Tuesday – Akizuki Street – 9:42 a.m. (22 days before new moon)
'Takao Masayoshi – 37 years old. Based on the blunt wounds, the unusual low temperature and hardness of the body, not to mention the puddle of water beneath him, no doubt this man was killed in the same manner as Arai Sumire,' Ito Sergio, an inspector from the Sonoda City Police Department surveyed the dead body lying down in a dark, grimy alley along Akizuki Street.
A female detective approached him, "Just received info from HQ, Serge. Takao-san was indeed related to Arai Sumire – they were lovers."
"Which just supports our theory that the culprit is Nakada Takeshi," Ito remarked, while he took off the rubber gloves from his hands and tuck it inside his trench coat. "But –"
"The murder method can't be possibly be done by a normal human, I know," the female detective, Sakurai Kazumi, continued his statement.
"Except the Bear – stand back for a moment, Kazumi," Ito signaled his partner, seeing the other members of the forensic team approach to transfer the frozen corpse onto a stretcher. As soon as Takao's body was properly taken away into the nearby ambulance, Detective Ito resumed, "As I was saying, if we consider our witnesses' testimonies, our culprit is a bear creature which can release high-pressured blizzard from his hands… but..."
"In these times, nothing is impossible, Sergie-kun," Detective Sakurai patted her partner's shoulder. "If there were creatures such as the Kamen Rider and the Horseman living in the city, then I guess it's safe to believe that there is also a 'Bear Man' around."
"But why would this… Bear Man kill these people? It's not like he's Nakada Takeshi's pet, right?"
Sakurai replied in a misty tone, "Or… it might be that... the Bear Man is actually… Nakada-san himself." She shuddered at the thought of her own words.
The two officers continued discussing about the identity of the mysterious killer, not knowing that the one they were talking about was just right beside them – not as Nakada Takeshi, nor as the Bear Man, but a plain heap of black, burnt ash.
At the same time – Mansion d' Iviore
"Checkmate," declared Yamasaki Ryuunosuke, putting his black bishop two tiles diagonally away from Taguchi Yusuke's lone white king, while his own king and another knight was keeping the enemy to the corner of the marble chessboard.
Taguchi acknowledged his defeat. "You got me there, Ryuu-kun. I thought I can make a stale mate, at least."
"You won't, nii-san, as long as I'm using Deletang's triangle method," Ryuunosuke said proudly. It seemed like he already forgot that he was crying over Nakada's death just a few hours ago.
A small azure dragon flew over Taguchi's shoulders, sympathizing with his master's fifth consecutive defeat. Taguchi took the dragon and let it play around his left hand. "You're really good with this stuff, aren't you Ryuu-kun?"
"Just about the only thing that I'm better than you," Ryuunosuke said laughing. "Nothing beats you with real-life strategies though."
"Is that your way of asking for a salary increase?" Taguchi raised his brows a bit.
"Call it allowance, nii-san," Ryuu flashed a mighty grin.
A ring from Taguchi's smartphone disrupted the joyful atmosphere at the Ivory Mansion's terrace. He answered the call, "What is it? WHAT? WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING? WHY DID YOU LET HIM ESCAPE? I want him back before sunset! NO EXCUSES! NO BUT'S!"
Taguchi pressed the end button forcefully and slammed his phone against the chess table, which made the pieces resting above it to topple down. The small dragon, meanwhile, flew away in shock with his master's sudden outrage.
"What's the matter, nii-san?"
Taguchi made a deep breath to attenuate his temper before answering his brother, "Number 29 has escaped the facility."
Episode 11: The Werewolf's Desperate Cry! Irreversible Acts! (Part 1)
Tennotsukai Academy – 4:37 p.m.
Hiro barely had time to think about what happened that morning. His teachers gave them another set of last-minute schoolwork; except Sugita-sensei, who purposely took this day off to "deal with certain matters," whatever that was. Things inside the newspaper club were also a little more hectic than ever before. Yui was back to her old, bossy self, pressuring Hiro, Anna and Keisuke to give her more information about the Kamen Rider and her skeletal savior. Hiro was quite happy, because it's been a while since she acted like that, the last time being that afternoon when she told him to help her investigate about the Bike-Riding Ghost.
"How about we give those guys a label?" Yui suggested, prancing around the Angel's VOICE office like a supervisor.
"Label? Like 'Unidentified Lifeform,' 'Unknown' or something like that?" asked Keisuke, who was in front of a pc while editing some pictures.
"Exactly! Ow –" Yui almost tripped over the legs of Anna's chair. "Sorry, Anna-chan!"
"Don't mind that," Anna answered blankly, her eyes focused on her monitor.
"Now, as I was saying… we should give a collective name to those creatures, so our readers can identify them quite easily. Anything that comes to your mind?" Yui asked, directing her inquiry to all three of them.
Keisuke raised his hands, like a student eager to show off in front of his classmates, "How about… Orphenoch?"
Yui shook her head in disagreement, "Too old-sounding, Kei-kun."
"Hmm… how about Undead?" Keisuke said.
"They're not like zombies or anything…" Yui denied the suggestion again.
"Hmm… Makamou?"
"Not appropriate."
"Worm? Imagin?"
"Sounds cool but…"
"Fangire? Dopant?"
"Still not it…"
"How about… Aguima?" Hiro suggested.
"That's also a nice name but… I don't like it," Yui said.
"EH? But that was…" Hiro would've revealed to them that 'Aguima' was the right term to call those monsters but it'd sound too suspicious.
Finally, it was Yui herself who decided for the name, "I know! Let's call them… Sonomon."
"SONOMON?" Hiro and Keisuke tilted their heads.
"Yeah! Y'know, there's Pokemon and there's Digimon, so… why not call them Sonomon – Sonoda City Monsters! Cool, isn't it?"
Hiro and Keisuke stumbled from their seats.
"I'm off," Anna turned her pc off, prepared her bag and bade goodbye to the three of them.
"Oi, coffee girl! We're not –" Keisuke's mouth was abruptly covered by Yui's hands.
"Go on, Anna-chan! See ya tomorrow!" Yui said, keeping her grip on the struggling Keisuke. Anna nodded, still with that blank expression with her face, and left the office.
Yui let go of Keisuke's mouth. "BAH! What was that for, Suzuki-chan?" he said, panting.
"Can't you keep your rude mouth shut? You don't know what today is, don't you?"
Asakura Street – 5:40 p.m.
How long has it been? Eight years? Nine? Anna couldn't recall anymore. What she only remembered were how she cried so hard when her parents divorced; and how her little feet attempted to chase after her mother's car when the latter, together with her big brother, went away from home. She wanted to see them again, just for once, but she guessed it was impossible.
She stopped on the top edge of the winding street, where the old, musty house of the Kanzakis was in clear view. She'd never thought it'd look very lonely from that distance. Her eyes journeyed around her own house, where she caught someone reclining on the white fences, beside a small hedge.
"Who…?" She looked carefully at the man. He wore a white dress, similar to those worn by a hospital patient. His left shoulder had a bloody wound, to which his left hand was pressed on so as to stop the bleeding. His shoulder-length hair was dirty and matted, giving the impression that he hadn't had any bath for quite some time.
Sensing Anna's presence, the man turned his head over her direction. The girl was shocked when she realized who that was. Yes, he surely looked so much older now, even corpse-like because of the deep, dark eye sockets and bony face, but with his thick brows and the scar on his left cheek, there's no mistaking that it was…
"Onii-chan…" Anna muttered.
At the same time – SpecTRe Board Room (Under IVORYSOFT Building)
Taguchi called for an emergency meeting with the SpecTRe's security department, together with some of the top researchers and officers of the covert organization. He wanted a clear explanation as to why a very important specimen such as Number 29 got his way out of the heavily-guarded facility.
"I believe this was an inside job, Shachou," said Mori Takashi, a balding man who is the head of the security department.
"You've got proof?" Taguchi asked with crossed eyebrows.
Mori lowered his head. "None yet."
"Tsk… then you shouldn't go saying nonsense stuff!" sneered Fujio Shingo, the researcher on duty that morning. Mori threw a mean look at the pale doctor; if there was anyone who had a motive to do this and put the blame to his own department, it could only be Fujio.
"Why are you looking at me like that eh?" the doctor grinned maliciously at Mori.
The security chief clenched his fists and whispered, "You'll see, Fujio…"
Taguchi spoke, "Ryuunosuke, I want you to investigate on this matter. To everyone, if I found out that there was indeed a traitor within this organization then… prepare for the consequences." He stressed his last words to incite fear to everyone inside the board room.
"As for you Mori… Masako," Taguchi called, to which the latter responded with delight. "Yes, Taguchi-sama?"
"I want you to search around the city – round the whole prefecture or the whole country if you must – Number 29 must be returned at all costs."
"I'll do that, Taguchi-sama."
"Mori," the president called for the security chief this time, "bring some of your men with you and go aid Masako."
"Yes, Shachou."
"If you fail… you know what'll happen, right?"
"Yes sir…" Mori bowed down, lower than he had ever been in his life. Through his peripheral vision, he could see Fujio laughing quietly.
Wednesday – Asakura Street – 3:32 p.m. (21 days before new moon)
Anna did not go to school the next day. Yui was utterly worried, while Keisuke thought otherwise, "Kanzaki-chan must've gone partying for herself. It's her birthday today anyway…"
"You certainly were not listening to what I told you yesterday, don't you?" Yui turned to Hiro and Keisuke, as they started their descent into the winding road. "Anna-chan hadn't had any proper birthday celebration for years, ever since her mother and brother left their home."
"Maybe she got over it," said Keisuke, unconsciously enhancing the spikes of his blonde-dyed hair with his fingers.
"Okay, we're here," announced Yui, stopping in front of a narrow gate. She rang the doorbell, and an elderly woman emerged from the door of the white house.
"Who might you be?" the woman asked, opening the gate.
"Uhm… good afternoon, obaa-san!" Yui greeted. "We're friends of Anna. We're here to give her a birthday present. Is… Anna there?"
Kanzaki Toko, Anna's grandmother sounded rather amused, "You're Anna's friends? Why, come in! I never knew my granddaughter had friends at school… well, she's a really quiet girl, never shared anything to me since her mother… oh what am I saying? Please come in!"
"Thank you, obaa-san." Yui accepted the invite in behalf of Hiro and Keisuke and followed the old woman inside.
"Have a seat, please," said Toko, which the trio complied. "What do you want, coffee, tea, or lemon juice?"
"Coffee, Toko-baa!" came a girly voice from the doorway. Hiro turned his head, unable to believe his eyes, "Kanzaki-chan?"
Anna smiled, "Sakkun? Suzuki-chan and… pineapple head… (Keisuke: WHAT DO YOU CALL ME?) I was just about to mail you guys to come here! Well, since you're already here, you guys have to help me prepare the food, okay?"
"What in Kamen Rider's beard (Valtere: WHAT DID SHE SAY?) happened to you, Anna-chan?" squealed Yui in disbelief. It was a totally new Anna; way different than her gloomy, eccentric self, except those instances when she goes child-like while eating Milk Dipper's coffee-flavored ice cream. Even her sense of style changed; she now wore a cream blouse instead of the usual dark-colored blazer. She was holding what looked like a bag of groceries.
"Do I look…"
"No, you look lovely!" Yui said sharply. "That was just… unexpected from you. Right Hiro-kun?"
Hiro agreed. Keisuke, meanwhile, wasn't convinced, "No matter how she looks, she's still the same coffee addict, horror g – WAAARGH!" Hiro squeezed Keisuke's sides with his fingers.
Toko laughed, "Believe me, I too was surprised when my Anna-chan woke up in high spirits this morning." She took the groceries from Anna and brought them into the kitchen. "I guess that's because her –" The old Kanzaki noticed someone walking delicately down the stairs. "Oh, there he is."
"Onii-chan! I told you not to get out of your bed!" Anna rushed to help her brother step down.
"I heard people laughing. I don't wanna be left out in the party," said her brother.
"Onii-chan?" asked Yui, confused. She turned at the man; he was tall and lanky, like someone who had just recovered from a vegetative state. He had pale skin, contrasting Anna's darker complexion, but they had similarly-shaped eyes. A long scar was etched on his left cheek.
"Yeah! Well I did tell you that I haven't seen him for years…" answered Anna, as she aided her brother on his last step before the level ground. "…but he's back! Everyone, this is my brother, Kanzaki Joe! Onii-chan, these are my classmates that I've been talking to you about: Sakaguchi Hiro, Kagami Keisuke, and Suzuki Yui!"
Joe was stunned at the mention of Yui's name, as though he had lost all the remaining blood in his bony face. "Suzuki… Yui?"
"Is there something wrong, onii-chan?" asked Anna, returning Joe to his senses, "Uh… Yeah, I just thought… the name was familiar."
"Well Suzuki is quite a common name," explained Yui, sounding lady-like. Hiro felt a weird rumbling inside his stomach when he saw Yui eye interestingly at Joe. Gaunt as he was, no one can hide the fact that Joe was quite a handsome guy. Hiro reached out for the tattoo around his waist, and started to talk telepathically to Valtere, 'Tsk… I don't like that Joe-san.'
'Me neither kiddo,' Valtere talked in his head, 'I have a bad feeling about this dude.'
'What do you mean?'
'My instincts tell me – and me instincts never failed, you know that – he's an Aguima.'
"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"
"Saka-dono?" Keisuke said, confounded at Hiro's sudden outburst. The latter turned his head to see everyone's faces at him. "I… uh… don't mind me. Just remembered something." He saw Anna take out her Ten Signs that Sakaguchi Hiro had Gone Mad from her blouse's pocket. "Good thing I always have this," she giggled.
Joe glanced at the notebook, "What's that?"
Anna answered while writing something down, "Something I write just for fun."
Keisuke patted Yui's shoulder, "I told you she's the same Kanzaki-chan…"
Asakura Street – 6:04 p.m.
"Front Gate. No signs of Number 29." a SpecTRe agent in casual clothing relayed his message over a Bluetooth-enabled radio device.
"The windows?" replied a woman's voice.
"Too grainy. Can't see a thing," said the agent.
"Alright. Keep an eye out for anyone who'll come out of that house. Understand?" ordered Fujita, watching over the Kanzaki residence from a white sedan parked at the top of the winding road.
"Roger that," the agent resumed his post behind the hedges.
Fujita switched from the Bluetooth headset to her mobile phone, "Mori, what's the development on your side?"
A slightly garbled reply came out, "Negative. No signs of Number 29 in other hideouts."
"Then it leaves us to this house…" Fujita terminated the call and watched over the Kanzaki's in silence, except for occasional squeaks from the hanging Globulle in her windshield.
At the same time - Kanzaki Residence
"Otanjoubi Omedeto!" everyone said in chorus, followed by random applause and confetti. Yui, Keisuke, and Hiro each gave their present to Anna, who was teary-eyed because she felt she had just experienced the best birthday of her life.
"…I've got you guys, Toko-baa, and now Onii-chan's back… I couldn't ask for more. Arigatou Gozaimasu!" Anna bowed, finishing her little birthday speech. Another round of applause followed.
After that, they played charades, helped themselves with Toko-baa's delicious dishes, and talked until there was nothing to be talked about anymore. "…You wouldn't believe how onii-chan looked like when I found him yesterday at the hedge. He looked terrible…"
"… anyone care for coffee-flavored cake?"
"… at least I'm still good-looking…"
"Hai! Hai! Say cheese!"
"… a gun wound? What happened?"
"He wouldn't tell me, Yui-chan. But I guess it doesn't matter anyway…"
"… tell me about yourself, Yui…"
"… Okay, here goes another. Say cheese!"
"… how about coffee-flavored ice cream? Anyone?"
Hiro sat at the corner of the couch, annoyed because he felt so left out, and much more so because Yui looked absolutely interested with Anna's older brother. It also didn't help that he found out that Joe was an Aguima, at least Valtere said so.
"Anything wrong, Saka-dono?" asked Keisuke, as he prepared to take another shot using his DSLR.
"No, nothing," lied Hiro.
'Here goes a second one, now…' said Valtere from the Soul Binder. Hiro touched his waist and replied, 'Second one? You mean another Aguima? From where? What is this all about?'
'Trust me, I don't know, either. Keep an eye out for that Joe guy, and your girl too.'
'I told she's not –'
'I know that, kiddo.'
Hiro continued observing Joe's behavior, until something happened.
"AAARGH!"
"What's happening, onii-chan?" asked Anna, looking very worried. Joe held the temple his head firmly like someone who was having a very terrible headache. He took a long, deep breath, and everything's back to normal. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
"You don't look fine to me, Joe-kun!" snapped Toko. "Anna-chan, take him to his room now so he can get a rest."
"I'm fine, really, obaa-chan!" assured Joe, even though his grim appearance told otherwise.
'See that faint glow in his chest, kiddo?' said Valtere. Hiro gazed on Joe's chest; there was indeed a dim trace of three conjoined circles. 'He just prevented himself from transforming to his Aguima form,' told Valtere.
'You mean… he can't control it?' asked Hiro.
'Looks like it, boy.'
"Are you sure you're alright, Joe-san?" Yui said apprehensively.
Joe answered, "I'm sure! I'm – AAAARRRGH!" He felt his head ache again, this time much worse.
"Onii-chan, what's happening ? Onii-chan!" Anna shook her trembling brother. Toko rushed to the kitchen to get some water, while Yui and Keisuke helped Anna to calm Joe down.
"AAAAAAARGWAAAAH!" Joe wailed as he desperately rushed outside house, breaking a few glass figurines on his way. Anna tried to follow him, but Hiro stopped her. "Let me handle this."
"Sakkun…" muttered Anna. Hiro gave her a nod of assurance. "Don't worry, Kanzaki-chan."
"Everyone, stay inside alright?" shouted Hiro as he ran out of the open doorway. Keisuke scratched his head, "What is Saka-dono thinking?"
Yui, meanwhile, remembered the events at the Akizuki Apartelle a couple of days ago:
"Yui-chan! Call the police!" Hiro bellowed and rushed inside the apartment building.
"Oi! Hiro-kun! Where are you going?" Yui cried, half-panicking as she started to dial 110 from her mobile phone. She heard Hiro say something after that, but it he was too distant now that she could no longer understand his words.
"Just when did Hiro start meddling with other people's problems?" Yui asked herself.
Asakura Street – 7:45 p.m.
"I hear someone," relayed the agent over his radio. He saw Joe come out of the white house in a hurry, his palms pressed against his throbbing head. The agent spoke, "Number 29 spotted."
Fujita disengaged from the car as soon as she received the confirmation. She broadcasted her command over the radio, "Prepare for capture." A series of "roger's" followed.
The agent on the hedge spoke again, "Another person coming out. I repeat, another person coming out!"
"What?" said Fujita. She saw a young guy rushing out of the Kanzaki's, chasing after Number 29. "Halt! Everyone, halt! Alpha team, follow them discreetly! Remember, you must not be noticed!"
"Kanzaki-san, wait!" shouted Hiro, slowing his steps a little or he'll roll down the steep road like a boulder. Joe yelled, "Who are you? Why are following me?"
"I needed to ask something!" Hiro yelled back.
"Are you a Pseudo-Aguima?"
"A Pseudo-Aguima?" Fujita heard Hiro's voice from her receiver. "How did that guy know…?"
Joe stopped and turned to the boy, "How did you…?"
'Someone's coming!' Valtere screamed inside Hiro's head. "What?"
Joe looked behind Hiro and found a woman's silhouette approaching from the shadows. "It's them…" He turned around and darted away as fast as he could.
"Kanzaki-san, wait!" Hiro shouted again, trailing behind Joe.
"You're one of them, don't you?" bellowed Joe, taking a sharp left turn towards Tendou Park.
"What do you mean?" said Hiro inquisitively.
"DON'T PLAY DUMB, YOU JERK! YOU WON'T TAKE ME BACK TO THAT CHAMBER! NEVER!"
Fujita, who was several meters behind, commanded, "Alpha Team, Beta Team, target's going to Tendou Park! Seize him and the boy AT ONCE!"
At the same time – SpecTRe: Sector B Test Labs
Ryuunosuke entered from the sliding metal doorway to one of SpecTRe's most productive reaserch laboratories: Sector B Test Labs. A vast array of LED monitors decorated the four walls of the reception area, each of which was connected to various CCTV cameras situated around the facility. At the top of the LED panels, the group's motto was written – SpecTRe: Visionaries of the New World.
At that time of the evening only a few researchers were left; one of those was Fujio Shingo, the person Ryuunosuke wanted to meet.
"Ah! Yamasaki-sama! I knew you'd come," greeted Fujio, adjusting his thick eyeglasses. "This way, please."
"Thanks," Ryuunosuke followed Fujio to the corridor. The doctor spoke as he opened the door to his office, "Come to investigate about Number 29's escape?"
"Certainly," said Taguchi's half-brother and right-hand man, "But I'm not here to inquire about what conspired that morning."
Fujio offered Ryuunosuke a seat, while he took the swivel chair behind his desk, "What is it that you want to ask, then?"
Ryuunosuke took his own seat and resumed talking, "You've been with SpecTRe ever since Number 29 was brought in here. Tell me, what's so special with this guy that my brother wanted him back so desperately?"
Fujio was surprised, "Why, didn't the president told you that already?"
"No, he didn't," Ryuunosuke hated to admit it, especially when he was under the impression that the doctor was making fun of his ignorance on the matter. "He was too bothered to share it with me."
"Figures," said Fujio. "I bet he still regrets that day…"
"Day? What day?" Ryuunosuke asked quickly.
"Well…" Fujio was holding back his words on purpose, enjoying the guy's craving for information, "you see… Number 29 is living memory… to what Taguchi-sama did on that day…"
"What did onii-chan do? What day are you talking about?" Ryuunosuke's head went nearer.
Fujio flashed a dog-like grin, "That day... when he did an irreversible… regrettable act…"
Tendou Park – 7:53 p.m.
"What chamber? Who are those guys? Why are they after you?" Hiro asked, jumping over a sandbox toward a children's playground.
"I SAID DON'T F*** WITH ME!" Joe took a halt beside a penguin-shaped slide and howled. A blinding light burst from inside his body, and when it dwindled, the Kanzaki brother was already in his Aguima form: a bipedal, wolf-like monster with silvery-white fur, sharp and deadly fangs and clawed paws. A symbol common to Pseudo-Aguimas was glowing brightly on his chest.
Hiro stepped away from the Vargulf* Aguima, "No, you misunderstand. I'm not part of –"
"FWAAAH!" The Vargulf opened its jaws and charged toward Hiro. He would've been caught by the snap of the wolf monster's fangs if not for Valtere switching out just in time. H-Valtere rolled to one side as Hiro's ghost was spewed out of the Soul Binder.
"Thanks!" said Hiro, gliding a few feet away from H-Valtere and the Vargulf.
"Anytime, boy!" H-Valtere thumbed-up and ducked, just as the Vargulf leapt over him.
"You've been quite an annoying guy, wolfy! Now it's time to tame the dog!" H-Valtere raised his fingers, wrote inscriptions in the air which travelled to his waist, materializing into a belt. He bellowed, "HEN…"
The Vargulf leapt again before he could finish the transformation sequence, its paws barely hitting Hiro's chest. H-Valtere lurched and tumbled to the ground, "Oi Wolfy I'm not finished yet!"
"FWAAAOOOOH!" the wolf-like Aguima howled again and blew its hot, canine breath against H-Valtere's face. "Stop! Stop that, that's DISGUSTING!"
The Vargulf bounded forward, ready to tackle again. It dived to an unarmed, untransformed H-Valtere.
Hiro shrieked, "VALTERE!"
And then…
"PANG! PANG! PANG!" three consecutive, earsplitting gunshots echoed over the playground. One of the bullets hit the Vargulf, causing it to back off from H-Valtere and whine in pain.
Hiro surveyed the area to determine the source of the shot. He saw six men; three were wearing black coats, while the other three wore normal shirts. Behind them stood a full-bodied woman, her gun pointing at the Vargulf's direction.
Fujita said loudly, "We've come to take you back, Kanzaki-san."
To be continued in Episode 12: The Werewolf's Desperate Cry! Irreversible Acts! (Part 2)
A/N: That's it, Episode 11, done!I don't know but I thought it didn't flow quite smoothly... anyway, if you guys have any comment, you know the drill: HIT THE REVIEW BUTTON. Oh, and because this sub-arc turned out longer than it was supposed to be, the debut of the new rider will be moved to Episode 13. ;)
Just a bit of a trivia: these episodes were indirect homage to the original Kanzaki siblings (Yui and Shiro) of Kamen Rider Ryuki. Even Anna's house is patterned to that café in Ryuki (plus the grandma too :P).
New Aguima Type: Vargulf – a werewolf-based kaijin. Human form: Kanzaki Joe (SpecTRe Specimen Number 29)