Disclaimer: I do not own the Kamen Rider Kabuto TV show or franchise, nor am I profiting from these materials in any way. This fic was written solely for pleasure.
Chapter Notes: 1 year before canon.
A/N: It's been a fun ride but all good things must come to an end. I hope you've had as much fun reading this fic as I did writing it. A special thanks goes out to my two most avid reviewers, Fireminer and Isame Kuroda, for faithfully reviewing the latest chapters when the fic updated. Enjoy!
The Butler and the Worm
By fieryrondo
13. Epilogue: Heaven's Sword
Kagami Riku was not entirely sure what to make of Kamishiro Tsurugi.
He was surprised that the young man had even accepted the invitation to meet. He had heard a little bit about the Discabil family—wealthy, old nobility descended from European kings—but was not aware that any descendants were still left. He believed the line had been broken ages ago, and yet here was a Discabil—albeit no longer completely European—right before his very eyes.
Kagami Riku knew better than to be fooled by the deceptively naïve mannerisms of the last Discabil heir. The prettily manicured nails hardly disguised the well-worn calluses of the fingers—the product of many hours of sword training. And while Kamishiro wore clothes that might have befit a foppish European noble from the 19th century, his posture was both relaxed and alert, his motions oddly graceful.
Despite the cherubic aura the youth exuded, Kagami Riku's instincts screamed at him to be cautious, to confront him like he would a wild beast.
"You're saying that you want this sword," Tsurugi spoke, his voice smooth, slightly husky. He leaned forward, eyes half-lidded. "Why should I hand it over? As the English say, 'Finders keepers.'"
Riku sighed. Tadokoro Shuichi, his most capable commander, hastened to respond.
"Kamishiro-kun," Tadokoro said, keeping his voice as calm and gentle as possible. "The sword was developed by ZECT, and is a very important part of our research to study ways to combat Worms."
"Your mission is the only reason why you commoners are even graced with my presence at such short notice," Tsurugi had the audacity to say. Riku found himself torn between laughing and bristling with indignation.
He coughed instead.
"And we very much appreciate it," Tadokoro diplomatically said. "But seeing as the Sasword Yaiba was ours originally, it would help us immensely if you were courteous enough to give it back."
"So this is ZECT's answer to the destruction of the Worms?" Kamishiro Tsurugi's lips curled in disdain. "You can't expect to kill a Worm with just a sword."
Riku laughed, his mirth resonated deep in his belly. Tsurugi was a funny one!
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. You speak truly, Kamishiro-kun."
To Riku's pleasure, Tsurugi's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of his comment.
"Your words make no sense. The sword is hardly a person."
"What we have before us, is merely the home of the creature that inhabits it," Riku said. "The Zecter."
"Zecters?"
"The Masked Rider System," Tadokoro elaborated. "It's the combat mobile system our scientists at ZECT have developed. To fight the Worms. We're still running tests on them but they've proven to be very effective against Worms."
"Oh?" A spark of interest gleamed in Tsurugi's eyes. "And what exactly do these Zecters look like?"
Tadokoro hesitated before motioning an aide over to bring over the steel-plated briefcase.
"Our scientists are a bit eccentric," Riku smiled. He watched Tsurugi crane his neck in interest, which ruined his affected boredom. "The design of the Zecters are—"
"Bugs?" Tsurugi cut in, eyeing the Zecters with ill-concealed distaste.
"I'm sure you appreciate our appropriate design," Riku said. "To defeat insects with insects-surely there is no better way."
"You overstep your boundaries with your assumption, commoner," Tsurugi uttered coldly, retreating back into his shell.
Very insect-like, Riku observed.
"Bumblebee, dragonfly, kabutomushi (1)…" Tsurugi's eyes narrowed. "What's that one over there?"
Tadokoro jumped a little and looked down.
"This one? This Zecter's still being tuned—it's a bit of a dud—it hasn't responded like any of the other Zecters. They were experimenting with a land-type—"
"What was that?" Kamishiro Tsurugi suddenly stood up, head turning.
"Pardon?" Riku wondered why Tsurugi called to his butler, who immediately moved away from the door and stood next to his master—
The mentioned door burst into smithereens.
"We're under attack!" Tadokoro shouted, moving to shield Riku from harm.
Five Salis Worms burst into the conference room, snarling in their mottled green glory. Despite not having fully evolved they were still very dangerous. Especially since no one in the room happened to be Zecter-compatible.
"Kagami-shachō (2)!" Tadokoro had a gun out in a flash and snapped off several shots. The shots harmlessly bounced off the thick Worm armor.
Kagami Riku, however, was distracted by the Zecters lying in the suitcase.
Of one purple Zecter in particular. One that the research team almost scrapped, believing it a failure.
"Jiiya, get back!" Kamishiro Tsurugi leaped forward, just in time to swipe the sword off the table. Sword raised, he jabbed the Worm in the eye.
"Die, Worm!"
For the very first time, the purple Zector came alive. With a mechanical cry, it snapped off its bonds and jumped out of the briefcase, legs clicking as it skimmed the surface with startling speed.
"STANDBY." The Zecter leaped into Tsurugi's right hand, who looked down at it, eyes widening.
Kagami Riku held his breath. Zecters were notoriously temperamental, but when they found a suitable host…
Tsurugi changed his grip on the sword, bringing the tip towards the ground. He slapped the still Zecter curled in his fist up to the unadorned hilt, where the Zecter locked perfectly into place.
"Henshin."
Swathed in purple armor and orange tubes, Kamishiro Tsurugi proceeded to lay waste to three of the Worms. Tadokoro gave a warning shout—the remaining two Worms had used the time to evolve into more formidable opponents.
Tsurugi scoffed and pinched the Zecter's claws on the sword to activate its second ability.
"Cast Off!"
"CAST OFF. CHANGE SCORPION."
Behind him, the butler gave a little gasp. Kagami Riku couldn't blame him. The Sasword system was quite a sight to behold. The purple armor gleamed so bright it looked poisonous. Watching Tsurugi fight in that armor was like watching a real scorpion move, quick, darting moves that were not only energy-efficient but deadly.
The remaining Worms didn't stand a chance.
When Tsurugi dismissed the armor, the Sasword Zecter slid up from Tsurugi's hand and nestled in the boy's front pocket.
"Bocchama!" The butler, still shaking, ran to his master's side. Tsurugi surveyed the conference room—now ruined—with a cold but hungry gaze.
"Seeing how your pathetic organization is so in desperate need of help, and in light of recent events, I am prepared to offer my assistance, Kagami-san. With appropriate compensation, of course."
"I see even the royal lion has his price," Riku said, half-smiling. It was not how he imagined the arrangement would have worked out but he would take what he could get. "We look forward to having you work for us."
"Let me make myself clear-I don't work for anyone," Tsurugi said before turning to his butler. "We're leaving, Jiiya."
After the two left, Tadokoro sidled over to Riku, who sat down on a piece of rubble.
"Was it really all right to give the Sasword Zecter away, just like that?" Tadokoro asked. "Even if he is a suitable host, surely there are others."
"Not human ones," Riku reminded him. "Sasword, like all Zecters, responds to Native users. But it seems peculiarly resistant to human hosts."
"Perhaps it's just picky, like the Kabuto Zecter," Tadokoro suggested.
"Perhaps." Riku smiled upwards at the ceiling. One could see a patch of the sky from a panel of glass. "Or perhaps Kamishiro Tsurugi is simply one exceptional human."
"He's exceptionally arrogant," Tadokoro huffed. "You'd think someone so blue-blooded would have better manners."
"I thought he was quite charming," Riku said. "That inner fire, that jaded yet innocent way of looking at the world-he reminds me of Arata. The two would be good friends. Perhaps they will meet someday."
Kamishiro Tsurugi was quiet on the drive back to the manor. Though Jiiya was quite nervous—he kept a careful eye on the Sasword Zector that nuzzled Tsurugi's chin affectionately—he forced himself to not speak a single word until they arrived.
"Bocchama, we're back." The words felt heavy on the butler's tongue somehow. He could not read the expression on his master's face. It was contemplative, yet utterly devoid of emotion.
Very Worm-like.
Instead of walking towards the beckoning front door, Tsurugi turned around and tossed the Sasword Zecter out of his pocket. With a whirr, the Zecter landed on the ground, shaking dirt from its claws and legs.
"Bocchama?"
The Sasword Zecter spun in a few, forlorn circles around Tsurugi, not unlike an abandoned puppy. When Tsurugi did not reply, the Zecter scurried off, digging into the ground until it was gone from sight.
"It'll come when I need it to," Tsurugi said, his voice thick and slightly muffled. It took Jiiya only half a second to realize that his master was fighting back tears. Shame filled every inch of Jiiya for even doubting his master for a moment. The silence that was so alien before was now agonizingly, mercifully familiar.
"The gods must be laughing at me right now, Jiiya," Tsurugi said. "To think they have gifted me the power that I need—the power comes from a scorpion—the very thing that killed Nee-san."
Jiiya hoped his master would never know how deeply close that statement was to the truth.
"Well, Bocchama, someone of your status should never be mocked, even if they are gods. You may reprimand the gods for their lack of decorum."
Tsurugi's pale face lit up in a faint smile at the butler's reminder of his name's significance.
"The man who will tear down even the gods with a sword's slash." Suddenly, he stumbled, only to be caught by Jiiya's steady hands.
"Any god-slashing will have to wait until tomorrow, Bocchama."
"I suppose you're right, Jiiya. Even I need my rest."
Tsurugi was rewarded with one of Jiiya's rare chuckles, which echoed in the lonely depths of the manor. His insides glowed with the warmth of pleasure. Though the nightmares still came more often than he liked, having Jiiya seemed to help alleviate some of the pain. Jiiya really was the best butler—and companion—that a lord could have.
Tonight, I shall rest, one more time, Tsurugi drowsily thought as he clambered into his canopy bed. For tomorrow, I go to war.
All Worms are my enemy. And I will not stop until every last one of them is dead.
The End
(1) Japanese rhinoceros beetle
(2) honorific for "company president"