NEW LIFE CHAPTER PART 3: VALENTINE

"Kaa-chan, are you sure you should be writing this?" Shinichi asked as he read over his mother's latest manuscript. Just like the others ones he'd read, the story was very compelling, romantic, and very erotic. Just as he had come to expect from his awesome mother.

"Is something wrong with it?" famous erotica writer Shiori Banabara inquired of her son. Since he seemed to have such good taste in the kind of things she wrote, having seen his ecchi photo collection which made her squeal from how kawaii it all was, she let Shinichi read her finished manuscripts. Sometimes his advice was very good. He had helped her get some good subject material for her latest books.

"Well, this new story, 'Twincest: Sisterly Bonds', is going to get me killed by the twins," Shinichi stated. His mother had spotted his prized photo of Shion and Mion kissing and was suddenly inspired by it. She wasn't shy in asking Shinichi about his opinion on the idea either.

"I changed the names," argued Shiori. Really, the only people who would figure out she got the twincest idea from her son's photo would probably be the Sonozaki twins themselves and the rest of the Gaming Club who knew Shinichi prized that photo.

"That won't stop them from figuring it out," Shinichi deadpanned. Hen again, this was by far a too good of an opportunity to pass up. He then broke into a grin, "But what's life without a few risks?"

"That's my boy! And I should thank you for giving me that photo of the twins kissing. It was inspirational."

"Arigatou, Kaa-chan." He put the sheets of paper into an envelope and sealed it up. "I'll mail this to Hiyama-san." Eiji Hiyama was Shiori's agent and once he went through it he would send it later to the publisher to get it printed and distributed.

Shiori went over and pecked her son on the cheek. "Drive safely," she cautioned.

Grabbing his helmet, Shinichi said, "I will!"

It was Sunday February 10th 1985 and Shinichi's mother was busy with a new story. The woman was quite talented and while her novels were of the adult variety, they were very popular among teenagers and older couples who needed to spice up their love lives. The novels weren't very thick. They were only about 100 pages each. The content for each book was romantic and arousing, and not suitable for younger readers under the age of 16.

Shiori's previous book, "The Lovers of the Cursed Magatama", just got publish yesterday and already they were selling like hotcakes. His friends Keiichi and Shion got their autographed advanced copies earlier. Shion loved it and so did Keiichi. He did get some flak from Mion, but he believed it was mostly out of embarrassment because of how Shion would exaggerate the already graphic content of the book. He even had a copy sent to Rena. The story was based on them, so why not?

"OK, time to drop this off!" Shinichi grinned as he pulled up in front of the post office. He dropped the envelope off and then rode back home.

Valentine's Day was coming up in four days, but it wasn't just an important holiday for lovers. For Shinichi there was a more significant reason.

His birthday was on Valentine's Day.

Shinichi could only imagine the gifts he would be receiving on top of the chocolates his female friends would give to him, especially his girlfriend Rena.

When he opened the door, he was stunned to see Rena, kneeling at the entrance, with her hands folded on her lap and her head bowed. "Okaeri nasai, Anata."

"EH!" Shinichi gawked. "Rena-chan, what are you doing here!"

"Oh, Rena-chan came by a few minutes after you left," Shiori answered from the hallway. "She wants to play 'House' with you. Isn't that sweet?"

Rising to her feet, Rena took Shinichi's helmet in her hands and then leaned in to peck Shinichi's lips. With a cute blush and giggle, Rena went down the hallway with Shinichi following. She did sway her hips, which made him wonder if it was intentional, but he shrugged it off.

Shiori then pulled her son close and whispered, "I really approve of that girl. She's sweet, cute, smart, and can do housework. Plus she loves you a whole lot. That's very rare. I recommend that you don't mess this up." She frowned. "I really want Rena-chan as a daughter-in-law. She's perfect wife material."

Shinichi agreed. Rena took care of the housework in her house. She cooked and she cleaned for her father. She was also in love with Shinichi, which got her bonus points from Shiori.

"I won't, Kaa-chan," he replied. "Rena-chan means everything to me."

"Good, oh and I found something very interesting." She grinned as she revealed a notebook with Shinichi's name on it. "So, you wish to follow in my footsteps, huh?"

"Kaa-chan!" Shinichi cried as he snatched the book away, blushing. "That's private!"

"Don't be embarrassed, son. It was quite well written. You really do take after me, don't you?"

Rena then informed them, "I will be making lunch soon!"

"OK!" the Banabara mother and son answered.

"So, your father is away on business?" asked Shinichi.

Rena nodded. Her father was a fashion designer. Shiori avoided mentioning Rena's mother. Fortunately, Shinichi had warned Shiori beforehand about Rena's mother. Shiori hated women who abandoned their husbands like that. She and her own husband had been devoted to each other and had been very happy together.

"He won't be back for a few days. It's so lonely without Shin-kun, so I wanted to stay here until he got back," answered Rena. "Is it alright with you?"

"Of course it is!" Shiori exclaimed with a wide smile. "You can even sleep in Shinji's room!"

"Really?" Rena beamed.

Shinichi sighed. It was like his mother was purposely trying to get him to lose his virginity. Then again, she had given him the talk not too long ago as well as advice on how to pleasure a woman. He took detailed notes of her explanation, making sure his first time went well.

"We don't have any extra futons, so you both can share a bed," Shiori encouraged.

Rena blushed and looked to Shinichi. It wasn't like they had never shared a bed before. They loved the warmth ad closeness they shared between them.

"And I promise I won't walk in on you, even if I hear loud moaning and screaming!" teased Shiori.

"Kaa-chan!" Shinichi cried out in embarrassment as Rena blushed.

Most parents would not encourage such behaviour, but Shiori wasn't most parents. Shinichi suspected that she was trying to look for sources of inspiration.

Not that he minded, though. The Lovers of the Cursed Magatama was based on them.

"But remember to use protection," she cautioned. "I don't want to be a grandmother quite yet."

And she was at least responsible enough to remind her son to use protection.

"Sorry about my Kaa-chan," Shinichi apologized. Rena's face had turned as red as a tomato after the talk with Shiori during lunch. "She's very liberated."

"Judging by her books, I suppose she is," Rena agreed.

"Did you like her latest one?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes, it was very romantic," said Rena. "And it was very descriptive of the…"

"I know what you mean." His eyes turned to the bed in his room. "You sure you want to share a bed with me? I know my Kaa-chan said it would be alright, but I can just sleep outside on the couch."

Rena shook her hand and took Shinichi's hands. She pressed his hands against her chest. "Rena wants to sleep with Shin-kun."

"You're not the only one," he murmured. Very perverted images were appearing in his head. He squashed them quickly. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too." They closed the gap between them and kissed. Rena pushed him backwards and the two fell onto the bed, embracing each other as the kiss deepened.

Shiori opened the door a crack and peeked inside. "Go, Shinji!" she encouraged in a hushed tone.

Before dinner, Rena decided to take a bath. At the same time, the Banabaras were in the next room.

"Kaa-chan, what is this?" Shinichi asked his mother.

"This, my son, is a peephole that goes straight into our bathroom! Right now Rena-chan is taking a bath. So, as my son, you must peep!" she declared shamelessly.

"KAA-CHAN!" Of course there were times his mother could go way too far. "I don't want to peep on her!"

"I know, but do you really think she'd be mad at you?" Shiori asked.

Shinichi shuddered, imagining a dripping wet Rena in a towel with a cleaver and staring at him in anger. The image was both scary and arousing.

"Kaa-chan, you don't want to make Rena-chan angry," Shinichi warned.

"So, do you mind if I took a peep?" Shiori grinned.

"NO! Cover the hole up! Kaa-chan, this is so going too far!"

"Fine, I'll cover it up. I was just having some fun with you."

"I know, and I love you for being yourself."

"And I love you too."

Shiori took a poster to cover the hole when she took an impulsive peep through it and froze. "Uh-oh."

Shinichi froze. "Why don't I like the sound of that?" He asked cautiously, "She's staring right back, isn't she?"

"Yes, and I don't think she's happy."

"Bye!" Shinichi quickly bolted.

"Come back! I'm your mother!"

"I want to live!"

When Shinichi returned after escaping Rena's wrath, he found his mother kneeling in the living room with Rena towering over her. Rena was holding Shinichi's bamboo sword.

"Shinji! Save me!" Shiori wailed, crying streams of tears.

"You brought this on yourself, Kaa-chan," deadpanned Shinichi. "Rena-chan, would you mind stopping?"

Frowning, Rena answered, "OK, Shin-kun." She tossed him his bamboo sword and he hefted it on his shoulder.

He went over to his mother, helped her up, and said, "Now, what have we learnt?"

She answered, "Peeping is bad."

"That's right," nodded Shinichi.

The trio had dinner. Shiori recovered enough to make a few jokes, despite what had occurred earlier. After dinner and after Shinichi washed the dishes with Rena, the couple did their homework then got ready for bed.

Rena had brought along pink pyjamas covered in red hearts. Shinichi appraised the sleepwear. "Kawaii, Rena-chan," he said as he looked her up and down.

"Thank you, Shin-kun," the girl smiled bashfully.

Shinichi just wore shorts and a t-shirt to bed. He then apologized for his mother's behaviour, "I'm sorry about Kaa-chan."

"That's OK, Shin-kun. That's how Shiori-san expresses herself," Rena said. She'd forgiven Shiori already, after dealing punishment, of course.

"Yeah. She can be really embarrassing, but that's my Kaa-chan and the way she is. I'm not ashamed of her for being who she is. I mean I'm just as bad, right?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"Shin-kun is pervy," she giggled.

An awkward silence past between the pair.

"So, do you want to take the bed? I mean I can sleep on the floor, and…" Shinichi began. Rena raised a hand and stroked his cheek.

"I want to sleep with Shin-kun…" she murmured softly.

Hearing how she said it made him blush.

"Rena-chan…" She silenced him with a kiss. When she broke the kiss he stumbled to the light switch. "I'll get the lights."

Rena smiled as she slipped into the bed. When the lights were off he slipped into bed next to her. The girl snuggled up against him, humming softly and happily.

"I love you, Shin-kun. Goodnight."

"You too."

However, with how close they were lying together, in the single bed, their gazes were locked.

"Are you even tired yet?" Shinichi asked. Rena shook her head. "Neither am I."

"What do we do until we get tired?" the girl asked.

Smiling, Shinichi took hold of her hand and intertwined their fingers together. "I can think of something." He slowly closed the distance between them and claimed her lips. She didn't object his action and kissed back. Rolling onto her back, the girl took Shinichi with him and now he was lying on top of her, and still their hands were clasped together.

The couple broke apart, reluctantly, for air, before they resumed their passionate kissing. Rena, before Shinichi's arrival, had always thought Keiichi would be her first kiss. However, she was also aware of Mion's feelings for Keiichi and did not want to get in between them for the sake of their friendship. She didn't want any feelings of jealousy break them apart. Now, Keiichi and Mion were honest with their feelings. Sure, the incident with the cursed briefs had caused a few cracks to emerge in their relationship, but the green-haired heiress and the brown-haired Magician of Words (Keiichi) were able to work things out without breaking up. It would be sad and awkward if it did happen since they were such good friends.

Even though the boy she was kissing was not Keiichi. She was happy. Shinichi Sanban, born Shinji Banabara, and also known as Kamen Rider Showa, was hers now. They used to live in the same house and she would sneak into his futon just to cuddle up to him. She couldn't help it. He was so cute, especially with those twin ahoge that would bob whenever he moved. Not only was he cure, he was kind, sweet, gentle. He may not have been completely honest with her but he had his reasons. His past was a painful one. For eleven years he'd been separated from his mother. In ten of those years GIN-SHOCKER had done things to his body and mind. They had stripped him of free will and emotion so that he could be a weapon. None of her friends or herself had ever suffered like that. They had suffered in their own ways but never to the same degree as Shinichi's suffering. To think he was able to survive all that. However, he didn't escape unscathed. The painful memories would forever haunt him and when triggered would cause him to freak out and hurt himself and others. She wished he didn't remember it all. The only memories that mattered were the ones he had gained in Hinamizawa and the ones he'd gained with his mother.

It was a horrible thing. He could never recall his childhood before GIN-SHOCKER took him away. The only evidence was the photo album Shiori kept. Rena loved looking at Shinichi's old baby photos. To think he never lost his cuteness after so many years.

Shinichi was special to her and special in general. GIN-SHOCKER had given him powers and those powers were being used by Shinichi to protect Hinamizawa and Okinomiya. He was a Kamen Rider, a warrior of justice. Despite the purpose of his creation, he fought to defend and for the sake of justice.

He was a hero…a superhero.

Their lips locked again. They were hungry for each other's kisses, apparently. Being so close like this was causing their hormones to take control and lust to take the driver's wheel. Shinichi's hand let go of hers and it ran down her arm and then down to her breasts. He gave her breast a squeeze and she gasped, breaking the kiss momentarily. He kissed her cheek then down her chin before reaching her throat. There was spot there that was extremely sensitive and Shinichi knew how to stimulate it. He licked the spot then nibbled on it before sucking. Rena let loose a squeal which turned into a moan as her arms clung to Shinichi's back.

And he was starting to unbutton her pyjamas. Suddenly, in her shock, Rena pushed him off her and he nearly fell off his bed. "Rena?"

"Sorry," Rena said, panting. Her bangs were matted to her forehead by sweat and her eyes were lidded. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. The three top buttons of her pyjamas had already come undone, exposing her cleavage. It was obvious she wasn't wearing a bra.

"I guess we were getting a bit carried away, huh?" Shinichi asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Giggling, Rena agreed, "We're still young."

"Maybe I should sleep on the floor to avoid this!"

"No!" she exclaimed. "I want to sleep with Shin-kun!"

"Rena-chan, we almost…"

"I don't care!" she shook her head vehemently.

"Your dad will kill me if he finds out," he warned.

"Then let's keep it a secret. He won't know because we won't tell and Shiori-san won't tell either, right?" Ren said cutely, a finger to her lips as she pouted.

'She's right about Kaa-chan. She won't tell. She'd just write about this,' thought Shinichi.

Lying back down, Rena patted the mattress. "Let's sleep. I'm tired."

"You're not the only one," Shinichi said. "I'm just glad we don't have to deal with Darklings or Darkloids tonight."

"Those are the worst," she said in disgust.

He lay down next to her and said, "Goodnight," for real this time. They gave each other one last kiss before closing their eyes, and dozing off. Their hands, however, ended up clasped together at some point during the night.

11th February 1985

As usual, Shinichi awoke to the sound of his alarm clock. Yawning, he sat up and stretched. Turning to look at his bed mate, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, Rena-chan." He shut off the alarm clock and went to take a bath.

In the bathroom, he heard a knock at the door. "I'll be ready soon, Kaa-chan!" he called back.

However, it wasn't his mother who answered.

"Shin-kun, do you want Rena-chan to wash your back?" Rena asked.

Blushing, with a nosebleed to boot, Shinichi stammered, "N-no thanks!" he answered. After last night, he needed to avoid temptation. Rena in a towel and nothing else would definitely count as temptation. In his perverted mind he could imagine Rena washing his back and then her towel would slip off. He would then turn around, pin her to the floor and…

SPLASH!

He splashed himself with water from the bath.

"I need a cold shower," he mumbled. He was starting to get aroused. After this he would give Rena the bath before getting himself dressed for work.

Rena took a bath, fortunately separately from Shinichi, and Shiori grinned as she watched the two teens interact. The gears in her head were turning as inspiration struck. Young teens in love were a treasure trove of ideas for the woman. She noted some discomfort from her son but brushed it off as being something normal. Last night they had shared a bed. She knew they didn't have sex.

Shinichi looked up at Rena, in her uniform, all clean and cute. The way she would take small bites out of her toast made his eyes wander to her soft lips. He shook his head and turned his attention back towards his scrambled eggs as he shovelled them into his mouth. His mother hadn't made any indecent comments. He wished she did. Anything to break the silence.

"Shinji?" Shiori began.

"Hai, Kaa-chan?" Shinichi answered.

"I have to go to Tokyo today so I won't be home tonight," she explained. "Are you going to be okay with Rena, alone, with no parental supervision?" She grinned briefly.

Shinichi wanted to smack himself. Why couldn't his mother he more responsible. 'Because it she was she wouldn't be my Kaa-chan.' Shinichi had to smile at that. His Kaa-chan approved of him and Rena. She did, however, joke about him hooking up with either of the twins, emphasizing their potential as future mothers by the size of their breasts. 'Then again, Rena's breasts are…' His gaze wondered over to Rena's chest.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Shiori said as she 'accidentally' knocked over a glass of water and the water splashed all over Rena's uniform, causing the chest area to stick to her and becoming translucent. It gave Shinichi a visible outline of her bra. It was pink. "Rena-chan, there's a hairdryer in the bathroom. You can use that to dry your uniform."

"Thank you, Shiori-san," nodded Rena as she got up. She stared suspiciously at Shiori. Rena wasn't dumb, despite acting like an airhead at times. She was perceptive and knew that Shiori had done it on purpose. Looking to Shinichi, she smiled a bit as he blushed. He may have been a pervert, but he was her pervert.

Shinichi had finished his breakfast quickly and downed his glass of water before rising up from his seat. "I have to go deliver newspapers now." He went over and gave Rena a peck on the cheek. "I'll be back later." He pecked Shiori on the cheek before running to the door, picking his helmet up along the way.

Rena and Shinichi rode into school and entered their classroom. A chalkboard eraser came down on Shinichi but he used his bamboo sword to smack it away. "You have to try better than that, Satoko-chan!" He walked forward and his foot pushed down on a length of rope. Pieces of chalk went flying at him like missiles but with the same bamboo sword he deflected them as he spun his ideal weapon in a circle. "Got anything more? You must be losing your touch!"

"You can never be fooled, Shinichi-san," Satoko relented. "You're not like Keiichi-san."

"Hey!" Keiichi snapped.

"You shouldn't tease Keiichi like that, Satoko-chan," Satoshi said to his sister.

"I know, Nii-nii, but it's just so much fun to watch him fall for my traps," Satoko laughed.

Shinichi tapped Satoko's head with his bamboo sword. "Satoko-chan, traps won't work on me." Back in GIN-SHOCKER, he'd been trained to counter death traps. Playful traps like Satoko's were amateurish. "If you really get me, then I'll buy you a treat."

Satoshi frowned, "Don't encourage her…"

Shinichi chuckled and went over to his seat and then placed his bamboo sword inside his locker. Last night he'd slept with Rena and woke up with her next to him. They had breakfast together too. Not so different from when he lived with the Ryuugus, except that he had his mother with him.

Looking to Keiichi and Satoshi who were with their respective girlfriends the twins, Mion and Shion, Shinichi decided to have a private conversation with the other two boys in their group, later.

Chie-sensei entered and everyone went to their desks. "Rise, Bow, Sit," Mion said, as usual, since she was class president.

During lunch, Shinichi dragged both Keiichi and Satoshi out of the classroom.

"Hey, guys, you know that Valentine's Day is coming, right?" Shinichi asked.

With a grin, Keiichi answered, "Sure we do. I'm expecting a whole lot of chocolates."

Shinichi eyed Satoshi. "And you?"

"I expect to receive some from Shion," Satoshi answered.

"And because those two girls are rich, you expect to get a whole lot, huh?" Shinichi asked. The blonde and brunette nodded. "OK, I'm going to be honest with you guys. You see, Valentine's Day happens to be…my birthday."

The door slid open and the girls, minus Rena, exclaimed, "IT IS!"

Shinichi sighed, "Yes, it is. Valentine's Day is my birthday. So, Kaa-chan wanted me to invite everyone to a party." Reaching into his back pocket he took out several invitations. "She wants me to invite my closest friends and since you guys…" the invitations were snatched out of his hand, "…qualify. Ugh, never mind. You're all invited." He placed his hands to his hips, frowning, "Happy?"

"Now, don't be like that, Shin-chan," Mion grinned as she wrapped an arm around his neck and pulling him close, "We're going to make your birthday fun, and because you're the birthday boy, you'll get an extra helping of chocolate from all your favourite girls."

"Will you be wearing it?" Shinichi asked lecherously.

WHAM!

"I was just asking!" Shinichi whined as he rubbed the bump Mion had given him.

"You're an incorrigible perv, you know that?" Mion growled.

"I got that from my Kaa-chan," Shinichi shrugged. In his mind he saw the older girls (Mion, Shion and Rena) wrestling in a pit of chocolate, naked. 'Oh, I wish I could lick it off…' He grinned and drooled.

Being a pervert was within Shinichi's nature as was being a hero. Of course, it was hard to believe he was a hero at all with how perverted he acted.

Mion swore to beat him at the club meeting and make him perform a punishment game.

At the end of the school day, the Hinamizawa Gaming Club met together outside in the schoolyard. The name of the game was Dodgeball.

For this they changed into their gym clothes. It was only appropriate. Shinichi didn't mind. He got to see he girls in bloomers that showed off their legs and tight white t-shirts that showed off their lovely swells and curves.

He had taken a picture of them in their gym clothes before the game began.

"Alright, I am the leader of Team A!" proclaimed Mion. "Shin-chan, you're leader of Team B!"

"No problem," Shinichi shrugged. "Just be prepared to eat my balls." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Mion growled. If he wasn't such a good friend, she'd have him eating the actual balls. "Alright, everyone else line up! We're choosing our team!"

"And to make it fair, how about a coin toss?" suggested Shinichi. The first person to choose had the advantage of choosing the best player straight off the bat. Shinichi knew who he was selecting. He winked at Rena. The girl was a strong player and very competitive. Plus, he didn't want to hurt her.

"Alright," Mion huffed, "But no tricks!"

"When have I ever played a trick on you, Class Rep?" smirked Shinichi. He tossed the coin up into the air and watched as it spun before it landed in his hand. He then slapped it onto the back of his other hand. "Call it!"

"Heads!" Mion called. Shinichi removed his hand and grinned as she grimaced.

"Ooh, too bad. It's tails. Looks like I get first pick." He snapped his fingers. "My dear, sweet Rena-chan. Come over to my side, please."

With a squeal, Rena jogged up to Shinichi and took his hand. He kissed her hand.

Mion rolled her eyes. "Kei-chan, get over here!"

"Hai!" Keiichi jogged up to her side.

And it went on.

"Satoko!" She went to Shinichi's side.

"Shion!" She went to Mion's side.

"Satoshi!" He went to Shinichi's side.

"Hanyuu-chan!" She went to Mion's side, uttering, "Au, Au, Au."

"Rika-chan!" The Furude Shrine miko went over to Shinichi's side.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Mion did a head count. "You got one too many. One of you has to sit this one out."

Shinichi looked to Rika and said, "We need a referee."

She responded, smiling, "Nipah…" and got out of the 'battlefield'.

Team A: Mion, Keiichi, Shion and Hanyuu.

Team B: Shinichi, Rena, Satoshi ad Satoko.

Mion grimaced. All she had were her sister, Hanyuu and Keiichi 'The Magician of Words' Maebara. Shinichi, however, had Satoko the Trap Mistress, Satoshi and Ren who could be quite powerful in games of physical prowess.

Rika, with a whistle, said, "Everyone, take your balls and places!" She then blew into her whistle and threw her arms down to begin the game.

"RIDER BALL ATTACK!" Shinichi shouted as he went straight for the offensive. He threw his ball forward and with his artificially enhanced strength the ball shot ahead like a cannonball. The ball was going straight for Keiichi but the ball dropped to he ground. The ball slammed into a tree then ricocheted before hitting Hanyuu in the back of the head. Everyone gasped as the horned and purple-haired girl fell. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees, whimpering, and then sat on her knees, bawling. "AAAAUUUUUUUUUUU~!"

Rika blew into her whistle to pause the game and strode over to her friend. She picked Hanyuu up, muttering, "What kind of god are you?" as she took her away from the Dodgeball game. With another blow of her whistle, the game resumed.

Shinichi made a mental note to buy Hanyuu sweets from Angel Mort as a sign of apology.

"You really are vicious, aren't you, Shin-chan?" sneered Mion.

Picking up a new ball Shinichi shot back, "No mercy, remember? I know you plan to beat me and make me do a punishment game. I can see it in your eyes."

"You know me well, Shin-chan, but I'm a master at this game. I won't lose."

His voice low and dangerous, Shinichi replied, "We shall see…"

And so the balls went flying. Both sides threw their ammunition. Satoko got Keiichi in the groin but then a ball thrown by Shion hit her in the leg. She was avenged by her brother who managed to get Shion in the back with a ball but the blond boy was knocked out of the game by Mion. Rena was throwing balls at everyone from the start, unfortunately missing.

There was no catch-return player rule here. Players who got hit were permanently out of the game. Even if you caught the ball, that just meant you had ammo to use against your opponent.

Shinichi threw a ball at Mion but she caught it. With a grin she attacked. "Take this!" Mion shouted as she launched a ball at Shinichi. However, before the ball hit, Rena appeared out of nowhere and shielded Shinichi with her own body. The ball hit her in the stomach and the girl collapsed to her knees.

"Rena-chan!" Shinichi yelled. He knelt down. "Are you hurt?"

Coughing, the girl answered, "Rena's fine. Glad I could help Shin-kun." He kissed her forehead.

"You sweet girl," he whispered. Rika went and escorted Rena out of the area. Now it was Mion and Shinichi.

"So, it's just you and me," Mion smirked.

Shinichi didn't smirk. Instead he frowned, "Looks like it."

The two were holding balls in their hands, glaring at each other. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

"You're going down, Mion Sonozaki," Shinichi boasted.

Mion returned the boast with one of her own, "Oh, am I, Shinji Banabara?"

That was the first time Mion had ever used his birth name.

Mion attacked, aggressive as ever. She threw his ball at Shinichi but all of a sudden he vanished from her sight. Mion gasped. Where had he gone? She heard shouting. Look up? She did as a shadow loomed over her. Shinichi was right above her, his body blocking the sun…and a ball in his hand. He landed before the girl who was frozen in terror at the feral look he was giving her. "Shin-chan?"

He let out a roar, and she screamed in response. He raised the ball high above his head and threw his arms down to…

Gently tap Mion on the head with the ball. Mion's eyes, which had been shut, slowly opened as she stared at he boy.

"Psyche!" he said to her. "You lose!" He contemplated, "Now…what should I have you do?"

"Here is your coffee, Master," Mion said. She was dressed in a maid outfit in Shinichi's home. Rena was there too. As team leader, she was the only one who had to endure the punishment game for losing. In her hands, on a saucer, was a cup of hot coffee.

"Thank you, Mion-chan," Shinichi grinned.

"Hau…Mii-chan looks so cute…" Rena purred. To be served on hand and foot by Mion was indeed a good punishment for the heiress. "Omochikaeri~"

There was nothing pervy about the maid outfit, but if Shiori was here she'd see it as another source of inspiration.

Mion swore to pay Shinichi back for this humiliation. Still, he won fair and square. She would've made him do the same thing he was making her do if he had lost.

Shinichi's eyes went over to Rena. She had a bruise on the spot where Mion had hit her. It would fade, eventually, but he didn't like seeing Rena get hurt. He never did. Images of Rina filled his mind. Her death would forever haunt him.

Damn Gebok for forcing his memories to return. Then again, with the continuous use of his powers, there was no doubt his memories would've returned. He just wished they weren't so painful.

Shinichi looked out the window. The sun was beginning to set. If Mion went home now there was a chance she could get attacked and he didn't want any of his friends harmed. "Mion-chan, would you mind staying over tonight? It's getting dark and you know those things come out at night."

Mion knew what he was referring too. Darkloids were dangerous, but rare. Darklings were more frequent as they came out of their hiding places at night. Shinichi could sense them and go to fight them. It was his duty.

"Fine, I'll stay, but no funny business," she warned. She cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

"Just remember to mop the floors, vacuum the carpet and clean the windows," Shinichi reminded. "You're my maid until morning comes."

"Will you be going out again tonight?" Mion asked carefully.

Shinichi looked out at the setting sun. "I suppose I am. I have some exterminating to do." There was a knock at the door. "Mion-chan, do you mind getting that."

"Sure," Mion nodded.

"Sure, what…?" Shinichi uttered.

"Sure, Master," she corrected herself. She opened the door and much to her chagrin she saw Shion standing on the other side with a grin.

"Hey, Onee. What are you doing at Shinichi's? You're not cheating on Keiichi-kun, are you?" Shion teased.

Mion groaned. Now she had to endure teasing from her twin sister who just happened t live in the same building as Shinichi.

"Shii-chan, come on in," Rena invited. "We can have Mii-chan make some tea!"

"I'd like that, and a sandwich too," said Shion.

"You heard that, Mion-chan? Attend to our guest!" said Shinichi eagerly. He clapped his hands together, "Chop-chop!"

Mion grumbled under her breath, "I'll chop you up…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing, what…?"

"Nothing, Master!"

"That's good, Mion-chan!"

"Stop!"

Later that night, Showa was on the move. He was chasing after a Darkloid which had newly evolved. It hadn't changed much in appearance, save for gaining spring-like legs and arms which it could use to attack from a distance and propel itself high into the air. It and Showa had been fighting in the streets but once it realized it was no match for the Rider, it turned and fled. The chase had taken to the rooftops as Showa jumped from one roof to another in hot pursuit.

When they landed on a roof, they traded blows. Of course the Darkloid could attack from a distance with its spring-like arms, extending his fists over several feet. Showa got hit but he managed to counter the attacks with his gun, the Showa-Blaster. He shot at the Darkloid and made it retreat once more.

The Darkloid leapt high into the air. It was about to land upon an office building when Showa leapt after it. He sent the Spring Darkloid crashing upon the building's rooftop with a violent heel kick.

Landing on the rooftop safely, Showa rolled his right shoulder and then patted his arm. "Your jumping days are over, Darkloid!"

The Darkloid hissed and was about to attack when all of a sudden several explosions erupted around it. It could not escape from the sudden explosions.

"Huh!" Showa gaped as the Darkloid was being attacked but by whom? Finally an invisible blast of sound collided with the Darkloid and vanquished it as it exploded in a dark blaze. "Show yourselves!" Showa demanded. The feeling he was getting was familiar to him. "Come on out!" He placed his hand against his helmet covered head. He was seeing a flash of images. His memories were acting up again.

"Well, since you asked so nicely, we'll show ourselves," a female voice answered.

There was an explosion of smoke all around him. The smoke cloud surrounded Showa as he looked around in confusion. He could make out the silhouette of figures, shaped too oddly to be human, but they stood upright like humans. Their eyes glowed in the smoke as Showa tried to see who they were. He couldn't make out who they were but he could make out their numbers.

There were 13 of them.

"Who are you?" Showa demanded.

"How could you forget about us? You're so mean, No. 13!"

Showa's eyes narrowed. That was his old codename, before…

"Or should we call you BLACK 13?"

"Who are you!" Showa demanded again.

"Oh, you know who we are."

"Quite well."

"We grew up together."

"You can almost call us family."

Showa spun around as he heard the voices. "Who are you!"

"GIN-SHOCKER NUMBERS."

Showa's eyes widened. "NUMBERS?"

Rena stood at the balcony, waiting for her heroic boyfriend to return. Mion stood behind her. The green-haired girl placed her hands upon Rena's shoulders. "It's late," Mion said, "You should get to bed." Shion had left earlier, much to Mion's relief. She couldn't take all the teasing from her sister. She was heiress of the Sonozaki Clan and had to play maid for Shinichi, a person that her grandmother disliked for being a deviant.

Rena shook her head and replied, "I want to wait for Shin-kun, just a little longer."

"OK," Mion nodded. "We'll both wait for Shin-chan."

"You mean 'Master', right?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Even when you're mean you still look cute, Mii-chan!"

They attacked from within the smoke, striking while hidden, bushwhacking him from all sides. They showed no mercy as sparks flew off Showa's armor. They were not giving him a chance to retaliate, none at all. He let out screams of pain and they were enjoying the sounds of his anguish cries, very much so. They struck with precision, like hardened soldiers, like trained killers. They weren't letting up in their attacks. Using the smoke for cover was a cowardly, yet effective, tactic.

The final blow sent Showa sprawling. He was helpless. They could finish him off right now…but nothing happened.

The smoke cleared and Showa found himself all alone. "Huh…?" He looked around in confusion. Where had they gone? He groaned as he got back to his feet. Tired, hurt and confused, Showa made his way home. "NUMBERS…"

There was a knock at the door. "That must be him," Rena guessed.

"I'll get it," Mion volunteered. She went to the door and opened it up. "We've been waiting for – Oh my god! Shin-chan!"

He was leaning against the doorframe and he had bruises all over his body. He was also limping as he entered. Mion caught him as he fell forward.

"Shin-kun!" Rena rushed towards him and helped Mion carry him inside. "Shin-kun, are you okay?" He didn't answer Rena. "Shin-kun? Shin-kun!"

"Oh, sorry, Rena-chan," he apologized, wincing a little from pain. "I'm just a bit tuckered out."

"What happened?" Rena asked. "You're hurt all over."

"The Darkloid was tougher than I thought," Shinichi lied. He knew it wasn't a Darkloid.

"Your bed has been prepared and I drew a bath for you," said Mion, acting out her role as a maid. "But it looks like you need to lie down first."

"Thank you, Mion-chan." Jokingly, he added, "Would you mind giving me a backrub too?"

Before Mion could answer, or object, Rena volunteered, "I'll rub your back, Shin-kun!" She dragged him over to the couch, laid him facedown on it, and prepared to message him. Mion watched this happening and took a seat to watch. She wondered how tough the Darkloid had been to hurt him this much, unaware that other parties had been involved.

Still, Shinichi's mind was wondering, 'NUMBERS…? NUMBER…? Why does that sound familiar?' He brushed his bangs to the side and touched his XIII scar, the mark Gebok had given him.

"Why can't we kill him now?"

"You heard the Doctor. We can't kill him, not yet."

"I don't care! He killed us! He has to pay!"

"Patience. He'll get what he deserves soon enough. He'll pay for our deaths with his life."

"And to make it fun let's kill his friends."

"Are you crazy!? Don't you know how dangerous he is once you set him off!?"

"Who gives a damn?"

"The Doctor does. Let's go."

"Who died and made you leader?"

"We all did, remember?"

"That makes no sense!"

"But what is clear is that we all died, were brought back, and our killer is living happily ever after."

"No fair…He should suffer!"

"I agree. He shall feel the pain of our deaths, nice and slow. We'll make it excruciating for him."

"It's just his bad luck to be facing us now. He's grown soft."

"Let's go. The Doctor is expecting us to report."

12th February 1985

Very early morning Shinichi awoke, fully healed. The modifications done to enhance his body allowed him to heal minor wounds quickly overnight. At present he was on the roof of his apartment building, performing practice swings with his bamboo sword.

"NUMBERS…"

SWING!

"NUMBERS…"

SWING!

"NUMBERS..."

SWING!

He repeated that word with each swing. "What does it mean? Why does it sound familiar? Why can't I remember?"

"Shin-kun…"

Surprised, Shinichi swung around and the tip of his bamboo sword was pointed at Rena. "Rena-chan…" He lowered his weapon. "You scared me."

"Shin-kun, are you alright?" she asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" he replied.

"It's just you came home hurt last night…"

"It was a Darkloid," he interrupted. "I underestimated it. It won't happen again."

"Something is bothering you. Shin-kun, you haven't told your mama about what that bad man Gebok did, have you?" she asked.

"And what am I supposed to tell her? The truth? I can't!"

"Why not?"

"I…I…I just can't!" He threw his bamboo sword down to the ground. He held his arms. "I can't! I can't tell her! I can't ever tell her!"

Rena quickly acted and hugged him. "It's alright…Rena's here…"

"I want to tell her! I want to tell her about what they did to me and what they made me do! But I can't! I don't want Kaa-chan to know!" Shinichi wailed as Rena held him. She stroked his back. "I just don't want her to know…"

13th February 1985

At Angel Mort, Shiori was looking at the selection of cakes they had on display. Tomorrow was her son's birthday. Shion was helping her out. The revealing uniforms were definitely a sight for the adult literature writer. She was concocting ideas by the seconds as she watched Shion bend over at the display case near the register.

"Which cake do you think he'll like?" Shiori asked.

"A chocolate one," said Shion. "Boys expect chocolate on Valentine's Day."

"That sounds right. When he was little, Shinji loved chocolate."

Shion frowned. The poor women had lost her husband and son. Her husband had died and she had only just recently found her son after ten painful years. This woman was so blissfully unaware of what her son had been forced to go through and for her sake Shinichi had told his friends not to mention it, ever.

Still, Shiori had a right to know. She was Shinichi's mother.

But how were they going to break the news to her? Telling her that Shinichi was a Kamen Rider would just make her proud. How he came to become like that would simply horrify her.

In this case, ignorance was bliss.

14th February 1985

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the Gaming Club cheered. They all sat around the dining table with a huge cake in the middle. Shinichi was now, officially, 17 years old. The cake was a chocolate cake, shaped in a heart, with pink icing around the edges and with the number 17 in the centre written in pink icing. There were also 17 candles.

"Happy Sweet 17, Shinji!" Shiori smiled as she held up a camera.

"Kaa-chan, I'm not a girl," he deadpanned, "And it's supposed to be 'Sweet 16', not 17!"

"I know it's supposed to be Sweet 16 but you're 17 now and I've missed ten of your birthdays so from now on I'm going to make them all count!" she replied.

The girls had all given him chocolate. Some were store bought and others were homemade. It was obvious Rena had poured a lot of love into her chocolates. They also had presents. Some were big and some were small, but Shinichi still appreciated the gesture.

However, despite the happiness he was feeling, the anxiety from 3 nights ago hadn't fade from Shinichi. Whoever these NUMBERS was, like Gebok, they were part of his past that was linked to GIN-SHOCKER.

He would get to the bottom of this mystery, even if it killed him.

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: You're wondering who the NUMBERS are, right? Well, they are anything but good, let me tell you that. They are the worst of the worst. They are like Showa.

You're about to bear witness to the new story arc. The NUMBERS Arc.

BTW, NUMBERS is in capital because it's an acronym it stands for Neo Ultimate Multiple Biologically Enhanced Revenge Squad.

And BLACK 13: Black Light Anarchist Chaos Killer 13.