Enter the Dragonfly
Night had passed mercifully without incident. Morning rousing the ruined city with golden light. Kiraru winced as the beams shone through the blinds of his window, aiming straight into his closed eyes.
Already the settlement was awake and full of motion, the sounds of people quickly getting to their respective jobs sounded from outside the window. The first scavenging party of the day would be leaving soon. Kiraru pushed himself up into a sitting position, groggily rubbing his still tired eyes. Memories of yesterday flashed in his head.
"Promise me that you won't sneak out again." Matori's words echoed, "At least go with one of the parties if you want to go out."
Kiraru flopped back down with a groan. Perhaps it was better to stay inside today, maybe he could take his mind off the creatures outside the settlement. He gazed up at the wall of his room. The sketch of the Zebraskulls stood proudly in the center of his vision, surrounded by sketches of other beasts and monsters he'd encountered. He closed his eyes, savoring the peace.
Yes, he could definitely defeat his curiosity.
…
When was the next scavenging party.
Hope was a relatively peaceful settlement. Their homes were made from the rooms of buildings cleared by Matori. Under his watch, they rarely came across the full scale invasions other settlements faced, the only issues coming from stray monsters wandering too close to the makeshift walls of scrap metal and debris. People hurried to and fro, heading to assigned jobs and chores like bees in a beehive.
Kiraru dashed out of the building he made his home in, weaving through crowds of busy workers toward a group of people gathering near the jury-rigged gate. The next scavenging party ready to depart on their mission to find food and other resources for Hope to use.
Matori stood with the party, speaking to a man Kiraru could only guess to be the leader of the party. The warrior, now lacking the armor he wore yesterday, turned his head at the sound of the young man's approach. He stared at Kiraru, sharp, green eyes narrowed, clearly ready to question the boy's motive. Kiraru gestured toward the scavenging party, hoping to ease the man's worries. Matori watched for a few more moments with suspicion, his gaze boring into Kiraru, before turning back to the party leader.
"I understand your concern," he spoke, "that is unusual behavior for a Mirror Monster."
"Indeed" the party leader agreed, crossing his muscular arms, "here's hoping the little bastard doesn't pop up this time."
"If it does, I'll know," Matori replied as he pulled out the green buckle of his armor's belt. The peacock emblem shone in the morning sun.
"I'll take care of it."
The leader nodded, then called for the party to begin moving. The current lookout peeked down from his stand, then moved to open the gate for the group. Kiraru moved to follow.
"Stay with the group Kiraru" Matori's voice halted him, "I mean it, especially right now."
Kiraru nodded sheepishly at the man, then ran to catch up. The gate opened slowly, creaking loudly as it went. The lookout signaled that the coast was clear, and the party was off.
The scavenging party had proceeded through the ruined streets without incident, yet also without prize. It seemed like there wasn't anything salvageable on their current route.
"Grrr… This is the fourth building we've gone through this morning!" One member yelled, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"I agree," another voiced, she ran a hand through her hair, shaking away some dust, "someone's got to have been here already."
The party leader sighed, rubbing his bearded chin. They all watched and bickered as he internally debated whether it was worth continuing or not.
Kiraru sighed, leaning against a crooked lamppost and watching the surrounding ruins. They hadn't seen any Mirror Monsters around at all, not even the one that had been harassing the parties. He found it strange. Usually they see at least a few creatures watching them, usually ones too small to prove a threat alone. Today though, the streets were quiet and empty.
Or so he thought.
Movement caught the corner of his eye. He quickly turned to find something blue turning the corner at the end of an alleyway. Kiraru stared wide eyed for a moment. That had to have been a Mirror Monster! His excitement burned hotter. He had never seen one that was blue either! He started after it.
"Stay with the group Kiraru."
Kiraru stopped as Matori's words echoed once more in his head. He watched the alleyway futilely, knowing that with each second the creature would get farther and farther away. He turned back to the scavenging party, who were now arguing amongst each other.
He had to know.
He turned away and started down the alleyway, already rounding the corner.
Kiraru raced down the crumbling street, praying that the creature hadn't rounded anymore corners, or wasn't waiting behind him.
He had to know.
He ran until he reached what he could only believe was once an observatory. His eyes locked on another blue blur of movement as the creature entered through the empty hole that was once the main doorway. Kiraru looked around nervously. He had never been here before. With caution, he peered into the entrance.
Darkness greeted him, the creature having long vanished into the shadows. There was only one option if he wanted to find it: enter.
He took a deep breath, and walked toward the opening.
No, no this was a very bad idea. The creature would probably be waiting in the darkness for him to enter, to jump down from the ceiling and tear him to bits. He shook his head and began to walk back the way he came.
And kicked something small. Kiraru looked down at the object with curiosity.
It was a buckle, similar to Matori's, only lacking the emblem and plain black in color. Kiraru picked it up for a better look, perhaps there were also cards inside.
He had only seconds to catch the blue in the corner of his eye again, to hear the awful buzzing, before something slammed hard into his back. Sharp claws dug into his shoulders, the blood they drew staining his jacket dark. He cried out as the creature lifted him into the air, his legs kicking nothing as he struggled to free himself from its grip.
The beast shot into the darkness, dragging Kiraru in its claws.
The street blurred beneath Matori's feet as he ran. He had heard it, the accursed sound rang loud in his head, filling him with cold dread.
The sound of trouble.
He raced down the ruined street, trying to pinpoint just where it was coming from. So many alleyways and intersections yet his focus stayed firm.
That one.
He rounded the corner to find the scavenging party cornered, a Mirror Monster staring them down.
Matori made a mental note to smack the party leader that called this thing a "little" bastard.
This bastard was certainly not little.
The past scavenging parties that encountered it had failed to mention that it was a large type. A type rarely seen much less faced. Pinkish armor ran down its stout body like some living tank. A large, armored frill framed three golden horns.
The triceratops monster glared at them before letting out a roar that shook the very ground they stood upon.
Matori narrowed his eyes, his hand in his coat pocket.
"Run," he urged the scavenging party, eyes never straying from the beast, "as I said, I'd take care of it."
"Will you now?"
Matori's eyes widened at the new voice. His shock deepened as the speaker appeared, emerging from the mirror as though it were water.
Like how Matori's armor resembled Guldmirage, this newcomer was clad in armor similar to the triceratops beast. He regarded Matori from behind his three horned helm, sizing him up as he moved to the large beast's side. He slammed the trident clasped in his hand into the ground, the dull end striking the pavement with a sharp, metallic clang. Matori knew what this warrior was, the same kind of warrior that he himself was.
"Rider."
The rider's head tilted, Matori could almost see his brow raise from behind the grill of his silver visor.
"You know what I am?" He questioned, "perhaps you are the one I've been waiting for."
Matori took a deep breath, regaining his composure, before shooting the warrior with a glare.
"I do," he said, "and I suggest you cease your actions and leave these people alone!"
The scavenging party moved to leave. The monster roared again before charging, sliding into the way of the party's exit and eliciting several screams from the group. Matori gritted his teeth.
"Do not worry, I haven't come for them" the triceratops rider chuckled, "If you truly are the one I am looking for, I'll release these people." In one motion, the warrior raised his trident, thrusting it in Matori's direction, "Dreiceras!"
At its master's call, Dreiceras roared and charged once more, aiming to run Matori through. Acting quickly, Matori vaulted over the charging monster, barely missing its sharp horns. He rolled into a landing, his shoulder bumping painfully against the wall. He bit back a shout, scrabbling to his feet and drawing his deck.
The triceratops rider seemed to know what was happening, he halted Dreiceras and watched with interest as Matori stood straight in front of the nearest window.
He thrust his deck toward the reflection, feeling the weight of the belt as it flipped onto his waist. He spread his arms in a circle, then brought them back together, slotting the deck into the belt and shouted a word that all his kind knew well.
"HENSHIN!"
Like his belt, his armor flipped from the mirror, the close familiarity of his suit providing a reassuring weight. His staff flew into his hand, he gave it an experimental spin.
The triceratops rider nodded his head with approval.
"So it is you," he said, taking in every detail of Matori's armor, "Kamen Rider Hypnos, I've been looking for you."
"I've noticed," Kamen Rider Hypnos remarked, irritated.
"I've heard of your exploits," he continued, "you've defeated many powerful monsters."
"Please forgive my rudeness" Hypnos interrupted, "but could you hurry this up, I would like to ensure that these people are safe."
"And I will release them safely," he said, "If you humor me with one battle."
"Battle?"
"Indeed" the warrior nodded, he readied his trident.
"I am Kamen Rider Trident, and I formally challenge you!"
He gestured to Dreiceras, the beast seemed to understand what he wanted and returned to the scavenging party.
"If you win, I will release these people," Trident said calmly, "and should you lose, I'll keep your deck as a trophy!"
Hypnos grumbled. He really didn't have a choice did he? If he didn't accept, who knows what Trident would do. He straightened, his staff readied in front of him.
"I accept."
"Let's see how good you truly are" and with that, both charged.
The last thought that Matori had before clashing with Trident was that he hadn't seen Kiraru anywhere within the group.
Kiraru regarded the creature before him with horror.
In the single, miraculously still working light of the observatory, it stood. Sharp, segmented, blue chitin covered its body head to toe, broken by spots of yellow. Ten red eyes stared at Kiraru from behind its silver head. It clicked its mandibles, a dragonfly tail lashing behind its head, and approached slowly.
This was it, this was how he died. Eaten by a giant, freakish dragonfly monster. Far from anyone who could help him. He had known well that his stupid curiosity could leave him dead one day.
The creature's stalk sped into a dash.
"Mr. Morimoto."
It leapt toward Kiraru, his eyes shut with resignation.
"I'm sorry."
No pain came.
No life-ending snap of mandibles sounded.
Instead a screech, louder than any he had heard before, echoed through the observatory, followed by a shriek of pain from the dragonfly.
Curious as to why he hadn't met his demise, Kiraru peeked an eye open, and beheld the spectacle.
A bat, a very large bat, had tackled the dragonfly away. Kiraru's eyes widened, he'd never seen this monster before! Why was it helping him? Was it just fighting to take an easy meal from the dragonfly? Was it a cannibal?
A gloved hand clamped tightly around his arm, dragging him away from the dueling creatures and out of the observatory. Kiraru looked up.
"Mr. Akiyama!" Kiraru shouted in surprise. Mr. Akiyama's eyes were transfixed on the object in the boy's hands.
"You have one of them," he whispered.
"What?"
Before Mr. Akiyama could answer, the sounds of battle rang from nearby. Neither had time to react before Kamen Rider Hypnos flew past them, crashing into a wall. Kamen Rider Trident strode out after him, spinning his similarly named weapon.
"Is that truly all you've got" Trident growled, "perhaps you aren't as great as they say."
Matori said nothing, growling as he struggled to his feet. He drew a card.
TOSS VENT
Guldmirage's ring weapon flew from a nearby window into Hypnos's waiting hand. The Miragering, as he called it. He raised it to block a strike from Trident's weapon, then sliced into the rider twice, sending him backwards.
Kiraru watched anxiously, Hypnos was tiring. Every swing he made became slower and clumsier, and even from their vantage point the boy could see that he was breathing heavily.
He couldn't help but think that this was all his fault. That if he hadn't left the group, he could have somehow prevented this attack.
There had to be something he could do to help. Anything. He looked down at the buckle object he still held in his hand, shaking it in the hopes that it would do something useful.
Two cards fell out, both blank save for their names. One in particular caught his eye.
CONTRACT
"Kiraru."
He turned to see Mr. Akiyama watching him.
"What do you wish for?"
"What?"
"I know what you're planning" he said, "I don't want this to happen and I know Matori definitely doesn't either, but I don't think anyone has a choice anymore." His stare intensified, "If you become a rider, you won't be able to return to the life you once lived."
"So I'll ask you once again. What do you wish for? What are you willing to fight for?"
"I..." Kiraru paused. What did he mean? What was he fighting for? His mind flashed back to all the creatures he'd seen, the sketches on his walls, the dragonfly.
Many dragonflies, the screaming, the chaos.
He had to know.
"I need to know the truth."
There was a loud screech as the two battling beasts rolled out of the observatory. With another loud scream, the bat lifted off into the air and flew away.
Leaving the dragonfly creature, scrabbling to its feet and screeching.
Kiraru looked at the card.
He knew what needed to be done.
He approached cautiously, the card raised. The dragonfly stared at him chittering curiously.
Then lunged at him, this time glowing with a brilliant light.
Kiraru beheld a dark void, empty save for him and the creature. It stalked around him, eyeing him, but this time not like he was its next meal. Instead, it was almost as though it were appraising him. Trying to assess him for something.
Finally, it stepped back in front of him, seeming almost pleased with him. And odd feeling washed over him, something about him was changing.
Then he blinked.
He was back in the ruined streets of reality, the creature had disappeared.
The deck had turned blue, the golden emblem of a dragonfly now sat proudly in the center.
"Well then," Mr. Akiyama said with a resigned nod, "go find the truth."
Kiraru nodded and dashed away. Mr. Akiyama watched him leave with pained recognition.
Hypnos growled and sliced at Trident once more. The triceratops rider seemed to have gotten wise to his strategy and leapt back out of the way.
The pink warrior drew his own card, placing it into the open beak of a gauntlet bearing the visage of a triceratops head. He shut the beak as Hypnos brought his Miragering down on him once more.
GUARD VENT
The peacock Rider's weapon clanged harmlessly against a shield, its shape resembling Diceras's frill. Trident took advantage of the opening, smacking Hypnos away with his weapon.
Stumbling away, Hypnos drew one more card. He charged, weapon ready. Trident followed suit, thrusting his trident forward.
FLASH VENT
Suddenly a bright light erupted from Hypnos, blinding everyone. Everyone covered their eyes, trying to block out the searing white. And as quickly as it began, it faded away.
Leaving Hypnos against the wall once more. He tried to get back to his feet, but found himself falling back to the floor. Trident stalked forward slowly.
"You put up a good fight," he said, raising his trident, "now yield, and this will be easier for both of us."
Matori swore under his breath. This was it. Either Trident was going to kill him, or he was going to take his deck as some trophy. Either way meant bad things for both him and Hope.
He tried once more to drag himself back to his feet, eyes locked with Trident as he approached, hoping that his mask hid enough of his panic.
Someone got in the way. Matori recognized him immediately.
"Kiraru?"
Matori watched with shock. What was he doing? Didn't he know that this was dangerous?! Something glinted in the sun, his eyes trailed down to Kiraru's waist.
Where a familiar belt lay.
No.
"Hmph. An interruption" Trident snorted, clanging his trident on the ground, "Move!"
It didn't seem like Kiraru had heard him.
"Mr. Morimoto."
Hypnos looked up. Kiraru had turned to him, guilt and concern etched onto his face.
"Are you okay?"
"Kiraru…" Matori whispered, "why?"
"Did you not hear me?" Trident roared impatiently, "get out of my way, outsider!"
Kiraru turned to Trident, a look of nervous determination on his face. He pulled out the deck.
"Hmm?"
And thrust it forward. He then brought his arm out to the side and called out.
"HENSHIN!"
And in Kiraru's place stood a rider. His armor a clear sky blue, its form resembling a dragonfly. He stood determined, blocking Trident's path to Hypnos. He fell into a fighting stance.
"I am," he began.
"Kamen Rider Rayza!"
"Kamen Rider Rayza hmm?" Trident sized up his new opponent, "very well then, I accept your challenge!"
He charged, trident raised to run Rayza through. Rayza remained still, watching Trident's rapid approach. His expression hidden under his mask. Trident thrust his staff at the Rider only to pierce nothing but air, Rayza flipping over him. He landed silently on the ground and wasted no time in kicking the triceratops Rider in the back.
Trident stumbled forward and whirled around, aiming to strike Rayza in the stomach with his weapon, but the rider leaned backward under the trident as though it were a limbo pole. He weaved back up and punched Trident in the face before leaning out of the way of another swing of the weapon.
Matori watched numbly as Kiraru fought. He should have expected this to have happened. Kiraru was obsessed with learning about the Mirror Monsters, absolutely fascinated with them, and he idolized Hypnos and Guldmirage. He should have known this was going to happen, no matter what he tried.
Still didn't mean that it didn't hurt.
Matori hadn't felt himself hit the floor again, hadn't felt Mr. Akiyama's hand on his shoulders, all he felt was his last conscious thought ring through his head.
"Kiraru… I'm sorry."
Kiraru had no idea what he was doing.
He felt stronger, lighter. Every move he made was quick and graceful, almost as though he knew how to fight.
But he had no clue how to actually fight.
Up until now, he had been trying to dodge Trident's strikes and throw punches whenever the triceratops rider wasn't stabbing at him. It wasn't easy, but he could tell that Trident was getting frustrated, his stabs and thrusts getting faster and far more erratic. Kiraru needed to find a way to counter that staff.
His mind trailed back to Matori's fight yesterday. "The cards!" He weaved out of the way of another frustrated stab and leaped backwards, out of Trident's range, to draw a card. The dragonfly shaped gauntlet opened, the wings spreading further out to reveal the slot to insert it.
Nodding in understanding, he slotted the card into the gauntlet and closed the wings.
SWORD VENT
A spear flew into his hand. He held it in front of him, marvelling as the sharp, blue weapon gleamed in the light. He heard Trident quickly approaching, once more aiming to run Rayza through. Thinking fast, the dragonfly Rider lashed out with his spear. The wing-like blades jutting from the spearhead caught between the prongs of the trident, locking the two weapons together. Rayza pulled with all his might, tapping into his newly gained strength. He couldn't lose his new weapon now! He gave one more mighty tug.
Trident's weapon was wrenched from his hand. It soared through the air, clattering onto the pavement a small ways away and disappearing. The triceratops rider stared at where it had landed for a moment, stunned.
Rayza stumbled backwards, trying to regain his balance now that he had nothing to pull against. Trident came at him with a fist, narrowly dodged by Kiraru falling back. He rolled away from Trident and quickly drew a new card.
His eyes fell onto the dragonfly monster's figure printed upon the card, then caught the name written above it.
Raydragoon.
Rayza weaved out of the way of another enraged punch and slotted the card.
ADVENT
Raydragoon leapt out of a window, lunging at Trident with an insectoid screech. The triceratops rider had only enough time to raise his shield before the creature was upon him, buzzing loudly as it tried to slice him with bladed arms.
As Trident struggled against Raydragoon, Rayza took the moment to catch his breath. Despite his current disadvantage, Trident showed no signs of slowing down. There had to be some way to finish this. He drew one last card and slotted it, hoping for something that could finally beat this rider back.
FINAL VENT
Raydragoon broke away from Trident and snatched its spear back from Rayza, tossing it into the air. Rayza watched with curiosity. What was he supposed to do now?
"Jump and kick!"
His mind halted for only a second to process the new voice's words before everything kind of clicked. Then he leaped into the air, stretching his leg into a diving kick. His foot connected with the spear, and both Rayza and the weapon plunged toward Trident. The triceratops rider raised his shield, bracing himself. The weapon connected.
And the shield shattered, sending Trident flying back into the wall behind him. He crawled out of the rubble, taking a moment to glare at Rayza before limping away. Dreiceras growled and lumbered after him, leaving the scavenging party unharmed.
Rayza landed back onto the pavement, and collapsed.
The last thing he saw before everything plunged into black was a rider clad in white, watching him from the mirror.
And the hero arrives!
I'm gonna admit, the original plan was to have Kiraru actually walk into the observatory, but then I decided against it as it made him feel like a cheesy horror protagonist.
I've got at least one more chapter finished, but my schedules about to get really busy. Still not gonna stop me from trying though! This will get finished, because I have a lot planned for it.
Anyways, feel free to review! It's always wonderful to know what people think, and constructive criticism is always welcome!