Horseshoes and Hand-grenades

XIII: 26-5-2 15-6 19-9-14

"Oh what a tangled web we weave,

When we first practice to deceive!"

-Walter Scott

After the debacle that was returning the American Flag from the 1969 Lunar Landing into its proper place, and the subsequent discovery of the silver slime, the Kamen Rider Club lookedi n awe at the discovery. Yuki lightly poked it with a pencil in hand while everyone else began to ponder what it could be.

"Maybe it's one of those symbiote things," Chosuke suggested. "Wait...it's not going to give us a black action suit and take control of our bodies while we sleep, right? And we're not gonna have to hang upside down and look at our own reflection to see said suit on us...right?"

"That's only in comic books, Chosuke," said Motoyama. "Although does paint a very vivid picture."

"This...can't be what I think it is, right?" asked JK, looking toward his fellow Kamen Rider club members. "I mean...it just...well, you know..."

"If you're thinking that it's SOLU, then maybe..." Miu folded her arms across her chest. "We could run some experiments on it, but if she's still conscious..."

"There has to be someone who knows a lot about this scientific stuff but won't sell us out for money nor use SOLU as a way to rule the world," said Shun, rubbing his chin. "And this has to be on short notice."

"I have a suggestion," said Tomoko, turning to the others. "Why don't we ask Joji-san for advice? He's a former scientist and has no plans for cash or world domination at this point in his life."

"Really?" asked Yuki. "What type of scientist are we talking about?""

"He used to work for an evil organization known as Destron, but then turned to the side of good after realizing that the people who saved him were the same ones who were causing mayhem and destruction. In fact, it's said that Kamen Rider V3 gave him the title of Kamen Rider 4 after he sacrificed his life to stop a rocket from destroying all of Japan. If there's anyone we can rely on right now, it's him."

"Then it's settled," said Erin, placing a hand on the table. "We're heading off to the Kingliner."

"Yay!" Ryutaros cried, jumping up and down. "we're going to meet station Owner again! We're gonna see him and owner duel over fried rice!"

"I'd rather see them fight over pudding," Momotaros scoffed. "Why does it always have to be fried rice?"

"If they always keep at it, then that means they have a rivalry that spans the ages!" Kintaros suggested. "And that makes them strong and-" The Imagin soon nodded off to sleep once more."

"Might as well head off," said Miu. "Tomorrow's a very busy day, after all."

0-0-0-0-0-0-

JK looked in awe at what he witnessed. Nadeshiko Misaki, or at least the form of Nadeshiko Misaki that the SOLU transformed into, collided with Virgo Zodiarts in a blast of light. When it died down, he saw Virgo Zodiarts on her knees, and Nadeshiko standing proud. Mounted on her right arm was the orange Rocket Module, while her left hand was replaced with a yellow mallet. It faded away into Cosmic Energy before the female Kamen Rider turned to JK waving her 'human' hand in the air.

"I'm alright, Nadeshiko," JK replied, slowly standing up. Brushing away the dirt on his pants, he picked up his guns and began to reload them with a new round of bullets. Just as he was about to open the barrel and slip the bullets inside, he heard a voice in his head to turn around. Looking behind him, he saw Aries Zodiarts swing his staff toward his head, ready to knock him into unconsciousness. JK ducked, leaning backwards before catching himself in a bridge. He panted for breath as he brought his knees up. In one fluid motion, he kicked himself up and punched Aries Zodiarts right in the face.

"I'm not going down that easily," the gossip broker snarled. He observed his opponent slightly step back, a hand close to its face. There was some silence as JK reloaded his gun. "Miura, you have to snap out of this! Think about Mari! How is she going to react when she finds out you've activated another Zodiarts Switch? She'll cry forever, you know that?"

Aries Zodiarts stayed silent, his Coppelius scepter still in his hand. JK gulped as he raised his guns into the air, ready to defend himself from an upcoming attack. He took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He felt so calm as he took them...it was making him feel so sleepy...

Wait a minute...

Just as realization hit, JK felt his mind clouded by the golden mist. He placed a hand on his forehead as he dropped to his knees. It couldn't end like this—he couldn't fall asleep now! He had to protect his friends...he had to save them from trouble. He...had to...

JK collapsed onto the ground and began to snore. Aries Zodiarts smirked as he slowly sauntered toward Kamen Rider Nadeshiko. The female Kamen Rider tilted her head in curiosity as she quickly swapped the Switch 1-Rocket on the far right slot of the Nadeshiko Driver for a Switch 20-Fire.

Fire On

A ring of red runes materialized underneath Nadeshiko's feet before rising into the air. The ring painted her suit into a bright cherry red color, and the eyes of her helmet were now green. In her hands was a flamethrower decorated with orange and silver triangles. She pointed her new weapon toward Aries Zodiarts' heart and said, "Let's fight, Toshiya Miura! Let's fight man-to-man!"

The Zodiarts of the Ram snarled as he stepped back, digging his foot onto the ground as if preparing to charge. Nadeshiko pulled the trigger, firing a stream of flames at her opponent. Aries Zodiarts rolled out of the way, bringing his cape out to shield himself from the fire. Nadeshiko was still determined to defeat her opponent, and she soon began to run toward Miura, magnifying the strength of the flames that wished to incinerate the Zodiarts. Just as she was about to land her trademark Nadeshiko Kick, guaranteed to send Aries Zodiarts flying twenty feet into the air, she was met by a pink barrier made out of a multitude of hexagons. When the barrier died down, standing inbetween the Kamen Rider and the Zodiarts of the Ram was Virgo Zodiarts.

"Virgo," Nadeshiko whispered, lowering her flamethrower. "Move out of the way! I'm doing this man-to-man!"

"But that's the problem, little girl," said Virgo, turning to face Nadeshiko. "It's not exactly 'man-to-man' as it is 'woman-to-man'. It seems to be a very unfair and discriminate fight. However, I would be willing to make it a fair fight once more." The Zodiarts of the Maiden unfurled her angelic wings as she pointed the Rhodia axe at her opponent. "Fight me, Nadeshiko Misaki. Fight me to the death."

Virgo took to the skies as she fired a multitude of blue orbs at her opponent. Nadeshiko stepped out of the way and swapped the switch on the far left slot for a teal switch with the number 37 printed on it.

Gyro On

Nadeshiko's left arm was replaced with a large helecoptor rotor with a propeller where her hand should be. Lifting her hand into the air, the Kamen Rider began to slowly hover into the sky, using her right arm to fire her flamethrower at Virgo's face. Virgo flew out of the way, twirling her axe into the air as more blue orbs began to rain down on her opponent. Nadeshiko looked in horror—the Gyro Switch excelled in movement and control, but it was uncapable of the speed the Rocket Switch was well known for. If she was hit with one of those orbs, she would be knocked onto the ground, powerless and weak to protect JK and Ryutaros from the threat of the Zodiarts.

Seeing herself unable to dodge the attacks in time, Nadeshiko turned around and fired her flamethrower behind her, using the propulsion from the flames to move faster. Virgo smirked as she saw her opponent flee in terror before looking down. Ryusei was slowly waking up from the kick that knocked him unconscious, his fingers growing the lighting talons that would claw through both Imagin and human alike. Aries Zodiarts was standing guard, waiting for an unsuspecting bystander to fall into a never-ending sleep while Ryusei slaughtered his targets. With both Ryutaros and JK gone, that would be one less Kamen Rider standing in the way of the Horoscope Generals.

"Everything is according to plan," she chuckled. "Soon, everything shall be mine."

0-0-0-0-0-0-

Kintaros lead both Chosuke and Norio deeper into the forest, telling the two about what he found. The bear-like Imagin lead them to a white and bloodied figure with their eyes wide open and blood dribbling down their mouth. It was just as Chosuke feared; Misa Torizaki was dead.

Norio felt like he was going to be sick. In front of him was Misa Torizaki, with her stomach cut open and her intestines spilled out. A long gash was shown on her neck and in her hands was a bloodied knife. Carved onto her right arm was a string of English words that neither he or Chosuke could read, but from the looks of it, none of them were very flattering.

"I got you," said Chosuke, helping Norio stand up. "Take some deep breaths and let it all out. We better call Yayoi and tell her what we saw."

"T-this is wrong," Norio whispered. "Misa doesn't deserve this treatment. Yes, she did something wrong, but death shouldn't be the answer. Misa was a monster toward me, but she wasn't always like that...was she?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Norio and Chosuke turned around, seeing Gentaro standing behind them, his eyes almost boring deep into their skulls. In his hand was the quivering head of a snake that looked at its surroundings, sticking its tongue into the air. "Why don't you look into her past and figure out where it all went downhill. Torizaki did more than just create a cult and force you to become Cygnus, Eguchi. She did things that people will forget in order to focus on the most negative and hateful thing that she instigated—even if it was all just a stupid mistake. Unless you uncover the truth for yourself, whenever the name 'Misa Torizaki' comes up, everyone will think of the words 'Swan Bitch' instead."

"Gentaro!" cried Kintaros, appearing in his sandy form. "What are you trying to accomplish? Why have you cast aside your true heart and soul for a cold, heartless serpent?"

"I am accomplishing my master's will. I am to search for disciples that will become the most powerful beings the world has ever seen. These people do not have the weaknesses you humans struggle with. They are stronger, faster, and more capable of determining right and wrong, and don't have petty emotions like friendship weigh them down."

"That's where you're wrong!" Norio exclaimed. He curled his hand into a fist and took a step toward Gentaro. "Your friendship has brought all of Amanogawa High closer than ever! You've saved so many people by supporting them! You saved me from myself! Why would you turn away from that?"

"Because they turned away from me! How would you like it when you find out that the people you worked with, just go on and hate you for no good reason? Oh wait...you do!" Norio jumped back when Gentaro leaned toward him and emphasized that last word. Gentaro placed a hand on his chest before continuing his spiel. "You share my pain and suffering, Eguchi. We were both betrayed by people that we bonded over. You did a good deed yet Misa still gave you a negative score, and those stupid little mindless ugly ducklings never even bothered to see your distress when Misa made you transform into Cygnus. In fact, they were worshipping him and none of them even cared that you could've been placed in an irreversible coma for the rest of your life. So why, Eguchi? Why are you willing to side with backstabbers? What makes you so eager to ally yourself with these...traitors?!"

"Because," Norio took a step toward Gentaro. "They aren't traitors! They made mistakes, but the Kamen Rider Club is capable of atoning and working hard to fix them! The Ugly Ducklings never had that mindset—they never thought about changing their ways, and they will never admit to their mistakes or errors. I'm not like them. I realized what I was doing as an Ugly Duckling, and I became something better. I became...a hero!"

Gentaro was about to retort, but no words came out of his mouth. Instead, his eyes widened, and they held an expression of worry. For a moment, there was something in those words that made him...remember. He dropped to his knees and placed a hand on his head.

Norio and Chosuke slowly pulled out the belts that would let them transform into Kamen Rider Den-O, backing away in case Gentaro would lash out and start going on a killing rampage. Kintaros turned to his partner.

"Chosuke," he said. "What do we do?"

"I...I don't know," Chosuke shook his head. "For the first time in my life, I truly don't know what to do."

"Gentaro..." Norio whispered. "Gentaro, are you alright? Are...you..."

The sound of his cellphone interrupted him. He quickly turned it on and placed it near his ear. "Hello? Yes? Wait...what?! But we...you're right. All right, Erin. We'll get there now." He hung up and turned to Chosuke. "It's Erin; there's a Dustard attack at the stage and the Zodiarts are overpowering them all."

"But what about-" Chosuke turned around and took a glance at Misa's bloodied body before staring at the immobile Gentaro Kisaragi. "I mean...we can't just leave them here."

"I don't like to abandon them, but we have no other choice. Our friends need us." Norio placed his belt on and pressed its button. The sound of a harp radiated from the belt as he held a Liner Pass in hand. "You ready?"

"I'm always ready for a fight," Chosuke replied, attaching his belt and pressing on its yellow button. As the sound of electronic chimes was heard and he held a Liner Pass in hand, he turned to his fellow Kamen Rider and said, "Let's become heroes."

Norio nodded his head before he felt his Imagin partner take over.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

Miu didn't know how long she was knocked out, but she knew that she must've been unconscious for quite some time when she felt someone splash water all over her face. Coughing out any water that might've been sent into her lungs, she slowly opened her eyes to find Kengo staring at her wth a mischievous grin on his face.

"Ah, so our Queen awakens," Kengo noted. "How are you today, your highness?"

"Kengo..." Miu soon remembered what happened when she was in the Power Dizer unit and prepared to grab onto Kengo's collar. Or at least, that was her initial plan before she realized that she was tied to a large tree with some very thick rope. "Kengo! What the fuck is all of this?"

"Ooh, our queen is a bit of a potty mouth, isn't she?" a voice cackled. Miu turned to see the student Norio said was the 'Serpent of Obsidian Knives'. She didn't know the identity of this person, but there was something so...familiar about them. In a way, it was if she had a name to go without a face.

"Jiro, you shouldn't laugh so loud," said Kengo, placing a hand on his partner's throat. He slowly began to squeeze it in a firm grasp. "I wouldn't want to 'tickle torture' you tonight, would I?"

Jiro? Miu's eyes widened in surprise. That was the name of Ryusei's friend—the one who was stuck in the coma and the sole reason that Ryusei became Kamen Rider Meteor in the first place. But this couldn't be true—Yuki and Tomoko said that Jiro was confirmed dead. Unless...no...it couldn't have been...

"Oh, looks like queenie's catching on," Jiro giggled. He leaned close, licking the blade of his dagger as he added, "I suppose it shouldn't be too much of a shock to tell you that yes, I am Jiro Inseki. Or rather, I was. My master has named me the Serpent of Obsidian Knives while Kengo, my sweet little lover, is known as Apep."

"L-lover?" Miu looked back at Kengo, who glared at Jiro, before looking at Jiro. "Um, don't get me wrong, but how is that possible? In fact, how did Gentaro revive you?"

"It's a secret," Jiro replied, placing a finger on his lips. "Now, what are we gonna do with you? You have such a pretty face and body that it would be such a sin to not worship it in carnal embrace, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm definitely not into necrophilia," Miu retorted. Balling her hands into fists, she added, "And even if I was, I definitely wouldn't be embracing you in any way."

"You hurt my feelings, you know that?" Jiro placed a hand on his unbeating heart with fake shock. "I can never love again, not after you insulted me like that!"

"Good. Now, will you release me or not?"

"Not until we're done wiping your pretty little mind out, Kazashiro," Kengo replied, raising a hand into the air. His cold and empty eyes stared deep into Miu's own and whispered, "We're going to make you more than just a prom date with our master."

Miu wished that she had something to free herself from these ropes and so she can kick Kengo right where it would definitely hurt. She wasn't someone who would give up easily and she wasn't going to end up like some brainwashed slave. She was going to fight till the bitter end.

"I'm not going to give myself up to you or your master so easily," she stated. "Kengo, you're crazy if you think that I'm just going to betray my friends and side with you. You're trying to take over the world!"

"Take over the world? What proof do you have? We haven't done anything that's caught the attention of politicians and scientists all across the world, have we?" Kengo smirked. "What we're doing is collecting people. Certain people. People that would be so beneficial to us because they have all the right qualities that are necessary."

"Necessary for what? To become members of a cult who die by drinking glasses of poisoned fruit punch? I'm not that stupid!"

"No, you're not. You're a born leader full of charisma, natural skill, determination and perseverance. You're a league of your own, unlike Torizaki and her idiocy, bitchiness and her crumbling sanity. Poor girl...she didn't even have a chance when she immediately started gutting herself."

"She what?!" Miu looked in absolute horror. "She killed herself?"

"Sort of," Jiro cackled, drawing a figure eight in the air with his knife. "We told her to kill herself with such a pretty vapid smile on her stupid face. And she did. It was so hilarious!" He let out a loud laugh and clutched his stomach. "I hadn't seen anything that amusing in ages! She did everything so perfectly that I thought she was actually going along up until she slit her throat and dropped dead!" He let out another howl and began to roll over the grass.

"You monsters!" Miu screamed. "You killed an innocent girl without remorse! You're murderers!"

"We just told her what to do; she was the one who killed herself in the end," Kengo explained, a smirk on his face. "Hence, it's a suicide, Kazashiro. Besides, no one is going to miss her; she was just a stupid little girl who did a stupid little thing. No one's going to remember that she did great things. All she's going to be remembered for was her stupidity, her pride, and the fact that she masturbates about having sex with Cygnus Zodiarts in her sleep. Unlike you, Kazashiro. Sure, you almost became infamous for being such a bitch for tossing away all those gifts your fans gave you, remember? Back at the Queens Festival and all that?"

Miu snarled at the memory. She had no way of knowing that Tamae actually put a hidden camera of her tossing away all of those gifts in order to turn the student body against her in order to usurp the title of Queen of Amanogawa. She admit that she was actually being a bit mean—okay, she was really a big jerk by that time—for her to do something like that, but it was something that she disliked at the same time. If those students had all that time to make her DVDs, letters and buying candy, why weren't they using it in order to do something beneficial? She didn't become the Queen of Amanogawa High dreaming of things to come. She took action, worked her ass off, and continued to work even after she was reigned queen. Even as the Chairman of the Kamen Rider Club, she took command by creating strategies and organizing the group in order to attack the Zodiarts in the best way possible. Unfortunately, this also meant that she couldn't actually take part in the action, something that she wished she could actually do.

Still, just because she couldn't punch and kick like Gentaro and Shun doesn't mean she didn't have other ways to fight back. She took a deep breath and stared at Kengo eye to eye.

"I do remember," she said. "I walked down that hall dressed up and bandaged, wielding crutches as everyone screamed and yelled at me. I told them what it took to be the Queen of Amanogawa High and earned everyone's respect. You saw me stand up against Tamae just as she was about to drop me into the river. I have the ability to work hard for what I deserve, and no one should say otherwise."

"Brava, brava," said Jiro, slowly clapping his hands. "That was such a beautiful speech, but it wasn't enough to prevent us from killing you, Right, Kengo?"

Miu turned toward Kengo, silently begging that Kengo could come to his senses and save her. Instead, Kengo smiled and went to Jiro's side, placing a small kiss on his 'lover's' lips.

"Of course," he answered. He then placed another kiss on the tip of Jiro's nose. "Now, if you would be so kind Yuri-chan, will you do the honors of giving Kazashiro the honor of a swift death?"

"Yuri?" Miu repeated. "She's in on this-GAH!"

A wave of cold water splashed down on her. The Club Chairman coughed as she saw Yuri Kuramochi draped in her kimono and her hands in the air, commanding the waters to part. The former Lunar Witch let out a snarl as she pointed a finger at Miu.

"Where were you?" she screamed. "You're the Queen of Amanogawa High who is supposed to protect the school and its students! Where were you when I was bullied by the swim team? Where were you?"

"I'm not that omniscient!" Miu exclaimed. "While I try to help as much as I can, I'm only one person in the end. If you were in so much trouble, why didn't you tell someone? Why didn't you come to me about this hazing? I'm not the one to blame if I don't know anything and-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Yuri screamed, as the water rose into the air like geysers. She moved her arms as if slashing the air, the water becoming whips that struck Miu in the face and chest. The Club President didn't even scream as she was being assaulted. Instead, she bit her lip and glared at the one thrashing about and splashing water had to be strong; she had to keep being brave for the sake of the Kamen Rider Club.

"This is getting so boring...," Jiro noted with a pout. "I want some action! I want everyone kung-fu fighting! I want-"

"My foot to your face!"

Jiro turned and was met with a dress shoe kicking him in the face. He fell onto the ground in pain. Kengo and Kuramochi turned to see the DenLiner let out a wail as two more passengers dropped to the ground: a young girl and a man wearing suspenders. Kengo recognized the man.

"Ohsugi-sensei," he began, his hands wrapped in purple flames. "What do we owe the pleasure of your arrival?"

"To knock some sense into you," Ohsugi replied. "I also brought these two lovely ladies to even the score. Kengo, I'm sure you know Haruka-sensei, correct?"

Haruka slipped her pockets into the pocket of her jacket and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She glared at Jiro and brought her fists up as if challenging him to a fight.

"And," Ohsugi added, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Hana, a cute little girl that could knock you down faster than you can say 'Onigashima Battleship.' And I've been getting lessons on beating people up."

"Really now?" asked Kengo. "Well, let's just see if they've been of any use to you, sensei."

He raised his hands into the air as a ring of purple fire formed around the six competitors. Haruka, Ohsugi and Hana looked at their surroundings before turning to their opponents. Kuramochi lowered her hands and let the water splash down, letting Miu have a chance to dry underneath the afternoon sun. Jiro slowly stood up and pulled out another knife, twirling it in the air and pointing them at the female teacher.

"DIE!" he cried, tossing the knife toward her neck. Haruka avoided the knife's sharp blade before closing in on her opponent. Jiro began to slash the air in an attempt to slice Haruka's neck open, but the teacher was faster. She delibered a hook-jab combo that made Jiro stumble back, but Jiro caught the second right hook just in time.

"You're not the only one who's skilled in martial arts," he grinned. "This is gonna be a fun fight."

Haruka frowned and stomped on Jiro's foot. The teen yelled in pain as she punched him in the gut once more, causing his knives to drop out of his hands.

"Then let's see what you're capable of," Haruka retorted.

Hana rolled out of the way when Yuri sliced the air, commanding a crescent of water to smack the girl onto the ground. With so much limited space, the young girl had to be quick on her feet, else she'd find herself on the receiving end of a ruthless beatdown. However, that was actually a blessing in disguise. Combined with her short stature while stuck in her child-like form, maneuvering around the arena made it easier for Hana to get the upper ground while Kuramochi had to make precise moments to ensure that her target would be struck with the lash of water. The young girl smirked as she ran toward her opponent winding her arm back to prepare for a powerful punch that would knock Yuri into unconsciousness...

But Yuri knew that was going to happen. She crossed her hands over her chest before slashing them forward, causing two whips of water to bind Hana's legs to the ground. The girl gasped as she struggled to fight back before she saw Yuri snap her fingers. The ground beneath Hana's feet began to rumble and she was launched into the air by a large geyser of hot water that scalded the poor girl's arms and legs. Yuri laughed with glee as the geysers continued to scorch through Hana's body, preparing to boil her like a lobster.

"Stop it!" Hana screamed. "It hurts!"

"Now you understand how it felt to be hazed by those assholes!" Yuri replied as the temperature of the water rose. "Now you'll share my pain, you little brat!"

Kengo and Ohsugi were having a harder time fighting each other. Ohsugi's main objective was trying to knock Kengo into unconsciousness while also making sure that he didn't become inflicted with burns. He had to find an opening soon—the fire was going to drain him and his partners of all oxygen in a few minutes.

"Utahoshi!" Ohsugi cried, dodging the fire-fueled punches of his student. "You have to listen to me! You have to wake up from Ophiuchus' control over you!"

"I don't have to listen to you at all, old man!" Kengo snarled, slicing the air with his hand. A crescent of purple fire flew toward Ohsugi's face, but the teacher ducked just in the nick of time. "The Serpent-bearer is my master, and I shall always be by his side. Not like you—you tried to tell the Chairman of our secret base of operations since 'it's not an official club.' You're a selfish, heartless pig!"

"Yes, I am," Ohsugi performed an uppercut that connected with Kengo's jaw. Kengo stumbled back as he saw the geography teacher glaring at him. "I was thinking about myself and not about the people who needed help the most. But when Kisaragi saved me from the Musca Zodiarts—I mean, Haru—I realized that there were people who were doing things that I should be doing. I made my first steps giving Kisaragi the Astroswitch I snatched and becoming your faculty adviser, and I'll continue making the step to end this madness once and for all!"

"Then stop talking and actually fight!" Kengo replied, hurling a barrage of fireballs at Ohsugi. "Die for me, Chuta Ohsugi!"

Ohsugi jumped out of the way, watching a patch of grass burn up from the fire. He looked at Kengo continuing to launch his flaming orbs and noticed something peculiar on his neck...it was a gold necklace in the shape of a serpent. Something clicked in his mind; he had an idea.

"Hey, Utahoshi!" he cried. "I wonder what Daddy dearest would say when he finds out that you went against his wishes!"

"How dare you say that around me!" Kengo screamed. "You're going to burn in Hell, old man!"

"Me? Burn? I'm not the one who deliberately sets his own hands on fire for the sake of it. This isn't what a good student of Amanogawa High does."

Kengo lunged toward his homeroom teacher, his hands grasping onto the older man's neck. Ohsugi felt fingers crushing his windpipe and the flames burning his skin. His arms flailed into the air as he reached toward the necklace. His fingertips were shaking as he reached toward it with a firm grasp...

And with a mighty tug, the snake no longer clamped onto its tail. It wiggled and hissed as it tried to free itself from Ohsugi's grip, only for the teacher to bring his arm down and the snake to incinerate by the fire wrapping Kengo's hands. The geography teacher gasped for air, feeling the pain around his neck fading away as he stood up.

With a burst of Cosmic Energy, Kengo was thrown back and landed on the ground. The purple fiery ring vanished as Jiro and Kuramochi stopped fighting. Hana, whose back and arms were red from the geyser water fell onto the ground, only to be caught by Haruka just in time.

"It hurts..." Hana whimpered. "It really hurts..."

"It'll be all right, Hana," Haruka whispered, setting Hana onto the ground. She glared at Yuri and said, "What gave you the right to do that?"

"I have every right to make everyone suffer!" Yuri snarled. "And if you don't want your pretty face harmed, you'll stay back."

"Kengo," said Jiro, kneeling to his fellow Serpent's side. "Are you all right? Say something?"

Kengo groaned and sat up. He placed a hand his forehead as he stared into Jiro's eyes.

"Who...are you?" he asked weakly. "And where...am I?"

"It's me, Jiro," Jiro whispered, cradling Kengo in his arms. "Don't you remember me? Don't you?"

"Everything is so fuzzy...can't remember..."

"It's going to be all right, Apep," Jiro gave a small laugh. "The Serpent-bearer will fix you all up and we'll be together forever. It's going to be all right. Everything will be fine as long as you're with me..."

"No it won't," said Haruka. "Give Kengo back or we'll end your life right here and now."

"NEVER!" Jiro hissed. "Apep is the only one who understands me. He knows what it's like being alone without anyone to listen to you. You don't know anything about me at all!"

He raised his hand into the air as he, Kengo and Yuri were wrapped in a haze of Cosmic Energy. Ohsugi jumped into the air, ready to tackle Jiro onto the ground, but the three teens vanished just as the teacher was about to capture his prey. He fell on his stomach and groaned.

"Damn it," he hissed. "They got away!"

"We can worry about them later," said Haruka. "We need to get Hana to the nearest source of water so we can cool her off. Kuramochi nearly burned her skin off."

"But where can we find one in a time like this?" asked Ohsugi.

"If you guys can untie me, I can give you an answer," cried Miu, still tied to the tree. "Sensei, did you bring a Potechokin Foodroid on you?"

"No, but I think we found something better." Ohsugi picked up the knives dropped by Jiro and approached the Club Chairman. "How's Shun? What happened after you gave me the switch?"

"We ran into Ryusei and he was trying to kill us," Miu explained, seeing the geography teacher starting to hack away at the ropes. "Shun stood behind to fight off Ryusei and I brought the Power Dizer unit to the Kyoto Movie Village. There I fought Principal Hayami, Jiro and Kengo, and then I was knocked unconscious."

"This is not good," said Haruka. "Ohsugi filled me in on the situation as we traveled on the DenLiner, but I never thought it would be this serious."

"Welcome to my world," said Ohsugi, moving the knives back and forth as they sliced through the ropes. "Kazashiro, what about the play? How's that going about?"

"I don't know," Miu answered. "But I can only hope that everyone's all right."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Ryusei slowly woke up, seeing his surroundings. Aries Zodiarts had vanished, and both Kamen Rider Nadeshiko and Virgo Zodiarts were fighting in the sky. That left him alone with the Kamen Rider Club's Gossip Broker, JK, and the Dragon Imagin Ryutaros. Perfect.

Concentrating once more, he felt the Cosmic Energy materialize a zweihander in thin air. Grabbing onto it, he slowly sauntered toward the sleeping form of JK a.k.a...who cared what his true name was? All that mattered was that JK was 'dismembered' from the Kamen Rider Club once and for all.

Prowling toward his prey like a lion chasing a gazelle, Ryusei raised his sword over his head to slice JK's head clean off. Just as he was about to bring it down, he was attacked by a crescent blade made out of wind. He snarled as he tried to find where it came from.

"Who did that?" he snarled. "Show yourself!"

"I'm right here."

Ryusei turned to see Shun Daimonji approaching him, wielding two swords welded onto a pair of blue hand-guards. A sapphire was embedded to his forehead, and his body was covered by a golden jacket and tight black pants. A white snake draped around his neck like a scarf.

"How are you still alive?" asked Ryusei. "I slit your throat! No one could live through that!"

"Guess you shouldn't have turned your back on me," Shun snarled, narrowing his eyes. He raised one of his swords toward his opponent. "Fight me."

"I will," Ryusei snarled, wielding his lightning zweihander. "Get ready to die once more, Shun Daimonji."

"Shun died the minute he gave into his death," said Shun. "I am Vasuki, the Tethering Rope Serpent. Don't you forget it!"

Ryusei just scoffed as the two charged toward each other.

After getting numerous reviews telling me to shorten the chapter lengths, I decided that I'll do my best to do so. This chapter was a total pain in the neck since I wanted to write so much, but I was unable to do anything about it.

So, this chapter will be split into two parts to ensure that while it's not too lengthy of a chapter, I don't want to kill anyone over reading this. I'm sorry for those who have been reading and have gotten confused over the characters in such. I have done my best to make it as readable for everyone, but there are things that even I am unable to fully detail.

In the meantime, there will be an Intermission chapter that takes place while I get XIII-2 "Of Sins and Shadows" written. This will also be not only a breather for the audience, but a breather for me as well as I get everything up and ready. Day 1 of the Kyoto Arc is about to end soon, but the night still holds more surprises.

Next time: In Amanogawa High, Mari Yamamoto meets with the resistance group that is dedicated to spread the word about the Zodiarts. However, the original Scorpio and Cancer Zodiarts wake up and begin to spread mayhem across the campus. How will this group be able to survive two former Horoscope Zodiarts without any formal training or superpowers?

Intermission-Scorpion Spider Crab coming up next