Horseshoes and Hand-grenades
XV: 20-8-5/4-1-13-14-5-4/4-15-14-'20/4-1-14-3-5
"He who believes all things and believes nothing is damned."
-Sargent Shriver
Once Miu wrote down the events that happened within the small groups, she entered the train car where she and Shun would be sleeping for the night. She didn't want to think that what JK told her was true, though. How could Shun have died and why did Ryusei do such a thing? This was Gentaro Kisaragi's death all over again...
Gripping onto her cellphone—which was repaired thanks to Erin's Aquariurs powers—she noticed Shun on his bed, resting in a lotus stance in meditation. She could still see the large gash on his neck where Ryusei killed him, making her feel sick inside. At least with Gentaro, he died happy and without blood.
Miu slowly approached him and said, "Shun, can I talk to you about something?"
"You may," Shun answered calmly, slowly opening an eye. "Go on."
"JK said that you were resurrected by someone known as Vasuki. How was that?"
"Simple," Shun lightly touched the sapphire on his forehead. "As I was heading toward the afterlife, I met up with Vasuki, the Tethering Serpent. He saw my distress and told me that I could return to the land of the living. I took that chance, knowing that I only desired to become stronger to protect you. However, I can't protect you anymore."
"What do you mean by that? Shun, do you know what you've done?!"
"I have, and I accepted it with grace and dignity," Shun calmly stated, closing his eyes once more. "I am now a disciple of Shiva, the Destroyer, and I shall follow under his guidance for the rest of my days."
"And...how long would that be?" Miu asked softly.
"Until it's time for the world to be destroyed. As the Serpent-bearer to Vasuki, it is my responsibility to ensure that the world is safe from this threat, and to churn the nectar of immortality once Ophiuchus has been slain."
"No..." Miu shook her head in disbelief. "Shun, that snake tricked you like Ophiuchus tricked Gentaro! You sold your soul to a monster!"
"No I didn't!" Shun snarled, grabbing onto the bedsheets. "Ryusei did! He was going to kill you after he was done with me! He's the one who made a deal with Tatsumori and caused this mess! He gave his soul the enemy, not me!"
"You did too!" Miu exclaimed. "You're now a disciple to some Hindu deity capable of creating Armageddon and you won't...you won't..." She fell onto her knees as tears fell down her face. "You won't be with us anymore..."
"It was a decision I chose to make, to benefit all of us," Shun answered. "There are some things in life that people aren't going to like, but they do so in the sake of helping others. Life isn't all sunshine and butterflies like Gentaro believes it is. There's always some things that the light will never be able to reach."
With that, Shun returned to his meditations while Miu continued to sob.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Yuki Joji stared at the two switches in front of him: one that used by the enemy, the other that was a gift from space. From what he learned from the Kamen Rider Club, the switches were channeled by a source of power known as 'Cosmic Energy' that presumably came from the reaches of outer space. They also explained that Kengo's father, Rokuro Utahoshi, was part of something known as the OSTO—abbreviations for the Over Space Technology Organization—that specialized in creating high-tech tools from said Cosmic Energy. Throughout all his years in fighting bad guys, Joji had never seen something so cutting edge until today.
Daisuke entered the train car, carrying two bowls of oyaku for the two in a large tray. He sat himself down and noticed the look of concentration in his friend's eyes.
"Joji alright?" he asked. "You in contemplation?"
"I'm fine, Daisuke," Joji answered, picking up the Clear Drill Switch—as he was now calling it—with his left hand. "I'm just wondering about our current situation with these Zodiarts and of Ophiuchus." He placed the Clear Drill Switch down and picked up the Cancer Horoscope Switch. "The mastermind, Mitsuaki Gamou, Chairman of Amanogawa High, apparently needs these Horoscope Switches to achieve his plan. From what I have been told, he only has four in his possession: Virgo, Leo, Libra and Scorpio. We also have the student known as Toshiya Miura acting as a replacement Aries Zodiarts, meaning he now has five of the switches."
"How many does he need?"
"Twelve. With Erin and her Aquarius Switch, and the Cancer Switch we have now, that means that there are a total of seven switches. The only ones that haven't been revealed are: Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus, Gemini, and Sagittarius. Unfortunately, the only way to find the switches is by letting some innocent student be captured and transformed into a Zodiarts. Then, we have to let their 'Star of Rebirth' shine after some time before they evolve into one of the five specific Horoscopes. The only way to do that is to let these students erode their humanity and become monstrous beings." Joji snarled and slammed the Horoscope Switch onto the table before running a hand through his hair. "What type of monster would do such a thing? And on innocent children? That high school is just a breeding ground for monsters now!"
"Gamou will not succeed," said Daisuke. "We shall stop him."
"And we will save Gentaro from Ophiuchus," said Joji. "For now, we must rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."
Daisuke nodded his head in reply. Just then, the door to their car opened, revealing Nadeshiko Misaki. She walked toward them in silence before sitting down, her hands folded over her lap. Daisuke smiled.
"Friend of Gentaro is friend of mine," he said. He brought his hands up with his pinkies touching. Nadeshiko smiled and soon replicated the sign of friendship. Joji also gave the newcomer a small smile.
"You remind me of Shigeru's old partner, Yuriko Misaki," said Joji. "Even down to her name."
"Yuriko?" Nadeshiko repeated. "Who's Yuriko?"
"She was a woman who worked alongside a fellow Kamen Rider named Jo Shigeru," Joji explained. "Shigeru-san was a football player that was kidnapped by a group known as Black Satan due to his athletic capabilities. He was going to be transformed into a monster, but instead took the surgery and the mantle of Kamen Rider Stronger, vowing revenge on the organization that killed his best friend.
"As he escaped Black Satan, he met up with a woman named Yuriko Misaki. She was also a human who obtained powers similar to Shigeru and she went under the alias known as 'Electric Human Tackle' to fight alongside him."
"Yuriko isn't a Kamen Rider?" asked Nadeshiko, tilting her head in confusion. "Why not?"
"There are…many different theories as to why not," Joji began. "Shigeru's answer, or at least the one makes the most sense, is that when Yuriko died when activating her Ultra Cyclone ability, it was saying farewell to the person that she was before passing on. Yuriko was in love with Shigeru, but due to their condition there would be no chance for them to have a peaceful life. If anything, Shigeru was giving what Yuriko would wanted—the chance to become human once more."
Nadeshiko stayed silent as she saw Joji take a bowl of oyaku before bowing her head. She turned to Daisuke who was also enjoying the rice porridge before turning his gaze toward her. Nadeshiko quickly shook her head before staring outside. The stars were shining bright that evening, as if sending her a message that things would end up okay…that Gentaro would be safe and would return to his friends once more.
"Gentaro…" Nadeshiko whispered softly. She let out a small sigh. "Gentaro…"
0-0-0-0-0-
Yuki Jojima looked at the night sky and sighed, her Hayabusa plushie resting on her lap. The other Kamen Rider Club Girls were spread out in the car, each of them occupied in their own little world. Erin was writing in her journal, and Tomoko was drawing in her sketchbook.
Recalling the incident at the theater, Yuki felt bad on tricking Yukina like that, but she was just plain irritated on Yukina's excessive whining and complaining. Besides, if Yukina had all that energy berating them, she could've used it to beat the Dustards half to death.
The night sky made the space otaku remember when she and Gentaro were young, and how they looked at the stars together. It was there that Gentaro told her that he believed in her dream in going into space. A part of her wanted to scream at the sky, hoping that someone out there would hear her. What happened to those carefree days? What made Gentaro forget everything that they did? Just remembering all of those happy times with her childhood friend made her feel sick inside.
Erin, having finished her diary entry, turned to see Yuki silently sobbing to herself. She approached the space otaku and sat by her side, giving her a gentle embrace. Yuki continued to sob all the same.
"It's about Gentaro, isn't it?" said Erin, running a hand down Yuki's back. "You miss him, don't you?"
"I do," Yuki sniffled. "The night sky reminded me of my promise with Gen-chan all those years ago...in fact, it involves why I'm studying to become an astronaut."
"Really? What happened?"
"When I was a little girl, I was doing my homework in my room. Then, I heard a gentle voice speaking to me in my mind." Yuki turned to the stars shining bright. "It was a voice that told me that they wanted me to go to space. Of course, aside from my parents, Gen-chan was the only one who actually believed me. That's why when he moved, I gave him a space-ticket and promised to take him into space with me once I became an astronaut. Now..." More tears fell down Yuki's face. "Now I'll never fulfill my promise."
She began to cry into Erin's shoulder as Erin continued to soothe her fellow space-lover. Tomoko turned to her fellow friends before letting out a sigh.
"Death is never an answer," she whispered, staring at the sketch she was workng on. It depicted her and Ryusei, except Ryusei was covered with blood and had no face, and she was sobbing in a corner. Recalling the scene with Ryusei's face covered with blood, she tore the sketch out of the sketchbook and ripped it in half. "It was never an answer to begin with."
She picked up her pencil and began to draw once more, all while the halves of her previous sketch fell onto the ground, forgotten.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Kunieru Emoto a.k.a Tachibana a.k.a Virgo Zodiarts, teleported himself into the M-Bus Station, Ryusei's body in his hands. He couldn't believe what happened. The Cosmic Energy placed inside Ryusei made him too unstable. Not only was Ryusei near death, but Shun's death only brought another serpent into the mix.
He let out a snarl as he opened a door into a small laboratory inside the satellite. It was completely white, with an operating table and sheet in the middle. Emoto placed Ryusei's frail body onto the table, the teenager slowly opening his eyes.
"Father..." Ryusei murmured. "I can't take it...it hurts."
Emoto shook his head. Where did he get the notion to make Ryusei call him 'Father' from? There was no time to have emotions. There was too much at stake as there was. If he was going to save Ryusei, he had to do it now.
"Rest, my son," He whispered in a soothing tone. "I'm going to give you your...medicine to help you feel better. Just close your eyes and leave everything to me."
Ryusei slowly nodded his head and closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. Emoto grit his teeth as he prepared another IV line of Cosmic Energy. This was going to be a very long night.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
The DenLiner stopped by Haruka's house as both Haruka and Ohsugi stepped out. Haruka unlocked the door with a spare key underneath the welcome mat and opened it, gesturing the geography teacher to sit down. Ohsugi nodded his head, removed his shoes and sat down in the living room.
"It's not much, but it's home," said Haruka, also removing her shoes. "Let me go to my room and we'll be out of here in two shakes of a lamb's tail."
Ohsugi nodded his head as he let out a sigh. The whole day was filled with so much chaos and destruction, that it was nice to take a breather and just relax. He knew that these happy days were limited, so he had to make every minute count. If only things were like the school festival where Amanogawa High, even if it was for just a few hours, didn't have to worry about Dustards, Zodiarts or the school faculty being monsters. The students were just students, the teachers were just teachers, and the school was just like any other school during School Festival day. Looking back now, he wish he could've been the faculty adviser of the Kamen Rider Club so he could help them with their Kamen Rider presentation. Maybe it would've made a bit of difference in the world.
Then, it was if something lit up inside his head. That was it! He figured out a way that he could help the team!
"Haruka!" said Ohsugi, standing up and rushing toward the hallway. He opened the door that lead to her bedroom. "I have a brilliant ideAH!"
Haruka held her katana close to his face when she turned around. The geography teacher placed a hand to his chest, taking deep breaths as he saw Haruka sheath her weapon. He then announced, "We need to stop by Amanogawa High now!"
"But why?" asked Haruka. "What's so important at the school that we need to go there?"
"I have an idea on how I can protect myself in battle tomorrow. All I need is some 'armor' to do the trick." Ohsugi just grinned in excitement. "I haven't told you about what happened at last year's school festival, have I?"
"No, you haven't. Why? Did some big fight happen there?"
"Well, yes and no. I'll tell you the rest while we head back to the train. Maybe you can show me your katana skills while we're at it."
"I was actually going to ask Owner if I could be the leader of the Den-O team," Haruka answered, pulling out a ribbon from her pocket and tying her hair back. "They need someone to guide them if they're going to be our main attacking force tomorrow."
"That's true," Ohsugi nodded his head in reply. "We best gather everyone to the Dining Cart after we pick up the items back at Amanogawa. It's time to plan our next move."
Haruka nodded her head in reply as she brought out her hand. Ohsugi took it, and the two proceeded to replicate Gentaro's handshake. Once their fists bumped, they proceeded to walk out of the house and enter the DenLiner once more.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Kengo slowly opened his eyes, the night sky shining above him. He suddenly sat up, noting something was wrong. He wasn't supposed to be there—the last thing he remembered before going to bed was being in the hospital. How long was he unconscious? And why was he here in the first place?
"Ooh, you're finally awake! Thank goodness!"
Kengo turned and immediately found himself tackled onto the ground and someone's hands pinning his arms down. Before he had a chance to ask what was going on, he felt someone place a kiss on his lips. His eyes widened before he push the one kissing him away, a hand over his lips.
"What the-?" He turned to the person kissing him, his face covered with red and yellow scales and licking a black blade dagger in delight. Kengo ran his bare arms up and down his...wait, bare arms? He looked down and found himself only dressed in a white linen skirt and golden bracelets. A wave of a paranoia spread over his shivering body. What happened to him after his trip to the hospital?
"Don't you remember me, Apep?" asked the person. "It's me, Jiro...the Serpent of Obsidian Knives."
"Jiro?" Kengo repeated. "Jiro...Sakuta's best-"
"Don't say that name around me, Apep," Jiro hissed, placing the dagger close to his neck. "I HATE Sakuta. I hate him with such a fucking passion that I just want to see him DIE!" He snarled and turned away, clenching his fist in anger.
"You always say that, yet you haven't done anything to actually hurt him," said Yuri, turning toward Jiro. "Talk is cheap, and so was your death."
"D-death?" Kengo turned to Jiro. "You're..."
"Dead? No, I was," Jiro stood up and looked into the night sky. "The Serpent-bearer and Master Ophiuchus saved me from the death from Sakuta-" He gnashed his teeth. "Because all he cared about was himself! He wanted me dead this whole entire time...but," Jiro turned to Kengo, his face softened as he knelt toward him. "The Serpent-bearer gave you to me." He placed his head over Kengo's chest, hearing its steady heartbeat. "And now I feel so happy."
"Get a room, you two," Yuri snarled, rolling her eyes in disgust. "The last thing I need is you two making out all the time."
"Kuramochi-san?" Kengo asked, slowly crawling away. "W-what...and then...where..."
"Don't worry about her, Apep," Jiro giggled, placing gentle kisses over Kengo's ear. "After all, you were the one who brought her to us. Isn't that right, Serpent-bearer?"
"That's right, Serpent of the Obsidian Knives," A figure slowly approached Kengo, a smile on his face. "Apep has been such a good serpent, hasn't he?"
Kengo looked into the eyes of the 'Serpent-bearer' and felt his heart beating faster than humanely possible. It was Gentaro Kisaragi, and he was alive.
"Kisaragi..." he whispered. "You're alive...but how?"
"Ah, so that spell finally wore off," Gentaro muttered, shaking his head. "I guess that makes sense when your homeroom teacher gets rid of your mind control collar."
"C-Collar? Ohsugi-sensei? Kisaragi, what's going on? And why am in this?!" Kengo fisted the linen skirt he was draped in. "What are you?"
"I am the Serpent-bearer," Gentaro stated calmly, hand close to his cheek as a small black snake weaved throughout his arm. "Master Ophiuchus granted me mercy and brought me back to life. In return, all I need to do is gather the serpents he needs for his ultimate plan. It's so sad that my first one decides to see the truth, though. What a pity..."
"K-Kisaragi," Kengo stammered. "This isn't like you. Where are the others? What happened to them?"
"Why the fuck should I care about them? Where were they when I was dying? Can you answer that? Where were you, Kengo Utahoshi?" Gentaro snarled and leaned in close, grabbing Kengo by his neck. "You were supposed to give me the strategies to help me fight! You didn't do anything to stop Sakuta! You left me to DIE!"
"How was I supposed to know Sakuta betrayed us! Please Kisaragi, open your eyes!"
"My eyes are already open to the truth—you never CARED FOR ME! CIRCINUS!"
The two sharp blades mounted on Gentaro's wrists, the one on his right dangerously close to Kengo's neck. Kengo felt the tears water down his eyes as he knew what was going to happen next—he was going to die.
"Stop it!" Kengo screamed. "Please, don't do this! I'm begging you...this isn't like you! I can help you; the Kamen Rider Club can help! You don't have to be like this..."
"Too late," Gentaro snarled. "The best way to ensure that you are always with me is if you DIE FOR ME! Coral Snake: ENGAGE!"
Kengo saw the blade on Gentaro's right arm grow, ready to skewer him through the heart. He closed his eyes and let out a loud howl as he was about to be impaled by his best friend. His body was wrapped in a pair of light-based wings that grew like branches of a tree. His eyes began to glow red and his body was wrapped in a white cloak that shielded him from the sharp blade. Gentaro hissed and covered his eyes as Kengo soon disappeared when the wings cocooned him and shrank into a mote of light. When Gentaro opened his eyes, Kengo was no longer seen.
"Where did he go?" Gentaro growled. He turned to his serpents. "Find him and bring him back! Now!"
"Right," said Jiro. "Oh sweet Apep, we'll be together soon! Just you wait!"
"Whatever," Yuri muttered, transforming her body into water. "I'm not the one who decides who kisses underneath the mistletoe after all."
With the three Serpents gone, all that was left was Gentaro, Yukina and Misa. Misa, whose mouth was gagged by a serpent wrapping around her mouth, whimpered in fear as she saw Gentaro spit out the head of a snake out of his mouth.
"Why Master Ophiuchus wants me to revive this love crazy slut is beyond me," he muttered. He pulled out the blade in Yukina's chest and parted her lips. "However, Master is never wrong. I shouldn't be so wary to his plans. After all..." he smiled as he dropped the snake head into Yukina's mouth. "I'll have more serpents to tame very soon."
Misa looked in horror as she saw Gentaro's face covered in snake scales and a pair of wings growing from his back. She prayed that she would make it out alive, and that she could somehow escape this horrible fate.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Once everyone had dinner and met up in the Dining Cart, and Ohsugi made his trip to Amanogawa High, Miu wheeled in a giant white board in the center of the cart, the board scribbled with everyone's names and bunched into groups. She took a deep breath; even though she knew of Shun's sacrifice, she had to maintain composure. She was still the Chairman to the Kamen Rider Club, and she still had to lead the group into battle. Her personal problems with Shun's payment with Vasuki would have to wait.
"Everyone," she began. "I've gathered you all here and divided us into three groups to prepare for three major attacks on Kyoto: Gentaro and Ophiuchus, the Horoscopes Zodiarts, and the remaining two pillars. The groups will be as follows."
She pointed to a small drawing of Gentaro and a snake next to him. "I shall be leading the Kamen Rider Club Girls to locate Gentaro and see if we can find Yukina. Seeing as she hasn't been seen for quite some time, it is safe to say that she is currently with the enemy."
"If she hasn't been killed in broad daylight," Norio muttered to himself.
Miu ignored the comment and then pointed to a section with the astronomy signs of Leo, Virgo, Libra and Aries. "Haruka-sensei, you will lead the Den-O Kamen Riders toward these four Zodiarts. Be on your toes: their abilities are dangerous if you're not careful."
"Understood," said Haruka, hand resting on her katana. "I've got some questions on those who would want to use Amanogawa High for breeding monsters."
Miu nodded her head as she pointed to a drawing of two pillars and turned to Ohsugi. "Ohsugi-sensei, you and the Kamen Riders will see to it that the other stone pillars are secure. Whatever Chairman Gamou is planning, it has to deal with their destruction. So far, we only know that the one near the Senbon torii were shattered, but the remaining three should still be intact."
"It should, but it doesn't mean it is," said Ohsugi, staring at the map in his hand. "But that doesn't mean we can just sit back and watch these monsters get away with this."
"I agree," said Owner, taking a spoonful of fried rice into his mouth. Once he swallowed he began to speak once more. "We must take action now, and make sure that we are not oblivious to any possible threats that might be a hindrance to us."
"We still need to find out who's behind about Ryusei's actions," said Hana. "Even if Gun Den-O destroyed him, who's to say his creator won't bring in another drone to fight us?"
"The creator would need some time in order to activate and prepare a walking-talking robotic teenager to come after us, wouldn't they?" asked Joji. "And time is what we don't have right now. We've done everything we could today and we have a few minor victories against him."
"That's right," said Chosuke. "The chairman can't activate his plans without all the Switches and we have two of them with us! That still gives us some time to stall and uncover what he's truly after."
"But we still don't know what Gen-chan is looking for," said Yuki. "He brought Jiro back because of their history with Sakurai, he chose Yuri because of her past, but why did he choose Kengo?"
"That's going to take time working out," said JK, typing at his laptop. "It'll probably take me all night to get something."
"Kengo has some sort of otherworldly presence," said Tomoko, working on her new sketch. "I had this odd feeling about him for a while. He's...not from Earth."
"'Not...from...Earth...'" JK wrote the words down on a piece of paper. "What's next? Are you saying he came from Mars?"
"Kengo just has some strange aura that I can't identify. We can't brush this theory aside—who knows if it's important?"
"And what's important for us now is that we get some sleep," said Haruka. "Everyone, be up by 8 AM. No excuses. We can't be tired when there's a war approaching."
Everyone nodded their heads as they headed toward their respective train carts. Miu began wiping down the whiteboard, taking a glance at her drawing of Gentaro before furiously wiping it off. Shun's words still echoed in her head as she set the eraser down, before heading off to her own bed to rest for the night.
She didn't want to kill Gentaro, no one wanted to do. Unfortunately, it was coming very apparent that it was their only option at this point.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Kengo materialized near a water fountain, the white wings on his back fading away as he looked at his surroundings. He was alive and far away from Gentaro. The only question now was what was he going to do next? He didn't know where the Kamen Rider Club was at, no idea how long he was out, and no idea where he was.
His mind was spinning out of control. Nothing was making sense. He felt so dizzy and sick...something wasn't right.
"Kengo? Kengo, is that you?"
Kengo lifted his head to see Principal Hayami rushing up to him, a smile on his face. The principal went to Kengo's side and helped him up.
"I'm glad I found you," he said. "But, why are you wearing a skirt?"
"I have no clue," Kengo placed a hand on his forehead. "All I remember was going to the hospital after Kisaragi's funeral service. Then...I felt like I was waking up from a deep dream."
"Ah, you must still be affected from losing a good friend of yours. People go through grief in many ways and it must be affecting you still." Hayami lightly patted Kengo on the shoulder. "You should go find some shelter for the evening and I'll take you back home tomorrow so you can rest. You look as if you saw a ghost."
"Yeah," Kengo shivered as he felt the cold air form goosebumps over his arms. "And it feels as if one touched me. I feel so weak though."
"I'll take you to my room at the ryokan and you can bunk wth me for the evening," Hayami patted Kengo on the head. "Come on, let's get going."
The principal removed his coat and draped it over Kengo's shivering form and the two walked together in silence. Kengo, still confused and frightened as to what was going on, buttoned the coat and concentrated on returning home safely and reuniting with the Kamen Rider Club. Unfortunately, he did not notice the sinister look in the principal's eyes as Hayami let out a low hiss.
"This little serpent has lost his way..." he thought. "Let him have his fun and bring his guard down...when the time is right, I, Ecydsis, will bring him back to Master Ophiuchus and the Serpent-bearer. Then, our little family will become closer to fulfilling its goal. Wait for me until then."
Next time: While Kyoto prepares for a day it shall never forget, in Futo City, the Narumi Detective Agency is expecting some very dark visitors. Shotaro Hidari is about to become part of the war in a way he'd never expect.
To be continued in Intermission 2: Voodoo Child