Carter and an Acquaintance from Bygone Days
Phantom Mistress's lair
"My lady, the assassin you called for has arrived!" Beelzebub declared as he waltzed into the large chamber and bowed before the curtained off mattress. He waited patiently in that pose for several moments but he heard nothing stir from within. "My lady?" He asked again louder. He knew his mistress had a tendency to sleep through entire days but she was usually attentive when he or another of her attendants had to disturb her slumber for important business, such as his current report. "My lady, Mantic-"
"Pipe down would ya!" Finally someone did stir from behind the veil of cloth, but the beds occupant was by no means Beelzebub's master. This occupant's voice was harsh, irritable and unfortunately familiar.
"Phoenix-dono." The impish Phantom recognized immediately. "I had no idea you had resurrected already. If I may be so bold, are you even allowed to sleep there?"
Phoenix snorted as he pushed the curtains aside to look at his comrade tiresomely. He yawned and leaned back against the soft mattress with his hands behind his head. "Reviving takes a lot of energy out of me, I need at least a day or two to recharge before I'm back to fighting shape. So the boss lets me crash here in order to do so." Phoenix explained as he started to drift off back to sleep but mumbled out one last bit of info for Beelzebub. "Boss lady had to step out, something about tying up a loose end. But she said that if you came by: just show the new guy the ropes and tell him who to look out for. If he's as good as they say then he won't need our help much." With that Phoenix let out a mighty snore and fell into deep slumber.
Beelzebub put a finger to his temple in slight irritation. He utterly loathed the fact that he had to suffer this fool and as his vulgar mannerisms. He had been working under the mistress for far longer than he or even Pegasus had and yet he to show special treatment to this brute simply because the Lady adored his cruelty and respected his power. He almost chuckled with glee whenever he hears of Phoenix's defeats at the hand of the Wizard only to be disappointed when the brute shows up the next day, haggard, but still very much alive.
"Very well." Beelzebub bowed once more and exited the dark chamber. His guest, clad in a dark cloak that covered his upper body and hiding his face, had been waiting patiently outside as he absent mindedly shuffled the deck of card in his hands. "We leave it to you. Spread despair to the Gates of this city and rid us of that detestable Wizard."
The assassin ceased shuffling the deck and offered it to his colleague who lifted an eyebrow but took a card none the less. The card depicted a man in a golden chariot being pulled by two horses, one black, one white. "Tarot?" Beelzebub recognized.
"The CHARIOT. Representing conquest and control." The assassin stated as he took back his card. "It is facing up so victory is our possible future." The assassin tucked his cards back into his wide sleeves and took his leave, walking into the deep forest outside of the Phantom lair.
"Only possible, not certain." Beelzebub called skeptically. The assassin stopped in his tracks and Beelzebub noticed that a snake had wandered into his path, and by close observation it was one of the poisonous variety.
"During my days as a fortune teller in Calcutta, I often checked my own fortune every morning to see what fate had in store for me. On one particular morning I read that I was going to have a particularly fruitful business day. That same afternoon, I was cut down in the streets by a mugger." The snake hissed threateningly as it bore its fangs at the cloaked figure. It leaped forward, aiming to sink its venom tipped fangs into the man's leg but was stopped mid flight as a whip like weapon suddenly shot from the folds of the man's cloak and removed the serpents head from its body. The assassin retracted his weapon back into his cloak faster than Beelzebub could see it. "When I was reborn, I realized something. A human is ever bound by the designs of fate so we cannot truly predict our lives completely. But a Phantom…" He pulled out a new card from his robes and held it up to Beelzebub to see. "Has the power to change the fate of others. Which is why my fortune telling business failed you see." The card he held up depicted a skeletal knight astride a pale horse and stepping over the bodies of king and peasant alike. "My customers always pull the DEATH card."
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The Safe House
"Magic is an incredible thing." The former Phantom, Suzuka, said aloud as she gazed at the simple lounge like room that Carter had brought her to. Carter has long since moved the entrance of the safe house to a random door leading into the school, which luckily, only opened for Sakura while remaining mundane and normal to all non-magic users. Carter is able to get in through utilization of his Connect ring and had brought the injured Suzuka inside so the two could talk. Sakura and Tomoyo had not come with them under Carter's instruction, stating that coming to the safe house too often might draw the attention of other Phantoms just as the last spot was.
"Suzuka-san…" Carter started but she held a hand up to stop him.
"Shizuka Mari is fine. I no longer have any need for that façade."
"Very well, Shizuka-san." Carter continued. "Is there anything else you can tell me about the Master you worked for? How was she able to make you into a Phantom and just as easily make you human again?"
Shizuka sighed as she thought back to that night years ago when she practically literally sold her soul to a demon. "It's very hard to explain. She has this ability to produce…"seeds" I believe she called them, that bond to the soul of a compatible human and changes them, entirely, into Phantom."
"Was that what Phoenix, stole? The seed she gave you?" Recalling the strange black crystal object the cruel Phantom had literally ripped from Shizuka's body. Shizuka nodded.
"From what I understand, just making one of those things takes a great toll on her mana. She takes priority on retrieving the Seeds from servants who have either failed her or have displeased her some way. Like I said, there's barely more than a handful of us, so she prefers not expending the energy." Shizuka then seemed to recall something. "In fact, I think the only time I ever seen her leave her hideout is when she goes looking for new human's to make into Phantom's. Otherwise she remains in bed all day."
Carter pondered this information and came to a sudden conclusion. "She must wish to conserve her mana as much as possible. That must be why she brought such a force all the way here, so she won't have to expend her own energy, she has weaker Phantom's do it for her. Now we just need to know her main goal."
Shizuka grimaced at this point, she feared this moment and was actually glad Sakura was not here for it. "I can't say I know what her end goal is. But I do know this…" Carter locked eyes with her and her gaze saddened. " She needs the Card Mistress in order to succeed."
Carter's eyes widened and his hand clasped itself into a fist as he shook with anger.
"I had no idea that Sakura was the sorceress she needed and I don't want to imagine what that woman has in store for her. Just thinking about her…it scares me, she unlike any other Phantom out there. She radiates pure darkness, like a deep abyss that you can't help but shiver as you look into." Shizuka actually began to physically shiver and Carter composed himself as he rested a hand over hers.
"Daijobu. I will definitely protect Sakura-chan. I won't let this Phantom Mistress sink her claws into my precious comrade." His smile was warm and reassuring and Shizuka immediately stopped shivering.
'It's like he's her polar opposite. A brilliant light that calms and reassures you.' The woman couldn't help but look away blushing. "Empousa's a lucky woman." She muttered."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing." Shizuka shook her head and smiled back at Carter. "I'm leaving Sakura-san and this city in your hands, Kamen Rider."
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"Excuse me. Can you tell me what street I am on?" A middle aged man with sleeked back graying hair and wearing a brown suit asked to a nearby couple. He was foreign and his Japanese was hesitant and clearly unpracticed. Still, he was able to get out enough for the people he questioned to understand him, kind of. "I am looking for…Tomayda Middle School."
The young couple looked to each other and then snickered despite themselves. Apparently the old man still had trouble with names. They explained his error and pointed him in the right direction.
"Arigato! Hontoni arigato!" He thanked them loudly and bowed vigorously, so much that he was starting to draw eyes on them and the couple started feeling a bit embarrassed and decided it would be best not to stick around. The old thanked them once more and waved goodbye as he turned on his heels and walked toward the direction they pointed him to.
As he got to the school he realized immediately that he would find no one here. The middle school was still closed down after its recent fire and it was clear no students nor teachers had been attending in quite a while. "Of all the rotten luck." The old man fell to his knees and stared at the ground utterly depressed. "I crossed the seas to a small country to an even smaller town and yet, and I cannot find one man!" The man took out a handkerchief and blew into it as he sobbed pitifully. "I have failed you my friend! Forgive me Hughes!" The old man cried to the blue sky and lowered his head to the asphalt in shame.
"Excuse me. But, did you say Hughes?" The old man looked up to find a pair of young girls looking down at him in concern. The one that had spoken had long black hair and purple eyes. Her friend had green eyes and short brown hair. They both appeared to be about the age of middle schoolers.
"Child!" The man suddenly was on his knees once more, grasping the long haired girl's hand tightly in case she might run away. "Do you know a man named Carter Hughes?! He's a foreigner! A European like me! Brown hair, blue eyes, a school teacher? Do you know a man like that?!" His questions came like a machinegun barrage as he shook desperately. He had switched back to his native English language and the girl was just barely comprehending what he was saying.
"Please slow down. My English is not that practiced for such a fast conversation."
"Oh…Gomen." The man released the girl's hand and shakily rose back onto his feet, brushing himself off as he did so.
"Are you a friend of Yu-sensei?" The brown haired girl asked, her English was shakier than her friends but it was comprehensive at least. Though the man did pause at the name.
"Yu-sensei? Oh! Hugh-sensei! Carter must be using that name in his class." The man deduced. He bowed to the girls in turn and introduced himself. "My name is Ezekiel Berns. I am an acquaintance of Carter Hughes. It is nice to meet you."
The two girls smiled and bowed as well.
"My name is Kinimoto Sakura."
"Daidouji Tomoyo, we are Yu-sensei's students in his English class."
"A pleasure, truly. It does my heart good to know that boy has such kind and polite students." The man shook the tow girl's hands gently and blew into his handkerchief again though he forwent sobbing this time."
"If I may ask, how do you know Yu-sensei exactly?" Tomoyo inquired, the man did not appear suspicious but after the battle against Pegasus the group realized that they may need to be wary of enemies who know of Carter's identity as Wizard. A Phantom pretending to be a friend of Carter's could be plotting to ambush him or them.
Ezekiel looked the two over and his face took on a somber yet trusting expression. "Carter was the one who brought hope back into my life."
The two girls blinked in shock and looked to each other. This man must have been a Gate Carter had saved in the past. Sakura's bag began shake as a small yellow head forced its way out.
"Finally, I don't have to hide in this stuffy bag all day!" Kero gasped as he forced his way out of Sakura's bag to get some fresh air. "So you're a friend of Wizard's huh?"
Time stopped for a second as the group all looked down at the plush toy like creature who had spoken up. Ezekiel stared wide eyed at the Clow Guardian as his mouth started to slump open.
"A talking…cat?" He mumbled before he slumped back, his eyes wide and distant as he had started to faint. Sakura and Tomoyo quickly grabbed the older man's hands so he did not fall and injure himself hitting the sidewalk.
"Kero-chan!" Sakura squealed in mortification. Just because the man said he had been saved by Carter it did not mean he was used to all things magic and a talking, flying plush toy was definitely something shocking for him to see.
Ezekiel quickly righted himself and grasped both girl's by the shoulder looking at them suspiciously. "You two! Who are you really?!"
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"I see, so that's what he's been up to." Ezekiel sighed and crossed his arms in thought. Sakura and Tomoyo had no choice but to spill the beans on everything to the man after they had moved to a more secluded area away from prying eyes. Sakura's identity as a sorceress, Carter's identity as Kamen Rider Wizard as well as the reason why he came to Tomoeda in the first place, he forced them to tell him everything or else he would cause a commotion giving the two a great amount of unneeded attention . Strangely enough, the older man seemed fairly receptive to their explanation and did not seemed nearly as shocked by this as he was at seeing Kero. "I was afraid of that."
"So…you knew about Yu-kun? About him being a magician I mean?" Sakura inquired, the man's reaction clearly revealed he had very little experience with magic of any kind and thus was not a Gate from Carter's past.
"I had an inkling." Ezekiel explained. "Back in London, where Carter and I lived are originally from, there were rumors. Stuff that kids and the crazies usually gossiped about of monsters like werewolves or giant spiders or…stone men suddenly attacking people in the streets. I didn't think much about it at first, but then other rumors started cropping up about some…bloke in a suit of armor and a mask riding around on a motor cycle and saving people with all manner of crazy hocus pocus and strange kung-fu."
"You mean Kamen Rider Wizard." Tomoyo guessed.
"Yes, I suppose that's the name he must've taken here. I never would have guessed that boy who I regarded as my god-son would be involved. I knew he had a peculiar looking motor cycle but I thought he just used it to get to class or work. But then other signs started cropping up. His younger sister would sometimes call me, explaining Carter's been out all night some evenings and would come back so exhausted and sometimes even wounded that he would just collapse in the doorway. His family and I were worried that he'd gotten into some sticky or illegal business, but every time we'd press him for answers he'd just avoid the question or make up some excuse." Sakura and Tomoyo listened on the edge of their seats. Carter was also very stagnant about his past to them as well and though they felt guilty about prying they were entirely enthralled by the man's words. "Eventually the rumors started cropping up less and less and Carter started becoming more present within his household, when he finally got his teaching degree we were all so ecstatic that we threw a party so mad that the neighbors had to call the bobbies on us…er, police I mean." He explained when he noticed their confusion.
"Hughes must've fought off all of the Phantoms in his hometown." Kero deduced. "Can't believe he'd want to come here and help us after that." Sakura and Tomoyo became very somber at his comment. Carter could have had a peaceful life in his home town alongside his family but instead he agreed to Eriol's request to come to Tomoeda and fight off the Phantom's gathering here. How much has he suffered thanks to that decision, how often has he gotten hurt or nearly died?
"When were amazed when we found out he gotten work overseas. We sent him off with tears in our eyes and prayers on our breaths. I usually tried to keep in touch and learn about the city he was working in and then I stumbled on something that caught my eye. The monster rumors were popping up all over again, in this very city, along with rumors of our mysterious "Masked Rider" showing up under a new name. It didn't take me too long to piece things together so I rushed here as fast as I could."
"Are you here…to get Yu-kun to leave with you?" Sakura asked worriedly. As much as she hated how her friend was suffering to protect her city he was still her friend and she hated saying goodbye to her friends even more!
Ezekiel paused until he sighed tiredly. "Yes…that is what I wish to do. I know it must pain you to hear and it may be selfish, but I owe that boy and the Hughes family so much. I can't bare the thought of something happening to him."
"You really care a lot about Yu-kun." Tomoyo noticed. "Does it have something to do with you saying 'he brought hope back into my life'?" Tomoyo didn't mean to pry but she was incredibly curious as to this man's devotion, enough to travel thousands of miles to a city he knew was dangerous in order to find his friend. Ezekiel looked to the two girls and their "talking cat" and knew each of them wanted to hear the story.
"It was approximately 14 years ago." Ezekiel started as his eyes stared distantly as if to relive his past before his very eyes. "I was a broken man in debt and living on the streets. I had no family to depend on but at the time I saw it as really no one to drag down with me. My life was devoid of comfort, of warmth, barely able to scrape enough by to survive. In those days my only hope was in the thing that pulled me down in the first place, gambling. Every month, I would check the lottery numbers, pray and hope for the chance to start again. For the longest time I met little success but I persevered and would try, month after fruitless month. And finally, miraculously, my prayers were answered!"
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Flash back
"The winning lottery numbers are…12, 17, 23, 28 and 31!" The announcer on the radio declared as I stared with shaking hands at the ticket in my hands and the six numbers written on it.
"I…won." I muttered beneath by breath, partly to make a scene and also partly because I was so breath taken I couldn't muster up the lung power to cry out and laugh as I was doing in my head. I quickly tucked the crumbled ticket into my ragged coat and immediately went straight to the lottery booth I purchased my ticket from. The prize was for 1 million euros. A modest prize by standards by jackpot standards but it was more money than I ever had in my long life and it was exactly what I needed in order to pay off my remaining debt and still have enough to live off of in order to get my life back on track. I was practically jogging as my goal was in sight. A second chance at life! My prayers finally answered!
But of course, it was actually impossible to protect something so valuable by myself. And for every lucky hopeful like me who scrounges and begs for sweet succor of hope, there are scavengers and hyenas who lie in wait just for the chance to pick off the weak stragglers, like myself.
Before I knew it, and yards away from anyone who could help me even if they wanted to, a group of roughly dressed men surrounded me and dragged me away, I was far too scared to cry out for I knew these men well.
"Old Zeke! Now where's an old devil like you off to in such a hurry?" A bald man in a Hawaiian shirt asked me as he started patting me down. His friends took a firm hold of my arms and shoulders as he started checking the pockets of my jacket. He finally fished out the crumbled ticket and stared at it greedily. "Now what were you planning on doing with this?"
"Please, give it back!" I begged. "It's the only way I'll be able to pay off my loans to your boss!" In a desperate bid for time to fix my debt problems, I borrowed from a loan shark who helped me settle my debts in full. But I was completely unaware of his incredible interest demands and his totally unreasonable due dates. It literally took everything I owned in order to pay off some of what I owed, but I was still in terrible debt with that same loan shark's men breathing down my neck almost every week. Of all times why did they have to show up now?
"Well isn't that thoughtful, but our boss is generous, he wouldn't want his customers to overwork themselves. We'll just cut out the middle man and hand this over to the boss for you, eh boys!?" The bald man's crew chuckled as they tossed me to the ground and followed their leader away. "Pleasure doing business with ya Zeke!" He snickered as he fanned himself with the ticket with a wide grin on his face.
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"How awful!" Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes as did Kero and Tomoyo as Ezekiel paused to take a breather, as he had been talking non-stop. "How could anyone be that cruel?"
"And I knew it would not be their last act of cruelty. I figured they had no intention of turning in my winnings to their boss and would probably be back the next week, harassing me over more interest after they spent all of it. By this point I was very close to crying as I sat there, cold dirty and practically hopeless." He noticed their sorrow filled looks and smiled as he cleared his throat to signal he was going to start again. "Chin up a bit, the story only gets better from here."
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"So what will you do now?" Carter asked as he and Shizuka exited the hidden room, prompting the door way to return to being just a plain frame leading into a classroom.
"Even though I'm useless to them now, I'm still a threat because of what I know. They'll most likely send someone to silence me." Shizuka sighed as she leaned on the cane she was forced to use for balance. "I'll probably move back home to Okinawa, doubt they'd try looking for me in boonies."
Carter stared off sadly. "This schools really gonna be different with you gone. I know of quite a few students who are going to be sad to see you leave."
Shizuka smiled and patted him on the cheek playfully. "Well that's your job isn't it mister mahousukai, to keep the smiles on their faces while I'm gone."
"While you're gone?"
"Well of course I'm coming back!" Shizuka replied slightly irritated by his cluelessness. "I expect you to hurry up and make this city safe again so and I hurry on back, make sure they don't replace me anytime soon and kick some Phantom ass for me!" She grinned wide and passed him a thumbs up which he returned with a chuckle, glad for finally obtaining his colleague's friendship. His attention then veered away when he felt a strange, but familiar sensation.
"I think I sense Sakura-chan nearby, knowing those girls they've probably been lingering near the school waiting to see us. I'll go get them!" He proclaimed and turned on his heels in order to walk through the slightly repaired hall to where he thought he felt his friend's presence.
"Hughes-!" Shizuka suddenly called out to him, causing him to slide to a halt and look back in confusion at her cry. She hesitantly bit her lip and tightened her grip on her walking stick as if what she had to say was eating away at her. She finally sighed and waved if off. "Just…don't tell them the bad news yet. I think I may want to tell it to them directly."
Carter cocked his head to side, not entirely sure if he believed that request was all she had in mind but he shrugged and nodded back in affirmation as he quickly rounded the corner, out of her sight. Shizuka stepped into the empty classroom to stare at the setting sun as the day sped toward late afternoon.
"I thought I had given up on the notion years ago. But it's too much to ask. He has someone else in mind after all." Shizuka sighed to herself, letting the feelings of acceptance roll over her. As she started off into the sunset, she couldn't help but not notice the presence looming behind her.
"Such feelings of melancholy suit you, Pegasus."
Shizuka froze, almost literally as the sickly sweet voice made her blood freeze. She turned to look behind, finally seeing the petite figure dressed in a gothic dress with a hooded cape covering her face. Shizuka dropped her cane in fright, as only her fear was necessary to root her in place.
"I honestly didn't it expect it to be you to come, mistress. I always thought it would be Phoenix or Beelzebub who would show up at my door."
"You should know me better than that my dear. When I have truly become fond of people I scout into my fold, I make sure to care for them, personally."
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Ezekiel Continued
I just sat there and wallowed in my misery as my last hope walked away before my very eyes. I almost burst into tears before I heard the rapid squeak of sneakers and loud "Oof!"
"Where do you gits get off!?" I watched in pure shock and disbelief as a boy, who could not have been more than 8 years old, suddenly tackled the lead thug, knocking the air from his lungs and causing him to loosen his grip on the ticket on his hands. "Didn't your mothers ever tell you not steal from others?!" He demanded as he snatched up the ticket and held it tight to his chest.
"What's with this brat?!" One of the men suddenly reached for the small boy, but he skillfully side stepped the man's reaching hands in order to slam his leg into the man's shins, causing to reel in pain as he had to grip his stinging leg. The boy stuck his tongue out at the remaining thugs and dashed back down the alley toward me.
"C'mon!" He stopped at my side and tried to shake some sense back into me as he pushed the ticket back into my hands. "Don't let go of it this time!" He gripped my hand tight and led me out of the alley through the back. I was still dumbstruck. Of all people who could've come to my aid, it was a child barely a fifth my age and slightly half my height. Miracles were coming in all sizes that day it seemed.
"Shoot dead end!" As he said, the alley we took led to a trash strewn wall, we had no escape route and our pursuers were closing in. I then noticed a thin void between two of the buildings that made up the dead end, it was just wide enough for us to slip through if we walked side-ways.
"Through here! You're smaller so you go first kid." I instructed but he shook his head stubbornly and began grabbing trash so he could prop them up in a line before him.
"It's you they're after, you go first. I'll hold them off!" As he said so the fastest of the thugs was rounding the corner to our alley and was quickly met by a paint can smashing into his face. "You guys got no chance against a future football star!" He proclaimed proudly and he pulled his leg back to send another piece of garbage flying into the other thugs. His volley of trash was actually working as the men were completely off guard against such an attack. I was so amazed I didn't even think to make my own escape. Unfortunately, as the boy had run out of artillery.
"Bloody brat!" Baldy had apparently recovered as he swatted down the last of my young saviors trash missiles. He quickly grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up with murder in his eyes.
"Leave the boy alone!" I begged as I tried to pull them apart, but my weak self had no chance against the enraged man and I was easily snubbed aside.
"I am gonna beat this kid's face in until his own mother won't recognize him!" The thug threatened as he pulled his fist back, but his arm was quickly stopped by an unknown hand.
"Please don't, he hasn't grown into my good looks yet." The tall, fairly built man with blonde hair buzzed into a flat top wrenched the thug's arms back painfully, forcing him to release the boy back to his feet.
"Dad!" The boy cried in joy at the sight of his imposing father. The large man tossed his captive into the trash lining the wall and bent down to inspect his son, dusting him off and checking him for any injuries. He then pinched the boy's nose. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"For not thinking before you decide to play hero. This could have gone a lot worse if I wasn't here." The large man turned at the sound of the remaining thugs beginning to pick themselves up. "And now it seems I have to clean up my son's mess." He cracked his knuckles expectantly and he marched on the men who could only stare up in terror.
Wham! Smash! Smack! Insert miscellaneous sound words here.
"Do you know who you're messing with?!" The lead thug demanded as the man finished beating on his cohorts. The man looked at the remaining crook sideways and reached into his jacket to fish out a wallet and flipping the top layer up to reveal a bronze, metallic badge.
"Do you? Drake Hughes, Interpol U.K. division." The apparent police officer proclaimed.
"A cop!" The thugs squealed in fright and scrambled away, their bald leader started to follow but he hesitantly stayed behind and looked to me worriedly.
"Zeke, uh…don't tell the boss about this okay?" He begged trying to sound as respectful as possible since it seemed I now had police muscle on my side. "Do me this solid man and I'll make all that interest you've piled up just go away. Okay mate!?"
"Umm…sure." I replied prompting the man to nod thankfully and speed off after his friends.
"That's great!" The boy was suddenly at my side again and giving me a congratulatory thumbs up.
"Can't say I fully know what's going on but it seems like those punks won't be giving you any trouble any time soon." The man whose name was Drake stated, putting his badge away and helping me up. "Sorry if my kid gave you more trouble than you were looking for. Carter, apologize to the man." He pinched his son's cheek playfully to get his point across.
"No, no!" I begged as I held out the ticket to them. "I can't thank both of you enough for helping me. This ticket is worth 1 million euros. Whatever money is left after I pay off my debts I want you to have."
"No thanks." Drake pushed my hand away and patted me on the back. "My son could tell how much you needed that money and he acted based on what knew was right. So based on that, I can't take that money with a clear heart."
"But…!" I started but Carter placed his hands over mine.
"Keep the money Mr. Zeke. It's your hope isn't. So it needs to be protected." I couldn't offer anymore arguments against his pure smile. In one day my life had been turned upside down. Hope had been returned to my life thanks to the miracle caused by sudden encounters.
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Flashback end
Ezekiel concluded his tale with a content smile. "After that, I was able to pay off all my debt in full and with all the interest dropped I had enough left over to start a small business of my own, a small department store called "Million Miracles" if you've heard of it."
"I do know that place!" Tomoyo replied, wide eyed and honestly shocked. "It's an incredibly small but also popular store in Knightsbridge. They say you can purchase in store fashion cheaply there for a limited time, is it true?"
"Heh heh. It's true, though our stock on such items is incredibly limited so we have random weeks for sales depending on the seasons." Ezekiel chuckled to himself. "Thanks to that day I am able to live the comfortable life I have today. I swore one day I would make it up to the Hughes family for what they've done for me." His face then became somber as he clasped his hands tightly. "But I was unable to."
"Hoe?" Sakura asked confused by his sudden shift in tone.
"It's probably not my place to explain if Carter has not told you already, but considering what you've told me about Gates, Phantoms and Magicians, some things are starting to…piece together."
"About Yu-kun?" Tomoyo inquired. Ezekiel nodded.
"Carter's strange behavior began approximately 10 years, a full year after the death of his father and the tragic hospitalization of his mother." Both girls and Kero gasped at his admittance. "I don't know the full details, only that some sort explosion occurred inside the Hughes's home, trapping his mother inside. She found later miraculously unharmed, but some injury she attained caused her to slip into a coma, she has yet to awaken. And worst of all, my dear friend Drake, was murdered with his two crying children right beside him."
"How horrible." Sakura covered her mouth, trying to hold back the sobs. "Did they find out what caused this?"
"Actually, the case is technically still up in the air, however when Carter and his younger sister, Valorie, were questioned by the police, little Valorie kept going on about how the "big bad wolf" had been the one that attacked her family. Carter, was strangely tight lipped on the events, we assumed it was due to shock but now, because of the rumors, I'm starting to think it may be connected to Carter's new life style as a 'Kamen Rider'."
"The big bad wolf?" Kero asked confused but Ezekiel shook his head, explaining he was just as stumped.
"Yu-kun saw his father and mother attacked in front of his very eyes, and it must have hurt him so badly that he fell into despair." Sakura reasoned as she gripped the hems of her skirt in anxiety. She was learning so many new things about her friend but she could not help but feel the wrongness of it all, in the horrible fate he's had to endure and also how she has stepped into a forbidden part of his life without his consent. The guilt was overwhelming.
"Drake was an Interpol Inspector on a case he could not share with anyone, not me and not his family. And I think it was what got him killed. His son is now actively combating the same menace and I want to do nothing more than to shield him from it, if only for the sake of my peace of mind. Which is why I'm begging you…" Ezekiel suddenly shifted off the bench they sat on to lower his head to the three, shocking them all. "Please let me meet with Carter!" Ezekiel begged profusely with tears in his eyes. "I could do nothing for his father, and though I know I'm just a weak, old and very mundane human being, I can't help but picture the sad, fatherless child he was and not bare to see him risk his life. Please, you're my only hope."
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Carter scratched his head slightly perturbed as he had ran through and around the entire school and still he found no sign of Sakura or Tomoyo. "Did I imagine it?" He thought to himself as he exited the School and walked toward the entrance.
"Yu-kun!"
"Oh there they are." He laughed as he spotted his two young friends heading toward him from down the street. "Hey! I was just looking for you tw-." He stopped mid sentence when he noticed the unexpected figure accompanying the two, a aged face he knew well. "Ezekiel…"
"Hello Carter, I'm glad to see you doing well." Ezekiel stated as he stepped toward the younger man with his hand extended for a hand shake, but Carter was a step ahead of him and closed the distance between the two to not only clasp his friend's hand but also wrap an arm around the man to embrace him joyfully.
"Zeke! It's been too long man!" Carter shook the older man's hand ecstatically. "You never told me you were coming, shame on you!"
"I wanted to come as fast as I could, I had to meet you." Ezekiel explained as Carter finally released his hand. "Carter, I want you to-."
"Hold it!" Carter's face suddenly became cross as he noticed a dark presence. Sakura and Kero felt it as well and the two were already on the defensive as Sakura readied her key. "I know you're there. Stop looming from behind that wall!" Carter demanded as he stepped between his friends and the School border wall. A figure wrapped in a black coat stepped from it hiding place in answer to Carter's call.
"Very observant." The cloaked assassin complimented as he lowered his hood. His face revealed, Carter deduced that he was Arabic on a first hand observation. "It seems my target for this day is also a dear friend to the Wizard my employer has told me so much about. Killing two birds with one stone it seems." The assassin chuckled as his body began give off purple smoke.
"M-m-monster!" Ezekiel shrieked as Carter guarded him. The Phantom was covered in white fur with brown, carapacian skin for his arms, legs, chest and shoulders. His head resembled a long pincered insect's with wide green eyes. The assassin stalked toward the group unarmed but not seemingly defenseless. Just as Carter went for his one of his Style rings, a long, scorpion like tail grew from the creature's bag, cracking like a whip as it knocked Carter aside, sending him rolling away from his friends.
"You seem to cherish this man, then fall into despair as you watch him die!" The Phantom declared with a snap of his finger. At his call, a pack of cannon armed Ghouls moved in, aiming straight for the cornered magician.
"Carter!" Ezekiel moved to aid his friend but Sakura and Tomoyo moved into his path, trying to hold the old man back before he got himself killed.
"Burns-san don't!" Sakura begged as they struggled to keep the desperate man back. "Kero!"
"I'm on it!" The clow guardian once again escaped Sakura's bag in order to take his more powerful true form. He glided toward his pinned ally but a few of the Ghouls turned their weapons on him, forcing him to keep back in order to dodge their attacks.
"Fire!" The Phantom commanded prompting the Ghouls to unload on the downed magician. The spot where Carter rolled to was engulfed in fire as the Ghoul's artillery scorched the ground in front of them.
"No…don't tell me. I failed again." Ezekiel slumped back, no longer resisting the two girl's keeping him back and falling on his haunches, staring disbelieving at the place where his hopes had suddenly gone up in flames. "Drake, I failed you."
Crack!
"Burns-san!" Sakura cried desperately as the purple fissures began to appear on Ezekiel's face. The Phantom laughed to himself as he watched the Card Mistress futilely shake the man back into his senses.
"What shall the next fortune I read be?" The Phantom said as he took out his deck of cards once more, shuffled through them in order to pick a random card from the middle. "DEATH, as I expected." The Phantom guffawed as he tossed the black card to Ezekiel's feet.
"Normally I'd be fascinated by that parlor trick of yours…"
"Hmm!?" The assassin and his Ghoul's scanned the area for where that voice had come from but there was no one standing in or around the area they had destroyed, the voice was coming straight from thin air.
Rumble!
No, not from thin air! It was coming from underneath them!
"Drill, Please!"
The ground beneath the Ghouls suddenly exploded upward as a spinning, topaz colored drill bit erupted out. A black clad leg spouted from the drill, striking each Ghoul down with the rotation of its spin. The yellow twister finally ceased to rotate as Kamen Rider Wizard Land Style dusted himself off. He looked to where Sakura cradled the dying Ezekiel and then turned to the insectoid Phantom, an angry aura simmer around him. "Right now, all I want to do is shove those cards down your throat!"
"Hmph!" The assassin scoffed as several more Ghouls armed with swords rushed forward. "I have completed my assignment for today, I shall retreat for now." And with that, the assassin retook his human appearance and rushed to the border wall where he sprang and leaped over it.
"Stop! Bastard!" Wizad growled as he moved to give chase only for the Ghouls to step into his path with weapons raised. "Pests!" He cursed as he equipped himself with the Sword-gun.
"Yu-kun, Burns-san needs you!" Sakura called to him. He knew she was right, saving Ezekiel was far more important than chasing after some Phantom arrogant enough to leave before he actually saw his mission through.
"I'll be right there!" He replied as he parried a stab from a charging Ghoul. He sweep kicked the Ghoul down in order to smash the flat of his blade into the creature's side like a golf club. The unlucky Ghoul soared up, smashing into its advancing comrades where they all fell in a heap together. "Got to give these guy's a quick Finale." He decided as he popped open the scanner of his sword and passed the Land ring over.
"Land! Slash Strike! Dou-dou-dou!
The Sword-Gun began to glow with yellow light as a miniature dust devil formed around the blade. With a mighty battle cry, Wizard slashed downward, prompting a gale of dirt and rubble to race towards the pack of Ghouls, lifting them off of the ground and trapping them in the sandy winds. Carter pulled his sword back one last time and slashed forward with twice, sending twin crescent shaped slash beams into the dust devil he created. The slash beams cut through the winds and the Ghouls trapped inside, causing them all to explode as one and the dust devil to disperse. "Ezekiel…" Carter spun on his heels and rushed to his friend's side. Sakura passed the dying man to Carter who took his hand in support.
"Drake…I failed you. I'm so…sorry. Carter…Carter." The man muttered sorrowfully as his life was fading away. Carter placed an Engage ring onto Ezekiel's finger and lowered his hand to the WizarDriver.
"I won't let you slip away old friend." Carter promised as the red magic portal appeared over Ezekiel. "I don't want to lose any more important family members."
"Yu-kun. I want to come with you." Sakura stated resolutely as she gripped her key tightly.
"Connect, please!"
"Then you better hop on and hold tight." Carter didn't even waste any time to think about it as he summoned his Machine Winger to his side and hopped on. Sakura has already stepped into another's under world and had affectively saved a Gate from falling into despair, she more than proved she had the courage to ride alongside him. Carter helped Sakura onto the bike where she hooked both her arms around his waist so she wouldn't fall.
"Good luck you two. Please win and come back safely." Tomoyo begged the Rider and magical girl to which they nodded and zoomed up, falling into the magic portal. Sakura took this time while they were falling to transform her staff.
"Key that holds the power of the Stars, show your true form before me. I, Sakura, command you under our contract. Release!"
Sakura's star wand now fully formed, the two escaped the tunnel of purple and gold light to land on a roof top overlooking a massive city.
Carter breathed in deeply, though he knew there was no actual air or scent to take in. "I've only been gone for a few months and yet it feels so nostalgic to see home again." He stated happily as the two looked over the rows upon rows of tall buildings, hotels, department stores and massive tourist drawing forts and castles. A bridge ran over a great river, connecting to sides of an even greater city. This was Carter's home, the bustling city of London.
Of course it would be bustling usually, but presently this was an older memory of London as the vast landscape was tinged gray with purple cracks braking loose on the surface of the world as if it were a broken mirror.
"Yu-kun, down there!" Sakura pointed his attention to the street below, where a loping black creature was wreaking havoc as its massive paws ripped up the road and its massive body crashed into the buildings it ran past.
"The Black Dog, ah?" Carter sighed as he stared down at the colossal black hound. Its appearance resembled that of a thickly built Mastiff, with blazing red eyes, a loping tongue and from its slobbering jaws, clouds of electrically charged miasma lolled out; staining the ground it fell upon a corrupted purple color. "You've got some real demons, Zeke." Carter stated as he slipped on a ring from his chain. "Time to put this flea bag down."
"Dragorise, please!"
"Flame, please! Hi-hi! Hi-hi-hi!"
"Koi, Dragon!" Carter, now clad in his red Flame Style armor, called as a new magic portal appeared in the sky overhead. Dragon let loose with a mighty roar as it flew triumphantly into gray skies.
"Sugoi!" Sakura admired the majestic beast as its silvery, metallic hide shone. It landed on Sakura and Carter's building causing the whole thing to shake under his mass. Dragon regarded Sakura, this being its first encounter with the Card Mistress as it was her first time encountering it. It loomed over her as it seemed to stare down at her with a measure of fascination. Sakura could not help herself as Dragon's snout came closer, she reached out, her fingers almost brushing against the metal scales.
Puff!
Dragon suddenly snorted, sending a gust of hot air into Sakura's face, forcing her to pull her hand away to cover her face and shield her eyes. She stepped back, almost tumbling before Wizard caught, helping her stand straight.
"Yeah, he's not the petting type." Carter explained as Dragon returned its attention away from his companions and back to the Black Mastiff that had finally noticed them on the building above. It snarled and suddenly slammed its bulk into the building causing it to shake violently. "It's gonna try and bring this who building down to get to us!" Carter warned as he tried to steady his feet. "We got get off this building!"
Dragon was one step ahead of him as it leaped into the air, soaring overhead before swerving back around with its claws poised.
"We got to get down there!" Carter instructed as he hopped onto his bike once more. He gunned the engine just as Dragon was starting to pass by and zoomed off of the roof to land precisely on Dragon's back where Winger shifted to its saddle like state. Now joined by Carter, Dragon slammed into the massive Mastiff, claws raking into its black hide and its teeth gnashing. Sakura decided the best way to join the fight was to pull out one of her cards and toss it up.
"Fly!" She commanded, summoning a pair of pure white wings to her back as she followed Dragon's lead and soared into the air, her wings catching the air and allowing her to fly well out of the dog's range. Or so she thought.
The Black Dog regarded Sakura hatefully and began to take in air. Its cheeks bulged before it finally released a blast of black, electrically charged smog from its mouth. Sakura saw the climbing cloud of miasma and fearfully began to soar higher, but her magic wings could not carry her fast enough and the poison cloud was coming closer.
Whoosh!
A large silver form crossed between Sakura and the cloud. Dragon let loose with a roar before blowing a hole straight through the cloud with a breath of blazing dragon breath. Sakura hovered beside the Dragon and its rider. "Arigato, Yu-kun." Sakura thanked the magician with a nod of her head.
"Don't look at me." Carter shrugged, explaining he had no control of that action. He regarded his partner curiously, surprised by the uncharacteristic act of kindness. "Since when did you become a softie?" He asked incredulously. His response was an irritated growl and a puff of smoke hitting him full in the face. "Blech!" Carter flailed in his seat as the smoke engulfed his helmet. Sakura's face softened as she hovered closer to the beast's face.
"Arigato, Dragon." Sakura stated in appreciation. Dragon snorted again, though away from Sakura this time, this could be regarded as Dragon's way of saying "Whatever."
The Black Dog was now incredibly mad, as it was being ignored. It barked and took in air once more.
"It's trying that again!" Carter finally un-blinded himself long enough to take measure of their opponent. "He's going to be defenseless once he lets loose with that breath. If we can break through it we can hit him while he's off guard."
"I can blow a hole through it, you two just be ready to finish it off." Sakura said as she pulled out another card.
"Heh. You heard the lady Dragon." Carter patted his Phantom's flank, prompting the two to soar up as Carter slipped on a new ring.
"Storm!" Sakura called out as a tornado exploded from the tip of her wand. The tornado subsided as a small, elf like being with light bluish skin and wearing spiked armor on its shoulders, chest and pants as well as thick metal gauntlets. Its hair was curly and it wore long, drooping earrings on its pointed ears. It regarded the black cloud coming for it and zoomed down, breaking into the miasma. It seemed to be utterly swallowed by the cloud of darkness before the smog suddenly began to expand before dispersing outward as a long wind tunnel forced the cloud apart.
The Black Dog whined as its attack was once again thwarted but it was even more terrified of what was coming next as it finally saw what was coming for it.
"Finale!" Wizard cried as his fiery projection zoomed through the tunnel of black smog, hurtling straight into the Black Dog in order to plant a Strike End straight into its phase. The Black Dog exploded in defeat with but a whimper as Wizard and the re-transformed Dragon landed beside Sakura who caught her falling Storm card.
"Fui!" Carter sighed. He regarded the street they were on and immediately recognized it. "Hey, if I recall correctly, this is near the place where I first met Ezekiel." Carter stated matter of factly. However, Sakura was already gone, ducking into a side alley as the world around them began to heal. "Hey! Where are you going?!" He called, sprinting down the alley after her. Dragon stayed behind, snorted "whatever" once more and flew off, preferring to head home instead of indulging in the meaningless distractions of humans.
"How do you know where to go?" Carter called curiously as he finally caught up. The two were about to round the corner when the unmistakable sound of pained grunts could be heard and a man suddenly flew straight in front of them to hit the near wall.
"Drake Hughes, Interpol U.K. division."
"Dad." Carter recognized the voice immediately and flattened himself against the wall, hesitating to move a step further.
"Don't you want to see him?" Sakura asked concerned.
Carter shook his head. "This is only a memory, besides its kinda…painful seeing him again. I don't want to go into it. Please don't ask why." He begged.
"I understand." Sakura nodded. She herself had never met her own Mother and would have given anything to see her just once. Carter had lost both his parents at a young age and to see only a memory of his Father, something that could neither comfort him nor even speak to him would only cause him pain. Carter nodded in appreciation.
"Hey. No reason both of us can't watch. Duck around and take a look. You can see me when I was cute and adorable." He joked, but whole heartedly giving his permission. Sakura smiled and did as he asked. She saw the whole scene just as Ezekiel had described it. There the former homeless man was, kneeling before a tall, handsome and well built man with trim blond hair and a young boy with shaggy brown hair holding the crying man's hands.
"Keep the money, Mr. Zeke. It's your hope isn't it? So it needs to be protected." The younger Carter said with a smile. Sakura's eyes began to tear up just as they had during the story. This was the history of her friend. This was the legacy of kindness that gave birth to her city's Kamen Rider!
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"He's looking much better." Tomoyo assured Carter and Sakura as the two exited the magic portal, Carter's armor falling away as he knelt beside his friend.
"Thank goodness. Almost thought I lost my godfather for a second." He admitted as he took off his jacket and used it as a pillow to prop Ezekiel's head up.
"Yu-kun…there's something you should know." Sakura admitted as she turned to Carter, though her eyes were filled with hesitation. "Burns-san, he wanted…"
"He came to take me home with him, am I right?" He finished for her, to her surprise. "And based on how willing you were to go to your key and Kero was to take his real form in front of him, I'd guess he already knows about magic and my identity." Their silence proved Carter's deduction for him. "And based on your behavior in the Under World, I can assume he might have talked to you about one or two other things."
"Yu-kun, we're…" Sakura started with a lump in her throat.
"We didn't mean to impose, we just listened but that doesn't change anything I guess." Tomoyo explained also feeling guilty over imposing into their teacher's personal history.
"I'm the one that exposed them so we would have never needed to know anything if I had just kept my big mouth shut." Kero revealed placing himself in front of the two girls. "Be mad at me if you feel you have to."
Carter snickered as he scratched Kero's ears and placed a hand on both girls' heads. "I'm not gonna hate you just because you heard something about my past from somebody else. I was probably going to tell you all someday, about my origins. And I still will, someday." He promised as he patted both girls' heads. "For now let's put that ugly business behind us. Tomoyo-chan, could you go inside the school and see if Shizuka-san is still here? She should have slipped away the moment she heard the commotion, but…knowing her she probably stuck around. Please fetch her while Sakura-chan and I move Ezekiel to a more comfortable spot."
"Hai!" She agreed and dashed back into the school building. Sakura helped Carter to prop the still unconscious old man so that Carter could pick him up piggy back style. Sakura led the magician back to the bench where the three had chatted previously.
"So, Yu-kun. About you going back to England…"
"I have no desire to return home until I've made sure this city has cleared of its Phantom threat." Carter proclaimed confidently. "Zeke's gonna have to deal with that once he wakes up. My only problem after that will probably be making him go home. He's a stubborn old goat, that's for sure."
"He really cares about you and your family. He thinks of you as a son, I'm sure." Sakura smiled as she helped Carter set Zeke down on the bench.
"And I couldn't be more grateful, for both his support and his kinship." Carter replied as he placed his jacket over the old man like a blanket. "And as for you, young lady." Carter turned to Sakura with a knowing grin. "Classes will be starting up again soon. Don't even think about getting rid of me until you see the mountain of homework I have planned for you all."
"Ho-hoooooeeeee." Sakura sweat dropped as she whimpered in fear slightly.
"Kyyyaaaaaahhhhh!" At that very second, a blood curdling scream could be heard from the direction of the school as Sakura and Carter turned at the familiar scream.
"That sounded like Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said worriedly.
"Kero, stay with him. Sakura-chan ikou!" Carter said as he and the Card Mistress dashed back to the school in search of Tomoyo. 'Did that Phantom come back?' Carter feared as he slipped his ring on once more. The two sprinted the stairs as they found themselves in the room that Carter had left Shizuka. Tomoyo was shivering as she stood; with a hand over her mouth in terror, over pale and unmoving body of Shizuka Mari.
"Suzuka-sensei!" Sakura cried as she slid to her teachers side, Carter was with her as well as the two inspected the woman. Her skin had drained of color and was cold to the touch. Her eyes were closed and did not react even as they called her name. Carter placed a hand to her neck, feeling for a pulse.
"She still has a heart beat!" He assured them to both girls' relief. "And on further inspection, she does not appear to be wounded and her breathing, though faint, is stable."
"But then why won't she open her eyes?!" Sakura demanded as she looked into her teacher's lifeless face. "Why did she end up like this? Who did this?!"
"I don't know." Carter shook his head, utterly lost for an explanation as to her condition. But then he spotted, not but foot from Shizuka's fallen body, a rose, obsidian black and covered with thorns all the way down the stem. His hand wrapped around the unusual flower as he crushed it in his fist, causing blood to flow from his hands from being pricked by the thorns. "But I can warrant a guess."
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Done! You know, I should never believe what I'm writing is going to be short. Cause a chapter I thought would last little more than 7000 words suddenly turned into 10,000 real quick. Ah well, as long as you guys don't complain I won't. Please review if you liked it!
Also, if you hadn't figured it out already, I am really into the Yakuza game series. Might make a fanfic for it later down the line if I'm still writing.
I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or Kamen Rider Wizard.
Late!