Chapter 5: The Coming Storm

"So how exactly did this happen?" Remilia Scarlet whispered. She was standing next to Patchouli, surveying the scene before her.
"I'm not sure," came the reply. "One moment they were fighting, and then . . . this."

The library was in shambles. Books lay strewn about the floor, scattered from their home from the shelves. Fires dotted the area, caused by both fallen lanterns and magical mayhem. In the middle of it all was a man and a girl, sitting about a square piece of cardboard.

"Go to jail, don't collect $200~" Flandre Scarlet happily cheered.

"Why are you so good at this?" Soma Haruto grumbled. "First Battleship, then Clue, now Monopoly."

"Fufufufu," the vampire giggled. "I'm the best!"
Haruto and Flandre's clash had torn apart the library. The wizard's magical defenses proved to ward off her biggest attacks, but when encounters a veritable swarm of magical bullets, there's only so far a magical trenchcoat can take you. That's not to say he was completely outclassed, however. He was an opponent unlike Flandre had ever seen, absorbing her flames and sending them back at her. Not daring to only use fire, he assaulted her with wind, water, and earth. Eventually, Flandre's raw power and Haruto's combat magic took their toll on each other, forcing them to stalemate. Haruto, in a flash of wit, conjured up a board game in hopes that she'd go along with it—and his hunch was right. It seems that for all her power, she was just a kid. A spoiled brat, maybe, but just a kid.

"I'm still astonished at how he managed to subdue her so quickly," Remilia said under her breath, loud enough for her friend to hear. "And that the situation didn't escalate farther than it did."

"You call this 'not escalated'?" Patchouli gave Remilia a look. "Then you're fixing this."

"What? No, Patchy!" Remilia whines. The Great Unmoving Library simply floats away. "Well, this is embarrassing."

"Don't worry, Miss Scarlet," the vampire nearly jumps as Haruto's head pops out of a magic circle in front of her. "I'll help. It's my mess, after all." He withdraws his head, going back to playing with Flandre.

She simply stares at him. "Well, uh, thanks?" Man, he'd be really helpful to have around the place.

Meanwhile, Haruto thought back to the book he read before he was interrupted. Disturbing information floated around through his head as he carried the younger Scarlet upon his shoulders, taking the opportunity to magically clean up the place. Whatever's coming is big. I'll have to warn the others as soon as possible.

So as to not draw attention, Marisa rode with Shotaro on the Hardboiler, his bike. Philip would get there via another means, she was told. "You haven't told me where we were going!" she yelled over the wind.

"Huh?" he yelled back. "I told you! It's a surprise!"

For the last month or so, she had been working with Shotaro and Philip on cases they received as they waited for "the right time." Apparently they had some guys out of the country who needed to return. As such, Marisa was stuck chasing down transforming criminals, solving murder mysteries, and looking for lost pets. These tasks she had taken to with a great enthusiasm, to the great delight of the two detectives. Now, however, it seems that they had somewhere to go—somewhere outside of Fuuto.

After an hour or two of riding away from the city, they entered a small, rural farming community off the beaten path in the hills somewhere. It was outside a surprisingly fancy traditional inn where Shotaro parked his bike, along with several other colorful machines—and was that a car? Marisa hadn't seen many before she came to the outside world, and the things still fascinated her. Dismounting, she stretched, her body aching from the soreness. "Why are we all the way out here?"

"Several reasons," Shotaro said while replacing his helmet with his hat. He smoothed out his ruffled waistcoat, before taking out his mobile phone. "Good, we're early."

Marisa copied him, replacing the helmet she had been loaned with her trusty witch hat. She wasn't wearing her normal outfit as it would draw too many looks and would be impractical for motorcycle riding. She was currently adorned in blue shorts, a striped shirt, and a black jacket in addition to a new pair of shoes Shotaro had insisted he buy her for whatever reason. "Windscale is a top-quality designer," he had claimed.

"So what's the deal?" she asked, falling behind him as they walked through the dirt lot towards the inn. "What's goin' on?"

"We're meeting the other Riders here," he said. "You've meet Terui already. Now you get to meet the rest—well, some of the rest."

They were greeted by a woman in traditional clothing who told them that they were being expected and led them to a large room. Sliding open the shoji, leading them to a large room where a bunch of people sat on cushions around a table, who turned to look at the new arrivals. Most were unfamiliar faces, but she did spot someone she recognized: Philip, Shotaro's partner.

"Yo!" Shotaro greeted with a wave. The group grinned and waved back, some standing up to clap the detective on the back. "Who's left?"

"Just Shouichi and Kosuke," a man with scraggly hair and a full beard answered. Marisa raised an eyebrow at his unkempt, wild appearance. His clothing was a hodgepodge of clashing materials and colors that didn't go together at all. "Though they should be here soon."

They sat down at some empty cushions, next to the people they already knew. "Hey, Sho. Why are there more than two seats open?"
"For the Riders who can't make it right now. Currently Haruto and Yusuke are in Gensokyo, while there are others, like Gou, who are abroad," Shotaro said. "Someone will fill them in on the details later."

Marisa had no clue who they were, of course, but rolled with it. Several minutes passed before a man in jeans and a fur-trimmed jacket with wild hair arrived, greeting several of the people with tight hugs and a loud voice. And a minute after that a friendly-looking man in casual clothing arrived, taking a seat after some handshakes. Above the empty seats, magic circles blazed to life, and through them a window to another place could be seen. Two figures appeared in those circles, accompanied by strangely familiar backgrounds. Finally, the meeting would begin.

"So," a middle-aged man with eyes full of life in a dark blue robe began. "I trust you know why I've called everyone here today. We're here to discuss the paranormal threat known as the Ganma." After several seconds of murmuring, he continued. "To combat this, we have called in a person from a place similarly afflicted—the land of Gensokyo. Kirisame Marisa, please introduce yourself."

Marisa felt slightly self-conscious as she felt all those eyes on her. She wasn't quite used to this situation—where she'd normally be her bombastic and brazen self, she now found only hesitation. "My name is Marisa, as you know," she bowed. "I, er, am a witch of Gensokyo. Pleased to work with you." She sat down a tad bit too quickly.

Shotaro spoke up. "She's been helping us out for the past month with normal and Dopant-related cases. I can vouch for her skill and power as a mage. It's the real deal."

The older man nodded. "Well, we should probably introduce ourselves—Shotaro probably forgot to let you know who we are." A light chuckle at the detective's expense was shared by the group, broken only by an indignant "Hey!" "I'll go first. I am Hibiki, Drum Master Oni." He gave a wry smile and a jaunty salute. "Let's get along."

The oldest one here, a sixty-year-old man in a blue coat, went next. "Jin Keisuke, Kamen Rider X," he said in a baritone. "One of the original ten."

One of the people in the magic circles spoke up. "Godai Yusuke, Kuuga, reporting from Gensokyo," he said. He had long hair pulled back into a ponytail, a light moustache and goatee, complimented by the kindest smile Marisa had ever seen. He gave a thumbs up as he said, "The sunflower fields are a really lovely place. You've got a really great home, Marisa."

The man who arrived last spoke up next. "Tsugami Shouichi, Agito." He said. "I own a restaurant in the city. Please, come visit it sometime."

"Kirishima Miho," a lady in a brown jacket said. "Neither Shinji nor Ren could make it, so you'll have to settle for Kamen Rider Femme instead."

An angry-looking brown-haired man was next. "Sakurai Yuuto, Kamen Rider Zeronos. Likewise, Den-O isn't available." He snorted. "Man, what a pain."

"Kamen Rider Kiva-la," a girl in an orange beanie took her turn. "Hikari Natsumi. I'm here to spare you the pain of dealing with Tsukasa." That earned a few laughs.

Shotaro spoke up. "You already know me and Philip. We're W," he said. Marisa had seen them transform several times over the past month. "But again, you already knew that."

The bearded hobo Marisa had turned away from earlier came afterwards. "Hino Eiji, Kamen Rider OOO. I swear I don't normally have this beard." That got a chuckle out of most everyone at the table.

Quite the opposite of the demure and subdued introductions of his predecessors, a rather large young man with a pompadour shot up and pounded his chest twice before jabbing a finger at a perplexed Marisa. "Kisaragi Gentaro! Kamen Rider Fourze!" He grinned. "I'm gonna befriend everybody in Gensokyo!"

"Good luck with that," she responded, slightly taken aback. He just gave her a wide grin and sat down.

"Soma Haruto," the other man in the magical mirror said. He had a rather mischievous smirk accented by a small amount of facial hair that gave him the appearance of a suave heartbreaker. "Wizard, also reporting in from Gensokyo. I've meet some friends of yours, Marisa." She was shocked to see Flandre Scarlet, of all people pop out from behind him, grinning. "Hey, Marisa! This guy is fun! He played with me and everything!"

"What—how?" she began, but was silenced by another person. "Don't worry about it for now," the tired voice of Patchouli Knowledge rang out from somewhere unseen. "They're fine."

Marisa was so startled that she almost missed the next Rider's introduction. "Beast! Nitoh Kosuke!" the second-to-last-person-to-arrive said energetically. "Man, I'm starving."

"Kamen Rider Drive," a serious-looking man in a suit said. "Tomari Shinnosuke. It's a pleasure."

"All of you are Kamen Riders? Like Shotaro?" Marisa asked.

"Yes—well, some of us in name only. The Oni are really honorary Riders because they do some of the same stuff that we do. However, they're more monster hunters than superheroes," Shotaro explained. "Like with Haruto and Kosuke. They're mages first, and Riders second."

"Huh?"

"Don't sweat it," the amicable Kosuke laughed off. "Being a Rider has some weird requirements. Like having fancy toys, for one."

Marisa was confused. "I'll take your word for it," she decided.

"Well, since we're done with introductions," Hibiki said. "Let's move onto the reason why we're here." He nodded. "Godai, your report."

Godai nodded. "Well, I had returned to Japan for a bit from my travels. One day I happened across a strange symbol—it looked like this." He held up a drawing of an eye with its iris aflame. "Kuuga reacted to it—that was my first warning. But then a bunch of weird inky-black creatures showed up, followed by a bigger one wearing a strange red coat and a black tricorn hat. For some reason, they attacked me, so I transformed into Kuuga and drove them back." He took a sip of some tea he had offscreen before continuing. "But then a most curious thing happened. A strange pillar rose from the eye. It bore a strange symbol. As I looked upon it, Kuuga reacted in ways that I haven't felt in a long, long time." He set down the teacup. "It didn't do anything, however. It just sat there—but I could feel it staring at me. It was almost like the Monolith from Blade's world. Remember that?"

Some of the group nodded. "That thing was a mess," Shouichi said. "You're saying that this is as bad as the Battle Fight?"

"With the way Kuuga reacted, it sure has the potential to be," came the reply.

Hibiki nodded. "Your turn, Miho."

"I was driving home from work one night when I saw a strange light coming from an abandoned building," the swanlike lady said. "I went to investigate. A strange person was drawing the mark Godai showed, dipping a strange liquid onto it. Out of sight, I watched as he tossed some objects onto the paper, which vanished. Blancwing was getting nervous, responding to . . . whatever had happened. So after filming what I could on my phone, I got out of there and tried to do some research. Nothing really popped up, and I'm really only learning what they were now."

"Haruto?" Hibiki asked after she had finished.

"Well, I had seen some of the cloaked ghosts popping up here and there. Save stopping them from attacking people and things, I didn't give them much through, other than it was a right pain that I had to use magic to even see them. I thought they were the new Phantoms or Roidmudes or something." He shifted in his seat. "But after Gensokyo 'hired' me to help, I saw more and more of those strange things. It was during my trip to the Scarlet Devil Mansion's vast library that I came across a tome that made mention of an ancient kingdom who worshipped a Great Eye. After certain events, they were sent to a spiritual realm, their bodies turned into ghosts."

"And you suspect that group to be the one behind this?" Keisuke asked.

"It's a possibility." Haruto nodded. "What really worries me is a certain passage talking about the ghosts taking on the mantle of dead people who have made a mark on history. In that passage it mentions something about the coming of the 'fifteen great' who would pave the way for the Great Eye, who would 'make all one'."

"That's not foreboding at all," Yuuto muttered. "Well, at least there haven't been any temporal anomalies as of yet."

Marisa frowned. "So that black shadow thing that killed Reimu was one of these ghosts?"

"That seems to be the case." Haruto said. "According to my sources, she's currently fighting them in an attempt to come back to life—this you already know."

"So what exactly did we meet for? This could easily be solved with a text or two." Shinnosuke frowned. "We're all busy. There has to be something more than that."

"Indeed," Hibiki said. "As a matter of fact, there's a symbol not far from here. Hence why we chose this village to meet up."

"So that's what's next?" Natsumi calmly asked. "Investigation?"
"Yes," Hibiki replied. "And first—"

The paper door slammed open. "Big trouble!" the lady who had welcomed Marisa in shouted—though she had a curious addition of brown ears and a swishing fox tail. "The disguise has been shattered! Those spirits are here!"

"What!?"

"Bad news," Gentaro said, looking at his phone. "Kengo says there's something strange going on at his college. I gotta go."

"I'll go with you," Natsumi offered.

"All right. Break up into groups." Hibiki stated as they all rose. "Whoever comes with me will check out whatever broke the spell on this town. I need a second group to check out the place we were originally going, and a few more to go with Gentaro. There's bound to be trouble."

The collective Riders nodded and split up. Before Marisa had a chance to follow Shotaro, a hand grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hey, wanna team up?"

"You're Nitoh, she said. "The other mage."

"Call me Kosuke," he said with a grin. "We magicians should stick together, yeah? Besides, I wanna see what your magic is like."

"Sure, I guess."

Splitting apart from the rest, they quickly made their way to the location reported to have increased paranormal activity.

"This is it," Marisa muttered. She gripped her Hakkero and broom as she overlooked the clearing where the familiar eye-symbol was drawn.

"Hey, wait up," a breathless Kousuke gasped. "Jeez, how fast is that broom? I gotta get me one."

"Sorry, witches only," she grinned. "But you could maybe get a rug."

"No fair," he asked. "Before we go down and start breaking heads, what type of magic do you use?"

"Eastern with a Western approach. Favored elements are Light and heat," she replies. "Mostly for breakin' stuff."

"I emulate animals," Kousuke replied. "Though I think you could guess that based on my name. I think I'm Earth." After his piece was said, he tapped a ring on his left hand. "Reveal, go," he muttered. He thrust his fist skywards, and Marisa felt the spell trigger. A horde of shambling black shapes came into view, along with several robed characters. "That's them," he said. "Let's do this, yeah?"

"Yeah," she said. She pointed her broom skywards. "Star Sign: Gravity Beat!" She fired a rain of stars that crashed into the horde.

That certainly got their attention. "You!" One of the caped phantoms growled. "Who are you?!"

"Just a few mages," she said. "No biggie."

"C'mon, Chimera, it's lunchtime," Kousuke said, licking his lips. The two leapt down from their vantage point.

"Get them!" The horde now made a full-on dash in their direction.

Marisa thrust her hakkero before her. "Master Spark!" she commanded, the magical furnace roaring to life and unleashing a wave of burning power.

When the dust settled, a path had been carved through the crowd. "Hey, not bad," Kouske said, impressed. "But it's my turn." He thrust up his right hand. "Chimera, come!"

The ground rumbled as a magical circle blazed to light underneath him. With a roar, a golden beast smashed through the enemy ranks, sending some into the rocky terrain while devouring others.

Marisa whistled. "Okay, that's neat."

"Sure is." He grinned. "Let's go!"

The two rushed at the mob of ghosts. Marisa threw magical stars and lasers every which way, as Kousuke used his saber in tandem with his monster-emulating magics to beat the horde back.

W arrived at the scene. "Wow, they're holding their own," the Joker half said, impressed.
"And Nitoh isn't even transformed," replied the Cyclone half. The two-in-one Kamen Rider then leapt into the fray. Through the combined might of star magic, beast magic, and Gaia Memory, only the Ganma Evolveds were left.

"Nice to see ya, Sho," Marisa greeted. "And you too, Phil."

"Why you—!" one of the phantoms growled. "Get them!"

Marisa grinned, rocketing forward on her broom. Nitoh charged forward, red cape billowing off of his shoulder, as W summoned the Trigger Magnum and fired. The last of the Ganma, unprepared for this assault, were blown away. "That takes care of that," Kousuke said.

"Not quite," Shotaro pointed out. More of the Ganma had crawled out from . . . somewhere. "It's going to be a long day, huh?"

The three once again delved into the fray, cries of battle upon their lips.

Gokai Yusuke sighed as the connection dropped. "Seems they have trouble," he said.

"So what now?" Kazami Yuuka asked him. "More searching?"

"I'm not sure. I could meet up with Haruto but he's busy, as you know," he said.

Yuuka was about to comment, but she paused. "Well, whatever it is will have to wait," she said, as Yusuke notice her grip her parasol tightly. "We have guests to greet."

"So it seems." The Arcle appeared around his waist, bidden by his mental command.

They stood and turned to be greeted by several of those shambling black ghosts Yusuke had run into earlier. "It's rude to enter a lady's property uninvited," Yuuka said in that unnervingly calm voice she had when she was angry. "Please, leave or suffer the consequences."

The only response they got was moaning. "Well, such rudeness will not be tolerated. Godai, if you would."

Yusuke nodded. He stepped forward, allowing Kuuga to fill him with a slight bit of power. "I'm sorry it's come to this," he said.

"Henshin."

"Any luck?" Takeru asked as he entered the basement.

"Unfortunately not," Reimu sighed, laying on the floor. "That's the fifth request n a row we haven't been able to get an Eyecon from."

A few weeks had passed since Reimu's first victory over Specter. They had encountered him several times since, in an attempt to reach out, but those just ended up devolving into conflicts sending both fighters rolling. "What next?"

"Sage hasn't appeared in a while." Takeru said. "Something's up."

Reimu nodded. Something strange was going on—she could feel it in the air. "Anyway, let's get some lunch. I'm starving."

During lunch, they received another request. Tired, but still willing to make a few extra bucks, they set off, searching for the source of paranormal activity.

They had twenty-four days left to gather all fifteen Eyecons.

"You again!" Reimu said as she chased down the Seiryuuto Ganma. The dragon-headed ghost fled, soaring through the trees. "Get back here!"

"Come and catch me!" The ghost cut through the branches with its glaive. "Got you!"

A branch careened from the side and nailed Reimu in the head, causing her to drop hard. "Hah! Fool!" The dragon cackled. "I have the power of Guan Yu! There's no way you can beat me!"

"Every bullet hits its mark! Gunpowder flash and spark!" Reimu's parka changed from orange to brown and she flew backwards, bringing out the Gangun Saber and the Bat Clock in gun mode, peppering the Ganma with bullets.

"The exterminator's here!" Reimu smirked behind her mask. She ran at the Seiryuuto Ganma, knocking him back with her spectral fire.

"Argh!" it screamed as it slammed into a tree. "How dare you!"

"Oh, I dare." She slid the two guns together, forming a rifle. She scanned the Energy Eye Crews before taking aim. The ghostly glyph appeared once again, locking onto the dragonlike ghost.

"Omega Impact:「Genso's High Noon」!"

A spiraling energy bullet pierced through the Ganma and the tree behind it, continuing on past out of the forest. With a gurgle, the Ganma's hood dissolved as its inky black form collapsed and exploded. Yet again and Eyecon fell to the ground and shattered, leaving only a Chinese halberd behind . . . and several colorful orbs.

Reimu mimed blowing smoke out of her weapon. "Man, I really like this one."

Yurusen popped up. "Hey, Reimu. Those are Makoto's Eyecons, aren't they?"

"Wait, you're right!" she realized. Picking them up, she examined them. "What are they doing here?"

"Dunno~" Yurusen said. "What's next, now that you've gotten them back?"

"I'm not sure." She said. "Hey, hold onto these for me." She gave Yurusen Specter's Eyecons, holding onto her own. "I think I'll go find Takeru, first."

Back at the Shrine, Reimu sighed, more content than she was before the incident. "Man, what a haul."

"I'm glad we got back Edison and Newton, but why Makoto's?" Takeru was lost in thought. "In any case, we're now at ten," he said, looking at the unidentified purple Eyecon. "Strange. I wonder what this one is?"

Before anybody could hazard a guess, the phone rang. "Hello?" Takeru answered.

"Takeru! It's Makoto!" Shibuya's panicked voice came through. "He's holding Narita hostage demanding you fight him!"

"What!?" Takeru gasped as Reimu shot up. "Where!?"

"At the gravesite!"

"We're on our way!"

At the gravesite, Makoto was indeed there. "It's finally time to settle this," he said as Narita scrambled away. "Henshin."

"Gah, for real!?" Reimu yelped as he swung at her. "Henshin!"

But even as Makoto's fist met Reimu's sword, the world around them exploded. As the smoke cleared the two Riders turned to see a figure clad in a black military uniform striding toward them. "Perfect," he said. "I'll be able to collect both of your Eyecons."

"You're . . .!" Specter growled.

The black-clad man smirked. He held out an Eyecon of his own, and activated it. Black smoke swirled around him and when it settled, in his place was a figure clad in blue armor.

"Be careful!" Warned Yurusen. "He's no ordinary Ganm!"

Casually, he strode into their midst. Specter launched an attack, which was deftly avoided and countered. Reimu backed up before slashing, only to be knocked back by his fist.

"I can't let them fight here," she muttered. She changed the Saber back to gun mode and shot him, retreating. The other two gave chase, even as Takeru followed them on his motorcycle.

They stopped down below the hill the Daitenkuji Temple was located on, in a rocky field. Every attack the two Riders tried to get in, the Ganma avoided. Every time Reimu tried to float away and snipe, he was quick to send her back to the ground. Every time Specter rushed in, he was stopped with a more powerful barrage of blows.

"He's not giving me a chance for a Ghost Change," Reimu growled. Noticing Specter had started charging again, she decided to as well—maybe this would actually accomplish something.

It wouldn't. "Let me show you," came the gravelly voice, "What it means when children take to the battlefield."

He gathered phantasmal energy into his hands and brought them down, smashing the ground and conjuring pillars of blue flame. The ghostly fires engulfed the two Riders, sending them flying back from the force.

As they struggled to get to their feet, the Eyecons Reimu had been holding onto spilled onto the ground. "The Eyecons!" Takeru, who had just arrived, gasped as he saw the scene. He started climbing down to reach the battlefield.

"C'mon, Reimu, get up!" Yurusen's shrill voice echoed from the side. "He's coming!"

But even as Reimu struggled to rise, even as Makoto desperately reached out for his lost Eyecons, and even as the Ganma Superior took his time, savoring his victory, a familiar figure wearing a trenchcoat looked down from the hillside. "Things have deviated slightly from my plans. Well, it matters not." Saionji said. He opened his briefcase, upon which was engraved an eye with an iris aflame. He made a hand sign, and the symbol glowed.

The Eyecons flew out of Yurusen's grasp, soaring up the hill. She shrieked, even as the the scattered orbs ascended. "What's going on?"

"What is the meaning of this!?" The blue-armored man demanded.

"That's Saionji! From my dad's notes!" Takeru realized as he helped Reimu rise.

"Reimu! Takeru!" Yurusen wailed. "He's got a full set!"

"Give them back!" Makoto cried, desperation in his voice. He charged the older man, who simply threw down a curious device. As soon as it touched the floor, unseen artifacts scattered all around threw up a barrier, sending Specter flying back.

A crimson dome formed, sealing the Temple—and those inside—off from the outside world. Even as the Riders (and one Ganma Superior) tried to figure out what just happened, Saionji disappeared. From a distance, Alain narrowed his eyes.

Saionji entered the temple unmolested. The monks had since been put to sleep, as well as that loud scientist. He casually made his way down into the basement he had visited many, many times before. The symbol upon the basement's Monolith glowed blue, as if welcoming him.

"Everything is in order," the crooked former Ghost Hunter said to himself, grinning deviously. "Let us begin the ritual."

Author's note: Sorry for not doing this before, but here I am again, uploading with an actual schedule now. Forgive me for not writing in several years-I've had college and stuff to do. However, now that I have time, I hope to actually get things done.

So! This time around we have a Kamen Rider and Touhou crossover. This is was actually due to a buddy of mine bringing up the idea and challenging me to write my version of it. So, this is what you get. I'd like to thank Starboy35tcoos, Ancienthelm8, Nanowhymo, Tapu Koko, KingofzeroX and AceofDeath for being my beta editors thus far.