Hi. There are some problems in the uploading, thus I must state a few things. A "." is actually a pause in the sentence. I am also leaving a bigger space to indicate scenario change. Enjoy.

The Forces That Control You And I: Absolute Zero

The evil laugh of Reiji Kageyama was cut short as Shirei switched the projector off. Ichiro stood erect, shaking slightly as he contemplated his nemesis' words. Shirei noticed this, and looked Ichiro straight in the eye.

"Can you handle this?" He asked

Ichiro swallowed hard, eyes blazing with great intensity. "I have been waiting for this day for far too long."



The Gatekeepers responded quickly to the emergency call and reached the underground as soon as they could. Including Megumi.

Shirei nodded. "15 minutes ago the Osaka R&D complex was taken over by a large group of invaders. Shadow is there as well, probably overseeing the whole operation. Your task is to pull the plug on their operation. Understood?"

"Roger, A.E.G.I.S!"

Shirei faced Shun. "Ichiro will not be part of your operation. He has a special task that he has to complete."

Shun gave a look of surprise, but nonetheless accepted Shirei's decision. "Go now!" he commanded, and the Gatekeepers made their way towards their vehicles.



Shirei sank into his chair as a tall figure came out of the shadows. "Why didn't you tell them the truth? They are in grave danger."

Shirei stared at Ichiro Kaketa. "That's why you must succeed. Failure is not an option."



The vision of the repaired and rebuilt ZY-75 taking off was blocked by a very opportune sandstorm. Ichiro climbed up into the sky, hiding the sleek craft in the clouds. Under him, he saw 2 A.E.G.I.S helicopters, one carrying the Gate Robot 00 and the new Gate Engine, the other transporting the A.E.G.I.S bus. Ichiro opened his gate, sending out radio waves to ensure that they did not detect his presence.

He looked intently at the bus. Inside, Kaoru was watching the clouds pass by. Ichiro felt a strange sensation, but immediately suppressed it. He stepped hard on the gas pedal and supplied even more Gate energy to the vehicle. The speedometer indicated it had broken the sound barrier, and the craft sped out of sight.

"I must get there before they do. I must. For my sake. For.their sake as well."



Kageyama stood erect on the platform, patiently awaiting the fool's arrival. Out of the corner of his eye, he vaguely saw a glint in the distance. He smiled. He was fast approaching.



Ichiro saw the clouds break in front of him and he could see the sprawling complex clearly. He accelerated in that direction. Suddenly, two jumbo jet invaders swooped into view. Only Ichiro's skilful manoeuvring of the aircraft was able to prevent a mid-air collision. The jets did a double- take, turning around effortlessly in a bid to finish Ichiro off.

But he was ready for them. Ichiro pushed his flightstick up, causing the vehicle to climb rapidly. The jets followed suit. Ichiro flicked a few switches, and smoke grenades fell out of the back of the ship, exploding in mid-air, creating a blinding fog. The jets stopped in confusion, giving Ichiro enough time to position his Gate cannons on them and fire. The jets disappeared in a cloud of crystals.



Ichiro landed safely in car mode, took out his short staff and looked around cautiously for his prey. Adrenaline pumping in his veins, he knew that his was probably going to be his toughest battle ever. Suddenly, he spotted Kageyama on top of the platform, looking down at Ichiro. The bitter adversaries stood there, looking at each other, willing the other to make the first move and hence a mistake.

"So we meet again, in... different circumstances from the last time."

"Save your breath Kageyama, I am here to take you down."

"And what makes you so sure you can do that? I taught you everything you know. I know what you are afraid of; I know how your Gate power works. I can defeat you easily."

"You are forgetting one more thing. I know what you know as well. I know your weaknesses, I know how to overcome every one of your dark attacks."

Kageyama laughed evilly. "Whoever heard of the master losing to the student? Enough talk." Kageyama jumped down from the platform and took up a fighting stance. "Gate Open! Shadow Lance!"

A lance composed entirely of dark energy appeared from Kageyama's dark gate. Ichiro gripped his weapon tightly as time seem to stand still on the feuding duo.

A heartbeat later, they charged.



The A.E.G.I.S bus' wheels finally gripped asphalt as it was released from the helicopter. It underwent a transformation, metal armour appearing over the bus to protect it, and the top was converted to a platform where the Gatekeepers will carry out their attacks. The bus, controlled by Bancho, swerved uncontrollably for a while before making its way to the centre of the complex.

The quiet surroundings unnerved the Gatekeepers party. Suddenly, Shun heard the clank and wheeze of metal, and the radar screen on the dashboard went crazy.

A doubled-barrelled tank burst out from the nearby building, ramming straight into the bus, tipping it over. Fortunately, none of the Gatekeepers were hurt, and they quickly scattered in all directions. Shards of fear struck their hearts as they saw the tank reverse, the top part of it turning to face their general direction. They moved as fast as they could as the twin barrels recoiled, the blasts ripping up chunks of asphalt. Debris rained on them. Behind the tank came a bulldozer, a fire engine, a giant cannonball and a loudhailer. The Gatekeepers were also trapped in a mysterious black force-field, forcing them to fight each form by oneself.

Amidst all this confusion, no one noticed Megumi leaving the party as soon as the battle began, dark glow illuminating her eyes.



Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed together, their faces inches away from each other as they focused hard on breaking the other's parry. Eventually Kageyama summoned his strength and pushed forward, jerking Ichiro back. Kageyama lashed forward with his leg, which Ichiro caught. He attempted to flip Kageyama over, but was unsuccessful as he recovered by doing a back flip. The two fighters backed off again for the umpteenth time, the battle still a stalemate.

"You have the courage, but lack the proper techniques to defeat me. You will never win this way."

"Well, look who has the upper hand. Megumi."

From the dark Gate of Shadows, Megumi was summoned, her eyes glowing. Not from the normal green Gate of Iron Wall, but from a black negative Gate. Ichiro felt shock, but deep inside he somehow knew it was coming.

"Look at how your friends are suffering." Kageyama's outstretched palm revealed another negative Gate, this time displaying images of the battle happening at the other side of the complex.

"Kaoru!" Ichiro cried. He balled his fist. "I'll get you Kageyama!" Enraged, he charged forward, weapon lowered to slash upward. Kageyama smiled, knowing that he had made use of Ichiro's weakness. He brought his Shadow Lance parallel to the ground, breaking the impact of Ichiro's blow. Ichiro surprised and caught off-guard, look on in fear as Kageyama kneed him in the stomach, causing him to double over. Kageyama's elbow came down hard on his back, amplifying the pain. Kageyama then kicked him squarely on the chin, his Gate power causing him to fly back 50 metres.

Paroxysms of pain coursed through his body. Ichiro, dizzy with pain, vaguely heard Kageyama's icy voice say, "We could have achieved so much together. We could have controlled the world together. A.E.G.I.S and their pathetic Gatekeepers will never stand a chance against us. But then, you had to make the worst decision of your pitiful life. You joined the enemy. Now, I have no choice but to take you out. It's a pity, as you were always a bright student. Isn't that right, Ichiro? Or should I say, Michael?

Ichiro stiffened at the mention of that name, but had little time to dwell on it. Kageyama threw three daggers, each of them turning into a bolt of dark energy, all of which were headed straight for his downed body.

Ichiro could vaguely hear the echo of his heartbeat as the energy bolts ripped him in the left arm, right shoulder and left thigh. He also saw the triumphant figure of Reiji Kageyama making his way slowly to his side, eager to finish the job.



Feye glanced around her, body and mind ready for action. She realised she was trapped in a dark energy barrier, and a fire engine invader was within it as well.

"Fire Dragon!" She cried, and the mythical creature composed of flames surged forward towards the invader. The fire engine merely sprayed a strong stream of water at the flames, extinguishing them easily. All that was left was a thick cloud of steam that disappeared quickly.

As quickly as Feye's chances of survival were diminishing.

The fire engine's siren sounded, wheels squealing as the vehicle sped towards Feye, determined to run her down.

Feye avoided the fire engine and hid behind some debris. "My fire attacks...they are useless against it. Just like..just like.." An image of her grandfather being dragged away by government officers flashed through her head.

Just then, the fire engine fired a strong blast of water her location. The strength of the water was so great that the debris, along with Feye were washed up.



Reiko stared at the large loudhailer looming in front of her. It was idling in mid-air, waiting for Reiko to make the first move. Reiko thought to herself as she removed her portable piano from her bag. "I will be a good witch by saving the world and protecting its people."

Heavenly music was heard as line after line of the "Dazzling Melody" was played. Reiko's pink Gate of Enchantment opened, giving her eyes a pinkish glow. An illusion of a person picking up the loudhailer and throwing it against the ground was materialising.

However, all did not go as planned. The loudhailer reacted swiftly, as it emitted high-frequency waves that disrupted Reiko's playing. She uttered a sound of surprise as the piano fell to the ground.

And shattered.

Reiko stared at the broken pieces, sobbing slightly. "I have failed."

The loudhailer invader rose up further into the air and began blaring music, sound waves visible in the air were leaving the loudhailer in a ripple effect.

Reiko covered her ears to protect herself from the aural onslaught. Not for the first time in her life, she felt helpless. Only far worse now.



The tank positioned its cross hairs at the half-destroyed building and fired its cannons. The twin blasts demolished whatever was left of the building, revealing the Captain of the Gatekeepers, Shun Ukiya.

"Vacuum Missile!" He cried, and the blue energy bolt shot forward, only to disintegrate upon reaching the armour of the machine of war. Shun cursed under his breath as the tank's cannons changed their direction. He dodged the following blast before rushing forward to engage the tank.

"There must be a weakness in this thing." He muttered. He dashed to the side of the tank and began ascending it. However, at the most inopportune time, he missed a footing and swung wildly before eventually landing in front of the rapidly approaching tracks of the tank, ready to crush Shun like a bothersome bug.



The rumbling was unmistakable. A split second later, the cannonball invader crashed through the building, reducing it to mere rumble. All that was left in the wake of all this destruction was just concrete debris, and a set of a schoolgirl's uniform, tattered and torn.

Kaoru launched herself at the invader in her PE uniform, her Gate of Close Combat glowing in her eyes. Opening her Gate with both hands, she hurled debris at her adversary. The makeshift projectiles merely bounced off its strong armour plates.

The cannonball rolled towards her, faster now, determined to squash her flat. Kaoru sprinted up to it and resisted it, pushing against it as hard as she could.

"I must not give up. I must not give up. I must fight to live, for...for..Ichiro." she said to herself. So engrossed in her thoughts was she, she did not notice a large sonic cannon suddenly protruding out of the cannonball and was aiming at the defenceless Kaoru.

The sound of the cannon powering up was unmistakable.



The bulldozer started its charge on the ground, moving the strewn debris away. She broke into a run and dashed behind the fused form of the invader. The powerful but cumbersome invader desperately tried to turn around, but to no avail. She had him.

"Arrow of Light!" A brilliant streak of yellow light blazed across the sky and struck the target squarely at the driver's controls panel. The machine short-circuited, and its engine became silent.

Ruriko flicked her waist-length hair back. Now to find my way out of this barrier, she thought.

Suddenly, she spied a badly injured Ichiro slumped against a piece of concrete. Shocked by his state, Ruriko opened her Gate, using her Light of Life to heal Ichiro from afar. He can help me break the barrier, she thought.

She watched Ichiro stir from his sleep as she sat down slowly. That took out a lot from her, and she needed to rest and recuperate.

However, she did not have that luxury, as the stationary form of the bulldozer suddenly shuddered, before changing into a mass of black particles, and then finally recombining. Ruriko gasped in horror as she looked away, afraid of what she was seeing.

The Grim Reaper, with a huge scythe in one hand, the other holding a mirror, showing a scene of a young Ruriko snivelling. The direct opposite to life. Death itself.

Ruriko, trembling with fear and anger, raised her bow weakly as she fumbled for an arrow. With one clean stroke, her bow was cut into two by the huge scythe. Ruriko looked on in fear as she saw herself snivelling after she broke her teacher's vase.

The scene where Shun, dressed as Miracle Mask to save her, never appeared.

The Grim Reaper had set its scythe down, and with its now free hand, grabbed Ruriko at the chin and brought her face close to its. The last thing Ruriko remembered was the invader handing her over to a bespectacled girl, just before the darkness in her heart descended on her.



Megumi stared at the fallen form of Ruriko Ikusawa, her hated rival. She looked at her with cold disregard.

"It's time I became Number One." She said, before letting a mysterious smile curve on her face.



Ichiro awoke with a jolt. He felt refreshed and rejuvenated. He remembered fighting Kageyama, and nearly succumbing to his Shadow Edge attack.

Then, slowly, it all came back to him.



The sun was hung at the apex of the sky, giving forth its life-giving light energy. Far below, the figure of Reiji Kageyama mocked his fallen foe, Ichiro Kaketa.

"How do you feel now, Michael? Heroic? Or stupid? It doesn't matter, does it? It all ended when you decided to join the enemy. How foolish you are now to challenge me."

"At least I die with a clear conscience." Ichiro sputtered.

"That's your weakness, Michael. You developed a conscience. I didn't. Who has the upper hand now, Michael?

"Stop calling me that! I am Ichiro Kaketa!" He shouted

"That's what you what to believe. Fool! No matter how hard you run, you will never forget the past. The past where you were Michael Tay! Not Ichiro Kaketa!" Kageyama shouted, raising his Shadow Lance high. "This is where it all ends, Michael."

Kageyama flung the lance at Ichiro with all his might. Ichiro stared at the projectile.

"It's far from over." Ichiro muttered, and despite his injuries, raised his short staff and pressed a secret button on it. The staff responded, the outer shell moving to reveal three joints, which reconfigured themselves into the shape of a gun. The same gun he handed to Shirei when he first reached Japan. With trembling hands, Ichiro positioned the prototype Gate Gun 00.

"Gate Open!" Ichiro's grey gate opened at the end of the gun's barrel, and quickly he pulled the trigger. With a quick power-up, a tremendous blast of pure grey energy ripped towards Kageyama. The blast took out the Shadow Lance, vaporising it into a mass of black particles. Kageyama took a step back in surprise as Megumi used her Gate power to block the blast.

However, the energy from the beam was so great that it broke the dark barrier and wounded Kageyama in the shoulder. He gasped in surprise and pain, clutching his shoulder as pain flooded his senses. He gritted his teeth and looked at Ichiro. Despite his present condition, he was smiling faintly.

Kageyama decided that the best plan of action was to beat a strategic retreat. "We'll finish this ...another time." With that, he and Megumi descended down his dark Gate into areas unknown.

Ichiro, seeing that Kageyama had retreated, dragged himself to a nearby wall. Bruised, battered and bloodied, Ichiro rested his head against the wall and fell into a deep sleep.



He awoke, feeling warmth, like the soft morning sunrays. Then, it suddenly stopped, and he could feel the cold harsh asphalt under him. He could vaguely make out in his groggy state a longhaired girl being dragged away by a dark figure with a scythe.



The tracks loomed larger, and Shun did not waste anytime in getting up. By then, the tracks were less than a metre away from him.

Throwing caution to the wind, Shun bent his knees and jumped on to the front of the tank. Grabbing hold of one of its massive cannons, he hoisted himself on to the rampaging vehicle. The invader, unable to pinpoint where its enemy was, stopped moving.

"How do I destroy this thing?" Shun wondered aloud. Suddenly, he remembered the battle he fought two days ago. The one against the helicopter.

He knew.

"Gate Open!" Shun drew upon his Gate power, opening his Gate with his fist. He drew his arm back and bashed it against the hatch of the tank. The hatch blew apart under the immense force of the blow.

Shun stuck his kendo sword in the hole he created. His eyes glowed with the now-familiar sky blue light.

"Vacuum Missile!" He cried, and he charged up a substantial amount of energy before loosing it into the interior of the tank. The tank imploded, it lower regions collapsing into a shower of crystals, before the upper region followed suit. Shun quickly jumped off the disintegrating tank and rolled safely on the ground.

With the tank disposed off, the barrier disappeared, allowing Shun to go and help his team-mates. He broke into a run and made his way towards Feye.



Feye felt the water around her slowly surround her, cutting her off from her much-needed oxygen. She gasped for air as the barrier acted like a container, retaining the water inside. Soon, she would drown.

Somehow, over the siren of the fire engine invader, she heard her Captain's voice. "Feye! Don't worry! I will get you out of there!"

She heard an explosion, and felt the water around slowly draining away. Soon, she herself touching the ground again, soaked and tired.

"Feye!" A drenched Shun exclaimed, as he rushed to her side. He caught her just before she fell down flat on the ground. She stared into Shun's dark brown eyes before uttering one word. "Brother."

"Huh?" However, Shun had no time to ponder over her word. He helped her up, and just then the invader burst into sight again, shooting a stream of water from its fireman ladder.

Shun somersaulted forward, avoiding the water blast and stood up again. He raised his weapon and fired his Vacuum Missile, which impacted directly on the stream of water. It froze instantly, and the weight of the ice formed was too much for the frail fireman ladder, which collapsed on the ground, and turned into a pile of crystals.

A vacuum is very cold, thus it caused the water to freeze. "For once, I am glad that I paid attention in Science class." He remarked.

"Feye! Now! Fire Dragon!" The now composed Feye shot forth her most powerful attack, which engulfed the defenceless invader, which disappeared in a shower of cyan and red crystals. She dropped to her knees, panting.

"Come on! We got to get to the others!" Shun said, as he half-carried, half- dragged Feye towards where Reiko was.



Reiko was still squatting down, hands covering her ears as she sobbed uncontrollably. Suddenly, over the din the loudhailer was making, she heard Feye shouting, "Reiko! Use your Gate power!"

She could almost mock herself. How to? She wondered, as she stared at the many pieces of the broken portable piano in front of her. She felt helpless.

Then she remembered. Remembered how she saw Shun and Ichiro use their Gate powers without an external instrument. She felt a new sense of determination.

She could do it.

Reiko stood up erect, eyes closed, the sound waves produced by the loudhailer no longer affecting her. She started to emit carnation pink sound waves as well, combating the orange sound waves. Slowly, she rose up into mid-air, hair billowing upwards due to a upward draft. She raised her open palm up, and then her eyes opened, glowing brightly due to her Gate of Enchantment.

A heartbeat later, a pink energy bolt made its way from Reiko's palm and struck the loudhailer in the middle. It shuddered for a while, before disintegrating into nothingness.

Reiko relaxed, and she slowly fell to the ground again. Shun and Feye rushed over to her side. She blinked slightly, and smiled brightly at her Captain. "I am a good and capable witch, aren't I?"



Kaoru looked up at the last possible minute, leaping desperately to the left as the sonic blast ripped up chunks of asphalt. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, and her body ached. She knew she could not take it any longer.

Suddenly, she realised the barrier around her was broken, and Shun, Feye and Reiko rushed to her side. "We're going to do this together!" Shun exclaimed.

The cannonball sensed the odds were stacked against it, thus it enlarged itself until it was five times its original size. Now it was about the same height as a five-storey building. It was less agile, but very powerful.

It started to roll again, but this time much slower due to its large bulk. The Gatekeepers scattered, moving out of harm's way.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shun spotted the new Gate Engine standing idle beside his UP-15. At once a plan formulated in his mind. "Feye! Reiko! Go get the Gate Engine online and ready to fire on my command! Kaoru! You and I are to distract this invader. Understood?"

"Roger! A.E.G.I.S!"

Shun and Kaoru lured the giant invader away with their attacks, and Feye and Reiko made for the Gate Engine. Feye stood on the platform, and the wires snaked around her. The computer panel flashed green, and she opened her Gate of Red-Hot and started to build up power.



Shun dodged as the cannonball fired small ball bearings at him. Kaoru used her Gate of Close Combat to kick them back at it. But their attacks were useless against the tough hide of the shinning ball.

"Are you ready?" Shun shouted, before diving to dodge another ball bearing.

"Ready!" was the reply, as the power meter on the panel reached 100%.

"Fire on three! Three!"

The Gate Engine spat forth a huge column of fire, engulfing the side of the cannonball. When the flames died, the cannonball looked as though someone had taken a bite out of an apple. With the outer protective layer gone, its sole weakness, the red core, was exposed.

"Kaoru Kick!" she cried as she rammed her foot into the red invader, causing its inhuman face to contort in horror before finally disintegrating into many pieces. Kaoru slumped to her knees, glad that she had the courage to fight the battle.

"Ichiro.. I did it...for you."



Kageyama slammed his fist on the table. "You fools! Even when they are split up and outgunned they are still not defeated!"

Just then, the secret sliding door opened, revealing Megumi. "I have brought you a present." She said, as a giant green bubble made its way into the centre of the dark room.

Encased within was the unconscious figure of Ruriko Ikusawa.

Kageyama smiled. "You have done well."

He walked up to the green bubble, touching it slightly with his left hand. His shoulder had now healed, thanks to the dark force within his Gate. "With you in my possession, I can get rid of the irritating Prince Charming of yours, Ukiya Shun. With him out of the way, it will be too easy to get rid of Michael next."

Kageyama sighed, eyes giving off a mysterious glow. "The domino effect.."



"Where's Rurippe?" asked an anxious Shun, looking around desperately. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. What if, he thought, what if she was captured? Shun suppressed that thought. He had to keep looking as the other Gatekeepers started to split up and search for Ruriko, Megumi and Ichiro.

Before they could split up, Kageyama's dark Gate opened, and he rose up from it. Shun, astonished at first, recovered quickly and readied his weapon. "What have you done with my friends?"

Kageyama laughed. "Megumi!" he commanded.

From another dark Gate, the bespectacled girl appeared with the unconscious Ruriko still trapped in the bubble.

The others just stood and stared. They were shocked by both Megumi's betrayal and Ruriko's capture. Shun gritted his teeth. "Kageyama! I going to get you!" He shouted, dashing forward to engage his enemy.

Kageyama merely stood there.

Shun felt pure energy ripping through his body, and he immediately felt as though his energy was sucked out completely. He slumped to the floor, using his sword as support in a desperate bid not to black out.

He could hear the others succumbing to the sapping blast, and he could hear the eerie laughter of Kageyama. As he weakly raised his head again, he saw Megumi, now controlling a dark Gate, glaring intently at every one of them.

The last thing he saw before he fainted was the concrete ground rushing up to his face as he fell forward.



Ichiro watched from afar, seething with anger. Now, every Gatekeeper was a captive of Kageyama. He cursed the evil Gatekeeper, realising he was the world's last chance. He stood up, watching the fallen Gatekeepers being sucked under by Kagayama's dark Gate.

He stiffened as he saw Kaoru being pulled under as well. The sight of her so defenceless triggered off a series of flashbacks in his mind. And for the umpteenth time, he suppressed them, but stopped after a while.

"Maybe for once, I can reciprocate someone's feelings for me."

His eyes trailed off to the distance, his mind wandering back years ago. "Georgina...Kaoru...."