IDENTITY CHAPTER PART 3: WAR

In the white octagonal room sat Topper and the witches.

"He's already started to surrender to the darkness in his heart," said Beatrice as she held her pipe in one hand. "The most obvious conclusion is that he is completely overtaken and become BLACK 13."

"True, but he has resisted it before," said Bernkastel.

"Before, yes, but now he's starting to agree with his inner evil," grinned Beatrice. "Sensei, do you agree?"

Virgilia nodded, "Yes, I see it, but remember that his heart is not completely one of darkness. He has light."

"Light that is beginning to fade," countered Beatrice. "Lambdadelta-sama, what do you think?"

"It can go either way, but Topper has a habit of twisting the rules for his own benefit," said Lambdadelta as she cast a glare at Topper.

"Would I dare cheat?" Topper asked. The glaring did not let up. "Maybe, but the one who wins a game is the one who rigs it."

"Are you going to add more game pieces into this game?" asked Bernkastel.

"No, because all the pieces are already in place," said Topper. "Now, we watch, and see whose scenario will take place. Oh, and remember ladies, that we are here to observe and not interfere."

"Kaa-chan, the man that put you here is gone," said Shinichi as he sat by his mother's bed. "Kaa-chan, I promise that I will not let anyone spoil our happiness."

He was in the hospital, visiting daily. She was still in a coma, fast asleep. Her body needed rest and time to heal. Her agent, Eiji, had come to visit and brought flowers that Shinichi had put in the nearby vase.

"The apartment is lonely without you, but Rena-chan and Rika-chan come to visit me. The others also come to visit," he said. His hands were on his lap, palms flat down. Slowly, he began to clench his fists. "I miss you, Kaa-chan. I miss hearing you talk, laugh, and tell me what you're going to write. I miss you, a lot!" His eyes were shut tight as his hands were clenched tighter. Tears were dropping. "Kaa-chan…wake up…"

It was the week before summer vacation began and that night there was going to be a festival, the Tanabata Festival.

"Tanabata is so romantic…" cooed Rena. Already preparations were being made as vendors were setting up stalls. The couple was going to have a picnic at the junkyard.

"You could say that. Last year's Tanabata was good too," agreed Shinichi.

"My first one with a boyfriend!" Rena looped her arm around Shinichi's

Tanabata celebrated the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The Milky Way, a river made from stars that crossed the sky, separated these lovers, and they were allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. For many couples, Tanabata was a romantic festival.

"Do you have any wishes?" Shinichi asked.

"Just one, the same one I made last year," said Rena.

Chuckling, Shinichi asked, "What was it?"

"That's Rena's secret!" the girl giggled. "What's your wish?"

"My wish is for Kaa-chan to wake up," said Shinichi.

"Oh, Shin-kun…" Rena frowned sadly.

"I hate seeing her like that," said Shinichi regretfully.

"Rena promises to cheer Shin-kun up at the festival," swore Rena.

"Thank you, Rena-chan."

The pair arrived at the junkyard and walked towards Rena's minivan. When they came close, Shinichi heard something distinctive from inside the van.

Snoring.

Someone was in there.

When Rena opened the door to her van, the last thing she expected was to find was a man sleeping inside. Even Shinichi was perplexed.

"Rena-chan, did you kidnap this guy?" Shinichi asked carefully, knowing of his girlfriend's penchant for taking anything she perceived as cute.

"I would never take anyone so uncute," she answered. That was an honest answer.

Shinichi inspected the guy carefully. The guy was fast asleep and blowing snot bubbles out of his nose. He had short yellowish-red hair and looked to be about as tall as Shinichi. His clothes looked dirty and ragged. He was dressed in blue jeans and a red sweater. His left hand was covered in a black leather glove. When he turned his body over, there was the number 04 tattooed to the back of his neck.

Seeing that tattoo made Shinichi unconsciously reach up and touch his scar. It brought back memories, and they were anything but pleasant.

Shinichi carefully reached inside but Rena stopped him. "He could be dangerous," she warned.

Shinichi gave her an even look. "Him? Dangerous? He looks like a bum."

"And you look like a normal guy and yet you've got superpowers," she countered.

She had a point there. "That's different. I'm a proven threat. And if he tries anything, I'll kick his ass."

Rena looked Shinichi in the eye and sighed. "Alright, go and wake him up."

Shinichi nodded and took hold of the man's shoulder and shook him gently. "Hey, wake up." No response. "Wake up, buddy," he continued, shaking harder. "WAKE UP!" Shinichi yelled. The man jolted awake and hit his head against the ceiling of the van.

"Ow…" he moaned and turned to glare at Rena and Shinichi. The girl hid behind his boyfriend as she saw those eyes. He had sectoral heterochromia, which means parts of his eyes were green while the rest was brown. "What the hell was that for! Who the hell are you kids!"

"We should be asking you that. This is my girlfriend's van, buddy," Shinichi retorted.

"Oh, it is?" the guy looked at the place he'd fallen asleep in. "Sorry. I was just so tired that I fell asleep in the first place I found."

"You're not from around here, are you?" asked Shinichi. For some reason, this guy reminded him of himself when he first awoke in Hinamizawa.

"I'm from out of town," the guy answered. "Way out of town."

"And you look like you haven't had a bath in days," frowned Shinichi. The guy's boots looked completely worn out too.

The guy sniffed the air and then finally took note of the picnic basket Rena was carrying. "Hey, what's that?" He began reaching over to the basket but she backed away. "Hey, I just wanted to see what's in it."

"It's our picnic food, and you're not welcomed," Shinichi stated firmly.

The guy's stomach growled.

"Could you spare a few bites. I haven't had anything to eat in days. And I am not eating garbage," the guy practically begged.

Shinichi looked to Rena. She had prepared much food for their picnic. This guy was like him. Maybe it was just karma. Maybe Shinichi was to give this guy the same treatment Rena had given her.

"OK, you can have some of our food, if it's okay with Rena-chan," said Shinichi.

"It's okay with Rena," she answered. "Let's share." She was actually hoping she could have a picnic with just Shinichi.

"Thanks for the grub. Your girlfriend is an awesome cook," the guy answered.

He had eaten most of the food Rena had made for their picnic. There was barely enough for Rena and Shinichi. Still, they had helped feed this strange man.

"So, you got a name, stranger?" asked Shinichi.

"It's Hitomi. Hitomi Fujiwara," the guy answered.

"Isn't Hitomi a girl's name?" Rena asked.

"Not always. Man, you wouldn't believe how many times I get asked that question."

"So, how did you end up here in Hinamizawa?" asked Shinichi.

"Hinamizawa? Is that what this place is called?" Hitomi asked.

Rena and Shinichi exchanged looks and then Shinichi asked carefully, "Um…Hitomi, what was the last thing you remembered?"

"Well, I was just minding my own business, working my hammer…" began Hitomi.

'Hammer…?' thought Shinichi and Rena at the same time.

"And then I saw this silver veil appear in front of me. Being the curious Joe that I am, I went and checked it out and I ended up here. That veil disappeared. I was tired so I found this van and went in to sleep," Hitomi finished.

'Why does that sound familiar?' thought Shinichi. "So, you're saying that a silver veil brought you here?"

"That's right, and I don't know where I am or how to get home," said Hitomi.

Shinichi looked at Hitomi suspiciously. After seeing the tattoo he assumed that Hitomi was one of the NUMBERS but then remembered that 04 was a crazy girl named Misato.

And then Shinichi remembered the kindness Rena had shown him who was just a stranger a year ago and decided to extend that kindness.

"Why don't you stick with us until you can find a way home?" suggested Shinichi.

"Really? You mean it?" Hitomi's eyes brightened.

"What kind of guy would I be if I ignored a man in need?" asked Shinichi.

"THANK YOU!" Hitomi pulled both Rena and Shinichi into a hug. However, he was slowly cutting off their breathing. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"

"Let…go…" Shinichi said. Hitomi did. "No hugging," Shinichi warned, "And you need a bath and new clothes."

It wasn't hard to get any new clothes for Hitomi. Rena had some of Shinichi's old clothes stashed away in her house. It was a good thing that Hitomi and Shinichi were about the same size. Also, Hitomi had gotten himself cleaned up in Rena's bathroom before getting dressed. Now, he was in a white t-shirt with a black hammer on the front and clean blue jeans. He also had on a pair of sandals.

"Thanks again," said Hitomi gratefully. "I don't know how I can repay you guys."

"Well, you could help out at the setting up for the Tanabata Festival," Rena suggested.

"Tanabata? That's tonight?" blinked Hitomi.

"Yes, it is!" nodded Rena.

"Oh, sweet! I love festivals!" said Hitomi, grinning from ear to ear.

"Who doesn't?" stated Shinichi. "But if you don't have a date, you're just a lonely loser."

"Shin-kun, don't be so mean!" Rena scolded.

Shinichi chuckled, "Sorry."

The place which would be the festival grounds for the Tanabata was a nest of busy activity as vendors set up heir stalls. The villagers were also helping out. Hammering and sawing could be heard and seen.

"OK, how good are you with tools?" asked Shinichi.

"I'm good with a hammer," said Hitomi.

"OK, let's go," smiled Shinichi. Shinichi was well-liked in the village. Whenever he had free time he would perform odd jobs for a low fee. He didn't dare overcharge anyone. Whenever they needed cheap labor, he was available. He was a Jack of all Trades, actually. As much as Oryo Sonozaki disliked his perverted ways, she did appreciate the effort he put into his hard work. The newspaper always came on time each day Shinichi came to deliver it.

Kimiyoshi, who was overseeing everything, saw Shinichi approaching. "Oh, Banabara-kun. What brings you here?"

"Oh, just here to provide cheap and/or free labor, Kimiyoshi-san," said Shinichi. "My friends here, Hitomi, can help."

"Haven't seen you around, son," said Shinichi.

"Oh, I'm just passing through," said Hitomi. It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Well, pick up some tools and get to work. We have a schedule to keep. The festival is tonight," said Kimiyoshi.

"Roger, sir," said Hitomi, saluting. He then went to help out at a stall as did Shinichi. Wood needed to be sawed, signs needed to be painted and also stalls needed to be nailed together.

Kimiyoshi could understand Oryo's dislike for Shinichi but Kimiyoshi didn't think Shinichi was such a bad boy. The only hatred he had was towards traitors to the village, like the Houjous who'd agreed to the dam project. His hatred had even been directed to the innocent children. However, his hatred faded when he realized how unfair it was to punish the children for the sins of their parents. They were just children.

When night fell and the stars could be seen, the Tanabata Festival began. The teen girls, dressed in yukatas, were walking alongside their boyfriends. Satoko, Hanyuu and Rika also accompanied them. Satoko was dressed in a yukata as well. Rika and Hanyuu were in their miko uniforms.

"I love Tanabata!" announced Shion. "The story of Orihime and Hikoboshi is really like me and Satoshi-kun!" She leaned her head against his shoulder, making him blush. "Lovers, separated and reunited!"

"They must be dedicated to be able to handle a long distance relationship. You don't see that kind of commitment these days," commented Shinichi. "Of course, if Rena-chan and I were ever apart, I'd write and call everyday."

"Oh, Shin-kun…" Rena cooed.

"OK, gang! Let's tour the stalls!" announced Mion loudly. "We try out all the games and food, starting with the yakisoba!"

The group cheered. As they made their way towards the delicious pan-friend noodles, they were greeted by someone familiar. It was Tomitake. The man came to take pictures of the festival. Since Takano couldn't come due to her being locked up in a mental hospital, Tomitake took it upon himself to take pictures for her. Sure, it made her long for freedom, but it was bearable as long as he visited.

'And yet another example of separated lovers,' thought Shinichi as he compared Tomitake and Takano to Vega/Orihime and Altair/ Hikoboshi.

After bidding the man farewell, the group continued on their way only to be interrupted again.

"Oh, hey Shinichi! Rena!" Hitomi greeted.

"Oh, Hitomi," said Shinichi.

"Good evening," greeted Rena.

Shinichi noted the curious looks of his friends and he explained, "Oh, Hitomi's the guy in the junkyard that we found today. He's helping out during the festival."

"Just like that?" questioned Mion.

"Hey, you guys helped me, so I decided to extend the kindness you guys showed me," replied Shinichi.

"So, which stall are you working at?" asked Shinichi.

"Oh, that one," said Hitomi as he pointed. It was a dart game stall. "3 tries for 100 yen."

"OK, let's try that!" said Mion. She clung to Keiichi's arm. "Kei-chan, win me something!"

"Do I have to?" Keiichi questioned.

"This is an order from your club leader and girlfriend!" she stressed.

"OK," nodded Keiichi.

Keiichi, Satoshi and Shinichi went to the stall and slapped down 100 yen each. Smiling, Hitomi handed them three darts each.

Rena smiled as she hugged the teddy bear Shinichi had gotten her. Mion and Shion also had teddy bears.

"Hey, it's Chiaki-san!" Hanyuu pointed and sitting at another stall was Chiaki. With him was Yoshirou, Mion and Shion's uncle. The stall had masks of all shapes and sizes sold.

"Oh, it's you guys," said Yoshirou. "Does anyone want a mask? Only 250 yen each."

"I'll take one!" said Hanyuu. She picked one and Chiaki gave it to her. With a smile she handed him the money and put the mask on her head, facing sideways. "Thank you, Chiaki-san!" she beamed.

And Chiaki wasn't the only one of the NEO-NUMBERS working at a stall.

"Goldfish scooping?" blinked Shinichi as he saw Hana and Michiru at a goldfish scooping stall. They were in black and pink yukatas, respectfully. In another stall, selling sweet treats like candied apples, chocolate covered bananas and cotton candy was Yokoshima. The only one absent was Daichi for some reason.

The gang had fun. The festival lights were bright and brought joy to them. Even Shinichi, who'd been feeling gloomy since his mother was in the hospital, felt his spirits raise slightly.

However, when the lights died and Darklings appeared, the fun times ended and the scary times began.

"Oh, great…" muttered Shinichi. People fled from the creatures of darkness. "Guys, take cover. I'll handle this." They did as told, though Rena was reluctant to let him go. He gave her a reassuring smile and said that he would be alright. He darted behind an abandoned stall and transformed before rushing into battle.

What he didn't expect was to see Hitomi, facing the Darklings.

"Hey, get out of here!" shouted Showa but he was ignored. "Hey, you deaf! It's dangerous!"

Hitomi, despite Showa's warnings, fought the Darklings. He'd summoned a massive looking war hammer out of nowhere and was beating down the Darklings with relative ease.

Showa wondered who Hitomi really was if he could fight like that. Focusing on the task at hand, Showa began to fight the Darklings. In other areas of the festival grounds, the NEO-NUMBERS also went into action, slaying the dark creatures with their powers.

Hitomi was also showing off. He swung his war hammer about for the crowd and didn't watch where he was swinging.

POW!

The man's massive war hammer slammed into Showa's head, knocking the Rider to the ground comically.

"Oi! Baka! Watch where you're throwing that thing!" shouted Showa angrily.

"Hm? Wow, you got a big dent in your helmet. Did you hit it on something?" questioned Hitomi, seemingly unaware that HE was the one to make the dent.

"Bakayarou, stay out of the way! Let's Ride: Stronger!" commanded Showa. His belt let out a flash of light as he assumed the form of Kamen Rider Stronger.

Showa then recited, "The heavens call…The earth cries out…The crowds roar…All calling on me to strike back against evil. Now listen up, villains! I am the warrior of justice, The Kamen Rider Stronger!"

"Hey, where'd the other guy go?" asked the man as he scratched his head.

Showa gawked. 'Is he really that dumb to not notice?' he mentally asked himself. Ignoring Hitomi for now, Showa went and struck at the Darklings with electrified punches and kicks. He ducked under a swing and called out, "Let's Ride! BLACK RX!" He assumed the form of BLACK RX and summoned the Revolcane. He slashed at the Darklings easily.

"OK, now for the Darkloid," said Showa as he resumed his default form.

"What's a Darkloid?" Hitomi asked.

"Big and scary," answered Showa. "You're strong, but don't get involved."

Of course when Showa saw something charging towards them, he assumed it was a Darkloid. However, when his eyes focused, he saw that it was a humanoid rhino with huge robotic arms and legs, chest armor, and a GIN-SHOCKER belt. It also had a horn that spun like a drill.

It was a GIN-SHOCKER Cyborg Mutant, Cyber Rhinoroid!

"Crap!" cursed Showa as the Cyber Rhinoroid stampeded towards them.

Cyber Rhinoroid slammed into both Hitomi and Showa, sending them tumbling along the ground. Something fell out of Hitomi's pocket.

"What's this?" Cyber Rhinoroid asked as he picked up the charm off the ground. It looked like a bracelet of beads with a star hanging from it. "Looks like junk to me," the Cyborg Mutant snorted.

"Put the charm down," warned Hitomi. "It's my treasure. Give it back."

"This? This cheap thing is your 'treasure'?" smirked Cyber Rhinoroid. "It looks like trash to me." And with that he dropped it and crushed it under his foot.

"NO!" roared Hitomi.

"Onii-chan!" happily chirped a young girl as she bounded toward a younger Hitomi.

"Hm? What is it Sakura-chan?" asked Hitomi as he patted his little sister on the head.

"I made this for you!" said Sakura as she handed Hitomi the charm. "I made it so that Onii-chan can be the best! It's a charm!"

Hitomi smiled at Sakura. "Arigato, Sakura-chan!" said Hitomi as he slid the charm into his pocket.

"NOW DIE!" shouted Cyber Rhinoroid as he charged at Hitomi, who seemed frozen.

"Hitomi! Get out of there!" cried Showa.

"An eye for an eye…A tooth for a tooth…" Hitomi raised his arm, summoning his massive war hammer again. "AND THE STEEL HAMMER OF JUSTICE FOR EVIL!" With a mighty roar, Hitomi brought the hammer down on the Cyber Rhinoroid, crushing him.

Showa gaped at the power of the hammer. After being crushed the Cyber Rhinoroid exploded. Hitomi ignored the blaze and picked up whatever was left of the charm.

"Sakura-chan…" he uttered. Showa looked to his ally and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It must've meant something to you," said Showa.

"My sister gave it to me," Hitomi answered, "But now…it's gone."

"I'm sorry," said Showa. He wished he could fix the charm but his Return to the Past system was still non-functioning.

At midnight, bamboo plants on paper boats were set afloat on the river. Each bamboo plant had a number of tanzaku (small pieces of paper) hung from them with different wishes written on each piece of paper.

Rena and Shinichi watched as their bamboo plant was sent adrift on a boat. The tanzaku they had hung were hopes for the future. Many more paper boats were sent adrift with bamboo in them and tanzaku hung from the bamboo.

Hitomi had also written something. He wished he could go home.

Later that night, as the Gaming Club headed home, a miracle happened for Hitomi.

"Huh?" Hitomi gaped as he saw it. Even the Gaming Club froze in their steps.

"What is that?" Keiichi questioned carefully.

"My way home," said Hitomi.

His wish was granted as he saw the silver veil appear before him. He stared at it. He knew this was his way home. So, he waved at the Gaming Club and stepped into the veil, returning to wherever it was he came from.

"Sayonara!" said Hitomi before he vanished along with the veil.

Shinichi couldn't help but wonder where the veil had taken Hitomi. His home, perhaps? What were those veils really? Would they ever see Hitomi again?

Who knows? Life was a mystery and unexpected things happened. Maybe they'll see him again and maybe not. Only Fate will decide.

In the octagonal white room all this had been witnessed by the Infernal Merchant and the witches.

"An interesting scenario," said Bernkastel, "but tell me what was the purpose of putting Hitomi there if he was only going to be there temporarily?"

"Oh, no reason, really," admitted Topper. "I just thought it'd be fun to put in a temporary random piece into the game."

"It didn't make much of a change," snorted Beatrice. "How boring."

"So, what else is there?" asked Lambdadelta.

"Let's watch, ladies," said Topper.

It was in the middle of August and now another festival would be celebrated in Hinamizawa. It was time for the Obon festival. The villagers were once again setting up the festival ground. A tall scaffold for the festival was being built as stalls were being set up.

Shinichi visited his mother everyday; after school and during weekends. He made sure to tell her everything that was happening in his life. He wrote a journal, accompanied with pictures, so she would know what was happening in his life. Her injuries were healing nicely.

Later in the night, Shinichi met with his friends at the festival grounds. This time, all the girls were in yukatas. This time, Shinichi actually spotted Daichi playing his guitar at one of the stalls to attract customers. It was the same stall Chiaki had manned with Yoshirou, but unfortunately the man could not make it so Chiaki had asked Daichi for help.

"One mask, please!" Hanyuu said. Chiaki was happy to sell her another mask like he had during Tanabata.

"Surprised you actually showed up," said Shinichi to Daichi.

"They ganged up on me," retorted Daichi as he pointed to a couple of nearby stalls.

"Candied apples! Cotton candy! Choco-bananas!" Yokoshima called. "You want sweet treats, we got sweet treats!"

Hana and Michiru were manning a stall that not only had goldfish scooping, but also yo-yo balloons floating in a tub. Players would have to fish the balloons out.

"Come on, give it a try!" Michiru called cutely. A lot of men were attracted to the banana-loving cutie. She had a choco-banana in hand and taking occasional bites.

As the music played, participants danced around the scaffold (yagura). The Gaming Club and NEO-NUMBERS joined, even Daichi, as they danced around the yagura. Shinichi smiled as did his friends, but this was not the best part of the festival.

"Tamaya!"

"Kagiya!"

Cheers erupted as the fireworks were let loose. They exploded beautifully in the sky, looking like flowers.

Beatrice asked, "Was there a point to this?"

"Not really, but life often has its highlights," said Topper. "However, the plot is building up."

"Into what, may I ask?" inquired Virgilia.

"A twist, so to speak, is going to happen to my client. We shall see how he handles it," said Topper as he took a sip of tea. "Just watch. This will be like an action movie filled with drama and suspense!"

A week later, Okinomiya had turned into a war zone. Flames were gutting several buildings even though the ones who did the damage were long gone. Cars were overturned and a few were on fired. Several storefronts had been blown out by some kind of explosives and buildings which weren't set ablaze were missing who chunks of them.

It had happened so suddenly. Nobody expected it to happen but it did. Nobody expected that one day the entire town would be engulfed in destruction, but it did happen.

The NUMBERS made their presence known by appearing in the shopping district, transforming, and doing as much damage as possible in order to draw attention. People were killed in the attack as the blood was drained from their bodies, their bodies were pierced by needles and they were shot to death by bullets. Some were imprisoned in crystal. They were left alive to witness the horror.

The police came, as expected, but were powerless to stop the evil Riders. A lot of good men fell at the hands of the evil Riders. Some were killed quickly but others were killed slowly, tortured in fact and begging for death before their lives were ended mercifully.

And finally the NEO-NUMBERS appeared. The fight was then moved to another part of the town which would accumulate more damage from the fight.

Two sides were at war here. It was a war between the NEO-NUMBERS who'd defected from GIN-SHOCKER and the original NUMBERS who were still somewhat loyal to GIN-SHOCKER.

In the NUMBERS were the surviving members. No. 00: Zero led the assault. With him were No. 12: Bomber, No. 01: Scanner, No. 04: Scanner and No. 06: Petrifier.

In the NEO-NUMBERS were the defected members. No. 08: Musician, No. 09: Armadillo, No. 07: Arachnea, No. 11: Carmen and No. 02: Slasher.

Both side fought, armed with their weapons and powers. Musician fired sonic blasts that were dodged by Zero. Scanner snuck up behind and grabbed him, absorbing some of his power into himself. The Leech Rider was tossed away by Armadillo but Scanner had already gained Musician's power and using sonic blasts on the two traitors. Armadillo defended himself with his thick armor and then rolled himself into a ball before rolling towards Scanner, leaving a slightly weakened Musician to deal with Zero who was shooting at Musician with his needles. The needles bounced of Musician's sound barrier as he tried to think of a plan. Scanner, of course, was dodging Armadillo's attempts to smash him, meeting nothing but failure.

Meanwhile, Carmen was fighting against Seras as Arachnea fought against Petrifier. The Jewel Beetle Rider was armed with crystal blades that easily cut through Arachnea's webbing. She then drew her scythes that were attached to a single handle and swung at him. Their blades clashed, metal meeting crystal as they battled for dominance. She managed to slash him across the chest but that merely stunned him. He slammed his foot down on the ground, sending a wave of sharp crystal towards Arachnea. She leapt into the air but then a hailstorm of crystal spikes rained down on her, damaging her armor.

Carmen and Seras were fighting with al they had. Seras was now armed with blood red energy blades which were coming from her hands. Carmen's hands, now scythes, clashed against the blood red blades. Illusions were useless against Seras who was already insane, so Carmen had to take her down the old fashion way. She hacked and slashed at Seras who dodged. Deciding to use another attack, Carmen sent flower petals flying at Seras. The petals cut into Seras' armor but only proved to be a minor annoyance to the Mosquito Rider. Seras then unleashed her blood vessels and wrapped Carmen up in them. The Mantis Rider's arms were pinned to her sides and she could not move. This was how Seras preferred it. She then began to bash Carmen on the ground, against buildings, and cackling loud as she tormented her former comrade.

As for Slasher, he was forced on the defensive as Bomber did what he did best; bombing. From the skies Bomber dropped his bombs upon Slasher. He missed, hitting buildings instead, but he laughed gleefully as he watched the buildings burn and collapse. Too bad they were empty. The survivors had long evacuated. Slasher could not fight a flyer, he was not made that way, and he only had short-ranged attacks and weaponry. Bomber was a baron of the sky.

Ratatatatatatatata!

Bullets bounced off Slasher's armor as he grunted in pain and glared. 'Come down and face me!' Slasher shouted in his mind.

Bomber didn't care how he won. Life was a game to him and games had rules, rules he was prepared to break to achieve victory. He just laughed as he continued his assault.

As the NEO-NUMBERS and NUMBERS fought, the question remained. Where was Showa?

Showa was battling a new Rider. The Rider had white armor. It was all white in fact and only white. The only color was in the black eyes staring back at him. On the white Rider's left shoulder was XIV. The thing that surprised Showa was that, aside from the color, this new Rider resembled BLACK 13. He even had a scarf, but this one was immaculate white and not obsidian black.

Showa executed his attack, "RYUUSEI PUNCH!" but the white Rider dodged and countered with his own punch, knocking Showa straight into a building. There was an indent of Showa in the wall and the glass had shattered from the impact. Grunting, Showa pulled himself out of the wall and prepared to fight again. However, his plan was derailed as he was knocked through the building by a flying kick. Debris fell around Showa as he picked himself up. Glaring at his opponent, he demanded an identity, "Who are you!"

"WHITE 14," his opponent answered in a mechanical voice. "I'm the newer model, so do us a favor and just disappear!" His black eyes radiated with power which transferred into his hands.

"Crap!" Showa cursed as he scrambled away from the attack. WHITE 14 released a stream of energy that made a hole in the wall behind Showa. Showa gulped. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't kidding.

Time for the big guns.

"HIGURASHI NO YAIBA!" Showa called for his sword. He expected it to come to his aid as always. However, this time, it did not come. "Huh? What?" He tried again, "HIGURASHI NO YAIBA!" and again, "HIGURASHI NO YAIBA!"

No answer. The sword had abandoned him.

"Why…?" Showa asked himself.

"Blaster Arm," said WHITE 14 as his right arm from the elbow down turned into a futuristic looking gun and cannon hybrid. "Sayonara." The cannon fired.

The blast sent Showa flying out the building in a huge explosion. After WHITE 14 exited through the newly made hole, the building collapsed since the supports had all been completely weakened.

Breathing hard, Showa rose to his feet. Then the worse thing that could possibly happen occurred to him.

His armor left him.

Shinichi looked himself over in horror. "No…" He tried to transform. "Henshin! Henshin! HENSHIN!" Nothing happened, just like when he tried to call the Higurashi no Yaiba.

"Looks like this is the end of you," said WHITE 14 condescendingly. "Pity. I thought you'd be more of a challenge. Gebok said so."

When WHITE 14 removed his helmet, Shinichi could only gawk in horror. The face he was seeing was…

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Sorry, I'll leave it hanging right here. Got my reasons, y'know? Who is WHITE 14? You'll see soon enough.