I do not own Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider Kabuto. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for the enjoyment of it and not for a hefty paycheck. Although I really would take the pay if someone wanted to pay me for making fanfics.
-Ten-Faced Paladin
Kamen Moon Rider
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 12: A Man's Kindness. Chad is a Kamen Rider?
Raye sat in her classroom with her head in the clouds. She just couldn't keep her mind on her class at the moment. A lot of things were going through her head at the moment. The newest enemy, the vision she had before the mess all started, and the Kamen Riders
'(Sigh) The Kamen Riders,' Raye thought to herself.
So far, they had managed to find out who one of them was; Hakabuto. Lita and Yagami were such a nice couple. Raye had to admit that she was a little envious of them. They could keep going on in their relationship without keeping secrets from each other. Heck, they could even help each other in their Daimon busting activities like Darien would help Serena. Well...Yagami took a more active role but the situation was still the same. He would be there to protect Lita when she needed it like a truly loving boyfriend would.
'Lita's very lucky," Raye smiled to herself as she absently doodled on her paper. 'Maybe I should try to see what my future holds on love after this mess with the Daimon is finished.'
Looking down onto the paper, Raye idly noticed that she had made a doodle of Kamen Ride Drake. It wouldn't win any awards and it was chibi-fied, but one who had seen the sky blue Rider before would be able to tell it was him. He had been appearing on Raye's mind now and then ever since she met him after that incident with Unazuki. He seemed to be very charming and showed concern when he mentioned that he wouldn't like to see her in Unazuki's position. Good thing he didn't know that she had been the first. After hearing that he had shown up when Amy was attacked she felt a bit of disappointment that she had missed him.
Heaving another sigh, Raye pondered why she was acting like this. Was it because she saw two of her fellow Scouts being happy with a man who shared their activities? If it happened for Serena and Lita, could it happen for her as well? A part of her hoped that it would. Being a Scout was great and all but she was a woman too. She needed companionship just as much as the others did. Well, maybe not as much as Amy. That girl practically lived in books, school, and libraries.
Thinking about finding a boyfriend even for a second got Raye thinking about possible candidates. It was a pretty short list. Her activities as a Sailor Scout really cut into her free time. The only people who were on that list were Chad (A good choice but she hated the thought of keeping secrets from him), Haruka (but she was a woman so scratch that idea), Drake (didn't know who he was so that couldn't work), Hakabuto (taken and Lita would not be in the mood to share if her life depended on it), and the other Riders (same problem as Drake).
Raye sighed again before letting that thought drop like a load of bricks. She had other things to think about at the moment and worrying about love was not going to help.
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The day was eventually done for the people of Juuban as they headed to bed for sleep. Only a few people were still awake and doing things that needed to be done. One of these people was Raye as she sat in front of the sacred fire to try and foresee what may be coming. The mention of talismans was constant and she had to find out just what it was that the Deathbusters wanted so badly.
Another one of these people was Chad. He silently waited outside and watched Raye with a bit of concern. She had been at the fires almost instantly after she came home from school. She seemed to be in deep thought. He was a little worried about her. She was concentrating so hard and she seemed to be concerned about something. He idly wondered if it had to do with why one of the temple trees were found uprooted and several feet away like it had gotten up and walked over there. Mr. Hino went on the warpath with sutras to expel evil spirits for almost a week. It didn't stop him from trying to get the high school girls to join the temple as shrine maidens though.
Thinking about recent events, Chad had noticed that a boy was starting to hang out with Raye and her friends. At first he was a little worried that he may try to start dating Raye but soon it seemed that he didn't have an interest in dating any of the girls. Of course, that had changed after the boy and Raye's friend Lita were getting kind of cozy together. When he had heard that the two were dating he had breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that those two had gotten even closer a couple of days ago. With the level they were acting on the lovey-dovey scale, Chad had to wonder if something extreme had happened in the relationship. It had to be something good if they were acting on the level that they were at for a couple.
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Daisuke Kazama (Kamen Rider Drake) walked up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine. Back in their (the Riders) home universe, Daisuke would often frequent temples to pray and well, when he went to the altar to pray he pressed his hands together and said, "I wish to meet a beautiful flower today." That was just like Daisuke to think of pretty women. He thought of women as flowers and he was the wind to make them bloom. He took his profession as a makeup artist quite seriously since he thought of it as his responsibility to make them even more lovelier than before.
On his way to the Shrine, he had performed makeup miracles for several girls. He enjoyed seeing women smile as he did his magic.
He still missed Gon, his little sidekick, however. Just how would she cope without him. Alright, granted that she had found her mother but Daisuke saw the little girl as a little sister to him. He kept forgetting her real name and chose to call her Gon at all times. It was just easier for him to remember.
This world had a lot of beautiful women, the Sailor Scouts included. He just wanted so much to use his makeup skills on them.
He finished his prayers, rung the bell and was ready to leave when he noticed something off to the side. It seemed to be a young man peering into one of the buildings of the shrine. If what Daisuke had heard about the Hikawa Shrine was true then someone was doing a fire reading and so far he knew that only the priestess here could do it.
'Seems like young love to me,' he smiled to himself. He then decided to watch to see what would happen.
He noticed that an old man of diminutive stature was slowly creeping up behind the young man. Daisuke could see where this was going as the old man tapped the by on the shoulder. When he turned around, the old man's face seemed to have frightened him, if the loud scream and tumbling over was of an indication anyway. Daisuke chuckled at the antics. He wanted to see how this turned out.
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Chad thought he was going to have a heart attack for a minute. Seeing Mr. Hino's face illuminated like it was in candlelight made him cry out in terror before falling to the ground. Of course, he clamped his mouth shut, hoping that he didn't break Raye's concentration. Seeing that she was still staring into the flames, Chad allowed himself to remove his hands from his mouth.
"My, my, Chad," the old man smiled. "What are you doing out here so late at night and looking so intently upon?"
Chad blushed at what Mr. Hino was insinuating. He quickly went on the defensive faster than a French Infantryman, "It's not like that at all! Really! I'm just worried about Raye's health. That's all!"
Mr. Hino glanced into the room and spied his granddaughter working at the flames, "Hmm. She has been working like that a lot lately, working into all hours of the night."
Chad frowned slightly as he looked inside. Now that was something to worry about. Was she getting enough sleep?
"Oh well," Mr. Hino smiled. "Raye is a strong girl. Besides, it's not as if she would stop even if we asked her to."
Chad wanted to protest but Mr. Hino held a finger up to silence him.
"I am not entirely sure what Raye is trying to see but we can at least respect her and let her continue until she is satisfied," he spoke before continuing on his way. "So we have nothing to worry about!"
Chad watched the laughing old man continue walking away. He knew that Mr. Hino may say that now but it didn't quell some of his concerns.
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Daisuke just watched the young man continue to look into the room where no doubt the lovely young woman he had heard about was doing one of her readings. Daisuke just loved the drama that was unfolding and so far no one was the wiser that he was even watching. Of course, that changed when he spied someone walking up the stairs.
"Ah," Daisuke smiled, "New Guy."
"Yo," Yagami waved as he took a seat next to his fellow Rider. "What brings you out here?"
"Just my daily routine," Daisuke replied. "You?"
"Kagami was being his annoying self again and Tendou was being...Tendou," Yagami sighed. "I needed some air and remembered that this place to be rather peaceful, at night especially."
"I agree," Daisuke nodded. "However, we are being treated to a rather interesting drama tonight."
"Oh?" Yagami asked before Daisuke pointed over to where he recognized Raye did her fire readings. He also recognized Chad peering into the entrance.
"Now what's Chad doing out here this late?" Yagami wondered.
"Friend of yours?" asked Daisuke.
"Friend of a friend really," Yagami replied. "He helps out around here and Raye seems to like him. I've never talked to him personally."
"Well, it would appear that Chad is quite enamored with your friend Raye."
"Well, what's not to like?" Yagami commented. "She's a great girl, well when she's not arguing with Serena. Anyway, thanks for saving Amy."
"It is the duty of a person like myself to protect the lives of beautiful women," Daisuke said, sighing. "You know, I would like to personally meet this Lita person you've been dating. She must be a really great girl since you like her a lot."
Yagami blushed and rubbed the back of his head and then said, "Yeah, she is. I don't feel too lonely here with her around."
"Ah, young love," Daisuke said wistfully. "Oh, how I envy you. I wish to one day find the one woman that I will love with all my heart."
Yagami sweat-dropped. Were all the Riders this weird? "Yeah, well, I bet you will…someday."
Both men watched as Chad stepped inside to talk to Raye about something. They couldn't quite hear what was being said but that didn't stop them from getting closer. They heard Raye and Chad exchange words, something about keeping hair from getting burned, before the young man in question stepped back outside and closed the door behind him.
"It's no good," he sighed to himself. "There's just no stopping her. I'm powerless."
"Yo!" Yagami smiled as he and Daisuke stepped closer.
"AHH!" Chad cried before leaping back. "You guys scared me! Hey, you're that Kira guy, right?"
"That's right," Yagami nodded. "I saw you around here so I thought I'd introduce myself. This is Daisuke by the way."
"Greetings," Daisuke smiled pleasantly while tipping his hat.
"Hello to you too," Chad nodded before growing silent. "Hey, Kira, could I ask...a question?"
"By all means," Yagami shrugged while leaning against a support pillar.
"Do you know what's been bugging Raye lately?" Chad asked. "She's been at the sacred fires almost non-stop for a while now. She only really stops for sleep, school, and study sessions with you and the others."
That was a tough one to ponder. Yagami knew very well what was probably bugging her; the Deathbusters and their Daimon. They had been a thorn in everyone's sides for some time now. Raye was most likely trying to find a clue with her sacred flames.
"Well," Yagani began. "That's a hard question to answer. Raye's very professional so she separates what she needs to do from everything else when she does it."
Chad nodded in agreement. He had witnessed it several times since he started working at the Hikawa Shrine. Raye did go at her tasks with everything she had and blocked out a number of things while doing so.
Yagami continued, "The best answer I can give you is that she's just looking for some answers to some important questions that she has. I wouldn't get too worried about it."
Chad frowned slightly. Kira had a point there. He still didn't like how Raye was putting herself through this but if she was this determined then what could he do?
"You know," Daisuke spoke up. "I may not know Raye as well as the two of you, but I do know enough to recognize this type of situation. Chad, do you trust Raye?"
"Of course I do!" Chad replied heatedly. "I believe in her!"
"Then why are you so worried?" Daisuke asked. "She is obviously very experienced with her skills and no doubt knows her own limits. Why worry?"
"I guess," Chad sighed as he looked to the door, thinking of Raye in that room alone. "I guess that's the type of guy I am."
"And a type that Raye is very lucky to have in her life," Daisuke smiled before stepping into the courtyard. "And now, I must go. What about you, New Guy?"
"I'll hang out here for a while," Yagami shrugged. "I need to clear my head before I head back to the crazy house."
Daisuke just chuckled before heading to the stairs. Yagami rubbed the back of his neck as he took a seat by one of the temple trees and began staring into the night sky. Chad just watched the two men do their thing. He idly wondered how they could be so well spoken for, but he also now knew just why Yagami was with someone like Lita now.
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Within his underground laboratory, Professor Tomoe was hard at work with his newest Daimon seed. He tirelessly added the chemicals that mixed together before the beaker they were in shattered from the reaction. What now stood there was a fully developed Daimon seed ready for use.
"Glories," the Professor smiled as he nuzzled the seed like a newborn child. "This...this is the ultimate creation of chemistry."
"One could call it a living art form," Kaolinite added from her position behind the Professor.
"Exactly!" The Professor grinned before he turned around. "A living art form! One that I have poured my body and soul into!"
His grin then turned sour as he stared at Kaolinite, "But you, Kaolinite...you make a waste of every Daimon seed that I see fit to give you! Every single time!"
"Please calm yourself, Professor," Kaolinite spoke soothingly as the Daimon seed fell into a container that she was holding to carry it. "My plan, which is based on precise calculations, is also a form of art. Until now I have faced interruptions that have been outside my calculations. I have properly anticipated anything. I will get the talismans that will get us the Holy Grail."
"That's right," the Professor chuckled. "The power to end this world and bring in the darkness. Out time limit is quickly approaching. Go, Kaolinite."
Kaolinite made a brief bow before she vanished, leaving her lab coat to fall to the ground.
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The trains rolled on past as Raye watched them go in a daze. She yawned loudly as she tried to get her thoughts in order and stay awake.
"I've staying up too late," she mumbled to herself. "Maybe I should skip the study session today."
The trains finally passed and the guardrails rose. Raye then continued on her way to school. As she was walking, she didn't notice that someone had been following her. Not surprisingly, it was Chad. He had been out getting some groceries when he spotted her walking to school. He was a little concerned for her so he had followed her to make sure she was alright.
"Raye has got to be tired from last night," Chad muttered to himself in concern.
"Raye has got to be tired from last night," a female voice spoke from behind Chad. It was then that Serena stepped out from behind in a thinking pose. "Chad said as he silently watched over the walking figure of Raye."
Chad flinched as he realized he was busted. And not just by anyone either. He had been busted by one of Raye's friends who would no doubt tell her what she had found out today. He didn't like how Serena's eyes were sparkling either.
"Oh, Chad," she smiled. "You want to watch over someone you love forever, don't you? Uh-huh, I can understand how you feel."
Chad started blushing at the insinuation but he didn't know what to say. Serena on the other hand, still had plenty of things to say.
"Oh, Chad you're making me jealous!" Serena smiled brightly. "You must be the best guy in Japan!"
Chad scratched his cheek in embarrassment, "It…it's not that big a deal," Of course, he then realized what he was saying. "N-no! I mean that's not it at all. I'm just worried about Raye."
"Worried?" Serena asked, now forgetting her friendly teasing.
"Yes," Chad nodded. "Lately she's been saying that she can concentrate more at night and is cutting back on her sleep. She's been trying to see something and I'm afraid that it will start affecting her health. I've asked your friend Kira what was wrong and he said that Raye had some personal questions but I'm still worried."
"Oh I see how it is," Serena smiled mischievously, "Not even doctors or hot springs can help with THAT."
"You...you know what this is about?" Chad asked hopefully.
"Of course I do!" Serena smiled. "I am a girl after all! It's simple! Raye's worried about love!"
"EH?!" Chad gaped. "Love?! Why on earth should she worried about that?!"
"Well, it could be a lot of things," Serena smiled. "I mean, I have my Darien and now Lita has got Kira who comes to our study sessions and they cuddle when they aren't working. I'll bet that Raye is just looking to the future to see if she'll be happily married to you, Chad."
"R-R-Raye...and m-m-me?" Chad stuttered. "M-m-married?!"
"Ooooh! You're blushing!" Serena giggled. "Oh, I'm so jealous! I want to live the rest of my life with my Darien!"
Chad was dumbfounded. Was Raye really searching for a future with him? It was too good to be true!
"Oooh! Now I'm all embarrassed!" Serena squealed. "Ah well. I don't want to be late for school. Just don't tell Raye what I told you!"
With that, Serena skipped off. Chad just continued standing on the spot with a stupid grin on his face. After a moment he actually burst into tears.
"Raye...and I," he sputtered. "YEAH! This is what being young is all about!"
What he didn't notice were the people walking past him thinking he was crazy and sending unsure glances in his direction.
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The trams moved along the tracks on schedule as they did every morning. The people inside went about their daily business and their normal lives. It didn't appear that there was anything foul going on at the moment. On top of the tram though, that was another matter altogether.
Kaolinite sat on top of the tram like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her legs were crossed and it seemed that she was enjoying her little ride. The wind sent her red hair flying in all directions. With a small smirk, she opened the container which held the Daimon seed and released it. The Seed shot forward and embedded itself into the tram.
"There," she smiled. "Nothing left to do but wait for someone with a pure heart."
She was about to teleport when she felt a sharp sting run through her body. Opening her blouse slightly, her torso was revealed to be wrapped in bandages. Remnants from Kick Hoppers assault on her. Her ribs were close to the breaking point and her internal organs had taken a nasty hit. When her compatriots had taken a look at her, they were amazed to see that only one kick had done this. If any more force had been applied then her innards could have been liquefied and that would have been the end of her.
"Never again," she muttered with a frown. "I will not underestimate them again."
With that, she teleported to a waiting point so that she could rest until the Daimon would awaken and call her.
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Chad was in a great mood as he walked back to the shrine. If what Serena said was true then he might just have that future with Raye that he had been hoping for. He didn't have to worry anymore! If Raye saw their future in the fires then he would be sure that he could get the courage to ask her out eventually! Was there anything that could ruin his day?
"Te hee hee hee," he heard Raye giggle.
Chad stopped in his tracks. He looked up ahead and saw Raye talking to some blonde guy and looking a lot more like the typical schoolgirl rather than the serious young woman that she usually looked like to everyone else.
"You look a little worn out," the boy commented.
"Oh, it's nothing," Raye smiled. "Just some late night readings. It's nothing."
"If you're sure," the boy shrugged. "How about I give you a ride to school? I'm heading in that direction anyway."
"Okay!" Raye smiled excitedly before hopping on the bike and grabbing a spare helmet that the boy handed to her.
That was all Chad could take. Sinking into despair, he began making his way back to the temple. He could take a hint. Raye had already gotten a boyfriend and it wasn't him. He might as well give up now.
'I knew it was too good to be true," he sighed inwardly.
As Chad walked slowly in depression, he didn't notice that someone had witnessed the entire ordeal. Daisuke blinked as he watched the depressed young man walk away.
"Hmm," Daisuke pondered. "I wonder if he mistook Miss Tenoh for a man too?"
Looking back to Haruka and Raye, he noticed that the young shrine maiden was trying her hair back so to keep it from getting too frazzled by the wind. Daisuke had heard snippets of their conversation and Haruka had seemed to have asked where Raye had gotten the hair tie from. Raye's only reply was that it was her good luck charm. With that, the two on the bike then took off.
"I think we have a slight misunderstanding," Daisuke smirked. "How interesting."
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The day wore on for everyone and soon the Scouts in civilian form and one golden Rider were all at the Hikawa Shrine in one of their usual study groups. Everything seemed to be going as expected. Serena inhaled whatever snacks she could get while Amy poured over her work and answered any questions that the others might have. Mina would ogle boys in a magazine every so often when she would take a break. Lita and Kira sat next to each other and sometimes one would give the other's hand a squeeze. Only Raye seemed to be off her game. She would occasionally slump slightly and her eyes would droop.
"Hey, Raye," Mina finally spoke. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Raye blinked sleepily. "Oh, I'm fine. Just tired."
"Raye's thinking about love," Serena smiled brightly.
Raye didn't seem to hear as she stood up and muttered something about washing her face before leaving the room. The other girls then turned to Serena to see just what the heck she was talking about.
"What do you mean 'thinking about love'? " asked Mina. "How do you know?"
"Oh, it's just a feeling," Serena smiled.
"Oh?" asked Lita. "And when have your 'feelings' ever been right when it came to guessing things?"
"Hey!" Serena frowned.
"They were dead wrong when it came to yesterday's test and what would be on it," Amy spoke up logically.
"Hey, come on!" Serena whined. "I know I'm right this time!"
Lita shook her head before whispering in Yagami's ear that she would be back in a minute. Nodding, he let go of Lita's hand and she exited the room. She then waited outside the door until she saw Raye coming back while toweling her face off with a washcloth.
"Hmmm," Lita pondered as she looked at Raye's face. "Sure doesn't look like you're thinking about love to me."
"Huh?" Raye blinked again before smiling. "Oh, I'm not worrying about anything like that."
"Then what?" Lita pressed.
"I'm not sure yet," Raye sighed as she got a downcast look. "I just keep getting hints and stuff. I'm not sure what to make of it."
"Oh," Lita nodded. "Well, just remember that the Sailor Scouts are behind you all the way, the Kamen Riders too. Well, Hakabuto for sure."
"Yeah," Raye smiled before it turned mischievous. "But, I think he's only here for you. 'Thinking about love', you'd sure know about that. Especially with you and Kira snuggling every chance you get."
"Um," Lita blushed furiously. "Y-yeah, so? Couples do that."
Raye giggled at seeing her friend blush like that. It was nice to see that Lita and Yagami's feelings were still going on strong. She loved to tease them sometimes. Darien wasn't around enough for them to tease him and Serena like that.
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The night wore on and Chad could be found running around town. He needed some time to think. He just wanted to know who the guy was that Raye was seeing. Chad had never seen the guy before today and Raye had never even mentioned a boyfriend before. Well, her grandfather's reaction would be reason enough not to but she hadn't even dropped a hint. Where had he come from? How long had he known Raye? How long had they been dating? He had a lot of questions running through his head.
As he was running up some stairs, he began hearing violin music. Looking to the top of the stairs he saw an attractive woman playing the instrument with enough skill to match masters. Chad couldn't help but be entranced. The music was that good. Beside her though, was the guy that Raye had been with earlier. They were talking to each other and Chad could tell that they had a couple vibe around them. That pushed him towards one conclusion. This guy was two-timing Raye! Deciding to duck behind a nearby tree, Chad stood still so he could be able to find any more incriminating evidence. While he was trying to listen though, someone had noticed him and walked closer.
"Yo!" Yagami spoke in his hear, which almost caused Chad to cry out in fright again. Instead he grabbed Kira by the shoulders and pulled him behind the tree.
"Would you be quiet!?" he hissed. "I think that that guy up there is two-timing Raye!"
"Huh?" Yagami blinked. "Since when is Raye seeing someone?"
"I saw them together today," Chad explained hurriedly. "He's up there right now with another woman and you can tell that they are seeing each other!"
"You sure about that?" Yagami asked with a degree of suspicion.
"I am," Chad insisted. "Take a look!"
Yagami was still suspicious but if Chad was telling the truth then there was no way he could let it keep going. Tip-toeing past him, Yagami looked up to the two people who were still conversing at the top of the stairs. He recognized them instantly.
"Haruka and Michelle?" he blinked in confusion.
"You know those two?!" Chad gasped as he yanked Yagami back by the neck of his shirt.
"Yeah," Yagami nodded. "They're friends. I wouldn't worry though."
"Not worry?!" Chad raged silently. "That cad up there is two-timing Raye! She's your friend! Don't you care?!"
"Yeah," Yagami nodded. "But Haruka is a woman. You wouldn't be the first person she fooled. Plus we know that Raye is straight as an arrow."
"Oooh! When I get my hands on that...," Chad ranted before he stopped to process what he had heard. "Wait. Did you say that Haruka was a woman?"
"As to my knowledge," Yagami replied. "Raye knows too so I wouldn't worry about her trying to go out with Haruka. They're just friends."
"So then," Chad gulped. "Those two up there...?"
"All the signs point to a yes," Yagami nodded, knowing what Chad was going to ask. "They hadn't openly admitted it with words, but I don't think they have to. With the way the act around each other anyway."
"So then Raye...?" Chad gulped, sweat-drops forming on his head.
"Isn't attracted to Haruka in the romantic sense," Yagami replied. "You didn't do anything stupid did you?"
"No," Chad muttered in a hollow voice. "I...I gotta go."
"You going to be okay?" Yagami asked in concern.
"I...I gotta go...someplace to think," Chad replied as he started walking away. "I'll...see you around."
Yagami watched the young man leave. He knew that he wasn't okay but there wasn't any way he was going to be of any help if Chad didn't want him to help. He just hoped he didn't do anything dumb.
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The next day's study session was pretty much the same as yesterdays. Raye was still a little droopy in her attempts with the sacred flame while everyone else had been doing their own thing while studying. As Raye's sleep addled mind looked over some historic texts, a question that her grandfather wanted to ask her friends came to her mind.
"Hey, have any of you seen Chad?" she asked with a yawn. "We haven't seen him all day and we don't think he came home last night."
"What?" Yagami stiffened as he heard the question.
"Do you know something, Kira?" asked Lita.
"Uh...I might," Yagami nodded, getting a bad feeling. "I saw him last night. He was pretty mad for a while until he calmed down. After that he was depressed."
"What?" Raye asked, fully awake and now very concerned, "Why was he angry?"
"Well," Yagami frowned. "Yesterday he saw you with Haruka, Raye. He actually thought she was your boyfriend thanks to her habit of cross-dressing."
"He WHAT?!" the girls gasped.
"Gets worse," Yagami cringed. "Last night I spotted him spying on Haruka and Michelle while they were having some kind of midnight meeting for some reason or another. He thought Haruka was cheating on you."
"He did?" Raye gasped, unsure of what to think at the moment.
"I managed to calm him down and explain Haruka's little habits," Yagami reassured. "He said he didn't do anything stupid but I thought he came straight back here. He just said he needed some time to think."
"Oh, no!" Raye gasped as she stood up. "That idiot! We have to find him!"
"That's right!" Mina agreed. "His heart has been hurt and it's up to us, Soldiers of Love and Justice, to find him and mend it!"
"Um, I'm a Kamen Rider," Yagami weakly mumbled. He felt a little responsible for Chad walking out like he did.
"Well you're going to help us anyway!" Serena said firmly. "Let's go!"
The five girls nodded and raced from the room, dragging one hapless Kamen Rider behind them.
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Chad blinked as he checked his surroundings. He recognized it as the train station. He remembered running around a bit more the previous night before sitting down at the train station to rest and catch his breath. He must have fallen asleep. When he checked his watch he noticed that he had slept most of the day away! Mr. Hino was going to kill him!
"Enjoy your sleep?" someone asked from beside him.
"WAAAAGH!" Chad cried as he lumped slightly and saw who was talking to him. "Oh, Daisuke, it's just you."
The make-up artist/Rider smiled at the sight, "I take it that you have some troubles. One doesn't sleep most the day away on a bench just for the fun of it."
"No kidding," Chad sighed. He considered telling Daisuke his problems. He was friends with Kira and that guy seemed okay. He even kept him from doing something incredibly stupid like challenging Haruka to a fight or something. "I guess you can say I have something like women problems."
"Well, I happen to have a spare minute and I do know a fair share about the beautiful flowers called women," Daisuke nodded. "Let's hear it."
"Fine," Chad agreed. "Yesterday I thought Raye had gotten a new boyfriend so I figured my chances with her were shot."
"I saw that," Daisuke spoke up. "You looked none too pleased."
"You were there?" Chad blinked before shrugging. "Anyway, last night I saw him...I mean her with another woman. At first I thought Haruka was cheating on Raye but I then saw Kira and he explained everything to me."
"New Guy does seem to be there when someone needs him," Daisuke laughed. "So what is the problem? It seems that New Guy prevented you from doing something you'd regret."
"Nothing like that," Chad sighed. "When he explained it to me and I got a moment of clarity, I realized that I had stopped trusting Raye. I didn't even consider how she was playing into this mess and how she might react to any of this. Though, by now, Kira probably already told her."
"An interesting problem," Daisuke agreed. "Well, I am no expert when it comes to this degree of a problem from a man's view, but what I can tell you is that Raye may not see it the way you do. What you call not trusting she may call being a good friend. No man on Earth knows how the female mind works entirely. You'll just have to find her and see what she thinks.
A train pulled into the station as Chad nodded. "I guess you're right. First though, I need to get something to eat. I know this cool restaurant down at another station. Sounds really good right about now."
Daisuke nodded as he watched Chad walk up to the train. When the young man placed his hand on it, that was when strange things started happening. The entire vehicle started floating up into the air just as Chad had backed away. Daisuke watched in amazement but he still pulled out his Drake Grip in preparation to transform. Chad could only watch in horror.
The train began shifting and mutating until it had taken on a female form. Her skin was a pale green and her eyes a deep yellow. She also had pink hair. She was dressed in a conductor's uniform with train wheels on her wrists and ankles. She also had a whistle sticking out of her mouth.
"All aboard!" the Daimon smiled dangerously.
Above the chaos, Kaolinite teleported into view with a smile on her face, "Finally, someone with a pure heart finally appeared."
Daisuke wasn't about to let this Daimon finish what he started and he was about to raise his Grip so he could summon his Zector but the Daimon already saw him moving before she reacted.
"Sorry!" she smiled. "Only room for one!"
She then blew on her whistle which sent waves of sonic energy which crashed into the ceiling of the station. Rubble fell and Daisuke struggled to get out of the way. Unfortunately, a chink of it managed to hit him in the head and knock him out.
"Daisuke!" Chad cried in shock.
"Hmm," Kaolinite smiled. "Now, let's get this done."
The Daimon winked cutely before she put her arms behind her head. On the underside of her arm was the black star symbol of the Deathbusters. It crackled to life with energy before firing. Chad was more concentrated on Daisuke's condition then being frozen with fear so he managed to leap to the side and watch the black beam splash harmlessly on the ground.
"Hey!" the Daimon growled. "No fair!"
"Tsk!" Kaolinite frowned. "Just hold still!"
"Like heck I will!" Chad shouted before grabbing hunks of rubble and hurling it at the Daimon.
"Hey! Ow! Watch it! Ouch!" it cried in girlish frustration.
Chad then gripped what he thought was another piece of rubble and reared back his arm to throw it. What he didn't know was that he had taken hold of the Drake Grip. As he brought his arm back to throw it, something amazing happened.
"STANDBY!"
He had activated it.
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Raye wasn't sure where she was going to look first. Chad could have been anywhere by now. She and the others had split up to cover more ground and hopefully find him before something happened. She stopped for a moment before she saw a light come from the train station. Deciding that it might be important she started running over there. Her speed only quickened when she saw a part of the roof explode. As she got closer, she started hearing a buzzing noise coming up alongside her. Turning to see what it was, she was extremely surprised to see a robotic dragonfly buzzing alongside her. If she remembered right, that was the one for Drake! She arrived at the train station and stopped in surprise at what she was seeing. She could see Chad in a crouching position near a small pile of rubble with a man underneath. In front of him were a new Daimon and the lady that Yagami had told them was named Kaolinite. What was even more shocking was that the Dragonfly Zector was flying straight for something that Chad was holding in his hand!
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For its own part, the Dragonfly Zector was a little confused. Its primary wielder had been incapacitated and this new person was holding its Grip. Quickly initiating its scans, the Zector deliberated whether or not this human was considered worthy of being a Rider. After a moment of scanning as it flew closer, the Zector found that this human had a number of things in common with it's primary wielder, just enough for a proper activation. With this in mind, the Zector filed this person away as 'Kamen Rider Drake the Second.'
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Chad was now frozen stiff. He had no idea that Raye was watching right now. All he knew was that he had frozen when the whatever-it-was he was holding had started talking to him. The Daimon and the lady in red seemed to hear it too. They were both suddenly unsure what to do and what would happen. Of course, the latter was answered when a buzzing noise erupted from apparently nowhere and was soon revealed to be a robotic dragonfly of some kind. The lady in red's eyes seemed to grow wider in shock as it buzzed around Chad's head.
"It can't be," she whispered. "Of all the people..."
The dragonfly just made one final circle around Chad's head before hovering closer to the handle that Chad was holding. After another second it lowered itself down before securing itself to the handle, making the weapon that it was a part of.
"HENSHIN!"
Chad started sweating nervously when he started hearing it talk again but that was nothing compared to when the hexagonal field started covering his body. He wanted to cry in horror but no sound would come out. He calmed down somewhat when he realized that he wasn't being hurt by whatever was covering him. When it had covered him entirely, he realized that he was in a suit of armor that was mostly a sky blue over a black bodysuit. He slowly stood up and kept a careful eye on the two women (if you could call them that) in front of him.
For her own part, Raye thought she was going to have a heart attack or something like it. She could hardly believe it but the proof was right in front of her. She never would have even suspected it but she had seen it happen. Chad was Kamen Rider Drake!
"A Rider!" Kaolinite gasped. She remembered how Drake and Kabuto had gotten in the way of her claming Amy's heart and snarled. "Well, this time, you're going to suffer!"
"What?" Chad said, confused. He had heard about the Kamen Riders and looked at the gun in his hand. As the Daimon came running at him he took a step back but then tripped on some of the rubble. He accidentally pulled the trigger and shot the Daimon in the chest and stomach. Chad dropped on the ground, groaning in pain but then realized what he just did. He didn't question it however as he held the gun with both hands and continuously shot at the Daimon. What he didn't know was that his hand was close to the 'Cast Off' switch of the Zector and when he rose up to continue shooting at the Daimon he accidentally tugged it.
"CAST OFF!"
Chad gasped again as he felt an electrical jolt rush through his body and the armor loosened itself before shooting off his body, parts of it slamming into the Daimon who was sent staggering back by the force.
"CHANGE DRAGONFLY!"
Chad decided to just wing it and continues to shoot at the Daimon as he charged with a battle-cry, "YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" He felt a lot lighter now after casting off the Masked Form armor.
Raye for her part couldn't even bring herself to blink as she watched the battle. All this time and she had no clue that Chad was a Kamen Rider. She wasn't even thinking about changing to Sailor Mars. She was in awe as she watched Chad fight. He was so good at it! Making space for himself while the Daimon charged before shooting it. Then, using the distraction to get rid of his bulky Masked Form armor. She then watched as Chad charged forward while continuing to fire at the Daimon, her heart beating a little quicker than usual.
Kaolinite on the other hand was far from happy. The one person with a pure heart that showed up just had to be a Kamen Rider! Well, he had a pure heart and she was not going to leave empty handed!
"Forget about fighting him and just get the heart crystal!" she snapped at the Daimon.
"Yes Ma'am!" the Daimon nodded before jumping into the air and raising her arms again. The black star came to life again before firing a black beam of energy. This time, Chad didn't get out of the way in time. It impacted against the centre of his chest.
"CHAD!" Raye cried in horror.
"Hmm," Kaolinite smiled in satisfaction. That is, until she noticed that something was wrong. "What's wrong with you!? Pull out his heart!"
"I'm trying!" the Daimon replied. "I can't get it!"
It was true. The black energy was just splashing off the Rider armor without any harm being dealt to the one inside. Chad decided that this was a good moment to fight back so he started shooting back on the Daimon. It had to release its beam before it began to take any more damage.
"So you want to play rough?" the Daimon frowned. "Okay!"
It suddenly dropped to all fours on the railway tracks so that its wheels were connected to the perfectly. Now confused, Chad just watched and waited for her next move.
"I'll run you down!" the Daimon shrieked before racing forward at an almost impossible speed. It was too fast for Chad to effectively react against.
"Waagh!" he cried as he tried to run from the speeding Daimon.
As he tried to outrun the Daimon, his hand fell across his belt buckle. This action immediately activated another of the handy functions that the Riders were privy to.
"CLOCK UP!"
Chad suddenly felt a strange sensation before he stopped running. Turning around, he noticed that the Daimon had stopped moving. At first he thought it was a trap but then he noticed that the gravel it had been kicking up while moving had stopped in midair. The same could be said for the birds which were fleeing from the scene.
"Did I...stop time?" Chad asked himself.
He dared another glance at the Daimon and poked her face. No reaction whatsoever. Drake then realized that he had an incredible advantage at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he started laying punch after punch on the Daimon. He had no clue whatsoever that the armor was augmenting and enhancing his strength but he wouldn't have cared at the moment. When he felt like he'd had enough, he stepped in front of the Daimon again and started shooting at her. He didn't know that he had passed his hand over his belt buckle again.
"CLOCK OVER!"
"Waaaagh!" the Daimon cried in pain as she was flipped onto her back from the punches and the gunshots.
Raye just blinked at what she had seen. Chad had only blurred for a second before the Daimon was sent hurtling back in pain. He was a total master of the Clock Up system!
"What just happened?" Chad muttered to himself. Thinking about it for a moment, he just shrugged and decided to start advancing on the Daimon.
Of course, she didn't take this lying down, "PHWEEEEEEEET!!"
More concussive sound waves burst from her whistle and collided with Chad's chest. The force of which sent him back. From the position that he landed, the wings of his Zector folded together. Seeing Chad in pain, the Daimon got to her feet and began to saunter over to him to try and get his heart again.
Drake just shook his head to get the stars out of it. Looking to check his gun he noticed the wings were folded together and that he had a scope now.
"Might need one," he muttered to himself before snapping the wings down so that he could see through the scope properly.
"RIDER SHOOTING!"
Chad turned himself over and aimed at the advancing Daimon. Using the scope he took careful aim at the Daimon's heart, or where it might be anyway. The Daimon flinched when she saw the growing sphere of energy coming out of the end of the gun. Chad was concentrating too hard so he didn't notice until he pulled the trigger.
"End of the line!" the Daimon shrieked before she was engulfed by the blast. Black smoke was all that remained before the tram reappeared on the tracks. The Daimon seed fell from near the top and cracked open on the ground before releasing the black specter into the sky.
"Grrr!" Kaolinite frowned. "I...will not...let this...stand!"
She was mad enough to spit nails and she just knew that she had the power to destroy one Rider, but with her current injuries, fighting might aggravate them. So instead she snapped her fingers and teleported.
Seeing that all the enemies were gone, Chad just let himself collapse on his back with relief, "Phew! That was intense!"
"CHAD!" a voice cried.
"Huh?!" Chad gasped while sitting up. He looked to the source and saw Raye staring at him with wide eyes. "Ahhh! Raye! I-I I mean, I think you have the wrong person!"
"Please don't lie, Chad," Raye spoke quietly. "I saw you change."
"You did?!" Chad gasped. "I well...I, um,"
He wanted to tell Raye that this armor wasn't his but when he looked to see where Daisuke had been, he just found that the man in question was gone. Looking back to Raye, he just saw that she was stepping closer. She stopped right in front of him before wrapping her arms around his torso in a hug.
"Thank you for caring," she whispered. "You really thought Haruka was my boyfriend, didn't you?"
"I...well," Chad tried to get out, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. This was not what he expected Raye's first words to be.
A snapping noise caught his attention before he noticed the Zector unfolding itself before releasing itself from the grip. It took a look at Chad before leaving. The hexagonal field returned and this time stripped the armor off Chad and returned him to normal. He looked down to see Raye smiling at him.
'What am I going to do?' he moaned inwardly.
The Zector buzzed past a wall to the station before stopping for a moment to see Daisuke leaning against the wall with a smile on his face.
"Don't worry," he smiled. "I'll get it back. If I went to get it now I'd reveal my secret. Now would not be the best time to reveal myself as Drake yet. Besides, I was thinking of taking a vacation anyway."
The Zector seemed to understand before it dipped in what seemed like a nod. It then flew off into the sky and out of sight.
---------------------------------------------------
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune had watched the battle between Chad and the Daimon. They weren't able to tell if Chad's heart had a talisman in it but right now that was only on part of Uranus' mind.
"I knew they couldn't keep it up forever," she smiled. "Now it's only a matter of time before we find out who the rest of them are. Then we can at least stop them from getting in the way."
Neptune frowned slightly. The Riders themselves haven't really been getting in the way of the mission. They just came and fought the Daimon before leaving. They didn't really make an active attempt at stopping her or Uranus but they made it very clear that if their interests crossed then they would fight. Neptune knew that if it came to that then she and Uranus would lose. The Riders were very powerful and she wasn't sure if holding their identities above their heads was going to be enough.
She just wished Haruka didn't look so eager to see it come to that.
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Inside his lab, Professor Tomoe was contemplating this new information. Kaolinite had failed yet again. Another perfect Daimon seed wasted. She hadn't even been able to get her hands on the target's heart crystal to see if it was a talisman. What was worse, the target was one of the blasted Kamen Riders. The very worst thing though, the one thing that truly made the Professor's blood almost run cold, was the little fact that the Rider's armor was able to deflect the beams used to extract pure hearts.
"That shouldn't be possible," the Professor frowned as he worked. "The energy should be sufficient to remove a heart no matter what is in between it and the one projecting the beam."
The Professor ran his hands through his hair in frustration. This wasn't supposed to be possible! How could this be happening? Who would dare create something that could deflect the heart-snatching beam? Did someone learn of his plans and create a counterbalance? Impossible! But...the way these Riders could so completely outclass a Daimon so easily. The Sailor Scouts were one thing. They were a general defense, but the Riders seemed much more specialized. Who could have learned of his plans? How could they create an opposing force? Just who did these Riders serve?
He would find out soon enough and they would pay for getting in his way!
To Be Continued...
A/N: Chapter's done! Were any of you expecting this? I bet not! My thanks goes out to ZK Chromedragozoid for helping me put this together and for prereading. Next chapter! Sawsword returns and Mina questions coninuing on as a Sailor Scout! Please look forward to it!