Part 85: The Bounty Hunter Garoh
She killed them…
A whole universe gone in the blink of an eye. All on the whim of some girl.
She fell to my Earth, wounded. She looked innocent, as if she had been attacked. My parents found her and brought her home. My parents were doctors. They healed her. And how does she repay them?
She killed them and devoured their hearts. I arrived with my older sister shortly after they were killed. She tried to kill me first, but couldn't. My sister got in the way. Her last words were, "I won't let you hurt my little brother!"
She died just as she finished the sentence.
That girl, Copycat, wiped out my entire universe with those damn Horrors of hers. If not for some freak stroke of luck I'd be gone with it. Sometimes I think it'd be better if it did end that day.
It's been over 12 years since that day.
I'm going to make sure it ends today.
Neko eyes snapped wide open as she released a scream. She immediately sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest, panting and with tears streaming down her face.
She'd just had a nightmare and it had been horrible. She saw, through her eyes, the horrors and crimes she'd committed. She saw herself hurting and killing people in the name of Slade. Most of all, she also saw what she had done when the Living Gate powers
had completely taken her over.
It hadn't been pretty.
Her bangs were matted to her forehead by cold sweat and her skin was pale. She scanned the room when her night vision had settled in and then she remembered where she was.
"I'm in Ryu-chan's room in Titans Tower," she reminded herself, calming herself. "I'm safe. I'm safe. I'm safe. I'm safe," she chanted.
She was alone in this room. Her brother was sleeping in Jinx's room, leaving her alone. Last night, Jinx had threatened her and she had crawled into bed complaining about stomach ache when her brother had invited her to have dinner with them.
She couldn't face the Titans. She had done so much to them, unforgivable things. Despite being the good half she was still half of their enemy and that was enough to give them a reason to hate her.
She laid back down on her side, pulling the blanket over her body. She tried to calm down and return to sleep but then her mind began to wander. What was her evil half doing? What was she doing with her family at Slade-sama's mansion? Neko couldn't bear
the thought of them getting hurt. She knew that her evil half not only possessed Horror powers, but also all of her negative traits.
She looked towards the window to see the light of the morning sun seep through the curtains. It was a brand new day. She yawned and stretched before getting out of bed. She made the bed and walked into the bathroom of her brother's room to take a shower.
She then remembered she didn't have any other clothes with her except for her uniform. She looked down at the skintight black bodysuit with silver bracelets and clawed gloves. She still had her goggles and her bow too. Around her waist was a utility belt
with Slade-sama's emblem on the buckle.
She needed to go shopping. Problem was who she could ask to go? All the Titans hated her and even if her brother would volunteer she couldn't ask for his help. She felt that she didn't deserve it after all the horrible things she'd done to him in the
past.
Sighing, she walked into the bathroom and stripped out of her uniform to take a shower. Maybe there was something her brother had that she could wear?
"OW!" Private HIVE yelled as he pulled back his hand painfully. "You broke my wrist!"
"I told you not to take away the last slice of French toast," Katherine hissed, eyes narrowed. She looked around and asked, "Anybody else have a problem with that?" She received shaking heads. "Good."
Private HIVE ran towards the infirmary to get his wrist treated. He would be out of action for awhile now.
Katherine, the evil half of Copycat whom possessed the Living Gate powers, was standing in line in the cafeteria. Said cafeteria was inside the underground base of Tartarus, the new criminal organization headed by herself and Slade and created to counter
the Titans. Since the Titans were organized, it was time for the criminals to do the same. All the local super villains were here having breakfast right after a rough and early training session.
Katherine carried her tray to her usual table, which was shared with Rose and Cathy. Rose seemed worried about her girlfriend and Cathy was concerned about her mama as well.
It would appear that nobody knew of what'd truly occurred. They didn't know that this Copycat was only half of the original. Unfortunately, they got the purely evil half, which was anything but a good thing.
During morning spar, she'd nearly killed XL-Terrestrial. The kid was lying in the infirmary with a full body cast and could only eat through a straw due to a broken jaw. Everyone knew to stay clear of her before but now they decided to give her a wide
berth, about 10 feet so they wouldn't incur her wrath. She was short tempered and prone to giving murderous threats before actually doing what she threatened to do.
Billy Numerous still hadn't recovered from when Katherine had returned late night. He'd made a comment and was now going through unspeakable pain. It was a wonder if he could bear children anymore after what Katherine had done to him.
Of course, she treated the men horribly due to her hatred for men. When it came to the girls she was a shameless flirt. Angel was stirring clear of Katherine when the cat girl whispered something into her mind concerning the winged girl bound to a bed
by handcuffs, naked, and Katherine having her way with the girl. She had even pinched Cheshire on the butt.
She had not made a move on Rose but the thoughts running through her mind could be categorized as sick and perverted. They involved Rose in a harem outfit tending to a leather clad Katherine in a soft bed covered in black silk sheets. Rose would also
be screaming in pure ecstasy.
The darkness inside of her heart and aura was obvious to those who could detect such things. Psimon could feel and sense the evil. It was unlike anything he'd felt and the old man nearly had a heart attack.
Only Madame Rouge hadn't reacted negatively to Katherine's behavior.
Katherine sat down to enjoy her breakfast. Rose asked, "Did you have to break Private HIVE's wrist?"
"I did warn him," said Katherine as she bit into her sausage, breaking it in half. The action made several men flinch. She chewed and swallowed quickly. "Nobody gets in my way."
"What happened to you last night?" Rose asked. "You seem…different."
"Just got rid of some excess baggage," Katherine answered, which was the honest truth. Said 'excess baggage' was living in Titans Tower. "I was stressed out."
"Was that why you went berserk with daddy's Sladebots?"
Katherine shrugged, "Pretty much."
"Mama, you're so strong," Cathy admired. Katherine grinned. Even if she was evil, she still had some motherly tendencies concerning her adopted mutant daughter.
"Hey, play your cards right, kiddo, and you'll make it big in this business," Katherine advised.
"Thank you for accompanying me to the mall, Anders-san," Neko spoke politely as she walked alongside Kori in the mall, both wearing civilian clothing. Neko was wearing something Kori had lent her. Neko, unlike her more evil self, was calling everyone
by their surnames with the suffix '-san'. She didn't see herself as worthy of calling them by their names after what'd happened between them for over a year.
"You are a guest, Neko," Kori smiled serenely. "And, I believe you also need female interaction." Kori was a nice person by nature and also cheerful, "And, you may call me Kori." Unlike the others Kori had quickly befriended Neko. The others were taking
time to get used to the idea of this girl being the good half. They hadn't believed that Copycat even had any good in her.
"No," Neko objected, "I do not deserve to call you by your given name. I have done too many horrible things to be even allowed to call you so." She felt that she didn't deserve such kindness.
"You should not even be allowed to speak," said a cold new voice. Kori and Neko looked behind them to see a man approaching them. It was the strange man that'd arrived from last night.
"Who are you?" demanded Kori.
"My name is Kenzaki Tsukuba," the man introduced himself. He removed his gloves and Neko gasped at the sight of them. Despite his normal appearance, his hands appeared to be made of metal and with sharp claws for fingers. "And you, Neko Katherine Hasuma,
aka Copycat, are on my Most Wanted list." He threw off his trench coat, revealing that his arms were the same as his hands, metallic. He spread out his arms. A ball of liquid metal appeared in both of his hands. The metal shifted and turned into futuristic
looking pistols that were attached to his wrist. He pointed them both at Neko. "5 trillion, dead or alive. Though in your case, alive is not an option."
He was suddenly hit in the chest by a starbolt and Neko gasped. "Anders-san!"
"Neko, run!" Kori said. "I shall try to hold him off!"
"I'm not leaving you!" Neko looked upon Kenzaki. What had she done in the past to antagonize him so?
"You must! You do not have power!" Kori shouted. "Call the others as well!" She looked at Kenzaki and saw him, still standing there. The starbolt hadn't even scratched him. So she decided to go with a more direct approach.
She flew at Kenzaki and laid a punch clear into his stomach… and it didn't even make him budge. She looked into his face in shock. "You thought that would hurt me? You're nowhere near strong enough to hurt me," said Kenzaki. Though Kori was already shocked,
she was even more shocked when she felt a fist dig into her gut. Kenzaki watched as she was launched clear out of the mall, smashing her straight through a wall. This immediately caused a panic as people started to flee.
Kenzaki flicked his wrist and rested his glare upon Neko, "Now, where was I?"
Neko was sitting on the floor. Her entire body was trembling as she held the communicator in her hands. She couldn't even crawl away as her entire body was numb with fear.
Ryuki was with meeting his cousin Saeji at a coffee shop for breakfast. The Makai Knight had called the Dragon Knight over to discuss an important matter. As soon as Ryuki sat down and made his order, Saeji got straight to the point.
"It's about your sister," Saeji stated.
"What about Neko-chan?" Ryuki asked.
"She needs to die," Saeji replied bluntly. No need for discretion here. "I just got my orders and since both of them are connected, by killing the weaker half I can kill the Living Gate."
Ryuki eyes narrowed. He could explode and yell at Saeji for suggesting such a thing but he wasn't in the mood to make a scene. Taking a deep breath of air, Ryuki gave his answer, "No."
"No?" Saeji repeated as he was quirking an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'no'?"
"Just like how it sounds. My answer is no. I won't allow you to hurt my sister," Ryuki said firmly, arms crossed.
"Ryuki-kun, you cannot deny that she's a threat. This way we can save this world and all the other worlds as well," Saeji argued.
"I know and I will not kill her," Ryuki retorted. "I'll find another way and it won't involve her death."
"You sealed her powers before and yet they broke free," Saeji reminded. "You can't deny the fact that she's a dangerous monster-"
"Urusei! She's my sister!" Ryuki snapped with an aura of hostility around him and mixed with killing intent. "My answer is no and it will remain so."
Saeji gave Ryuki a look. 'Doesn't he understand what's at stake? Of course he does. So, why is he denying me the chance to save the world from Horrors?' Saeji decided to chance it and asked, "Why do you say 'no'?"
"Because," Ryuki began, "Because I refuse to be the type of person that believes that the ends justify the means. Nothing justifies the act of killing a person." Ryuki had once made such a call to save the world. He'd been forced to kill Craig. He wasn't
going to take such a course of action ever again.
Saeji was about to retort when Ryuki's SB-Watch began beeping. It was a distress call. Ryuki stood up and said, "I need to go," before he teleported in a vortex of flames. He hadn't even waited for his order to arrive.
Saeji sighed and rested his head in one hand, his elbow on the table. "Why is he so stubborn?"
"Well, he is your cousin," Kurenai commented. "Maybe it just runs in the family."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Saeji asked his ring. "Are you saying I'm stubborn?"
"If the shoe fits, Saeji," Kurenai chuckled, "If the shoe fits."
The waitress returned with the orders and asked, "Hey, where's your friend?"
"He just went out. Can I take it to go?" Saeji replied.
Lounging like a spoilt kitten on some large pillows that she had 'obtained', Katherine was feeling like doing something naughty, which wasn't surprising considering what she was.
"What to do?" she sighed. "I feel a little raunchy so maybe Rose will be up for some fun."
Thoughts of what kind of fun she and her lover could get up to put shivers down her spine. Especially when she thought about black leather, whips, chains…
Wait…that shiver wasn't from arousal.
Katherine sat up and closed her eyes to concentrate. That shiver was fear. It wasn't hers, but her better half's. Something was happening to her and she was scared out of her mind. It probably wouldn't be very healthy for her either.
"Damn," Kat hissed. "Playtime with Rosie will have to wait."
As much as she hated caring for her 'weaker' half, her existence was at stake. They were still connected by the Power of the Tiger. If one were to die, the other would follow.
She pushed herself to her feet and approached her mirror. She took out her deck and recited the transformation call. Seconds later her body was encased in her black and red Cat Armor.
"Hmph, whoever is trying to kill me should say his prayers because he's about to meet his maker," Copycat hissed. She then walked into the mirror and vanished into it.
Kenzaki was about to do the deed when he felt a ball of fire collide with his chest and explode. His chest was smoking and his shirt had a hole burnt into it. Looking up, he saw a rather pissed off looking male. It was Ryuki.
"Leave Neko-chan alone," Ryuki warned.
"Ryu-chan!" Neko yelled.
"Get behind me, quick," Ryuki told her. Neko immediately fled and took cover behind her brother. Ryuki asked his sister, "Neko-chan, daijoubu?"
"Hai," Neko nodded.
"I got here as fast as I could when I got the distress signal. Luckily I was nearby," Ryuki explained.
"Stay out of my way," Kenzaki threatened. He wasn't going to let his target escape nor was he going to let anyone get in his way.
"No," Ryuki said sternly, "Your request is denied." Ryuki took a fighting stance and summoned the Keyblade.
Kenzaki's eyes narrowed and then he saw the weapon in Ryuki's hand, "The Keyblade. So, you're the chosen one."
Ryuki seemed surprised and asked, "You know about the Keyblade?" It wasn't exactly public knowledge.
Kenzaki rolled his eyes, "Everyone who is anybody in the Multiverse knows about the Keyblade. It's general knowledge, really. I'm surprised someone like you has it. You do know who you're protecting, right?"
"My sister," Ryuki affirmed. "And I will not allow her to be harmed."
Kenzaki focused his eyes angrily at Ryuki, "Do you know what she's done? Do you know how many lives she's destroyed? Do you have any idea of the kind of pain and suffering she has inflicted on innocent people?" Neko whimpered as she listened, the visions
in her nightmares returning.
"Yes, I do," Ryuki answered, gripping the Keyblade tightly, "But even so she is my responsibility. I shall not allow her to be harmed."
Kenzaki and Ryuki faced each other. "So, you will not move?" asked Kenzaki.
"And let you hurt my sister. That's not happening," retorted Ryuki.
"So be it," said Kenzaki. He held out his hand and a belt materialized in it. He swung it around and fastened it around his waist. Ryuki noticed as a black streak appeared in Kenzaki's silver hair. Kenzaki pulled out a small black case that looked like
a train pass. "Henshin!" He pushed the black button on his belt before swiping the pass over the belt buckle.
"HUNTER FORM!" the belt announced
At first his body was covered in a form-fitting black body armor with white gauntlets and boots with silver hands and feet, a silver chest-plate and a white helmet with a silver mouthpiece. A line of what looked like train tracks ran down the middle of
the helmet and the middle of the armor's chest. It was easy to tell that Kenzaki was staring down Draco through the black opaque lenses on the sides of the tracks.
Next additional pieces of armor soon appeared as they swirled around him. The plates of black armor attached to his chest and back while the other plates hit his shoulders. The chestplate resembled a wolf's head while his shoulder plates resembled the
paws of the animal with the claws out. When these plates finally became attached, a black and silver mask came sliding down his helmet, attaching to his faceplate. The mask was black with golden trimmings, a crescent moon on the forehead, a long 'snout'
and had pointed 'ears'. The armored bounty hunter had black bars resembling train cars attached to his belt, 4 in total, with two on either side. He began to detach the bars one by one before putting them together into a sort of weapon. Ryuki recognized
the weapon as a Gasher. A blade extended from the Gasher until it looked similar to a long black scimitar.
Kenzaki haphazardly swung the blade around, sending out arcs of energy. He then spun the blade around and rested it on his shoulder. Kenzaki reared his head back and howled into the air. He then crouched down on one knee, with his right arm pointed down.
He then scratched his claws across the floor. "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?" asked Kenzaki, his voice now combined with another's.
"Just who are you, really?" asked Ryuki.
"You can call me… Kamen Rider Garoh!" growled Kenzaki.
"A Rider? You?" Ryuki asked skeptically. "I don't believe it."
"Believe what you want, but I'm going to go through every last one of you till I get what I want," Garoh said with pure conviction.
"I repeat: that's not happening," Ryuki said as he took out his deck and tapped it against his Keyblade. The Titans Key Keyblade thus morphed into the Masked Rider Sword Keyblade. Garoh looked on curiously as Ryuki slid his deck into the slot behind the
blade. "Henshin! Liner Drive Form!" Instantly, glass shards gathered and his Blank Mode armor appeared on his body. After that, the pieces of armor which formed the Liner Drive Form appeared and snapped on. His bodysuit also changed as his visor snapped
on his helmet, shining brightly.
Garoh was taken aback by this and asked, "So, you're a Rider like me too."
"I'm nothing like you," Draco narrowed his eyes under his helmet and charged forward. "IKUZE!" He shouted, charging straight at Garoh. Neko stood back on the sidelines, watching.
A few floors above stood Copycat as she leaned forward over the railing to watch the action. "So, someone is out to get me," she purred. She looked over Garoh. "A Rider Set Touch system which uses a special time train pass. He must have a time train hidden
somewhere."
Months ago, Copycat had used the remains of a time train known as the GaoLiner. She'd infused it with Horrors to create her HorrorLiner in an attempt to travel to the centre of the Multiverse and destroy it before recreating the whole Multiverse in her
image. Of course, her brother and his crew just had to butt in and stop her. She'd lost her time train and also had been sealed away.
The gears in her brain were spinning as an idea formed in her mind. She watched the entertainment down below, just making bets with herself to see who'd win.
Draco held his own against Garoh who was pushing back as their blades were locked. Despite the strength Draco had, Garoh seemed to be stronger.
Starfire groaned as she crawled back into the mall through the wall. Neko noticed her and ran straight for her. "Anders-san!" Neko helped Kori back to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"I am perfectly unharmed," coughed Kori, "But that man is stronger than he appeared." Her eyes looked up to see Draco and Garoh battling. "Is that him?"
"Hai."
"He is one of those Riders as well?"
"Unfortunately."
"We must assist your brother," Kori said firmly, eyes narrowed and glowing.
"But I can't," Neko said dejectedly, "My powers are useless." She could only use telepathy and teleport. In this situation, such powers were of no use to her.
"You can," Kori assured. "Just believe."
Neko nodded and then looked to see her brother. He was fighting for her. Even after all she'd done he was still protecting her. Suddenly, she felt something rise within her. Looking over to Kori, she saw that her hands which were touching Kori's arm were
glowing. She jerked back, shocked.
"Neko?" Kori asked.
"My hands were glowing!" Neko panicked. What was going on?
'Aibou! What are you doing!?' Yaminekoryu shouted as Draco fought. 'You're fighting sloppy!'
'What the hell is wrong with you!?' Ifrit yelled.
Draco was not fighting at his best. Actually, he was being careless. Garoh kept dodging his attacks and managed to counter each of his blows. It was like Draco didn't want to fight. Of course, this was because he was still affected by the conversation
he had earlier with his cousin as well as Craig's death. Despite his best efforts along with those of his friends', he still hadn't gotten over it. It was in this form he'd killed his best friend and due to self doubt he was unable to utilize its
full power. The only reason he'd defeated Copycat the night before was through luck.
With a mighty kick, Garoh struck at Draco and knocked the Keyblade away. He then slashed at Draco with his scimitar several times before he smashed a fist into Draco's face, knocking him backwards. Garoh then leapt up and performed a double-footed drop
kick that sent Draco reeling. As he raised up his sword, a starbolt smashed into his side. He didn't feel any pain due to his condition but he raised up his head to look at Kori.
"Leave him alone," Kori ordered.
Garoh snorted, "Lady, don't get in my way." In a flash he was suddenly in front of Kori. "Don't ever challenge the wolf!" He struck Starfire hard in the stomach with the butt of his weapon, causing her to double over
before he used an uppercut to her chin. He then jumped up and kicked her hard and sent her sailing towards a wall. Kori righted herself in the air and rebounded off the wall.
"Adeat!" Kori called and was now armed with her Starblade. Garoh was shocked that a Tamaranean could use magic. However, he was anything but impressed. As Kori flew straight at him, ready to swing his sword, he took got ready. He summoned his pass and
waved it in front of his belt buckle.
"FULL CHARGE!" the belt announced.
Energy arched from his belt and into his scimitar, which began to glow. He then charged back at Kori. She swung down her sword and he blocked it. Not only that, but he also sliced through the energy blade. Kori gasped in shock but was then smashed in
the face by a fist, sending the girl flying into a clothing store and knocking her out as clothes piled on top of her.
Draco charged at Garoh once he'd gotten back his bearings. Garoh's scimitar was still charged so he rushed at the Zodiac Knight of Dragons. He ducked under swing and then slashed Draco in the stomach. Draco screamed as Neko cringed. Garoh then started
to slash Draco over and over with his charged up blade before stabbing him in the chest. Draco screamed as his armor shattered and Keyblade vanished. He collapsed afterwards.
"Ryu-chan!" Neko yelled.
Garoh approached Neko who was trembling in fear. Just who was this Rider and why did he want to kill her. What had she done to deserve this? "Why are you doing this?" Neko questioned, crying, as she pressed herself back against the wall.
"You even dare to ask that question?" Garoh asked, infuriated by his target's 'feigned' ignorance. "You're a monster!"
Neko gasped. "But, I-I-I don't even… know…you," Neko spoke shakily, eyes wide with fear as a cold sweat formed over her face.
"You don't remember?" asked Garoh, shocked. "You don't remember?!" This was the first time he had shown emotion. "You can look me in the eye, at this scar, the one you gave me, and say you don't remember?!"
He was shaking in anger at this point. "You killed my mother and father after they helped you! You killed them and then ate their hearts! You killed my sister and then you tried to kill me! Then your god damn Horrors wiped out my entire universe!"
Neko eyes widened, horrified at the revelation. On instinct, she thrust out her hands as beams of green energy shot out and hit Garoh's chestplate. His chestplate was smoking but undamaged. Neko looked at her hands with shock but then shivered when she
felt a cold blade pressed against her throat.
"That would've hurt if I could feel pain." Garoh had his scimitar's blade pressed against Neko's neck. "Your wanted poster said 'dead or alive'…I'll just bring in your head then."
Neko was crying, fearing for her life. She was shocked when Garoh was blasted back by a fireball. Garoh easily readied himself. He looked up and noticed that Ryuki was now standing between him and Neko. "Stupid boy, you should have stayed down and out of the way."
"I won't let you hurt my onee-chan," said Ryuki defiantly.
This actually seemed to halt Garoh. "Damn it… Why? Why do you have to sound like her!?" roared Gaoh as he slammed the Scimitar-Gasher into the ground. He then undid his transformation, returning back
to Kenzaki, the black streak in his hair gone.
"Why do you have to act so much like my sister?" whispered Kenzaki.
A 16 year old girl stood between Copycat and a 12 year old Kenzaki. "So, you want to die first?" asked Copycat, her red eyes glowing.
"I won't let you hurt my otouto-chan!" said the girl. As soon as she said this, Copycat impaled the girl on her claw.
"NO! Onee-chan!" cried the boy.
"That's too bad. You were pretty cute," said Copycat in a mocking tone. She then kicked the girl off her claws. She turned her attention towards Kenzaki. "Now, to take care of you…"
'His sister?' Ryuki thought upon hearing it. He'd have to ask about it later. "Why are you after my sister?" Ryuki asked, his grasp on his Keyblade not wavering.
"Why don't you ask her?" Kenzaki pointed hatefully at Neko. "She killed my family and my world!" he accused. Ryuki found that he wasn't so surprised. If it had been Copycat back then it was possible but he needed to make sure.
"Is this true?" Ryuki asked his sister. He needed answers.
"Hai," Neko nodded, filled with remorse. She tried to apologize, "And I'm sorry."
Kenzaki looked at her, eyes narrowed, "Sorry? Sorry!?" Neko flinched. "You think saying sorry is going to fix everything? My family was nothing but kind to you and yet you killed them! You even wiped out my world with Horrors!"
Ryuki's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Horrors. He shouted, "And all you can say is sorry!? NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"
Copycat, who was still watching the entire thing, quirked an eyebrow, "When did I do anything like that? I remember something like that happening." She checked out Kenzaki. "He seems familiar enough." She stretched, "Oh, well…I'll figure those things
out later." She yawned. "Right now I'm due for a catnap." She turned around and walked into a display window which rippled like water as she came into contact with it before phasing through.
Ryuki briefly heard a faint ringing sound but ignored it like nothing. It was probably just a false alarm. "You better come with us to the Tower to explain everything."
"Why?" Kenzaki asked suspiciously.
"Because you don't know the whole truth right now," Ryuki answered. Kenzaki growled.
"I do."
"Do you?" Ryuki was briefly reminded of Craig, may Kami bless his soul, from Kenzaki's behavior. To him Neko was the one who'd caused him great pain and grief. Ryuki had a sinking suspicion as to who was actually responsible here.
Meanwhile, Neko was trying to shake Kori awake. She'd found the alien princess buried under a pile of clothes and managed to dig her out. "Anders-san! Anders-san!" Kori groaned as she held her head.
"What did the hitting on me?" Kori questioned, disoriented. Neko smiled as she hugged Kori.
"You're okay!" Neko cried. Neko helped the alien girl up.
"Thank you," Kori nodded. "Now, let us bring this man to the police."
"Actually, he's coming with us to the Tower," Ryuki informed Kori. Kori responded with a look of shock and confusion. "We both owe each other explanations."
"Fine," Kenzaki grumbled as crossed his arms. "But after all this is done, I'm bringing her in." He was talking about Neko.
At the Tower, Kenzaki was now the centre of attention. All the Titans were in the living room. Robin crossed his arms, angry that someone had hurt Starfire. Neko was standing close to her brother, hiding partly behind his back. He was her guardian and
shield during these difficult times.
Robin was the first to ask, "Who are you?"
"I'm Kenzaki Tsukuba. I'm a multiversal bounty hunter," Kenzaki answered casually.
"Multiversal?" Beast Boy asked.
"It means he travels from one world to the next capturing criminals who have large bounties above their heads," Shadow explained. He didn't care for bounty hunters, not since the incident involving his old mentor Crackdown.
"That's right, and there's a large bounty on that psycho's head!" Kenzaki pointed at Neko who immediately hid behind her brother. Ryuki stepped forward and grabbed Kenzaki's hand.
"You shall not raise your voice and point fingers at my sister," Ryuki growled. Kenzaki stared at him in disbelief.
"Why?" Kenzaki asked.
"Why what?" Ryuki asked back.
"Why do you protect her?" Kenzaki asked again.
"She is my sister," Ryuki said with pure conviction.
"Do you know what she's done?" Kenzaki asked. "The lives she took? The worlds she has destroyed?" He raised his voice, "Do you?"
The others looked stricken with shock. How much damage had Copycat done while she'd been hopping dimensions?
"I do," Ryuki nodded, "And it is not her fault."
"Not her fault?" Kenzaki repeated, "Not her fault!? She's a stone cold killer! She's pure evil incarnate!"
"You know, you're taking this pretty personally," Shadow observed. "Why?"
"None of your business," Kenzaki snorted.
"It is if you try to hurt someone under our protection," Shadow said threateningly.
Kenzaki took out a sheet of paper, which was a wanted poster, and slapped it down in front of the Titans. "There, you see?"
WANTED
COPYCAT
REWARD: 5 TRILLION CREDITS
DEAD OR ALIVE
There was a picture of Copycat on it too, with and without her armor.
"5 TRILLION!? WOAH!" Beast Boy yelled out. "That's huge!"
"5 trillion credits," Starfire gasped out. "That is enough to purchase a small planet."
"Or 500 Gamestations!" Cyborg yelled out, "Or more!"
"Who issued this bounty?" Robin asked.
"Nobody from this universe," Kenzaki stated. "Just some people who want to keep the Multiverse safe from dangerous threats. Like her."
Neko looked really scared. There was such a large bounty on her head. Had she really been that evil when whole?
Everyone was silently taking in this information.
"She's not your target," Ryuki suddenly spoke.
Kenzaki stared at Ryuki. "What?"
"The person you are after is 'Copycat'," Ryuki pointed out. "My sister isn't her; at least, not anymore."
"What is that supposed to fucking mean?" Kenzaki snarled.
"Let me explain," Ryuki started before he told Kenzaki of the events which had transpired the previous night.
"You're shitting me," Kenzaki responded after hearing the story. "You expect me to believe that bullshit story?"
"It's true," Shadow nodded. "The person you are after, Copycat, has been split in two. What you see here is her good half. However, the evil half is still at large."
"Then I'm going after her. Then I'll kill her and take her head," Kenzaki said as he stood up but was pushed back down by Cyborg and Ryuki. "Hey!"
"I can't let you do that," Ryuki said firmly.
"Oh really? Why not?" Kenzaki challenged.
"Because, if you kill Copycat, you kill Neko-chan too," Ryuki added. "The two of them are connected. They are two sides of the same coin. If one dies, so does the other."
"One is good while the other is evil," Raven continued. "Both are two parts of the same whole. Though separate, their fates are still bound together. By killing one, you kill the other."
"And I can't allow you to do that," Ryuki finished.
"You think you can stop me?" Kenzaki challenged, "All of you?"
"Without a doubt, yes," said Robin.
"And, aren't you a Rider?" Terra asked, "Shouldn't you be fighting for justice or something."
"Not everyone who carries the name 'Kamen Rider' fights on the same side," Kenzaki retorted. "Besides, don't I fight for justice? I capture criminals and bring them in. So what if I make a bit of profit. But right now,I just want to bring Copycat in,
dead rather than alive."
"That's gonna be a little harder than it sounds," Terra spoke up.
"How so?"
"Because she has 8 Lives," Neko stated. It was the first time she'd spoke since coming back. "My other half has the Power of 9 Lives. Now she has only 8."
"How do you know?" Kenzaki asked, the venom dripping from his voice. Neko trembled.
"Because, like Ryu-chan and Roth-san said, we're connected. I can fell whenever one life ends but also feels as another one comes into effect. Killing her isn't going to be easy. She will keep reviving herself."
"Then I'll kill her 9 times over," Kenzaki said without hesitation.
"No, you won't," Robin denied.
"You want to make something about it, punk?" Kenzaki challenged.
"As long as we're in this city, people like you aren't going to be going around killing people," Robin argued, "Not now, not ever. We will try and stop you."
Kenzaki sighed. Neko then approached Kenzaki. Kenzaki looked the girl over. She looked just like the way she did when she'd killed his family. However, on closer inspection, he could see that she didn't have that sadistic look in her eyes or felt evil.
She was just, scared, guilty, and filled with remorse.
Also, she did look kinda cute. He stomped that thought down quickly. 'What the hell?'
She got down on her hands and knees and apologized. She bowed down with her forehead on the ground. She apologized for her sins, every last one of them.
Kenzaki was in a dilemma. He then said, "Get up and stop apologizing. It makes me sick."
"Huh?" Neko rose her head up.
"Fine, I won't kill Copycat or you," Kenzaki added. "The bounty was on Copycat. You're not her."
A perverse grin formed on Katherine's face as she thought of the things she would do to Rose. The room was soundproof and the locks were unbreakable. As soon as she got the silver haired girl cornered, screams of pleasure and pain would echo within the
room. Katherine twirled a pair of handcuffs on her index finger, planning on a night that Rose would never forget. Under her feet, her own shadow grinned evilly.
Later that night…very late at night, Neko was in her brother's room and dressed in a Smart Brain's operative uniform. It was a good thing that all the uniforms were truly 'one-size-fits-all'. As soon as she put it on, it tightened to fit her figure snugly
instead of loosely. She looked over herself in the mirror and admitted that she didn't look half bad. Her hair had also been braided with the bow ribbon now tied to the end of her braid. To finish off the look, she put on her goggles over her eyes.
She was halfway prepared but she needed more resources if she was going to sneak into the compound. Slade had state of the art security system and surveillance equipment planted all around to look out for intruders.
Fortunately, she still had her utility belt which had all her gear plus she remembered her training. With her training in the Hasuma School's Stealth Style, she could easily sneak into the compound. However, stealth would not be enough. Right now, she
needed more power. After running a telepathic scan she was relieved that everyone was asleep.
"OK, here I go," She then vanished and teleported. It was fortunate that she still had her basic psychic powers of telepathy and teleportation.
She'd discovered what her new power was. She could borrow powers from others through touch. Luckily, it worked at will instead of automatically. He'd heard of a girl with similar powers but had no control over them. Therefore, she had to cover up a lot
and wore gloves.
She first ported into Starfire's room. She tiptoes silently towards the sleeping princess and tapped one of her bare fingers against Starfire's forehead, taking some of the girl's energy and borrowing her powers. Satisfied, she then ported to Beast Boy's
room. The boy was not alone, however, and was cuddling with Terra. Thankfully, they were fully clothed. He snuck over and touched them to absorb some of their power before moving on to the next room. She found Renia sleeping on the floor at the foot
of her bed. She'd obviously fallen off. Her snoring was also loud. Neko carefully walked over and took some of Renia's power and then ported out quickly. She contemplated on taking Robin's power but she still had some martial arts training. Therefore,
she moved towards Jinx's room. Her brother would be there too.
Instantly, upon arrival, she cringed. Brimstone! How could she forget that the dog was sleeping here too? She just hoped she didn't alarm the hound. She used some of Starfire's power to float towards the bed where her brother and Jinx were sleeping; the
pink haired girl snuggled against her brother. Neko smiled at the tender scene before she refocused on her mission. She touched their foreheads and then ported out.
Her final targets were Raven and Shadowcobra. They were psychically aware of their surrounding so Neko had to be extra careful. Since they were married, the couple was probably asleep in either of their rooms. Neko decided to chance it and ported into
Shadowcobra's room.
She'd guessed right. Both of them were asleep with Raven laying on top her husband. As heartwarming as this scene was, Neko needed power. She brushed her hand against their foreheads, absorbing enough power to be used later on. Unlike her original Zodiac
Power, this power of hers had a 30 minute limit and every second counted. As she was about to leave, she noticed something on Shadow's desk. She walked over to it and picked the item up. Her eyes widened as she identified it as the deck that Alternative-01
had used. How did Shadowcobra get his hands on it? Neko decided to save those questions for later. Time was of the essence.
Once she was sure that she was ready, she teleported straight outside of the Tower.
As her feet touched down on the beach, she realized that she wasn't alone. She spun around to see Kenzaki leaning against the Tower, admiring her. He had a lit cigarette in his mouth.
"Isn't it a little late to be going out?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that too," Neko returned. This man had tried to kill her and even if his reasons were sound she felt little trust for him. "What do you want?"
"I'm still skeptical about this whole separation thing," Kenzaki replied, "But from what I gathered you just look like the one I'm hunting down."
"Well, it was still me. I was whole back then," Neko replied.
"I know. The bounty was for 'Copycat', not a girl named Neko."
"Get to the point. I'm running late here and I don't want to waste anymore time." She wasn't usually rude, but she was running out of time.
"You're up to something and I want in," Kenzaki replied firmly.
"Just go away," Neko said briskly. She was about to port when he made another comment.
"Nothing is stopping me from waking them up, y'know?" he said. She froze. She sighed and looked straight at him. "Now, do I have your attention?"
"Fine," Neko sighed. "I'm going back to rescue a couple of people from the mansion. Their names are Rose and Cathy. My evil half is there and I'm afraid of what she might do to them."
"A rescue mission? Alone?" Kenzaki asked. It would appear that Neko had lost some of her common sense when she'd split. "That's insane."
"I know," Neko agreed, "But I can't involve my brother. I have to do this alone."
"Let me help," Kenzaki offered.
"Why?" Neko asked suspiciously.
"You need someone to look out for you. Besides, this way, I get my bounty and you get your girls." He was still dedicated to bringing Copycat in. "So, do we have a deal?" He offered his hand. She looked at it and took it, shaking it.
"OK," Neko nodded. "Now, hold on."
In an instant, they'd vanished.
Rose heard a knock at her door. The daughter of Slade got up from her dressing table to answer where she'd been brushing her hair in front of the mirror. She was already in her pajamas, which was a long blue buttoned down shirt that reached down to mid
thigh. Underneath she wore panties and a bra. She turned the knob and opened the door to see Katherine.
"Oh, it's you, Kitty-Kat," Rose smiled.
Katherine inwardly cringed at the childish pet name. She smiled, looking Rose up and down. She'd have her calling her 'mistress' soon enough. "Rose, can you come with me to my room?"
Rose smiled, "Sure."
Katherine grinned, "Thanks." 'Excellent.'
In the beginning, there was discovery, a confusion of elements, a first snowfall of impossible change. Old lives undone, left behind, strange faces made familiar, new nightmares to challenge sleep, new friends to feel safe with. Only then comes control, the need to impose order onto chaos through determination, through study, through struggle, all in defiance of a thundering truth. They're here, and the earth shudders underfoot.
To Be Continued…
Name: Neko Hasuma
Age: 19
Codename: Mimic
Bio: Neko is the good half of Copycat which was separated due to the Power of the Zodiac Tiger. As such, Neko carries one half of the Tiger Power and is still connected to her evil half. Since the Zodiac Deck is in the position of Katherine (her evil
half), Neko has none of the powers she had gained using the Powers of the Cat. What she has left are her powers of teleportation and telepathy as well as her training. However, since the Tiger Power separated her from her evil half, she has a weaker
form of her mimicry ability which can be activated at will when she touches someone. By doing this, she can borrow their powers, temporarily and for about 30 minutes or so. She can also communicate with animals, though she prefers cats above anything
else. In addition to her power absorption ability, she can also take on the physical properties of any solid matter like steel or rock through touch but it only affects her skin. She is yet to discover this secondary absorption ability.
Neko, unlike her evil self, has low self esteem, nervous and scares easily. She is also desperate to gain the Titans' trust. Also, she cares deeply for her brother and calls him either 'otouto-chan' or 'Ryu-chan'.
ZK Chromedragozoid: Shadow Element 13 made me this OC.
Name: Kenzaki Tsukuba
Age: 24
Codename: Kamen Rider Garoh
Appearance: He has long silver hair that goes down to the small of his back. His right eye is blue, the left eye is red. There is a scar going over his red eye. He has a normal skin tone, except for his back, arms, and the sides of his chest and abdomen,
which are a metallic color. His hands are now actually metal claws. He wears black jeans, dark blue tennis shoes, and a dark blue t-shirt. He also wears a metallic silver trench coat.
Bio: Kenzaki comes from a now non-existent universe. His universe was destroyed by Horrors when Draco and the others were hunting down Copycat through the Multiverse. The Horror's couldn't be stopped as he was the only superhuman on his Earth. Kenzaki
his hunting a demonic monster, disguised as a beautiful girl, calling herself Copycat. Kenzaki and his family found a wounded Copycat and brought her back to their home to heal her. When she awakened she killed his family and devoured their hearts.
She's also the one that gave Kenzaki his scar. When his universe was destroyed by the Horrors, Kenzaki was caught in a dimensional rift that the Horrors used to escape the destruction. Kenzaki followed them, but ended up lost in the Sands of Time.
Here, he was picked up by the former owner of the GaroLiner, Gou Tsukuba, who was like a second father to Kenzaki. The man was killed while hunting a bounty. Kenzaki became the owner of the GaroLiner through inheritance.
He trained on the GaroLiner for 12 years, eventually mastering control of his abilities, as well as mastering the Fierce Beast Wolf-Fist.
A morally ambivalent clean-up man employed by various sources. He suffers from a disease called congenital analgia that does not allow him to feel pain. As a child, he was exposed to a biological compound which mutated him, dramatically changing his right
and left arm, and giving him the ability to spontaneously grow any firearm he requires, fully loaded. He is the owner and operator of the GaroLiner. His partner and second-in-command is a Wolf Imagin named Okami, though he has three other Imagin partners.
His other partners are Shiori, a gynoid, and Kumiko, a young girl the original Garoh saved from the Horrors, but she is from a different Universe then Kenzaki. Kenzaki is also a heavy smoker and drinker.
Kenzaki's Rider system is similar to Den-O, utilizing the Terminal Buckle and Set Touch features.
Kenzaki's Weapons:
Each weapon, with the exception of grenades and the Reapers are equipped with a Secondary Trigger, which uses the Alternate Fire.
M5A2 Carbine:
Primary fire- Shoots normal bullets. It is very accurate, even in full auto fire.
Alternate fire- Launches an explosive similar to a M203 grenade launcher.
Bullseye:
Primary fire- Shoots energetic ammunition very fast, but inaccurate.
Alternate fire- Fires a "tag" where the cross-hairs are pointed. IF the tag hits an enemy, all primary fire will be directed to that enemy. This usually spells the death for the tagged character.
Bullseye bomb- If Kenzaki shoots anywhere other than a tagged target, he can create a Bullseye bomb by holding down the Secondary Trigger. All primary shots will speed to a point a few feet next to the tag, revolving in a circle above/next to the tag
(not around the tag). If Kenzaki shoots a tag somewhere else, all the bullets will immediately follow it, spelling an immediate death for anyone caught in the line of fire. If Kenzaki lets go of the Secondary Trigger (or shoots a tag somewhere else
and holds the Secondary Trigger), the bomb will eventually explode in all directions.
Rossmore 236:
Primary fire- Shoots one shotgun shell.
Alternate fire- Fires both barrels.
Auger:
Primary Fire- Slowly shoots rounds capable of burrowing through solid objects, becoming more powerful with each object it passes through.
Alternate fire- Creates a shield, enough to cover one person, impenetrable to anything other than the auger.
L23 Fareye:
Primary fire- Shoots a powerful sniper round
Alternate fire- Makes the character concentrate while held, creating the effect of slow-motion.
XR-005 Hailstorm:
Primary fire- Shoots bolts capable of ricocheting off solid surfaces at an extremely high rate.
Alternate fire- Releases all bolts remaining in clip, forming an auto-turret that will attack the nearest target, and if downed, continue to find new ones until they run out of energy
XR-003 Sapper:
Primary fire- Shoots Sapper mines, small organic cells that act as a mine, exploding when touched. They can stick to each other and objects.
Alternate fire- Detonates mines one at a time, or all at once if held.
L209 LAARK:
Primary fire- Shoots a powerful missile in the direction of the crosshairs.
Alternate fire- Slows down/"freezes" the rocket in place, allowing for re-aiming. Also, if trigger is held in this state, it will fire several, smaller mini-munitions that will seek out the nearest target until they are all used up or trigger is released.
Missile will still explode when it hits a target, but will be much less powerful after minirocktes have been expended.
Bullseye Mark II: Same as the Bullseye, except much more powerful, burrowing into the bodies of the target it hits. The projectiles are blue instead of red.
Reapers:
Primary fire- Shoots right reaper, wherever the crosshairs are aimed.
Alternate fire- Shoots left reaper, wherever the crosshairs are aimed.
L11-2 Dragon:
Primary fire- Acts as a standard flamethrower that spews greenish blue flames.
Alternate fire- Releases flammable vapor, but does not burn it. Will stay in from of weapon until trigger is released, and once released, will burn all the gas at once.
Arc Charger:
Primary fire- shoots an ionized beam of energy that also acts as a sort of "tag"
Alternate fire- Releases a burst of ionized beams, jumping to any tagged enemy nearby.
Splitter:
Primary fire- Shoots a large, explosive- 'thing'… which can be broken into several, smaller…'things' for each successive shot.
Alternate fire- Stops/slows down the "projectile(s)". When Kenzaki moves, so do the projectiles, always staying in front of him. If they hit an object, they explode.
Frag Grenade: Normal fragmentation grenade. Small, yet powerful explosive radius.
Hedgehog Grenade: Grenade of Kenzaki's design. When thrown, hovers at chest height off the ground where it lands. It then explodes, launching spikes in all directions.
Air-Fuel Grenade: When thrown, releases a large cloud of flammable gas. Once the gas is fully released, it is ignited. Can also stick to enemies.
Backlash Grenade: Grenade of Kenzaki's design. Creates a protective "bubble", which reflects any fire from weapons directly back to their source, and allows any of Kenzaki's weapons to travel through. Also, any opponent caught in it will
receive damage, but will not drop dead on the spot.
Kenzaki's Imagin Partners:
Okami, the Fierce Black Wolf
Personality: hot blooded, arrogant, and quick tempered
Weapon: Scimitar
Creates Hunter Form
Introductory Line: "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?"
Byakko, the Honorable White Tiger
Personality: honorable and a martial artist. Obsessed with the basics of martial arts.
Weapons: His fists and feet. He is also armed with an axe.
Creates Predator Form
Introductory Line: "Remember the basics! My fists will crush your spirit!"
Raion, the Raging Golden Lion
Personality: an avid fan of rock music and prone to fits of blind rage when in combat.
Weapon: A naginata
Creates Rampage Form
Introductory Line: "Let's turn up the volume! The music is just starting!"
Buraki, the Savage Crimson Imoogi
Personality: A ruthless, dishonest fighter, Buraki is the deadliest of Kenzaki's partners. Completely the opposite, when out of battle, Buraki goofs off and is highly perverted, which constantly puts him at odds with the honorable Byakko.
Weapon: A flamethrower that takes the form of a shotgun, firing flame bullets.
Creates Savage Form
Introductory Line: "Everything burns, let me light the fire."