Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Final Revolution

by Ashbel Longhart

What would you do if a wish was presented to you? Would you fight for it? What would use it for? What would be the consequences of said wish? What contract would you be willing to sign for said wish? Magical Girls are given birth when wishes are made. Riders are born to fight for a wish. At the end of the day, they're not so different after all.

13. Wish 13: What Two Sides Have to Offer

Hello Fanfiction readers! Ashbel Longhart here to bring you the next chapter of my Ryuki story! Sorry for the wait, but when one has a job, said job takes up a lot of my time. Gotta earn that money after all. But we're not here to listen to me talk about my life, we're here to read some Fanfiction. Cue disclaimer!

(Disclaimer: I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Kamen Rider Ryuki. They both belong to their respective owners. Any songs or anything familiar also belong to their respective owners. I just own this story and my OC's. Please enjoy.)

Alright, last time, we had a first chapter which focused more on the other characters and not on Haru. We mostly looked at the Suzune Magica side of the story with a little of Alex and Kyoko to the side as the former now knows the latter's past. After that, both Magical Girl groups finally meet for the first time and have set up a meeting to discuss about a certain Magical Girl assassin. But amongst that, we have Haru who is need of some help. What'll happen now that Haru is shaken up after his fight with Scissors and both teams will meet up? You'll just have to read to find out. Let's ride! If you do not fight, then you won't survive!

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

ADVENT

"Telepathy"

"Reflection"

---

Wish 13: Bearing the Sin/What Two Sides Have to Offer

---

(Last Time)

"Remember me, you bitch!"

Why should you care? Since I'm already dead to you, I'm gonna do whatever I want!

What should I call you if not a Witch?

"What's going on here!?"

"Looks like I'll be the one protecting Oriko this time."

"Let's do this...Boost!"

'Enhancement Magic. That's what it is.'

"I don't believe we've ever met."

"If it's not too much of an inconvenience, I'd like to propose a meeting."

"Huh?"

"We have a problem."

---

(Now)

Amano Suzune had a routine every time she woke up to start the day. She would get out of bed and slip on simple shirt and jogging shorts. The reason why she didn't bother to take a shower was because she was tasked with delivering newspapers every morning to the neighborhood. Being a Magical Girl who had to stay in tip top shape, she used this chance to train her body as she jogged around the neighborhood delivering the morning paper to each house she passed. Sometimes, she would throw one into a house's mailbox as a way to train her throwing skills and accuracy. Other times, she would personally hand a paper to someone who was also up at this time. With a smile and nice attitude, she handed papers to people old and young as she continued her morning jog and delivery. Once she was done passing papers around, she would then return to her home, Yunagi Newspapers to shower, eat, and get ready for school. This was her routine every morning.

Of course, she forgot one important fact.

"Tadaima(I'm home)." Suzune said once she entered the Yunagi Newspaper building, having finished her deliveries.

"Oh! Okairi(Welcome back)." Yunagi, her boss, greeted the girl.

"Okairi, Suzucchi." A second woman who was also a worker here, named Mia, greeted the girl as well.

"I finished the deliveries." Suzune said.

"Good job, as fast as ever." Yunagi said. "I made breakfast today. Do you want some-?"

*ring*

Before Yunagi could finish offering Suzune breakfast, the ringing of the bell door alerted everyone of someone arriving and coming through the door was none other than Yamamoto Haru.

"Sorry I'm late!" Haru said immediately once he bursts through the door, wearing a simple pair of jeans and an orange jacket left open to see the blue hoodie underneath.

"Oh no, you're just on time, Yamamoto-san." Yunagi said, waving off his worries.

'That's right, he's working here as well now.' Suzune thought, remembering the fact that she and Mia weren't the only workers here anymore.

"Ara? Who's this?" Mia asked, this being the first time she's seen and met Haru.

"Oh right, you weren't here." Yunagi said before she began introductions. "Mia, this is Yamamoto-san, a new worker here. I recruited him just yesterday so go easy on the rookie."

"Hajimemashite(Nice to meet you). I'm Yamamoto Haru." Haru said, bowing a little to Mia.

"Kochira koso(Likewise). Fill free to call me Mia, kouhai." Mia said, extending a hand for a hand shake which Haru took. But now that they were close enough, Mia noticed something about Haru.

"Hm? Yamamoto-san, are you okay?"

"Eh?"

"You look a little tired." Mia said, pointing out that Haru looked like he did not sleep very well as faint bags can be seen just under his eyes.

"Ah, well, something happened and I had trouble sleeping last night." Haru confessed, scratching the back of his head.

"Are you alright?" Yunagi asked. "If you're tired, you don't have to make deliveries today."

"No, I'm fine. I have enough energy to so something simple as delivering papers." Haru insisted as he went to grab a stack of newspapers and took them outside where his borrowed scooter was waiting. Putting on his helmet and the goggles that came with it, he waved to the three women before driving off to make the morning deliveries to a different neighborhood.

"I hope he'll be okay." Mia said as she and the others watched Haru drive off.

"Yeah." Yunagi said as she turned to the plates of food on the table. "He could have at least stayed for breakfast. Perhaps some food could have helped him a little."

Suzune didn't say anything as she watched the Rider ride off(pun not intended). It was true that the boy did look tired but that wasn't what caught her attention. It was his expression. It was too forced. And his behavior as well. It was all forced. She recognized these...symptoms you could say.

Haru's behavior was one of when someone has killed someone and is trying to deal with that fact. She instantly recognized it. After all, she's experienced it herself once before. She wasn't always a hardened killer. Question is: Who did he kill?

Suzune didn't know why she cared but she made a mental note to be more wary of the Rider as she turned to get ready for school. She had to keep up appearances, after all.

---

(Insert: Connect by ClariS)

(Kawashita yakusoku wasurenai yo me) The song starts with the camera rising up to show two figures, a boy and a girl as they were surrounded by glistening mirrors.

(Wo toji tashikameru) The boy and girl turned out to be none other than Haru Yamamoto and Madoka Kaname back to back.

(Oshiyoseta yami furiharatte susumu yo) Madoka's hair shadowed over her eyes as she looked like she was trying to hold back tears while Haru tightly but gently held one of her hands in comfort while the other hand was holding onto Ryuki's Deck Box. In the mirrors their reflections differ from themselves as Madoka's reflections showed her in her Magical Girl outfit while Haru's reflection was that of Kamen Rider Ryuki. Suddenly, the mirrors shatter into pieces as the title appeared.

(Itsu ni nattara nakushita mirai wo) Haru along with Renji, Alex, and Takeru all wake up to start the day, still a bit groggy, but got up nonetheless.

(Watashi koko de mata miru koto dekiru no?) The four boys brushed their teeth side by side before the scene fast forwards to them finishing putting on their school uniform before rushing out the door.

(Afuredashita fuan no kage wo) The boys are seen running as fast as they can as to not be late for school when Haru notices something up ahead. Up ahead, Madoka along with Sayaka and Hitomi were seen smiling at the approaching group.

(Nando demo saite kono sekai ayun de kou) The four slowed down to a stop and walked with the girls to school. Not too far from them, Mami is seen walking by herself to school, Kyoko was nearby eating as always, and Homura was walking from a distance, looking at the group, but more specifically, Madoka. While the rest of the group talked with one another, Haru and Madoka glanced at one another smiled.

(Tomedonaku kizamareta) The scene changes to show Madoka with Kyoko and Mami to her right and Sayaka and Homura to her left all transforming into their Magical Girl outfits before they go to fight a Witch.

(Toki ha ima hajimari tsuge) Haru and the boys try to run up to them, but are stopped by mirrors. They bang on the mirrors to get the girls, but they didn't hear or notice them as they were too busy fighting.

(Kawaranai omoi wo nose) The boys bang and bang on the mirrors stopping them before Haru had enough and punched the thing, surprised to see that he had formed a crack. He continues to punch and punch the mirror in front of him, forming cracks as the others followed his lead, getting the same results.

(Tozasareta tobira akeyou) They throw punch after punch before finally, they all throw one single punch that brakes the mirrors right in front of them before they dash through as when they passed, they all had transformed; Ryuki for Haru, Knight for Renji, Zolda for Alex, and Raia for Takeru.

(Mezameta kokoro ha hashiridashita mirai wo egaku tame) Just when Sayaka was about to get hit, Knight swoops in and saves her just in time, holding Sayaka in a bridal position as his Contract Monster, Darkwing providing him wings to fly. Mami jumps back to avoid an attack when a whip wraps around her waist and pulls her to safety as the culprit was none other than Raia who caught her in his arms while they rode on his Contract Monster, Evildiver. An arm was about to grab Kyoko when it was shot. Looking behind her, Kyoko saw that it was Zolda who had shot the arm as his Contract Monster, Magnugiga stood behind him.

(Muzukashii michi de tachidomatte mo sora ha) Multiple hands went to grab both Madoka and Homura when suddenly flames burned the hands away as appearing from the flame were both Ryuki and Ryuga as the red Rider stood in front of Madoka protectively while the black Rider did the same for Homura as both Riders had their Contract Monsters, Dragreder and Dragblacker float next to them, ready for battle.

(Kirei na aosa de itsumo mattete kureru) All the Riders prepare to execute their Final Vents while the girls prepare to use their strongest attacks on the Witch.

(Dakara kowakunai) Suddenly, in Haru's eyes, he sees the shadow images of the other Riders participating in the Rider War before he jumps up with Dragreder coiling around him.

(Mou nani ga atte mo kujikenai) In quick shots, all the Riders unleash their Final Vents with the girls unleash their great attacks before the scene changes to a puddle where all five Rider Decks laid on as the reflection showed the girls' Soul Gems. Ryuga's reflected Homura's, Raia's reflected Mami's, Zolda reflected Kyoko's, Knight reflected Sayaka's, and Ryuki's reflected Madoka's as the song comes to an end.

---

(Mitakihara School Roof)

"That really happened?" Mami, looking at the entire group minus Haru, asked with disbelief.

"Yeah." Renji nodded. "Haru...killed Scissors." Saying all that left a bitter taste in Renji's mouth. As much as he wanted to deny it, going by the logic Ryuga had spoken to Haru, said boy was the cause of the crab Rider's death, even if it was accidentally.

"So that's why he wasn't in class." Mami said, having not seen the boy in class or in school for that matter.

"It's still hard to believe." Sayaka said, thinking back to the fight between Haru and Drake and the outcome. "For all of that to happen in just one fight, I never thought this 'Rider War' would be so..."

"Horrible." Madoka said, finishing for her friend as she spoke out her feelings. "It was horrible, all of it. Even if that guy had a reason to attack Haru-kun, the way he died was just..." Madoka covered her mouth with her hands, feeling nauseous just thinking about the death of Drake. She had not been able to sleep last night and judging from how Sayaka looked, her friend was the same as her.

"We were all taking this Rider War too lightly." Renji said. "We knew that Riders would come to try and kill us, but for it to actually happen..." Renji gritted his teeth as he slammed his fist against the roof fence. "Dammit! This isn't what we signed up for when he decided to become Riders!"

"Calm down, Renji." Takeru said only for his friend to snap back at him.

"Calm down!? How can I calm down!? You weren't there when it happened! You didn't see that guy get eaten alive by his own Contract Monster!"

"That's enough." Alex said, getting in-between his friends. "Takeru and I may not have been there but we both saw the state Haru was in. If nothing else, it gives us a general idea."

"How is Haru-kun doing?" Madoka asked, knowing that her crush was the most effect by this.

"He's completely shaken up." Renji said, calming down enough to talk. "He tried to throw his Advent Deck away, but when we came home, there it was on the table. He freaked out and tried to put as much distance between him and it as possible. And when we woke up this morning, he was already gone, Deck included.

"He tried to throw his Deck away?" Mami asked, noticing that tidbit of info.

"He did. He threw it out into the city river, yet it showed up at out apartment completely dry as if he never threw it away." Renji explained before taking out his own Advent Deck. "I did the same thing but when I went to bathroom, I found it there on the sink waiting for me."

"The same thing happened to us when we tried to same thing." Takeru explained. "We theorize that our Decks are connected to us so long as our Contract holds."

"So Haru-san can't even walk out of this even if he tried." Sayaka said, feeling pity for her friend.

"Haru-kun..." Madoka muttered the name of her crush, worry coursing through her. She then glanced over at Kyubey who had yet to take part in their conversation, simply content in eating out of her lunchbox without a care in the world. Maybe she could...

"I'm worried for Yamamto-san, but we'll have to worry about him for later." Mami said. "Right now, we have other matters to talk about. Such as the group of Magical Girls Takeru-kun, Seikatsu-san, and I ran into yesterday."

"You mean the Hohzuki group, right? I was talking with them last night and they mentioned you." Kyubey spoke up, finally joining the conversation. "I'll be honest, I'm surprised you encountered them. Groups like you and them are rare but for two groups to meet is rarer than rare."

"So you know them?" Sayaka asked.

"Of course I do. I was the one who made them into Magical Girls after all, just like you and Mami." Kyubey said as he sat at Madoka's side.

"And Yuma as well." Alex added before sending a glare that could kill at the cat-like creature. He had still not gotten over the fact that Kyubey had made Yuma into a Magical Girl.

Unaffected by Alex's glare, Kyubey continues speaking. "They've been around watching over Hohzuki Town for quite a while. It's kinda surprising that you're now just meeting them."

"Well Mitakihara City is a pretty big place." Renji said, looking over the fence to looked towards the city buildings as many glass windows reflected light. He tried not to think about how many Mirror Monsters could just leap out from said windows.

"What can you tell us about them?" Mami asked the creature, curious about the Hohzuki group.

"Sorry, but it's my policy to not give out information on other Magical Girls, no matter the situation. "Kyubey said. "What I can tell is that they've been around for as long as you've been a Magical Girl, Mami, so they have some experience under their belts."

"That doesn't really tell us much about them." Takeru said.

"You've set up a meeting with them, right? Mami-san told us about it during class." Madoka said Mami told her and Sayaka via telepathy.

"That's right. I've set this up in hopes of obtaining more information about Amano Suzune while also using this chance to warn them about Kure-san. I also hope that we can work together."

"Work together?" Sayaka repeated. "Is this Kure girl really that dangerous?"

"With her magic, she was a tough and tricky opponent to fight against." Mami said, having told everyone about her fight against the Black Magical Girl. "But what I'm more worried about is the one known as Oriko, the white Magical Girl."

"White Magical Girl..." Madoka repeated as she unconsciously placed a hand over her chest. For some reason, she felt her chest hurt, like something had stabbed her but as soon as it came, it was gone, leaving Madoka confused.

'What was that?' Madoka thought as she rubbed her chest.

Ignorant to Madoka's thoughts, Sayaka asked, "What makes this Oriko girl so dangerous? You said so yourself, she didn't even fight you."

"It's just a feeling I got from her. If you had been there, you would know what I mean." Mami said as she thought back to the cold glare Oriko had given her and Takeru.

"And let's not forget that she has a Kamen Rider working with her." Takeru said, thinking back to the rhino themed Rider. "He called himself Kamen Rider Gai and he seemed very eager to fight."

"So this girl has both a Magical Girl killer and a Kamen Rider working for her" Renji listed off.

"And we still don't know if those two are her only allies." Takeru said. "If we can work together with the girl from Hohzuki, it'll give us a better chance at facing them, and they can even stop them from killing any Magical Girls should they encounter them on their own."

"But that's only if they agree to work with us." Mami said, reminding her friend that Magical Girls rarely work together.

"I'm hoping they might. Alex here did save one of them after all." Takeru said, pointing a thumb over to said boy. "And if nothing else, they'll know about Oriko and her group."

"I guess..." Mami said, seeing Takeru's logic. "I guess we'll just have to see how well this meeting will go. We're meeting them at the Mall after school, right?" Takeru simply nodded.

"Um..." Madoka spoke up, getting everyone to turn to her. "What about Haru-kun? I mean, we can't just leave him alone, not with the way he is right now."

"I was actually going to ask you to look for him, Madoka-san." Takeru said, surprising the girl.

"Eh?"

"Out of everyone here, you're the only one who hasn't met Suzune face to face. And since you're not a Magical Girl yet, you don't really have to come to this meeting." Takeru explained. If one were to take out the fact that Madoka still the potential to become a Magical Girl, one would realize that she was the only 'normal' person in the group currently.

"You and Haru have always been close and I think that's what Haru needs right now, someone close to him." Takeru said. "I'm not expecting you to bring him out of his...funk, but I do want you to watch over and take care of him should anything happen. The way he is right now...it's worrying." Never before has he seen such an expression on Haru before. For as long as he's known him, Haru has always remained confident and stood up for whatever he believed in, even if others did not share his opinion. But, of course, this was different. Haru's fought before, but never killed. This isn't something Haru can pull pull himself out of from. It was too deep.

Madoka thought for a moment of what she should say. But it was just that; a moment. It was all she needed to give Takeru her answer.

"You can count on me to look after Haru-kun."

Takeru and the rest of the boys smiled at the pink haired girl.

"Thank you, Madoka-san."

---

(After School)

"We'll be going on ahead." Mami said as she and Takeru waved at Alex and Renji as the two left the classroom. The former had plans to meet up with Sakura and Yuma while the latter had Kendo club to deal with, leaving only Mami and Takeru to go on ahead to meet up with Sayaka before taking off to the mall.

It was not hard to meet up with the blue haired girl as they met up at the shoe lockers. After exchanging their shoes for their outdoor ones, the three left the school.

"So..." Sayaka spoke up to get the two's attention. "What are these Hohzuki girls like?"

"Why do you ask us? Didn't you and Renji meet them already when you ran into Suzune for the first time?" Takeru said.

"Well, yeah, but we didn't really have the time to chat. They kind of just demanded who Renji-kun and I were before taking their leave." Sayaka explained.

"Well unfortunately,, we don't know much about them either." Mami said. "It was merely chance that we met. And I don't think Seikatsu-san knows much about them either as he and Sakura only saved one of them and nothing else."

"Damn," Sayaka said before bring her hands behind her head and continued to walk with the two. "Well, guess we'll all get to know them better once we reach the mall."

The nodded in agreement and the three continued to walk to their destination, making idle chatter here and there to keep away any awkward silences . But all idle chatter came to a stop when a voice suddenly spoke up.

"Hello there."

The trio all stopped walking and looked up to see who had spoken. Two out of three widen their eyes in surprise at who was in front of them.

"Gokigenyou(Good evening), Tomoe Mami and Uranaishi Takeru." One Mikuni Oriko bowed gracefully like a noble as she greeted the two before looking up at Sayaka. "I don't believe we've met."

"Uh, Mami-san? Takeru-kun? Do you know her?" Sayaka asked as she looked at Oriko warily before doing the same to her companion, Ken.

"That's Oriko." Mami said, putting up her guard as she summoned forth her Soul Gem.

"And the one next to her is that Rider, Gai." Takeru said, mimicking Mami while pulling out from his pocket his Advent Deck.

"So you remember us? How nice." Ken commented before turning to Oriko and gestured to the trio. "Hey Oriko, can I fight them?"

At that did the three raise their guard up with Sayaka finally summoning her own Soul Gem. But before anything could escalate, Oriko held up her hand.

"No Ken, we did not come here to fight. We came here to talk."

"Talk?" Takeru repeated, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes. To be more specific, I've come here to speak with you, Uranaishi Takeru." Oriko said as she pointed to the mentioned boy, surprising said boy.

"Me?" Takeru pointed at himself, surprised at being mentioned. What could this girl want with him?

Mami narrowed her eyes at Oriko while place an arm in front of Takeru. "What do you want with Takeru-kun?"

"I simple wish to simply chat with him." Oriko said as she sent a smile at the boy. Mami decided then and there that she did not like that smile. "I heard you could see into the future."

Takeru and the girls all raised an eyebrow at that. That's what the girl wanted to talk about?

"To an...extent." Takeru said yet Oriko could clearly see that the boy was hiding something. But she didn't point it out and decided to play along for now.

"Really now?" Oriko titled her head in an innocent way yet for the others, it felt anything but. How the woman made something look so innocent into something that felt hostile was beyond them. "I like to hear more about that."

It wasn't a request, it was a more like a demand. And if Takeru refused, he guessed that a fight would break out. The one known as Ken, he noticed, looked eager to fight. Very eager. Too eager. But unlike him, Takeru did not want to fight. So he spoke.

"Mami, Sayaka-san, I want you two to go on ahead. I'll catch up later."

"What!?" Both girls looked at him as if he were crazy.

"You can't expect us to leave you alone with these two!" Sayaka voice her thoughts out loudly.

"She's right." Mami said as she glanced over to Oriko and ken. "These two are too dangerous to be left alone with."

"A fight will break out if I refuse and that's the last thing I want right now." Takeru said before looking at Mami. "You especially, Mami, need to go. The meeting won't go well unless you're there to explain everything."

"But-!"

"I'll be fine." Takeru insisted, interrupting the blond as he turned towards Oriko. "We're just going to have a talk, right?"

"That's right. Nothing else." Oriko said, still smiling.

"You can't obviously believe that, do you?" Mami asked Takeru, not believe for a bit that the white Magical Girl simply anted to 'talk.'

"Of course I don't." Takeru said, sharing Mami's feelings. "But this may be a chance to find out why is she ordering Kure-san to kill Magical Girls."

"But it's still dangerous."

"I know, but I'm not alone." Takeru said, holding up his Advent Deck as in the reflection of a nearby reflective surface, Evidiver is seen 'swimming' around.

"I think you're forgetting that you're not the only Rider here." Mami said as she spared a glance towards Ken who was reaching into his pocket, his sights set on Evildiver in the reflection.

"I'll stay with him." Suddenly, Sayaka stepped into the conversation.

"Miki-san?"

"Takeru-kun's right, out of everyone here, you need to be the one to go to that meeting. With Takeru-kun gone, you need to be the one to take charge and explain everything at the meeting. I doubt I'll do a very good job at doing that." Sayaka said. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep Takeru-kun safe, you have my word."

"Miki-san..." Mami looked at Sayaka in surprise before a look of doubt appeared on her face. It's not that she didn't trust Sayaka, but it was who Mami was leaving these two with if she agreed.

"Mami, go." Takeru insisted. "If you don't show up then the others there will wonder why we're not there and will leave. This meeting has to happen."

Mami opened her mouth to protest again but this time, no words came out as she soon closed it. Sighing, she relented to Takeru's wish.

"Fine, I'll go. But only if Miki-san stays with you." Mami said as she turned to Sayaka. "Promise you'll watch his back?"

"You can count on me, Mami-san!" Sayaka saluted with a reassuring smile.

Mami smiled a little at the bluenette before turning to Oriko and ken and frowning. Both were not effected at the least by Mami's bad attitude at them as said blond sent them one last glare before she reluctantly walked way and headed towards the mall.

Oriko watched as the blond Magical Girl walked away and spoke up once she was gone. "Now then, shall we get going?" She got confused looks from Takeru and Sayaka. "This place is hardly ideal to have a discussion. Come, I made some reservations at a nearby restaurant. We can talk there while we eat."

Takeru and Sayaka looked at one another before they decided to follow after Oriko and Ken but made sure to keep their Soul Gem and Advent Deck in hand or in reach in case anything happens.

---

(With Haru)

"Thank you for coming. Have a nice day." The store clerk said as Haru leaves the store with a grocery bag in hand.

Haru smiled happily as he looked at the contents in the bag in his hands.

"The pay at Yunagi-san's decent enough, but I was able to get a lot of stuff thanks to that sale. We're going to be eating good tonight." Haru talked to himself as he smiled, picturing the looks on his friends/roommates' faces when he showed them what he got.

Placing the grocery bag in a basket attached to the scooter bike, Haru got on said scooter bike and was in the process of putting on his helmet-

"Excuse me." When a voice suddenly spoke up.

Turning to the source of the voice, Haru was met with the face of a woman who looked very sickly, not to mention poor. Her skin was an unhealthy pale color, bags were visible under eyes to show signs of unproper sleep, her hair was a mess even though it was tied in a bun, and her clothes looked very old looking due to their condition.

Trying his best to not appear surprised at the woman's condition, Haru asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble. I just have a question to ask." The woman said before she reached into the inside of her coat and pulled a photo before presenting it to him. On the photo was the woman herself, looking very much healthier than she did now. In fact, if it wasn't for her sick appearance, the woman would have appeared drop dead gorgeous.

But in the photo, the woman was not alone. With her was a boy who's face made Haru's blood freeze. He knew the boys' face, even if he was younger.

"Have you by chance happen to see anyone who looks like the boy in this photo?" The woman asked. "He's my son and he hasn't returned home since last night."

It took nearly a minute for Haru to answer. "N-No, I haven't. Sorry." Haru was surprised his voice didn't crack considering it felt as dry as a desert right now.

"I see. Sorry for bothering you." The woman said before she took her leave but not a second sooner did she go up to someone else and ask the very same question she did with Haru.

Haru just stared at the woman in shock and a bit of horror. The boy in the photo she showed her, it was Drake. The very same Rider he...

'You killed him.' A sudden voice, his voice, spoke up in his head.

'It was an accident!'

'But you still cause it.'

'No! I-!"

*COUGH-COUGH!*

A string of coughs snapped Haru out of his stupor as he saw that the sickly woman who was Drake's mother had fallen to her knees. Passing by people gave her worried looks as some stopped to ask if she was okay.

She never got to answer as she started coughing up blood.

"Oh my god!"

"Someone call an ambulance! This woman needs help!"

Haru watched with wide eyes as the woman continued to cough up blood until she passed out. As people were panicking, a few stayed calm as possible and called for an ambulance. But through it all, Haru remembered something with his fight against Scissors.

---

(Flashback)

"Sorry, but I didn't have time to make any friends with my kind of lifestyle." Drake said as he got rid of his Scissors Pincer, dropping it to the ground, before he went and drew a card from his Advent Deck.

From behind his helmet, Haru raised an eyebrow at the enemy Rider. "Your kind of lifestyle?"

"I'm sure you know, not everyone has the same kind of life. Not everyone can go to a school, learn, and then go to a college. People need money for that. And that's exactly what I'm fighting for."

"Money? You mean to tell me you're doing all of this…for money!?" Haru lowered his sword in order to shout and glare at Drake.

"Someone like you, who can afford to go to a place like Mitakihara will never understand. But that's fine." Drake said as he opened his Scissors Visor and inserted his card. "All you need to know is that you're going to make me a very rich man. And unlike spoiled rich kids, I've got a perfect reason to spend that money!"

(Flashback End)

---

Haru drove on his scooter at high speeds, driving as if he was being chased. As he drove, flashes of the sickly woman being loaded up into an ambulance as Drake's words kept ringing in his head played out. It was then he finally decided to leave as to get away from it all. But soon, he was assaulted by different words. Words that had Haru's voice.

'I...killed Scissors.'

'His life...'

'That man's hopes...'

'...have gone to zero.'

'He's gone.'

'His mother...'

'...will never find him.'

'Because he was...'

'He tried to kill me.'

'...a Kamen Rider.'

'It was a battle!'

'I just defended myself!'

'His mother...'

'Does he have a brother, a sister, a father?'

'His family with cry.'

'Tears will overflow...'

'His wish was to save his mother.'

'I crushed it.'

'Why?'

'Because I took his life.'

'He was a Kamen Rider.'

"It's because we fought.'

'But he attacked first, so I fought back. What's wrong with that?'

*HONK!*

Snapping out of whatever daze he was in, Haru looked up to see a truck heading his way-no, he was driving straight towards it! So lost in thought, he forgot about driving properly. Quickly acting, he turned directions and barely dodged the incoming truck, escaping with his life. The driver of the truck threw out a string of curses but Haru paid no attention to them as he worked to gain back control of his scooter. And in his attempt, he drove into a nearby parking garage and soon fell off, rolling in the ground as the scooter fell and skidded to a stop next to him.

There he lay on the ground, making no attempts to get back up as his mind was too preoccupied. He could not stop thinking about Scissors as he finally realized what the crab-themed Rider had been fighting for. Haru had only been fighting to defend the people, much like Magical Girls in their fight against Witches. But Scissors was fighting for his mother who was obviously very sick. His goal, his drive was much greater than his, yet in the end, Haru was the one who came out on top. Haru was the one to come out a alive while Scissors...

'With these hands...' Haru held up his shaking hands to his face and imagined them to be covered with blood. 'With these hands of mine...I killed him.'

Finally, he could not take it anymore. Holding his head, Haru let out all his pain and confusion in a series of screams.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!"

---

(Mall)

"Okay, so here we are." Arisa said as she, Matsuri, Haruka, and Takahiro have finally arrived at the Mitakihara Mall.

"So...where are they?" Matsuri asked as she looked around.

"They said to meet up here, but where in the mall exactly?" Haruka said as they weren't given the specifics as to where to meet up at the mall. Were they supposed to meet up at a cafeteria or some sort of landmark?

"Oi~!"

"Huh?" Hearing someone calling, the Hohzuki group turned to see Kyoko waving towards them. With her were Yuma and Alex with the former holding one of the redhead's hands while her other hand was holding one of Alex's as the other was carrying his school bag.

"Yo, I thought it was you guys." Kyoko said as the three walked up to them.

"You're..." Haruka recognized the girl instantly as she and the other two had been the ones to save her the other day.

"The name's Sakura Kyoko, in case you forgot." Kyoko said, stuffing one hand into her hoodie pocket as the other was still behind held by Yuma. "The little one here is Yuma and the gross creepo here is Alex."

"Oi! If you're going to introduce me, do it properly!" Alex exclaimed only for Kyoko to try and move as far away from him as possible but didn't get far do to Yuma holding both of their hands. So she just settled in saying:

"Kimoi(Gross)."

"Will you stop saying that!"

'Did something happen between them?' Were the thoughts of the Hohzuki group as they watched the two bicker.

As to what exactly happened...

---

(Some Time Ago)

*Ding-Dong!*

As the doorbell rang, Kyoko stopped cleaning Yuma's mouth as the girl had gotten a bit messy with today's breakfast.

"Is that Alex?" Yuma asked as Kyoko got up to get the door.

"Yeah, probably. He did call to say he was gonna pick us up." Kyoko said. She had gotten Alex's phone number after being forced to take it by said Rider as he waned to know Yuma's condition whenever since said girl had become a Magical Girl. Kyoko had attempted to get rid of it the first chance she got but was stopped by Yuma as, unlike Kyoko, he couldn't be with her 24/7.

"About time you got he-!" Kyoko began as she opened the door only to be stopped by the sight of a bouquet of roses...yes you read that right.

"...what?" Kyoko blinked in confusion as the bouquet of roses was lowered, allowing Kyoko to see who was holding said bouquet.

Holding the bouquet was none than Alex who had on a charming smile as his teeth seemed to smile under the light. And by his side was his ever faithful butler, Yuri.

"Flowers for a girl such as yourself, Kyoko-chan?" Alex said, offering the roses to Kyoko as one could have sworn there was a *ding!* sound when his teeth flashed.

As for Kyoko herself, she had a look of disgust on her as she said, "Kimoi(Gross)." And proceed to slam the door shut right in Alex's face.

There Alex stood, flowers still out as his smile dropped. Finally, he turned to Yuri and said, "That could have gone better."

"I think it could have gone a lot worse, sir."

A few minutes later, Kyoko appeared with Yuma with the former doing everything she could to either ignore Alex or give the Rider looks of disgust. And this continued on as Yuri drove the three to the mall where the meeting was held.

---

(Present)

"For the last time, I was not trying to 'pick you up.' That is the last thing I would do to you."

"Oh yeah? Then what were the roses for if not to try and hit on me? Don't tell me that's your way of 'being nice.'?"

"Please, if you had looked closely you would have noticed the roses I was giving you still had thorns. Which reminds me; here you go Yuma. A pretty flower for a pretty girl such as yourself."

"Kirei(Pretty)!"

"Oi, why does Yuma get a thornless rose while you were trying to give me a whole bunch of them? Am I not pretty enough?"

"A glutton like you? Please."

"Says the pot calling the kettle black, Mr. I Always Carry a Wallet with No Money."

"You wanna go!?"

"Bring it!"

The Hohzuki group could only look weirdly at the bickering Magical Girl and Kamen Rider. If this were an anime, big sweat drops would be rolling down their heads right now.

"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" Matsuri asked.

"I'm not getting near those two." Takahiro said quickly, refusing to get caught in the ensuing crossfire. And from how no one made a move to stop the two, they all felt the way he did.

"No fighting, you two!" Suddenly, Yuma spoke up, getting in-between her two caretakers.

The two looked down at Yuma who was trying to glare at them to stop but ended up looking cute while puffing her cheeks.

"...fine." Both Kyoko and Alex calm down, making Yuma smile as she went and grabbed their hands, securing her place between them once again.

'They stopped just like that!?' The Hohzuki group all thought as they couldn't help but think Yuma was amazing.

"I finally found you all!" A voice spoke up, getting everyone's attention as they all turned to see Mami running up to them.

"Thank goodness, I was starting to think I'd never find you all." Mami said.

"You're late, Mami." Kyoko said as she took out a lollipop from her pocket and went to unwrap it only to remember that her other hand was currently being held by Yuma.

"Forgive me, I ran into a bit of...trouble along the way here." Mami vaguely said, masking her worry for Takeru and Sayaka.

But Matsuri noticed the girl's worries and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I'll...tell you during the meeting." Mami said as she took the lead and led the group to the cafeteria and sat down at a table that was big enough to hold everyone though some chairs had to be pulled over.

"So, shall we get this meeting underway?" Mami said, interlocking her fingers and placing them on the table.

"Wait, it's just you?" Alex said as he looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Like I said before, we ran into some trouble." Mami said as she sighed before looking at Kyoko and Alex. "The others and I ran into Oriko on the way here."

"You what!?" Both Kyoko and Alex shot up from their seats to look at Mami in surprise.

"Um...who?" Takahiro pretty much spoke for the entire Hohzuki group when he asked that.

"A very dangerous Magical Girl and another reason why we're having this meeting." Mami answered the boy.

"Another reason? Wait, I thought we were meeting up to talk about Suzune-chan?" Matsuri asked.

"We are, but there's another reason why this meeting was set up. There are some things we want you to know and I hope that, at the end of this, we can work together." Mami explained.

"Work together? Do you hear yourself right now?" Arisa spoke up. "You think a little talk will end up with us working together? We barely even know you guys."

"True, we both know next to nothing of each other. Saying we work together is a bit of a stretch." Mami admitted. "Even still, we all came here to exchange information with one another and that hasn't changed. You want to know more about the girl known as Amano Suzune and you'll get it. Of course this info isn't free as this is a trade. We tell you what you want to know and vice versa. Basic give and take."

The Hohzuki group all looked at one another, silently debating what to do. After a while, Haruka spoke up to speak for the group.

"What do want in return?"

"Like I mentioned earlier, an alliance, if possible." Mami said, speaking up again of Takeru's desires. "The info we give you depends on how much you're willing to tell us."

"Alright, we get it." Suddenly, Kyoko spoke up. "It's give and take, we get that. Let's just get on with this or else we're never get anywhere."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. We have been going in circles here." Mami said as she cleared her voice before looking straight at Haruka. "Alright then, to begin, what can you tell us about Amano Suzune, the Magical Girl assassin. We know she's the rumored 'Ripper Girl' that's been going around, but we barely know anything beyond that."

"To be quite honest, we don't know much about her ourselves." Haruka said. "Until she killed our friend, Chisato, we never even knew she existed." She then gestures to Matsuri. "Matsuri here is the only one who knew her the most."

"We have the same class together at school." Matsuri informed. "We didn't even know she was a Magical Girl until it was too late."

"I see." Mami said. "Anything else you can tell us?"

"That's it." Arisa said.

"I see...wait, that's it?" It took a second for Mami to process what the pinkette had just said.

"That's it." Arisa repeated. "That's all we know about her."

"Are you for real?" Alex looked at the girl in disbelief. "You guys didn't even try and do some research to find out more about her?"

"What did you expect us to do? It's not like we can just look her up on google and know everything about her." Arisa shot back. Information about people was kept secret and safe from prying eyes thanks to today's society and government. Unless one were a hacker, finding information about a person was next to impossible.

"Maybe try a bit harder?" Alex's answer came off as a bit sarcastic but his actions were anything but as he dug unto his bag and pulled out a folder. He then handed said folder to Mami who opened it and read the contents, reading only the parts that seemed important.

"...Name: Amano Suzune. Age: Estimated to be 18 despite appearance. Parents were killed in an unexplained accident but was later adopted. Her guardian then suddenly went missing and has taken residence at Yunagi Newspapers about a month ago with the owner being her new guardian." Mami read off before looking up at Alex. "Is this really all you managed to dig up?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Alex admitted.

"That can't be, there's too much that's missing here."

"That's what Yuri-chan said when I asked him to dig up any info on her."

"C-C-Chotto Matte(Wait a minute)!" Aria stuttered in surprise as she looked at Alex with disbelief. "You actually went and dug up info on her!?"

"Well, it wasn't me but a close friend of mine." Alex said. "I asked him to dig up any info he could find and unfortunately, this was all he found which is rare since Yuri-chan is much better than this."

"Being able to find info on people, what the heck is your butler? An FBI agent?" Kyoko sarcastically asked.

"Yes." She didn't expect that answer.

"Eh?"

"Yuri-chan is a former FBI agent." Alex said to the red head.

"..."

"..."

"...for real?"

"For real."

"Just who are you people?" Takahiro interjected.

At the boy's question did the three look at one another before Alex spoke.

"Shouldn't you give your names first before asking something like that?" Alex said as the Hohzuki group haven't given them their names yet after Kyoko had went and introduced everyone.

Takahiro already introduced himself yesterday so there was no need to speak. As for the girls...

"I'm Hinata Matsuri! 13 years old but soon to be 14 in a couple of weeks!" Matsuri spoke with earnest honesty. Mami giggled a little as the girl's honest attitude reminded her a little of Madoka. Just a little.

"And you two?" Mami asked the remaining two girls.

"...Narumi Arisa. That's all you'll get out of me." Arisa said, her tone one of reluctance. Mami instantly compared her and Kyoko, seeing some similarities between the two.

"I'm Kanade Haruka, the leader of this group." Haruka introduced herself in a well-mannered way before turning to Kyoko, Alex, and Yuma, the latter being silent during the meeting so far as she was content with eating a bag of chips Kyoko had gotten her. "I never properly thanked you three for saving me that one time."

"It's fine." Kyoko waved off Haruka's thanks as the girl was reminding her of Mami even though said girl was with them right now. "I was just after the Witch and her Grief Seed." The pointed a thumb to Alex. "This guy here was the one who wanted to save you."

"We just happen to be around." Alex said, also waving off Haruka's thanks.

"Anyway, now that we know everyone's name, can we get to the part about you meeting Oriko?" Kyoko said. "It's clear to see that both sides know next to nothing about this Suzune chick so we should just wrap things up already and get to the next topic."

"Not yet." Mami said. "We're still waiting for one more person."

And as if on cue...

"Oi~!" Not too far from them was a jogging Renji, finally out of club activities.

"Perfect timing, Yoru-san." Mami smiled as the man came up to their table.

"Sorry I'm late, club held me back." Renji apologized.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Arisa shot up from her seat. "You're that guy from that one night!"

"Ah, you're the guys from that one night." Renji said until his eyes met Takahiro. "I don't think we've met."

"And here we go with introductions again." Kyoko sighed, wishing things would hurry along so she could get to the topic what wanted to hear.

And speaking of said topic...

---

(Meanwhile, Oriko and the Others)

As Oriko had said earlier, the four of them had went to a restaurant Oriko had made an appointment at so the two pairs could talk. When she mentioned a nearby restaurant, Takeru and Sayaka had thought of restaurants such as Olive Garden or some other places akin to it.

What they didn't expect was that the restaurant Oriko had spoke of was a 5-Star restaurant.

'Just how rich is this girl!?' Both Takeru and Sayaka thought as they looked around the restaurant that either of the two would be unable to dine at normally.

"And here is your food." A waiter said as he and a few more people laid down plates of steak, seafood, and other delectable dishes all prepared with the upmost care to make it shine like a high class jewel. Takeru and Sayaka were completely speechless at just gazing at the dishes before them.

"If there's anything else you need, simply call for me or another waiter."

"Thank you, we'll be fine for now." Oriko said as the waiter nodded and took his leave. She then turned back to the two sitting across from her and Ken. "Now then, shall we eat? A good talk should be accompanied by a good meal."

Both Takeru and Sayaka were still stunned by the sight before and around them, but Takeru recovered first and faked a cough, snapping Sayaka out of her stupor as well.

"Itadakimatsu(Thank you for the food)." They all said before they dug into their food.

With slightly shaking hands, Sayaka picked up her fork and knife and looked at them nervously before doing the same to the food before her. The food looked so good to her eyes and the smell only added to that thought. And as much as she just wanted to dig in, she remembered her surroundings and didn't want to appear...uncouth, yeah that's the word she's looking for.

Glancing up at Oriko and Ken, she found the two eating with the grace of high-class nobles. Ken surprised her the most as the way he was eating was a big contrast to how his attitude seemed when they first met. To be honest, it weirded her out greatly.

Taking a glance over to Takeru, she was not surprised to find him also eating gracefully. Despite their appearance compared to other customers here, the three before all seemed to fit perfectly with the atmosphere. This of course made Sayaka feel like the odd one out. Hoping to rectify or at least distract herself from this, Sayaka too began eating with as much grace as possible. A tomboy she may be, but that didn't mean she did not have any table manners. Of course, compared to the others, she just appeared very awkward.

"You said you wanted to talk?" Takeru spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen onto the table while make sure to savor each bite of the food on his plate. He and the other guys never got to eat food of this high quality often so he made sure to savor each bite as if it were his last.

"Yes. A friend of mine told me about your precognition abilities." Oriko spoke, biting into a piece of steak and chewed for a few seconds before looking up at Takeru and speaking again. "Tell me, can you really see into the future?"

"I wouldn't say I can see it." Takeru vaguely answered. "I'm just a simple fortune teller. I make predictions; guesses. That's not really 'seeing' into the future."

"So you say, but sources tell me otherwise." Oriko said.

Takeru raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Sources?"

"As you've said, you're a fortune teller. And thus, you do fortune telling's for people who are curious enough to ask. Those are my sources." Oriko explained before continuing. "According to your many satisfied customers, despite what you call guess work, your guesses are very accurate. A bit too accurate."

Takeru didn't respond back, having stopped to listen and was now just staring at Oriko. Said girl took this as a sign to keep talking and did just that.

"You predicted that on a rainy day, a girl would have a surprise encounter and when it rained, that girl found an abandoned puppy who she later adopted. You told a business man to not go to work, saying that a calamity would befall him if he did and hours later, there was a fire at his workplace. Finally, you told a classmate that his favorite soccer team would lose and to his surprise, you were right."

"Your predictions are either vague or blunt." Oriko said, sipping some tea to quench her throat before continuing. "Yet in the end, they are always right. Never have you made a prediction that has turned out wrong."

"Where are you going with this?" Sayaka suddenly spoke up, joining in the conversation. "You suddenly appear before us just to talk about Takeru-san's fortune telling abilities. What is it that you want?"

"Straight to the point, eh?" Oriko giggles. "Your attitude reminds me of Kirika."

Sayaka let out a growl as the girl before her had just compared her to a murderer.

"Alright, since you asked, I guess I'll just get straight to the point." Oriko said before looking straight at Takeru. "The reason I wanted to talk about your ability to 'predict' the future is because I too can predict the future."

"...huh?" Both Takeru and Sayaka looked at Oriko as if she had grown a second head.

"I didn't stutter. Just like you, Uranaishi-san, I too can foresee the future."

"No way..." Sayaka said in disbelief. "You're lying. There's no way you can see into the future. To claim something like that-!"

"I'm not lying. And I can prove it." Oriko said with confidence.

"Oh yeah? How?" Sayaka said, still not believing the girl across the table.

"I shall make three predictions." Oriko said, holding up three fingers. "First: You will knock over your glass by accident. Second: Uranaishi-san's phone will ring. And third: A Mirror Monster will appear."

"Oh please." Sayaka scoffed at Oriko as she reached for her glass. "As if all three of that will just hap-!"

*BREAK!*

Sayaka never got to finish as she had accidentally knocked over her glass of water, causing it to fall off the table and break into pieces once it touched the ground, spilling its contents.

"Gah!" Sayaka cries out in surprise and horror as she immediately goes down to pick up the broken glass remains of the cup. A waiter came by to do it for her and the bluenette threw a barrage of apologies. The waiter, having sweep up all the glass, said it was okay and told the girl that he would be back with a replacement drink for her.

"Guuuuh, I can't believe that happened." Sayaka said as she let out a noise filled with embarrassment.

"And that's one." Oriko said as she sliced another piece of steak and ate it.

Sayaka and Takeru looked at the girl in confusion until they realized what she meant. The first prediction, it had came true.

"T-That doesn't prove anything! I just happened to accidentally knock it over!" Sayaka exclaimed but the shock of the first prediction coming true was plain to see.

"I know one prediction wouldn't be enough for you, which is why I made three." Oriko explained as she set down her utensils and held up three fingers, counting down. "Now the second one will begin in three...two...one..."

*ring-ring-ring!*

Both Sayaka and Takeru both jumped in surprise when a sudden ringing down was heard. To their surprise, the source came from within Takeru's pockets and taking out said source, the ringing was from his phone, just like Oriko had predicted.

Takeru looked towards Oriko in surprise but the girl had went back to eating, seemingly ignoring him. Turning back to his phone, Takeru soon answered it.

"Hello?"

{You idiot!} Takeru flinched back and moved the phone away from him as Renji's voice came from the other end of the line, shouting.

Taking a moment to get the ringing out of his ears, Takeru moved the phone back and spoke. "Renji?"

{Yeah, who else you freakin' idiot! What are you thinking, talking to that Oriko whoever all alone!?}

"I'm not alone, Sayaka-san is with me here."

{That doesn't change the fact that attempted to go with her all alone!} The anger in Renji's voice soon disappeared and the voice that came through was much calmer but also worried. {Are you alright?}

"We're fine, both me and Sayaka-san." Takeru assured his friend as a sigh of relief was heard from the other line.

{That's good to hear. Seriously, what were you thinking? Even dragging Sayaka-san with you.}

"Gomen(Sorry)." Takeru apologized before asking, "How's the meeting going? Is everything alright?"

{Well, I got here kinda late, but everything seems to be alright when I got here. We were talking about that Oriko girl and I called the minute Mami-san told me that you and Sayaka-san had gone with her. Again, what were you thinking?}

"Gomen," Takeru apologized again. "But I have my reasons. I'll call back later, okay?"

{Don't die.} Was all Renji managed to say before Takeru ended the call. Putting away his phone, he then looked up towards Oriko, more wary about the girl than before.

"Did you enjoy talking with your friend?" Oriko said with a smile, having finished her plate a few minutes ago.

Takeru didn't say anything. He just continued to look at Oriko with a wary expression. Sayaka next him was the same, looking warily at the girl while also a bit shocked as two of the predictions had came true.

"Not talking anymore? Not surprising." Oriko said as Ken next to her finally finished his plate. "After all, you do have to fight a Mirror Monster soon."

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!*

And as if right on time, the familiar ringing of the Mirror World not only reached Takeru's ears but also Ken's as he got out of his seat and headed towards the bathroom.

"You gotta be kidding me." Takeru said in disbelief as he too got up and followed after the Rider. Ignoring how Oriko's third and last prediction came true, it would be a disaster if a Mirror Monster attacked with so many people here.

"Takeru-kun? Where are you going?" Sayaka asked as she had not heard the ringing signal of a Mirror Monster. Takeru silently answered her by tapping the pocket where his Advent was kept in. Sayaka caught onto what Takeru was telling her and was about to get up to help him when Oriko stopped her.

"I wouldn't go after them if I were you."

"And why not?" Sayaka asked.

"I'm sure you know that Riders can only stay in the Mirror Word for a good full hour." Oriko said as she drank some tea before speaking again. "However, should a Magical Girl fight in the Mirror World, the longest they could stay there is a measly five minutes."

"What!?" Sayaka exclaimed, wondering how did this girl know something like that?

"You're free to go after them if you don't believe me." Oriko said. "It says much about you if you're able to go into a boy's restroom."

Sayaka looked at the girl in confusion, wondering what she meant until she realized that since the boys couldn't use the windows to transform here, they had to go somewhere else. And the only place left with a reflective surface were restroom mirrors.

Oriko watched in amusement as she watched an embarrassed Sayaka sit back down, her face red as a tomato. She was just as fun to tease as Kirika, the thought making the white Magical Girl giggle a little.

With the boys, they both entered the restroom together, locking the door so that no one would come in and would chance upon seeing them when they came back out of the Mirror World. Facing the restroom mirror, both boys took out their respective Advent Decks and held it out to the mirror. Seconds later, a pair of V-Buckles appeared on the mirror before they appeared around the boys' waists.

"Try and keep up." Ken said before he leaned forward a little like he was about to run off while bringing his arm down in front of him. "Henshin!"

Ignoring Ken's comment, Takeru did his own hand motions before shouting as well. "Henshin!"

Slotting in their Advent Decks, both boys were soon donned in their respective armors, becoming Kamen Riders Raia and Gai.

"Heh!" Ken grin smugly as he cracked his knuckles and head before jumping into the mirror. Takeru was not too far off as he followed after the Rhino-themed Rider.

---

(Back at the Mall)

"And that's all we know about them." Mami said, having just finished explaining to the people here about Oriko and Kirika.

"So, that Oriko girl and Kirika chick are working together." Kyoko said as she absent mindlessly ate a bowl of udon she had bought a while ago. Eating bowls of udon as well were Alex and Yuma, the latter having a smaller bowl compared to the other two. In fact, everyone has their own bowls of udon, having ordered a while ago.

"Another Magical Girl going around killing other Magical Girls..." Matsuri muttered as she stared down at her bowl in thought.

"That's pretty hard to take in." Haruka said, leaning back in her seat as she tried to process the info she and her friends had been told. The info itself was pretty hard to believe.

"You gotta be kidding me with this shit. As if that Amano bitch wasn't bad enough!" Arisa cursed before she dug into her bowl and started eating her udon out of anger.

"Hey! Watch the language, we've got a kid here you know." Alex said while covering the ears of a confused Yuma.

Arisa looked up in surprise and would have apologized if it wasn't for the fact that her mouth was currently full right now. So she just sat there looking embarrassed.

"And this is why I told you to control your emotions better." Takahiro said to the pinkette, knowing that the girl tended to curse a lot when heated. Said girl threw him a heated glare at that.

"...Don't die." Was all Renji managed to say before the call ended. Sighing, he closed his phone and put it away.

"Is Takeru-kun and Miki-san alright?" Mami asked once Renji got off the phone.

"They sounded okay so I'm sure they're fine, though that doesn't stop me from worrying." Renji said and judging from how Mami looked, the girl felt the same way.

"You're friends are pretty stupid, going in all alone with that chick." Kyoko commented as she ate her udon

"What did you say?" Renji glared at the red head and nearly got up in anger.

"It took both Mami and that Takeru guy to take down that Kirika chick. If she's taking orders from that Oriko girl then she must be at least as strong or stronger than Miss Black Magical Girl." Kyoko explained, eating some of her udon before continuing. "If Alex here is anything to go by then your friend's probably alright. But Mami here just said that that Oriko girl wasn't alone. Add in the fact that that blue haired friend of yours is still new to being a Magical Girl and...well, I'm pretty sure you don't need me to finish to figure out what I'm saying."

"Sayaka-san isn't weak." Renji protested. "I gave her some sword training so she can at least hold her own. Even then she's fought Witches with Mami-san here before."

"Yeah, Witches, but not opponents who are human." Kyoko said. "She may be good at fighting Witches, but I doubt she's got the guts to kill another human being. The goes for your friend as well. But that Oriko on the other hand is a different story. If she's got that Kirika chick running around and killing Magical Girls, chances are this Oriko's also got some blood on her hands as well. And if this Rider friend of her's is anything like that Kirika chick Mami explained, then chances are your friends are likely to lose against them if they fight."

Renji couldn't come up with a come back for everything Kyoko spoke of was all true, even if he wanted to deny it. Kyokos words also had an effect on Mami for she looked ready to get up and run off to look for Takeru and Sayaka.

*Smack!*

That is until Alex suddenly smacked the back of Kyoko's head.

"Ow! What the heck!?" Kyoko shouted, nursing the back of her head while glaring at Alex.

"You shouldn't say things like that, you'll make them more worried than they are now."

"And that gives you the right to smack my head!?" Kyoko exclaimed in anger. Alex's response was a simple shrug of his shoulders, looking indifferent. It would seem another fight between them was about to commence...

"Pwah!" If it wasn't for the sound of Yuma finishing her bowl; broth, noodles, and all. "Kyoko! Alex! I finished everything!"

Any signs of a fight instantly disappeared as the two congratulated the young child.

"Very good, Yuma."

"Would you like some dessert?"

"Cake!" Yuma answered instantly. "Big enough so that we can all share!" And when she meant by all, she only meant herself, Kyoko, and Alex.

"Sure. As soon as we're done with our bowls." Alex said, giving the girl a quick pat on the head which she seem to enjoy before going back to eating his udon with Kyoko doing the same.

Meanwhile, the others looked at the three with mixed emotions but they all shared one single thought.

'They're like a family.'

"Ahem!" Mami cleared her voice as to get everyone's attention back to her's. But she really only need one person's attention as she turned to said person.

"So, have you been able to keep up with what we've talked about so far, Hanamura-san?"

"For the most part, yeah." Takahiro said. "It's still pretty hard to believe all of this; Magical Girls and Witches, Girls going around killing other girls..."

"Yes, it is a lot to take in. If you don't understand it fully than that's fine." Mami said, trying to be gentle with the teen.

"So I'm guessing this Oriko girl is the reason why you want an alliance?" Arisa asked.

"That's right." Mami nodded. "As someone who has met her face to face, that girl is very dangerous. Even if this alliance has next to no chance of forming, it would be in our best interest for us to work together. And if not, we should at least stay in contact with one another. There's no way of knowing when she or her companions can attack us."

Magical Girls rarely help one another. That was a fact Mami was forced to come to terms to during her years as a Magical Girl. Yet if Takeru insisted on this alliance, then she would place her faith in him and give this idea a shot. Plus, a part of her also wished that this alliance could work. That Magical Girls could help one another instead of competing against one another.

"Hmm..." Haruka hummed to herself as she thought about the offer. As the leader of her group, it came down to her to make a decision for the whole group. Of course, before she could make a decision, there was none thing that had to be done.

"Could you give us some time to think about this?" Haruka asked. Something like this had to be discussed between all of them. And even then, they had promised to explain everything about them to Takahiro. To agree or not to this alliance in just a day was impossible.

"Of course." Mami nodded in understanding, knowing they needed time to come to a decision.

"Since you're asking us about this alliance, there's something we'd also like to ask." Arisa said.

"And that is...?" Mami asked.

Arisa pointed to Renji and Alex. "What are they?"

"Huh?" Said boys blinked in confusion.

"I remember this guy on the night we first met Suzune." Arisa said while pointing to Renji. "He used powers we've never seen before and called himself a 'Kamen Rider'. Just what is a 'Kamen Rider'? We know there's more than one if you're other friends are any proof." Arisa glanced at Alex when she said that.

"Well..." Renji and the others looekd at one another before he said, "That's kind of hard to explain."

"Try us. We got time." Arisa said as it would still be a couple more hours until the mall closes.

"Alright then, where to begin." Renji said as he and the others explained to the Hohzuki group just what they knew about Kamen Riders.

---

(Mirror World)

Running out of the restaurant building, Takeru followed Ken out into the Mirror World. The last time he had been here was when he and Haru discovered Shou's identity as Kamen Rider Tiger. But that thought was the farthest thing in Takeru's mind as he thought about a different matter. Such as...

'I can't believe all three of Oriko's predictions came true.' Takeru thought, completely flabbergasted at the girl's clairvoyance. It made him wonder why a girl such as her was interested in his clairvoyance skills.

"Tch! Where is that punk?" Contrary to Takeru's thoughts, Ken was concerned with one thing and that was the location of the Mirror Monster.

He didn't have to look for it any longer as a cry was suddenly heard and Takeru and Gai turned just in time to get rammed and thrown back, crashing against building walls and falling to the ground with a grunt. Shaking off the damage dealt to them, both Riders got up to see what had attacked them.

The Mirror Monster was mechanical in apprentice with blue coloring the monster from head to toe. Sharp-looking spikes adorned its head, at its wrists were claws, and its entire armor was modeled after a boar's face.

"A Shieldboader, eh?" Ken said, identifying the Mirror Monster in front of him while cracking both his knuckles and neck. "Not a bad opponent. Always wanted to know if I can break that shield of its."

'He seems excited.' Takeru commented in his thoughts at Ken's excited state.

"Hey," Takeru was then brought out of his thoughts by Ken's voice. Gesturing to the Mirror Monster who was now charging towards them, Ken said, "Show me what you got."

"Eh?" Was all Takeru managed to say before Ken moved to the side, leaving Takeru to be the one to take the full brunt of the Boader's charging tackle, sending Takeru flying back a good number of yards which showed just how strong the Mirror Monster was strength wise.

Takeru let out a cry of pain when he crashed into a pole of a random street clock and fell down to the ground with a grunt. Groaning, he pushed himself back up to his feet and looked up in time to see the Shieldboader charging towards him. Learning from last time, Takeru quickly jumped out of the way in time as the Boader-type Monster rammed into the street clock and completely knocked it over. Rolling to his feet, Takeru held up his fists, ready to fight before he looked over to where Ken was, wondering what he was doing. To his surprise, the Rider was just standing there, watching.

"Hey!" Takeru shouted over to him. "Aren't you going to help!?"

"I told you to show me what you got." Ken said, arms crossed as he just watched from the sides. "A Shieldboarder isn't that tough once you figure out its weakness. So, good luck and all that."

"What!?" Takeru shouted angirly at Ken's nonchalant attitude before he was forced to focus back on the fight before him as the Shieldboarder came charging again. Takeru wisely jumped out of the way as to get run over.

"Tch! Guess I'm on my own." Takeru clicked his tongue in a bit of annoyance before drawing a card from his Deck and inserted it into his Visor.

SWING VENT

From the sky, the Evil Whip flew down and Takeru caught the falling weapon perfectly. Now armed, Takeru swung his whip at the Mirror Monster but the whip just bounced off the Mirror Monster's chest armor harmlessly. Takeru could have sworn that the Shieldboarder laughed at him before running up to him to attack with it's claws. Takeru backed away each time a claw got too close for comfort before he jumped back and swung his whip out again, this time striking the Mirror Monster across the face and this time, his attacked seem to be effective.

'Hmm, it seems it's just that chest armor that's making my attacks ineffective. Which means everything else is fair game.' Takeru noted in his mind before he started taking the offensive.

Holding his weapon as if they were nunchucks, Takeru started whipping his weapon out in rapid fashion. Every time Shieldboarder got close it was met with whiplashes across the face, making it stumble back in pain. Letting out a cry of anger, the Boader-type Monster charged headfirst towards Takeru only for the Rider to quickly jumped out of the way before whipping his Evil Whip out to ensnare one of the Mirror Monster's legs and pulled back, causing the Monster to fall flat on the ground and caused cracks to form on the ground when it face planted. The Monster didn't stay down for long as it pushed itself up only for Takeru to run up from behind and use its shoulders to jump up. The Stingfish-themed Rider them spun around in midair and swung his whip out against, striking the Monster across the face yet again and making it hold its face in pain as it cried out.

"Alright! Now then..." Takeru said as he drew out a new card from his Deck and used it.

SHOOT VENT

From the sky came the Evil Crossbow and Takeru caught it with his free hand. He soon wasted no time firing blasts of high-pressurized water at the Mirror Monster only for said monster to to pull its entire chest armor off and use it as a shield to block the water shots.

"What!?" Takeru exclaimed in surprise.

"It is called a Shieldboarder for a reason." Ken shouted over to him.

"You couldn't have told me that beforehand!?"

"Now what would be the fun in doing that?"

"This guy..." Takeru was really getting annoyed with the rhino-themed Rider but reined in his annoyance and focused back on the Shieldboarder who was now charging towards him again, shield out first as to protect himself against any of Takeru's attacks.

With the chest armor off, the Shieldboarder was much faster than before, catching Takru off guard as he barley had time to cross his arms to defend himself as the Mirror Monster rammed into him and pushed him back until he crashed into the side of the building, leaving an indent the shape of him. Takeru gritted his teeth underneath his helmet as he tried to think of what to do until he saw the knocked down street clock the Shieldboarder knocked down earlier. Takeru soon had a plan and the first thing he needed to do to execute it was to first get the Shieldboarder off of him. Pushing back the shield with one arm took a lot of effort but Takeru managed to get space, enough for him to swing his other arm and use the handle of his Evil Whip to hit the side of the Shieldboarder's head, making it stumble back in surprise as its visions swam for a brief moment. But a moment was all Takeru needed as he used his Evil Crossbow to shoot at the knocked down street clock, the force of which sent it flying into the air before he then used his Evil Whip and swung it towards it. The whip part extended out and wrapped around the poll of the street clock before Takeru pulled back, making the clock fly over towards him and the Shieldboarder.

Hearing the sound of the clock coming, the Shieldboarder turned around in time to get struck by it and sent crashing back while Takeru leaped away to avoid getting caught in between the wall and the Mirror Monster as said Monster and clock crashed straight through the building wall, leaving a man-sized hole. Inside the building, the Shieldboarder pushed off the now wrecked clock and shook off the damage it took, marching out of the building with shield in hand to be used to crush the Rider. But when it got outside, it was met with a surprise.

FINAL VENT

Hearing the confirmation, the Shieldboarder turned to the left only for a shot of high-pressurized water to knock it shield out of its hands, leaving the Mirror Monster defenseless against Takeru's Hide Venom finisher as both he and Evildiver crashed into the Mirror Monster and destroyed it, leaving behind only a ball of life energy.

Takeru then jumped off his Contract Monster, letting out a sigh of relief as he turned around and saw his Contract Monster eat the ball of Energy before it looked towards him.

"You're welcome, by the way." Takeru said in a friendly tone. The Evildiver in response let out a cry that almost sounded thankful before it flew off to who knows where.

"I sometimes wonder what that guy does when I'm not around." Takeru mused as he watched his Contract Monster leave. Soon after did he hear the sounds of clapping.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all." Ken said as he clapped and walked over to Takeru. "You fight pretty good. Better than I expected, even."

"Um, thank you?" Takeru said, not knowing how to take the sudden compliment.

"You did well in taking out that Shieldboarder. But it's still not enough."

Takeru raised an eyebrow at that. "Not enough? What do you-?"

*POW!*

"Guh!" Takeru let out a grunt of surprise and pain as Ken suddenly went and punched him in the face/helmet. He rolled on the ground a few times before stopping and looking up towards Ken.

"Now the real fun starts." Ken said before he went and drew a card from his Advent. He then threw said card into his Metal Visor, located on his left shoulder before closing it.

STRIKE VENT

Ken held up his right hand and from the sky, a huge gauntlet modeled after Metalgelas' head fell perfectly into it Ken's outstretched arm.

"What are you doing?" Takeru asked as he got back up and put up his guard.

"Did you already forget? We're Riders in a Rider War. And in this War, there can only be one winner." Ken said as he walked towards Takeru, each of his steps filled with confidence. "I don't know why Oriko's so interested in your abilities to see into the future and honestly, I couldn't care less about them nor do I believe in them. If you can really see into the future, then you should have seen this coming."

"Please, wait! I don't want to fight you!" Takeru said. After what happened with Haru, he was not too keen in fighting a Rider himself, especially since this is his first time fighting one.

"Too bad, 'cause I do." Ken said before ran and covered the distance between him and Takeru and struck with his Metal Horn gauntlet.

---

(Back in the Real World)

Having finished their meal and having paid for it along with 'explaining' their male companions' situation, Oriko left the restaurant which forced Sayaka to follow her.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Sayaka called out to ash-blond girl walking ahead of her. "Are we just gonna leave those two behind?"

"No need to worry yourself, Miki-san. Those two are more than capable of handling the Mirror Monster." Oriko said assuredly before walking through an alleyway.

'Where is she going?' Sayaka thought as she followed after the older girl.

Whether it was because there was nothing to talk about or Sayaka being cautious, the two walked in complete silence until finally they arrived at a park. No one was around as evening would turn into night in a few more hours.

"Hm, I guess this place is good enough." Oriko commented as she looked around and was happy to find on one around.

"Why did you want to come here?" Sayaka couldn't help but ask.

"Well," Oriko turned to the bluenette. "I thought we could kill some time while we wait for our friends. Ken should be dealing with Uranaishi-san right about now."

What the girl said set off warning bells in Sayaka's head as she asked, "What do you mean?" At the same time, she moved her hand behind her so Oriko wouldn't see her summoning her Soul Gem.

"Both of them are Kamen Riders. In this so-called Rider War, it's natural for them to be fighting." Oriko said, still smiling yet only now did Sayaka notice how...cold the smile on the girl's face looked.

"I thought you said you didn't want to fight?" Sayaka said while taking a few cautious steps back.

"I did say that, until I saw your future, Miki Sayaka." Oriko said, surprising the girl as she didn't remember giving Oriko her name.

But how Oriko knew her name was the least of her worries. Narrowing her eyes the girl, Sayaka asked, "What do you mean my future?"

Oriko didn't answer right away, instead giving Sayaka a look of pity as she shook her head.

"You poor, poor girl. I'm sorry to say this but the one you love, Kamijo Kyousuke, will not return your feelings."

Sayaka felt her body go stone cold at what Oriko just said.

"What...did you say?"

"Your feelings for Kamijo Kyousuke will not requited." Oriko said. "I'm sorry if this saddens you but it's the truth."

At that did Sayaka glare at the girl and lash out. "What the hell do you mean by that!?"

"You're in denial. Understandable." Oriko said as she started walking, moving in a circle around Sayaka who kept her eyes on her. "When I met you, Miki-san, I saw your future. And in that future, your love goes unrequited."

"You're lying." Sayaka exclaimed angirly. "Just because three of your predictions came true doesn't mean what you're saying is true!"

"But it is." Oriko insisted as she continued to walk around Sayaka. "In fact, that boy should already be discharged from the hospital by now, right? In that case, sooner or later, a friend of yours will tell you that she too loves Kamijo-san."

"What?" Sayaka looked at Oriko in surprise.

"Now what was that friend of your's name?" Oriko said, pretending to think before she seemingly remembered. "Ah yes, Shizuki Hitomi was her name."

"Hitomi!?" Now that shocked Sayaka to her very bones. Hitomi, one of her best friends, also loves Kyousuke like she does?

"You didn't know? I thought you did since you're friends and all." Oriko said and Sayaka didn't respond back, too speechless. Seeing this, Oriko continued. "In any case, your friend will one day confess her feelings for the one you love and he will return those feelings."

"Kyousuke and Hitomi..." Kyousuke, the one she loves, and Hitomi, her friend, together. Why did such a thought make her heart ache?

"Soon after that, a fate worse than death awaits you." Oriko said as she stopped walking around and turned to face Sayaka directly. "Miki Sayaka, I pity you."

"I-I don't need your pity!" Sayaka exclaimed, snapping out of her stupor yet the ache in her chest cause by the thought of Kyousuke and Hitomi being together did not disappear.

"The fate that awaits you in the future is a fate no one should bare." Oriko said as she held out her hand and summoned forth her own Soul Gem, making Sayaka go on alert. "Which is why I shall now save you."

"Save me?" Sayaka said, confused as to what Oriko meant.

"Yes." Oriko said as her form lit up, forcing Sayaka to cover her eyes, before the light dispersed, revealing Oriko in her Magical Girl outfit as multiple sphere with vine-like designs on them appeared floating around her. "Compared to what awaits you in the future, death is nothing but an act of mercy."

Seeing that she couldn't avoid this fight, Sayaka brought her Soul Gem and transformed and not a second too soon for when she finished donning her outfit, Oriko attacked.

---

And...done! *Falls to the ground* Finally! I finally finished! I am so sorry people for taking so long, but my job really takes a lot of my time not to mention some other stuff I gotta deal with. Perhaps I should just focus on one story and get it finished or to a place where I like before going back to the others? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

Anyway, rambles aside, I hope you all loved today's chapter. There were some ups and downs for me as my motivation kept shifting but I'm kind of confident in this chapter, but only a little. I at first wasn't going to put a fight scene in here because not every chapter needs to have one, but I ended up making one and it just fit so yeah. Not much of Haru here again, but next time, he gets back into the spot light, maybe.

Once again, I hope you all loved today's chapter even though it ended up in a cliffhanger, sorry about that. This has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. Until the next ride!