SHADOW CHAPTER PART 1: WRAITHS

"CYCLONE DRILL!" A horizontal tornado ripped through the forest and tore the Darklings to shreds. When the tornado disappeared, in its place was the demonically enhanced Kamen Rider Showa. "OK, you freaks! Come and get me!"

It was the usual thing he did at night. Whenever he sensed Darklings around Hinamizawa or Okinomiya he would act and go to slay them. This was also a chance for him to get more used to this new power he had access to. The Oni no Hone was the treasure of the Sonozaki Clan, a family heirloom, and belonged to one of the three founders of Hinamizawa. In Showa's hands (or in this case on his head) the helmet granted him a new combat form and new abilities. With the helmet he possessed the ability to harness fire, wind and lightning.

He recalled the conversation he had with Mion and Shion after he got the power. They were very surprised when he told them.

Mion and Shion sat together on the couch facing Shinichi who was in the armchair. He had invited them over to inform them.

"So, the Oni no Hone came to you," said Mion evenly. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah," he answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously. It was no secret that the twins' grandmother disliked him for being a bit of a deviant. "It appeared and I changed to a new form."

"Well, it was bound to happen," said Mion. "I mean you did wield the Higurashi no Yaiba when it found you worthy. Maybe the Oni no Hone found you worthy too."

"Of course Oni-baba won't agree to that fact, if ever," frowned Shion. Their grandmother was quite a hardheaded woman. She'd always been that way ever since before they were born and was unlikely to change.

"Well, then let's not tell her. The Oni no Hone is locked in the vault so if it disappeared into thin air nobody would know," said Mion.

"Guess it's safer if she never knows," said Shinichi. "If she found out an outsider was using her family's heirloom she's likely to go ballistic."

"Or have a heart attack," supplied Shion.

"I doubt she'd have a heart attack," Shinichi remarked. "That old woman's too stubborn to die just yet."

"Just remember to take care of it when you use the Oni no Hone," Mion advised. "It's a family treasure."

"Got it." Shinichi grinned.

There was something definitely more primal about the Oni no Hone as he ferociously tore through the Darklings nesting around the Onigafuchi Swamp. His fists ignited and he smashed them both against the chest of a Darkling that lunged at him and it exploded in a fiery blaze. "Volcano Punch," he said, which was the name of the attack. Sighting a few more, electricity crackled along his arms. He then thrust his arms out at them, "LIGHTING SPEAR!" Bolts of lightning in the form of spears struck the Darklings down and they all faded into the darkness. With a growl, Showa flexed his fingers before going to his bike. His armor vanished as the Oni no Hone returned to the Sonozaki Manor. Revving his bike, he spun it around and dashed out of the area.

If he had been paying attention, he would've noticed that he hadn't been alone. Someone had been watching him fight the entire time.

The following day, Shinichi woke up to go and deliver newspapers when he saw the door of the apartment next door was opened and several cardboard boxes. "New neighbors?" he wondered. With a shrug he went towards the elevator. When it opened, he saw a man with a box. "Um…excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry," the man said as he moved to the side for Shinichi as he exited the elevator. Shinichi looked the man over briefly. He had silver hair and definitely Caucasian with sunglasses over his eyes. He wore a black shirt left unbuttoned with a white t-shirt underneath and black pants and shoes. "Just moved here," he said.

"So, you're the one moving in next door," said Shinichi.

"Yeah," the man answered. "I'd shake your hand but my hands are full. By the way. My name's Warren Smith."

"Shinji Banabara," Shinichi answered. He had gotten used to introducing himself by his birth name. He added, "Friends call me Shinichi."

"Nice to meet you, Shinichi," Warren said. "Maybe we'll see each other a lot more."

Shinichi shrugged, "Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I have to go to work. See you later, Smith-san." Shinichi entered the elevator and the doors closed before it went down.

Warren looked to the elevator and smiled. "Oh, yeah. We'll be seeing each other a lot, Showa…"

"Why are you all wet?" Rena asked as Shinichi handed her the newspaper.

"Keiichi paid me back for all those papers I threw in his face," Shinichi answered. Keiichi had prepared a few water balloons and had used them as soon as he got hit with the paper. He soaked Shinichi.

"Come inside and get yourself dried up," she insisted as she pulled the boy inside. "You might catch a cold."

Shinichi didn't argue with her. Even if he couldn't get sick thanks to his enhanced immune system he just couldn't argue with Rena when she showed concern for him. It made him feel wanted and needed.

The Ryuugu house used to be his home when he first woke up in Hinamizawa and in a way it still was. It held a lot of fond memories for him. Rena had drawn a warm bath for him and once again he did not argue and just went into the bathroom. His clothes were wet so she was hanging them up to dry. Luckily, Rena kept some of his old clothes here in the house in his old room, just in case he needed to stay over for the night and he needed to change. It also made her feel that he was still around. Sometimes she liked to sniff his clothes since his scent still lingered on them.

Rena actually felt absolutely useless whenever Shinichi went to fight or to train. There was not much she could do compared to the NEO-NUMBERS. She was not a super-powered Kamen Rider unless Shinichi transformed her and the effects were only temporary. The best she could do was support him whenever she had the chance.

Her father was yet again out of town for business and while she felt lonely without him, she as glad he was out there earning money like he should. Being depressed did not suit him. He shouldn't be wasting his life away ever since 'that woman' left him. Her father should be out there, living his life, and using his talents. However, Rena did note that her father had acted slightly off whenever she mentioned either Shiori or Shinichi in conversation.

When Shiori first came and claimed to be Shinichi's mother, Rena had been scared of losing him. She didn't want anyone to take Shinichi from her and suddenly this woman just came to do just that. She even saw 'that woman' in Shiori's place and nearly attacked her, but Shinichi managed to calm her down. Even if he would be living with his mother, they would be together. He was right. Nothing had changed at all. She was still able to see Shinichi everyday and when she couldn't they would speak on the phone.

She loved the boy who'd dropped into their lives and even if his past was one filled with blood she would never abandon him. She would protect him as he'd protected them all this time since he appeared the year before.

When she heard the bathroom door open, she smiled as Shinichi came out in a change of clothes she'd left for him. He was wearing a white jersey with the number 13 on the back and blue shorts that came down to his knees. He'd bought it since he felt the number would match him. His hair was a bit damp and he was drying it up.

"Shin-kun, let's have breakfast together," she said as she pulled him over to the dining area and sat down with him. He smiled at her which made the girl blush. It was just an innocent smile. Nothing like what they did in his bedroom that night.

Shinichi ate the food, savoring it. "Good as always, Rena-chan," he said. Shinichi enjoyed these moments of normalcy. It was with his friends that he could forget ever for awhile that he was a Rider. He could just be a normal kid around them even if they knew exactly what he was. The fact no longer bothered him as much as he did. He'd come to terms with his identity and the powers he had as well as the source to his powers. He would not be bothered by all that anymore. For now, all he wanted was to enjoy breakfast with Rena. It was just miso soup, toast, fried egg and some rice with a roasted fist fillet but it was still good food and he enjoyed it. The first meal he remembered was the one she made for him in this very house over a year ago.

His smile turned perverted for only a second. They were alone in the house and the door and windows were closed. No one would stop him if he decided to bend Rena over the table, hike up her skirt and take her right then and there. However, he shook the thought out of his mind. 'I really should stop reading Kaa-chan's books. I'm turning into a bigger pervert than I was.'

He had fantasies and plenty of them about him and Rena living together under one roof, just the two of them. One fantasy had Rena wearing an apron while preparing his meal. She was wearing an apron, and nothing else. Another one had her body covered in whipped cream with cherries placed strategically on certain spots and having the words 'Happy Birthday' written on her stomach in chocolate sauce. Another fantasy had them doing it in the school and then another one had them doing it in the clinic.

He was becoming an even bigger pervert than he began. He was going to need a cold shower soon just to drown out those images. They were inappropriate right now.

"Shin-kun, is your mother expecting you home soon?" asked Rena. Shinichi looked to the clock. His mother had slept late last night finishing a manuscript so she was unlikely to be awake at this time.

"No, I don't think so," he answered. "She didn't go to bed until very late last night so she's likely to still be in bed."

Rena's smile widened as she planted herself in his lap, her arms looped around his neck. "Rena-chan?" he questioned. She blew into his ear, making him shudder. His body trembled as she started to nibble on his earlobe.

"My father isn't home either. How about we have some fun?" Rena whispered.

'Maybe I'll get to play out one of my fantasies after all,' thought Shinichi. "Well…could you strip down to nothing and wear an apron…just the apron?"

"There seems to be a lot of people coming in today," said Hana.

"Must be a bug," said Michiru, as if that was the reason. "It's common during the summer."

The two female members of the NEO-NUMBERS were in the Irie Clinic, working as nurses. The two had been welcomed quite well by the villagers and they were cute to boot, even if Hana seemed introverted and Michiru was obsessed with bananas. Today, quite a number of people had come down with a cold or the flu.

"Say, do you think we should tell Shinichi about that power?" asked Michiru.

"I doubt we should," said Hana uncertainly. "We might give him ideas."

"He's not as bad as when he killed us," commented Michiru. "He's nice now, and he has a personality."

"Still, it's risky," Hana argued. "I mean that power is what makes him dangerous and unstoppable."

"You're right, but if we're ever going to bring down Doc Gebok and GIN-SHOCKER we have to tell him."

"When he's ready, Michiru," Hana said to her friend, "When he's ready."

"Well, if you ask me, I think he is," said Yokoshima. "I talked to Chiaki and he's been practicing his time reversal power at a small scale."

"We'll see," said Hana.

"Hello, everyone," said Dr. Irie.

"Hey, Doc Irie," Michiru greeted as Hana gave a nod.

"Yo!" greeted Yokoshima.

"Do you need us for something?" Hana asked.

"No, I just wanted to have a chat with you," said Dr. Irie. "I don't always get any free time so I thought we could just sit down and talk."

"We don't mind!" beamed Michiru. "Right, Hana?"

Hana shrugged.

"Yokoshima-kun, do you mind making some tea?" Dr. Irie asked Yokoshima.

"Oh, not at all, Doc Irie," answered Yokoshima. He was done with the sweeping and had taken out the trash. "Be right back."

Rena and Shinichi laid in bed together, the girls arms around him as she rested her head on his chest. Both were naked under the covers and covered in sweat. He was stroking her back while nuzzling her hair.

The sex was as good as the last time.

'Take that, Mion! Rena-chan and I did it before you and Keiichi!' Shinichi boasted mentally. Of course, if Rena's father ever found out then he would be murdered. He looked to Rena's alarm clock. "It's been that long already?" His mother was probably up by now. It was half past noon. He looked to Rena and kissed her forehead. That little contact woke her up and her lips curled into a smile as her blue eyes gazed lovingly into his indigo eyes. "Hey," he said.

"Shin-kun…" she purred as she rubbed her hand up and down his chest and stomach. He was her boyfriend and so manly. She was still basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"Rena-chan, I have to go," he told her. She frowned.

"Can't you stay?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I really have to get back home or Kaa-chan will get worried," he told her.

"OK," she agreed, reluctantly. She was hoping for another round before they left but he was in a hurry to get home. His mother was also important. "Promise you'll come see me later?"

He answered, "I promise," and he sealed it with a kiss. She kissed back, deepening it. They then broke the kiss due to the need for air. He stroked her cheek gently. "I wished we could stay like this forever."

"Me too." She yawned. He kissed her forehead again and slipped out of bed before getting dressed. He watched as she slowly dozed off. He pulled the blanket over her and smiled.

"Tadaima." When Shinichi came home, he apologized, "Sorry, Kaa-chan. I was late because…" He then saw that she wasn't alone. "Oh, we have company."

"Oh, Shinji! Come here and meet our new neighbors, the Smiths!" Shiori beckoned. Shinichi nodded and went to the living room and sat down. He saw Warren, whom he'd met earlier that day.

"Hello again, Smith-san," greeted Shinichi politely.

"Oh, you've met," said Shiori.

"When I was going out to deliver papers this morning, Kaa-chan," said Shinichi.

"Oh, let me introduce you to my wife, Rachel." Rachel had pale skin, violet eyes and short violet hair that came down to her chin. In her arms was a baby with white hair, "And this is our son, Alan."

"Isn't he the cutest?" Shiori beamed, "Just like you when you were a baby, Shinji!"

"Kaa-chan, you're embarrassing me," Shinichi blushed in embarrassment. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rachel Smith-san."

"Please, just call me Rachel," insisted Rachel.

"And you can just call me Warren."

"Alright, thank you," Shinichi nodded. "I'm Shinji Banabara, but please call me Shinichi."

"Your mother was just telling us about how you went to school in that nearby village, Hinamizawa," said Rachel. "Why do you go to school there when there's a school here in town?"

"I love Hinamizawa," answered Shinichi, "And even if I live here in Okinomiya, I still consider myself a Hinamizawan." It was also the place he considered his home before meeting his mother again. It was still his home, in a sense. "It's also a pretty peaceful place. The only reason we don't live there is because there isn't anywhere for us to live there."

"I still think it's because of that old bat," muttered Shiori. "So, what do you both do for a living?" Shiori asked the Smiths.

Warren answered, "Well, I have a degree in psychology and am currently applying to be a teacher at the local school."

Rachel added, "I'm also a teacher, but I'm currently taking a break to raise little Alan here." Alan needed his mother's attention.

"Maybe you can both work at Shinji's school. It's small so they only have on teacher doing all the work," Shiori suggested.

"We'll see," said Warren.

"I've heard you're a famous writer," said Rachel.

"I don't like to brag…" began Shiori.

'Since when?' Shinichi thought.

"But I am pretty well known," Shiori finished.

"What sort of books do you write?" Rachel asked.

"Adult Romance Novels," answered Shiori. That was just a more polite way of saying she wrote smut books. Well, it wasn't really smut. It was well written and very romantic, with plenty of graphic sexual content.

Before it got dark, the Smiths left to go back to their own apartment. Shiori found them pleasant company and hoped to invite them over more often. Shinichi was glad that his mother was making more friends.

As Shinichi sat in his room, doing his homework, his ahoge twitched. Smirking, he exited his door and went to the balcony. He slid open the door and leading out to the balcony and got ready to transform.

"Time to work!" said Shinichi. "Henshin! Let's Ride: Showa!" Once his armor had formed, he jumped off the balcony and landed near his bike. Mounting it, he zoomed towards Hinamizawa to deal with the Darklings. "To the mountains!"

In the octagonal white room sat Topper and Warren with Bernkastel and Lambdadelta. Beatrice and Virgilia were absent. The two witches watched in interest as the top-hat wearing Elder and white-haired Balance Guardian stared each other down.

"Very, very clever of you to put yourself within the game," said Topper.

"The only one I can trust 100 percent is myself, after all," said Warren. "So, am I twisting your game around?"

"Oh, you are but that does not mean I can't twist it back to my favor," said Topper.

"We shall see about that, (Topper's true name)," said Warren. Within the confines of the world, Topper's true name was silenced by a spell.

"This is getting interesting," smirked Lambdadelta. "Isn't it, Bernkastel?"

"Yes, but let us please watch the game continue," said Bernkastel.

Showa was taking down Darkling after Darkling, one by one. His blows were packing more power than before. Was it because of the residual energy of both the Oni no Hone and Higurashi no Yaiba? Who knows and who cares? Right now, he was kicking evil's ass.

Suddenly, several gunshots were heard before the heads of the Darklings exploded. Showa went into high alert. "Who's there! Show yourself!" he demanded.

Walking into the clearing, the person revealed himself. While it was dark, the light of the moon slowly revealed his features as Showa got a good look at him. He was clad from neck to toe in black. He wore a black trench coat with tattered ends over what appeared to be a black armored jumpsuit. Silver bracelets adorned his wrists as black gloves concealed his hands. He wore black pants with skull shaped kneepads and black boots with steel toes. Around his waist was a belt with a skull-shaped belt buckle and hiding his face was a bone-white skull-like helmet with crimson eyes within the dark sockets. He also wore a white tattered scarf. In one of his hands was a dual-barreled shotgun. The barrels were still smoking after the shot had been fired.

Suddenly, without warning, the oddly garbed man aimed his gun and fired at Showa. The bullet collided with Showa's chestplate and sent him reeling back in pain. Cursing, Showa got into a ready stance and as more shots came flying at him, he dodged out of the way as he rolled along the grass. He then dashed towards the mysterious gunman and leapt up and over the shots. He then struck his leg out and kicked at the man, only for his foot to hit the gun instead. The gun was sent flying as Showa landed within the man's personal bubble. He threw a fist that was caught and Showa leaned in close, his green eyes meeting the red eyes that gazed back.

"Who are you!" Showa demanded.

"Skull Rider," his opponent answered before kneeing him hard in the gut while letting his hand go. Showa dropped to his knees and then kicked in the face. He rolled onto his back in pain. Looking up, he saw Skull Rider bringing his foot down but Showa caught the foot and tossed Skull Rider away with some effort. He then got to his feet and went on the offensive. He began with several punches that Skull Rider blocked before using a forward kick that nailed Skull Rider in the stomach, sending him reeling. Showa followed up with a roundhouse kick only for Skull Rider to duck and use a sweep kick to knock Showa off his feet. Showa flipped back to his feet and punched at Skull Rider again, only for his strikes to be blocked. Skull Rider saw an opening and used a right cross that tossed Showa's head to the side before nailing Showa in the stomach with his left fist. Showa doubled over, leaving him open for an uppercut that sent him flying.

Showa landed on his back and groaned in pain. 'This guy's tough…' he thought. Skull Rider flicked his wrist and walked over to Showa. He grabbed Showa by his scarf and hauled him up. He drew a fist back but then Showa showed off one of his abilities towards this new enemy.

"Let's Ride: Stronger!" His armor shifted into the form of Kamen Rider Stronger. He planted his hands onto Skull Rider's chest and electrocuted him. Skull Rider's armor began to smoke as electricity crackled over and through his body. This forced him to let Showa go. Showa assumed his default form and summoned his weapon, "Weapon Ride: Showa-Blade!" With his sword in hand he slashed at Skull Rider. However, instead of slicing through flesh he sliced through fabric as both halves of Skull Rider's coat landed at his feet. "Huh!" Looking up, he saw Skull Rider coming back down. "The hell!" Skull Rider drew his gun and aimed, raining shots down on Showa. Showa cried out in pain. Skull Rider then concluded his attack with a boot striking Showa in the head, hard. Showa staggered back, dropping his sword. Skull Rider then kicked Showa violently in the stomach, the impact sending Showa flying backwards and crashing through several trees.

Skull Rider went over to check on Showa and watched as the boy's armor fell away in peaces. Satisfied, he walked away, stating, "You're good, but you can do better."

Kamen Rider Chrome: And Showa meets his defeat at the hands of Wraith. Then again, this is one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse so winning a fight against him was really impossible for Showa as he is now. Next, we'll see what happens after Shinichi's fight with Wraith and how he deals with it.