[A/N] Turning this into a Triple-Header, so I present the third and final part of the Kuuga Arc! ^_^ Enjoy! HYAZUU~!
=KAMEN RIDER DECADE: GEKIJOBAN=
=GAIA AFTERSHOCK=
CHAPTER 4: FLOOD TRUTH
Tsukasa and Yuusuke waited until midday to set out towards civilization and get some food. Yuusuke had been slowly practicing his control during the day, slowly becoming more and more proficient. By the time they got to the Hikari Studio, the streets had been nearly cleared of the water.
The two stepped inside and found themselves treated to the sound of a TV report focusing in on a group of Super Grongi holding citizens hostage in a warehouse in the industrial district.
The strange part was that the kaijin were no longer speaking in their own tongue… they were speaking fluent Japanese, and only ever repeated the same demands:
"GIVE US KUUGA; GIVE US DECADE!"
Tsukasa and Yuusuke didn't even wait two seconds to check in with old Eijiro, who'd been napping in the armchair in front of the TV, a teacup of coffee sitting on a saucer that was balanced perfectly on his right knee.
As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, however, the elderly man shot awake, barely catching the teacup and saucer in a diving save that, as he landed, he concluded MUST have injured one of his ribs.
"Tsukasa-kun? Are you there?" Eijiro asked, shaking his head when he got no answer.
Deciding he must have been imagining things, he sat back on the chair and set the cup and saucer on the table beside him, then settled in for another nap… a nap fraught with the same nightmare he'd had since the incident… a nightmare where he was forced to watch as Natsumi, his beloved granddaughter, was hung by her wrists over a pool of lava… only to be shortly after consumed from beneath by a large, cavernous maw filled with row upon row or razor-sharp teeth…
It took Yuusuke and Tsukasa less than ten minutes to reach their destination, sliding their motorcycles to a halt and dismounting into a swift run. While Tsukasa took out the Decadriver and placed it on his waist, Yuusuke placed his hands, curved like a pair of parentheses, around his waist, summoning the Arcle.
Tsukasa and Yuusuke wasted little extra time in their transformations, both assuming their basic forms, and Yuusuke assuming Ultimate Form seconds later. They tore past the police officers and their waste of concrete that they called a barrier… didn't they know these Grongi didn't care about simplistic concrete blockades like these? Without so much as a roar of anger in warning, they burst through the group of Super Grongi like they were wet paper and began forcing them away from their hostages, who immediately took the hint and took off for safety. Tsukasa and Yuusuke nodded to each other, smiling behind their helmets. They gave each other no more than a nod of understanding before getting to work.
Tsukasa looked ahead toward the swarm of kaijin, only to see them bowing aside to allow a thin curtain of distorted air and space to pass between them. When the curtain vanished, the form of Legend stood before him, head bowed as if pondering something.
"You side with Kuuga, Gaia?" Legend said aloud, raising her head to stare at Tsukasa from behind her lenses. Tsukasa didn't even answer; he removed from the RiderBooker a single card and slotted it into his buckle, vanishing a second later as the buckle announced:
"ATTACK RIDE: CLOCK UP!"
Legend almost staggered back as Tsukasa struck her armored form from multiple angles faster than she could register. She hit the ground on one knee, and barely got back on her feet before several more lightning-fast strike glanced across her armor, sending her flying back. Tsukasa appeared in place four yards away, bent in a ready position to continue fighting. However, as she struggled to her knees, Legend looked to Tsukasa and screamed.
"YOU DARE ATTACK A WOMAN? WHAT IS YOUR DEAL, KADOYA TSUKASA? WHO EVER TOLD YOU IT WAS ALRIGHT TO DO THAT? HAVE YOU NO HONOR?" Legend shouted. Seconds later, she realized she should have just kept quiet.
Without warning, Tsukasa's armor took on a strange change. The magenta tint in his suit took on a lighter shade, his lenses twisted up toward his forehead and then down between his eyes, as well as a change in color from green to purple. The major warning, though, wasn't the fact that his Signal Pointer changed from yellow to violet…
It was the fact that he seemed to close the distance between them AND find the ability to grab her by her armored neck and hoist her into the air.
When next he spoke, Tsukasa's normally laid-back voice rang with a tone that screamed of anger and disgust.
"HOW DARE YOU LECTURE ME ABOUT HONOR, YOU WHO ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A PAWN FOR THAT BASTARD?" Tsukasa shouted back, his voice twisting into an almost demonic tone now, "YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS TOOK ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IN THIS WORLD, AND YOU INTEND TO USE HER AS A SACRIFICE TO A DARK GOD! YOU PLAN TO KILL MY BEST FRIEND FOR THE SAKE OF SOME STUPID PLAN FOR WORLD DOMINATION! DO YOU REALIZE JUST HOW LITTLE SENSE YOU'RE MAKING?"
At this point, Legend watched as Tsukasa's armor began to contort and change profoundly. Every area that had once been white and magenta became pitch-black; the card-like extensions on his shoulders became sharper, almost like horns; his lenses turned from purple to a blackened gold, while the Signal Pointer turned crimson. His lenses also gained horn-like protrusions toward the tops, extending part-way off the helmet. A pair of horizontal, crimson curves, small and close together like the beginnings of a large explosion on the horizon, appeared in each of his lenses, spanning the length of each.
As the form finished its mutation, a small pair of devil-like wings and a small, whip-like tail erupted from his shoulders and a spot just above his rear. The tail split in two and both gained a spiked barb on the end. Two large horns erupted from his helmet, right overtop each lens. The Signal Pointer flashed crimson three times and then once more with his lenses before settling down.
Yuusuke, who had been in the middle of batting aside a Super Grongi with no more than a back-handed punch, shuddered and took a few steps back when a powerful shockwave of pure, evil rage ripped into and through him, causing him to look in Tsukasa's direction. What he saw scared him.
"TSUKASA-KUN, STOP!" Yuusuke shouted, delivering a single roundhouse kick to another Super Grongi's temple before tearing off to stop Tsukasa from killing the rider in his grip. He stopped moments later, however, when Tsukasa dropped her and kicked her once in the side, causing the fmale rider to roll several feet away from him.
Tsukasa unleashed a single, devilish roar as his belt announced his newest form:
"OVERRIDE: AFTERSHROUD!"
One more pulse of darkness erupted from Tsukasa's form before he strolled leisurely over toward the object of his carnal rage. He squatted down on both legs just long enough to grab Legend by her throat again, then lift up in a leap and throw her down hard into the ground. All Legend had time to do was gasp in pain before a scream tore through her helmet. Tsukasa had landed on the ground next to her and grabbed her left shoulder in one hand… the only problem for her was that his hand was constantly squeezing her shoulder tighter and tighter.
It was almost as if her shoulder was inside a vice-grip, and someone just kept cranking the vice further and further closed, even after it had gotten tight enough to hold snugly. A series of cracks was followed by the sound of something in her shoulder breaking, and she screamed again.
"TSUKASA-KUN, STOP IT NOW!" Yuusuke shouted, rushing forward again and catching Tsukasa around the neck with both arms to hold him back. Yuusuke soon discovered the cause of Tsukasa's mutation.
In one breath, Tsukasa, his voice twisted int a demonic tone once more, screamed, "GIVE HER BACK! GIVE ME NATSUMI BACK, YOU TWISTED LITTLE BITCH!" With that, Tsukasa collapsed to his knees under Yuusuke's grip and bowed his head, his entire body soon shaking uncontrollably.
Yuusuke watched as his friend soon dropped into the fetal position on his arms and knees, trying his hardest to keep his sobs silent and controlled, but to no avail.
'Tsukasa-kun… you care about her that much?' Yuusuke asked in his head, 'there's no turning back now. I know the pain of losing someone I love… I'm not letting Tsukasa-kun suffer that pain!'
By the time Yuusuke returned from his thoughts, Tsukasa's armor had reverted back to his standard Decade form, and he was still doubled over on the ground, shaking violently as he tried to get himself under control. Meanwhile, Legend had managed to get to her feet, holding her left arm by her broken shoulder, gasping in pain.
"How can you call a BEAST like him your friend, Onodera?" Legend shouted, "He hits women when he gets angry! How can he be a friend to a decent guy like you?" Yuusuke looked at Legend as if she was insane, suddenly realizing what had prompted Tsukasa's rampage.
"I see how it is…" Yuusuke said, looking at the metal-clad woman before him, "You taunt him for helping ME, then when he attacks you, you spew nonsense about him being less of a man for striking you… What you don't seem to understand is that Tsukasa is fiercely loyal to his friends… especially myself and Natsumi-san. Both of us were there when he was ejected from Dai-Shocker… it took us a while to accept him again, but we were there for him in the end."
"The same thing happened when he began killing the other Riders. At first I thought he had just lost his mind and wasn't thinking straight… but it turned out he was really saving all of us. By eliminating us all, he forced our individual worlds apart, allowing us to revive where we belonged. It was then, through a combination of all our belief in him that brought him back after Natsumi-san destroyed him."
"I hadn't realized it, what with my being all but blind to love, that Tsukasa and Natsumi were looking to start getting serious. But, before that could even get off the ground, what happens? You LUNATICS," Yuusuke shouted this word, spitting it with all the venom he could muster, "come in, kill him, and kidnap Natsumi-san and leave him that ridiculous note? "WORK WITH US AND HELP US ROAST YOUR POTENTIAL GIRLFRIEND FOR THE GOOD OF OUR GOD"? YOU REALLY THOUGHT TSUKASA-KUN WOULD GO ALONG WITH THAT?"
"All he wants is to have her back, and you won't let him have that. You instead, taunt him continuously, holding her JUST out of his reach time and again. And you have the NERVE to talk about HONOR to him after all your people have done to him? How the hell DARE YOU?" Yuusuke said, helping Tsukasa up from the ground. Tsukasa shook Yuusuke's arm off him several times, but finally relented and stood, albeit on shaking legs, to stare at the injured woman ahead.
As Legend stood there, seemingly lost for words, Yuusuke continued, "Maybe if you'd tried living as a hero, you would see that what you said to Tsukasa-kun was not only an insult, but an arrow through his heart. You want to talk about honor? Do the honorable thing and let Natsumi-san go! If you can't do that," Yuusuke stopped for a moment to gather his newfound powers around him, allowing the water around him to swirl and merge into his armor. The black and gold changed to teal and aquamarine, while his lenses changed to a bright shade of pure gold.
"…Then I highly suggest you prepare to keep your mouth SHUT, or else you'll be cursing BOTH of us while we FORCE you to take us to her BY FORCE!" Yuusuke shouted, holding out his right hand. A single tendril of water erupted from his palm and ensnared Legend around the waist, slowly wrapping up her torso until her arms were locked together.
"Tsukasa-kun is my dearest friend! No matter what comes his way, I'll be there to give him one-hundred-thousand-percent of my power and help him in every way I can! BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS WITH HONOR DO!" Yuusuke shouted, thrusting his flat-palmed hand toward the ground. Instantly, the tendril swung down, smashing Legend into the ground, causing her to scream in pain as her injured shoulder slammed into rocks and rubble. She felt herself be lifted into the air again, held still.
Yuusuke turned to Tsukasa and said, "You feeling a bit better, Tsukasa-kun?" Tsukasa nodded just in time for a set of cards to jump from the RideBooker into his vision. He grabbed them and spread them open, revealing several cards he'd never seen before. Grabbing the first of the group, Tsukasa opened the Decadriver and slotted it, then closed it. The belt came alive, announcing:
"GEAR SHIFT RIDE: GAIA!"
Not waiting longer than he had to, he grabbed the next of the two cards and slotted it in, closing the belt soon after. The belt once again came alive, and as the white and colored contours of his armor began to color themselves a deep shade of blue, he heard the belt announce:
"GAIA RIDE: AFTERWAVE!"
Soon, his shoulder armor resembled a pair of tsunamis, while small wave-like pads attached themselves to his legs. The Decadriver's display plate changed color, gaining a black background and an image of a raging blue wave within. The lenses on his helmet changed from green to a shade of aqua-blue, and, strangest of all, an ethereal wave crashed into Tsukasa from behind, shrinking toward the crown of his head and forming a sort of eye-guard above them in the shape of a wave. The Signal Pointer flashed red, and Tsukasa took a step forward.
Legend now understood what her master had meant when he said that this man had shown signs of "Gaia Alignment"; he had easily attained an elementally-attuned form, just as the Rider next to him had! And what was more… he seemed more powerful than Kuuga did now…
"Yuusuke-kun…" Tsukasa said, turning to face his friend, "Hold her for one second, alright? I want to try something. When I'm done, take care of the Grongi; I'll join you as soon as I finish her off and send her packing." Yuusuke nodded and focused his power a little more, tightening the tendril's grip on its prey. This, of course, caused Legend to groan in pain.
Looking to the remaining two cards in his hands, he took one that had a picture of Yuusuke's new form on it and deposited it in the RIdeBooker with his left hand, allowing him to slot the other with his free hand. Immediately, the water around the two male Riders swelled and crested, forming a large tsunami wave that hoisted Tsukasa off his feet. The belt once more came to life, this time announcing Legend's defeat in time with her horrified screams:
"FINAL ATTACK RIDE: W-W-W-WAVE!"
As the wave directed Tsukasa at his target, he did something he'd never done before… he NAMED his attack.
"GAIA DEEP BLUE CRASH!" Tsukasa shouted, extending his right foot out toward Legend's chest. The force of the impact alone broke a few ribs; it was the second portion of the attack, consisting of the wave suddenly forming a dome and spawning aquatic clones of Tsukasa from all angles that simultaneously connected with her armor when Tsukasa did that clinched it.
Legend released one final scream of pain before a massive explosion rocked the air. Tsukasa landed on the ground a good five feet away from the contact site, turning to give Yuusuke a "thumbs up". Yuusuke nodded and turned to take care of the remaining Grongi warriors.
Tsukasa turned his attention to the still moving body of Legend, who, surprisingly was still fully armored, minus a few patches of her suit and he shoulder armor, as well as a large chunk of the right side of her mask, revealing her mouth, which had curved back in a wicked sneer.
Tsukasa walked over and grabbed her by the back of the neck to angle her helmet's lenses up to face his own.
"Tell your boss that I'm not joining him; not now, not ever. However, I WILL go a little easier on him if he lets Natsumi go BEFORE I get to him; otherwise, all bets are off, and I'll DESTROY HIM," Tsukasa said, his voice dark and foreboding as he continued, "AND THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, as well as any others who might be working for your little "Demented Theater Troupe"; anyone who gets in my way will find themselves destroyed viciously unless Natsumi is brought to me in the next world. If I don't see her and have to depart for another world, I'm coming after ALL of you… AND I'LL BE STARTING WITH YOU, FOR THAT HALF-COCKED COMMENT ABOUT HONOR. START THINKING A BIT MORE BEFORE YOU SPEAK."
He let go, allowing her head to drop back onto the ground with a loud "thud" and a gasp of pain. Seconds before he turned, he saw the image of a card spinning before his eyes, and reached out for it. He stared at the card; unlike his other cards, this one only had a barcode and an image on one side that resembled the portals she'd appeared through. HE nodded, knowing exactly what it would do before he slotted it and bent down to pick up Legend's pain-wracked body with his water powers.
"GAIA RIDE: PORTAL!"
With that, Tsukasa half-assedly tossed the limp body of Legend into the portal and turned around as the portal closed behind her, not caring where it led to or left her.
In a matter of seconds, he'd cleared the distance to Yuusuke's side, and in less than a minute, all hope the Grongi soldiers had of surviving and accomplishing their task was snuffed out as one more announcement of "FINAL ATTACK RIDE: W-W-W-WAVE!" tore through the air. The water both Riders controlled formed an impenetrable dome around the entire Grongi horde. Tsukasa then grabbed another card that flew out of the RideBooker and smiled behind his helmet as he slotted it.
"You ready Yuusuke-kun? Because this is going to be FUN!" Tsukasa said as the belt announced:
"COMBO ATTACK RIDE: K-K-K-KUUGA/G-G-G-GAIA!"
At once, both Riders looked each other in the eyes and nodded, jumping into the air and coming down with a single kick to the dome. However, instead of multiple copies of each appearing, the two simply vanished into the dome. The Grongi within looked around frantically until one hit the ground with a scream of pain. Another turned around and saw their foes… except they were both flying at him too fast t avoid.
The two Riders continued to appear and disappear in the waters of the dome, randomly attacking and weakening one Grongi at a time until they were all on one knee, struggling to stand. When both saw this, Tsukasa and Yuusuke appeared outside the dome and concentrated hard, aiming both hands toward the dome.
Before the Grongi could figure out what was happening, the dome began to shrink rapidly, causing all of the beasts within to suffer a painful demise as their bodies were compressed and forced to violently explode, signaling their death. Tsukasa looked over to Yuusuke as he removed the Decadriver and returned to human form. Yuusuke did the same, willing the Arcle away as the two Riders turned to leave the area. They took a nice, leisurely stroll to their motorcycles, passing many a confused police officer. As the two climbed atop their trusty machines and started them up, Yuusuke turned to the police.
"My work here is finished; I leave the safety of this city to you! I know you guys can handle this without Kuuga's aide!" He called out, giving the officer's a "thumbs up" in encouragement. As the two rode away, the officers looked at each other with a smile.
Well, all except one officer, a new addition, who removed her hat and stared after the two Riders as they ride away.
As she watched, she raised her left hand and watched as a small, cursive letter "P" appeared on her palm. As the two disappeared into the city, she let these words hang in the air around her:
"Please come back soon… SEMPAI…"
~LATER~
Tsukasa and Yuusuke sat back in the lounge area at Hikari Studio as Eijiro bustled around, fixing up a cup of coffee for both boys. Yuusuke smiled, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
"OH MAN, I've missed this!" Yuusuke said as the ederly man walked over and handed him a small cup on a saucer. Yuusuke blew into the cup a couple times before reaching it up to his lips and taking a sip.
He closed his eyes tight and sighed in relief as the hot liquid slowly seared its way down his sore throat.
"YES!" Yuusuke said, sighing once more, "THAT'S THE STUFF!" Tsukasa watched Yuusuke and chuckled. His eyes turned toward the Mural of Worlds, where Eijiro was calmly adjusting one of the chains, making sure everything was in order.
A sense of foreboding washed over Tsukasa, and moment later, he watched as his fear came true: the older man fumbled, his left hand gripping the chain hard and pulling it straight down. The chains began rolling of their own accord, and soon, a new World Mural appeared before them. It was one Tsukasa recognized easily:
A large dragon with a castle for a body was sitting in the middle of a large skyscraper, roaring into the night sky. However, there were two things different: instead of a the normal crescent moon, Kiva was bathed in the light of a BLACK full moon, rapidly transforming into something entirely different while his lenses cracked all over, allowing his dormant Fangire blood to rampage.
Tsukasa and Yuusuke stared for a while at the Mural, and then at each other. They covered their eyes in time to avoid being blinded by the flash of light that heralded their arrival in a new world.
However, instead of being met by silence or even the sound of laughter, a deafening, blood-curdling scream tore the air in twain as a fierce, animalistic roar followed, prompting another scream.
Tsukasa jumped to his feet, draining the cup dry as he went for the door. Yuusuke did the same and followed behind. In a matter of seconds, Eijiro was left alone once again.
As he sat back down and drifted off into another bout of nightmare-riddled sleep, his final words echoed through the building:
"I guess a Hero's work is never finished…"
_TO BE CONTINUED…_
Last part finished! ^_^ Hope you liked it!
Be on the look-out for another new piece coming as a one-shot soon after the posting of these three: It's the first of its kind, PERIOD, and a strange mix. I hope this does better than Ehrlock Shemos did…