Chapter Seven: Start Dash

It was a sight that would stay with Kotori for the rest of her life.

After the Riders had cried out, they rushed towards the monsters while pulling out various weapons – all while ensuring they formed a protective line. Blades clashed against mandibles and clashed with venom dripping fangs. For a moment, both sides wrested for control of the line and she knew that the smallest mistake on the part of the Riders would mean they would die. Thankfully, the Riders won out and pushed back the opposing army; spreading out while ensuring they were keeping the others safe. Finally gathering her scattered wits, Kotori looked to the others and tried to find a place where they wouldn't be so exposed. As they were right now, they could easily be attacked from all sides and she wasn't so sure Nozomi or Eli were in the right mental states to defend them. She wasn't really the leadership type but she could see Honoka enthralled by the flashy battles that were slowly spreading around them. In fact, it almost looked to her as though the Riders were keeping their battles in a ring-like shape with them in the middle. It warmed her heart to think that they were doing that for them, even at the expense of losing some of their famed manoeuvrability.

"Amazing…just look at them. The way they fight is like they're dancing."

Eli's eyes sparked as she watched the way the Riders deflected blows from the enemies around them, reciprocating with twice as much force to destroy the masked grunts several at a time. She watched in awe as the mysterious Rider from another realm ripped easily into the fiends surrounding him before gasping in fear as a relentless stream of blows from the mirrored monster assaulted him. She could see Nozomi, feverishly glancing in her direction from time to time, watching the battle with a slightly pain-stricken expression on her face and Eli closed her eyes, sighing heavily with the knowledge of what she had to do. Now wasn't the time, nor the place for such things but, if she was to be honest with herself, there would never be a time and place for what she was about to do. Plus, it would alleviate the looks Umi and Maki were sending her. Mirthlessly chuckling to herself, she walked over to the purple-haired girl that had confessed to her and embraced her from behind. Her surprised squeak made one or two Riders look in their direction but she didn't care.

"Eli, what…what are you…?"

Nozomi's voice trailed off as she felt Eli's arms encircle her waist. Sure, she had taken the initiative earlier on but that was due to that webbing controlling her mind and actions. She hadn't really been in control of her words either but she had meant them with every fibre of her being. And that kiss she had…oh, it made her body tingle thinking about it but this was a bit too much. Reconciling with her friend in front of everyone and in the middle of a battle as well; it was all different kinds of risqué! She felt a whispery breath on her left cheek as Eli placed her head next to hers and fought against the rising blush. Closing her eyes, she prayed this wasn't a fever dream brought about by seeing the death of the one she loved or a fantasy brought about by the last few moments of her life.

"Eli, please don't toy with me like this."

Eli closed her eyes at the tender and slightly hurt tone in her friend's voice and smiled. This was the correct thing to do and she had known from the very beginning this was how it should have been from the start. Same sex relationships had traditionally been frowned upon but with the recent ruling in the United Nations that all marriages and relationships were to be equal; she could finally be with the one she loved. Suppressing an instinctive flinch as an explosion boomed out meters away from them, she stood in front of Nozomi and looked her in the eye, very aware of a mischievous grin forming on her face.

"What do you mean? I should have noticed this a long time ago, Nozomi."

Nozomi swallowed hard, not knowing if any of this was real or not. It was all happening so fast and she wasn't in control of the situation…but something in the back of her mind encouraged her to let go of her fears and doubts and to embrace this new change.

"What are you trying to say…"

Any more words were quietened when Eli placed a finger on her lips. It was such a small and futile gesture but it had the effect of shutting her up within seconds. Of course, upon future reflection, the next words also did a very good job at shutting down her brain.

"Nozomi Tojo, I love you. I've always loved you for a very long time but I kept everything bottled inside. For the longest time, I wasn't honest with myself about how I felt and earlier tonight I almost died. I can't bear the thought of leaving you and not telling you how damn much you mean to me."

For a moment, her heart stopped. Then, her brain fully shut down all processing to her tongue and she let out a stream of extremely unbecoming babbling noises before forcibly taking mental control back from her stunned faculties. Pausing for a moment to calm the tempest in her mind and find the correct words to say, she looked up at Eli and wondered who she had pardoned in a past life for a blonde goddess to be interested in her.

"I…I love you too. From the moment I saw you and saw the way you distanced yourself from others; that was like finally meeting my other half. Joining together as μ's may have been one miracle but my first was finding you."

Both girls stepped closer, bodies and lips meeting in an explosive eruption of raw emotion. The others looked on, half fascinated by the display of untapped passion and half amazed that this was where everything had finally come to a head. It wasn't until several long seconds had ticked by that Eiji, landing after a rather successful GataKiriBa Scanning Charge, gently cleared his throat and tapped both girls on the shoulders. While young love, even same-sex love, was to be celebrated, he didn't think being dead centre in the middle of a battle zone was a place for said love to be celebrated. Although, he had been wrong on occasion.

"Uh, congratulations and all but this isn't really the time or place to be doing these sorts of things. We're trying to keep the fighting away from you and if you girls keep doing that…well…"

Embarrassed by the slight dressing down, both girls broke apart to applause from the rest of μ's. Even several of the closer Riders clapped as well, though their applause was shortened by the clash of weapons against armour. Kotori looked at the two lovers and smiled before sighing softly. All of these Riders had come to protect them against Grand Bloody and the creatures he had summoned but she didn't know why. Compared to the other girls, she didn't really have anything that stood out from the crowd. Sure, she had created the costumes for the others in their concerts but, apart from that, she really didn't have any defining characteristics. When it came to spontaneity and energy, Honoka and Rin had her practically in the dust and…well, the others had traits that she had wanted for so long. Eiji and Umi noticed the slightly hidden forlornness in her eyes and looked at each other to see who would make the first move. Ultimately, Umi's long history with her won out. Silently stepping up beside the ash blonde, she shook her head and opened her mouth.

"Kotori, are you all right? You seem a bit distracted. Well, moreso than the rest of us."

Kotori jumped slightly, not realising she was displaying her uncertainty so openly. Watching Agito change into a strange form that was three-toned, she bit her lower lip and nodded.

"I'm fine, Umi. I'm just wondering why the Riders have gathered to protect us. I'm nothing special, really. It's just…"

Umi shook her head and wondered what she could say to help her friend out of her funk. While Kotori had gained a bit more self-confidence in the past year, there had been times where she had been unsure of what to do and had made the decision of making no decision whatsoever. Or there had been times where she had slipped into an absent-minded mode when thinking of things she hadn't divulged. It hadn't really impacted their duties on the Student Council but it had popped up often enough that Honoka had seriously noticed and had taken her aside to ask about it. He answer then had been worry over her upcoming acceptance to the overseas school but for her to be worrying about it now, and after Daisuke had informed her that a new branch would be opening up, that was starting to, to use a word that she had used too often, worry her. She looked around her for anyone who could help her express the maelstrom she was feeling inside her but they were all too engrossed in watching the battles around them.

Eiji looked at Kotori and smiled wistfully. He recalled when he had thought he had nothing special to his name and had just eked out an existence. It had been after that civil war he had been involved in had ended and everything had just settled down into one grey, featureless blob of existence. Wandering around from place to place with no desires had been fun for a while but it had started to get to the point where he had seriously considered throwing himself off a bridge after his latest job. Thanks to a mysterious coin, a freakishly strong girl and a talking arm, he had gotten away from that depression but he knew all the signs. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to do all of that but he could do what he had always done – talk. Walking to Kotori's other side, he placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft tone.

"You're selling yourself too short, Kotori. Kotaro called all of us because he wants to protect his family but everyone here is fighting for something they love and want to protect."

Eiji pointed to Kotaro, Hongo and Ichimonji as they fought against Grand Bloody. Kotori could see that her cousin had changed his armour to a red, blue and silver form and was taking swipes at the mutation with a blade that seemed to shimmer in the spotlights. As she watched, he seemed to turn into a liquid form to launch projectile attacks at the monstrous creature before reforming back on the other side to repeat the process again. On the other hand, the original two Riders were duking it out with their hands and feet against whatever weapons Grand Bloody was able to literally pull out of is body. Eiji opened his mouth to speak the next work but was momentarily distracted by the slight falter he could see in the steps of the monster. Something that wasn't any injury dealt by the Riders was affecting him and, from the slowly growing horror in his body language, he knew it.

"Life."

Turning away from the slightly disturbing scene, OOO pointed at Blade, Drake and Agito as they fought hard against the remaining Chaps so that Zangetsu could strike at the Spider Mutants. Eiji was supposed to be helping him but the stoic businessman had all but ordered him to check on the girls and defend them if possible. With all the no-nonsense moves he could see from the white Rider, it seemed as though his option had been the better one as all four Mutants swarmed around the Armoured Rider within seconds. Pulling out the Medajalibur, he slipped two Cell Medals into the slot before running the OOO Scanner down the window to unleash an energy burst from the tip of the blade. One blossom of flame and smoke later and there were only three Mutants swarming around him. Only a quick nod of thanks was all the Armoured Rider could throw his way before he was swarmed again. The others had noticed his action and were pulling their eyes away from the fighting, slowly congregating around the lost girl as if by magic.

"Passion."

Finally, he pointed at the extra-dimensional Rider in his fight with the Wraith. He seemed to be fighting the hardest out of all of them but, due to the dangerous aura coming off the monster, he knew he was matching the intensity being directed at him. They watched as he yelled something to the sky and changed into another suit within an eye blink. This suit looked more cloth-like than anything else and seemed to have golden stitching on the wrists and ankles. The Raptor Rider launched a grappling hook at the monster, reeling it in to slash with a staff that looked almost like it was made of two separate weapons joined end-to-end. Leaping back, he launched a white-hot ball of fire from his palms at the creature to send it crashing hard against a nearby wall. Though the wall would never be able to sustain weight, the Wraith seemed to be more damaged. Strands of thick webbing flew towards the Rider but were burnt away in seconds thanks to the fire dancing from his palms.

"Innocence."

Kotori looked at the Riders with new eyes; amazed she didn't see it first. All of them were fighting to protect her and her friends, not because of the bonds they shared but of the innocence they represented. Of course for people who had practically been fighting all their lives, they would want to protect the light of the future generations. For a brief moment, she wondered exactly what sort of trauma Weihan had been through in his life to want to protect it but pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Whatever he had been through, it was giving him a great amount of strength and courage where lesser men would have crumbled. And then there was the fact that he had admitted to being from another dimension – something she could scarcely wrap her mind around. He had to be fighting to find a way home, back to the people who cared about him and loved him. For him to have come to their world and to fight a creature he thought he had destroyed…she didn't know what he was thinking. He had that strange device though and he had checked it thoroughly for damages so it seemed as though it was important. Yes, she had to keep her mind on what was truly important in this situation: her friends and her future. Seeing the change in her eyes, Eiji smiled under his helmet.

"I've just met all of you and I can see no greater bond between you and your friends. Bonds like that are great power and strength. That is the one thing that makes you and your friends more special than almost anyone here."

Kotori nodded once as Umi looked at him with gratefulness in her eyes. The others placed their hands on her shoulders and upper back as a sign of support as OOO stepped away. Kotori finally understood why her cousin had fought so hard to keep her away from the fight but she was starting to realise she was braver than she thought she was. There was much more inside her than her past designs and creations and, with the help of Daisuke's school, she would show the world everything. A slight blush crept up her cheeks as she scrubbed out a half-formed thought and she prayed no one, especially Eli and Nozomi, had noticed. However, whether they would have said anything was forever lost in the winds of possibility as a shout of pure horror and fear ripped through the air. As the Riders around them reacted with shouts of denial, nine pairs of eyes scanned the battlefield to alight on the grisly scene of chaos in front of them.

Grand Bloody was dying.

It wasn't a clean death either as his body was still moving as he dissolved from the inside out. Unbeknownst to him, the Spider Wraith had injected small slivers of its blood into the ragged stump of his arm and, in turn, those slivers had begun breaking it down into a slurry. Throwing the disturbingly limp form of the Raptor Rider to one side, the arachnid monster shrieked in delight as it plunged its fangs into the back of the dying monster to suck up the liquefied innards. The eight Riders regrouped around the girls as they attempted to shield their eyes any further…but it was too late. Eli and Nozomi held on to a crying Hanayo and Nico, while Honoka looked sick to her stomach. Rin had ducked behind one of the columns that was still intact and was busy throwing up with Maki standing by with a damp cloth – looking like she was on the verge of reconnecting with her dinner once more. Umi blocked Kotori's ears as she struggled with the death rattle of the expiring creature: something that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

The Riders looked on at the grim scene with revulsion and a faint tinge of pity for Grand Bloody, especially Kotaro and Hongo. While they had wanted him to meet his end at the conclusion of the fight, this was almost too much. They had envisaged him going out in a blaze of glory in a triple Rider Kick that would finally set his soul to rest. The Spider Mutants were also clearly shocked and even disgusted with this turn of events and began charging at the monster that was their comrade…but were destroyed within moments thanks to a few well-timed slashes. Finally, with a sound akin to trying to drink from an empty can, the Wraith had finished drinking the slurry and allowed the earthly remains of Grand Bloody to drop to the ground where they broke into a billion motes of dust. Kenzaki could swear he saw a small wisp of light drift towards a nearby mirror but dismissed it as a trick of the light. Summoning his Rouse Absorber to his hand, he prepared himself for anything – even a dangerous change to his rarely used Joker form.

The Wraith began to laugh darkly as black glass erupted from its already-armoured body; covering any openings in thick armour. The two barbed blades that had been quickly discarded within the first few blows traded with the Rider flew into its hands and shimmered slightly as they transformed into upwardly curving scimitars, dripping with acidic venom. Four more arms burst from its back as its shoulders and chest broadened to compensate the added internal structure and weight. With six arms and two legs, it now looked like a humanoid spider and the arachnophobics within the group of Riders and girls shivered in fear. However, the monster did not look their way – choosing to aim its dead gaze at the figure struggling to raise itself off the ground. Nozomi's heart leapt to her throat and she attempted to run towards the monster but Eli and Honoka wisely held her back.

"Finally! After all this time, Rider, here is where you finally meet your end."

The newly Awakened Spider Wraith flexed its new arms and glanced back at the group of cowering humans. They would die next but only after he had taken his pleasure out of slowly and meticulously destroying the pitiful wreck in front of it. It would leave the thrice-hated Rider at the brink of death and force him to watch as it sucked the life, power and innocence out of the girls…especially that purple haired bitch that had stopped him from tasting blood. With his added armour protection that had come from the fool in the coat, it was nigh invincible and the strongest creature around. Lifting its blades above the head of the Rider, it prepared to finally rid itself of a hated thorn.

"Now…die."

TBC…

Next Time:

"It can't end like this…not here."

"What the hell…what's that light?"

You are at fifty percent. You know what this means.

"No…he can't be dead!"