Horseshoes and Hand-grenades
XIII-2: 15-6/19-9-14-19/1-14-4/19-8-1-4-15-23-19
"All sins are attempts to fill voids."
-Simone Weil
Erin, Tomoko and Yuki were batting aside the multitude of Dustards that trapped them into a corner. No matter how many Dustards they battled, more appeared from the Cosmic Energy the Dustards reverted to when they took too many blows. This created twice the amount of Dustards defeated, and the girls were only exhausting themselves trying to fight back.
Erin was having the most difficulty. As the Aquarius Zodiarts, the jugs mounted on her shoulders would release water that would heal her friends of fatigue, but it also needed Cosmic Energy the more fatigued they were. Yuki was also running out of homemade space food to replenish their energy, and Tomoko's new barrier powers were starting to falter. Yukina, on the other hand, was still trembling in fear from behind the four, having done nothing to fight off against this threat.
"We could really use some help right about now," said Yuki, turning to her friends. "Erin, where's Eguchi and Chosuke-san?"
"I just called them two minutes ago," Erin answered. "We just have to hold the fort until they arrive."
"What about those Kame riders or whatever?" asked Yukina. "Why aren't they doing anything?"
"They're currently fighting the Leo Zodiarts onstage!" Tomoko cried, pointing to the stage. "We can't contact Miu and Shun, JK and Ryutaros are fighting Virgo Zodiarts, and Ohsugi-sensei is nowhere to be found. We're all on our own!"
"I thought you guys were all part of some superhero club that saved the school from the Zodiarts! You're nothing but a ragtag bunch of—"
"At least we're doing something!" Yuki snapped, glaring at Yukina. "You said you were going to fight, but you never swung that pipe in your hand! I'm actually going out and fighting these Dustards, even though I'm such a 'space-case' as you say! So excuse me if I start swearing, but you are a BITCH!"
"Take that back!" Yukina snarled, standing up. She leaned toward the space otaku and glared at her. "I said take it back!"
"Make me," Yuki replied, narrowing her eyes.
Yukina snarled and took the lead pipe in her hand as if to bash Yuki's head wide open. Instead, she noticed Yuki pulling a Dustard into her path, knocking it out with a powerful blow to the head. Yukina tried again, but only met with another Dustard blocking her path. Yuki laughed and giggled as more and more Dustards fell before her.
"I see," said Erin, noticing what Yuki was planning. She turned to Tomoko and winked before shouting, "Hey Yukina, did you ever tell anyone what your wedding with Gentaro was going to be like?"
"Shut up…" Yukina growled, whacking another Dustard over the head.
"What about the fact that Gentaro's not as smart as he seems?" asked Yuki, swatting four Dustards away with her Nectar cat-o-nine tails. "I heard that he got a 4 on his mid-term from a creditable source!"
"I said shut up!" Yukina barked.
"I predict that your marriage with Gentaro will end in vain," Tomoko replied. "The chances of you two getting together is like trying to find an artificial satellite within the Milky Way."
Yukina let out a beastly roar as more and more Dustards fell beneath her wake. Any Dustard that wasn't affected by her rampage began to flee from the sight of the enraged teenage girl. Yukina chased after them screaming, "COME BACK HERE!" in a voice that would make even the Imagins tremble in fear. Once she was nowhere in sight, the Kamen Rider Club girls let out a sigh.
"That was too close," said Yuki. "Way too close."
"That should keep those Dustards busy until Norio and Chosuke return to fight Aries Zodiarts," said Erin, pressing the top of her Zodiarts Switch. A gust of black wind wrapped around her body until she reverted to her human form. "I just hope Daisuke-san, Joji-san and Motoyama-kun are doing okay."
"The Kamen Riders are warriors of justice," said Tomoko. "And justice will prevail in the end. I know of it."
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Stupid crab!" Momotaros cried, trying his best to slash the tough shell of the Zodiarts in front of him. Leo Zodiarts, who was currently in the form of the Zodiarts of the Crab, smirked as he saw the attempts of Amazon, Riderman and Sword Den-O barely scratching the surface of the shell. It was like trying to scratch a diamond with a piece of glass—the glass wasn't going to scratch the diamond, but the diamond could easily slice the glass in half.
"Hmph," Leo Zodiarts swatted Sword Den-O aside with his left arm, sending him flying toward Kamen Rider Amazon. Riderman was swapping his Power Arm for his powerful Drill Arm, charging toward the powerful Zodiarts while it was distracted. Leo Zodiarts sensed the attack and brought his foot toward the Avenging Demon's jaw. Riderman ducked at the last moment and began to penetrate through the thick armor with the drill's tip.
"This isn't woodshop, old man!" Momotaros snapped. "What are you doing?!"
Riderman raised his left hand in the air to block the giant crab claw that was about to kick him the face and continued to pierce a hole through the crab's soft belly. Amazon looked at this in awe and nodded his head.
"Amazon see what Riderman is doing," he said. "Red Demon..."
"Momotaros!" Momotaros snapped.
"Follow lead!" Amazon leapt into the air as he began to bite onto the giant crab claw with his teeth. Sword Den-O stood up and brought his sword over his head, bringing it into an arc as he began to hack away at the giant pincer. Leo Zodiarts snarled as he turned his attention to the attackers on his left arm, swatting Riderman aside as if the Kamen Rider was a fly. Riderman rolled toward his duffel bag and began to replace the Drill Arm for the Machine Arm once more. Once the machine gun was properly inserted, he pointed it toward the hole he created, perfectly exposed due to his fellow Kamen Riders' distractions.
"TAKE THIS!" Riderman screamed, unleashing a barrage of bullets toward the carved hole in the Zodiarts' stomach. "Machine Gun Barrage!"
Leo Zodiarts realized too late what was happening—the armor was so impenetrable that anything that entered wouldn't be able to escape! With the constant attacks Riderman made to his body, the bullets would bounce around like a rubber ball against a cement wall, never stopping their attacks until finally...
Amazon and Sword Den-O jumped out of the way as the guise of the Cancer Zodiarts became bombarded with bullets. Leo Zodiarts let out a cry of pain as the crustacean-like armor faded away into Cosmic Energy, and all that was left was the original Leo Zodiarts and the Cancer Zodiarts Switch in hand.
"Now here comes the fun part!" said Sword Den-O, a Liner Pass in hand. "Let's go!"
Full Charge
Scanning the Liner Pass and tossing it aside, Sword Den-O's weapon crackled with red electricity. The blade escaped its hilt and hovered toward Leo Zodiarts while Momotaros controlled it with a flick of his wrist. The blade slashed through Leo Zodiarts' body with two diagonal slashes hovering in the air just a few inches above the Zodiarts head to prepare the final blow.
Amazon prepared the Gaga Bracelet and connected it to the Gigi Bracelet on his left arm. Feeling a golden aura wrap around his body, the fins on his gloves began to grow as he brought his hands over his head.
"SUPER DAISETSUDAN!" he yelled. Both blade and sharp fins sliced through the Zodiarts of the Lion, the Horoscope Switch of the Crab flinging out of his hand. Riderman swapped the Machine Arm for his trusty Rope Arm, the grappling hook at the end latched onto the Zodiarts Switch before he wrenched his arm back. He grabbed onto the Horoscope Switch in his hand just as Leo Zodiarts reverted to his true form of Ko Tatsugami in a small explosion.
"Hmph," said Momotaros, seeing Tatusgami on his knees. "What are you gonna do now, old man?"
"Lion Beast is surrounded," said Amazon. "Lion Beast shall fall."
Tatsugami let out a low snarl befitting of his position as the Zodiarts of the Lion. Crushing the walnuts in his hand, he pulled out a black pellet from his pocket and tossed it onto the ground. In an instant, a cloud of thick black smoke shrouded him from the eyes of the three Kamen Riders. Once the cloud of smoke vanished, Ko Tatsugami was nowhere to be seen.
"Hmph," said Momotaros, reaching for the Liner Belt. "That lion's more like a pussy cat if you ask me."
With the belt removed, the Kamen Rider Armor faded away, revealing Soushi Motoyama underneath. The painter placed a hand on his head.
"That was close," said Motoyama. "I never thought that the chairman's bodyguard was Leo Zodiarts."
"We were lucky that he was too arrogant about Cancer's crab-like armor," said Joji, staring at the Zodiarts Switch in his hand. "If this item is part of the chairman's evil plans, then we better keep it in a place where he'd never find it."
"Amazon see," Amazon took the switch into his hand and inspected it. "Switch filled with evil and sadness."
"Sadness?" Motoyama raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that, Amazon-sempai?"
"Switch filled with unhappiness inside. Switch filled with darkness and pain." Amazon pulled out the Clear Drill Switch he picked up from the rainforest. "Is different from other switch. Other switch filled with hope and peace."
"That looks like one of Gentaro's Astroswitches," said Motoyama, looking at the switch in Amazon's right hand. "But why would it fall into the rainforest?"
"Maybe it wanted to bring it to Daisuke's attention," said Joji, removing his Riderman helmet. "I recalled that after we fought Lem Kannagi and ended his reign as the Super Galaxy King, Gentaro was spending a lot of time interacting with Daisuke. Daisuke even promised to come to Japan in a few months, although the reunion has been delayed due to…"
"I know." Motoyama sighed, shaking his head. "Joji-san, how did your fight with Ryusei go?"
"I sensed this aura of death hanging around him," Jij answered. "IUt was like the only thing that was on his mind was to kill me. He's not human."
"That's what we've been thinking. Still," Motoyama looked toward the setting sun. "I just hope that things will turn out for the better. Tomorrow will be a busy day."
0-0-0-0-0-
Miu, Ohsugi and Haruka were able to find a large fountain to place Hana in. Until they could get some ointment from the DenLiner, the water would have to be the only thing that could heal Hana's wounds from the hot water. Hana didn't say a word, but rather grasped onto Hana's sleeves as a way of saying "it really, really hurts". Ohsugi just looked in anger—how low was Ophiuchus going to go in killing people and scalding innocent children? He had to be stopped.
Using Ohsugi's cellphone, Miu was already calling Tomoko on what had happened so far. She quickly explained the situation regarding Kengo, Jiro and Yuri and about finding out the identity of Virgo Zodiarts.
"That's good. The last thing we need is to show tears. We've already shed so much." Miu turned to Haruka removing Hana's clothes so they could see the burns and winced at seeing the young girl's back the color of a lobster. Still, Hana didn't show any tears, but instead gripped onto her wet blouse and twisted it whenever she felt pain all over her body. "We don't have time to cry."
"We know. We'll meet up at the DenLiner, all right?"
"That will be fine. Tell the others I said, hi."
"Will do, Kazashiro-san."
The two hung up as Miu sat down near the fountain. The plan she created, while she knew was going to have some hiccups, was falling apart. She couldn't gain in contact with Shun, Kengo was in the hands of a man who was supposed to be deceased, Ryusei was a robot…nothing made sense anymore. What was she supposed to do? As the Club Chairman, it was she who needed to lead the group against all these evils, but who was there to help guide her?
The Club Chairman looked into the sky, seeing the sun slowly begin to sink. The evening was coming, and the only thing they could do now was rest and recover for the day ahead. She just prayed that the Kamen Rider Club could stay strong until then.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Ryusei and Shun continued to fight it out, blade locking against blade. Unfortunately for Ryusei, the lightning attacks that made him destroy Rod Den-O earlier had no effect this time. Shun kept fighting back, slicing through Ryusei's uniform with the pata weapons in hand.
"Why won't you die, Daimonji?!" Ryusei screamed, hands gripping onto the sword. "What brought you back to life?"
"I was brought back by Lord Shiva's grace," Shun answered, stepping back from Ryusei's sword swinging in a powerful arc. "I was brought here to send you to the depths of Naraka where you will burn for the rest of your days!"
"Don't make me laugh!" Ryusei exclaimed. "That's preposterous! It's you who shall be going straight to Hell when I'm done with you!"
Shun just set his gaze toward someone slowly rising to their feet. Seeing what was happening, he nodded his head and lowered his weapons.
"What gave you the right to kill me?" he hissed toward Ryusei. "I did nothing wrong and I've never insulted you in any way. What was your purpose?"
"To dismember the Kamen Rider Club before they got too close," Ryusei answered. "I was to infiltrate your ranks and tear you from the inside out."
"No, you were supposed to help us fight the Zodiarts! You tossed it all away when you went after Gentaro! Gentaro never did anything to you! You're just a heartless murderer!"
"You're right!" Ryusei grinned. "And now it's time for me to end this once and for all. Daimonji, Vasuki or whatever your name is, time to-"
Full Charge
Shun grinned as Ryusei turned around. Standing behind him was Gun Den-O tossing his Liner Pass away. The gun in his hand, and the orbs resting on the fins on the Kamen Rider's shoulders began to glow. They fired and fused into a large orb of energy that engulfed Ryusei in an explosion when it hit. Ryusei screamed in pain as he felt his own blood escaping his throat. He fell onto his knees in pain, hands close to his neck.
"You tricked me..." he whispered, turning to Shun. "How could you?"
"I did no such thing," Shun replied. "You sealed your fate the minute you decided to kill me."
Ryusei felt his eyes close as he collapsed onto the ground. Shun slowly approached Ryusei, gripping onto his patas, and placing a blade near his neck. He smiled as he began to raise it into the air...
Only to find JK grasping onto it with his hands.
"Shun, what are you doing?!" He exclaimed. "You can't kill him!"
"He killed me first!" Shun roared. "He deserves this!"
"Death isn't the answer, though! This is why we're in this situation in the first place! Calm down now!"
Shun stared into JK's eyes, the gossip broker giving the best glare he could give as his hands began to bleed. Shun just scoffed as he muttered something under his breath. The clothes and sword vanished, but the snake and sapphire remained.
"You win this time," he said to Ryusei. "But next time, I assure you that you'll die."
"Shun," said JK. "How exactly did Ryusei...kill you? What happened?"
"You want to know what happened?" Shun grasped onto the snake wrapped around his neck and tugged on it. "This is what happened."
JK looked in horror at what he saw around Shun's neck. It was a bloody wound that could only come from a sharp blade. Shun lifted the snake back onto his neck and stormed off, but JK began to follow him and ask quesetion after question as to what happened while he was knocked unconscious.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Axe and Wing Den-O heard the cries of someone screaming close by and rushed toward the scene. They were surprised to see Yukina with a lead pipe in hand, swinging it everywhere as if scaring off anyone that would try to piss her off. She looked like she just saw a red cloth waving in front of her face, preparing to charge toward the poor matador that waved it in front of him.
"I'll handle this," said Kintaros, cracking his neck. He approached Yukina and brought out a hand. "How are you doing—"
CLANK!
Kintaros felt the lead pipe hitting his head and stumbled back a bit. Chosuke muttered how it hurt but Kintaros still looked determined to get through to Yukina. He grabbed onto the lead pipe and tossed it away from the girl's hands. Yukina just turned toward Kintaros, her eyes glowing with absolute rage.
"Why are you acting so unlike a lady?" he asked. "How can we help?"
"I don't want your help!" Yukina snapped. "I want to know where Gentaro is at!"
"And why do you wish to know?" asked Sieg, preparing his boomerang for the worst. "Gentaro is not in his right state of mind, and neither are you. Have you ever heard of the expression, 'Anger makes you stupid?' I hate to say it, but this is the situation you're putting yourself in."
"What do you mean?!"
"You see…Gentaro's dead and—"
"I know that!"
"I meant, Gentaro's dead and has been resurrected by an evil serpent. He's no longer the 'one to befriend everyone in Amanogawa High'. Now he's the 'one to destroy the people who betrayed him.'"
"You too?" Yukina growled and stomped her foot on the ground. She brought her hands out as if she was going to strangle someone and added, "What is with everyone trying to get inbetween me and Gentaro? I'm his future wife! I need to be by his side! I need to—"
SLAP!
Kintaros had one strict rule when it came to being around girls: to never physically hurt them in any way, shape or form. So to slap Yukina across the face to snap her out of it not only pained her, it pained him also—especially since Yukina fell onto the ground from the force of the slap. Yukina rubbed the red spot on her cheek where Axe Den-O's hand slapped it, her eyes brimming with tears.
"I take it that you've recently slapped someone across the face," said Kintaros. "What is it like when the shoe's on the other foot? It looks fun to be the bully and lashing out at everyone, but it's a whole different story when you become the victim.
Yukina just backed away from the Kamen Riders and began to run, sobbing loudly. Kintaros sighed as he looked at his hands. Sieg went to his side and patted him on the back.
"It's not your fault," said the Swan Imagin. "She needs to learn the hard way. Whether or not she faces it head on will be another thing all together."
"I know," Kintaros replied, pulling out a tissue. He blew his nose with a loud honk. "I felt horrible slapping her across the face. I honestly didn't mean to hurt her…What type of Kamen Rider am I to harm a girl like that?"
"If it makes you feel better, I actually wanted to slap Yukina across the face too." Chosuke mentally noted. "Someone had to tell her the truth sooner or later."
Kintaros nodded his head and began to sob. Sieg and Norio stayed by the Bear Imagin's side, waiting patiently until Kintaros finished crying all of his tears.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Kamen Rider Nadeshiko and Virgo Zodiarts continued to fight in the sky, axe clashing against flamethrower and blue orbs against scorching red flames. Nadeshiko was at a disadvantage—the Gyro Switch was not fast enough to catch up to Virgo and her teleportation powers. She had to find a way to attack Virgo and end the battle once and for all.
"What's wrong, Nadeshiko?" asked the Zodiarts of the Maiden. "Are you getting tired? Too bad—you should've retreated while you had a chance."
"Never!" Nadeshiko exclaimed. "I shall never surrender!"
"You haven't even landed an attack on me; how can you hope to attain victory against someone like me?"
Nadeshiko stayed quiet, still hovering in the air as she contemplated on Virgo Zodiarts' words. She looked at her Driver, noting the two slots ready for her. She let out a sign as she removed the Gyro Switch from its slot and watched as the Module that kept her above the ground vanished. She began to fall onto the ground like a cannon ball dropped from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
"What an idiot…" Virgo muttered to herself, seeing her adversary slowly meeting her death when she smacked the ground. "What was she thinking when she…"
Rocket/Winch On
A winch rose into the air and wrapped around Virgo's axe. The Zodiarts of the Maiden looked down, seeing Nadeshiko's suit reverted to its bright silver color and the flamethrower replaced for the orange rocket module. Nadeshiko waved hello with her left hand, a light green casing for the Winch Module mounted on her left arm.
"NADESHIKO ROCKET UPPERCUT!" Nadeshiko cried, bringing her right arm up to smack Virgo Zodiarts right in the jaw with the Rocket Module. Virgo gasped as she then saw Nadeshiko release the winch and replace the switch on the far left slot for a yellow switch with the topper resembling a pair of scissors and the number 11 painted on its front.
Scissors On
Nadeshiko's left arm morphed into a large pair of yellow scissors as she flew toward her opponent. The boosters of the rocket burst into flame as the female Kamen Rider brought her left arm back, feeling the Scissors Module glowing with energy. When she neared her weakened opponent, she brought the scissors forward, firing a large beam of energy straight through the Zodiarts' chest!
"DAMN YOU, NADESHIKO!" Virgo screamed as she wrapped herself in her angelic wings and teleported from the battlefield. Nadeshiko just waved a goodbye as she descended back onto the ground where the rest of the Kamen Rider Club was waiting for her.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Yukina, still in tears after being slapped by Kintaros, wandered across the forest, unsure where she was. The night was slowly coming, and the air was turning cold. Shivering, she moved her hands up and down her arms in order to keep warm. The only thoughts in her mind was what Yuki told her back at the tori gates, the explanations about what was really going on with Gentaro, and Kintaros slapping her across the face. She had never been so humiliated like that in all of her life!
As she walked through the darkness, her eyes caught something suspicious. It was three figures—one girl and two boys—standing in a circle underneath the moonlight. What would they be doing at this time of night? That was the question in her mind as she stepped closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Well, Kukulkan," a deep voice hissed. "How do you like your new form?"
"I didn't ask for this!" A female voice snapped back. "Why are you doing this?"
"You didn't listen to us, you didn't heed our warnings, you're an ignorant bitch and you're just an evil person," the second male voice answered. Yukina gasped—that was Gentaro's voice. "Rejoice, Misa Torizaki. We've given you the gift of life after death. Your parents won't be crying over your rotting body just yet."
"I said I didn't ask for this!" Misa snapped. "And I'm not Kukulkan or whatever you just said! I'm—"
"The Swan Bitch that everyone likes to talk down upon because of you transforming poor Norio Eguchi into the heartless Cygnus Zodiarts," Gentaro interrupted. "You were unable to get past your reputation for the rest of your life, so you better get used to your new name…or else."
Yukina placed a hand over her mouth; so what everyone was saying was true. She felt tears fall down her face as she mentally berated herself for landing in this situation. Why did she not see this before? The answer hit her like a ton of bricks: she was too blind for her imaginary love of Gentaro that she never really took the words of the Kamen Rider Club to heart. Gentaro was not the knight in shining armor she was going to marry—he was now a cold, heartless shell of the Gentaro Kisaragi who first entered the Amanogawa High campus. How could let herself get into this mess?
"Show yourself, girl," said the deep and dark voice. "Come out before we kill you with our bare hands!"
Yukina gasped and kept still, afraid of what was awaiting her. She fell onto her knees and took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapidly beating hard down. She had to escape before Gentaro killed her. She had to apologize for her actions and her anger. She had to apologize to Yuki for slapping her—she wasn't a space case at all! She was a courageous person with lots of heart and…
"Coral Snake: Engage."
Before Yukina even had a chance to know what hit her, she felt a deep sharp blade pierce through her heart. Then…everything went black.
Next time: The night can reveal a lot about a person that they don't want to reveal. As the Kamen Rider Club begins to rest for Day 2 of the Kyoto Trip, the forces of evil are hard at work to snuff out the light that seems to shine within the darkness. What are they planning and is there anyway to stop this madness?
To be continued in XIV: Shadows of the Damned