Tears to Shed
Note: Takes place during II Genesis of "Horseshoes and Hand-grenades"
V: 18-15-19-5-14-3-18-1-14-19-26
"Life in a box is no better than no life at all, I expect. You'd have a chance, at least. You could lie there thinking, 'Well, at least I'm not dead.'"
-Rosencrantz, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990 Film)
When Gentaro heard Ophiuchus explain their plan about recruiting the 'Core Child' into their ranks, a part of him was curious. He had never heard of such a thing before...yet it felt so familiar to him. He shook his head as he looked toward his master.
"Master Ophiuchus," he began. "Just what exactly is the 'Core Child'? And why exactly do we need my fri-that person-known as Kengo Utahoshi? How can he be so important to our mission? He is not capable of fighting—his weak body prevents him from standing toe-to-toe with us."
"But it is what's inside that weak body that is so important to us." Ophiuchus answered, wrapping his body around his Serpemt-bearer. "Deep within Kengo Utahoshi is the core…the core that shall be the start of our plans."
"Why Kengo though?" Gentaro looked at the Fourze Driver and pulled out one of its switches. He took a good long look at it before continuing, "How is he the Core Child in the first place? It doesn't make any sense."
"Trust in me, Serpent-bearer." Ophiuchus hissed, his eyes glowing red. "Just trust that what I say shall be beneficial to us in time. I will be able to fulfill your deepest desires as long as you listen to my words, and I have not failed you yet. Have I?"
Gentaro stared into his master's eyes, feeling all of his worries, curiosities and fears fade away. He just nodded his head and smiled.
"No, master," he answered back. "I was wrong to doubt your words. Why should I doubt the being that gave me life again? I would be nothing more than a fool if I did not believe in your mercy, Master Ophiuchus."
"That is true. Never forget that I was the one who saved you from your fate. I was the one who brought you back to the land of the living, Serpent-bearer."
"Yes, master. I am loyal to you forever and ever, until the day that I am no longer needed. Do with me as you will."
"For now, we must prepare for the right opportunity to strike. Knowing your little 'friends', they shall be vulnerable during your funeral service, right?"
"Yes," Gentaro smiled and lowered his eyes. "And in their moment of grieving, they won't know what happened. Kengo Utahoshi shall be ours."
0-0-0-0-0-0-
A few days later, Gentaro attended his own funeral service.
He saw the multitude of people sobbing their eyes out and shook his head. Where were those people when he truly needed them? His father's words were a damned lie—no one came to save him from death! Ophiuchus was the one who revived him—the one who caught him when he fell!
He took a good eye at some different people at the service. He saw his grandfather, bless his dear soul, explaning about his grandson's "philosophy" to befriend people. A pang of guilt swelled inside him, but it was brushed aside when Gentaro turned his gaze to see Sakuta far away from the service. He felt his blood boil at the site of the murderer, but felt Ophiuchus remind him of what they were trying to accomplish. Ryusei would have to wait.
Then, he saw the Kamen Rider Club, plus faculty adviser, in the front row, sobbing about how they were sorry to have not been there for him. Gentaro scoffed. The club being there to support him? That was nothing more than a damned lie! He could just kill them where he stood with all the power he had! However, that wasn't part of the plan. No, he would have to wait for a later time to initiate genocide on the 1000+ friends he made.
Gentaro closed his eyes and concentrated. Using the "Pictor" spell to transform his clothes, hair and eye color was easy. Using the spell to transform into a serpent took more concentration. In his mind, he felt Ophiuchus telling him the commands to make his body more serpentine-like, making it easy to slither across the grass without being seen.
"Focus on nothing but the sound of my voice," Ophiuchus hissed. "Feel your body becoming nothing but shadows, here yet not here. Fill your body with darkness and serpentine thoughts. That is the way that you shall easily master this transformation."
Gentaro concentrated, feeling his master's words snake around his body as he felt the shadows cloaking him, morphing his body until it shrank and elongated into the form of a harmless garter snake. When Gentaro opened his eyes, they were a bright yellow. He wanted to voice his excitement…but remembered that snakes were uncapable of speaking like normal humans. Instead, he let out a hiss of excitement and slithered toward his prey. Deep within the field of grass he began to slither toward his target, preparing for the perfect time to strike. His snake-like vision targeted his former friends approaching Ryusei Sakuta. If a serpent could smile, Gentaro's would've stretched from ear to ear. It was too perfect. He stayed silent as he heard the voices of the group escalate, shivers falling down his body. It just felt so good to see everyone fighting against one another.
"You did such an excellent job with those commands, Serpent-bearer." Ophiuchus whispered in Gentaro's mind. Now, a snake is nothing without venom. Concentrate on your fangs biting deep into Kengo Utahoshi's ankle, sending him to the infirmary. Make him suffer for all of his failures, Serpent-bearer. Make him see his own fears..."
Gentaro concentrated once more, feeling his fangs coated with venom as he closed in on Kengo's leg. No one was paying attention to a little snake in the grass, which provided the perfect cover for when he opened his mouth as wide as he could before sinking the fangs deep into Kengo Utahoshi's exposed ankle. There was a gasp as he saw Kengo fall onto the ground, the poison starting to spread. Seeing his work done, Gentaro slithered away.
"Well done, Serpent-bearer." said Ophiuchus. "Now we must prepare for Kengo Utahoshi's assimilation. He shall become the first serpent and the means to an end. Everything shall fall into place."
Gentaro just smiled as he disappeared into the shadows, transforming into his normal, human form once more.
0-0-0-0-0-
Kengo didn't know how long he had slept before he opened his eyes once more. He was inside a white void, and he was dressed in a white cloak. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone there, but it was pointless. From the way he looked at it, he could walk five hundred miles and still not find a source of life anywhere. He was all alone...and he hated it.
This void reminded him of the time he was stranded on the Rabbit Hatch without anyone to help him, screaming for people to come save him from his loneliness. Those feelings of fear started to well up inside him as he tried to maintain his composure.
"Where am I?" he asked. "Is anyone out there? Please...someone answer me!"
There was silence as Kengo took in a deep breath to calm his heart. The silence was scaring him, making him feel as if he would eventually go insane from being isolated for so long. There had to be someone here...he couldn't have been all alone.
"Please," Kengo slowly stood up and looked around. "Will anyone listen to me! Please answer me!"
"You are all alone on the outside and the inside." A voice whispered. "Why is that?"
Kengo turned around and was face to face with...himself. It looked just like him, except the other Kengo had hair the color of smoke, skin the color of alabaster, and eyes the color of blood. On its face was a sweet and child-like smile.
"Who are you?" asked Kengo. "No, what are you? And why do you have my face?"
"I am you." The other Kengo answered. "I am Kengo Utahoshi, and you have my face."
"You're not making any sense." Kengo took a step back to take a better look at who he was seeing. The other Kengo was dressed in a white shirt and black pants, a pair of jagged bird wings on his back. He seemed almost angelic in a sense. "Why are you here? Where am I?"
"I heard your calls for companionship. You are lonely, are you not?"
"I am, but now I don't think I want company. Other Me, if I can call you that..."
"You can."
"Can you at least explain what you are? I mean...if you are me and vice-versa...what does that make me exactly"
"You...are nothing. You are just a creation, a figment, a sample...you're not human, Kengo Utahoshi. You never were."
"W-what do you mean by that?" Kengo felt his heartbeat quicken. "I'm a human being!"
"Can you prove it here and now?"
"N-no, I can't."
"Then why do you freely say that you are a human being?" The other Kengo narrowed his eyes. "What are you, really?"
"I-I don't know..." Kengo fell to his knees as he felt questions racing through his mind. Ever since he could remember, he felt himself so withdrawn from the world. The constant fainting spells were a major factor to his lonely, stoic attitude, but there was something else...that feeling as if he was so alone in the world..."I...don't want to be here! Please...don't leave me here...I don't want to be alone!"
"You know what's wrong. You have lost your identity when your best friend died. Gentaro Kisaragi took your friendship and compassion away, leaving you so empty and sad and alone." The other Kengo went toward the real Kengo Utahoshi and kissed his cheek. "But it will be all right...the Serpent-bearer has awakened and he will make everything right again. Master Ophiuchus will make you happy and whole once more."
Kengo looked into the eyes of his doppleganger, drowning in those red pools of light. Those eyes looked so famliar—had he seen them before? He just couldn't look away...he had to stare into those eyes forever and ever...
"Master Ophiuchus will fill your soul with peace and happiness," The other Kengo hissed. "All he needs is your total obedience and your submission to give yourself to him. Will you do that, Kengo Utahoshi. No...will you do that, Apep?"
Apep? The name felt so strange in his mind, but it also felt right. Apep, the Serpent of Chaos...there was something so powerful about that name. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine. Before he had a chance to think about what he said, Kengo whispered, "I will."
"Will you surrender your humanity? Will you sacrifice your body and your mind to the Serpent-bearer and his master? Will you give up your will for the will of Ophiuchus?"
Kengo felt his mind just melting away and replaced with the feeling of peace and content. Here, he was not alone. He could be happy staring into those red eyes and listen to that person's voice forever and ever. He smiled as his eyes rolled toward the back of his head.
"Yes..." he sighed happily, removing his cloak to reveal his naked body. He bowed toward the angel in submission. "I obey."
"That's right, Apep. Let everything go away...your new life is about to begin."
Kengo's grin just grew even wider as his dark angelic double placed a kiss on his lips, forehead and neck. Then, the wings on the angel's back grew before enveloping them both in a heavenly cocoon. Then, there was nothing left of the original Kengo Utahoshi.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Kengo slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He looked down at his hands, curling his fingers to make sure that they were working. The poison was healed. That was a relief.
A low hiss caught his attention. He turned to the left, seeing the gaze of Gentaro Kisaragi. No, that was not his name. In front of him was the Serpent-bearer.
"Arise and awaken anew, Apep," said the Serpent-bearer, placing a hand on Kengo's cheek. The eyes of the Serpent-bearer were the color of rubies. "Trust in me."
Kengo stared into those eyes and felt relief washing all over him. He was safe here; he wasn't alone. There was someone by his side to fill that void inside him. He nodded his head and smiled, slowly leaving the bed and approaching his master. "Anything for you, my Master..."
The Serpent-bearer smiled as he embraced his first-born serpent. He opened his mouth, revealing a pair of venomous fangs which soon sank deep into Kengo Utahoshi's neck. Kengo just smiled, feeling the love bite marking him as a Serpent. Everything would be all right.
Next Time: Kengo and Jiro's relationship was never as it seemed. While it is fun to have mindless drones, it's better to infuse them with a 'personality' so they can easily blend in to the crowd. What gave Gentaro the decision to have them close?
To be continued in 6-Guildenstern