Chapter 37: Necessary Evil

Shinichi and Moka walked by the sports field to see students training. With the Sports Festival coming right around the corner, everyone was working their hardest so they could win.

"Everyone's pretty pumped," Shinichi admired.

"Yes, and I can't believe that they agreed to add a Martial Arts Tournament as the final event," said Moka. The suggestion that Shogo had given had been delivered to the Sports Festival Committee by Nekonome-sensei. It was approved afterwards and announced in their classroom earlier that day.

It was the day after Shinichi slept with Kurumu and he'd made Kurumu promise not to brag about it. He really hoped she kept that promise. He didn't feel like dealing with any repercussion. While he hated himself for hiding this from the other girls, he just didn't feel like it was a good time to tell them that he'd made love to Kurumu and lost his virginity as a result. Though, Mizore had been staring at him intently all day. She couldn't possible suspect, could she?

Also, last night, Kurumu had nearly been rape and had been so frightened. He just stayed to comfort her. He never intended for things to go that far. He'd wanted to finish off Nagare for what he attempted to do to Kurumu but Leon beat him to it.

Speaking of Leon, he'd gone to the Public Safety Committee's office to thank him for his help only to find him missing.

He then spotted Reiri and Hime. "Reiri-chan! Hime-chan!"

"Ah, Shin-chan!" Reiri smiled, waving at him. He walked over to them with Moka following. She no longer had any problems with Shinichi associating with these girls, and her inner self agreed. They were just childhood friends who wanted to catch up and rekindle their friendship after over a decade of separation.

Shinichi saw that on Reiri's left arm was an armband which identified her as a member of the Public Safety Committee. "You got in," he stated.

"Yeah, I was really persuasive during the interview," Reiri grinned. "Of course I was going to be accepted. I did make a good first impression."

"Hey, about Leon, have you seen him?" Shinichi asked. "I want to talk to him about something but he wasn't in his office."

"I can take you to him," Hime offered. "Follow me."

"OK," nodded Shinichi. "Moka-chan, you can go back without me."

"Can I come?" she requested.

"Sorry," he apologized, "But this is something private and it's between me and Leon." Seeing her look dejected, he sighed. "Here," he said as he offered his neck to her.

Moka smiled and went towards. However, she didn't aim for his neck. She gently caressed his face and turned him towards her before placing her lips against his. Boys nearby who'd been watching Moka immediately felt their hearts shatter as they saw the display of affection. Moka pulled back, smiling, before going for Shinichi's neck. Her teeth sunk into his neck, draining a bit of his blood. Now the boys watching felt like life wasn't worth living as Moka was kissing Shinichi's neck. However, they knew his reputation and if they tried to fight him it would just end up being entirely one-sided with them being sent to the hospital. He was the guy who singlehandedly beat Kuyou, after all.

Shinichi smiled at Moka, gently caressing her face, before he went with Hime. As the pinkette watched them leave, Reiri said, "So, Shin-chan's blood is really delicious huh?"

"Ah!" Moka jumped. She blushed. "Well…he's my first."

"First blood donor," Reiri concluded. "I see where you're coming from. I remember the first time I tasted his blood. We were in kindergarten making paper airplanes and he got a paper cut. He sure was crying, but I offered to make it all better so I sucked on the blood. His blood was sweet, like honey. Still is, too."

Moka couldn't help but frown inwardly. Not only was Reiri Shinichi's first vampire friend, she was also the first to suck his blood. Well, not on the neck anyway, but she did taste it.

"And I'm guessing that Shin-chan's blood isn't the only thing you like about him?" Reiri continued.

"H-hai," Moka blushed.

"I'm glad," Reiri smiled as she brought her into a hug, "I'm happy Shin-chan met girls like you. After Hime-sama told me about what he went through, I was upset. But thanks to you, he can look past it without problems. Please continue to watch over Shin-chan for me."

"Thank you, Reiri-san. I will," Moka whispered as she returned the hug.

Leon had a private training spot in the forest, a clearing he'd claimed for his own. It was peaceful and he didn't need distractions. As much as he loved Aphrodite, and now Reiri, they could be a bit too noisy and Leon needed his privacy and space sometimes. It wasn't that he wanted to avoid them, but there were times he needed to be alone.

Holding a bokken, Leon took practice swings on a tree. Leon had been trained to use a sword since he could walk, which attributed to his current skill with his Zanpakuto and the Ankh Sword. The way of the sword was something he practiced since he was young and also the purpose of a sword.

His uncle once told him a sword was a weapon that could be used both for protection and destruction, depending on the purpose of the person holding it. Leon had considered the latter for a long time now but before then he'd considered the former.

Banishing such thought, Leon continued to practice and then he performed a complex sword kate with the wooden blade. As soon as he was finished he heard the sound of applause and turned to see who it was.

Standing against a tree was Hime. He'd been introduced to her by Reiri but he'd originally met her that day in Shinichi's hometown.

"Enjoy the show?" asked Leon as he shouldered his bokken.

"Indeed, and it was quite a remarkable show of swordsmanship," said Hime, smiling. "I wouldn't mind going against you."

"But you don't have a weapon," said Leon. Hime rolled her eyes and reached up to her right ear and tugged off an earring. The stone on it shone and in a flash it transformed into a chainsaw. "I stand corrected. Why a chainsaw, though?"

"I like it," said Hime before she made return to the form of an earring, "But I'm not in the mood now." She gestured, "He, on the other hand, is."

"Hime-chan, why did you run so fast?" Shinichi asked as he finally caught up with her. "Oh, hey Leon."

Leon cocked an eyebrow. "You brought him along?"

"He was asking Reiri about where you were since you weren't in your office," Hime said. "Says he has something important to talk with you about."

"OK, go ahead," prompted Leon.

"Leon, I want to thank you for your help yesterday," said Shinichi.

"No need," Leon replied. "I was in the area and it's not in my nature to ignore my friends when they need help." He asked, "How's Kurumu?"

"She's…fine," Shinichi answered, blushing a bit. Leon noted the blush and knew what had taken place afterwards. He was no fool. He didn't comment on it though.

"Well, that's good," Leon said.

"There's more. Leon, I want to spar with you," said Shinichi as he drew out the handle of his laser saber before the blade shot out.

"Then I think a wooden sword wouldn't be appropriate," Leon reasoned.

"Oh, it's OK. I set the intensity down so it doesn't cut or burn. It's like a blunt weapon," Shinichi assured.

"Well, get to it, boys," said Hime. "I came for a show. Don't keep me waiting."

"She's very impatient," Leon remarked.

"Hime-chan's used to having things go her way," Shinichi remarked. "Back when we were kids she always forced me to play tea party with her and Reiri-chan. She even made me dress up."

"You were the only one who didn't run away or get upset when we put you in a dress," Hime told him.

"Blame my mother for my cross-dressing tendencies back then," Shincihi remarked with a shrug. "So, shall we, Leon?"

"Yes," said Leon as he put his goggles over his eyes.

"OK, I've been meaning to ask this for awhile, but what's with the goggles?" Shinichi asked.

"My uncle gave them to me when I was a kid," Leon said. "I've kept them ever since."

"They must mean a lot to you."

"Good, because I'd be upset if they were broken."

"Your uncle must mean a lot to you too."

"All I know about being a Rider I learnt from him."

"I think I'd like to meet him."

"Are we going to spar or are you just going to talk?"

"Right, let's spar."

As Hime watched, so was another pair of eyes. Ryoko wasn't very far and had been watching Leon from the start, concealing her Yoki to keep anyone from detecting her. Since their first confrontation, she'd been watching him. Leon had been looking for her everywhere, and never thought to look under his nose.

Shinichi was the first to attack as he thrust forward at Leon but the Shinigami sidestepped the attack before swinging his bokken down on Shinichi's arm to disarm him. However, Shinichi quickly withdrew his arm so Leon struck only thin air. The Shinigami received a kick in the side and was sent staggering. Shinichi then jumped and aimed a kick at him but Leon blocked the attack with the flat side of his bokken, the force of the kick driving him back. Shinichi's cybernetic and genetic enhancements definitely made him strong even without transforming.

Too bad for him, Leon had the gift of speed. Shinichi went and charged, swinging his Laser Saber only for Leon to blur out of sight. Shinichi's eyes widened and he spun around just in time to be struck in the shoulder. He gritted his teeth as he stepped back. He massaged his sore shoulder and remarked mentally that he might get a bruise from that.

The two started exchanging blows as their swords clashed. Hime smiled as she admired them and Ryoko was impressed. While Shinichi's strikes were more power-oriented, Leon used his speed to counter him. The two seemed evenly matched but since this was a spar they weren't even close to using their full strength.

Shinichi ducked and the bokken hit a tree, causing the bark to explode on impact along with some of the trunk, leaving a gaping mark on the tree. Grimacing, Shinichi decided to take this spar more seriously as he blocked the next series of swings. His eyes glowed red as he analyzed Leon's fighting style before formulating a plan in a matter of seconds.

Shinichi was considered the best of the NUMBERS but only because he'd grown up and trained with them. He already knew all their moves but even that wasn't enough. He'd been trained, programmed and conditioned for battle and even in this spar he needed to win. It was just who he was. He hated to lose.

Leon swung down as Shinichi performed a barrel roll, dodging the strike. He then got up to his feet and charged at Leon. This time he was going to use his own speed as well as he unleashed a furious flurry of strikes upon the Shinigami. The strikes were parried blow for blow.

Shinichi used a reverse roundhouse that Leon blocked with his forearm and then he twisted his body around to elbow the back of Shinichi's head. He was knocked down but not out as he recovered spun back and jumped. His feet touched a tree and he launched himself at Leon. He then executed a series of bicycle kicks that crashed against Leon's bokken, nearly breaking it, but the Shinigami had infused the wooden blade with his own energy, making it virtually indestructible in spite of the punishment it was taking. One last kick drove Leon back and Shinichi lunged with a downward slash that Leon swatted away. Expecting this, Shinichi quickly followed up with a punch and buried his fist into Leon's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. But Leon recovered quickly and slammed his head into Shinichi's face, knocking him backwards and in pain.

"Ow…ow…my face…" groaned Shinichi as he put his hand to his face.

"Ouch…" Leon rubbed his head. "Mental note: no more head-butts."

Hime covered her mouth and let out a light snicker as she saw both boys trying to soothe their individual pains. What she was watching were not two boys in a spar, but two young men who've had years of combat experience testing their skills against each other. She'd learnt from Shinichi that Leon was a Rider too. Were all Kamen Riders like this?

"I think we should stop before we do any permanent damage," suggested Shinichi.

"Agreed," said Leon as he pulled his goggles down from his face to hang around his neck.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Shinichi asked.

"That's classified," Leon answered curtly.

"Old school?" Shinichi prodded. Leon glared back. "Fine…keep your secrets. Anyway, I have to go. I got things to do." He waved, "Later, Leon." He turned and addressed Hime, "You coming, Hime-chan?"

"I want to talk with Leon, Shinji-kun. You go on ahead," Hime said. Shinichi nodded and walked off, leaving his childhood friend and comrade alone together.

"He's got a good soul, but it's clouded in darkness," Leon remarked.

"Come again?" Hime asked.

"I read people when I fight and Shinichi's like an open book. I can just tell what people are really like through the way they fight," Leon explained.

"So, you assess people's personalities by their unique fighting styles," Hime concluded. "Quite a gift."

"Some would consider it that."

Leon suddenly pushed Hime out of the way as he was hit by a white blur, knocking him into the woods. Hime let out a gasp at the beast that stood before her. It was a tall creature, nearly 7 feet tall. It wore a pair of tattered blue jeans. The creature was shirtless, revealing itself covered in white fur. It was a werewolf. "Wildman…you bare your fangs at your Master?" sneered Hime. "Or did one of my siblings get to you?" Wildman snarled at her in response. Hime touched her earring, creating her chainsaw. "I'm disappointed in you, Wildman…Giving up your honor like that…you're nothing more than a beast!"

"Even if you are a Princess…such insults…I cannot let them pass!" roared Wildman. Faster than Hime could blink, he knocked the chainsaw out of her hands and sliced open the front of her shirt with his claws, revealing her black bra. Wildman then forced Hime up against a tree. "I apologize, Hime-sama…" His claw then shot forward but didn't connect. Standing between her and Wildman was Leon, the beast's claw caught in his hand.

"If you think I'll allow you to lay a hand on her, you're sorely mistaken," said Leon. Leon then kicked Wildman back. Leon removed his jacket before handing it to Hime. "Here, I'll deal with this." Leon drew his sword before he shot forward and struck, but the blow was parried by Wildman's claws.

As a werewolf, Wildman used his speed to his advantage, trying to overwhelm the Shinigami. However, the werewolf had severely underestimated the Shinigami. Leon managed to land a slash on Wildman's chest. The two jumped away from each other. Wildman crossed his arms over his chest in an 'X'. "My name is Lobo Wildman, son of the great warrior Volg Wildman!"

Leon actually smiled, which was a rather unnerving sight. "So, you're one of those kinds of werewolves then…" Leon got into a sword stance, prepared for combat. "I am Leon Smith, Fifth Seat of Squad 10 of the Gotei 13." The two charged, each trying to overwhelm the other with increasing speed. Wildman managed to slice open Leon's shirt with his claws, showing the massive scar on his chest. However, Leon used the close distance between them to force his sword into Wildman's chest.

The warrior fell as Leon removed the blade, blood pooling beneath him. "Hime-sama…" gasped Wildman. "My transgressions…"

"Hmph," sighed Hime as she walked up to the two. "Don't underestimate me, Wildman. Your family was taken hostage…isn't that what happened?"

Wildman coughed, "Smith…Thank you. Dying like this, in combat…I couldn't hope for a better way to die."

"Rest easy, Lobo Wildman…If I ever find your sister Riza, I swear, I will protect her for you," promised Leon. He'd read his opponent's mind and there was one constant thought…his sister, Riza Wildman.

"Then I leave her in your hands…" smiled Wildman as he turned human and quietly passed on.

"Hime…" began Leon. "You said my ability to read people was a gift but at times like this…it's nothing more than a curse."

Hime grabbed Leon by the tie and pulled him close, claiming his lips with her own. She pulled back breathlessly. "Consider that my way of saying thanks. I'll be seeing you around…Leon Smith."

It was late at night when Leon returned to his dorm room. The day had been long and he'd done so much. Killing Wildman had not filled him with joy and he just wanted to sleep.

He still needed to look for Ryoko and he hadn't been successful in finding her. As brutish and powerful as she was, she was also apparently good at hiding herself. Still, he needed to find her before she decided to become impatient. He carelessly dropped his body onto the bed. But then he hit something. He felt that something squirm under his sheets. His eyes narrowed as he felt fleshy orbs underneath his hand. He was expecting Aphrodite, or even Reiri, had managed to sneak into his room again for another erotic night. He pulled over the bed sheets, only for his eyes to widened upon who was in his bed.

Ryoko moaned softly as she woke up. Noticing Leon, she gave him a sultry gaze as she whispered, "Welcome home, Leon."

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You do realize you're a fugitive, right? Did you come to give yourself up?"

"Not at all," smirked Ryoko. "I just came to talk. I saw that fight. It was odd. You didn't seem to enjoy that fight at all."

"Why would I enjoy it? His soul wasn't in the fight at all. He was fighting because he needed to. He couldn't enjoy it, so why would I?" countered Leon.

"Well, I guess that's true. I'm impressed though." She vanished. She suddenly appeared behind Leon, pushing him onto the bed. She got on top of him, straddling the Shinigami. "Maybe I should just have some fun with you here and now…But I'd rather fight you first. One on one. And THEN you and I can have some fun!" She leaned forward and kissed Leon deeply, forcing her tongue into his mouth. She reached down and felt his member through his pants. "Ooh…looks like I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you." Ryoko then vanished from the room.

Leon laid alone in his room in silence. "Why do I always attract crazy people…?"

Shinichi was training out in the forest one Saturday afternoon. Despite having a body modified for combat, he still needed to train. After all, the tournament which would be held on the Sports Festival would draw in a lot of competitors and some of the best fighters in the school. It was a competition, and everyone wanted to win for either bragging rights, medals, trophies or just to impress the girls.

Shinichi spun his body around and fired, hitting the trees but not his intended target. 'Fast!' he thought and then he felt their presence and stopped to bring his arm up, his forearm taking the brunt of the attack as he was sent skidding backwards. "Itai…" he groaned, shaking his sore arm. His opponent stood before him, confident with an incredibly deadly and dangerous presence. Her crimson eyes stared into his own, attempting to paralyze him, but he wasn't as weak as to be intimidated by such a glare.

"You did well to guard against my kick," said Moka-sama. She was wearing her gym clothes which comprised of a white t-shirt and maroon bloomers. The t-shirt was tight, showing off her curves and the bloomers really showed off her strong and slender legs.

"And you're fast as well," said Shinichi as he twirled his stun gun before putting it in his holster. He wore a black jacket with matching pants and boots with a red scarf hanging from his neck. "Now, shall we dance?"

"Gladly, and if it helps I'll hold back," Moka-sama said, smirking.

"Don't patronize me, Moka-sama," he retorted and he shot towards her, closing the gap between them in the blink of an eye. He punched, aiming for her head but she dodged to the side and the tree behind her exploded when his fist met. Withdrawing, he followed up with left hook which she caught and then she tossed him to the ground. He landed with his feet and kicked up at her face only for her to lean from the attack. He tore his hand from her grip and performed a sweep kick which hit her ankles and knocked her to the ground.

"You…" Moka-sama growled as he stood over her and offered his hand. She took it but he yelped as she suddenly swung her leg at his, making him lose balance and fall on his ass. Moka-sama took the opportunity of payback to quickly straddle his hips and pin him to the ground.

"Ano…" he let out, blushing as he stared at her face. He always thought regular Moka was cute but her inner self was on a whole different level. She was way more mature, both mentally and physically, and approved of his own violent tendencies whereas regular Moka wanted him to be gentle and kind.

But her inner self knew him for what he truly was. She understood that he was a warrior who'd been forced into a Spartan lifestyle. While she hated Gebok for forcing Shinichi to commit atrocities, she had to admit that Shinichi was definitely a strong specimen due to the treatment he received.

Moka-sama, with strange gentleness, caressed his face. 'So human…' she thought with some disdain. 'And yet…not all human…' Shinichi was human, at least genetically, but he's had his body modified that he wasn't 100 percent human. She knew he had metal-plated bones and reinforced muscle tissue that made him durable. She knew because she once kicked him and he got up without much difficulty later. He was made of tougher stuff than squishy humans.

And unlike her, he was not a monster either. He labeled himself as a weapon.

Well, a weapon wouldn't be blushing and have trouble to breathe now, would he. Smiling, she moved down on Shinichi's face to claim his lips.

One make-out session later, Shinichi and Moka-sama sat back to back.

"Say, Moka-sama," he said respectfully. "You don't like humans, right?"

"Humans are just a food source for vampires," she answered curtly. "But within this short time I've learnt that not all humans are bad. Just the ones I grew up while going to school in the human world."

"But you and I can agree there are bad humans."

"Like the ones who turned you into a Kaizo Ningin, yes. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to make of you. You're human, and at the same time you're not."

"Human? That term can used very loosely when describing me," he retorted. "GIN-SHOCKER took my humanity and identity away from me since I was 6 years old. I was only a number and a weapon to them."

"And now you have your humanity back, and your name," said Moka-sama.

"A name I made up."

"So, why don't you go back to using your birth name?" Moka-sama inquired.

"Because I'd be using the name of a dead boy," he told her. "Shinji Banabara died a long time ago. I'm Shinichi now." He didn't want to go any further into the subject and fished Moka-sama rosario seal out of his pocket. "Here." Moka-sama took the cross-shaped seal and snapped it back to the chain. In seconds she reverted back to her pink-haired and green-eyed persona.

Smiling at him, despite being troubled by his words, Moka told him to rest in her lap.

An observer found the beautiful Moka sitting against a tree with him resting his head on her lap as he lay on the ground. She was stroking her hair as he took a nap. The observer scowled as he saw this. Moka was meant to be his! He'd claimed her since he first saw her! And nobody else, not even the one sleeping on Moka's lap would have her!

'He looks so peaceful,' thought Moka as she stared at Shinichi's sleeping face. However, she knew about Shinichi's inner conflict. Fortunately it'd been resolved. He knew who he was, even if it was upsetting to hear him claim that he could not take up his birth name since he'd died with the name dying with him. He accepted who he was in this school like he'd accepted both sides of her. 'So why do I feel like something bad is up ahead?' she thought. She heard someone coming and looked up before gasping. Shinichi's eyes snapped open when he heard this and sat up as well to see what was wrong. He then saw it was him.

It was Junya Inui, a second year student. Last term he'd tried to make Moka his by pretending to be a vampire. Oh, he knew their laws which were pretty outdated but the truth was he was simply a phony, an Onimodoki, who tried to intimidate other races by pretending to be a stronger one.

"You're back for some more?" Shinichi asked. He looked down at Junya's belt buckle and identified the insignia. "Not you too…" Oh, why did they have to join GIN-SHOCKER? If they hadn't he would've just left them alone.

"Shinichi-kun, what's wrong?" Moka asked.

"Look at his belt buckle," Shinichi pointed. "He's part of GIN-SHOCKER now."

"That's right," Junya smirked. "And they've given me power, true power."

"In exchange for your soul," Shinichi argued.

"Any price is worth such power!" Junya claimed and he transformed right in front of Moka and Shinichi. They watched the transformation as Junya lost his human form and became something monstrous. Junya Inui had transformed himself into a humanoid bat in black armor, sporting leathery wings and curved blades jutting out of his wrists. He also wore leather pants and wore GIN-SHOCKER's insignia as a belt buckle. "In this form…call me Blood Myotis!" he screeched. Spreading his wings, he shot towards Moka and Shinichi.

"Get down!" Shinichi shouted as he pulled Moka to the ground as Blood Myotis slashed, his blade slicing through the trunk of the tree in half. Shinichi saw Blood Myotis continue his flight path and do a U-turn to attack them once more. Shinichi scowled and got ready as his Spark Core appeared. As soon as Blood Myotis came within range, Shinichi leaned his body back and used partial transformation to cover his legs in armor before striking the Cyborg Yokai's jaw, sending him flying high into the air. Shinichi stood straight up and called, "Let's Ride: Showa! Let's Ride: Skyrider!" In a flash he was changed into Kamen Rider Showa before switching to the flying Skyrider. Dust kicked up as he leapt up and soared after Blood Myotis.

Blood Myotis stopped himself in midair and massaged his chin. He caught sight of Showa-Skyrider coming at him and dodged when the Rider shot at him with a punch. Skyrider stopped and turned around, red eyes focused on the Cyborg Yokai. "I gave you a chance to live, Inui, twice but you come back and show me you've joined GIN-SHOCKER."

"Do you know it's like to be an Onimodoki? I don't have any real power like those other Yokai. All I can do is mimic them and pretend I'm strong to protect myself. I'm worse than a doppelganger!" argued Blood Myotis. "But now GIN-SHOCKER has given me power rivaling a vampire's!"

"Rivaling a vampire's?" Showa-Skyrider repeated mockingly. "A fake will always be a fake, Inui and you're nothing but a phony now like you were months ago."

"WELL! TAKE THIS THEN!" A stream of blood-like substance shot towards Showa-Skyrider and he flew up to avoid it. Blood Myotis continued to fire the stream and Showa-Skyrider had to pick up speed in order to avoid from getting hit. Meanwhile, back on the forest floor, Moka saw the red substance hit the trees. The leaves and branches hissed as they melted and the substance hit the ground as well, causing the ground to sizzle, hiss and smoke.

Showa-Skyrider's used his HUD to do an analysis on the energized substance. "It's corrosive!" Moka was down there too. He needed to get Blood Myotis to stop. Spinning to dodge another stream, he changed in midair, "Let's Ride: Super-1! Hot & Cold Hands!" He fired the cryogenic spray straight into Blood Myotis' face when he stopped to inhale and froze his mouth shut. Blood Myotis tried to get the ice off as Showa changed again. "Let's Ride: Riderman!" He threw the Hook Arm at Blood Myotis, the cable wrapping around his neck tight before pulling him down to the ground with him. Showa-Riderman landed on his feet and retracted the cable, sending Blood Myotis crashing through the foliage and down to the ground.

Changing back to his default form, Showa summoned the Gravity Hammer and dragged it along behind him as he strode towards Blood Myotis. Blood Myotis got back and was thrown through the air when the Gravity Hammer's head smashed into his head. Showa shouldered the Gravity Hammer and waited for Blood Myotis to get back up. Snarling, Blood Myotis struck with his claws but Showa parried with the shaft of his hammer. Digging his heels into the ground, he drove Blood Myotis back and drew the hammer backwards and performed a wide swing, knocking the wind out of him as the hammer buried into Blood Myotis' gut. Blood Myotis doubled over in pain as Showa stepped back from the Cyborg Youkai, waiting for him to recover.

Moka watched the fight and while she was cheering Shinichi on a part of her was thinking that her friend was just taunting and playing around with his opponent. Back to the battle, Showa was having a sort of dilemma.

"Should I use Ichigo-sempai's skill or Nigo-sempai's power? Ichigo…? Nigo…? I can't decide!" He ducked and rolled away as Blood Myotis struck, slicing a tree in half. "Ah! I give up! I'm just going to do both!" He called out, "Let's Ride: Ichigo & Nigo!"

There was a blinding flash of light which forced both Moka and Blood Myotis to shield their eyes. When the light faded, Showa had once again changed into a new Rider. Well, not exactly new.

He'd changed using the powers of Kamen Rider Ichigo and Nigo simultaneously. The overall armor was the same with the same red scarf and green chest but his helmet sported Ichigo's light green color on the left while sporting the black color on the right. He wore Ichigo's silver glove and boot on the left and Nigo's red glove and boot on the right. The new armor also came with additions, though, like black kneepads and shoulderpads with #1 written in green on the left shoulder and #2 written in red on the right shoulder. His suit also sported an upturned collar.

"I'm Ichigo-sempai and Nigo-sempai at the same time…?" Showa inspected himself. "I guess…to call this…" He crossed his arms, mumbling as he tried to think of a name, ignoring Blood Myotis. "AHA! I got it!" He posed. "Ore wa Kamen Rider…HOPPER!"

"SHUT UP!" Blood Myotis fired his corrosive plasma attack and Showa-Hopper leapt high into the air before coming down at him with a drop kick that slammed him in the face, sending him reeling. Landing on his feet, Showa-Hopper delivered a flurry of powerful punches into Blood Myotis' gut and stomach, denting his armor before nailing him in the jaw with a powerful uppercut that tossed his head back. He then spun on his right heel and delivered a powerful back kick, burying his foot into Blood Myotis' gut and blasting him through the forest, knocking down several trees along the way.

"Shinichi-kun!" Moka cried out.

"Moka, get back!" he shouted at her as he saw Blood Myotis flying at him with his blades aimed at him. Crossing his arms, Showa-Hopper caught the blades and spun his arms around, snapping the blades before hitting Blood Myotis with a brutal head-butt, knocking him to the ground. "Ow…" Showa-Hopper groaned, holding his head. Despite his helmet protecting his skull, he still felt the impact.

Blood Myotis stumbled on his feet and looked down at his broken blades. He glared up at Showa-Hopper and went to punch him only for Showa-Hopper to jump back and perform several back flips to gain some distance. "It's Game Over for you now!" said Showa-Hopper as he performed Ichigo's signature pose then Nigo's before jumping high into the air. His body glowed before, much to Moka and Blood Myotis' surprise, he split himself into Ichigo and Nigo.

"RIDER…DOUBLE…KICK!-!-!" both Riders called as they executed their flying kicks, slamming straight into Blood Myotis with explosive force. The Cyborg Youkai went tumbling as he crashed into several trees, knocking them all down before stopping far away.

Both Riders became one again and reverted back to Showa's default form before his armor shattered and Shinichi stood up. Moka looked at him and saw him staring intently at where Junya had ended up. He followed the path Junya's tumble had made with Moka following. She felt like something was wrong with her friend.

They found Junya, reverted to his human form, with black and blue bruises all over his body, more prominent on his face. He groaned as he tried to sit up, supporting himself on his forearms as he glared at Shinichi through his one good eye.

"So, came to finish the job?" Junya sneered and he got his answer as Shinichi drew his Vulcan Shooter and aimed it at his head. Junya's eyes widened as he stared at the four barrels with Moka gasping. "Wait! I was just kidding!" Junya shouted.

"You came at me and Moka with the intent to kill," said Shinichi coldly, "But what's worse was that you willingly joined GIN-SHOCKER. Who's to say you won't come after us again if I let you go."

"I had no choice!" Junya shouted. "They forced me!"

"You always had a choice, and you chose wrong," said Shinichi, not believing him. "Also, you didn't seem like you were forced. You look like someone who enjoyed the power and wanted to use it for revenge." His index finger curled around the trigger. "That's why you have to die!"

"Wait! Shin-kun!" Moka shouted. "You don't have to kill him! We can just report him to Leon! He'll do something about this!"

Shinichi regarded Moka's words and looked at Junya. The Cyborg Youkai looked pathetic now and he scowled in disgust. He turned his back to Junya and said to Moka, "Alright."

Moka smiled but then her eyes turned to horror as Junya got up and tried to attack Shinichi from behind. "Shinichi-kun, look out!"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Shinichi had spun around and shot Junya several times in the chest, blowing a holes right through him. The Cyborg Youkai's eyes widened as the color drained from his face. He looked down dumbly at the holes in the centre of his chest before falling down on his back. Blood started to pool under him.

"No more chances," Shinichi said coldly as he turned his back before dismissing his Vulcan Shooter.

Moka just stood there, stunned, as Shinichi coldly executed a fellow student. Sure, Junya had become a Cyborg Youkai and tried to kill them but he was already defeated. Did Shinichi really have to kill him?

Then she thought about Saizou, how he had not turned up against after the first day of the new term. She assumed that Saizou had confronted Shinichi out of revenge and lost which was why he'd been absent at school but Shinichi had just killed Junya for wasting the chance Shinichi had given him.

She didn't want to believe it, but she had to know…she didn't want to ask, but she felt like she had to.

"Shinichi-kun, did you kill Saizou too?" she asked. Shinichi's eyes locked with hers and she recoiled. His irises had turned pitch black and his gaze held no emotion. He didn't answer with words but gave a nod. Moka reeled from the revelation.

"Moka," he spoke. "I'm a weapon and a weapon kills. That's all I'm good for." Suddenly, his eyes slid close as he passed out, dropping face first into the ground.

Moka had just witnessed him killing someone, but Junya had tried to attack Shinichi when his back was turned. However, there had not been a need to kill him, right? He had his stun gun, didn't he? Deciding to not think of such dreadful things, she went to help Shinichi and get into contact with Leon. She looked down at Junya's corpse and grimaced.

Shinichi was put in the infirmary. As for Junya, his body was recovered and put in the campus' hospital's morgue. Leon filled out the report according to Moka's testimony and according to her, Shinichi's eyes had been filled with no emotion.

Moka had yet to tell the girls since she wanted to be alone with him. As she sat by Shinichi's bedside, staring at his sleeping face, she began to think. She'd seen him defeat GIN-SHOCKER's Cyborg Mutants and soldiers but when one of them turned out to be a student here well it just seemed so different. She'd known Junya, had dated him for a bit when he'd pretended to be a vampire, and even if he turned out to be a scumbag in the end, he didn't deserve to die. But Shinichi saw it fit to execute him.

His words still haunted her: "I'm a weapon and a weapon kills. That's all I'm good for."

"No, that's not true," she denied. "You're more than just a weapon." Tears fell from her eyes. Shinichi had been trained and conditioned to be the perfect killer and this was the result of it. She saw his expression. He didn't feel anything when he killed Junya, and that was the scariest thing she'd ever seen. To not feel anything…GIN-SHOCKER had corrupted Shinichi and despite all this time that corruption still remained.

'He killed that phony to protect you,' Moka-sama said from the rosario, the eye flashing with every syllable spoken.

"I know he did," said Moka. "But that's not the problem. It's his eyes. There was no emotion in them."

'He didn't enjoy it nor did he feel disgusted by what he did,' Moka-sama had observed. 'A weapon feels nothing. It only kills. It's no different to the way we were raised after all.'

"And that's what frightens me most of all," Moka answered. Shinichi wasn't a vampire after all. Vampires were natural born warriors who fought not only to win, but to kill as well. But at least they were still regarded as people at the end of the day. At least they weren't tools of destruction.

Hearing a knock at the door, she looked and saw Leon come in. "Ah, it's you, Leon."

"How is he?" he asked as he walked over.

"He hasn't woken up," she said. He saw her expression. She was distraught and had just wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You do realize he killed the guy to protect you, right?" Leon stated.

"I know…but his eyes were so empty," said Moka. She'd only seen those eyes a few times before but this time there was something more malevolent about them, something dark. "It was like it wasn't Shinichi-kun at all."

"Well, you can blame that on his programming and conditioning," Leon replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "GIN-SHOCKER really messed him up so he reacts to things the way he thought he was supposed to and he was trained to kill in battle. You know that."

"Yes…we do," Moka confessed. She was just afraid of losing Shinichi. She'd heard about #13, Shinichi's former self, and how he'd ruthlessly killed his comrades. The day they met he had not remembered anything about his past and his memories were returning to him bit by bit and not all of them good. She remembered the video footage of what Gebok did to Shinichi as a child. It still made her stomach turn.

Earlier, Shinichi claimed that 'Shinji' had died a long time ago which was why he didn't change his name back to his birth name. He did take up his original surname, though, but he no longer considered himself that boy again. Moka, on the other hand, didn't think 'Shinji' had died. He had just been forced to grow up in a horrible environment.

"You know, last night there was an attack," Leon told her. "Your friend Kurumu was assaulted and nearly raped, but Shinichi came to her rescue. I was passing through and when I saw them in trouble, so I helped and killed that son of a bitch for what he tried to do. I've looked up this Junya guy and he seemed like the type who would want to hurt you. Shinichi responded to that the only way he knew how and he didn't think Junya was irredeemable anymore so he killed him."

"I just don't want Shinichi-kun to turn into a heartless killer," Moka said, her eyes covering by her bangs.

"Then stand by him and he won't," Leon urged. "Oh, and call your friends. They have a right to know what happened and offer some comfort too. He may not say it, but he needs you girls to hold onto that little shred of humanity he has left." He turned towards the door and went to exit. He stopped at the threshold and added, "Oh, and make sure he gets plenty of rest." He then exited, leaving Moka and Shinichi alone.

Once Leon was gone, Shinichi's eyes popped open as he said, "So, he's gone,' startling poor Moka.

"How long were you awake?" Moka asked.

"I think it was when you said that something frightened you, right before Leon came in," he answered as he sat up. "Are you OK?"

"I am," Moka lied. She was the farthest thing from OK. "How about you? Are you OK?"

"Define 'OK'," he replied. There was an awkward silence shared between them before he said, "You've got questions, ask away."

"Why did you kill Junya Inui?" she asked. Shinichi sighed. He knew she would ask that.

"Well, my stun gun ran out of ammo," he answered. Moka frowned.

"Be serious."

"OK, that was one of the practical reasons I did it," Shinichi answered. "The other reason was that he wouldn't have stopped if I didn't."

"How can you be sure?" Moka asked.

"Remember the first day when Saizou showed up again after being absent the for the entirety of last term?" Shinichi asked. "I was walking home and he was waiting for me and he wasn't alone. He'd set an ambush, calling on the other guys I beat last term like the lizard guy, our old gym teacher and that troll guy."

"Then what happened?" Moka asked.

"They attacked, I defended myself, and I let them live," he answered. "Then Saizou came back and showed that he'd joined GIN-SHOCKER for power, allowed his body to be modified just so he could kill me. I showed him why he'd made a bad decision."

"So you really did kill him," Moka concluded.

"Because he's like Inui, he wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't stopped him myself," said Shinichi. "He wanted to kill me and afterwards he was going to go after you and the other girls and…do horrible things." His fists clenched. "I wasn't going to give him that chance. I've given him too many chances already."

"And Inui deserved that fate as well?" Moka asked.

"Yes," Shinichi answered without hesitation. "I'm not going to say I didn't have a choice when I killed them because that'd be a lie. I did choose and I chose to kill them."

Now Moka had seen his eyes when he'd gunned down Junya earlier but seeing him now, his eyes were downcast and sad. It seemed like his actions were affecting him now after he had time to think about it. "You're not a weapon, you know. And you're not someone replacing a dead boy. You're you, Shinichi Sanban Banabara-kun, my best friend…and I love you."

Shinichi looked to Moka who smiled warmly at him and he sighed, "I love you too, Moka-chan, and that scares the hell out of me."

"Love scares you?" Moka asked.

"I had nothing when we met, but then you and I became friends. I liked you then and my feelings for you just grew. A lot of things have been happening and I started to love you more and more, which means I have to protect you and make sure you're safe. It scares me because my love for you drives me to do what I have to do, anything to protect you…even perform drastic measures like killing my opponents. My love for you drives to be stronger, to show my best and my worst." He let out an amused snort, "Love…so much power in just a simple yet complex emotion." Moka grasped his hands tightly in hers. "Moka-chan?"

"You've been burdened about this for awhile now, haven't you?" she asked.

"Hai, since my memories started coming back, since GIN-SHOCKER started coming after me," he answered.

"You know you don't have to shoulder this burden on your own," she told him. "Kurumu-chan, Mizore-chan, Yukari-chan and I, we all love you too. If you're willing to fight for us then we should do the same and fight for you…"

"You don't…there's no need…" he tried to protest.

"You're not alone, you've stopped being alone for a long time now," she continued. "And you're not the only Kamen Rider in the world now. There's Yuji, Leon and Netto, and then there's also your old comrades. Even if it's said that a Kamen Rider walks the path of justice alone, that doesn't mean they have to. They can still count on others to shoulder the burden with them. Let us share that burden, OK?"

"Are you sure?" Shinichi asked.

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

Shinichi couldn't help but smile as Moka smiled back.

…RESTORATION AT 92%...

KAMEN RIDER DATABASE

"Hi guys! Man, this chapter was crazy! I think I went a little nuts but I'm OK now. Just ignore that little percentage counter on top. It's nothing to be worried about," said Shinichi. "Now, onto today's entry for the Kamen Rider Database!" He snapped his fingers, showing his transformation into Kamen Rider Hopper. "Now, Hopper is a completely new Rider and at the same time he isn't. I couldn't decide so I just summoned forth Ichigo-sempai and Nigo-sempai's powers at the same time. As a result, I became a Rider who has Ichigo-sempai's skill and Nigo-sempai's power. As you can see I'm wearing half of Ichigo-sempai's armor on the left and half of Nigo-sempai's armor on the left. Now, it's special because I get to be two Riders at the same time oh and let's not forget the finisher." The screen showed Kamen Rider Hopper perform the Rider Double Kick. "See? I can split myself into Ichigo-sempai and Nigo-sempai to perform the Rider Double Kick, which means I can become both of them to finish off my enemies."

Shinichi concluded, "Well, hope you guys are having fun reading this story. Sorry for the wait, really. Well, be seeing you again!" He waved, "Bye!"