NEW LIFE CHAPTER PART 9: MUSIC

Shinichi was in his room, doing a kata. He punched and kicked the air. Even though he had advanced combat training in the ten years he'd spent in GIN-SHOCKER, he had to keep his skills up. The last fight with two NUMBERS had nearly gotten him killed. Fortunately for him, he was able to drive them off. However, it had only been due to the Higurashi no Yaiba.

All his recent victories, in fact, had been because of the Higurashi no Yaiba.

'I've been relying too much on that sword,' Shinichi thought bitterly. 'If I keep relying on it then I'll lose my edge. Next time I'm fighting without it.'

Chiaki was at his campsite, eating breakfast. The money he'd gotten from his job at the toy store allowed him to buy food. He used it to buy instant ramen and canned foods. He didn't have a refrigerator, so he had to get food that would last. Water was no problem because of the nearby stream and he could catch plenty of fish. He heard footsteps and looked ahead to see Shogo walking towards him.

"Hello, 02," said Shogo. Chiaki stared at No. 00: Zero. The man was still in his military fatigues. "Having breakfast all on your own? Oh, well, I might as well get to the point. No need to beat around the bush, right?" Chiaki continued to stare. He couldn't talk so he could only listen. "I should have you killed for betraying us, but since we've known each other for a long time and we have similar goals, I'm just going to give you a warning. You may not want to kill BLACK 13 because of your cute little friend, but the same can't be said about us. You abandoned the mission. However, I will grant you this chance to enjoy your second life and friendship with that little girl. All you need to do is t stay out of our way."

Chiaki nodded.

"Now, you must always remember to not interfere unless you want your stay in this village to be an unpleasant one," Shogo warned.

Taking out his sketchpad and marker, Chiaki wrote something down before he showed it to Shogo. 'I won't interfere when you want to kill BLACK 13. However, if you go after Hanyuu-chan and her friends, I will protect them.'

Shogo had to be satisfied with that compromise. "Alright, those terms seem satisfactory. Enjoy your breakfast."

'Crud! I'm going to be late!' Shinichi thought desperately. Somehow his paper route took longer than usual making him ride like crazy to school. He blamed that little incident on forgetting to refuel his motorcycle. Despite its advanced technology, apparently it still ran on gasoline, but it was extremely economic in using it. Too bad the gas gauge was partially hidden on the thing or else Shinichi would have noticed sooner.

To the side of the road, a mysterious teen was walking. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, black pants and hiker boots. He had greyish eyes, black hair and long fingers, possibly indicating that he had an affinity for music. However, the acoustics guitar slung over his shoulder was a more than an obvious indicator to his musical affinity. On his head was a fedora.

Shinichi raced past the boy, still in a hurry to get to school on time before Chie-sensei punished him. For some reason, he couldn't help but glance back at the young man with the guitar but the young man had suddenly pulled a disappearing act. Shinichi shrugged to himself, being used to far stranger things. Paying attention to the road, he quickly forgot about the musician in preference to getting to school on time and avoiding detention or worse. Mion's punishment games were worse than any detention.

Unbeknownst to Shinichi, the musician was still very much nearby. Sitting in the branch of a tree, the young man scowled at the back of the retreating Rider. As he reached behind his back and brought his instrument to bear, the number VIII was visible on his left arm. Taking a guitar pick from behind his ear, he began playing a tune on the instrument.

"Next time, BLACK 13," he muttered to himself, becoming calmer at the sounds of the music. "Next time, you're mine." A small bird landed on the brim of his hat but instead of swatting it away, he left it there alone.

When Shinichi opened the door to class, he raised his arm up and caught the heavy water basin as it came to crash down on his head. Looking to Satoko, he smirked and tapped his forehead, silently stating, "You have to try better than that, Trap Master." Putting the basin aside, he went to his search. Careful to inspect it for anymore of Satoko's traps (like push pins or glue on the seat, or even a broken chair leg or two), once he was satisfied he sat down.

"You're almost late," Mion said.

"My paper route took longer than expected," he told Mion. "You know how that is. I'm always busy."

"You should take some time off," said Shion. "With your other job, you need it."

"I can't," Shinichi shook his head. "Well, actually, I don't want to take time off. There's something I want to save up money for."

In the village's shopping district, the guitarist who'd entered came upon a group of stray kittens. "Where is your mother?" he asked. The kittens meowed. Looking about, he spotted a shop. "Hold on," he said. With the money he had he bought milk and poured it into a bowl he'd brought with him. Putting the bowl down, he watched as the kittens began to drink.

"Now, to get to work," he said to himself. He took off his hat and put it down on the upside down. He then took his guitar and began strumming. He was a busker learning a living, but that was only a cover. The song he was playing was a beautiful yet sad song. Soon, a crowd would form around him, giving him money to hear him perform.

The final bell rang and all the students, save for the Gaming Club, had gone home. "Alright, time for club activities," declared Mion.

"Sorry, Mion, but I promised Rena-chan I'd go treasure hunting with her," apologised Shinichi.

"Yes," nodded Rena. "Shin-kun promised he would help me find something cute."

"Well, I guess I can let you two lovebirds off the hook this time," said Mion.

"Thanks," Shinichi aid gratefully. "Come on, Rena-chan."

Rika watched them leave. Even after over a year of fighting and the constant threats upon his life, Shinichi still didn't get depressed. Despite his painful past, like the rest of them, he was able to stand tall and smile without reservation.

However, the NUMBERS were still at large as was Gebok.

How long would this happiness last for Shinichi and them?

"Hey, Rika, you're spacing out," said Satoko.

"Oh, sorry. Mii," responded Rika.

"Alright! We're gonna play a new game! A game of world domination!" declared Mion dramatically. "It's a game called RISK!"

The junkyard, also known as the Mountain of Trash by Rena, was a goldmine of things people discarded as garbage. There was a saying that one man's trash was another man's treasure. For Rena, it was like a mantra.

As for Shinichi, following Rena on her treasure hunts allowed him to spend time with her. Also, being here, with just her, helped him think of how much he didn't deserve this happiness.

For ten years he was used as an experiment, enhanced to the highest physical potential, and made into a weapon by a mad scientist claiming to be his father.

For ten years he felt trapped and alone inside his own body, becoming a puppet for GIN-SHOCKER.

For ten years he had been without friends or a mother.

And those ten years were over. Now he had friends, family and a home.

"Shin-kun, come over here! I've found something cute!" Rena squealed.

With a chuckle, Shinichi made his way over to Rena.

Like Rena, he considered this junkyard a place of treasures, but his greatest treasure was standing right in front of him.

After the club activity, which was a game of Risk, Satoko and Satoshi went to buy groceries together. After the stigma of being known as traitors due to their parents involvement in the Dam War had long passed, the villagers no longer treated them as outcasts.

"What do we need for dinner?" Satoshi asked Satoko who was holding the list.

"Oh, just cabbage and cauliflower," said Satoko. Satoshi frowned. He and Satoko could never tell the difference between the two vegetables because of their colour blindness.

Satoko then heard a guitar being played and tugged on her brother's arm. "Nii-nii, let's go check it out."

Satoshi was led towards the crowd surrounding the music. They pushed through and then stood at the front. They saw a young man with a hat on the ground and a guitar in hand. The hat was already filled with Yen notes and coins. Close to him was a family of kittens drinking milk from a bowl.

"Wow, he's good," said Satoko.

"He is," agreed Satoshi.

The man then finished playing his song and the crowd applauded. He collected his money and put his hat on his head. Petting the kittens first, he then left the shopping district without another word. He glanced over to the kittens. He would be back, right after he finished what he came here to do.

To end BLACK 13's existence.

"Shinji, why do you look so filthy?" asked Shiori when she saw her son return in dirty clothes.

"Just went on a treasure hunt with Rena-chan," he told his mother.

"Oh…" Shiori grinned suggestively. "Is that all?"

Blushing, Shinichi denied, "We didn't do anything like go all the way, Kaa-chan."

"Well, in that junkyard of hers, alone, you would've had plenty of chances."

"Kaa-chan!"

"Well, she does consider the place a romantic one, doesn't she?" asked Shiori.

"She does, but right now I really need a bath," said Shinichi.

After returning from work, Chiaki cooked some dinner. He heard the strumming of a guitar and looked to see who it was.

"Hello, No. 02," the guitarist greeted. "So, this is what you've been doing, huh? Camping out here."

Chiaki merely listened.

"Well, guess it suits you. You were always the loner among us," said the guitarist. "Alright, so, I'm headed up to the mountains. Sooner or later, BLACK 13 is going to show up there. The Doctor gave me some good advice when it came to dealing with No. 13. Where you failed, I'll succeed." The guitarist's eyes then fell upon a brown bunny rabbit and he smiled. Chiaki cocked an eyebrow.

The guitarist, as much as he hated society, held a love for animals. He had his reasons for connecting to animals better than he did people. All the NUMBERS had reasons for being who they were.

Later that night, up in the mountains, Showa was fighting with the Darklings that were nesting there. He destroyed with ease, without hesitation, and with deadly precision.

"RIDER PUNCH!"

BOOM!

"RIDER KICK!"

BOOM!

Shinichi powered down after dealing with the last of the Darklings. As he was about to return, he heard the strumming of a guitar. Looking for the source, he looked up to see a youth sitting on a branch.

"Who are you?" Shinichi asked. He spotted the VIII tattoo on the young man's left arm.

"Daichi Takashima," the guitarist answered. He jumped down from the branch and landed on the ground, "No. 08 of the Neo Ultimate Multiple Biologically Enhanced Revenge Squad, also known as the…"

"NUMBERS," Shinichi finished, going into a ready stance. "Let me guess. You came to kill me."

"Smart boy," smiled Daichi.

"Look, I can't blame you for being angry since I did kill you, but coming after me isn't going to change that," Shinichi told Daichi.

Daichi's calm expression turned into one of absolute hatred as he spoke, "This is about more than just you killing me, Kuro Juusan. This is about you betraying me and my friendship!"

"Huh?" Shinichi cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Daichi took his pick and flicked it at Shinichi. It cut Shinichi's chin. "Itai."

"And that's only the beginning." A belt with a grey crystal in the centre and VIII in the crystal formed around Daichi's waist. "Enough talk! It's time for you to die! Henshin!" A bright light flashed out of his belt, forcing Shinichi to shield his eyes. When the light died down, Daichi was in his Rider form. In this form he was known as Kamen Rider Musician. His armor was modelled after a cricket. It was silver with grey highlights. His gauntlets were plated and he had three spikes attached to each heel of his boots. Spikes extended from his shoulders and his fingertips were sharp. Extending from his elbows were spikes as well. His helmet was based on a cricket with red insect eyes, long antennae and a mouthplate resembling a pair of insect mandibles. Like Shinichi's Rider form, he sported a black and tattered scarf. He was armed with a military fork that was gripped in his right hand.

"Now, face your death!" roared Musician as he dashed towards Shinichi. He thrust his military fork forward.

"Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" Shinichi called as he executed his own transformation. He caught the military fork under his arm and held it in place with his hands. His green eyes met with Musician's red eyes.

"Look, I understand that you all want me dead since I was the cause of your deaths," spoke Showa, "But that does not mean you can just remain a slave to GIN-SHOCKER."

"This isn't about GIN-SHOCKER!" snapped Musician as he kicked Showa hard in the gut, pushing him backwards. "If you don't remember, then I will tell you…when you're dead!" He thrust his arm forward, sending a concentrated blast of sonic energy into Showa sending him flying and rolling along the dirt path. "This is about you betraying us!"

Showa picked himself up and Musician attacked, swinging his military fork and hitting Showa with painful strikes. "We were comrades! We grew up together! NUMBERS was the closest thing I had to a real family, but you destroyed it!" He caught Showa's neck between the prongs of his weapon and pinned him against a tree. "I even extended my hand in friendship towards you."

Daichi (No. 08) was dressed in a GIN-SHOCKER uniform with his NUMBERS emblem on his sleeve. He was in the mess hall, looking for a place to eat. That was when he spotted No. 13 eating alone. Smiling, he went over and sat down on the bench next to No. 13. No. 13 looked up from his food to stare at No. 08.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here," said 08.

No. 13 shrugged and continued eating.

"I know we're comrades, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends too. So, what do you say?"

No. 13 shrugged and said, "Whatever you want," in an even voice. He didn't smile, or frown. His face held no real emotion whatsoever, but 08 didn't see it.

'Were we really friends?' thought Showa as he was pushed against the tree.

"We ate together, trained together, and went on missions together. I always had your back. Then, you just turn around and killed me. You gutted me with my own weapon!"

No. 08 stared at No. 13 in horror. No. 13 had killed No. 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06 and 07 without a second thought. He hadn't even hesitated. No. 13 had No. 08's military fork in his hand. With a thrust, he stabbed the prongs right through 08's stomach, gutting him with ease as he twisted he weapon.

"I…trusted you…" uttered 08 as the blood pooled around him.

"That was when I realized that I can't trust anybody but myself," said Musician. "There is no such thing as love and friendship! Humans are evil and selfish creatures who care only for themselves. I mean, my own sister sold me to GIN-SHOCKER because she deemed me useless, but I showed her like I'll show you that I'm anything but useless."

Showa felt guilt for his actions yet again. Daichi had every reason to hate him and to think that love and friendship were fake. To be betrayed by someone you thought was your friend was horrible. He himself had seen the consequences of distrust and betrayal among friends. It could only lead to death and tragedy.

'No…' Showa denied. The reasons his friends were alive now was that they trusted in each other and their friendship. "You're…wrong," Showa said.

"Hm?" responded Musician.

"Love and friendship are real," said Showa. "I see it everyday when I look at my friends and when I look into Rena-chan's eyes. Every morning I wake up to see my Kaa-chan and think of how much I love her and how much she loves me. I'm sorry about what I did to you, but Gebok…he did something to me."

Musician gave a long pause before he snarled, "Enough with your excuses! Just die!" He sent sound waves coursing through Showa's body. "My attack will make your organs explode!" Showa screamed. "Suffer! Suffer like I have! Suffer like we have, traitor!"

And Showa suffered for several seconds, right before a barrage of rocket fireworks homed in on Musician and collided into his body with explosive force.

Musician screamed in shock as he fell backwards, his military fork dropping at his side. Showa collapsed onto his knees. He felt like his insides had been put into a blender set on mince.

His armor was smoking as No. 08 rose to his feet. "W…what was that?" he questioned.

Showa gave a simple answer, "Friends."

Coming out of the bushes were Satoko, Hanyuu, Chiaki and Rena. Satoko had a remote control in her hand. Grinning, the Mistress of Traps boasted, "Nobody can escape my traps."

Rena went over to Showa and helped him up to his feet. "Are you alright?" He gave a nod.

Musician picked up his weapon and glared at Chiaki. "So, you have turned traitor on us, No. 02!" He swore, "Once I deal with No. 13, I'll deal with you." He marched towards Showa and Rena.

"Rena-chan, go and take cover. I have to settle this on my own," said Showa. Rena nodded and took cover with Chiaki and the two other girls.

"Sooner or later you'll betray them like you did us," stated Musician firmly.

"Maybe, but for now I'm going to enjoy this life as long as I can!" Showa charged and swung at the assailant who deftly blocked the blow with his weapon. Unperturbed, Showa hammered Musician with a flurry of punches, all of which the Cricket Rider easily blocked.

Musician immediately delivered a kick to Showa's thigh making him grunt in pain. This gave him enough time to send a downward sound blast, causing Showa to smash into the ground thus making a small crater.

Musician turned around and walked away, thinking he had done his work only to stop in mid-step. He turned back around to see Showa still getting up. "You should've at least played dead," commented Musician. "You're almost done in."

"Do I look done in yet?" questioned Showa as he cracked his knuckles. "That's unlikely. I'M ONLY GETTING STARTED!" Showa roared, determined, ignoring the aches in his body

"I have to admit, traitor, that your persistence is admirable, but it ends here now," Musician said as he got ready to strike. He swung his military fork and sent out a sound blast, but to his shock and amazement, Showa dodged and then got in close as he rushed towards the Cricket Rider.

"You were saying?" Showa smirked. He smashed both fists into Musician's gut with great force and sent him flying into the air. "Weapon Ride: Showa-Blaster!" With his gun in hand, he aimed and fired upon Musician's descending form. Shots hit the Musician before he crashed onto the ground.

The Musician rose up to his feet and raised his weapon high above his head. The military fork began to vibrate as it collected energy between the prongs.

Showa cupped his hands together and began to concentrate. A ball of green energy formed between his palms and slowly grew bigger as he spread his hands apart.

Chiaki, knowing what this meant, transformed and planted himself in front of the children.

"RIDER BOMB!"

"MUSICIAN'S MALADY!"

Showa threw his energy ball towards Musician who sent a ball of concentrated sonic energy right back at Showa. Their attacks collided and smashed into each other.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Despite the fact that the battle was taking place in the mountains, the sound of the explosion could be heard by the entire village. The sound even reached Okinomiya. People wondered what was making that thunderous sound. There were no storm clouds in the sky. However, a little shrine priestess knew what had caused the explosion, but would not be saying anything.

When the smoke cleared, Shinichi and Daichi were back in human form and exchanging blows. They were having a fist fight. Shinichi's fist crashed against the side of Daichi's face as Daichi hit Shinichi in the stomach. Neither showed signs of stopping, despite the injuries on their bodies.

Satoko spotted the man fighting Shinichi and gasped in recognition. "I know him!"

"You do?" Rena asked.

"I saw him while I was shopping with Nii-nii for groceries," said Satoko. "He was feeding the stray cats with money he earned playing his guitar." She said firmly, "We have to stop this."

"Chiaki-san?" requested Hanyuu.

Chiaki nodded and strode towards the two fighting young man. He grabbed them by the back of their shirts and separated them, hauling them off the ground.

"No. 02 let me go!" Daichi demanded as he struggled. "When I'm through with the traitor, I'll deal with you!"

Shinichi looked into Chiaki's eyes. "He doesn't want us to fight," Shinichi realized. Chiaki nodded and put him down. Daichi continued to struggle against Chiaki's grip. Chiaki dropped Daichi on his rear.

As Daichi rose up to attack, his path was blocked by a cleaver wielding Rena and a slingshot wielding Satoko.

"Stay away from Shin-kun!" Rena yelled at him.

"You foolish girl!" Daichi snapped. "He'll betray you like he betrayed us!"

"It was not his fault!" Rena shot back.

"If that's what he told you, then it's a lie. I experienced it for myself. He gutted me without a second thought. Haven't you ever been betrayed by someone you called a friend?"

Rena frowned but she wasn't budging. Hanyuu decided to speak up.

"It may be true that Shinichi betrayed you, but it is also true that it was not of his accord. He was made to follow orders," said Hanyuu.

"Back then I didn't have emotions or a conscience," said Shinichi. "Or didn't you ever notice?"

Daichi didn't answer. Picking up his guitar and hat, he turned away from them. "Next time, you're mine."

"Wait!" Satoko called. Daichi didn't turn. "I saw you in the shopping district. You were feeding the kittens, weren't you?"

"Unlike humans, animals won't betray me," stated Daichi. "That's why I show them kindness." He then walked away. "I'll be seeing you all again. Especially you, BLACK 13," he said over his shoulders before disappearing into the forest.

"Are you alright, Shin-kun?" Rena asked.

"Why did you come?" Shinichi asked. "You could've gotten hurt."

"Hey, don't be so ungrateful!" Satoko shot back. "We were worried. Hanyuu here found out from Chiaki-san that he saw you headed to the mountains where he saw that other guy was going. He was another one of those NUMBERS and so we called Rena-san. We thought you could use our help."

Shinichi was about to snap at her but calmed down. "I'm sorry. It's just…I don't want to lose any of you…ever."

The following day, in Okinomiya, Daichi entered an animal shelter. As he opened the door, the bell above the door chimed. This was the place where stray and unwanted animals were taken and cared for. Daichi frowned as he entered but he needed the money and would rather work with animals than with people.

The woman at the counter looked up from her book (written by Shiori Banabara) and said, "Can I help you?"

"I saw the Help Wanted sign at your window. Are you still hiring?" Daichi asked.

The woman looked at Daichi skeptically. "Are you sure you want to work here? The pay isn't that good and you have to feed them, clean them, and clean up after them."

"I don't mind," Daichi said honestly.

"Well, then you're hired. Now go and get to work," she ordered. "We're understaffed so you're going to have to work double shifts on your first day."

Daichi nodded. He had to earn a living somehow in this town as he bided his time. BLACK 13 lived here.

The NUMBERS were not happy when Daichi reported back on how his attempt on BLACK 13's life went. Actually, to hear that one of their own turned his back on them in order to save their killer made most of them downright furious.

"How could he do this?" demanded a female. "He knows what BLACK 13 is! Can't he remember what he did to us?"

"He prefers to stay in the good graces of his little friends is what No, 02 wants!" snapped a male.

"He should suffer along with BLACK 13!" snarled a male voice. "They cannot be allowed to live!"

"Oh just shut up!" sighed a female voice, causing the attention to turn to her. "I am sick of hearing you all whine about No. 13 and what he did. Have you all forgotten that GIN-SHOCKER made us to be weapons? We were all just prototypes or test models with No. 13 being the final product, a perfect fighting machine!"

"But he killed us!" snarled another member. "We, the ones who understood each other's pain best!"

"Just like a good weapon should," the female sighed. "We're just assets to GIN-SHOCKER. I don't know about you, but I don't believe for a second that Gebok honestly wanted us back. He probably wants BLACK 13 to kill us all again so he'll be back to the way he was back at the base. From what I saw, this Showa guy definitely isn't the BLACK 13 we know."

"Regardless, he is indeed No. 13, and as for No. 02, he didn't exactly interfere. He, however, did break up a fight between No. 08 and No. 13. He won't be reprimanded for this," said Shogo calmly. He had given Chiaki a warning and Chiaki had found a way around it.

"Now, now, children," spoke Gebok as he entered the meeting room. "Don't get upset. You'll each have your chance to kill BLACK 13. He'll get what you think he deserves. All you need to do is be patient."

In his room, Shinichi was writing a list. It was the list of the NUMBERS he'd faced.

00: Zero

II: Chiaki

IV: Misato

VIII: Daichi

XII: Bomber

All of them had several things in common. They had been taken and raised by GIN-SHOCKER from the age of six to become weapons. They had also been killed by BLACK 13 and resurrected by Gebok.

"Only 8 more," Shinichi mused. Only 8 of them had not shown their faces. Chiaki, for now, seemed to be neutral. Chiaki wanted to see him dead but wasn't actively attacking him because of his promise to Hanyuu. However, how long would that promise last?

KR CHROME: Daichi was created by Iron-Mantis.