don't think you need them to be bigger," Mizore put in, "Bigger sacks of fat won't help."
Kurumu growled at her.

"Anyway," Shinichi to change the subject, "What are your summer break plans?"

Suddenly a loud alarm rang around them and Moka shrieked in fright, "What is that!?"

"Proximity sensor," Shinichi frowned as he stood up. "Excuse me."

Fran removed the camera's memory card and inserted into the handheld computer. The image was brought up with a click of her mouse. She clicked again and focused on Koharu's eyes. She magnified it several times until something within the retina caught her attention.

"Looks like this is something I need Shinichi to take care of," Fran remarked.

"Have you got something?" Rumiko asked.

"I have but I doubt the police will be able to handle it," Fran showed Rumiko who blanched at the sight.

"What is that?" Rumiko asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"Have you heard of the monsters which have been spotted in the city, wreaking havoc and causing rampages?" Fran asked the inspector.

"Well..." Rumiko had heard about it and read the report. The reports also included sightings of a black clad figure leaving the scene. Said figure had also been seen in the newspaper.

"Anyway, I've done my job," Fran beamed as she went for the exit. "It's getting late so I'm headed home now! Bye-bye!"

"Hey, wait!" Rumiko called after her. Fran had already gone out of the door.

Howl waited for Shinichi and Veronica as they returned, clothes and faces stained in blood. They took the towels to clean off some of the stains. Shinichi wiped off the blood on his cheek.

"You should wear more black," Veronica suggested as she used a clean towel to wipe her face clean. "Blood stains aren't so noticeable on black."

"Yeah, and I really liked this shirt," Shinichi agreed, looking down at his blood-soaked shirt. He asked, "Did you have to sever that guy's head near me?"

"It's your fault for not dodging out of the way," she huffed. "Were those energy blasts necessary?"

"They were carrying bazookas," he retorted.

"I could've handled them."

"And grenades."

"I could've handled them."

"Sure you could."

Moka came dashing down the stairs, throwing herself at Shinichi, "Shinichi-kun!"

"Moka-san!?" he exclaimed.

"I heard loud booms and..." Her nose twitched. She stepped back and looked him up and down, "Why are you covered in blood?" The sight of the two of them, covered in blood, with the thick aroma surrounding them was causing Moka's mouth to water. As a vampire, she was instinctively attracted to blood and this reaction whet her appetite. She was going to need to feed off him to satisfy her urge.

"Occupational hazard," Veronica answered.

"Occupational hazard?" she repeated.

"Yeah, and all that blood is kinda my fault but he got too close," Veronica replied.

"I only got close to protect you," he retorted.

"My body count suggests that I don't need you protecting me," she shot back. Veronica turned back to Moka, "Oh, and those booms you heard? This idiot was blasting around left and right. Now there's a big crater in the middle of the forest where there used to be trees."

"I misfired, OK! I still haven't gotten used to plasma blasts!" he threw his arms up.

Moka was confused and yelled, "Stop! Stop! Stop!" while waving her arms. "What is going on?"

Shinichi sighed and explained, "Well, some guys came in through the back to break into the mansion. That's why the proximity alert sounded."

"As Fran-neesan's bodyguard, my job also includes protecting the mansion from those who would steal her secrets and Father's secrets," Veronica added.

"So we took care of them," Shinichi finished.

Moka realized what they were saying, "You killed people?"

"No, just genetically engineered puppets that looked like people," Veronica deadpanned.

"Really?" Moka asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Shinichi confirmed. "Now, go on up. I'm gonna need a bath."

"I'm glad you're alright," Moka smiled before she headed back up.

Shinichi thanked Veronica, "Nice save."

"She doesn't need to know they were people," Veronica shrugged.

"I thought you didn't care who knows," he remarked.

"I don't but you do even if you don't care if you killed them," Veronica replied. "Ironic since you fight Freaks to protect people."

"Just because I protect people, doesn't mean I won't kill assholes," Shinichi argued as he crossed his arms. "They called Fran-san 'Madaraki's Monster'. That's just rude! She may look odd but that's no reason to call her a monster!"

"At least we won't have to answer any questions after you took care of the bodies. Still, you didn't have to make a crater while doing it."

"I don't know how to fully control the output. I haven't had many chances to practice," Shinichi defended.

"Well it's summer vacation. Maybe you should use that time to practice," the short assassin said matter-of-factly.

"I'm using the time to get closer to my friends," he replied. "Oh, and Fran-san just got home."

"How do you...?" started Veronica only to hear Fran's voice.

"I'm home~!" Fran greeted.

Veronica gave Shinichi a look, "One of these days you're going to have to tell me how you do that."

"Yeah, some of us still needs to have a bit of mystery to them," he remarked.

The two went to the foyer to greet Fran. When she took notice of their blood-stained clothes, she frowned in disapproval, "Honestly, did you two kill people again? You know how I feel about that." She turned to look at Shinichi, "And you should set a better example, Mr. Armored Hero."

"It's Kamen Rider, actually," he corrected

"Kamen Rider?" she repeated.

"Aoi-kun came up with the name for me and Netto. I think it fits." He noticed her expression twinch in an instant. "What? What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Shinichi asked worriedly.

"Yes, it's about your friend, Aoi Tatsu," Fran told him. "The job I was called to was at his house. There had been a murder." Shinichi was taken aback by this.

"Wha-what?"

"A creature, which I suspect to be a Freak, murdered Aoi Tatsu's grandmother in her own home," Fran informed him.

"Aoi-kun's grandmother's dead!?" Shinichi exclaimed. Aoi barely ever spoke about his grandmother, though when Shinichi asked him if he had any relatives, Aoi mentioned his grandparents. For some reason though, Aoi wasn't willing to speak anything more about them. As if the subject was very uncomfortable for him. Naturally, Shinichi decided not to pry into it any longer since it made the mood awkward. Just what kind of monster was the Freak to want to kill an old, defenceless lady?

"Yes," she nodded

"But what about Aoi-kun!? Is he OK!?" Shinichi continued, his voice becoming more frantic.

"Not sure. The police haven't found him yet." Shinichi turned to exit as Fran interrupted him, "Are you going to go look for him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he retorted without turning back to face her.

"The city is a big place. Do you think you can do it?" she asked.

"It's not a matter if I can or can't find him. I have to find him. He's my friend," he said firmly

"Take a bath first and change your clothes. You're not going out like that," she ordered him.

Shinichi looked down at his clothing and blanched. He was still covered in blood. There was no way he was going out looking like this. "Oh, right," he agreed. He headed up to take a bath and change his clothes.

"He's really come so far," Fran sighed.

"That's because he's in love with you," Veronica teased.

"Oh, Ronnie-chan, you're so funny," Fran giggled.

"Don't call me that!" the shorter girl hissed, her face turning bright red.

The two sisters suddenly heard yelling from upstairs, "OW! Moka-san, if you're going to drink my blood, at least let me take a bath first!"

"But you just smell so delicious! I can't help myself!" the pinkette whined childishly.

And then more yelling.

"Hey, Moka! Stop drinking from my Destined One like he's a juice box!" Kurumu's voice shouted.

"He's my husband so get away from him!" Mizore's voice added.

Veronica rolled her eyes as Fran continued to giggle, "Ara, this house just gets livelier and livelier with each passing day."

After Shinichi took his bath and got himself a new set of clothing, and after the little argument between the girls, he set off out of the manor and went for his bike. Following him were Moka, Kurumu and Mizore. He told the girls about what happened to Aoi's grandparents and the fact that Aoi himself had gone missing. Seeing as how the younger boy has become their friend as well, they volunteered to help search for him. Shinichi nearly denied that, considering that a Freak was responsible and still on the loose, but relented after seeing how stubborn and absolute they were.

"Why would a Freak want to kill Aoi-kun's grandmother?" Moka asked, still distraught over how someone would brutally murder a sweet old lady.

"Not sure," Shinichi frowned, reaching for his motorcycle helmet and putting it on his head. "I'm guessing it must've been one of those thugs who's been picking on Aoi. They must've gotten their hands on of Freak Chip, and now the want payback. I swear, if that really is the case..." He left his sentence hanging but his eyes showed his intent.

"Shouldn't we call the others for help?" Moka asked.

"Couldn't hurt, I guess," he agreed. At least if they split up they could cover more ground. He pulled out his cellphone and started texting. "It'll be faster that way, and maybe we can find Aoi-kun before anything else can happen."

"Can't you just use your phone app to find him?" Kurumu asked.

"He doesn't carry a cell phone and he's never given me his number," Shinichi answered. "So we're just flying blind now. I do know that Aoi-kun likes to hang out at some arcades whenever he's out, even if he doesn't have any money on him."

"That could work," Mizore nodded. "At least we have some ideas on where to look for him."

"How about Saji and Takeru?" inquired Kurumu. "Shouldn't we call them for help?"

"Maybe, but if a Freak really in responsible for this, I'd prefer if they didn't get involved," Shinichi replied. "Alright. Let's go." He flipped the visor down over his face and revved the engine. The engine growled in anticipation before Shinichi drove out the estate and out into the street in search of his young friend. He could only hope nothing bad had happened to him.

Moka sent a quick text message to Netto and the others, knowing that Shinichi had forgotten in his rush. Then she turned to face Kurumu and Mizore with a serious expression. "Come on, we should go," Moka said to them. Both Mizore and Kurumu nodded in agreement. The three girls split up and went in different directions to find Aoi.

Rumiko had already returned to the police headquarters to see if she can find any more information referring to the case. In the evidence room, she read the lab results after the prints were lifted from the evidence. The only fingerprints found belonged to two people: Koharu Tatsu and Aoi Tatsu. The neighbors had been interviewed and some of the information had been disturbing. Apparently, the neighbours heard shouting from the house on occasion. That sounded like some kind of domestic disturbance. However, it couldn't be between the husband and wife because he was not in the house at the time of the disturbance. With that logic, the only one's left were Aoi and Koharu. But tonight wasn't the first time such an incident between them happened. Some of the neighbors had filed complaints over the last few years due to yelling and sounds of things getting broken from inside the house. Some of the neighbors have even reported seeing Aoi being locked out of the house, sometimes evening being forced to sleep in an old doghouse.

Rumiko grimaced further as she read the files. It was now starting to become clear that Koharu blamed Aoi for the death of her daughter and abused him both physically and emotionally as a result. The poor boy was born from a brutal and tragic event, so it was quite obvious that she never wanted anything to do with him, but she and her husband were the only living family members alive at the time. For the past several years she'd been abusing Aoi over and over again, the abuse becoming progressively worse as he got older.

"And then he snapped," Rumiko concluded. That had to be it. The way the crime scene had looked made it seem personal. Although, Aoi appeared to be too weak to pull such a bloody crime off. There had to be something else in the works. For the past several months, the police had been investigating a series of cases which were linked by one factor: people turning into monsters. They always ended up emaciated at the end but they recovered at the hospital and were able to give their statements. It would've been ignored if it didn't happen so frequently. It would seem that now Aoi himself has turned into one of those monsters.

"S-someone help me!" a thuggish teen pleaded as he staggered back onto a brick wall fearfully. Before him, Aoi confidently strode towards him, not an ounce of fear or intimidation on him in contrast to the bully before him, trembling in terror, making a mess in his pants as he peed himself. Strewn behind him were the torn body parts of the other bullies who had harassed Aoi before. Blood had splattered all over the ground, trash cans, and walls, painting the property with blood red graffiti.

"I told you to leave me alone," Aoi said coldly, his eyes glowing.

"Hold on a minute! We were just fooling around! No one was supposed to get killed!" the bully screamed.

"I begged you to leave me alone so many times. What did you do?" Aoi questioned, a breath of flames erupting from his mouth. "You kept kicking me down, just because I was weaker than you." Black smoke blew out of his nose as he snorted. "I'd say that the odds have just switched, wouldn't you agree?" Aoi picked up a can from the ground. "How about we play a game? I'll throw up this can. If you can get out of this alley before it touches the ground, you can go free." He then tossed the can into the air. "IKUZE!"

That was all the inventive the bully needed to hear before he made a mad dash to the exit of the alley, running as fast as his legs could carry him. However, he wasn't even 7 feet away by the time the can fell back to the earth, bouncing slightly with metal clangs sounding from the impact.

Aoi then picked up the can then threw it as hard as he could at the back of the fleeing bully's head. The impact didn't crush the can against his head. Instead, the impact caused the bully's head to explode instantly, complete with a loud boom. Blood, skull parts, and brain bits all flew out of what was left of the head, littering the ground further with guts and gore as the body collapsed under its own weight, it's support system gone.

Suddenly, Aoi recoiled at the sight and his expression turned into that of horror, "What...what did I just...do?" He felt the bile rise up in his throat.

"You punished them," the voice in his head growled in approval. "They were scum that took pleasure in putting down those weaker than them. Don't worry, they won't be missed." Aoi collapsed against the wall, leaning against it for support. "Why are you so troubled?"

"I...I have to find sempai..." Aoi stuttered, slowly getting up from the wall. He needed help. If there was at least one person he could count on, it was Shinichi. "I...need to talk to him..."

"What good will that do?" the voice asked. "You are alone in this world. There is no one who can help you."

"That isn't true..." Aoi denied as he stumbled out of the alley. "Sempai has always helped me when I was alone... he's always defended me from bullies, and he hung out with me... I could always rely on him."

"And once he's learnt what you've done, do you think he will stand by you?" Aoi didn't answer. He was focused on looking for his friend, someone he knew he could trust to help him. As Aoi slowly exited the alley, a police car was driving by. The two officers inside were on patrol and one of them spotted Aoi as he was coming out.

"Hey, isn't that the kid we were told to be on the lookout for?" Police Officer #1, asked his partner who was driving.

"I think it is," confirmed Police Officer #2. Everyone had been given a picture of Aoi and told to find him. They were to bring him in to help with the investigation. The car pulled over next to Aoi, who took notice of the car. The officers exited the vehicle and approached Aoi carefully.

"Hey, kid," Officer #1 asked. "Are you Aoi Tatsu?"

"...Yes?" Aoi replied, blinking in confusion.

"I see," Officer #1 nodded, "Well, there's been a murder at your house and we were told to find you to ask you questions. Can you please hop in so we may escort you to the station?"

"They know! They know what you've done!" the voice in Aoi's head screamed and he flinched.

"Hey, are you OK, kid?" Officer #1 asked.

"I'm...I'm fine," Aoi lied, shivering.

Officer #2, curious, decided to check the alley. What he found shocked him and he went back to his partner, "Hey, buddy, you might wanna check this out."

"What is it?" Officer #1 asked.

"I found something in the alley!"

Frowning, Officer #1 turned to Aoi, "Wait here, kid, while I check this out." He turned back and went to look at what his partner had found.

However, Aoi began to panic as the voice urged, "YOU CANNOT TRUST THEM! YOU CANNOT TRUST THEM! YOU MUST RUN!" His instincts grew stronger as his fear and panic intensified. His pupils started to dilate and his breathing became hollow. His heart started to thunder loudly in his ears. Without even considering his options, he ran. The cops took noticed and started shouting after him.

"Hey, kid!" Officer #1 shouted as he gave chase.

"Hey!" Officer #2 shouted but grumbled as he took out his radio and called, "We have another homicide and it looks bad. It looks like someone's head was blown up."

Officer #1 was chasing after Aoi and he caught up with the kid, grabbing his arm. Aoi screamed as he struggled, "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

"Kid, calm down! We're not going to hurt you! We just want to bring you back to the station to ask some questions! You're safe!" the officer urged.

"HE LIES! HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID! HE CAN'T BE TRUSTED!" the voice in Aoi's head roared. Suddenly, Aoi screamed as his eyes flashed and his body released an aura that threw the officer backwards against the wall. Black wires burst out of Aoi's skin and wrapped around his body like a cocoon. The wires then unwrapped from Aoi's body and retracted to reveal his Dragon Freak form.

The officer, shocked, panicked and drew his sidearm before emptying the chamber on the Freak. The bullets bounced off harmlessly. The Freak then turned its glare on him and the officer took his radio before shouting into it, "I NEED BACKUP! I NEED BACKUP!" Suddenly, he was grabbed by his throat and hauled up. His legs swung helplessly as he tried to pry the Freak's fingers off but to no avail. His voice started to become rough as the grip started to tighten. Then, there was a snap. The officer became silent and he hung limply in the Freak's grasp.

All the while, the operator on the other end of the radio call kept talking, "What is your location? Hello? Do you copy? What is your location?"

At that moment in time, Shinichi drove onto the scene as all of this was happening. He saw the draconic Freak holding the limp body of a police officer in its clawed hand. He didn't have to be Fran to know the man was dead as his neck was now bent at an awkward angle.

"A Freak!" Shinichi quickly pulled over and dismounted, removing his helmet as well. He then threw his helmet as hard as he could, "Hey! Look over here!" He threw his helmet as hard as he could and hit the Freak in the head with his helmet. The Freak growled and turned its gaze towards Shinichi, dropping the body to the ground.

'It's...Sempai...!' Aoi exclaimed in his head.

Shinichi approached the Freak and summoned his Battle Driver before inserting his Battle Chip.

"Stand By! OK?"

"Hen...shin!"

"Change! OK!"

The Dragon Freak witnessed as a glowing cocoon of energy enveloped Shinichi before exploding. Then, the figure that came rushing at it was none other than Dusk.

"Complete: Dusk!"

'Sempai...is a Kamen Rider...?' A shocked Aoi realized.

"Duskalibur On! OK!"

Suddenly, Dusk closed the distance and slashed the Dragon Freak across the chest with his materialized blade. The Dragon Freak stumbled back and looked at Dusk in shock. Dusk didn't let up as he continued slashing at the beast, leaving blue scorch marks on its body, before jumping backwards and sending a wave a blue fire from his sword. The attack impacted from the blow sending the Freak flying backwards from the hit.

'Sempai...why...?' Aoi whimpered internally as he struggled to his planned to go and find his sempai for help but now his sempai not only revealed himself as one of the Kamen Riders he admitted but he was also attacking him.

"You see? You can't trust anyone! Not even him!"

'No, he just doesn't know it's me!'

"And do you think that will change anything?"

'It will!'

The Dragon Freak dodged another strike and just as Dusk was about to land another, the dark cocoon wrapped around the Dragon Freak before turning into smoke, revealing a helpless Aoi Tatsu. Dusk froze as his blade stopped within an inch of nearly touching Aoi.

"Aoi...kun?" Dusk uttered in confusion and shock.

"Sempai...stop..." Aoi begged with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Aoi-kun..." Dusk dropped his sword and removed his helmet slowly, revealing a face filled with shock and sadness at what he nearly did to his friend, "What happened to you?"

"Sempai...help me...please..." Aoi pleaded.

As this was happening, Frankenstein was watching from on top a roof in interest at the scene, a small smirk plastered on his face, "A little too late to save him, Dusk. That boy is the one I seek, I'm sure of it."

Ending theme: Contact by Trocadero

KRC: Now Shinichi and Aoi know each other's identities. What will happen next? Would Shinichi try to help him or will Aoi turn on his friends? And what is Frankenstein's interest in Aoi?

TAILSMO4EVER: Sorry this took longer than expected, but with mid-terms coming and going, there was a lot I needed to do. So, instead of a two-parter, this will be a three parter. Makes for a good cliffhanger. Next chapter is the conclusion of the Dusk Falls arc, I promise.