In one of the many deserted buildings in Tokyo, a lone man sat in silence, the full moon's light illuminating himself and his surroundings, staring intently at the television screen in front of him. It rested on a plastic crate like the one he was on, or like one of the many that were in the large pile in the corner. He was young, with shoulder length hair that had been dyed blonde, and there was a deep scowl on his face. "How dare he," he muttered, his hands balling into tight fists that rested on his knees.
On the television was a blurry video of two figures fighting in the middle of a street, likely taken from the cell phone of some bystander. Despite the relatively poor quality, anyone could easily tell that one was a Krimival, though the other figure would be enough to give one pause. It looked like a man in green armor with a black bodysuit underneath. Surprisingly, the man in green armor appeared to actually be beating the Krimival, a feat thought impossible.
Jin Shimaki's anger only grew as he saw Sin defeat the Krimival, and subsequently get swarmed by people coming to celebrate what he had done.
"Once again, we would like to repeat that the impossible has happened: a man has managed to defeat a Krimival!" a female newscaster said excitedly, repeating what practically every news channel in Tokyo, and possibly in the entirety of Japan, had been saying ever since the fight had happened. "We'd like to show you an interview one of our reporters managed to have with this 'Deviant Rider,' where he had a strong message to give to the Krimivals."
Jin shook his head in disgust as the image onscreen changed to show Sin surrounded by people, reaching out to touch their new hero. Sin simply waved at them, looking like the idiot Jin knew he was beneath the armor. A female reporter, young and with a smile on her face so wide it didn't seem possible, managed to squeeze through the crowd of people and reach him, a microphone in her hands. "Excuse me!" she called, trying to be heard over the cheering mass of people.
Sin turned as he heard the reporter, flinching as he looked towards the camera – apparently he hadn't expected this. As the reporter came closer, he simply began to look back and forth between her and the camera. "You're the one that everyone's talking about, right? The mysterious warrior who beat the Krimival?" the reporter asked before hold the microphone up to Sin's mouth-plate.
He nodded slowly. "Um, I guess so – Wait, did you say everyone? Like, everyone everyone?" he asked, shocked. When the reporter only nodded in response, he began to sheepishly rub the back of his helmet. "Wow, um… I really didn't think it was that impressive. I was just doing what I was supposed to do, you know?"
The reporter laughed, seemingly amused by his surprise. "Well, what did you expect, showing up and beating one of the Krimival?" she asked in a joking manner. "After all, fighting a Krimival in the middle of the street will definitely draw attention, and beating it – well, you can tell what that will do for you, seeing the fan club you've got around you." She swept a hand towards the people around them, whose cheering seemed to grow louder at the mentioning of them being his fans.
Jin's eyes narrowed at what the reporter had just said. It made no sense to him how the idiot could possibly get himself a fan club. If anyone deserved even an ounce of attention, than it should be him, not the fool on the screen! "All because he was in the right place at the right time… Dammit, if I'd been there, they'd be worshiping the very ground I walked on!"
"F-Fanclub?" Sin looked back towards the cheering crowd and slowly shook his head. "Really, I had no idea. I was just doing my job as a Deviant Rider." Noticing the look of confusion on the reporter's face, he clarified, "That's what I am. I'm a Deviant Rider, Deviant Rider Sin."
"Deviant Rider Sin, huh? Well, that's certainly an interesting name for a hero, don't you think?" The reporter laughed as Sin looked away, as if he were embarrassed. "Of course, while its nice to know what to call you now, Mr. Sin, I'm sure that the audience would love to know the real name of the man who just beat a Krimival by himself. How about you tell the citizens of Tokyo the name of their new hero?"
Sin slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I really can't. Mr. Tanaka said that we're not supposed to let our true identities be known to the public. Something about protection of ourselves and those around us, I think." The reporter had a disappointed look on her face, as did many of the people in the crowd, but it was replaced with a look of surprise as the armored man took the microphone from the young woman's hands. "Sorry," he said, looking at the reporter, "but can I use this?" She said nothing and only smiled. Sin nodded in response and turned to look at the camera.
"While I can't say who I am, I can say this!" He pointed straight at the camera, and even with the mask you could sense the determination in his eyes. "This is message to all of you Krimivals out there, so if you're watching this, you'd better listen up! The Deviant Riders are here, and we will purge each and every one of you from Japan, starting with Tokyo!" A loud cheer rose up at his words, with the young reporter adding in her cries of support. "It's time to face the consequences! Krimivals, the Deviant Riders will be your judge, jury, and executioners, so if you don't want to be punished, I've got one piece of advice for you." He paused and looked around at the crowd, then back to the camera.
"Start begging for mercy!" he cried, punching towards the camera with his free hand. The cheers became incredibly loud, deafeningly so, and Sin let out a yell of surprise as people began to rush him, nearly knocking him to the ground.
The image on screen changed and the newscaster came back, a smile on her face. "As you can all see, the man known as Deviant Rider Sin has promised to eliminate the Krimival threat that has been plaguing Japan for the past two years. Finally, we have hope in our struggle against the Krimivals, and it is all thanks to Deviant Rider Sin-"
"Like hell it is!" Jin roared, grabbing the crate he was sitting on and throwing it at the television. It hit the corner, knocking it to the ground. Moving over to it, he let out a deep growl as he raised his foot and stomped through the screen, shattering the device. "I should be the one being praised by the peasants, not him! I'm the King, the leading actor, the brightest star in the sky, and I won't let anyone take that from me!" He let out a series of long, deep breaths as his shoulders began to shake in barely controlled anger. He was gritting his teeth and his hands were balled tight enough to turn his knuckles white, and at any moment it seemed like he'd burst.
Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Fine then! If he wants to try and steal my spotlight, then I'll just direct my own play, with me as the star." Reaching to his sides, he felt the two objects that hung from his waist and smiled. "Now, all I have to do is find the supporting cast, and the show will begin!"
"Man, is this what they mean by the price of fame?" Naoki, still in Deviant Rider form, groaned as he ducked into an alley, not unlike the one that he'd encountered the Vine Krimival in, save the dead body, blood, and destroyed wall. Looking up at the sky, he shook his head at what he saw: the moon was high in the sky, full and hanging right over him. "That took longer than I thought it would," he muttered.
The sound of feet on pavement made him flinch, and he plastered himself against the wall just as a crowd of people ran by him, shouting for Sin. When he was sure they'd run by, he let out a sigh of relief and undid the transformation, taking the belt buckle off of his waist. The armor seemingly melted into the black-and-green liquid from before, dropping off of his body to the ground, where it simply vanished upon contact. He pocketed the belt buckle and stretched his arms, glad to be freed from the suit. He'd gotten caught up in the celebrations and couldn't undo the transformation, and while the armor wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, it still felt nice to have it off. "Still, it's nice to know that they're all happy enough to celebrate, so I guess it was worth it," he told himself. A smile on his face, he walked out of the alley, ready to go home.
"Hey, you!" Naoki cringed at the sound of the voice. Turning to face the owner, he saw a group of people that he recognized from the celebrating crowds. "Have you seen Sin anywhere?" a man asked
Naoki tilted his head, doing his best to look confused. "Um… Who?"
The man shook his head. "How do you not – Ah, it'll be on the news. You'll see him then. Anyway, he's a guy in black and green armor, with a helmet. You can't miss him."
Looking back to the alley, Naoki frowned. "Well, I saw someone who looked sorta like that run past me in that alley. I thought he was just wearing a costume or something." Looking back to the crowd, he shrugged. "Maybe that was him?" The man in front of him didn't say anything, but instead nodded. A second later the group was heading into the alley. Naoki let out a small chuckle and shook his head. He hadn't sensed any Krimivals around, so they'd be safe, and they probably wouldn't search for too much longer anyhow. Grinning, he took a step down the sidewalk towards his home.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
Naoki jumped at the familiar voice and quickly spun around. Despite having just been victim of a Krimival attack, she looked fine – the fact that she was alive and had all of her limbs intact was an utter miracle considering most victims of Krimival attacks. Looking her over, Naoki quirked an eyebrow. The pantsuit she had been wearing had been shredded last he'd seen her. Now she was wearing a loose shirt with long sleeves and baggy sweatpants, with something held in her arms. Naoki was about to comment on how well she looked, when he noticed the bandages poking from under her sleeves and around her neck.
Still, seeing her up and walking was enough to make him happy. "You're okay!" he shouted, a beaming smile on his face, only for it to slowly turn downwards into a frown. "I'm sorry I didn't come back and check on you after I beat the Krimival. Everyone was just so excited and they wanted to talk to me. I wanted to get away and get you some help, but I really couldn't take two steps without getting mobbed." Feeling ashamed, he lowered his head and looked away.
The woman smiled and shook her head. "Hey, no need to look so down. I'm still alive, aren't I?" When he didn't say anything, she took a step forward, a little worried. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You saved me, after all, and I managed to get someone to bring me to the hospital. It all turned out alright, so stop acting so sad, Naoki."
Hearing his name being said made the young man's head spin. Looking up, he fixed her with a confused look. "Did… Did you just call me Naoki?"
"Well, yeah. You already introduced yourself to me, and you saved me from a monster. I don't think you count as a stranger anymore," she said. His mouth slowly turned upwards in a smile at her words, and as he picked his head up, she took what was in her arms and held it out to him. "By the way, I think this belongs to you." Naoki nodded and accepted his jacket from her. As he put it on, she crossed her arms and looked at him. "Probably should've listened to you about the Krimival thing. I'm really not looking forward to the hospital bill."
"Ah, don't worry about it," Naoki said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll just ask Mr. Tanaka to pay it for you. He's loaded, and since he's in charge of everything, I'm sure he'd be alright with it." He paused and furrowed his brow in thought. "Maybe he will," he muttered to himself.
The young woman raised an eyebrow at what he'd just said. "Wait, so Mr. Tanaka's in charge of you?" Naoki nodded as he finished putting on his jacket, patting it down to get off any dirt and to smooth it out. Surprised, she placed a hand to her chin. "Huh… I thought he was just the guy in charge of announcing the whole thing. I didn't expect him to be the boss."
"Yep, he's the boss. We're all supposed to report to him at the end of the week. I think he just wants to go over a few things with us, like where we're going to be stationed or…" He trailed off, the grin on his face disappearing. "Oh man," he groaned as his hand met the side of his head. "I just remembered! Mr. Tanaka told us that we can't transform or fight until next week. I'm going to be in so much trouble…"
While Naoki was cursing his luck, the young woman was staring at him in shock, her brain trying to process something that he'd just said. "Did you just say we?" she asked. Bringing a hand up to her ears, she snapped a few times. "Okay, I'm not going deaf, so that's good," she told herself. Looking at Naoki, who was looking at her oddly, she smiled nervously. "I'm sorry, but I think I may have misunderstood what you just said. When you said 'we,' you meant you and Mr. Tanaka, right?"
Naoki frowned and put his hand s into the pockets of his jacket, staring at her blankly. "No, I meant me and the other six Deviant Riders. I mean, there'd have to be more than one of us," he told the young woman, not noticing her eyes slowly widen. "You can't really expect one man to beat an entire race of monsters himself, can ya?"
She blinked. "So… there's seven of you?" she asked slowly. She was starting to feel a bit dizzy; this entire day had taken its toll on her, but it seemed like it wasn't over yet. When the young man just nodded, she nearly fainted. "So there's seven of you!? Seven Deviant Riders!? There's six more like you!?" she screamed, hardly able to believe what he was telling her. Seeing one person beat a Krimival was amazing enough. Finding out that there were six more just like him, though, was enough to overload someone's brain.
Which is how she suddenly found herself falling forwards, grabbing onto Naoki's body before she hit the ground.
"Hey!" he cried out, grabbing her shoulders as she slumped against him. "Hey, are you alright?" Worried, he put a hand to her face to try and get her attention, only to pull it away when he felt how hot she was. "Oh man, you're burning up!" he told her, and she weakly nodded in response.
"Funny what happens when you escape the hospital after being attacked by a Krimival," she said quietly, her voice weak. She let out a small groan of pain. "They stuck an IV in my arm. Probably to pump painkillers or something to keep me healthy in. I'm starting to think it's wearing off," she told him, "because right now, I feel like someone just set me on fire." Pain was lancing through her body and Naoki was currently the only thing keeping her on her feet.
Shaking his head in disbelief, quickly turned around and placed her arms around his neck. She let out a small cry of surprise as he grabbed her legs and lifted her up, placing her on his back. "I've got to get you back to the hospital. You might have gotten some kind of infection from your injuries." He began to walk towards where he knew the nearest hospital was, only to stop when she tightened her grip around his neck. "Hey, what's-"
"Don't take me back," she told him, her voice cracking slightly. "I don't want to have to be stuck in a hospital bed like that. Just get me some medicine and some painkillers, and I should be fine by morning." There was silence between the two of them, and she added, "Please. I promise I'll be fine."
Naoki sighed, feeling torn between what he should do. It would probably be for the best if he took her to the hospital as soon as possible. The doctors there would be able to get her the medicine she needed and she'd be safe. If he didn't, wouldn't he just be risking her life? Though that left the question of why she escaped. Surely she had known that, so why put herself in danger when she was already weak. Twisting his head to look at her, his mouth turned downwards slightly. She'd done this to look for him, he imagined, and there wasn't a guarantee that she'd stay there if he brought her back to the hospital. He hung his head as he realized that she would just escape again, and she'd probably end up worse than she was.
"…Fine," he muttered after mulling it over. "If you don't want to go so badly, then I'll bring you back to my place. You can rest on my couch, and I'll give you some medicine I have. It's some pretty strong stuff." Looking over his shoulder to face her, he gave her a stern look. "But if you start to get any worse, I'm taking you to the hospital, no arguing."
"That's fine," she said, nodding weakly before letting her head rest on his shoulders. "I promise that if I start getting worse, I'll let you take me back."
Naoki breathed out a sigh of relief and began walking towards where he lived. A few minutes passed before he heard laughter coming from the young woman he was carrying. "What's so funny?" he asked, genuinely curious and mildly worried it was caused by the fever.
"Well, it's just that it's funny how things have changed since earlier," she told him, a small smile on her face. "I mean, I was running away from you because I thought you were a stalker, and now you've saved my life and have become the city's hero." She giggled a little. "And now I'm riding on the back of the stranger I met today."
"Hey, you know my name. So we're not strangers anymore, right?"
She smiled. "I just realized something. I know your name, but you don't know mine. Did you realize that?" Naoki shook his head no, and she chuckled. "Then I guess I'm still a stranger to you then, Naoki."
Naoki smiled and chuckled himself, realizing just what she was talking about. "Well, you can tell me your name now, if you want. Then we won't be strangers with each other," he said.
She smiled. "I'm Karin. Karin Inoue. It's nice to meet you, Naoki Akuzaki."
"It's nice to meet you too, Karin Inoue," he replied.
Still smiling, Karin let her head rest on Naoki's shoulder and closed her eyes. A second later, Naoki heard her breathing and realized she'd fallen asleep. Shaking his head, he continued on towards his apartment, with the full moon lighting the way above them.
It was relatively early in the morning, only around seven, but at one of the busiest intersections in the middle of Shibuya, hundreds of people walked the streets. It was dangerous for so many people to be gathered in one place, as any one of them could be a Krimival in disguise, but even with the threat of a Krimival attack, men and women still had jobs to do. The citizens of Japan still went to their jobs, despite the rising Krimival attack rate, all for the sake of feeding their families. People constantly were in motion, never stopping, until a video that they'd all seen on the news last night popped up on one of the massive screens surrounding the intersection. Dozens of men and women stopped to point at the image of Deviant Rider Sin defeating the Vine Krimival, some of them cheering.
Among these people, one young man simply stared at the screen, his face expressionless. As he watched the Krimival explode into green flames, he clenched his jaw hard enough to make his teeth creak, and his fingernails dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood. Spinning around, he flipped the hood of his jacket over his head and stalked off, leaving a trail of blood on the sidewalk.
"How dare they!" Beneath the hood, half of the young man's face had disappeared, covered by a dark mist. Within it, a mass of thick white fur with one bulbous eye that kept spinning in its socket could be seen. It bared its sharp teeth and let out a low growl. "How dare they make fun of us! Do they actually believe they have any hope against the Krimival?" the monster asked, its voice coming from the young man's own mouth.
"Yeah, they do," the young man replied, a scowl on his face. "You saw what that Sin guy did to that Krimival. He managed to kick its ass in broad daylight. Of course these people are going to start thinking they have a hope."
"Then they know nothing," the beast snapped, its eye rolling wildly. "It was a new-born, the weakest that a Krimival could possibly be compared to others. He had no experience controlling his powers as a Krimival, and he hadn't even awoken his true power." Something resembling a grin found its way onto the monster's face, showing more of its sharp teeth. "But if it were us, Sin wouldn't stand a chance."
The young man stopped in his tracks, a grin just like the monster's appearing on his side of his face. "We are stronger, much stronger. Sin wouldn't stand a chance in hell against us. And if we were to kill this Sin guy…" A low chuckle escaped his mouth as the grin grew. "Can you imaging what would happen to these people if he was dead?"
"This stupid hope of theirs will die with him!" The monster chuckled along with the man. "They will all remember who their masters are! They will know that there is no hope against the Krimivals, and if they don't, we'll crush them like the ants they are!"
"And I'd get to destroy some more," the man added. "I'd love to see some more destruction, to bring down some walls and wreck some property. Maybe bring a roof down on some idiots' heads." Looking up, he looked around at the area around him. "A murder spree and massive property damage. Sounds like a good plan to get Sin here, doesn't it?"
"It sounds perfect."
The young man let out a roar as the rest of his face was covered by a mist, startling the people around him. His hood exploded into scraps of fabric as his horns spiraled from his head. His new head was like a ram's, with two bulbous eyes that constantly spun around in their socket, and a burst of steam erupted from its snout. The Ram Krimival let out another roar, revealing its fangs and letting saliva drip to the ground, while the rest of its body began to grow.
"Krimival!" someone cried, and suddenly everyone was in a panic to escape.
The Ram Krimival cackled at the sight of them fleeing as its transformation finished. "Run! Run and pray that I don't find you! There is no hope against the Krimivals!" it shouted, sounding like a man and a roaring beast. Looking down at its body, it smiled broadly. It was massive, twice as tall as the young man had been, with a massive upper body that didn't seem to match the skinnier lower half. Its arms ended in large, hoof-like clubs that it raised above its head. "I'll destroy everything, including this stupid hope you have!" it declared as it brought its hooves down. A powerful shockwave struck out from where it struck, the force throwing men and women through the air, tipping over cars, and even breaking the concrete on the road and the stone of a nearby building.
"I'll destroy everything!" it bellowed as it raised its arms again, unaware that a young man with blonde hair was watching it, a devious look on his face.
"Looks like I just found the first member of the cast," he chuckled to himself, the objects around his waist clinking.
Naoki twisted the cap off of the bottle of pain killers he'd found in the special first-aid kit Tanaka and his subordinates had given each of the Deviant Riders. Pouring four of the pills out and shaking his head at their size, he set the bottle down and grabbed the glass of water he'd gotten Karin before walking over to where she lay.
They'd both made it back to his house rather late, or early considering it was around 1:30 in the morning, and Naoki had immediately set to getting her some medicine, but had stopped when he'd picked up the bottle of antibiotics that had also been in the kit. At first, he had been worried that the medicine in the first-aid kit would be too strong for her, but a note he found on the bottle informed him that it was perfectly safe for a normal human to consume. The same went for the painkillers, to his relief.
"Here, these are for you," he told her as he sat down on the plastic crate beside the couch. His apartment was almost completely barren, considering he'd only gotten it and moved in four days ago. All he really had was a small television that was resting on another plastic crate and a single futon in his bedroom. And of course, there was the couch in the living room that Karin had been sleeping on since they'd arrived. "For the pain," he explained as she looked at the huge pills.
"Thanks. Probably should've taken these before I fell asleep, though," she admitted before taking them one at a time. "I was just so tired, and-"
"Hey, don't worry about it," he told her, holding up a hand. Truthfully, he'd been a little worried that she'd passed out after he'd given her the antibiotics, but he assumed that she was just tired from everything. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Still burning up?" Naoki asked, the worry clear in his voice.
She shook her head. "No, the fever's gone. I still feel like I've been run over by a truck, though. Guess Krimival attacks do that to you," she said, chuckling a little at the end. Naoki smiled, realizing that if she could laugh, that she must be getting better. She took another sip of water before turning to look at him, questions that she'd wanted to ask earlier resurfacing. "You know, I've been wondering why you just didn't destroy that Krimival earlier. If you could sense it, couldn't you have searched it out and taken care of it?"
Naoki sighed and shook his head. "I wish it were that easy," he admitted, "but it doesn't work like that. I can't really sense where it is, just if there's one close by. It helps if they're not in human form, too, but I'm not sure why. That's why I was so worried yesterday; one was close, but I wasn't sure where." Karin nodded as she began to understand just why he had seemed so frantic when he'd tried to keep her from leaving the building. "Besides, I couldn't have left if I wanted to. Mr. Tanaka said that I had to stay until the conference was over."
"Why's that?"
"He wanted one of us there if a Krimival showed up and attacked the conference."
Karin nodded, realizing that made sense. Having someone like Naoki around would be smart if there was a Krimival disguised as a reporter at the conference, preparing for a chance to attack, or maybe kill, a high-ranked official in the government. It was why the Prime Minister hadn't been seen in the last year except in televised announcements. A Krimival could easily get past whatever security that was set up, but having Naoki or one of the other Deviant Riders around would solve that problem.
"Hey! I have an idea!" Naoki said loudly, startling Karin out of her thoughts and almost making her spill her water. He grabbed the TV remote and waved it slightly. "Let's check the news. I want to know what they're saying about me." He pressed the power button, only to let out a disappointed moan when it didn't work. "Dead batteries? Really?" Standing up, he walked over to the set to turn it on manually.
Karin sighed as she watched him flick through the channels. She'd interviewed enough people to know when they wanted to avoid a question, and Naoki was showing all the signs of that. Then again, she figured that he probably had told her too much as it was. If the Deviant Riders weren't even supposed to be deployed until next week, then Naoki's transformation was bad enough. Only he knew how much trouble he could get in for talking about the Riders, and Karin didn't want to see that happen. He was already going to get enough flak for leaving the building early, she assumed. She was about to ask him how mad Mr. Tanaka would be when he found the news station.
"Everyone, there is an emergency! A Krimival has been sighted in Shibuya! I repeat, a Krimival is attacking in Shibuya! Please, stay out of the area until an all-clear has been given. Emergency personnel are already rushing to the scene, and we have visuals of the attack itself. We advise you to view this with discretion due to the graphic nature of the attack."
Both Naoki and Karin were shocked speechless by the words of the female newscaster. He stepped away from the screen as it changed to an aerial view of the intersection where the attack was taking place, being broadcasted live from a helicopter. On the ground was a white Krimival that looked like a humanoid ram. They watched in horror as it slammed its massive club-like hooves into a support pillar for a building, shattering the concrete and rebar like it was Styrofoam.
"I'll destroy everything! Everything!" it roared, loud enough for the microphones in the copter to pick up. "I'll restore our reputation! The Krimivals will be feared again! I'll destroy Sin, and this entire city if I have too! Destroy everything!"
"Why does it want to destroy me so badly? What'd I ever do to it?" Naoki asked, confused by how angry it sounded when it said his name and surprised that it knew his name.
"Isn't it obvious?" Karin asked, making Naoki turn to face her. She had a serious look on her face, which surprised him. "The Krimivals are all going to be just as mad as that one is, because of what you did. You beat a Krimival, by yourself, and now Japan isn't as afraid of the Krimivals," she explained. "You practically declared war on them, Naoki. People don't fear them as much, and they don't want to lose the control they had. They'll do whatever it takes to get it back."
Naoki said nothing but turned back to the television, his face not showing any emotion. They both watched in silence as the monster rampaged, calling for Naoki. It was horrific to see just how much damage it could do, but when Naoki suddenly turned around, Karin was shocked to see just how angry he looked. Angry enough to be pulling the SIN Driver from his pocket. At first, she wasn't sure what had set him off. The destruction was terrible, but it wasn't anything too different from a usual attack. Then she saw what the camera had zoomed in on, and she felt a cold chill go down her spine.
Beneath a pile of rubble, there were several arms and legs sticking out in various places, bent at various angles.. One or two of the limbs looked disturbingly… child-like. A steady red pool was forming around the mound as blood leaked from the ruins.
"I'm sorry, Karin, but this is my job," he said as he placed the belt buckle to his waist. The liquid shot out and wrapped around, forming the emerald green belt. He walked over to the window. "I'm going to take care of this monster."
"Naoki, they just said the Krimival was in Shibuya!" she pointed out. "That's practically on the other side of the city. There's no way you can make it in time on foot! How do you think you'll get there before it destroys everything?"
"I have a way," he answered simply before slapping the emblem on his SIN Driver.
"ARE YOU JEALOUS!?"
"Henshin!"
Without doing any of the motions he did yesterday, Naoki struck the emblem on the belt buckle, causing it to spin furiously and release a black-and-green liquid.
"SIN OF ENVY!"
Karin watched in amazement as the liquid coated Naoki's body, creating the black bodysuit and then the green armor on top of it. It had been incredible the first time she had seen it, but it was still just as amazing to see it happen again. Within a few seconds, the liquid had formed his armor, and Naoki, donned completely in Sin's armor, turned to look at her as his eyes flashed brightly. "Get some rest while I do my job," he told her, giving her a small wave. "I'll be back soon, I promise."
Before she could say anything else, he opened the window to his apartment and jumped out of it. Karin blinked at what he'd just done, considering that he'd told her he lived five floors up. A moment later she rolled off of the couch and began to crawl over to the window as fast as she could. Looking out, she felt her head start to spin at just how high up she was, though she blamed the medicine and the fever just as much. Shaking off the feeling of nausea, she watched as Naoki sprinted towards the parking lot across the street.
Following his path, she let her eyes travel forwards and saw what he was running to. It was a bright green sports motorcycle with black highlights that looked both fast and sturdy. She guessed it could probably handle on-road and off-road travel from the way it was built, and even from this distance she could see it was expensive, easily triple what her own car cost. It was impressive just to look at, and she was sure it would look even more impressive with Naoki on it.
That is, if he hadn't run past it.
She watched blankly as he ran over to a bike rack where only one, single bicycle was locked up, plain and unimpressive. She shook her head in utter disbelief as he began patting down his sides, like he was trying to find his keys to the lock, and she almost felt like crying, though whether it was from how funny or how sad this was she wasn't sure. Finally, she saw him realize that he was in Rider form, and therefore had no pockets, and simply snapped the chain off of the wheel before hopping on it.
"To Shibuya!" she heard him yell.
At the very least, it seemed he could pedal faster than most people, since he took off like a bullet on the bicycle, but Karin still couldn't bear to watch the hero who had saved her, the man who had saved her from a Krimival and had given hope to the entire country, ride such a pathetic little bicycle. She crawled away from the window and back onto the couch, resigning herself to watch the news and silently praying that he'd somehow make it in time.
"I repeat, the Krimival has entered the parking garage. It is unknown what is occurring within, but we can only assume the worst at the moment," the reporter said as the helicopter hovered in front of said parking garage. "Again, emergency personnel are on-scene, but- Wait a minute. What is- Is that a man?" Karin sat up as the camera zoomed in on a figure with blonde hair walking towards the garage the Krimival was in. "I-I don't believe this! A man has entered the building with the Krimival! He's walking towards the Krimival!"
"Naoki, please hurry," Karin whispered as she watched the man disappear into the parking garage.
"Faster! I need to go faster!"
To say that Naoki's ability to pedal fast would be an understatement. He was pedaling harder and faster than most professionals athletes could even dream of. However, in spite of all of his efforts, he was still on a bicycle. A bicycle that could only go so fast or be pushed so far without breaking down. He was fast enough to be able to shoot past some slower moving cars and make a few women scream as he shot past, but it was nowhere near fast enough to get to Shibuya in time.
Not even close to how fast it would need to be.
"This is stupid! Everyone else has a car or an awesome motorcycle! Why am I stuck just riding a bike!?" Slowly, Naoki began to recall something that he'd been told about the SIN Driver. Something about it being able to interact with other objects. When he finally remembered, he nearly fell off the bike. "How could I forget this?" he asked, placing a hand to his forehead as he kept pedaling. Shaking his head, he slapped the symbol on the SIN Driver.
"JEALOUS CHANGE! MACHINE LEVIADER!"
"All right!" Naoki cried as the emblem began spinning again, spraying the black-and –emerald green liquid, though instead of coating him, it coated his bike instead. The green liquid began to form around the frame of the bike, taking a shape of its own, as the front began to change shape. Soon, it resembled the head of a scaled serpent, with the headlights of the bike for eyes. As the green liquid did its job, the black transformed the wheels, making them thicker and stronger. Finally, both liquids came together when the look of the machine was completed, forming the machinery of the motorcycle itself. When it finished, the bicycle had become a fierce looking emerald green and black motorcycle.
Naoki laughed as he revved the engine, making it roar like a beast, and as the Machine Leviader sped off, weaving through the traffic, people could hear an excited laugh coming from the green and black blur.
"You know, if you want attention, you're going about it the wrong way."
The Ram Krimival stopped just as it was about to crush another support pillar with its hooves and turned around slowly, looking in the direction of the voice. Standing behind him was a young man, his hair hanging to his shoulders and dyed blonde. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, wearing a baggy t-shirt with tight jeans. A chain had been threaded through the belt loop, hanging off on either side, and there were two strange objects that appeared to be golden halves of some kind of circle. The Krimival snorted at the appearance of this stranger, and raised an arm at him.
To its surprise, the man just chuckled. "Oh, come on. I walk in here, with a dangerous monster like you, and this is it? You can do better than that, and I'm not just talking about that measly little threat you just made," the young man said, walking around the Krimival with a casual air. "I mean, all you're doing right now is messing up a deserted garage. Do you think anyone's going to care about that?" The man stopped and turned to face the Krimival, giving it a smile. "If you want to make headlines, go and do some killing. I'm pretty sure I saw some people run into a building nearby."
The Ram Krimival lowered its arm and started to scratch at its head with the other hoof. "Wait, are you actually telling me to go and kill people?" When he just shrugged, the monster shook its head. "Isn't that kinda… the opposite of what you should be saying? Usually people beg us Krimivals not to kill anyone."
The man shook his head and chuckled. Pointing off to the right, he looked at the Krimival. "You see that building there? There's a shelter built inside in order to protect people from Krimival attacks." The Ram Krimival turned to look at where this strange young man was pointing, and let out a snort of steam at the idea that any shelter could protect people from itself. "It's all garbage, though. Just a nice way of making a bunch of idiots feel safe, but if they'd even watched the news once in the past two years, they'd know you Krimivals can tear through bank vaults with ease." The man let out another chuckle, this time using his hand to cover his mouth. "It's pathetic, really, if you think about it."
The monster nodded in agreement as it continued to look at the building. Turning back to the young man, it stared at him. "I still don't understand why you'd tell me this. I mean, you're a human, and they're humans, so shouldn't you be trying to protect them from me?"
"It's because I know how you feel," the young man answered, taking a step towards the Krimival. "The Krimivals have had Japan ripped from their grasp by Sin, haven't they? He's stolen your spotlight, and now you feel like the lead actor who's just been replaced with some two-bit hack who couldn't put on a good show to save his life." The man took another step towards the Krimival and rested a hand on its arm. "I know, because the same thing happened to me. And it's a terrible thing, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." The Ram Krimival nodded. "We're supposed to be feared by people, but that bastard Sin came in and gave people hope that we could be stopped! Well, when I crush him, I'll crush every little bit of hope that they had." Looking down at the man, it flashed him a smile filled with sharp teeth. "And you were right, that's exactly how I feel. So thank you, for letting me know how to get my spotlight back."
In a flash, the monster struck out, striking the man in the chest with its hooves and sending him into a nearby support pillar. He crashed into it and rubble rained down on top of him, burying his corpse. "But I don't need some human telling me what to do, and I don't care what your life story is!" it chuckled, throwing its head back. "Still, thanks for the tip. I'll wear your face with pride after this one."
Still chuckling to itself, the Krimival made for the stairs, already setting its plan into motion. It let its body change, engulfing itself in black smoke and becoming the last person it had killed in the process. If that man had been stupid enough to come in after it, maybe it could use that to its advantage. Surely those people in that shelter wouldn't be so heartless to leave a scared man outside while a Krimival was on the loose.
When the smoke cleared, however, and it saw its new body, the Krimival stopped dead in its tracks. Looking down, it saw it wasn't the man from before, but a fifty-year old balding man in a gray suit. It brought its wrinkled hands to its face and looked at them in confusion. "I killed this old man outside! How come I'm stuck in this grandpa's body? I should be that guy! There's no way he could have survived that." A thought wormed its way into its head and its eyes widened. "He couldn't have survived, unless-"
"So, the stupid goat finally gets it!"
The Krimival spun around, already transforming, as the blonde-haired man stepped in front of him, dusting debris off of what remained of his shirt. "Really, you're pathetic to think that would kill me. Like a lower creature like you could kill something as great as me!" The Krimival let out a roar and charged the young man, intent on killing him, but its target simply reached for the half-circles near his waist. "I am the Great Jin Shimaki!" he declared, snapping the circles off of the chain. He brought them together in front of himself, inches from letting them touch. "Be thankful that you're my opponent!" Jin smiled as he pressed the two halves together, forming what was actually a crown.
"ARE YOU VAIN!?" a loud male voice yelled from the crown.
As the Krimival bore down on him, Jin swung his left fist over his heart and his right in the opposite direction. "Henshin!" he cried, throwing the crown into the air as he did so.
"SIN OF PRIDE!"
Jin held his arms out as the crown began to spin in the air, laughing as a black-and-gold liquid began to spray out and onto his body. The Ram Krimival charged directly into the rain of liquid and screamed when it touched its skin. It backed off, patches of its fur burnt away by the acidic substance, and it let out an annoyed snort as Jin's transformation continued.
The black liquid created a black bodysuit in seconds, covering him from head to toe. The gold liquid began to spread across his body, forming armor over it. His hands became covered by gold gauntlets, his legs in gold greaves, and shining pauldrons formed over his shoulders. A mesh made of the golden liquid covered whatever the armor did not, forming a sort of chain mail. With the armor finished, the liquid created a black and gold helmet over his head. Finally, the crown stopped spinning and slid down to his head, resting on top and creating a golden visor over his black compound eyes. The visor flashed brightly, signaling the transformation's completion.
Immediately the armor began to radiate an intense light, both blinding and burning. The Ram Krimival screamed in pain as its eyes were burned by the light, blinding it. "Didn't you know that it's unsafe for you to bask in my glory for too long?" Jin asked. "The light of a higher being such as myself can be fatal to lesser creatures, like yourself," he taunted, pointing a finger at the blind monster.
"I'll kill you!" the blinded Ram Krimival screamed, swinging its club-like arms at the general direction of the man and missing wildly. "I'll kill you, and I'll bring down this entire building if I have to do it! I'll destroy it all!" it bellowed, swinging and missing again.
Jin simply chuckled as he walked around the monster's attacks. "Go ahead. Try and hit me while my radiance blinds you!" He ducked under another wild swing and got behind the monster. He delivered a side kick to its back, sending it to the ground. "I am the Deviant Rider Satan. And you shall help me reclaim my glory!" He got into a fighting stance as the Krimival staggered to its feet.
"Now, let's put on a show!" he declared before rushing the monster.
NEXT TIME ON KAMEN RIDER SIN!
"We made an agreement, Naoki!"
"Mr. Tanaka wants to have a talk..."
"This is a warning. Stay away from Naoki Akuzaki..."