"So, you're joining their club?"
"I was invited."
The two members of the Onodera household stared at each other. The younger one took a sip from a cup of water. The older one huffed and looked up at the ceiling.
"It's really up to you, Kyouya. I don't think I could stop you from joining a club." Yusuke muttered.
"I'd still like to get your thoughts on the subject. This isn't a regular club after all." Kyouya replied as he swirled his cup.
"What is it officially? Can't exactly call it the Devil Club."
"Occult Research."
"...Right," Yusuke paused and finally looked back down to his son, "I guess you would do well. I'd imagine you have a pretty unique perspective on the occult."
Kyouya rolled his eyes at that and then looked down at his drink. All in all, it was an interesting arrangement. Gremory had offered an alliance of sorts. They would work together in order to keep the peace in Kuoh. Although, Kyouya wasn't really sure of the specifics of this alliance. The boy figured that he'd be joining the club so that it would be easier to call upon him in case of an emergency, but also… Issei had him on speed dial.
A more paranoid part of Kyouya's brain wanted to accuse Gremory of wanting to keep a closer eye on him. There were a variety of reasons for it. His powers were literal wild cards and Decade proved himself capable of taking on supernatural threats. Perhaps the Heiress wanted something like that in her corner. Devils could reincarnate humans into their servants. Was that what Gremory was aiming for? To add Decade to her roster?
The young Kamen Rider looked up from his musings in order to study his father. Yusuke had yet to voice his own thoughts. Instead, the man seemed more interested in keeping an eye on Kyouya. The two of them locked eyes and Kyouya could tell Yusuke had his own gripes with the arrangement. Finally, Kyouya found a question to ask.
"A Kamen Rider works better alone, right?"
Yusuke pursed his lips at that. After a moment, he responded with, "I wouldn't go that far. If you're gonna run into a fight it's better to have someone watching your back."
The older man paused and then added, "That really only goes if you can trust the ones watching your back."
"I trust Issei." Kyouya responded immediately, that much he could be sure of. "Asia too, although I wouldn't bring her into another fight." No, that girl had suffered too much already. Kyouya would rather fight a hundred fallen angels alone than force her to join him. Although, both of them weren't really what either was worried about.
Gremory seemed nice enough when their interests aligned. Toujou and Kiba were of a similar vein. Kyouya could personally vouch for their fighting prowess, but he knew better than to expect them not to follow their mistress's wishes. Himejima was… definitely less pleasant in the young rider's mind. Her penchant for teasing got on his nerves. She was however a skilled spell-slinger, so it wasn't like she was just a silver-tongue.
After another moment of deliberation, Kyouya came to a conclusion.
"I'll give it a test run."
"For how long?" Yusuke asked.
"A couple of weeks, I'll see what they have to offer. If it's nothing good, I can always quit the club and assist from a distance." Kyouya explained.
Yusuke nodded at that and relaxed against the couch he was sitting on. "Sounds good." He rumbled.
Kyouya nodded to himself, it did sound good.
Music Cue: Trip -innocent of D(ecade) -
Flashes of the 10 Phase 2 Heisei Riders appear, done in a stylized art style, starting from W all the way through Zi-O. However, suddenly Zi-O began to glitch away, shifting into Kamen Rider Decade, his green eyes glowing as his helmet shifted into the title of the series.
Intersecting lines, calling out to the faraway sky
Kyouya is seen staring off at bright red light, tightly clutching his DecaDriver, the camera then panned away to reveal Issei stood upon a red magic circle, looking up at Rias who was being back lit by the blood red light of the moon.
Dancing under the cross, a shivering voice
It then shifts to Kyouya in school, sitting next to Koneko. In a sudden flash it shifts to Koneko battling against Kamen Rider Deca- OOO, using her gauntlets against his claws. Another shift occurs, now being Kyouya and Kiba practicing with wooden swords in the clearing in front of the club. In another flash, it shifts to Kiba wielding his Holy Eraser Sword against Kamen Rider Dec- Gaim's DaiDaiMaru and Musou Saber. Once again the scene shifts to Akeno and Kyouya inside of the club, seemingly studying. In almost a flash of lightning, the scene shifts to Akeno in her miko robes, shooting lightning at Kamen Rider Wizard, who is countering with a blast of fire.
I don't want to show you my weaknesses,
The camera then pans across to Yusuke, cleaning his motorcycle off in front of him and Kyouya's home, before suddenly flashing to Issei doing battle with Raynare.
Receiving the wind's blow, I'll shake it off and move on
Raynare and Issei rush towards each other, before they are suddenly both stopped in their tracks by Kamen Rider Ghost. His transformation shifts back to Decade as he suddenly slashes the camera.
Shots of Yusuke, Issei and Koneko appear for brief moments before suddenly flashing back to Kyouya wearing his belt and holding up the Decade Ride Card as he says
"Henshin!"
Release the impulse!
Decade's transformation then completes as he rushes towards the camera.
Running about, building up a strong will!
Kyouya is seen standing a park wearing his DecaDriver, as an image of Yusuke appears in his head
I won't forget those eyes
The image then shifts to an image of Issei wearing a red gauntlet, images of the two of them being friends suddenly flashing.
Shaking my memories, Draw×Delete
A scene is then shown of Kamen Rider W battling a man in a trench coat, the man flying around the battlefield using the pitch black angel wings jutting out from his back. W using his Cyclone Half's ability to hover around as well.
This moment will be converted to tomorrow
A shot is then shown of what appears to be a picture of a young Kyouya and Yusuke at their home.
The light is reincarnated again,
Suddenly, Kamen Rider Drive is flung into the air, his armor breaking apart, revealing Kyouya underneath, unconscious and beaten.
Crimson trickles down my cheeks!
Issei appears from above, reaching out to Kyouya with his gauntlet-covered hand.
The scene suddenly shifts back to a happier note, as the Occult club is grouped up outside their clubhouse.
Issei is suddenly hugged by Akeno and then Asia, Kiba and Koneko standing behind the trio. Kyouya was standing across from the group, just staring at Issei..
A sudden flash showing Kamen Rider Decade and a mysterious armored figure colored in red, behind them the clubhouse destroyed and in flames.
The scene then flashed back to normal! As Kyouya then stared up at Rias who was staring down back at the group.
It then shifted to a shot of a chess board, the only pieces on the board being the King, Queen, Knight, Rook, Bishop and Pawn, all colored in red. Scattered around the board were the 10 Kamen Ride Cards.
Kyouya had intended to make his way to the Occult Research Club Room at the start of the new week. The morning of, nothing was really out of place. Kyouya walked to school and into his class without running late. The boy exchanged a glance with Toujou. Generally, Kyouya wasn't really sure if he should talk to her. The Devil never really initiated conversations either, but would occasionally be found stealing glances of her own. Usually during lunch period or a particularly boring class.
Today, Kyouya decided to engage.
When lunch period rolled around, Kyouya lightly tapped on her desk. The Devil turned her attention to him. It was now or never.
"For the offer to join your club," He started, his voice barely above a whisper, "Do I just show up? Or is there some paperwork I have to sign?"
"The President can sort out the official stuff. You can just stop by." Toujou answered.
Kyouya responded with a small, almost imperceptible nod.
After a moment, Toujou decided to ask "Do you know where it is?"
"I've been there once, it's not too hard to miss." It was a large building behind the school after all.
"Walk with me after class, I know a shortcut."
And that's what the two of them did.
It felt a little weird to be in front of the clubhouse without Issei. Kyouya wasn't sure if he should steel his nerves or not. Was he supposed to treat this as purely business? What did Gremory intend for him to do here? There was really only one way to find out.
The two entered and made their way to the inner meeting room. Where Gremory was filling out a few papers, a small pair of reading glasses sitting on her nose. She looked up to see the two and… was that a glint of hope in her eyes? Kyouya did his best neutral face in response.
"I assume this means you're here to join?" Gremory asked.
"For now. I wanted to see what it was like around here first before I really committed." Kyouya said, looking at Gremory head on.
"That's fair, take a seat and we can hash out the details."
Kyouya plopped down on one of the couches in the middle of the room. Noting that they were quite comfortable. Toujou sat down opposite of him and began munching on some sweet snack she had been hiding. The girl looked to be checking out of this conversation before it even began. Kyouya decided to ask the first question.
"So, what do you expect me to do?"
Gremory did not answer right away. Instead she took off her glasses and neatly placed them onto the desk. The Heiress contemplated the question for a moment before answering, "In general, or in the clubroom?"
"Both." Was Kyouya's swift reply.
"Well, generally I'd like it if you lend us a hand if something nasty attacks the town. I'm sure you don't have a problem with that." Gremory continued her explanation after a nod of affirmation from Kyouya. "As for what you do here… We don't really have a set schedule for the club. You might've figured this out by now, but this club is more of a front for my Peerage than anything. An easy excuse for us all to meet up discreetly."
Gremory then picked up a piece of paper that had an illustration of a sasquatch on it. "Of course, we send the occasional report to the faculty to keep up a front, but it's voluntary. You don't have to write anything if you want to stay here. You don't even need to show up at all for meetings, if you don't want to. Your phone number would be more than enough."
Kyouya narrowed his eyes at that and immediately knew something was up.
"If you just wanted my number, you could have asked Issei." The young rider pointed out.
Gremory chuckled at his accusation. A fair sound, probably a redirect. Kyouya wouldn't allow himself to be charmed by her. The teen was more than ready to bolt if he saw something out of place.
"That's true. I could have just asked Issei, but I'd like it if we could get to know each other personally. Both of my new servants think pretty highly of you, after all." Gremory said with a gentle smile.
"Just them, huh?" Kyouya wondered if Toujou ever reported to her master about his actions during class. Although, the boy doubted the Noble cared much for how good his grades were.
"I think Yuuto's a little bummed about how you neglected to give him a review after your little meeting." Gremory explained.
Kyouya resisted the urge to snort at that. Why would the Knight even care about something like that? Was he expecting Kyouya to point out some minor flaw in his fighting style? Or the Kamen Rider expressing interest in the Devil's (admittedly impressive) swordwork? Fat chance of that happening.
"Tell him that I won't lose our next fight." Is what Kyouya settles on saying.
For just a moment, Gremory's eyebrows raise in soft surprise. Had she not known about their little scrap? Or was she just surprised by the suggestion of a second round. Kyouya realized now that there probably wouldn't be an opportunity for a second fight. Not if they were to be allies. Gremory's expression returned to her easy confidence and she beamed at him.
"I'll be sure to pass that along."
Suddenly, Kyouya wasn't feeling all that great about this.
"So, what do you want to know?" Kyouya wanted to shift gears. Know what he would have to field during his time here.
"Anything you feel comfortable sharing. I'm not really looking for your life story here. I want to be friends." Gremory explained.
It was a gray zone. Gremory was trying to accommodate him. Kyouya flexed one of his hands and wished Issei was here. The brunette was slightly better at social situations. Maybe they could recount the childhood football incidents. As it is, Kyouya wasn't really sure what would work.
"How about something simple, do you live alone?" Gremory asked.
"I live with my father." Kyouya replied faster than he meant to.
Gremory takes in the information with an interesting look. Like she's trying to understand the implications. That her next words need to be chosen carefully. Kyouya hopes she hurries up and asks whatever is on her mind.
"Just him?"
"Yes."
Gremory thankfully doesn't try and continue that line of thought. Instead, she looks back down at her paperwork. Kyouya finds himself grateful for it. His current living situation never bothered Kyouya, but it wasn't fun to explain it to people. Especially to those used to a more traditional household.
Then, the door to the room opens. Kyouya turns and is unsurprised to see Issei. However, the boy is surprised to see who he is walking with. A blonde girl in the Kuoh Academy uniform. Her eyes light up when she sees Kyouya and suddenly the boy thinks it might be a good time to make his exit. The young Rider wasn't ready to speak with her yet.
Kyouya had failed to make good of his promise to Asia, after all.
Before Kyouya could do anything though, Issei had dropped himself next to the younger boy and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Hey! Didn't expect to see you here, what's up?" The older boy was happy to see him, apparently. Asia sits next to Issei and gives Kyouya a small wave, which he returns automatically.
"He's here to join the club." Gremory answered for Kyouya.
Issei blinked and looked Kyouya in the eyes. "Join as in…"
"I'm not becoming a Devil." Kyouya says. Issei decided to release him.
"Oh. So like, you're gonna be researching actual ghouls?" Issei guesses poorly.
"I'm here to fight." Kyouya explains poorly, causing the other two next to him to look at him with confused expressions.
"He'll lend us a hand if something disturbs the peace." Gremory explains properly, looking amused at the whole exchange.
"Well, no matter the reason I'll be looking forward to spending time with you." Asia says with a sunny expression.
Kyouya feels his face warm up for whatever reason and looks to the ceiling. "Same here." Is what he murmurs in response. Issei chuckles and Kyouya suddenly wants to elbow him.
"So, what's the plan then? You gonna stick around til we start working on devil stuff?" Issei asks.
"How long would I have to wait?" Kyouya figures he could probably excuse himself before it happens. Say he wants to respect Peerage's privacy.
"Probably not for another couple of hours, we start doing flyers around sunset."
"Flyers?" Kyouya responds automatically, even though he knows what they're talking about. Did… Gremory have her members manually pass them out? How had Yusuke gotten one then?
"Yeah, we pass them out to potential clients. I get to use the club bicycle. I'm pretty good at getting around with it if I say so myself." Issei thankfully explains.
"Usually we Devils delegate the flyers to familiars, but I like to have the newer members pass them out while they get used to their new condition." Gremory says, filling out the rest of the details.
"Issei's been helping me pass them out…" Asia says, looking a little bashful.
Kyouya quickly connected the dots. "Does that mean you're now at the next stage of Devil Life?"
"Kind of…?" Issei looks nervous at the mention.
"He's currently failing at that part of the job." Toujou chimes in, looking like she actually cares about this part. Or maybe she just wants to grill Issei. Kyouya can kind of sympathize with it.
"I'm… not doing as bad as I could be?" Issei says in a poor attempt to defend himself.
"You're a couple inches above the bottom, sure." Toujou points out and Issei sighs.
"Give him time, I'm sure Issei will find his way." Gremory says.
"Find his way with what?" Kyouya and Asia say in unison, the boy recoils at that.
"Devil Contracts." Gremory answers.
"Having trouble taking people's souls?" Kyouya asked, partly in jest.
"I don't even know if that's a thing I can do. Not that it's needed, I think."
"Usually we take our payment in more traditional means. Like money, or information." Gremory supplied, Kyouya's mind chose then to remember that Yuuto bet their contract on a duel. "In theory someone could pay with their soul, but it's kinda wasteful. Devil kind prefers regular customers these days."
"And Issei hasn't been able to score a single contract." Toujou states.
"One day I will!" Issei says, looking dejected. Kyouya gives him a pat on the shoulder.
"What do people usually ask for in a contract?" Asia asks, and Gremory's eyes light up.
"Anything really, but each member of the peerage usually specializes in a certain type of client." Suddenly, Gremory's expression shifts and Kyouya swears he can see the gears in her head spinning. The Devil opens one of her drawers. "That gives me an idea actually. Let me check the schedule…"
As Gremory busies herself with that, Kyouya looks up at Issei. "So, what's your plan then?"
"Oh, Asia and I were going to study until it's time to pass out flyers. You wanna join in? We're working on letters."
Kyouya considered this. He did not have to stay. However, the teen didn't really need to be anywhere else right now. Plus, it never hurt to review your writing style. Especially when it comes to kanji or katakana.
"I'll stay for a while."
This earned Kyouya a smile from Issei and Asia, and they pulled out their books. Kyouya nodded, maybe this whole club thing could work.
The next day, Kyouya bumps into someone on his way to school. Issei, who looks like he's trying to think too hard.
"How'd the flyer work go?" Kyouya asks after a few moments of studying his elder's constipated expression.
"That went about as well as it could. What happened after you left was… not great." Issei said, his voice somewhere between disappointed and sad.
"Did you mess up another contract?"
"Nah, they had me on the backburner. Apparently the Prez thought it would be good for Asia and me to watch the others while they carried out their own stuff." Issei explained.
Kyouya nodded once, that would do it. Issei's probably feeling inadequate about it, if Kyouya had to guess.
"Dude… Kiba's so freaking lucky, dude gets called by actual women!"
Nevermind, it was something to do with his perversions.
"Apparently a bunch of chicks pay for him to tidy up their apartment and cook them dinner!" Issei yells, sounding more frustrated as he continues. "Some just… call him to hang!"
Kyouya personally thinks that's a waste of a good swordsman, but work is work.
"What about the others?" Kyouya asks, hoping to steer Issei away from his jealousy.
"I watched Koneko kick a guy's ass in a fighting game. Apparently people either call her for that or just to be cute."
Kyouya resists asking which fighting game, mostly because he doesn't want any detailed explanations about the second part.
"Then… actually wait, this is a good part! I got to see Akeno in some lingerie!" Issei exclaims excitedly, his grin was a bit too dirty for Kyouya's taste. Before the boy could request an end to this anecdote, Issei finishes with, "Although, she didn't really do anything sexy. Sounded like she broke a guy's foot for a massage."
"Right…" Kyouya wishes he hadn't heard any of this now. "Did you and Asia learn anything from this?"
"Asia came out of it thinking it was a lesson about diversity. Personally, it just made me feel like I don't have any social skills." Issei sighed after that and reverted to his sullen state from earlier.
Honestly, Kyouya felt for the guy. Devil work sounded like it required a lot of social energy. Something Kyouya lacked, even on the best of days. Issei was better than him in that regard, but Kyouya doubted most would-be clients were interested in his porn knowledge. What else was Issei particularly known for? He was a whiz at arcade games, maybe the Reincarnated Pawn could make a business out of winning crane games.
"I doubt any of them started off so well. Give it time, Issei, I'm sure you'll find some niche." Kyouya hoped to inspire his friend, but even his words rung a little hollow.
"I know, just… I dunno. I feel like I'm disappointing the Prez." Issei said, dejected.
"Has she expressed such feelings to you?"
"No, she just sorta looks at me all stern like and says to not give up. She's so understanding that I feel like a tool for letting her down so much. I owe her my life, I can at least scrounge up one contract for her in return, right?"
Kyouya was silent for a moment as he absorbed the words.
"That is a rational line of thought, yes."
"What would you do if you were in my shoes?" Issei asked.
Kyouya looked up at the sky as he contemplated the question.
"Have you considered using your considerable biking skills?" The boy answered after a long moment. This caused Issei to snort.
"I guess I should've expected something like that out of Mr. Kamen Rider." Issei said, sounding a little better.
"I'll have you know, the Rider part of the name isn't for my skill with a bicycle. So you have that over me." Kyouya said, a small smile gracing his lips.
This drew another laugh out of Issei. "Oh yeah? What do you ride then?"
"Nothing so juvenile as a mere bicycle. Perhaps I'll introduce you to it one of these days." Kyouya said grandly, happy to try and distract Issei from his slump.
"I'd like that." Issei said.
After that, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. Kyouya thought that would be the end of the discussion.
Later, in the clubroom, Kyouya was looking at a few of Asia'a notes. The Italian was slowly but surely learning his kanji. Apparently a few of her classmates had shown her a few more. It warmed the boy's heart to think that Asia was fitting in. She deserved a nice stress-free school life. Stress free everything really after what she had been through.
Issei was on the other side of the couch. Looking contemplative, probably overthinking his contract problem. Kyouya endeavored to not get worked up about it himself. Ultimately, Issei needed to be the one to figure it out. Plus, what could a human really do to help?
Suddenly, Issei stood up from the couch and started to make his way over to where Gremory was. Simultaneously, a side door opened and Himejima wheeled in a little cart. The cart had a pot of tea and a few cups. Kyouya had a bad feeling as Issei stopped in front of Gremory's desk. Himejima first offered a cup to her Master, who accepted with a small nod.
Issei made his move as Himejima finished pouring.
"Prez, what do you think I'm good at?" The Pawn asks, his voice a little uncertain.
It is not Gremory that responds first, instead Himejima brings a hand to her mouth and she giggles. "Oh my, are you fishing for a compliment?"
This causes Issei to sputter. "N-No! I'm just trying to figure out the whole contract thing and…"
"It's okay Issei, I understand." Gremory sideyes her Queen, who takes the cue and disengages from the conversation. Instead, she brings the tea pot to the few around the middle table. "What you're good at…" Gremory starts, trying to figure out what her servant needs to hear.
"Pervin." Is Toujou's answer from her place on a couch.
While not untrue, Kyouya finds the comment to be unhelpful. Issei manages to stay strong in face of the insult.
"Well… I like your drive. You don't give up easily." Gremory says. That is true, but also unhelpful.
As Himejima pours out a few more cups of tea, she pipes out once more.
"Perhaps our Issei just needs a little more motivation to try?" The Queen suggests.
The Rook butts in before anyone else can ask. "A wager."
All eyes are on Toujou after she says this.
"See how well you do compared to someone else." Toujou explains.
Issei immediately protests with, "Everyone else already has contracts though! Not really fair to me."
"I didn't say you would compete against someone who already had a contract." Toujou says.
Seeming to pick up the implication, Issei turns to look at Asia. His face goes through a few variations of fear and worry before he looks back to Gremory. "It's uh… a bit early to have Asia go for a contract right?"
"That's correct." Gremory responds, she looks at Toujou with a look of curiosity. What is her Rook getting at?
"Also not who I was referring to." Is Toujou's response.
"Well then, who?" Issei asks.
Kyouya wishes that this charade would end quickly. The aroma of the tea was exceptional and he'd like to enjoy it without everyone filling the space with questions.
Toujou then points at the Rider. "I'll bet five hundred yen that he'll get a contract on his first attempt."
Kyouya rolls his eyes at the idea.
"He's… not even a devil." Is Issei's limp response.
"Also, five hundred yen isn't really much of a prize." Himejima says as she places the teapot down and turns to the Pawn. "What would you want as a reward, Issei?"
"I'd like to touch the President's boobs." Is the Pawn's immediate response, Issei only remembers to look embarrassed a second later when the rest of his brain catches up. Himejima just laughs at the boy's frankness. Toujou looks vaguely disgusted at his brazen response. Asia looks surprised at this.
Kyouya wants to go home.
"Hmm…" Gremory hums as she contemplates the situation in front of her. Finally, she responds with, "If you can get a contract, I'll allow it."
"REALLY?!"
Kyouya cringes at the volume Issei shouts with.
"But… wouldn't that only work if Kyouya agrees to the competition?" Asia asks, thankfully being a voice of reason in this chaotic debate.
Issei is in front of his friend and on his knees in an instant. "Kyouya please, this is probably the most important wager I've ever been a part of."
"Good for you, I don't want to bother." Kyouya says, uncomfortable with the attention on him.
"Come on man! Look at those knockers, isn't it worth one guy's soul?"
"Did you just say that with a straight face?" Kyouya asks, somewhat appalled.
"I'm very serious about this." Issei says.
"I can tell. Now get offa me." Kyouya says while pushing his friend away.
"Come now, Onodera, surely there's something we can do for you to get you to participate?" Himejima says, a playful look on her face. It makes Kyouya not want to participate.
He looks down at the tea cup and contemplates just what the Devils could give him. Something equally as trivial as touching Gremory's chest…
"I don't really see how this will help, Issei."
"He does seem pretty motivated now." Is Gremory's comment from the sidelines.
Issei starts to give Kyouya puppy dog eyes. The boy turns to Asia, the only other sane person in the room. She gives a small shrug.
Kyouya's not getting out of this situation easily.
"Tell me where you get your tea if I win, I guess." Is what he comes up with.
"We order from a special source online." Himejima explains. "How about we just give you some of our stock instead?"
"Sounds good to me." Kyouya says as he finally gets to pick up a cup. Maybe Yusuke would enjoy this kind of stuff.
Issei whoops in celebration. Kyouya wants to be mad at him, but can barely muster up the energy.
Hopefully this whole ordeal ends up being simple.
Standing in the clubroom later, Kyouya did not feel any more sure about this whole setup.
The rules of the engagement were simple enough. Each participant would be sent out on a job. Whoever came back with results would be the winner. They would also be accompanied by a spectator. Apparently because Issei had trouble with the Devils teleporting mechanism. Which brought a very specific question to Kyouya's mind.
"How am I going to warp over?"
Issei blinked, only now realizing that particular issue. "Are you gonna make him take the bike like I do?"
Kyouya made a face at that. He'd much prefer to use his own wheels if he needed to manually go to a client.
"He might, but we also might have a workaround." Gremory said as she turned to her Queen.
Himejima brought out a talisman, the Gremory symbol etched into it, and tossed it over to Kyouya. He looked at it skeptically.
"If we're going to be allies, it wouldn't be convenient to just leave you behind every time we need to teleport." Himejima explained. "That should let you use our circles. You'll still need another member to travel through, but it's better than nothing."
"Why can't you do it yourself?" Kyouya asks Issei, as he stuffs the talisman into a pocket.
"Something about demonic energy and magic stuff." Issei explains a little too quickly.
Ah, nothing Kyouya should be paying attention to then.
"Let's get this over with." Kyouya declared.
Soon after, the two duos were standing across from each other.
"Good luck." Issei said as he was practically vibrating. Kyouya wasn't sure if it was from excitement or anxiety.
"Shouldn't you be hoping for my failure?" Was the boy's response.
"I mean, I guess I should. But I don't really see the need to heckle you."
"I'm fairly certain you won't get what you want from a draw." Kyouya points out.
The teleport went through before Issei could respond next. Kyouya found himself standing in a dark hallway. It seemed to fit the bill of a place a Devil would be summoned to. There was a flyer at their feet, but no client in sight. Kyouya placed a hand near the pocket that held his driver.
"How do you feel?" Himejima asked.
"Like I just got teleported. My body seems to be holding up well." Kyouya murmured as he looked around the area.
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Isn't there supposed to be someone here?" Kyouya asked.
Himejima did not answer, instead she looked up at the ceiling. Her face scrunched up as she tried to concentrate on something. After a moment, she looked down.
"There's not supposed to be a ward." Himejima said, her lips curved into a fake smile. "You'd think any Exorcists would think twice before trying something like this."
That was enough to make Kyouya put his belt on. "Keep on your guard."
There wasn't really much else to go. The hallway was a straight line. Kyouya decided to go straight and see if there was anything to find. A door waited for the two at the end of the hallway.
"I'm dropping the competition pretense." Kyouya stated as he retrieved a card.
"Ah, and Issei was looking forward to it." Himejima disappointedly whispered, even as her body language shifted. She was ready to fight if needed.
"I'm sure Issei and I could compete over other things."
Kyouya then slotted the card.
[KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
The magenta rider kicked down the door. He was greeted with a very large empty room. Kyouya swore that it kinda looked like an indoor gym. The duo slowly made their way inside. It did not take long to spot a potential threat.
"Welcome!" A voice rang out.
It belonged to a fairly nondescript looking man. Short black hair with simple shirt and slacks combo. Kyouya immediately pinned his aura as one belonging to a Devil. Which really put a gum in the works.
"I figured Devils don't make contracts with each other." Decade says as he grabs his Ridebooker.
"And usually a summon isn't answered by a Human." The Devil answers.
Decade figures now is a great time to drop subtlety and he shifts the Ridebooker into its gun configuration. Himejima steps in front of Decade.
"It is rare that we get called on by another Devil, but not entirely unheard of. What's the occasion, sir?" Himejima probed.
Kyouya could understand wanting to know what was going on, but he was of the opinion it would be easier to extract once this Devil was beaten to a paste.
"As it happens, I'm actually working on a contract of my own," The Devil starts as he digs around in one of his pockets, "I'm here to kill a Kamen Rider."
The Devil then pulls out a USB Drive, It is scarlet red and has a label with a stylized C on it. Decade stiffens as he realizes what that is. The Rider then pushes Himejima out of the way and fires a volley of shots at the Devil.
Simultaneously, the Devil presses a button on the USB and stabs it into his arm.
[CHESS!]
A dark wave of energy washes over the area as Decade's shots connect with the stray, creating a small cloud of smoke. The Rider mutters a curse under his breath and looks to Himejima. "Don't get in my way. I know how to deal with this."
"Oh, I'm sure you do."
Decade ignores Himejima's sarcastic tone as he watches the smoke. What was a Gaia Memory doing here in Kuoh? In the hands of a Devil no less! There were several layers of wrongness stacked on top of each other. Where was the Rider even supposed to begin?
As the smoke settled, the answer appeared in Kyouya's mind. First things first, he had a Dopant to defeat.
The lower half appeared to be a marble white pillar. The top half resembled a generic statue of a man, with the additions of devil wings on its back and the head being replaced with an oversized white crown.
The transformed Devil then brought his hands together for a clap, and an assortment of chess pieces appeared around him. A full set of fifteen pieces surrounded him.
It was then that Decade looked down at the floor and noted that the floor had also been changed to a checkerboard pattern. The Rider felt his patience beginning to thin. So, Decade pulled out a card and slotted it into his belt.
[KAMEN RIDE: WIZARD!]
A red glyph appeared in front of the Rider and quickly changed his armor into that of Wizard's. A second magic circle appeared at his side, which the Rider grabbed Wizard's personal weapon from. Kyouya then pulled on the thumb of the weapon's hand.
[C'MON AND SHOOT! SHAKE HANDS!]
Wizard tries to ignore the sounds of not so subtle giggling from behind him. (Why does Himejima derive such enjoyment from it?) He then scans his Flame Ring.
[FLAME! SHOOTING STRIKE!]
Fire begins to coalesce in the barrel of the gun. Which Wizard quickly aims forward and launches towards the group of enemy chess pieces.
Then, both Bishop pieces begin to glow a bright blue and a barrier appears in front of the Chess set. Wizard's attack collides with the barrier and after a few moments of struggling, is bounced away from the board and explodes on a wall.
"Did you really think that was going to work?" The Devil asks, somehow looking disappointed at the display.
The Kamen Rider stays silent as he tries to piece together a plan. The Bishop pieces were capable of forming a shield. So, that meant he couldn't destroy them all at once. What was the plan then? Topple piece by piece until he reached the King? Looks like the Rider was in this for the long haul…
"Looks like the Bishops are playing their role well. That was a good shield." Himejima comments, her tone suggesting that she's figured something out.
Wizard looked at the main Dopant. Considering the circumstances, it was possible that these chess piece's abilities were fashioned after the roles Reincarnated Devils took. It also brought up a few questions about the origin of the Memory, but the Rider was willing to stash that away for now. More importantly, he was going to have to figure out how to deal with it. That was a decent amount of varied targets before you took in any possible hidden skills.
Wizard's armor fizzled out and Decade ran forward, a new card in hand.
[ATTACK RIDE: ILLUSION]
Three Decades were now going forward and each of them pulled out a card of their own. As they approach, the eight pawns in front of the Dopant begin to shake and stretch. Morphing into crude humanoid shapes, each armed with a simple club. The transformed Pawns look at the oncoming Riders for only a moment before breaking into a run of their own.
[KAMEN RIDE: OOO/GAIM/GHOST!]
The Middle Decade was surrounded by various colored medals, eventually a set appeared in front of him. A red, a yellow, and a green.
[TAKA, TORA, BATTA!]
The three medals converged onto Decade, replacing his suit with a fully black and gray suit that was slowly filling with color. The top part was red and patterned after a bird. The helmet had green compound eyes. The chest section was yellow, with folded claws resting against the Rider's forearms. Green ran across the Rider's legs and the suit completed itself.
[TA-TO-BA! TATOBA, TATOBA!]
OOO hoped no one would ask about the singing part of the callout.
[Hanamichi! On Stage!]
[Let's go! Prepare Yourself! Go-Go-Go-Ghost!]
The copies at OOO's side turn into Gaim and Ghost respectively, and the battle begins in earnest.
Gaim raised his sword and blocked a strike from one of the Pawns. The orange Rider then retaliated with a quick slash to his opponent's torso. His sword left sparks as it collided with the pawn's body. Gaim then drew his other blade in order to block another attack coming from his side.
Ghost was quick to attack the Pawn and pulled it off the multi-colored Rider. The Rider then quickly sidestepped the blow from another Pawn. Ghost then summoned forth the GanGan Saber and shifted it into it's gun configuration before jumping up into the air and beginning to float. He then let loose a volley of shots.
While the other two Riders smoothly moved away from, the Pawn Soldiers were not so agile. They were bombarded by shots.
Gaim saw an opportunity and retrieved his Final Attack Card.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: G-G-G-GAIM!]
The DaiDaiMaru blazed with an orange aura and the Fruit Rider swung the sword in a wide arc. Releasing a wave that busted through four whole Pawns, the other four suddenly reverted to their original game piece appearance. Causing the sword attack to catch on the fifth Pawn and be stopped.
Under OOO's helmet, Kyouya raised an eyebrow. Now wasn't that a curious turn of events. Before the Rider could dwell on it, he felt a surge of awareness from one of his copies.
Ghost raised his sword and blocked an attack from a new opponent. One of the Knight Pieces had morphed into a strange miniature horse. A horse with a strong horn. Ghost found himself being pushed back by the Knight piece.
While Ghost dealt with that, the other two Riders looked back to the group of chess pieces. Both Rooks had started rumbling and sprouting bulky limbs.
"So do you want to deal with this?" Gaim was the first say anything.
"Neither of us are good for it." OOO comments as he reaches for his Ridebooker.
"Not like this, anyways." Gaim finishes the thought and pulls out a card of his own.
Kyouya had not rested much after the fight with the Fallen Angels. The Kamen Rider realized that he hadn't performed as well as he could. So, Kyouya spent time checking and re-checking his cards and practiced when possible. Resulting in him now being able to do this…
[FORM RIDE: GAIM, PINE ARMS!]
[FORM RIDE: OOO, GORILLA!]
The Orange themed Rider disappeared in a flash of juices and a mechanical Pineapple appeared over his head and crashed onto his suit. Unfolding into a new Arms for the Rider. A pineapple-themed flail with a long chain appeared in his hands.
Once again, medals appeared around OOO. This time, a gray medal appeared in place of the yellow and three medals crashed into the Rider. Replacing the yellow gauntlets with heavy gray arms. Reminiscent of a gorilla's own large arms.
The two Rooks had fully formed by this point and began slowly making their way forward.
"Go get the other one, I'll handle this." Gaim said, as he stretched the chain of his weapon.
"Good luck." OOO said as he turned and slotted another card.
[FORM RIDE: OOO, CHEETAH!]
The Rider's legs were switched out for a yellow set. They then began to glow as OOO took off with a burst of speed. OOO's visor also glowed as the Rider's eyesight sharpened. He identified several potential weak point in the Knight Piece that was keeping Ghost pinned. There were several precise ways he could disable the automaton.
Unfortunately, OOO's current arms were about as precise as a sledgehammer. So the Rider opted instead to charge in with a punch. The Knight piece was sent flying. Ghost did not let this chance go. The Parka Rider retrieved his own finisher card.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: G-G-G-GHOST!]
Ghost raised his weapon and fired a blast that cleanly took the faux-horse's head. The rest of the body proceeded to crumble afterwards. Both Riders then looked back to Gaim.
The Fruits rider narrowly avoided a crushing blow from one Rook. He countered with a swing of his weapon, which caused a small crack to appear in the Rook's side. From the corner of his eye, Gaim noticed the other Knight piece begin to move.
OOO dashed once more as Ghost retrieved another card.
[FORM RIDE: GHOST, NEWTON DAMASHII!]
Ghost's current hood disappeared in orange light as a blue hoodie emerged from his belt. It had two large orbs connected to the sleeves. Ghost threw his weapon forward as the new form attached itself to the Rider. The Copy then extended one of his arms forward and a blue spiral extended from its arm.
The morphing Knight Piece suddenly began to slow down and sunk into the ground. OOO produced another card from his holder.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: O-O-O-OOO!]
Both of the Rider's arms glowed brightly as he brought them down onto the Knight Piece. The collision caused a small explosion, the Multi-Colored Rider emerged from the smoke afterwards in order to crash into one of the Rooks near Gaim.
The Chess Dopant growled as he watched the fight play out. He snapped his fingers, causing the Bishop pieces to begin to glow once more.
"Let's see how he handles this-"
The Dopant was cut off as he was struck by an actual bolt of lightning that obliterated both Bishop Pieces. It left the Dopant with several burn marks.
Kyouya turned to look behind him. Himejima was grinning at him.
"Didn't I tell you to not interfere?"
"You just looked like you were having so much fun. I wanted a little piece for myself."
"Whatever." OOO ducked out of the way of another Rook's punch. He then grabbed another card from the Ridebooker. It was time to finish this.
[KAMEN RIDE: W!]
OOO's form was quickly replaced by the two toned W.
"D-Don't think I'll give in so easily. I haven't even deployed my Queen yet!" The Dopant declared, he then extended an arm to the piece in question. Small electricity built up along his arms and then proceeded to blow up.
"W-What?!" The Dopant exclaimed, very confused.
The Rider wasnt going to complain about the strange feedback. Not when it worked in his favor. W pulled out another card. Seeing this, the Dopant would reactivate the Pawns and had them gather in front of him.
The Rider then pulled open his belt and threw the card down into the Driver. He then pushed in the sides.
[FORM RIDE: W: HEATMETAL!]
Both sides of W began to glow, a wave of red on his right side and a wave of silver light covered his left. The two halves of his suit changed to those respective covers. The Rider also held out his left hand and a silver quarterstaff materialized in it. W hit a button on the weapon and it folded out into a longer form. He gave it a few experimental twirls before pointing it at the Dopant.
"It's about time you repented."
The Chess Dopant growled and commanded the set of pawns to rush W.
The Half-and-Half rider began to slowly walk forward. As the first Pawn attacked, he thrusted his staff forward into its stomach. Then, using the form's enhanced strength, hoisted the monster up and knocked it into one of its brethren. Another Pawn tried to attack from W's right flank and was met with a flaming punch that melted it's face clean off. The Kamen Rider then pulled out a yellow card from his side.
"I'm putting an end to this game."
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: W-W-W-W!]
W shifted the staff in his hands so that he was holding it like one would a bat. Then, a torrent of fire burst to life on that end. The Rider used the momentum from the flame to launch a spin attack, decimating the surrounding pawns and causing them to explode. The Rider then adjusted the weapon so that he was now holding its middle section. At that moment, a second torrent of fire appeared at the opposite end of the staff. The Rider looked at the Chess Dopant.
A name suddenly popped into his mind and the Rider spoke it as he broke into a run.
"Metal Branding!"
The Rider's weapon collided with the Dopant and caused another large explosion. The Chess Memory was flung through the air and landed in a random corner of the room. W was the next to emerge. The rider did a flourish with his staff.
The smoke cleared fully to reveal the Devil, knocked out but looking relatively unharmed. The rest of the pieces crumbled into dust. A sort of chain reaction after the main body was defeated.
A few feet away from the unconscious Devil was the Chess Memory. Kyouya made his way over to it. The Gaia Memory was made from sturdy stuff. It had been ejected but managed to retain its form afterwards. It would not do to let it remain that way. W reached out to grab the Memory.
The Memory flew away from the Kamen Rider and into the hands of a hooded figure. One who wasn't there a second before. Somehow they had just… appeared in the room.
"Now wasn't that one heck of a show?" The figure spoke, their voice sounded garbled.
Each of the Riders turned to face the new figure.
"Hey now! I just came to watch, not really into fighting myself." The figure said, holding up their hands in mock surrender.
"Can't say I'm convinced." Kyouya said.
"C'mon! I just wanted to see how well the Memory I made would do in a real fight! Too bad the test subject kinda fumbled. He didn't have enough power to activate every piece at once! I'll have to find someone with a little more energy." The figure rambled on.
W's suit fizzled out back into Decade and the Rider pulled the Ridebooker from its place on his belt. Decade then shifted it into gun mode and pointed it at the hooded individual. The figure wisely took a step back once they saw that.
"What's with all the aggression here? Not like anyone really got hurt!"
"Please forgive him, he's a new hire. We haven't had the time to teach him to play nice yet." Himejima interjected. Kyouya was tempted to point the gun at her next.
"Instead, how about you tell me all about this Memory of yours? I'd say it looks pretty interesting." Himejima cooed, her lips curled into a salacious smile.
"Ah, I'd like to stay and talk to a pretty lady. Unfortunately, I got places to be and also Decade looks like he's ready to end me. Not a great place to be in. We'll talk later, Ciao!" The figure then… popped out of existence. Almost as if he was never even there.
Decade grunted and undid his transformation, his two copies disappeared at the same time.
"Well, the ward just dropped. So we're free to go then." Himejima informed her companion.
"What do we do about that guy?" Kyouya asked, pointing to the unconscious Devil.
"Leave him, I'm sure he won't be a problem again. Not like we could bring him through the warp. Not unless you want to go home on foot." Himejima explained.
"Doesn't seem wise." Kyouya pointed out.
"Neither is leaving behind a corpse. If he has any brains, he'll avoid telling others that he invaded Gremory territory and attacked one of their members."
"Right."
The two of them gathered near the entrance to the room. Himejima began to start up a magic circle. Kyouya decided to ask a question.
"So, Devils take on murder contracts as well?"
This caused the Queen to pause her work for a moment and chuckle. "Does that really surprise you?" She asked.
"Not really." Kyouya said, not sure what to do with the information.
"We never really answer those kinds of requests though. Rias doesn't really want us to do certain things for work." Himejima continued. "Did Issei tell you about that orientation we put him and Asia through?"
"He mostly complained about how many women saw Kiba." Kyouya answered.
"Ah, what a one track mind that boy has. It's nice to see that he isn't shy with his desires."
Admirable in some ways, Kyouya thought. Tiring on days when it got Issei in trouble.
"Usually, most of our contracts involve playing house. Helping people after a hard day or just giving them a social partner. It's rare that we get a gig that involves using our abilities. Rias likes it that way, says it's good to have a resume of good clean work. Some might call her naive for that."
"Are you one of them?" Kyouya interrupted.
"No, I quite enjoy my current contracts. Although, if I were to decide the terms of the next one…" Himejima trailed off.
Kyouya raised an eyebrow at the Queen. Unsure of what she wasn't saying. Then, Kyouya found himself being grabbed. His first instinct was to struggle, as he wasn't a fan of getting touched. The next thing Kyouya realized was that he being pushed against something soft.
"Ah, I knew you'd be the perfect height for this." Himejima cooed as she pressed Kyouya's head against her bosom.
"How would you like to form a contract with me? I could show you what it's like to have a big sister." She offered.
Kyouya quickly weaseled his way out of her grip. "No way." He huffed, an annoyed look on his face.
"Are you sure? I find the best naps come when you're sharing it with someone else."
"I refuse."
"Ah well, the offers open if you ever change your mind." Himejima said, she then activated the magic circle. "Shall we head back then?"
"The sooner the better." Kyouya grimly said.
It took an extra hour for Issei and Gremory to return to the mostly empty clubroom, but Kyouya could already tell what had happened by Issei's beaming smile!
"Dude! I freakin' aced it this time! I even got asked to come back tomorrow, it'll be great." Issei exclaimed with too much energy for how late at night it was.
Kyouya simply gave a thumbs up.
"Good job, Issei." Himejima congratulated the younger Devil.
"How'd things go on your end?" Gremory asked as she walked over to her desk.
"We were attacked." Himejima answered.
Issei made a choking noise at that.
Gremory turned around quickly, a serious expression on her face. "Explain."
It didn't take long to outline what had happened.
"I just wanted to make sure you were in the know. I'm going home now." Kyouya said when they were done explaining. He got up and proceeded to walk out of the room.
"Wait up, I wanna talk to you about something!" Issei yelled out as he followed his friend out the room.
That left only two Devils in the room.
"So, how did things go with Issei? What kind of person did you meet?"
"A college girl. She had forgotten her book in class, but was too afraid to retrieve it at night."
"And who was more suited for the job than a Devil? The night is our domain after all."
"I guess."
Himejima frowned at her friend's lack of a reaction.
"What's wrong?"
"The timing with Kyouya getting attacked… I wanted to offer him more support, but…"
"You're not sure how much longer you can even stay in Kuoh, right?"
Gremory's response was a single nod.
"If that happens, could I ask you to-"
"Rias. If you're going back, we're going back with you." Himejima cut her off. "I know for a fact that Yuuto and Koneko feel the same way. Even Issei and Asia might come to support you."
"That's the part I'm worried about. Issei's having enough trouble adjusting. I don't want him to have to move to the Underworld on top of all that."
"We'll have to figure that out if it comes to that." Himejima said, she looked up at the ceiling. "Do you think we could convince Kyouya to join us? Your remaining Rook should do the trick."
"I don't think we could convince him that easily. I'm not even sure he trusts us right now." Gremory answered as she laid her head down onto the desk.
"Well, where does that leave us then?" Himejima asked.
"I could always see if Sona would keep an eye out for him. Although, that might come with it's own problems."
"Yeah, Kyouya would probably end up in the Disciplinary committee. Then he'll really get all stuck up."
Gremory gave her Queen a blank stare at that.
"I'm trying to lighten the mood. Honestly, I think they might hit it off. They're both so serious."
"Maybe they will." Gremory said, turning her attention to the ceiling. "I just wish I had more time is all…"
"So why does it matter that your client was wearing samurai armor?" Kyouya asked, his voice barely above a grumble.
"It's just crazy to me is all!"
"So is reincarnating into a Devil." Kyouya immediately regretted saying that.
"Hell yeah it is! My life has stopped making sense and I love it. That's why I gotta keep the good work. Climb the ranks of Devil society!" Issei exclaimed, probably too loud for this time of night.
"What's waiting for you up there? More praise from Gremory?"
"That, and the Prez told me that if I climbed high enough I'd get my own set of Evil Pieces. And you know what that means." Issei looked at Kyouya and waggled his eyebrows.
"I don't think that's what they made the system for." Actually, Kyouya wasn't sure why Devils reincarnated other species.
"The Prez told me it was a valid way to enjoy your Servants. I just gotta find girls who are into it."
"Maybe lead in with the powers first, you'll get more bites that way." Kyouya retorted, not wanting to think about this topic. "You said you had another job from the Samurai girl tomorrow right? What's the request?"
Issei lit up at that mention. "I'm helping her confess to a guy she likes. Once that the contract will be- KYOUYA!"
The younger male covered his ears. "Don't yell so loud right now, idiot!"
"I forgot! Damn it!" Issei continued to shout.
"Forgot what?!"
"I didn't get to fondle the President's boobs! I forgot to ask once we got back!"
Kyouya let out a deep sigh upon hearing this. Issei grabbed his shoulder.
"Do you think she's still at the club?"
"It's been like twenty minutes, she probably went home by now." Kyouya guessed.
"Ahhhhhh. I missed a once in the lifetime chance…" Issei whined.
"Why does it matter so much anyways?"
"We've been over this! Breasts are great, and the Prez has one of the best pairs I've ever seen. One of these days I'm gonna have to really show you how great they are!"
"I'm fine." Kyouya flatly said.
"C'mon! Your whole world will change after you touch some tits!"
"Like you've touched any to know…"
Issei almost tripped at the painful truth. "You may be right," The Pawn started, "But one day, one day I won't be able to go an hour without copping a feel!"
"Your fingers will go numb at that rate."
"No they won't, not with the healing properties of-"
"Oh shut up already!"
[END.]
Author's Note: Well, it's been a year. I'm officially discontinuing the next time segments because…. It's been a year man. I gotta edit chapter 4's next time segment because it's completely inaccurate now probably. I'm gonna try and finish adapting up to Volume 2 over the next couple of months. Anything after that is up in the air. Maybe Anomaly will be back on the menu once this is done. I'll try and respond to reviews in the future, but thanks to everyone who said they wanted more of this.