Disclaimer: A bow of respect to the original creator Shotaro Ishinomori and Adness Entertainment's Steve and Micheal Wang, Jimmy Sprauge for their unified creative brilliance.

A/N: *coughs* So...hi! :D I'm back! And I apologize for not living up to my promise of Thursday updates but I came back to college THOUGHT I could keep up with this and then... I decided to actually focus on schoolwork which has led to recreational past times to be pushed to the side. That and I'm trying to be sociable! (off-line) and it's working! :D I'm actually becoming friends with an awful lot of upperclassmembers this semester... And I need to do paperwork and things. College is HECTIC! I'll try to be sterner about this fiction - like write it on weekends and this chapter has just been kinda…laying around in my flashdrive, forgotten… : ( (And I admit that i've bene kinda distracted by an MMORPG...)

Updated: February 24, 2012 (a Friday! le gasp!)

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight Fanfiction

Cry of the Ocean - Clepsydra: Chapter 10: Snow Hunt

3:25 pm

Danny and Albert followed close behind them as Kit and Neva drove away on Chris's motorcycle

~I want you to keep Dragon Knight busy.~ Xaviax directed. ~And James' trap for Ms. Ramirez has been set into place.~

"All over it."

Kit smiled under his helmet as he revved the engine of Chris' Harley-Davidson, turning it into traffic.

"You're stubborn."

"I grew up the youngest of three brothers. Of course, I'm stubborn."

"Just make sure to use that knife of yours on the mirror monsters. They may be the bad guys but they're still people."

"Will do." Neva turned slightly, looking over her shoulder out of the corner of her eye. "I think we're being followed."

Kit hissed. "Axe and Spear." Then he smiled confidently. "Hey, you think you can throw them off our trail for a bit?"

"I suppose you want to blow something up again?"

"Yeah – aim for their bikes."

Neva raised an eyebrow under her helmet and chuckled. "Mischief maker."

"Hang on." Kit revved the motor and jerked the motorcycle into a sharp turn. Neva's only response was to clench one arm tighter around his middle, releasing one arm as she turned her head to glance over their shoulder. She spotted Albert and Danny turn the corner out of her peripheral and turned to glance at them in the rearview mirror.

"Can you get 'em?"

Neva frowned. ~Just use your imagination.~ Spirit-Chris suggested.

Neva's frowned quirked into a smirk as she imagined the bikes of the enemy riders suddenly spinning out of control. At first nothing happened. ~Impose your will silly.~ Spirit-Chris chided.

"How am I supposed to do that? !" Neva shrieked, startling Kit.

Danny's bike suddenly twisted, its engine screaming in protest as it whirled around and skidded, sending it's rider flying off into the middle of traffic. The cars stopped, skidding to a halt as Albert brought his own motorcycle spinning to a stop and flung himself off his bike, tearing off his helmet.

"Bro, bro are you okay? !"

"Oh." Neva said dumbly. "That's how."

"We may need to work on the whole 'exploding emotions' things..." Kit muttered and then he laughed when Neva jabbed him.

"It worked didn't it?"

"You're getting better." Kit chuckled, driving through a parked car while everyone's attention was diverted.

3:25 pm – Ventarra

Wing Knight's 'Wing Lancer' pierced through the chest of the Red Newt, causing the offending monster to dissolve into smoke.

Breathing out slowly, the veteran Kamen Rider rose from his attack position and flexed his arm. He wasn't out of breath but it was coming in quicker puffs – he had been fighting for hours, chasing down monsters and rescuing their captives sometimes before they were pulled into the mirrors. He focused on his job rather than the infuriating psychic.

Why am I always the one to blame... ? It was as if he was the scapegoat – and he probably was, as punishment for being the only surviving Ventarran Rider.

He shook this thought out of his head and walked over to his advent cycle, trying to regain his breath. If only Master Eubulon was here...

But the Advent Master wasn't here – not even his 2nd-in-command, Nolan was here. It was just him, just Wing Knight and he had to be leader because he was the most experienced. Essentially, he was in charge of protecting an entire world – well, city but still - keeping Kit unvented, Maya and now Neva safe and hundreds of unrelated civilians. A lot of pressure.

As he settled his armored form into the advent cycle, an unwelcome sharp shriek met his ears. He could have banged his skull into the dashboard.

Well... said Blackwing, speaking in sort-of human words, a combination of human-speak and 'beast-speak'. Kit and Neva seem to be fine...

"Yeah and we'll see how long that last."

You have no confidence.

Wing Knight ignored his advent beast and charged up the advent cycle, steering it into the mirror bridge.

Ventarra - 4:00 pm

Neva almost chuckled to herself out of amusement – Dragon Knight kept creeping around corners as if he expected mirror monsters to pop up at any given moment. Though, given the circumstances it was perfectly legitimate. Despite this, she couldn't seem to stop a spate of the giggles.

"You're distracting me." Dragon Knight said, trying to sound stern. This only encouraged more giggles and he rolled his eyes under the helm. After a moment, Neva contained herself. She was from a Marine family, damnit. Giggling was unacceptable.

She swallowed her giggles and settled her hand onto her knife, silently reminding herself that in this moment she wasn't a civilian and this was war.

Dragon Knight turned a corner, sword at the ready and swept the area with a quick gaze.

"Sense anything off?" he asked.

"Um...creepy shadowy darkness?"

"Good," said Dragon Knight. "So am I. So, something's definitely here..."

"It's just hiding." Neva finished.

Dragon Knight nodded and stepped further out into the open, still surveying the area – tall balconies swooped overhead, walkways connecting the buildings around the plaza.

"I have a question." Neva said.

"Shoot."

"When you're fighting monsters on Earth, why do people never come to see the commotion? Like in the museum?"

Dragon Knight paused for thought and when he finally spoke, he sounded disbelieving of his own answer, still wary of possible attackers. "Len says they're repelled."

"Repelled? Like bugs?" Dragon Knight did not get a chance to respond he was more concerned with exclaiming; "Look out!" and dodging a flying great shuriken with roll of to the side. Neva sidestepped out of the way of the shuriken and stabbed the attacking Red Newt in the torso, killing it and whirled into a vicious punch, the knife between her fingers and she swung her arm downward killing the next Red Newt.

And suddenly they were surrounded by Red Newts, separated and hemmed in on all sides.

"Neva!"

"I'm okay!" she called and stepped into a high block, switching her knife to her left hand. She pumped a kick into the chest of the offending Red Newt, sending it backwards.

"This isn't good!"

"Yes, Dragonling, thank you for pointing this out." Neva drawled as a Red Newt seized her by both arms. She immediately dropped into a horse stand – balanced, knees spread wide – throwing her attacker off-balance and bringing her arms together, holding the knife up away from her face before swinging an arm and stabbing the Red Newt in the leg. It reared back in pain releasing her and she stepped to the right with her left foot, dragging the dagger through its leg and torso as it dissolved into smoke.

"Use your powers!" Dragon Knight kicked another monster and spun around to slash another across the torso. Having gained a respite, he slotted a card.

"Strike Vent."

"I don't know how!"

"Get angry!"

Dragredder emerged from the mirrors behind his master, flames filling his maw. Neva wrenched her arm out of another Red Newt's grip and stabbed it in the torso before cartwheeling away. A burst of flame engulfed the Red Newt's heating up the battlefield but much to her surprise she remained completely unaffected despite being so close to the shot.

"I could have been charboiled!" Neva snapped at him as he cut down a few of the surviving Red Newts to get to her side and even more of them appeared on the scene.

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't know you'd be okay."

"And how did you know?" Neva asked, pressing back to back with him.

He shrugged. "Dragredder told me."

"Excuse me? No, never mind – where are these things coming from?"

Dragon Knight groaned as Dragredder swooped again, lashing his tail violently and sweeping a section of the horde away. "I knew this was a bad idea...they're after you."

Chris's advent deck shimmered in her pocket. Neva scowled and blocked a strike from a monster with an 'x-block' – her arms crossed. Then she gripped the offending arm and twisted, jamming the arm over her shoulder and bending it backwards until the arm snapped and the monster collapsed onto the ground in pain.

"Damn, pox-rotten carcasses. Why am I reminded of a fantasy story? Untrained psychic meets other-dimensional armored knight and gets attacked by evil denizens from Hell."

Dragon Knight cut down several monsters and took his place by her side, sword poised over his head. "I feel your pain."

Watching Dragon Knight and Neva swarmed by wave after wave of Red Newts on his monitors, Xaviax smiled and wave the image away, bringing Kamen Rider Strike onto the screen.

"Keep Wing Knight busy. Are Axe and Spear in place?"

"Yes, General."

"Very good. You know what to do."

"Of course."

Having chosen to abandon the advent cycle since having to burst through the mirrors and dispatch of minions was a rather frequent occurrence today, Wing Knight knelt on the back of his Advent Beast as it curved through the mirror bridge, searching for Dragon Knight and Neva's aura. A wave of corrupted auras almost concealed Dragon Knight's advent aura and Wing Knight's brow furrowed under his helm.

~Dragredder's helping.~ Blackwing said.

"Hurry it up." Wing Knight snapped. He paused, turning his head just as the advent beast suddenly went off course, narrowly missing the spew of acid but a few flecks hit Blackwing's wing sending the beast crashing through the mirrors and back into the Ventarran plain.

Wing Knight rolled coming to his feet as the advent beast faded back into the mirror plains, his Rapier Visor at the ready as the cobra advent beast Venosnaker emerged from the advent bridge with Strike, standing on its head.

"Been busy, Wing Knight?" The cobra knight asked casually as if they were discussing the weather.

Wing Knight did not respond, watching the enemy Rider as he jumped down from the advent beast and slotted his sword card, summoning his unique sword.

"I don't have time for you." He snarled, slotting his own sword card. "Sword Vent."

Properly armed, the two Riders circled each other slowly, Venosnaker lurking in the background. Blackwing reappeared without being called, hanging from a building.

Strike chuckled humorlessly. "Oh I know."

Stupid Kit. Bringing Neva to Ventarra was a mistake. "Neva's not going to join Xaviax." Wing Knight said aloud. "She knows what you did to her brother."

"Does she?"

Wing Knight gritted his teeth. She hadn't mentioned it. Had Kit told who had vented her brother?

He caught a flicker of movement; Wing Knight sidestepped, blocking Strike stab to his torso and twisted the sword upwards forcing Strike to skip back to avoid being disarmed. They clashed together again, the strange construction of their respective swords defying each other, slipping.

Wing Knight stomped down his foot, distracting Strike long enough to deliver a sharp sweeping kick that sent him down to the ground. Almost immediately, Wing Knight was forced to duck and roll as Venosnaker's tail swung where he had been seconds before – Blackwing swooped down with a screech, covering the advent cobra's vision with powerful beats of its wings.

A short chapter after so many weeks of absence... T_T (and sue me I like metaphors. :P ) I need to keep up with the steady pace otherwise I lose steam. I should take to scribbling things down at least so things don't escape me. Updates may be more sporadic (as you many have noticed my only reader/possible other readers who chose to remain silent)

So comments, critiques? Is Kit in character? (i feel like I'm not quite capturing his voice...) Please review and give some feedback! Have a happy weekend!