[A/N] After a long period of planning, I am pleased to present the first part of the Kuuga Arc! ^_^ Enjoy! HYAZUU~!

=KAMEN RIDER DECADE: GEKIJOBAN=

=GAIA AFTERSHOCK=

CHAPTER 2: DROWNING WORLD

Tsukasa stepped through the doors of the Hikari Studio into a new world, an immediately recognized that something was wrong. For one thing, the first step he took was into a pool of water up to his ankle.

"What on earth?" Tsukasa asked himself, stepping back into the building. Standing in the door frame, Tsukasa surveyed the area and found it almost devoid of the water. He looked up in the sky. He squinted against the harsh sunlight, his eyes going from disbelief to worry.

"There's not a cloud in the sky… but it looks like it's been raining steadily for a month!" Tsukasa said, looking from one end of the horizon to the other. And indeed, there wasn't even a HINT of a cloud in the sky; nothing but the sight of an endless blue expanse met Tsukasa's eyes.

It was then that he heard a voice in his head, saying, 'You can use my powers on your own also, Tsukasa… you are my chosen. Use the power of Light to edge the water aside.' Tsukasa nodded.

"Got it, HaShiro-san…" Tsukasa said, before extending a hand outward. Focusing a bit, he smirked as the water began to part in a neat path before him. He stepped out, lowering his hand to his side, but holding his focus steady. The water continued to part before him as he travelled, looking as best he could for Yuusuke. He decided to search as far as he could for the day and go back, and as if responding to his determination, the water spread away from him in a serpentine fashion, slipping down a drainpipe nearby.

Nodding, Tsukasa released his focus and looked around. He smiled when he found the Machine Decader, his trusted motorcycle, parked outside of the Studio and walked over. He quickly hopped atop the bike's seat and started it up, tearing off like a shot.

The search took all day, as he'd predicted, but he didn't catch hide or hair of Yuusuke anywhere. It was only as he was approaching the studio that a massive explosive rocked the side of Mount Hiroki, followed by an almost feral roar.

Tsukasa knew that voice anywhere…

"YUUSUKE!" He shouted, turning around and following the roars and screams of pain as they tore through the air like sharp claws. Eventually the noises stopped coming and Tsukasa stopped, waiting. He knew Yuusuke well enough; the boy didn't want to be found, but he'd unknowingly leave a hint as to his whereabouts.

Sure enough, several more screams of pain rent the air, alerting Tsukasa. He took off again, now following a trail of smoke rising from half-way up the mountain to his right.

As soon as he reached the site, he stopped and got off his bike, removed his helmet and looked around. The first thing his foot touched was wet soil and drenched vegetation. Across the way, about five feet outside of the entrance to a cave was a roaring fire. Tsukasa found this odd; aside from himself, there was no one else around.

"What on earth happened here?" Tsukasa asked himself aloud, not expecting anyone to be around.

"I HAPPENED."

Tsukasa jumped in place and whipped around to look in the eyes of his friend Yuusuke Onodera… who seemed worse for wear than any monster either had ever defeated. The first thing Tsukasa noticed was that Yuusuke's Arcle Buckle was present on his waist, wrapped around soaked clothing. Tsukasa looked his friend up and down, noticing that every visible area of his friend's appearance was done-drenched with water… except his face, despite the fact that his hair was matted to his head and dripping water.

Upon closer look, Tsukasa realized that Yuusuke's brown eyes were slowly turning a brighter shade… and bore a single teal ring toward the pupils.

"What do you mean, YOU happened, Yuusuke?" Tsukasa asked.

"Before I answer that… How are you even here? I checked your pulse before I was defeated by that electric frog-thing… You were dead. You shouldn't be alive!" Yuusuke said, bringing his hands to his sides and preparing to transform. Tsukasa pulled out the Decadriver and placed it on the ground.

"Yuusuke, think about this. I'm here to HELP you, not hurt you!" Tsukasa said, backing up a couple steps. Yuusuke stood still a moment, contemplating Tsukasa's words.

"I'll put it another way," Tsukasa said, seeing that Yuusuke still didn't believe him, "You're right; by all rights and the laws of science and nature, I should REALLY be dead. However, my reason for still being here is one that you may find to be no more than a bunch of made-up garbage." Yuusuke sat down, dismissed the Arcle and smiled.

"I'm ready to listen. Tell me, and I'll give you my own story…" Yuusuke said. Tsukasa smiled and stepped back toward the Decadriver and placed it into his pocket.

Taking a seat, Tsukasa told Yuusuke the entire story of his resurrection and his new mission… as well as what had happened to Natsumi after Yuusuke had been dispatched. Yuusuke's eyes widened in horror when Tsukasa told him what would happen to Natsumi if Tsukasa failed his mission.

"That's… We have to stop it! Why are we just sitting around?" Yuusuke asked in outrage as he shot to his feet. He stopped seconds later and cringed, trying to turn away from Tsukasa. Tsukasa walked over to Yuusuke, asking what was wrong, and grabbed the boy's arm. When Yuusuke did turn around, he actually rounded on Tsukasa, showing his friend his eyes… which had been almost entirely engulfed by the teal pupil rings.

Yuusuke's voice came out as a course, rasping growl as ONLY his left hand reached for his waist, summoning the Arcle. Tsukasa noticed that the thing now took on a more aquatic appearance, having an almost wave-like effect that started at the Amadam in the center of the buckle and extended out to the sides before wrapping back to "crash" on the Amadam.

Tsukasa backed up a good two feet before getting his own driver out of his pocket and quickly activating it. With less than a second's reaction time, Tsukasa slipped his "Decade" card into the driver and closed it with a cry of "HENSHIN!", turning into Decade.

"YUUSUKE, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Tsukasa shouted, watching as Yuusuke transitioned into his Kuuga armor… without the traditional Rider call. The first thing Tsukasa noticed was that the armor was similar in nature to his normal Ultimate Form armor… only less aggressive in appearance, and colored teal with green accents. The lenses on the helmet flashed yellow for a second before becoming black with a single ring of teal in the center.

'His elemental powers are taking over?' Tsukasa thought to himself, ducking under a powerful swing of Kuuga's arm that could have knocked him off his feet. Tsukasa jumped back a few more feet, trying his hardest to find stable footing on the edge of the mountain-side.

"Tsukasa," Tsukasa heard in his head, "You still have a good deal of electrical energy in your body from that shock before. You can use it to temporarily assume your Electric Form, but not for more than ninety seconds; after that, you'll have to either return to your default Decade form or swap into my powers to sustain yourself." Tsukasa nodded.

Thinking, he asked, 'How do I do that, HaShiro-san?'

"The same way you controlled the water, Tsukasa…" HaShiro replied, "Focus on drawing out that residual charge and focus it into your driver. It will immediately recognize your intent and transform your body."

Tsukasa nodded and waited for the right moment. As Kuuga ran at him again, both arms cocked for a pair of hammer punches aimed at his stomach, Tsukasa prepared, giving away no hints of his intentions. Tsukasa jumped into the air and focused hard, summoning up the electricity in his body and forcing it into his belt. The excess charge immediately cascaded through his form, transforming Tsukasa into his yet unknown electric form.

Tsukasa landed behind Kuuga and pointed two fingers at his back like a gun, with his thumb upright to act as a sight. As Kuuga spun around to face Tsukasa and run at him, Tsukasa looked away, knowing full well what was about to happen.

"Gomen nasai… Yuusuke…" Tsukasa said as he lowered his thumb to his fingers, launching a concentrated blast of charge into Kuuga's chest, forcing him off his feet and onto his back on the ground, rolling around in pain.

Tsukasa ran over and planted his hands on Kuuga's chest, both crackling with electric charge. With little more than a sigh, he forced the charge through his hands into Kuuga's armor, delivering a weak, two-handed charge that electrocuted the rider enough to revert him to human form. Tsukasa returned to his own human form, slowly reaching down to open Yuusuke's eyes; they'd returned to their normal brown, but the teal rings were now no more than thin circles around his pupils, almost invisible.

Tsukasa shook Yuusuke to wake him, but nothing happened. Instead of simply leaving his friend, Tsukasa picked him up and brought him back into the cave, willing the fire away by use of his Light.

~LATER…~

Yuusuke's eyes slammed open as he shot awake, screaming in a cold sweat. He turned his head wildly, looking for possible threats… and finding Tsukasa watching him from a rock several feet away. He looked down quickly to find himself against a stone wall; they were back in the cave.

"W-what happened?" The boy asked. Tsukasa nodded; he couldn't remember much.

"I had a chat with the spirit that brought me back while you were out," Tsukasa said, "and it appears you have what's called "Amplified Elemental Attunement", where your chosen element is EXTREMELY highly aligned with your soul. In your case, it spawned a defensive alter-ego in your brain that will only go away and grant you full use of your new powers if you defeat it in your mind. The only way to do this… can only be found and performed by you. I can't give you any hints, and I'm not allowed to find out anything about it."

"That… that's interesting, and very good to know," Yuusuke said nervously, "But it doesn't answer my question. What happened?" Tsukasa nodded.

"Had you let me finish," Tsukasa replied, sounding annoyed, "You had a brief fight against your alter-ego and lost. It took over and attacked me with your new abilities… and lost. I shocked it twice and knocked both of you out cold. I tried to wake you, but nothing happened, so I brought you in here. I've been holding off the kaijin as Decade for a couple hours now… They look like elemental Grongi… what the hell's been going on?" Yuusuke nodded.

Over the next half hour, he told Tsukasa what had happened since the run-in with Electron Toad. Over the few days he'd been back, which had been no more than the few hours Tsukasa had been unconscious, he'd rapidly developed the powers of water, which had caused him to seclude himself away. He'd been lauded as the Hero of his world after his return, only for the citizens of the city to cast him out and shun him when his powers brought down the rain in greater amounts than they'd ever had, and left flooded streets and walkways.

That had been only two days ago. Since then, he'd had to hunt for food, clean water and shelter. He'd found the cave first, and had been able to find an easy source of food and water without the need to hunt; fish and river water, when boiled, wasn't that bad of a diet for a hermit. The only thing keeping Yuusuke on his toes was the constant threat of what he'd dubbed "Super Grongi". These looked like the originals, but weren't bound by gameplay and rules anymore; they killed whoever they pleased because they pleased with no real rhyme or reason besides. The police station had been having a hard time of things, if what the short-wave radio Yuusuke had pilfered from a police cruiser was any indication.

"It's been the same ones, too…" Yuusuke said, "It never seems to change much. I JUST settle down for a nap and they come back… I haven't had any sleep in a day… Thanks for keeping watch and letting me sleep…"Tsukasa nodded.

"Why wouldn't I look out for a friend? If I left you to the wolves, I wouldn't be a real friend, would I?" Tsukasa said, smiling at his friend.

Yuusuke nodded. Moments later, his head seemed to loll off to the side, and in the blink of an eye, Yuusuke had lost consciousness, slumped over against the wall in a deep sleep. Tsukasa smiled a bit; it hadn't been that long, but Yuusuke was probably really tired…

It was then that Tsukasa noticed something was wrong with the cave's layout. He looked around quickly and discovered a thick wall of distorted air, floating slowly towards him from Yuusuke's position. He stayed put, his hand on the Decadriver. He watched as the wall dissipated, revealing two armored figures standing next to Yuusuke's sleeping form.

Tsukasa stared at both for a few seconds each, taking in the subtler details. The figure on the left, despite the way they stood, was obviously female. It didn't matter that she stood like a man… her figure and the placement of her armor told a very different story. Well… that and the fact that her left hand was placed on her left hip, which was cocked to her left side, which caused her to stand at an angle. Visually, her armor bore no signs of wekness and her stance alone screamed that she believed herself to be the greatest ever, but despite that arrogance, she showed no openings.

Only one word came to mind when Tsukasa looked her up and down:

LEGEND.

The other, however, was as male as one could get. There were, however, no bulging muscles, regardless of his suit, which told Tsukasa that just like most other Riders, this one was moderately strong without the armor. The suit itself was a blinding shade of canary yellow with a design similar to his Decade Armor… the only visible difference, besides the color, was the way the card-like protrusions in the armor seemed to be exploding out of the armor a random design, with two large black protrusions extending out like claws over each of his shoulders, while five more extended from the base of his neck across the remainder of his torso. Two protrusions on each side extended to the baseline of his chest armor, while one more extended from the center of his throat to the center of his chest, between the shoulder extensions.

His helmet especially looked like a rather violent explosion had taken place, originating from just about the tip of the nose and expanding outward, with the thickest points ending away from the helmet itself. At the tip of the center card was his Signal Pointer, which seemed to blink a shade of lime green, while his eye plates were a shade of royal purple. On his left side, just below his shoulder extensions, was a strange, crown-like symbol, and in the opposite hand was an extremely dangerous-looking sword.

Aside from all this, he looked almost exactly like Decade, which led Tsukasa to his final conclusion: This was DeFide.

"Legend and DeFide, I assume?" Tsukasa asked, not too surprised, "I was wondering when you two would show up." DeFide looked like he was about to step up and speak, but Legend extended a hand outward to stop him, choosing to walk over herself.

"Indeed, Kadoya Tsukasa-san," Legend said, "I am Legend. This is my associate, DeFide. We're here on behalf of-"

"-Your master DiLord, I know. You want my answer on whether or not I'll join you," Tsukasa said, cutting the female Rider off guard with his sudden interruption. DeFide chuckled quietly while Tsukasa tried to read the emotional state of his addressor from his own. From the way her head was subtly shaking and her left hand was twitching into a fist, he surmised he'd royally angered her… and that she was on the verge of destroying him.

It was to Tsukasa's surprise, however, when the female Rider turned on her heels and walked back toward her comrade, waving a hand dismissively.

"I'm leaving him in your care, Mojigata. Make sure you get the answer we want from him before you come back… and if he doesn't answer correctly… ELIMINATE BOTH OF THEM," Legend intoned before a smaller wall of warped air and space engulfed her, spinning three times in place before vanishing along with her.

Tsukasa watched DeFide as he scoffed, reached for his sword and opened a slot near the hilt. A small object, shaped like a playing card, ejected from it. The armor turned grey all over and soon, amidst a flurry of multi-colored afterimages, vanished, leaving only its wearer behind.

Tsukasa looked the boy over; he wasn't much taller than himself or Yuusuke, and didn't look much stronger than either. He wore a simple white muscle shirt with white shorts, wrist and ankle warmers, and white sneakers. He also had a pair of black shades sitting on his head, propped up in his stubble-like shaved black hair. Taking a quick look at the boy's face, and saw yellow, cat-like eyes framed two stand-alone bangs that hung down to his shoulders. He smiled to Tsukasa, who said nothing and wore as expressionless a mask as he could manage, given the circumstances.

"Heya, name's Mojigata; Mojigata Toshio," The boy said. Tsukasa stared him down.

"II don't give a flying damn about you OR your name, OR your master. I just want my friend back! GIVE ME NATSUMI BACK!" Tsukasa shouted, losing the control he'd had over his emotions for the briefest of moments. Toshio smiled.

"Not so tough, are we Tsukasa-san?" Toshio asked mockingly. His features suddenly hardened and, as he slowly approached Tsukasa, he watched his target transform into his Decade armor.

"I'm not here to fight," Toshio said, the tone of his voice level and unfaltering, "I just want to talk. I know what you're going through." Tsukasa looked the boy in the eyes from behind his green lenses.

"HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH?" Tsukasa roared in rage, "YOUR STUPID THUNDERFROG STOLE MY NATSUMIKAN FROM ME! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME AT ALL!" Toshio didn't even move a finger to dodge or stop him as Tsukasa pulled out the Ridebooker in sword mode and swung it in a vertical arc to cleave the boy's head in twain.

"Really? I don't understand you at all?" Toshio intoned, his voice cracking a bit, "I doubt that highly, Tsukasa-san… CONSIDERING MY OWN SISTER WAS MEANT TO BE THE SACRIFICE FIRST."

That did it.

Tsukasa stopped JUST short of slicing the boy;s head in half like a fresh melon, his blade stopped just at the crown of Toshio's head and twitching several times in the span of ten seconds.

"W-what?"

"You heard me," Toshio said, not moving an inch, "Me and my sister were forced to come here from our world. I was imprisoned while she was readied for the Sacrifice… until three weeks ago, when the "MASTER" decided your friend Natsumi-san was a better candidate. He said we could go… then he branded me with his mark and brainwashed my sister into becoming a psychopathic, blood-thirsty sadist who loses her mind on the battlefield…" At that point, Toshio dropped to his knees, unable to continue.

Tsukasa watched as tears dripped from the boy's eyes, stunned…

THIS WAS WHAT DILORD WAS CAPABLE OF.

But what scared Tsukasa more was what the man might be capable of later on… and the thought of what else the egomaniacal man could do to those who crossed him wasn't one Tsukasa wanted in his head.

~MEANWHILE~

In a large, open room sat a single, ominous-looking throne, upon which was seated an imposing man.

The man himself wasn't that frightening in figure… but one couldn't really tell, considering that the man was obscured from view by a huge shadow, almost as if he were engulfed by a large black cloud.

He turned his attention, which, up until a moment ago had been focused on a spot on the wall, toward a small, spinning wall of distorting air and space, through which stepped a female Rider.

The man watched as the woman reached for the small, gleaming light in her helmet and pushed it gently, prompting her armor to simply fade from her body. The woman revealed was an eighth of an inch short of being six feet tall, and was built like a supermodel. Her long, flowing auburn hair was curled slightly around her forehead like a frame and fell half-way down her back.

This woman was known to her teammates as nothing more than "Legend". But here, in the presence of her master, she was known by another name.

"Ah… How did it go, Kotara-chan?" the man asked, his voice bemused.

Kotara Wakani, AKA Kamen Rider Legend, knelt on one knee with her left hand crossed to rest on the opposite shoulder in respect for her master, said, "I don't know, DiLord-sama. I left before I could get the answer. I believed that Mojigata would be a bit better suited to dealing with Kadoya-san than myself."

DiLord smiled.

"In other words, he interrupted you mid-sentence, you lost your temper, and left our comrade to deal with the fallout, correct?" he asked, smiling. She stood, her face flushing crimson.

"N-NO!" She cried indignantly, trying hard to come up with an excuse, before lowering her gaze to the floor and saying… "Yes."

"That is alright. Do whatever you wish for the day; we have many preparations left before the Sacrifice is ready. Enjoy your free time tonight," DiLord said, barely moving. Kotara nodded and turned on her heel, walking briskly out of the room toward the dining hall.

~ELSEWHERE~

In a small cell underground, a young woman sat, slumped, against the wall of her temporary "new home", as her captors had called it. She had wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them close to her chin as she gently sobbed.

"Tsukasa… Tsukasa-kun…" she cried quietly.

And in the creeping darkness of that cell… Natsumi Hikari cried herself to sleep for the third straight night.

_TO BE CONTINUED…_