NEW LIFE CHAPTER PART 5: SPRING

In order to watch the cherry blossoms in bloom and to have a picnic, you would need to go to the park in Okinomiya. That was the best place to have a picnic during this time of year when the cherry blossoms were in bloom. The blooming of the cherry blossoms also marked the beginning of spring. The beginning of spring also marked Keiichi's suffering at the hands of Satoko's traps because April Fools Day was in spring as well.

Shinichi was with his mother as they sat on a blanket with containers of food before them and bottles of drinks. They weren't alone, however. Eiji Hiyama was also present as he poured Shiori drinks. None of the drinks were alcoholic. Shinichi didn't want to have to drag his drunk mother home. Also in attendance were his friends. Rena was with her father, Mion and Shion showed up with Kasai (Shiori playfully flirted with the black garbed and sunglasses wearing man), Keiichi was present as were Satoshi, Satoko, and Rika.

For Shinichi, this was the first time he ever saw cherry blossoms in bloom. The pink petals fluttered to the ground like snow and he couldn't help but marvel at their simple beauty.

"Shin-kun looks so cute when he spaces out like that," giggled Rena. "Omochikaeri…"

With a chuckle, Shinichi looked to his cute girlfriend. She was wearing the cicada brooch he'd gotten for her as a Christmas gift on her dress. "And you look so cute with cherry blossom petals in your hair. Omochikaeri…" he replied. That statement made Rena blush.

Shinichi remembered his encounter and conflict with Zero, but for now he put it in the back of his mind as he enjoyed himself with his family and friends. He'd spent several nights going on patrol but the Darkling and Darkloid sightings were becoming rarer and rarer. People still spoke of the Kamen Rider, which was he, but he paid them no mind. As long as nobody knew what he looked like under the helmet he was just fine.

BLACK 13. He hated that name. He was comfortable enough to use the name Kuro Juusan (a direct translation of BLACK 13), but he would never let anyone call him by that accursed name again.

With his camera, Shinichi began to collect more new memories. Today was not a day to be depressed by painful pasts. Today was a day to be happy and celebrate with loved ones.

"Chiaki-san, are you here?" Hanyuu asked as she walked through the forest. "Chiaki-san?" She then mentally slapped herself. "Oh, he can't answer me. Well, looks like I have to find him myself."

It didn't take long for the purple-haired and horned girl to find her friend. "Chiaki-san!"

The person she was looking for looked up from his sketchpad and waved at her. He was an odd sight for regular people. He was a large man who wore a scarf to cover his mouth and a wool hat to cover his head, leaving only his eyes visible. He also wore a heavy coat over a blue shirt with black pants and boots. A surgical scar ran over each eye.

He was sitting on a log and there was a fire in front of him which he was using to cook water via a kettle. Behind him was his tent.

When Hanyuu first met him, he had succumbed to hunger and exhaustion. She helped him regain his strength. They've been friends ever since. She would come by with food and to keep him company. Not even Rika suspected that anything was wrong.

That had been a month ago.

"I've brought food for you," she said, handing a bento to him. The man, Chiaki, nodded and took the offered food. He pulled down his scarf from his face and slowly began to feed himself as he sat on a log. Hanyuu sat down beside him.

Chiaki couldn't speak. He was mute. However, he was able to express himself through his art and to communicate he would write on his sketchpad. Hanyuu found his drawings beautiful. He avoided talking about his past and Hanyuu didn't pressure him. Instead, she talked about her friends.

He seemed oddly interested in Shinichi, though.

"Ah, isn't this the best?" Shiori sighed blissfully as several cherry blossoms fluttered to the ground. "I love the spring! The perfect time for love and romance. It's so inspiring. Don't you agree, Kasai-kun?"

"I suppose," Kasai shrugged, but he was only half paying attention to the conversation, sticking to his duties of protecting Mion and Shion, even if he was officially supposed to be guarding Shion.

"Oh don't be so stiff, Kasai-kun," Shiro huffed, pouring another cup of juice. "The cherry blossoms are in bloom! Enjoy the atmosphere! You deserve to have fun too!"

"I'm still on the clock," Kasai commented, but some humorous exasperation was in his voice. Shiori had been playfully flirting or trying to get him to loosen up the whole time. Still, he had to admit that he woman knew how to have fun.

Still, Kasai was still keeping an eye on the Sonozaki twins as per his duty. Mion was with her boyfriend and both seemed to be making out under a tree. However, Mion kept the limits clear when Keiichi grabbed her butt and she pinched him for it. Still, it didn't dissuade the pair as they continued with their session. Shion was resting in the embrace of Satoshi as they reclined in the shade of one of the trees with Satoko resting her head in her 'Nee-nee's' lap. Shion was smiling warmly as she rested in her boyfriend's embrace and gently stroked Satoko's hair whish was probably why the younger girl fell asleep.

'They'll make good wives,' Kasai thought to himself. 'Their mother will be pleased with that.'

Shiori smiled at the scenes thinking of how kawaii it all was. Looking to see her son, she spotted him with Rena, eating lunch by feeding it to one another. It warmed her heart to see the pair so close to each other. It was certainly a relief to know that her son had been taken in by such a loving family and found such a cute girlfriend.

Looking to the rest of the group, she spotted Rika sitting alone and eating the sweets. Several people were offering her their greetings, but Shiori wondered if that was merely a formality considering how the little girl was the heir of one of the village's founding clans. Usually the kawaii Hanyuu would be there, but the adorable little one was strangely absent. Usually they were attached to the hip. That just would not do for Shiori Banabara. It was a well known fact that she had a very soft spot for children, especially younger ones and she personally felt for Rika who was an orphan. She knew how painful it was to lose a family member. So to that end, she decided to do something.

"Rika-chan!" she called, walking over to the little girl. "Rika-chan, what are you doing hanging out here alone? We're all over here having fun."

"I'm fine. Just waiting for Hanyuu," Rika smiled. "She's strangely late."

"Well, I suppose you can just wait with us," Shiori smiled. "It's no good to just sit here is such a place by yourself. It's a time to enjoy with your loved ones."

"I know. I love spending time with my friends. It's what makes my life so fulfilling," Rika nodded. Of course, seeing your friends get killed countless times tended to put the value of life into you as well.

"Then come on over and enjoy the spring with us!" Shiori smiled brightly, picking Rika up and bringing her over to the group. Needless to say, the girl with the woman's mind was quite startled, but pleasantly surprised by the insistence of her friend's mother. Meeting back up with the group, Shiori took back her seat with Rika parked in her lap.

"There," Shiori smiled, wrapping her arms around Rika. "Now you can't escape from us until Hanyuu-chan comes back."

Rika's cheeks turned slightly pink from the sudden position in Shiori's lap, but the author was a forward woman so she shouldn't have been surprised. Still…the woman was holding her tenderly and only a fool would miss the affection she was giving off. Despite her mature mind, Rika found herself sinking into the embrace.

'So this is what being held by a mother feels like,' Rika thought contentedly as she closed her eyes, basking in the glow. 'I almost forgot what it feels like.'

Shinichi saw this and with a smile took a quick picture with a camera.

"Rika-chan looks so kawaii with Shin-kun's mama!" squealed Rena. "Omochikaeri!"

"Control yourself, Rena-chan," he advised with a chuckle.

"I need to go now, Chiaki-san," said Hanyuu apologetically. "My friends are waiting for me. They're having a picnic at the park in Okinomiya." She smiled brightly, "Maybe I can take you there."

Chiaki wrote down his refusal, "I'm sorry, Hanyuu-chan, but I don't really like crowds. They get stuffy."

"Oh, well, I'll try and save you some sweets." She hopped off the log and ran off. "Bye, bye!" She waved as she ran off.

Chiaki felt guilty about using the little girl. She had shown him nothing but kindness. However, he still had a job to do. He flipped through the pages of his sketchpad and stopped at a picture of Kamen Rider Showa. He then stabbed his marker into Showa's face.

"Sorry I'm late! Au!" apologized Hanyuu when she finally arrived.

"Where were you?" Rika asked her friend. Rika was still in Shiori's lap. The woman would not let go and Rika didn't mind. It felt like she was being held by her own mother again.

"I was busy with something at the shrine," Hanyuu lied, hoping Rika would buy it.

"Alone? I could've helped," Rika remarked.

"It was something private," Hanyuu added.

"Hey, Hanyuu-chan! Smile!" Shinichi said as he prepared to take a picture. Hanyuu smiled as the bulb flashed. "Thank you!"

The festivities of the day eventually ended for everyone and they went their separate ways. Shion and Satoshi brought a sleepy Satoko back to Rika's house before Shion herself went home. Keiichi walked Mion home, but Shinichi saw him coming back with a wide grin on his face so it was probably a happy ending for the outing. Hanyuu vanished yet again, but Rika was still with Shiori and Shinichi, having fallen asleep in the woman's lap since she didn't want to stop cuddling the younger girl. Somehow, Rika didn't mind in the least. Eventually thought, Rika did have to go home

The following day...

"Hey, Shinichi?" asked Rika.

"Yes, Rika-chan?" Shinichi asked. They were the only ones left at school. Chie-sensei had assigned them to clean the classroom that day. Rika was actually going to have dinner with Shinichi and his mother later. Shiori actually asked Shinichi to invite the little girl over. Shinichi was aware that his mother just wanted to shower her affection on the orphan. If she hadn't lost Shinichi, then she would've tried to have a daughter so that Shinichi would have a sister. She just assumed that Rika looked up to Shinichi like an older brother.

Shinichi wouldn't put it past his mom to try and adopt Rika. She was fond of the girl like a mother would be fond of her daughter.

"Have you noticed Hanyuu acting strange as of late?" the shrine maiden asked.

"Actually, come to think of it, I did catch her going into the forest when I was on my paper route this morning," Shinichi stated. "By the way, where is our little goddess anyway? Kaa-chan wanted her to join us for dinner too."

"Right after school she left," Rika said with a frown. "She didn't even eat her bento at lunch today."

"Are you thinking she's up to something?" asked Shinichi.

"Possibly. I want to go into the woods later. If it's anything bad I want you to be there," said Rika.

"Of course, Rika-chan," nodded Shinichi.

"Thank you for the meal, Hanyuu-chan," Chiaki wrote on his sketchpad. "But you should eat your lunch instead of giving it to me."

"It's alright. I wasn't really hungry," she told her friend. "Besides, you shared your meal with me." She was nibbling on a roasted fish Chiaki had caught.

Chiaki gave Hanyuu an eye smile. He wrote, "So, how was the party yesterday?"

"It was fun. Everyone was there and enjoying themselves. You would've had fun. I wanted to introduce you to everybody."

"I don't like crowds," he reaffirmed his statement from yesterday.

"But doesn't it get lonely?" Hanyuu asked.

"I have you for company," he wrote, "That's enough for me."

Hanyuu blushed cutely. She continued to nibble on her fish silently. He then showed her a few new sketches he made and she was amazed by the detail. The sketches were almost as good as real photos. It was when he showed her a sketch of her that really got her blushing. Written underneath was 'My Friend'.

And then the moment was interrupted.

"Yo, Hanyuu-chan!" Shinichi said as he showed up, with Rika next to him. "Who's your friend?"

"Rika!" Hanyuu gasped. "Shinichi! Au…Au…Au…"

"Stop trembling," Rika snapped. Hanyuu cringed under Rika's steely gaze. "Come on, Shinichi's mother invited us to have dinner with her." Her eyes went to Hanyuu's friend, "And who is he? I don't recall seeing him in the village."

"Oh, this is Chiaki Yukinojou-san," Hanyuu introduced.

"Hanyuu-chan, you shouldn't be talking to strangers," Shinichi advised.

"He isn't a bad man!" Hanyuu defended. Chiaki then stood up from his seat. "Chiaki-san?"

Chiaki pointed at Shinichi and Shinichi cocked his eyebrow in wonderment. "Huh?" Shinichi pointed to himself. "Me?" Chiaki gave him a thumbs down. "Hey, what is that supposed to mean!"

"Chiaki-san, what are you doing?" Hanyuu asked. He wrote something on his sketchpad and then handed it to her before he approached Shinichi. She read, "I'm sorry?" in confusion. "Sorry for what?"

Shinichi didn't like the way Chiaki was glaring at him and told Rika, "Go find some cover. Things are going to get heavy here." His scar was throbbing.

Chiaki pulled his scarf off to reveal his neck to them all. Tattooed to his throat was 'II'. Shinichi's eyes widened as he reached to his XIII scar.

'NUMBERS!' his mind screamed. He summoned his belt, shocking his friends.

"Shinichi-san, what are you doing!" Rika shouted.

"He's a member of GIN-SHOCKER!" Shinichi accused, earning shocked gasps from his friends. Their gazes fell upon Chiaki who rose to his full height. He was a head taller than Shinichi and with his huge build he was incredibly intimidating. A belt like Shinichi's also formed, with a blue crystal in the centre that held 'II' in it.

"Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!"

In a flash of light, Shinichi transformed into Kamen Rider Showa as Chiaki underwent a transformation of his own. Over a black bodysuit, Chiaki was donned in a blue suit of armor with spikes on the shoulders that emulated the mandibles of a termite. He wore metal armguards and his chestplate was modelled after a well-defined muscled chest complete with a six-pack on his stomach area. His helmet had red eyes and the mouthguard had mandibles shaped like a termite's, and in the middle of the mouthguard was a nozzle. He had 'II' stamped on his helmet.

In this form, Chiaki was No. 02: Slasher.

"Game On!" Showa called out as he charged at Slasher. He used a straight punch that was aimed at his opponent's chest but it was thick and hard, causing Showa to recoil. "Ow…" he groaned as he flicked his hand. He then ducked under a right hook before he flipped backwards onto his hands and kicked Slasher in the chin with his heels. He flipped back to his feet and kept his guard up.

"Please, don't fight!" Hanyuu begged. She didn't want her two friends fighting.

"Hanyuu, we're going to have a talk after this," said Rika sternly.

"Au…"

Slasher charged and swung his fist which smashed a tree apart, missing Showa. He continued with his assault as Showa continued to dodge. Slasher as relentless, but he was pretty slow. Showa used his foot to drive Slasher back before executing a double palm strike against his chest to push him further back. He then performed a spinning jump kick but Slasher grabbed his foot and tossed him aside. Showa landed on all fours. "You're good," Showa complimented.

Slasher unsurprisingly didn't offer a reply. Instead, he clenched his hands before energy flashed over them, forming into a pair of chainsaws which came to life with an almost otherworldly roar. Hanyuu gasped, Rika leered and Showa gulped. Slasher swung at Showa who ducked underneath and a tree became Slasher's victim instead. Looking down, Slasher swung down but Showa rolled out of the way before he got sawed in half.

From afar, his friends witnessed the fight between him and Slasher. Hanyuu was looking between the two Riders. This was not what she'd intended. She'd wanted to introduce Chiaki to the others one day so that he could make friends with them, not end up in a life or death battle with Shinichi.

The chainsaws cut down a number of the trees as they missed Showa. The Rider of Hinamizawa and Okinomiya was trying to think of a plan. Slasher was strong, no doubt, and quite intimidating. He was large and silent too. It just reminded Showa of that one killer in a horror movie he'd seen with his Kaa-chan. Jason something…

Because he got distracted by his thoughts, Slasher struck Showa across the chest with one of his chainsaws, causing sparks to explode as the chainsaw blade streaked across the Rider's chest.

"ARGH!" Showa cried out in pain as he was struck. Slasher then continued with his attack, causing Showa to stagger before Showa kicked him backwards and away from him. The chainsaws had made gashes in his armor, which frightened the Kamen Rider since he wasn't aware that there was anything which could cut through it. Any deeper and he would be bleeding, or worse, cut to pieces.

Showa put some distance between himself and Slasher. However, Slasher was not only armed with chainsaws. The nozzle between his mouthguard's mandibles was a weapon too. He shot a thick stream of white fluid at Showa and he leapt out of the way. It stuck to a tree. It definitely wasn't acid since it wasn't melting the tree, so what was it?

He got his answer when Slasher shot another stream at Showa's feet and he ended up being stuck to the ground. "Nani!?" He tried to pull his feet out. "Glue!"

Slasher's chainsaw hands came to life again as he slowly marched towards Showa.

"Weapon Ride: Showa-Blaster!" Showa called as he put his hand in front of his belt buckle. His gun materialised in hand. He began firing on Slasher, but the shots only bounced off Slasher's chest armor. Slasher slapped the gun away out of Showa's hand.

'Is this the end?' Showa thought as Slasher loomed over him. As Slasher raised his weapons for the killing blow, something suddenly appeared and blocked the attack. Confused, Slasher backed away and saw Showa gripping the Higurashi no Yaiba.

"Thank goodness for small miracles," Showa commented. With a horizontal swing, Showa slashed Slasher across the chest, sending him tumbling as sparks flew from the struck area. The sword was powerful and was dealing a lot of damage, but that was only a fraction of its power.

With a command of, "Sing!" the Higurashi no Yaiba's powers activated, donning Showa in his Higurashi Form armor. The energy also melted the glue that stuck Showa to the ground. He strode towards Slasher. Slasher shot another stream but Showa vaporised the glue-like substance with a swing of the Higurashi no Yaiba. When he got in close, Slasher attacked with his chainsaws. The chainsaws and the blade of the Higurashi no Yaiba connected, causing sparks to fly as the chainsaws tried to cut through the blade but failed.

"The Higurashi no Yaiba is a legendary sword. Your chainsaws have no effect on in," Showa boasted. To prove his point, he executed a swing that not only cut the chainsaws, but shattered them to pieces.

Now Slasher was unarmed. He thrashed around in agony. To everyone's eyes, they could see that the destruction of the chainsaws hurt, but he didn't scream since his voice had long since been taken from him. Hanyuu looked like she was going to cry, seeing her new friend fighting her other friend and ending up in such pain.

"RYUUSEI PUNCH!" Showa shouted as he executed his attack, sending Slasher flying and crashing through several trees with a powered haymaker. He then shot towards his opponent, running past his two friends.

Reaching Slasher, the NUMBERS Rider tried to punch Showa but his fist was caught. Slasher's chestplate had completely shattered from Showa's attack earlier, offering him no defence from his opponent's next attack. Showa shoved Slasher backwards against a tree and then pointed the glowing tip of the Higurashi no Yaiba to Slasher's chest. "Looks like this is Game Over for you," Showa said coldly. "Any last words?" He received none, only hearing Slasher's heavy breathing. "Oh, well, suit yourself." He drew his arm back and swung the sword down on Slasher. He, however, froze at the last minute. The edge of his sword was inches away from Hanyuu's face. "Hanyuu-chan!" She had just suddenly appeared. If Showa hadn't stopped, she would've been cleaved in half.

"Hanyuu," Rika frowned.

"Stop! Please don't kill him!" Hanyuu protested, standing between Showa and Slasher.

"Move aside, Hanyuu-chan," Showa ordered. "He's dangerous. I have to do this."

"I won't let you!" Hanyuu's eyes flashed red. Despite gaining a physical form, Hanyuu was in no sense powerless. She was still Oyashiro-sama, the deity of Hinamizawa. Showa knew better than to mess with a guardian spirit.

Showa seemed intimidated by the little girl before him. "Hanyuu-chan…"

"Isn't he like you?" Hanyuu asked. "You've both suffered because of GIN-SHOCKER! You're both Riders! Why can't you get along?" She turned to Slasher who had taken out his sketchpad and was writing down something on it with his marker before handing it to Hanyuu. She read it aloud, "I'm sorry, but I have no choice. I was ordered, we all were, to kill you, BLACK 13." Hanyuu saw Showa stiffen but continued, "You killed us and so we deserve to have our deaths avenged by our own hands." Hanyuu looked to Slasher in shock and then at Showa. "You…you died?" Hanyuu asked Slasher. Her eyes turned towards Showa, "And you killed him?"

"It's…possible, but…I wasn't sure if it was true or not," Showa answered uncertainly as he recalled a memory of himself standing among 13 slain bodies. One of them resembled Slasher. Both Showa and Slasher's armors vanished as their belts flashed, the suits becoming fragments that fell away. Shinichi, however, was still holding the Higurashi no Yaiba in his tight grip.

"No. 02, I'll spare you because you're Hanyuu-chan's friend. However, if you come after me again, I will end your life," Shinichi threatened.

"Thank you," Hanyuu said gratefully.

"I did it for you, not him," Shinichi reminded.

Chiaki looked to Shinichi with suspicion. During the fight he'd sensed some of BLACK 13's power. However, it seemed weaker than he remembered. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that the person he fought wasn't BLACK 13. Still, he would need to keep watching Shinichi.

"Let's get you patched up," Hanyuu said as she helped Chiaki up.

At Rika's house, Hanyuu was patching up Chiaki's wounds. Rika was watching her friend carefully as Hanyuu wrapped bandages around Chiaki's chest area where Showa had struck him with his Ryuusei Punch. Satoko and Satoshi were at Shion's having dinner with her.

"Hanyuu, how did you meet him?" Rika finally asked.

"It was a month ago," Hanyuu said. "I was exploring the forest by myself one evening when I found him. He was exhausted. When I asked him who he was, I found out he couldn't talk when he wrote his response on a sketchpad. He told me he was just exploring the forest when he got lost."

"Obviously a lie. He was trying to sneak into the village and get to Shiniichi," Rika stated.

Chiaki wrote in his sketchpad and turned it around so Rika could read. He had written, "I really did get lost. I was actually trying to find my way to Okinomiya to find BLACK 13 when I took a wrong turn and got lost. I've always had a bad sense of direction."

Rika wasn't sure she believed him or not. "Is it true that Shinichi killed you?"

Chiaki nodded.

"How?"

Chiaki wrote, "He broke my neck."

He wasn't lying, as she could tell from his eyes. "So, this is about revenge?"

He wrote, "Yes, it is. The Doctor resurrected us so we could have our revenge."

"The Doctor?" Rika cocked an eyebrow. Her eyes widened in realization. "Dr. Gebok?"

"Gebok!" Hanyuu cried out.

Rika had to tell Shinichi.

"Rika-chan and Hanyuu-chan couldn't come?" frowned Shiori. "I was hoping I could cook something delicious for them."

"Something came up," Shinichi told his mother. In his mind he swore, 'If he hurts them, I will kill him all over again.'

The phone rang. "I'll get it," said Shiori. She went over to the phone that was mounted on the wall. She pulled off the receiver and answered, "Hello? Oh, Rika-chan, it's you! You want to speak to Shinji? OK." She called her son, "Shinji, it's for you."

Shinichi rose up from his seat and went over to take the phone off his mother's hand. "Hello?"

"Shinichi, Gebok is alive," she told him, getting straight to the point.

Shinichi's eyes widened and his pupils shrunk in shock.

Kamen Rider Chrome: Gebok is confirmed to be alive! How is it possible? Looks like things are becoming more and more dangerous. The other NUMBERS will come and they won't be as nice as Chiaki.

Chiaki Yukinojou/Kamen Rider Slasher was created by Snake Screamer.