Horseshoes and Hand-grenades
XXIII: 4-1-18-11-14-5-19-19/1-20/14-15-15-14
"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people."
-Carl Jung
When Yuki opened her eyes, she noticed some peculiar things about her hands. The item in her hand was now a Horoscope Switch, similar to the ones that were held in the hands of Yamada Tatsumori, Natsuji Kijima, and Erin Suda. The second thing that she noticed, was that her hands were...human. She didn't transform into a strange alien at all!
The third thing that she noticed was the half-mask covering the right side of her face. She lightly touched it with a finger, feeling the smooth porcelain against her fingertip. Lowering her hand, she saw both Misa and Yukina staring at her as if she had grown an extra head.
"Oi!" cried a voice. "Over here!"
Yuki turned to her right, seeing an exact duplicate of her. The double was wearing the Amanogawa High uniform and a half-mask on the left side of her face. In the double's hand was a deck of red cards, stamped with the face of a harlequin.
"Eh, who are you?" asked Yuki with some confusion. "And why do you look like me?"
"It's because I'm you, or at least I'm an aspect of you," said the double. "You can call me Other Yuki if you want, but I like Fumika more. It sounds more close to home."
"Fumika..." Yuki remembered hearing her parents wanting to call her that long ago, but they changed their minds so that she could continue the trend that her parents had (whose names were Yomi Jojima and Yusuke Jojima). Even so, the name 'Fumika' projected a mental image of a younger sister that Yuki wanted. Well, she got her wish...but not in the way that she expected.
"Come on, Yuki nee-chan!" Fumika giggled. "We have the power to stop this madness now, because we are the Gemini Zodiarts!"
"G-Gemini Zodiarts?" Yuki looked at the top of the Horoscope switch. Sure enough, she saw the astrological sign of Gemini—a Roman Number 2 with curved lines crossing the vertical lines instead of straight ones—greeting her. At this moment, it dawned on her on what happened. She became a Horoscopes Zodiarts sought after by the chairman of her High School.
"I don't care who you are!" said Yukina, interrupting both Jojimas. "You both need to be put on ice!"
She fired a beam of ice from her palms that froze the ground beneath Fumika and Yuki's feet. Yuki began to slip all over the ice, but Fumika jumped back, flinging five of the red cards toward Yukina's face. When they neared, the cards exploded, covering Yukina in a blast of fire and smoke.
"Don't just stand there!" Fumika exclaimed. "Yuki, summon your cards and toss them at Misa-Misa. Then, wait till I give the signal!"
"Um, all right," Yuki concentrated and felt a deck of cards materialize in her hands. She ducked just as Misa was hurled a multitude of feathers toward the otaku, their quills piercing through the ice. Looking up, Yuki noticed Misa's appearance had changed: she now had a pair of white, feathery wings on her back along with a multitude of white scales covering her body. She was becoming less human and looked more like a hybrid of a bird and snake.
"Stupid otaku!" Misa screamed. "DIE!"
A flurry of feathers began to fly toward Yuki. Yuki sucked in her breath and crouched down, sliding on her belly across the icy floor. The feathers began to follow after her while the otaku began her best to scatter at least five cards into the air. The cards zipped and zoomed like kites in the breeze, sticking themselves onto Misa's body. Misa blasted two of them away with a swipe of her hand, and a third she ripped in half. She then raised a hand at Yuki, hoping that her feathers would prick the idiotic girl's eyes out.
Yuki shivered when her palms touched the ice as she propelled herself to the ground. At the same time Fumika slipped across the ice, spreading seven cards as she past by, causing seven geysers of fire to rise and block Yukina from firing anymore ice beams at the two. She then laced her fingers to perform a step.
"Now!" she said. "Jump into the air!"
"Eh?" Yuki placed a foot on her double's intertwined hands before Fumika lifted her into the air. Yuki dabbled in a bit of gymnastics—mostly so her body got used to the lack of gravity in space—and she was quite familiar with the feeling of jumping into the air. She did a backflip by tucking her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around them, camoflaged by the smoke from Fumika's cards.
Time seemed to pass slowly as Yuki straightened out her legs. She then aimed a blue card at Misa's back, while her opponent was distracted. With a flick of her wrist, the card stuck itself in-between Misa's feathery wings. She then landed a bit clumsily and dropped to her knees, but it looked like Misa didn't know what hit her. Fumika went to Yuki's side and giggled.
"Now what?" asked Yuki.
"Snap your fingers in 3..." Fumika saw the smoke start to fade away. "2..." Misa and Yukina pointed a finger at them. "1...GO!"
Yuki snapped her fingers as the card on Misa's back exploded. Misa screamed as her wings began to burn, and she began to fall to the ground like Icarus. She landed on her back with a sickening thud, but since she was already dead, the blow was only going to knock her out temporarily.
"You bitch!" Yukina screamed. She clenched her fist and surrounding her were a multitude of icicles. "You dirty, little..."
Fumika shut her up by tossing a red card over Yukina's mouth and heart. Then, there was a muffled scream as the ice user was engulfed in an explosion before she too descended onto the ground. With both girls out for the count, Fumika raised her hand into the air and yelled, "High Five!"
Yuki didn't respond as she looked at the Horoscope switch in her hand with worry. There was no turning back now. She clenched her fist and concentrated on some of the most negative thoughts she had in her mind—the humiliation she endured for her Hayabusa costume back at the Queen's Festival, the whispers behind her back when she sang the Hayabusa song to the Glee Club, and the mocking cries of "Stop! Stop!" from Misa and Yukina that magnified her hatred for herself unable to save Gentaro. She hated to dig through these memories, but these were the only things that could give her power.
"Fumika," she began. "Do you know what our Zodiarts form looks like?"
Fumika lowered her hand and tilted her head to the side. After a few seconds, she smiled.
"Of course I do!" she said, approaching the Horoscope switch in Yuki's hand. "But we both need to activate the switch together. So on the count of three: 1...2...3..."
Both Yukis pressed onto the top of the Horoscope Switch and were surrounded by a large cloud of Cosmic Energy.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Tomoko, Miu and Erin carried Yuri to a nearby bench, using their jackets as makeshift pillows for the time being. Miu was currently on the phone with JK, while Tomoko and Erin took turn keeping eye on Yuri to see if she was waking up.
"How are you doing?" asked Miu. "JK, what's happened?"
"Well," JK began. "Our attempts to stop Leo and Virgo have failed—there was no Aries Zodiarts in sight, far as I can tell—and Shun's gone full Serpent-bearer mode against Virgo last we saw him."
"Oops! I thought Shun was Rod Den-O at that point. How did this happen?"
"Ryutaros fired a gun straight into his heart, that's how! Look, Chosuke, Motoyama and I are on the run and need to get to the North Pillar ASAP. I have to talk to you later. Say hi to the girls for me."
"All right. See you later, JK." Miu hung up and grit her teeth. She still felt angry over Shun's decision to create that contract, but what made it worse was that he probably didn't have any other choice. By the time anyone realized what happened to Shun, he would already have been dead from Ryusei slicing his throat. Vasuki just gave him a second chance to live. That's what a lot of people wanted; Shun took a one-time opportunity to be with his friends and family before he had to pass on.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Yuri slowly waking up. Yuri placed a hand on her head and noticed Tomoko and Erin staring at her.
"It's like I've been asleep for days," she muttered. "What happened?"
"Let's see," said Tomoko. "You've been brainwashed and gained access to water similar to your time as a Lunar Witch, you scalded a little girl's back with it, you scalded Yuki with it, and you've just been freed by said brainwashing from Gentaro Kisaragi."
"That can't be true...last time I checked, I was with Kengo. He wanted to tell me something, and then..."
"Then he must've brainwashed you," Erin concluded. "You're safe now, although you might want to talk about Miu about all your frustrations."
"Frustrations?"
"You accused Miu of not helping you out in the end," said Tomoko, pointing to a quiet Miu Kazashiro. "While it was true that she didn't help you, she also mentioned that you never mentioned your pain and sorrow. Why didn't you ask?"
"Well," Yuri sighed. "Just look at her! She's the Queen of Amanogawa High, and I'm just some awkward girl who believes in mermaid tales and wanted to be a good swimmer. We live in two different worlds."
"Everyone does," Miu replied, staring at her cellphone. "That doesn't mean we can't try to communicate with each other, right? When people don't speak well, their words can be warped. Their intentions can be corrupted, and their feelings hurt. Why did you latch onto Ritsuko's words so easily?"
"Because...it was like she understood me."
"That excuse," Miu shook her head. "And where did it lead to in the end? Did you want people to be afraid of you, or did you want people to accept you? Yuri, fear leads to anger, but acceptance brings happiness. You only wanted to be happy in the end, didn't you?"
Yuri felt Miu's words pierce her heart. She felt the tears brim her eyes as she began to sob.
"I take that as a 'Yes'," Tomoko noted. "Although, does that justify all that she's done while brainwashed?"
"It wasn't exactly her fault," Erin noted. "All of that suppressed anger in Yuri's heart was magnified by the serpent that brainwashed her. That doesn't explain about Gentaro, though..."
"It's all right," said Miu, hugging Yuri. "You are forgiven. Just talk to the swim club about your feelings. If they start hazing you again, talk to the student council and they'll shut down the bullying. After that, all of it depends on you."
"Just like the world depends on us," Erin muttered, staring at her Aquarius Horoscope Switch.
0-0-0-0-0-0-
Shun thrusted the pata blades toward his opponent's heart. Virgo projected a pink barrier that shielded her from the attack. The Serpent-bearer snarled, seeing that his frontal assault was useless against the defensive attacker.
"You...can't...hide behind this forever!" Shun snarled, continuing to jab the shield with the tips of his blades. "You need to attack sooner or later!"
"Who said my objective was to attack?" asked the Zodiarts of the Maiden. "I just want to see what you're made of. I know of the Tethering Serpent that lives in your soul, Shun Daimonji. I know that he's nothing more than a coward for becoming the slave to the Bringer of the World's Destruction."
"How dare she-!" Vasuki hissed in Shun's mind. "How DARE she insult Lord Shiva! He saved me from death! He saved me when no one else would! Serpent-bearer, let's show her the power that Shiva gave me."
Shun nodded his head as he lowered his arms. Virgo stayed silent as she saw her opponent stay still. The barrier that protected her from her opponent's weapons faded away. Now was the perfect chance to send the fool into the Dark Nebula. Even if Shun no longer needed oxygen, she knew that it would be impossible for him to return to Earth before burning up in the atmosphere. Now was her chance to strike.
"Your hesitation has brought your downfall," she announced, raising the Rhodia axe into the air. "I hope you have a good trip into space."
Seeing Virgo open, Shun threw one of the blades at her shoulder. Virgo screamed, feeling her arm become numb as she dropped her axe. She dropped to her knees in pain, panting for breath.
"What...did you do to me?" she asked.
"My master gained his loyalty to Shiva while churning the ocean of milk," Shun answered. "Lord Vasuki expelled a poisonous mist that threatened to destroy the world, but Shiva sacrificed his life and took the poision, dyeing his skin blue. That poison is what seeps through your veins now, and only I know the cure."
"You...son of a bitch!"
"Why do you call me that when you hide your true self, Emoto? At least I'm honest about what I've become. You seem to be hiding some secrets, aren't you?"
Virgo snarled as she tried to reach for her staff, but the poison was weakening her. Her shoulders sagged and she felt her vision go blurry. Shun smirked.
"Time's ticking," he said. "I give you the cure if you tell me what I need to know."
"And what would that be?"
"I want to know who you really are, Emoto. How are you related to Chairman Gamou and Rokuro Utahoshi? What happened to Rokuro on the moon years ago? And why are you still following the Chairman into producing these Zodiarts in the first place?"
"Is that all?" Virgo chuckled. "Such a naïve fool...to ask for these kiddy questions when you're still missing some of the bigger ones."
"Like what?"
"Who gave Ryusei Sakuta the ability to become Kamen Rider Meteor in the first place?"
Shun felt silent. Even after gaining all of these allies, abilities and knowledge about what was going on, it was barely scratching the surface. No one knew who gave Ryusei the means to become a 'Kamen Rider', nor did they know the exact purpose of Gamou even creating the Zodiarts aside from the 'Day of Awakening'. Virgo was just buying time so she could escape, just like every other Zodiarts was doing. It wasn't going to work this time.
"Speechless, are you?" the Zodiarts of the Maiden chuckled. "Well, at least I've got the last laugh. So, what will you do?"
"That bastard..." Shun snarled. "He leaves me no choice. Lord Vasuki, about this poison..."
"You only gave her a small dose." Vasuki answered back. "It'll go away in a few hours. If you wish to know the information, go ahead. I am not part of this conversation anyhow."
"You'll get feeling in your arm back soon enough," said Shun. "What do you know about Ryusei Sakuta?"
"Only that he is more than what he seems," Virgo reached toward the Rhodia Axe with her right hand and slowly rose to her knees. "You must search even deeper. Look to the stars for his origins. Only then, you'll know the truth."
"That's it?"
"That's all I can say. Farewell for now, Shun Daimonji. We'll be crossing paths soon enough."
Just as Shun threw his pata at Virgo, she teleported by slamming the end of her staff onto the ground. The former jock just stayed quiet before walking off.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Amazon was on the offensive, jumping into the air and rolling into a ball before splashing down on Kengo. Kengo couldn't move away in time as he fell to the water, and the jungle-like Kamen Rider began to use his powerful teeth to rip Kengo's arms off.
"Get off of me!" Kengo exclaimed, stabbing Amazon in the shoulder with his sword. The blade was wrapped in fire that caused the savage Kamen Rider to back away, rolling across the ground to snuff the flames. When he looked up, Kengo was already on his feet and grabbed the Kamen Rider by his scrawny neck.
"Pathetic," he noted. "If this is all that it takes to defeat the likes of you, it's no wonder the world hasn't been taken over by those stupid organizations. That's so sad..."
Amazon growled and created a horizontal slash with his gloves, creating a giant laceration going down Kengo's stomach. Kengo winced before he felt a punch to the jaw and he fell into Libra's arms. The Zodiarts of the Scales snarled.
"You dare hurt my son?!" he roared. "You will pay!"
"Kengo not your son, and you are not father!" Amazon retorted. "You will suffer!"
As the Zodiarts and Kamen Rider began to attack each other, Riderman was trying his best to use the new Arm. Philip used his black white-board marker to create small dots in the air. When he finished the twentieth dot, the dots fired into the air like bullets. Riderman rolled forward before jumping into the air, positioning the rocket drill for his target. Philip whipped out his green white-board marker and drew three horizontal lines.
A green hurricane appeared and lifted Riderman into the air. Thinking quick, Philip pulled out the red white-board marker and drew a line into the green tornado. Flames fused with the hurricane, ready to scorch the Kamen Rider above. Thinking quick, Riderman acted the boosters on the Rocket Drill Arm and jumped, the tip of the drill pointing at Philip's heart.
"A drill knows nothing but to pierce," Philip stated. "But the power of a pen provides infinite possibilities."
He pulled out a blue white-board pen from his sleeve, uncapped it, and dragged it toward the water. He then created a large C, and the water solidifed into a large wall of ice. Riderman's drill slammed into it, smashing the ice into thousands of small ice crystals, but Philip was nowhere to be seen.
"Whoever you are," said Riderman. "Know this. I promise to free you from the madness that Ophiuchus put you through. You will not suffer anymore."
"I am not suffering..." Philip chuckled, standing near the stone pillar. With the black marker in hand, he drew three thick lines pointing at Riderman. "On the contrary, I'm so happy to gain this power to destroy!"
Riderman turned to see three black lines zooming toward him. He was about to move out of the way, but two streams of water splashed against his legs, freezing him into place. Just as it looked like it would be the end of him. Someone tackled him into the water, and the black blades vanished.
Riderman looked up to see who saved him from certain death, and it was none other than Ban Chosuke.
"You!" he exclaimed. "Why are you not in Kamen Rider form?"
"There are ordinary people who do extraordinary things," Ban smirked. "I learned that a few days ago."
Philip snarled as he saw Chosuke, Motoyama and Norio in front of him, preparing to ruin his plans on killing the Avenging Demon. He placed a hand on the stone pillar, feeling all of the Cosmic Energy about to be let loose. Unfortunately, he couldn't have the joy of doing so until he had the satisfaction of killing all in his way.
"I don't know who you are or why you're doing this," said Norio. "But as heroes, we must put an end to your crimes."
"And to use art in such an evil way is a crime in itself," said Motoyama. "You should be ashamed."
"There's art in destruction, dear boy," said Philip. He drew a large circle and a line coming through it in black marker, and then placed a dot of red on the tip of the line. "Take fireworks for example. Gunpowder and explosions used to killing and destruction can blow up to create beautiful flowers in the sky..."
A large bomb appeared, the wick slowly disintegrating and ready to explode. Riderman pierced it with the Rocket Drill arm...only for it to explode into confetti.
"You see?" Philip chuckled. "I can create so much and you already brand me as a bad person. What have you done with your imagination that has caused your peers to praise you?"
"I inspired kids to truly express themselves in art," Motoyama answered. "And I can tell from what you've done is that you have no heart in it. You are a mockery of an artist, and I'm about to show you how it's done."
"I'm in!" said Norio. "To hurt a fellow hero like Joji here makes me angry!"
"And I just want to punch someone to into oblivion!" said Chosuke, punching a hand into a fist. "Let's fight!"
"Thank you, you three," said Riderman. He pointed a finger at Philip. "Shall we resume our fight then? You don't mind if it's a bit unfair, do you?"
"If that's what you want to do," Philip answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't expect me to go easy on you, though."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Riderman replied. "Attack!"
Next time: Yuki reunites with her friends under the guise of the Gemini Zodiarts while the fight between Fourze and Meteor must end in a draw for now. Gentaro Kisaragi decides to focus on absorbing the powers of all nearby Horoscopes and show how far he's really gone.
To be continued in, XXIV-"Noonday Demon"