Hey, everyone! Well, Chapter 13 is here, meaning that there are only about two chapters left. I don't own KRDK, but I do own my characters and the plot ideas. Oh, and Kamen Rider Raika? You read my mind again on what I was putting in this chapter. :D :P Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Things Start Unfolding (Lyra's POV)

Kit and I had explained everything to Vic, and he had gone off to talk with Callen, who, like him, had been a newcomer only a few days earlier. Vic still seemed rather disoriented, but then again, his Advent Beast had sorta kinda dragged him into this without any warning whatsoever.

I walked down the hall, grabbing my things from my room so that I could take them back with me to Kit's apartment. The two of us were planning on staying there for a couple days to keep an eye on Earth while the others remained behind on Ventarra, always ready to answer our call.

I stuffed my ice blue backpack with my things, adding a few things I knew my brother would want but would end up forgetting as well. I paused when my hand hovered over the red dragon that he kept with him, briefly considering whether I should pack it or just remind my brother to when he came in. Eventually, habit won over, and I lightly pushed it on top of the other stuff in the pack, zipping it up so that only the dragon's head showed.

Kit came in right as I started to walk out, glancing at his now-made bed. "Where's Red?"

I turned and looked at him, the backpack on one shoulder as I gave him an amused smirk. "You named the dragon?" I was on the verge of laughing, and my brother gave me a 'go to hell' look.

"Sis, not funny. Do you know where he is?"

"He's in my bag. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't forget him. If anything else of yours is missing, it's probably 'cause I packed in my backpack. I'll see you at the apartment," I finished, turning just as I started snickering. I heard my brother snort in annoyance, but Goldenheart and Akeona were agreeing with me, showing their amusement more obviously than I was as they rolled on the ground, practically howling with laughter.

"Sometimes I do have to wonder exactly what goes on it your head, brother," I murmured, leaping through one of the windows.

(Kit's POV)

I walked into my apartment, finding my sister slouched on the couch watching TV. Or, to be honest, it looked like she was watching a movie. I glanced over her shoulder, and she looked up at me, her face curious. "Wanna watch?" She asked, and I shrugged.

"Depends on what it is. What is it?" I countered, earning me an amused smirk.

"Guess," Lyra challenged. I moaned, giving her a pleading look.

"Sis," I whined, earning me a smack on the head. I raised one hand to the area she had smacked, rubbing it gingerly as I glowered at her. "Come on, tell me. Please?"

Lyra gave me a scathing look before sighing. "Well, since you said 'Please…..'" She showed me the box, and I rolled my eyes, sitting down in the chair next to the couch.

"Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith?" I snorted. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, it was the first one I saw on the television, and I don't have a clue where you keep the other movies around here," Lyra replied shortly. "You have a problem with that?"

I rolled my eyes that time. "Not really. Just tired." Lyra swiveled, turning her torso to look at me.

"Yeah," she finally agreed. "So am I."

It was my turn to look at her, and I saw that the circles under her eyes had grown more pronounced, darker than ever. Her eyes were weary, like mine. This war really is taking a pretty bad toll on her, I realized abruptly, suddenly feeling guilty for not noticing sooner. I glanced at the clock-7:30 PM.

"Wanna head out to get something to eat?" I asked curiously. Lyra shrugged.

"Don't really care," Lyra replied, yawning at the end. I saw her eyes flutter close and grinned evilly.

"Darn. I would've thought you'd be looking forward to bourbon chicken. Oh well." I got up, walking towards the door. Then, I heard Lyra's startled yelp and turned to see her scrambling wildly to her feet.

"Did you say bourbon chicken?" she exclaimed. I nodded absently, acting like I thought she was crazy. "Give me one moment!" She hurtled into her room, slamming the door shut, and I couldn't help but snicker.

Well, if it'll lighten her up, it's worth it.

(Lyra's POV)

The nightmares had come back with a vengeance. Asides from my dream of Sharon, I had been slowly starting to sleep peacefully, and I enjoyed it. I couldn't remember a time where I didn't have nightmares. Now, with things slowly starting to unfold, the nightmares were back, and they were taking the energy I had with them.

When Kit mentioned bourbon chicken, I leapt at the chance to briefly forget the war and simply relax with my brother. We hadn't been able to since we'd reunited, at least not really, making this a welcome distraction from the fighting.

After dinner and some time spent browsing the bookstore, we headed back, planning on falling asleep the moment we got back. I walked into my room and heard my brother do the same in the other room. I pulled the book I had gotten out of the bag, smiling to myself as I opened the first page, planning on reading a bit before I changed and went to sleep.

Or at least, that was the plan.

About fifteen minutes after I started reading the book, a strangled cry from the other room had me rolling hard, falling off the bed. I sat there for a moment, my legs bent and my arms supporting my upper body, before I scrambled to my feet, running full tilt into the other room. I nearly banged into the door, and I swore for a brief second before glancing it.

"Kit?" I whispered, and I saw him thrashing on the bed, the covers on the floor from when he'd kicked them off. "Kit!" I yelped, making my way to his side. I caught his shoulders when he rolled towards me, and he jerked awake violently, his eyes glazed over as he fought his way out of the dream. "Kit, wake up!"

Kit shuddered, pulling away and sitting up. I saw him wipe a hand over his face as I turned the light on, and his hand glistened, wet from the cold sweat that he'd just wiped off his face. "Damn." The tremor in Kit's voice was the only thing that showed that he'd been scared out of his mind seconds earlier. "Is having nightmares something in our genetics?"

I let out a biting, sarcastic laugh. "Probably."

Kit glanced over at me, and I saw the thankfulness in his eyes. "Thanks for waking me up," Kit said softly, his voice steadier than before.

"No problem," I responded, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed. I hesitated before asking, "What was the dream about?"

"Dad." I looked away, sighing inwardly. That's what I'd thought the dream was about. "I dreamed of all the horrible things that could be happening to him and-"

"Kit, I doubt they would've come for Frank if they wanted to kill him or torture him. They probably want help making something," I stated, cutting my brother off mid-sentence. Kit looked at me, and I could see the faint spark of hope in his eyes.

"You think?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Kit put a hand to his face, letting himself collapse backwards on the bed. I turned my head and looked at him, trying to figure out just what was going on in his head. "Kit?"

"I want to go and get him, but I know that I can't on my own." I rolled my eyes.

"No-brainer there, bro. Get help from the others." Kit moved his hand from his eyes, raising his eyebrows as he met my gaze.

"You think they'd help?" I smacked him on the head. "Yow! What was that for?"

"You being an idiot, that's what," I snapped before continuing gently, "Kit, they look at Frank like a dad too. I bet my Advent Gauntlet that they're probably already considering this. We can't do it tonight, but tomorrow? Definitely a possibility."

Kit sighed, nodding as he looked at me. "Yeah, you're right, as usual." He lightly pushed me with a foot. "Go and get some sleep. You don't need to spend the night fretting over me. I'm not sick."

I smacked his foot, making it recoil as he gave me a hurt look. "Oh shut up," I replied, unable to keep the amusement out of my voice as I stalked out of the room. I threw my pajamas on, not even bothering to slip under the covers as I fell asleep.

The covers were wrapped around me when I woke up, and I blinked confusedly for a moment before realizing that Kit must've tucked me in sometime during the night. I tossed the covers back, cleaning up and throwing on jeans and a silver t-shirt before walking out, seeing that my brother was in the kitchen.

"Mornin'," I yawned, stretching as I walked over to the counter. Kit glanced up, and I saw that he was munching on toast, his eyes still slightly tired.

"Morning," Kit replied. "How'd you sleep?"

I didn't answer right away. I wanted to lie, to say that I'd slept fine. That was far from the truth. "Okay, I guess," I replied instead. Kit gave me a sympathetic look.

"Same," Kit admitted. He hung his head for a moment before placing the plate in the sink and bracing himself on his hands against the counter. "So, should we head over to the Base?"

I shrugged. "I suppose."

Kit hesitated before saying, "You know, I was thinking about what you said last night, and I agree. I'm going to ask some of the Riders if they'll help out."

"Help out with what?" Kit and I both jumped, whirling as Len walked in through the mirror.

"Jeez, Len! Give some warning next time!" Kit yelped, eyes still wide from the sudden scare. Len chuckled, walking over and leaning against the counter.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you guys," Len apologized. "Now what is this about you guys needing help?"

"We want to go to Xaviax's base and rescue my dad, but we can't do it alone," Kit began, and Len raised a hand, cutting him off.

"We have you guys covered," Len whispered, leaning forward. "Hunt, Chance, Pryce, Sarah, Maya, Chris, and I were coming up with a plan last night. Adam's considering joining us too. Meet us in the Common Room during lunch, and we'll explain the plan."

"Lemme guess," I stated, "that Master Eubulon has no idea of this?"

Len nodded. "That's why I came alone. No need to make him consider keeping an eye on this place. Now, you guys want to come ahead and come over? We might be able to sneak in a bit of planning ahead of the day."

"When's it going to take place?" Kit asked.

"Tonight, at midnight, we're going to head out." I listened intently, though part of my mind was considering what he had said about Adam.

Tonight might be the only chance he has to save his sister….I'll talk to him about that, no doubt about it.

Kit and Len had headed off to meet up with the others while I had said that I was going to see if Adam had made up his mind. Inwardly, I smacked myself for lying, but I didn't have much of a choice. I found Adam on the balcony again, and he turned his head to look at me when I walked over.

"Lyra," Adam murmured. I leaned on my forearms against the balcony, crossing my feet at the ankles as I glanced over at him.

"You do realize that tonight might be the only night we can save Sharon?" Adam glanced over at me and nodded.

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why are you so reluctant to go? A day or two ago you would've gone without hesitation." I didn't get what was making him so nervous.

Adam sighed and turned, leaning against the balcony on his elbows. "I'll have to tell the others about Sharon if I'm going to do that, and I still don't have permission from Master Eubulon. If I ask him, I'll have to say what's going on, and then the whole thing'll be blown! And to be honest, I'm not so sure it's worth facing the wrath of over half my teammates."

I looked down, realizing that he was, unfortunately, right. "But if you come, there's always the chance that we might be able to slip away long enough to grab her and get back before anyone notices. Then, when we come back, you can explain."

Adam gave me an amused look, but it didn't reach his eyes, which were clouded with sadness. "I wish you were right. Chances are, I'd be kicked off the team before I could explain."

I let out an exasperated huff, trying to work out some kind of loophole, trying to find just a single way that we could get Sharon out without so many darned explanations. Master Eubulon had made it difficult, though-I couldn't find even one. I let my forehead touch the railing, my mind sifting through all possible ways to get Sharon back.

"Damn….Wait." I looked up at Adam. "What exactly did Master Eubulon tell you you couldn't do?"

Adam sighed wearily. "He told me that I couldn't tell anyone who was on the team."

I sighed. Great, back to square one. Adam continued speaking, though, making me look up again.

"I don't know if I want them to know about her. I mean, she has been missing for five years and…." I could tell that Adam really didn't want to bring up the past, and I could tell that he didn't want to tell his friends that he'd been lying to them about that for so long. I sighed, feeling my shoulders slump.

"Well," I finally replied, "If you want to come anyway, we could always use your help." I headed towards the door, opening it and walking into the hallway. I closed the door silently, walking down the hall to the Common Room, silently wondering if the others were still talking.

They were, and Kase had joined them. She must've joined the plan in one way or another.

"….will work, and…." I tuned out what my brother was saying, leaning against the wall as I thought about what Adam had told me. It wasn't until I heard a snapping in my ear that I jerked back to the present, seeing my brother's face just centimeters away from mine.

"What the hell?" I yelped.

"You with us now?" Kit teased gently. "You zoned out on us for a little while."

"Sorry," I answered quickly. "Just thinking."

"Lyra, do you want me to get you caught up on the plan?" Kase inquired, and I nodded, heading over and sitting down next to the former Siren. I listened intently, though my thoughts were on Sharon.

I'm not going to make her stay there any longer. No matter what, I'm going to get her back tonight.

Kit and I woke up to our Advent Beasts' whispered voices, and Kit rolled out from under the covers, already in his black Rider uniform. Grabbing his pack, he motioned for me to remain in the room for another five minutes like we had planned, and he slipped out into the hallway. I lay on the bed until a head appeared in the doorway.

"Lyra?" I rolled out from under the covers, whirling at the sound of Adam's voice.

"Adam? What're you-"

"I'm coming. Len told me to head down with you," Adam replied, slipping into the dark room with his pack on his back. I nodded, pressing the small button on my watch. The blue light shone as I glanced at the time. 11:54. One more minute, and we'd leave.

We slid out into the hallway, glancing both ways before quietly jogging down the hall, being careful when we opened the door to run down the stairs to the garage. I was horrified when I saw that everyone was clustered in a small group, and I heard Len's soft swearing.

"I forgot that it was Nolan and Chase….crap!" Len muttered angrily as the eleven Riders that were part of the plan tried to figure out a way to get past them.

"Len, just go ahead and come on out," Nolan called, making everyone freeze. "The bikes are waiting for you guys."

We all walked out, staring at the eldest Rider in stunned silence. "How-" Chase cut Kit off.

"We figured you guys'd do something like this tonight, so we set everything up to help you guys out. Don't worry," Chase added. "Master Eubulon's completely in the dark.

"What about the others? Van, Quinn, Ian, Cam, Callen, Vic…." Kit inquired.

"We'll wait here as backup with Kase," Van called, walking over. I realized with a jolt that everyone else was in a dark corner, hidden from view. "We're not about to let you all go and get yourself Vented." Callen, Vic, Ian, Cam, and Quinn were all waiting in a corner, and I felt my jaw drop. Wow. Kit hadn't been kidding when he said that Frank was close to the Riders.

"Sounds good," Len agreed, already walking over to his motorcycle. I headed towards mine, getting on and brushing my hair back with my hand. I slid my helmet on, revving the engine. Len led the ten of us who were going first out, and I silently prayed that everyone would come back from this.

We split up into pairs, and Adam and I were one of the five pairs. We had agreed with the others that we would go in at the end of the cells and would check to see if Frank was there. I had to be thankful for that. If Sharon was in one of them, we'd find her and get her out. At least, that was the plan.

Adam and I slid through the water-logged corridors, glancing in each cell to see if there was one of the two familiar faces we were looking for in it. We didn't have any luck, until, after about ten minutes, Adam let out a strangled cry.

"Sharon!" I rushed to his side, not caring that the water was splashing, soaking my jeans. Sure enough, my mirror twin was in there, her body frail and skinny as she looked up at us. Her eyes were dull, looking sunken in her face, but they brightened slightly as she realized who we were.

"Brother!" She managed to rasp, and Adam started trying to fight the lock. I shoved him aside, using a small ball of fire to melt the bars. Adam shoved past me, falling to his knees beside his sister in an instant.

"I can't believe it, it's really you," Adam whispered, tracing the younger Rider's face and brushing her hair out of her face. She gave him a faint smile, her eyes brightening with every second.

"And I can't believe it's you," Sharon murmured, leaning her head against Adam's shoulder. He wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding his arms under her legs as he hoisted her up. I saw a brief spark of fear in his eyes as he turned, glancing at me. I could practically read the panic that was screaming on his face, and I whirled when I heard footsteps behind me.

XAVIAX!

(Frank's POV, earlier)

I worked sullenly on the machine, knowing that James wouldn't hesitate to go out and kill Kit if I refused. I had also heard rumors of Adam's little sister being here, courtesy of Xaviax, who was watching me work.

"I never wanted this," he finally said, making me look up from my work. I stared at the man I had loathed for most of my life, seeing the hopelessness and pain in his eyes. "I wanted the people of Ventarra and Earth to work on Karsh. I never wanted to kill them all."

"You started this," I pointed out scathingly. Xaviax sighed, his shoulders slumping as I motioned for him to give me one of the pieces of equipment.

"Yes, I did." Now I pushed myself up on my elbows, gawking openly.

"Excuse me?"

"You're right. I started all of this, and the innocent lives being lost are my fault." Xaviax glanced at my gaping form, rolling his eyes. "Look, if there was a way I could help the Riders, I know how to. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But you're going to have to trust me."

"Trust the bastard who is responsible for the deaths of my children and my wife?" He looked away, and I got back to work. "Not a chance."

Xaviax was suddenly inches from my face, a desperate look in his eyes. "Please, for Kit's sake."

He had hit my weak point, and I glowered up at him. "Fine. First, tell me if the rumor I've heard about Adam's sister is true. She's dea-"

"Not dead," Xaviax immediately stated, cutting me off. "She's alive, but barely. I know exactly where she is in here since I did capture her. And anyway, how did you know?" Xaviax continued, furrowing his brow. "Eubulon made Adam swear to never tell anyone."

"He told me himself," I spat coldly. "And if you want to help, you're going to get me and her out of here, no exceptions," I growled, standing up and holding the wrench I had threateningly. "Otherwise, I might not hesitate to bash this into your skull."

Xaviax nodded, glancing around. "Midnight, tonight. The Rider Equips should be asleep by then, and at max, if any of them are awake, only one should be."

"Fine." I made sure that my gaze was locked with his as I continued. "You'd better be there, and this had damned well better not be a set up. Because if I know Kit well enough, he's going to come here with most of the Riders tonight to rescue me. And if only Adam knows about his sister, he'll go in towards the cells."

"Agreed."

Xaviax silently unlocked the cell that I was in, allowing me to slip out from the water-logged, miserable cell. He motioned for me to follow him, and we sloshed through the halls, trying to avoid making any noise. Unfortunately, when water was up to one's ankles, it was rather hard to not make noise.

My sensitive Karshian eyes made out Adam's form as he let out a strangled cry, fighting to break into his sister's cell. Lyra was next to him in an instant, spiking a wave of horror in me. I didn't like Kit being here, but chances were that he had friends with him.

Lyra placed her hand on the cell, melting the lock and making a slight smile cover my face. She had learned about her powers at a young age, and I could vividly remember teaching her about them. The smile was wiped from my face as Adam rushed in, his voice soft as he spoke to his sister. Xaviax and I exchanged a glance before slowly walking towards the cell. As we neared the opening, Lyra whirled around, unconsciously putting herself between us and the two siblings.

"Xaviax!" Lyra snarled, her hand on her Advent Gauntlet. I raised a hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Frank, what the hel-are you crazy?! Get away from him!"

"I'm trying to help," Xaviax answered softly, earning him a mocking scoff from Adam.

"Bullshit."

"Why should I believe the person who is responsible for the death of most of my family, excluding my brother?" Lyra demanded.

"Lyra." She turned her head to look at me. "Trust me on this-if we don't, we have no chance of getting everyone outta here alive and unVented."

Lyra's eyes were carefully guarded as she considered, glancing at Adam before she replied softly, "What do we do?"

"Get to the main console room first," Xaviax answered instantly. "And pray like hell that the Dark Riders aren't up yet."

Adam and Lyra exchanged horrified glance, and I saw Sharon cling tightly to her brother out of fear. I wanted to heal her, but I knew I couldn't. There wasn't enough time.

Adam and Lyra started splashing through the halls, and that was when I heard the sound of a Rider being Vented. Lyra fell to her knees, clutching her head as she whispered, "Chris!"

I knelt next to her, ignoring the cold water that splashed me. I pried her hands off of her head, turning her head to look at me. "Lyra, has Chris been Vented?" I asked firmly, shaking her when her eyes seemed to wander.

"Yes," she whispered, her gray-blue eyes terrified. "And we don't have Advent Masters yet."

"Yes you do," I responded, earning me a confused look from the teenager. "Lyra, you and your brother are the two Advent Masters of your team. Did you not realize that?" The shake of her head made me sigh. "Lyra, in the Rider Equip teams, the two Advent Masters are more commonly related by blood. That's why Alexis and James are the two Advent Masters."

"They're siblings? And how do you know?" Lyra gasped, and I shook my head.

"Cousins. And remember, I worked with your grandparents when they first found the Advent Gems, long before they were turned into the Gauntlets." I saw Adam's jaw drop before he snapped it shut quickly.

"Then we need to hurry," Adam growled. "If one Rider's been Vented, we're in trouble."

The two Riders hurtled off, not bothering trying to remain silent anymore. Sharon was curled up in her brother's arms as he ran, and Xaviax and I ran not far behind them.

I realized with a jolt that this was becoming more than a battle of Riders-it was becoming a bloodbath. I saw Hunt on the ground and saw more Riders appearing with every second. It wasn't until the navy armor of Wing Knight faded away that I realized that Len had been Vented as well.

What has happened here?

(Kit's POV)

I realized all too abruptly that it had been a mistake to come here. Within five minutes of our arrival, we were calling for our backup, and the others had arrived, helping us fight a full-blown battle against the Dark Riders. Unfortunately, they had mirror monsters on their side, and when the mirror monsters had worn us down, one of the Dark Riders would summon their Final Vent.

Hunt had been Vented right at the beginning, and Chris was the next to go. Len was the one that hit me the most, though. He had shoved me aside, taking the Final Vent that had been meant for me. I screamed his name, horror-stricken as I watched his form fade away.

NO! LEN!

"Kit!" My sister appeared, her eyes frantic as she dragged me away. "We have to get everyone out! We got Frank!" I glanced at her, and as I did, I felt the searing pain of another Rider from our team being Vented. I sensed two other Riders get Vented at the same time, making me choke out a strangled cry.

"Fine," I whispered, pulling myself together to holler, "RETREAT! Guys, fall back!" My friends obeyed my order, but there was no place to retreat to. I balked as Xaviax opened the portal, instinctively trying to back up in the other direction until my father yelled at me.

"Kit, go through the portal!" He bellowed. "Trust me!" Dad added as we all hesitated. My now-terrified friends leapt in, too scared and shaken to do anything else, and I saw Adam go through, holding a small figure in his arms. I was confused, but as I neared it, I realized Dad wasn't moving.

"Dad?" I whispered, only vaguely aware of my sister exchanging blows with Alexis.

"Kit, go. I'm not coming."

I grabbed his arm, trying to pull him with me, but his firm grip stopped me. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

Dad sighed, shaking his head as I felt my armor fade away. He shoved me through, and I fell through the portal, landing hard in the console room of the Rider Base. My sister came through seconds late, and we all looked up in time to see Master Eubulon's infuriated face.

"Mind explaining to me why there are five Riders in the Advent Void?"

(Frank's POV)

I shoved Kit through, not giving him another option, and as I did, Lyra let out a horrified gasp.

"You haven't!" she snarled, and Alexis let out a chilling laugh.

"I have, and you're too late. It's almost finished," the Dark Master laughed. "It's a shame you didn't get along with me when we were children. We could've been so powerful together."

"Never!" Lyra snapped, and I grabbed her shoulder, shoving her through the black portal before another Rider could get Vented. Xaviax smacked the button that would close the portal, making it impossible for anyone to get in through it. Alexis snarled, and I heard her slot her Final Vent. I braced myself, ready for the impact, when Xaviax knocked me out of the way. I landed on my shoulder, rolling as I broke the fall. I saw the Vent hit my long-time enemy, stunned as he slowly started to lose consciousness.

No….I thought dully. I never wanted this…Not even for him. No one deserves this…

Alexis walked over, her armor still on as she pulled out her sword. In one swift movement, she had slit Xaviax's throat, and the gurgling sound of someone choking on their blood brought back memories of Karsh. I closed my eyes, looking away as Alexis moved over to me.

"Well then, Frank," Alexis said sweetly. "I see you helped a prisoner get away." She seemed to consider something before I felt pain spike through my left shoulder, making me gasp. I saw that she had dug her sword into the tense muscles, and I was pretty sure that I had felt it hit bone. She wrenched the sword out, making me fall back gasping, tears involuntarily springing up in my eyes. "Do it again, and I'll let little Kit be the one who I kill."

Drake and Drew grabbed me, and Drew deliberately put pressure on the wound. I lashed out from pure instinct, managing to knock Drew unconscious and knock Drake away, but before I got to the console to open the portal, James had knocked me back with an Attack Vent. I landed on my back hard, gasping as I felt the shoulder wound with my right hand. His advent beast, the strong hydra called Merithan, grabbed me in her mouth, careful not to injure me further.

"Be careful, Frank," James cautioned tauntingly. "After all, you wouldn't want all of your hard work to end up being wasted, now, would you?"

My head had fallen back, and I had gone limp in Merithan's mouth. I gave him one cold glower before everything started to fade, and I let myself pass out, falling into the peacefulness of unconsciousness.

Well, looks like the Riders are in trouble, and in more ways than one. Please review! :D