Kamen Riders: The Chosen
Episode 7 – Duality
Sandra heard a buzz while she was ordering items in the store's cooler. Recognizing the buzz as a signal that one of her co-workers needed her help in the store, she finished up the screen she was on. She then stepped out of the cold and into the warm store, her glasses immediately fogging up.
While walking up to the counter, it was obvious how busy the store had gotten. The line had about 7-8 people waiting in it, and wrapped around part of the store. Putting her order screen up, Sandra took off her jacket and went to the middle register to help the line get moving.
Maeko was getting a bit hungry, after all she had been staying in a hotel for a few days now. She also needed some basic supplies, which she can grab from 7-11 that was across the street from where she was staying.
She walked into the store and was a bit surprised to see type of crowd in the store. It was packed. At the same time she felt the Dark getting stronger. Not knowing why, she used some of the willpower she had left to push it back. She knew it would not be long before Dark would overwhelm her, so she quickly got what she needed and stood in the line.
Sandra finished ringing up a customer, and waved her hand in a forward motion at the line, calling out "I can help the next customer please!"
Maeko walked up to Sandra. Pointing to her ear, she shook her head to inform that she was deaf. She then placed her items on the counter to be rung up.
Sandra smiled brightly at the young woman. 'This will be a good time to practice my rusty skills.' she thought, then signed "Will that be all for you?"
Maeko was surprised that the cashier had actually signed to her. "Eh, yes." She answered shyly.
Sandra couldn't help but smile at the young woman's surprise. But, looking closer at her as she rang up the snack foods and drinks, Sandra saw an underlying sadness about her. Once she finished ringing all the items up, she signed "Are you alright? You seem to be depressed." After which she pointed at the display that showed the total amount owed.
Maeko answered awkwardly at such question. "I am ...just homesick." 'At least that was a half-truth', she thought to herself. "Came to this place on errands, so I am not used to things around here." She got the cash out of her wallet to give to the cashier.
Sandra the took the cash, and made the appropriate change and handed it to her. "I am off shift in 10 minutes if you'd like some company. I am an excellent listener." she signed, then began to put the items in bags.
'Errands? Yes, to kill riders.' Dark said, silently laughing in her head. 'Shut up.' Maeko answered back. She then hesitated for a bit. "Oh...well I don't have much to say."
"Then I would be honored to just keep you company. You must be lonely being away from home. And perhaps we could find something that we have in common. Everyone can use another friend." Sandra then signed.
"Uh...sure." Maeko signed gently. 'Friend?' Maeko thought to herself. 'Am I allowed to have one after what happened to me?' She needed some answers, but was unsure where to get them. 'A stranger is not a bad place to start.' she thought. 'After all, she's just a stranger.'
Sandra then signed back, asking her to wait either over by the magazine rack or outside and that she would be with her as soon as possible.
Maeko nodded and went outside. Opening one of her drinks, she started to drink one of the Yoohoo that she had bought in the store while waiting for the cashier.
Sandra, after putting up with good natured teasing by her co-workers(for taking so long to ring up a sale, being able to sign, and a few miscellanious things), counted her register. After recording her numbers, she headed to the back room and quickly clocked out.
After taking off her 7-11 smock (under which was a US Navy t-shirt) and grabbing her purse, she let her co-workers know she would leave her bike there and retrieve it later on. Sandra then walked out of the store and up to the deaf woman standing against the wall. She tapped her on the shoulder and signed "I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Maeko, deep in thought, jumped by a tap from the cashier. "That is okay." She smiled at the cashier. "My name is Maeko, what's yours?" she signed, but thought 'What am I doing? I am risking a stranger's life by just being around her.' She could hear Dark saying, 'Wait and see…you can only fight me for so long.' Maeko tried to ignore that last thought, and felt a bit exhausted trying to control Dark, and the thoughts that came from it.
Sandra smiled at Maeko. "My name is Sandra. But you can just call me Sandy." She then motioned Maeko to the side of the building, so they could sit down on the curb and be out of the way. "I hate to be so forward, but may I give you a hug? You look like you need one."
'Hug? That sounds like someone I know from one of my regular sites.' She reluctantly gave Sandy a hug then sat down on the curb.
"So what do do you do for fun? Any particular shows you like on tv?" Sandra asked, sitting down next to the young woman.
Maeko said "Yeah, well I watch TV online mostly, ya know foreign shows, stuff like that."
"So do I. Well, mainly Japanese shows. I am a real big fan of Tokusatsu. You familiar with it at all?" Sandra asked.
"Tokusatsu?!" Maeko became excited, the odds of meeting someone who liked tokusatsu and also knew sign language made her feel happy. "Yes, that's one of my favorite type of shows to watch." Maeko smiled.
"You as well?" Sandra signed, her face breaking out in a huge grin. "Where do you get your subs at? I go to TV-Nihon myself. They've got a lot of cool shows there."
"Yes, I know that site. In fact, I sometimes QC for some of their shows." Maeko signed.
"Really? May I ask what your username is?" Sandra then asked. She was getting more and more excited by the second. A fellow TV-Nihon member. Things couldn't get any better for her.
"Silentwolfdog. What's yours?" Maeko looking forward to see who she may be, even though she may have already guessed correctly based on the hug.
"SWD?" she signed, then giggled madly yet again. "I go by SpiritPink. Nice to finally meet you in person, gorgeous! Imagine the odds of this kind of encounter."
"Ah, that's what I thought! Who else would want to hug someone else, especially a stranger?" Maeko giggled. Which was something she hadn't done since Dark took over her.
Sandra smiled at her online friend. It was so awesome to meet her. "You want to move this meeting to a different location, so we aren't sitting outside all day? Perhaps my apartment or the place you are staying at?"
"I am staying at a hotel, so you can come over if you want." Maeko suggested.
"Okay! Let's go ahead and head over there then!" Sandra signed, then stood up and held her hand out to help Maeko up.
"Ah, the hotel is across the street. That one. Just follow me." she said, pointing to one of the two hotels sitting across the street.
After waiting for a break in the traffic, the two young women ran across the street to the hotel. Maeko then took Sandy to the second floor and into her room. Once the door was closed, she told her to sit wherever she want and asked if she wanted anything to drink.
"Whatever you are having is fine with me." Sandra told her, then sat down at the desk located next to the bed.
Maeko grabbed a soda from the small cooler and gave it to Sandy. "Here you go." Maeko then opened the laptop and asked her if she wanted to see if any new shows had ben put up on TV-Nihon Tracker, so they could watch them together.
Sandra gratefully took the soda, opened it, and sipped before replying with "I'd love to!"
Maeko looked at the tracker on screen. "Ah, a new Decade episode is out..." she told Sandra. "How about that one?" Maeko asked.
"The new Decade is out? Heck Yeah!" Sandra answered, making herself comfortable while starting to watch the episode with her friend.
The episode in question was about Kamen Rider Blade meeting Decade, then fighting together. Maeko stopped smiling and frowned slightly. 'That was not what I have been doing. Protecting.' She unawarely signed to herself "How can I stop this?"
Sandra, who had been intent on the show, saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and caught what was signed. But she decided to wait til the end of the show before saying anything.
But before Sandra had a chance to mention anything, she heard a scream coming from the slightly open window. Walking to it, she opened the curtain and looked out. What she saw not so much as shocked her and it did annoy her. 'And here I thought I'd get time to hang out with my friend.' She thought before turning to Maeko.
"I'm sorry, but I forgot I have to go home now. My roommate wants me to help make dinner tonight." she told her, trying to come up with a plausible excuse to get out and downstairs.
"Oh, ok. Sure. Guess we will see each other again sometime?" Maeko asked hopefully.
"Find me on IRC anytime tomorrow and let me know when you are free. I am not working for a few days, so I'll be able to come over any time you want." Sandra replied.
"Ok, sounds good." Maeko and Sandra then walked to the door. "See ya later." Maeko signed, thinking that this was a good time because she felt like she was running out of energy.
Sandra hugged Maeko once more, then walked down the hallway. Once she heard the door close, she ran downstairs and outside. After looking around, she found an area hidden from the panicking guests and ran to it.
Once hidden, she pulled out her belt and slung it about her waist. "Let's do this, Momotaros!" Sandra muttered, then passed her Pass over the SetTouch. Once fully henshined, Sandra raced out to begin the battle with the imagin terrorizing the hotel guests.
After the door closed, Maeko took a few steps and fell to the ground, putting her hands over her forehead. 'Ugh...no...I can't hold on much longer...'
'Kamen Rider!!!' Dark exclaimed.
'Kamen Rider?' Maeko thought, confused.
'I sense it's presence!' Dark replied. Taking advantage of the weak willpower, Dark quickly took over her body. 'Ah, it feels good to have the body back.' Dark thought, then walked over to the window to see what Sandra had seen outside.
Sandra, who was attacking the creature while scared tourists stood in the shadows watching, was getting her ass handed to her. It seemed as if it was expecting her moves, and countered back. Every single blow had been blocked. 'Dammit! This isn't suppose to happen!' she thought as the battle continued. "Just focus!" Momotaros said out loud.
Dark, having sensed the Rider coming from a certain direction, opened the window. Dark was about to jump out, but stopped and grinned broadly.
"Henshin!" Dark called out telepathically. The buckle then called out "Turn Up!" and a dark image of a beetle appeared, right in front of the window. Dark ran thru it and leaped out the window, landing on the ground like it was no big deal.
'I hope it's the rider from the last time. You better not interfere this time, Maeko.' Dark Blade thought before beginning to run in the direction where it sensed the rider was.
Sandra was on her hands and knees, trying to catch her breath from all the dodging of the creature. 'Never have had THIS much trouble before. Did they power up or something?' She looked up just in time to see the imagin shoot a ray of energy towards her.
"Sword Vent."
When she next looked up the ray had been deflected.
Looking closer, Sandra saw Ryuki standing in front of her. "Are you alright, Den-O?" Ryuki asked.
Before she got a chance to reply, the imagin began it's attack again. Ryuki raced towards it and after only a minute, had the imagin on it's knees.
"Final Vent." was then announced, and Ryuki sent a well aimed Flying side kick at the imagin's chest, at which point it was destroyed completely.
Sandra walked over to her fellow Rider. "Thank you for your assistance." she said to him.
Dark, which had stood back in the shadow witnessing the battle, decided to interfere. So it threw some energy from the sword, and into the ground where two riders stood. Dark sent out it's replies by telepathy 'Well, well, what a sweet scene between two riders! No worries, I shall make sure to kill ya both at least, altogether, no? Ha!' Dark walking slowly towards them, mocking both of them.
Hearing a thought in her head not belonging to herself or the imagin, Sandra looked around and saw what she had last seen just the other day. Blade, walking towards them.
"What do you mean? You're supposed to be on our side!" she cried while thinking (supposedly to herself) 'I thought you were one of the good guys. You are one of the good guys. You just have to be.'
'Good? I...I am? What...can I...ugh this is too painful!' Maeko was thinking to herself. Unfortunately, only Dark Blade heard it and sent a sense of pain to Maeko to remind her who was in control.
'Ha ha. Good? Evil? I care nothing but to destroy you. Anything that get in my way will get destroyed along with you!' Dark Blade actually replied to Den-O, but also made sure that Maeko heard it as well. Dark Blade raised the sword which is hold in opposite direction than the real Blade would have done and started to run toward the riders especially Den-O.
Having recovered enough from the last battle, and remembering the last fight between them, Sandra didn't let her guard down this time. Meeting the attack dead on, she frowned and began her counter-attack. But instead of gaining some ground, she was losing it. That is, until Ryuki joined in the battle, and the two riders double-teamed against Blade.
Dark Blade was annoyed by the other rider ruining the fun of it. It then sent out telepathically 'Ryuki, get out of my way, you annoying bug!' while managing to deliver one good blow at Ryuki using it's sword.
But that one attack didn't stop Ryuki, or Den-O. They soon had their opponent on it's knees with . But, Den-O, being the soft hearted person she was, didn't kill Blade. Instead, she walked away from the battle, with Ryuki watching the other rider leave.
Ryuki, after a long mental argument on weather or not to destroy the traitor right then, left Blade's side a few minutes after Den-O did, and headed back inside the hotel.
Dark Blade, groaning from the pain, replied 'Mercy? From you? Heh, I swear...someday you will pay for this!' as it yelled at the already departed Den-O.
Maeko watched in disbelief at all of what had transpired. 'Den-O...' was all she could think of as the other two riders disappeared.
Dark Blade dehenshined and struggled to walk back to hotel. 'Not going to mock or yell at me today are you Maeko?' Dark asked, before Maeko took over due to exhaustion.
"Oww." Maeko said as she regain the control of her wounded body once again. She went to her room and slowly crawl to the bed then passed out.
In the privacy of a hotel bathroom, Sandra de-henshined and, hiding her slight limp, walked back across the street to her store. Glad that she remembered her purse, she grabbed her bike (to the chiding of her co-workers about not wanting to leave work) and led it out the door. Slowly, she began her trip home.
Chapter 7...Done!
6