Episode 8: Armor

Tani Junkyard, 11:33 AM

Come on, come on, come on!

I ride as fast as I could to the junkyard, taking the normal path – which seemed to be connected to the highway— as I get closer to the junkyard gate. I pressed the brake as an old man walked out from the small shack inside, "Hey, sonny. What's the rush?"

"Sir, did Ryuuko and Madoka went through here?" I asked of him, "Why yes, but I thought the race should be over by now. I don't think I've seen them come out…" Shit, that sounds bad. "Sir, there's a high probability that they're under attack by the Gro—I mean, by the Unknown Lifeforms." Gotta keep up the charade, not sure if it's a good idea to call them Grongi to random people.

I hear something deep within the yard… and that's when she jumped out.

Madoka came running out of the yard, her leg limping as blood drips down her pants. Then, Ryuuko was thrown away like a ragdoll, but managed to roll back up, wielding a dented steel pipe. She was bleeding too. And then… there she is.

Zu-Mebio-Da… you know what to do.

Hell yes, I do!

"Sir, get help, I'll hold that thing off!" revving up the bike, I charged towards the Grongi. For some reason, the sound of the bike didn't alert her; better take this chance and ram that bitch!

"RIDER BREAAAK!"

BAM! That better hurt! Always wanted to do that, now if only the Gouram was around…

No, Linto, pay attention! She's holding onto the bike!

Shit, and if I brake, she'll hit me… no choice!

Time slowed down a bit; probably Riku's doing things to my perception. I heaved myself upwards, crouching on the bike seat, and jumped back. I braced myself as I about to hit the dirt. Rolling myself to slow down, and somehow manage to not hurt myself… Ow, okay I think something got bruised. Alright, guess the Trychaser' speed was enough to ram her into a car… hope my bike is okay.

"Rasyid! What the hell were you thinking?!" cried Ryuuko as she held me up by the arms, but she winced as her bleeding arms prevents her from saying anything else. It seems the old man is hoisting Madoka up. Wait, better respond, "Ryuuko, I'm sorry but I need you and Madoka to get out of here!" Ryuuko snapped back at me, "What?! Hell no, you think you can take that thing on by yourself?!" Damn, I wish I could tell her about what I can do… "Ryuuko, I know you're a fighter and I know you are way more experienced than me in combat. But trust me when that thing is out of your league." Ah, shit I think I made her angrie—Whoa! "Bullshit!" she shouted in English as she grabbed my collar, "and what makes you think you can stand a chance against it, huh?!"

Something metallic fell behind us… oh shit, she's back up!

I throw Ryuuko's hand away from me, "Ryuuko, I'll hold that thing off. Old man, you take her and Madoka and run now!"

Charging towards Mebio, I picked up a steel pipe on the way and throw it at her. Yes, a hit! Closer now… Tiger Knee! Another hit, okay I can do this, I can do—

She is holding you!

Shit, she got my leg—Oh fuck!

Throwing me away, I hit the ground a few meters away from her. Then, she began to speak to me. "Foolish Linto. I do not have time to play with you… nobody will get in the way of my preys…"

… Shit, of course! She's the hunter type; they're more worried about their prey getting away than wasting time trying to stop me. Huh, why did she throw the old man away? Damn, she's just targeting the girls! "Oh no, you don't…"

Getting up is painful, but I will not let her kill Ryuuko, Madoka, and anybody else!

Linto… I could sense her. I know not how and why I gain this ability, but… she is close!

Riku, I'll ask about that later, but how close is she, and the girls?

Follow the blood trail and footprints! I'll tell you how close we are to them!

Alright, let's do this!

I ran, following the trails… Okay, left, into the yard… right, following this path… forward… Where are they now?

Keep going, Linto. I could see an empty field there… By the Stones, the girls are trapped!

Not if I can help it!

Entering said field, somewhat barren but with a few scrap metals here and there, I saw those three; Madoka, leaning against a wrecked car, leg bleeding out. Ryuuko, the pipe she's using almost broken, but as she stand there bleeding, the swordswoman stood her ground. Mebio seemed to be taking it slow… toying with them, like how all cats toyed with their meals.

Not this time.

I ran. As fast as I could to the Grongi. After a few more steps, I pounced her, locking my arms on her waist, and with all my might, give her a suplex. Boom, baby!

I rolled myself away from her, getting in front of Ryuuko as I stand. "R-Rasyid, what the hell?" I don't know if its amazement or bafflement, but I better tell her something. "Don't worry; I won't let her hurt the two of you." Ryuuko responded, "Dammit, I had that thing!" Oh, sure you do. "And you bleeding yourself dry means that you "had it" like you said?" She scoffed at that remark, "You're saying you could take it on by yourself? What are you, a Kamen Rider?"

Oh, she has no idea… Wait, of course she doesn't, I only told Asuka. Damn, should I even tell her, or the rest of the Tachibana Club? Sure, Hongo and Ichimonji and the rest of the Riders mentored by Tachibana Tobei trusts the man completely, and he trusts them in return… But me?

"Rasyid, look out!"

Damn, why do I keep doing—"Oh, fuck!"

…Sweet Merciful Allah, that was too close for comfort!

Linto, don't just stand there!

I… am trying to move. Shit, if it weren't for this helmet, she'd take my eye out! Damn, her nails are dirty, and her fingers… Ugh!

Shit, she's digging deeper. Grabbing her wrist, I gripped it as hard as I could, trying to pull of the helmet as well. Gah, such strength!

"Come on! Is that all you got, you bitch?!"

Pulling the helmet off, almost having her nails scratching my eye, I kicked her away. Okay, that's it. She's going down, the secret identity issue I have to deal later… right now, it's time!

Summoning the Arcle from my waist, I focused myself to call it out. After it did, I do my transformation pose. "R-Rasyid, is that…" No time to answer Ryuuko. Mebio crushed the helmet with a laugh, but after this, I'll be the one who laugh last.

"HENSHIN!"

…You really are terrible at keeping your own secrets, aren't you, Linto?

How the hell was I supposed to know that Asuka brought everybody else from the shop?!

"Wow, Nii-chan! You're a Kamen Rider!"

"Oh, my! This is quite the surprise."

"Okay, today just got even weirder. Seen plenty of weird on the road, but this…"

"Tsk, I knew something was up with you, Shonen… Never expected it was this, though."

"Dammit, Young One! How hard is it to keep this a secret?"

Other than Madoka, the ladies have various reactions to what they've seen, as you heard. I'm kinda glad that they're mostly accepting, but I need to worry about what's in front of me; an irritated female Grongi.

"Tsk, never thought I see you here, Kuuga." Mebio said as she cracked her knuckles, "And here it thought that I could lure you out by hunting these speedy Lintos, hoping that I wouldn't have to fight you like this. But here you are among them! If you think that toy could outrun me, you are mistaken." Oh you have no idea how wrong you are, lady.

But something she said intrigued me. "Lure me out, you say? Is that what Daguva told you to do, and the others as well? And you are hunting the others just so you won't have to deal with me, why is that?" I asked her in the Grongi tongue, she seemed amused, "Ah, so it is true that you can speak our tongue. But if you think I will betray the others by telling you the type of Game we are planning, you are wrong, Kuuga!"

… Gegeru, huh? So I guess it's already started, this sick game of theirs. Basically like what happen in that Predators movie, the one with Adrien Brody. Just pick random people of their choice and kill them like hunted animals. Each Grongi has different methods that compliment their respective powers and skills, but I just hope they're following the same method their TV counterparts do. But this time, I'll minimize the casualties!

The sound of gunshot echoed throughout the junkyard, guess Asuka was impatient as I am to beat her face in. And of course, the bullet didn't penetrate. I thought she's using a magnum round of something, surely that can pierce their skins. "Hmph, so that female is the one you favor? Gooma told us that you seem to fancy her, but I prefer killing you without any tricks."

… What the hell, even the Grongi knows that I have a thing for Asuka?! This is bullshit, why would that Guano even told them that, there's nothing going on with… Oh shit, are they planning to target her? Goddammit, this is just—

Linto, pay attention!

I immediately dodged right, Mebio missing her finger strike aimed to my face. Shit, I need to not be distracted often, I could die!

"Okay, here we go!" I cried out, giving a right hook to her torso. I continued with a left uppercut, Mebio countered with a claw swipe from her left, but I blocked it with my right forearm. Next comes a straight jab from her, it struck me back, but it didn't hurt much. She jumped over me, but as I attacked her with a roundhouse kick, she grabbed my ankle and threw me towards Ryuuko. Shit, that really hurts!

"Shit! Rasyid, you alright?" asked Ryuuko as she kneeled down to me. "Heh, I should be asking you that, you looked like crap, you know?" I asked her in English. She scoffed at my reply, "At least I can still stand. You know that your forms are all wrong, right? What has Asuka been teaching you anyway?" I stood up, taking a stance against Mebio, "Well, Ryuuko, I'm more of a brawler than a warrior. She's taught me well, but I have my own style of combat, alright? Now if you excuse me, I suggest you take Madoka and run, I'll hold her off."

And with that, the Grongi and I clashed again. This time, I grabbed Mebio and dragged her into the junkyard, I screamed at the others, "Go! Get out of here! Stay with them, Asuka!" and without waiting for their responses, considering what I'm doing right now, I threw Mebio further. As she got upped, I rammed her and pushed her as far as I can into the junkyard. If I could just kill her now, hopefully I won't have to deal with the cops just like in that episode—Shit, don't jinx it!

"Madoka, hang on to me!" cried Ryuuko as she carried her fellow biker on her shoulders, even though she's bleeding as well, the swordswoman was still strong enough to do so.

Tachibana Kairi helped the two of them away, followed by Akira who carried Ryuuko on her shoulders "Come on, I'll patch you up."

Yumiko was carrying the first aid kit alongside her bow and arrows. As the two injured bikers were sat down near Tani's shack, she ripped some of the fabric of their suit to bandage them. Madoka only had her leg slashed on, but Ryuuko's injuries consist of cuts on her cheek, body, and legs. Fortunately, they were treatable. But the biker cannot help but to address the elephant in the room. "So… am I the only one surprised that Rasyid is a Kamen Rider? Because I still can't believe that he is."

Yumiko was giddy, "I think it's awesome that Nii-chan is a Kamen Rider! I know that the Pretty Cures are here to protect us, but now that we have an actual Kamen Rider… Ooh, think of them teaming up!"

Madoka winced, "Yumi-chan, I know you're excited but please calm down, I'm still hurt, you know. Although, I do admit that he was not I expected. So, Asuka-chan. I assume that you're keeping this a secret from us because of the usual "superhero needs to keep their identities secret and anybody who knows them mustn't tell either." reason?"

Sighing, Asuka answered, "Well… as you can guess, Rasyid's really bad at keeping it a secret. Then again, he's quite the impulsive young man, hesitating to save lives may not be an option for him."

Tachibana inhaled her deceased husband's pipe, inspecting the situation as she calms herself with it, "Hmm. I never like liars, but I do understand why people lie. For Shonen's case, I doubt any of us would believe him even if he told us. So, Asuka, if there's any time to explain, it's now." She then looked to the elderly Tani, "Tani, you call the police. I know Kamen Riders can deal with monsters by themselves, but this is real life. Shonen looks like a rookie, I doubt he can handle that thing alone."

Asuka was worried. It's obvious to call the police in this kind of situation, but Rasyid told him that Daguva plans for the following attacks to closely match whatever happened in the TV show; now, they're entering the event of episodes 3, where Kuuga faced off the very same Grongi Rasyid was fighting. And by chance, the police were ordered to attack Kuuga as well, just like in the original. Afterwards, Godai somehow survived, but the cat Grongi lost an eye, and attacks any police officers and taking one of their eyes as she went on a rampage. 'I know I have to prevent at least that, but how….'

"Asuka, you still with us?" Tachibana asked, breaking the FBI agent's train of thought, "Oh, yes. Still here. I supposed I could tell you about him…" holstering her revolver, she began to recount what Rasyid had told her.

Fortunately, Asuka had compiled an abridged version of Rasyid's arrival in her mind, up to the event of him gaining Kuuga's red form. So after just one minute of explanation, the others understood, albeit with some skepticism, Ryuuko being the one to have it, "But I don't get it, how could the toy belt transformed into the real thing? And how did the Trychaser bike turned from a small toy into a life size bike, that's absurd!" Asuka replied, "That's just it, Ryuuko. Even he doesn't know why. He kept muttering something about a Random Omnipotent Being, or R.O.B. as he calls it, that he wants to deck their face in for causing this, whatever that means, but there's no other explanation that what he told me, really."

Yumiko however, felt giddy. "Oh my goodness! Nii-chan actually teamed up with not one, but two Pretty Cure teams? That's so cool!" Then, it was Akira's turn to speak her mind, "Alright, so you're saying that in order to be a better Kamen Rider, he has to train himself; he already got your help for close combat, but since I remember Kuuga having multiple forms that uses weapons, he asked you to help with that. And that means you want us to train him, since we got the skills he needs?"

Nodding, Asuka answered, "That's correct. He doesn't hide the fact that he's weak, so he needs our help to get better at fighting. And it just happens that the five of us has the necessary skills to teach him."

"You know," Madoka said, moving herself to a comfortable position from the chair she's sitting, "I do find it weird that, after you met him, all the events that lead up to today felt… orchestrated. I do not think that it's a coincidence that the entire Tachibana crew just happens to have the skills Rasyid needed, and meeting him like this… I heard rumors that the Pretty Cures have benefactors of sorts helping them. Do you think Rasyid has one too, and it must be this R.O.B. he speaks of? Whatever this R.O.B. is, not only did it chose him to become Kamen Rider Kuuga, but he chose the four of you to help him train so he can get accustomed to his other forms' weapons. Don't you think that's eerie? It feels like that everything that happened were scripted, like in a story book or a TV show…"

Silence reigned upon the Tachibana women. The thought of a higher being controlling their actions were unnerving. One voice cleared their minds, and it was the middle aged Tachibana Kairi, "Bah, we don't have time to worry about such bullshit. He's here, and we're here. Whatever this R.O.B. nonsense Shonen speaks of, we can deal with it some other time. Right now, he's the only one other than the Pretty Cures that can help us beat these new monsters. I don't pay attention to TV shows nowadays, but I still remember watching the early Heisei Rider shows, and I know Kuuga's enemies are one of the deadliest in Kamen Rider history."

She puffed out some tobacco smoke, and continued, "I've seen a lot of weird shit in my days as a street racer, and after meeting Sora around that time I began to get used to whatever crazy shit he got me into. I stopped questioning the why and start focusing on how to get out of it. And right now, Shonen needs the knowhow of combating those freaks. What happens after today, let it happen. For now, we're going to shape that sorry ass of his into a fighting machine, understood?"

Everybody nodded in agreement. Except for Asuka, "Wait, didn't you know that Kuuga has the Ultimate Form? If you're going to turn him into a fighter…" Kairi held up her palm to her, "I remember seeing that way back in two-thousand. Damn best brawl I've ever seen on TV, but it has something to do with not letting yourself get angry or be consumed with the desire for bloodshed, right? Don't worry, I don't plan to turn him into a soldier, just shaping him up to be a better man. Besides, I've seen how he interacts with you kids; I know a guy who wants to impress women when I see one, and Shonen's one of them. Looks like you got some competitors, Asuka."

Blood rushing to her cheeks as the middle aged mechanic said that, Asuka protested, "Oba-san, is this really the time to talk about him like that? You heard him, he's not even sure what he feels about me, and I…" clasping her mouth, she reddens even more. Ryuuko raised an eyebrow, "So the two of you did listened when he was talking to us, huh?"

"Nee-chan, it's okay. You don't have to get all flustered like that. I mean, he's still young, isn't he? I'm sure he can sort out his feelings by himself some day. Although, I guess I shouldn't say he's young, since he's supposedly almost the same age as I am." Yumiko pondered, arms crossed as she tilted her head.

Madoka giggled, "Well, you may count me out on this. He's cute, but I'm not interested in finding someone to be with right now. Besides, I have a little sister to take care of back home."

Something crashed deep within the junkyard, whatever was happening there, it didn't sound good. Just then, Asuka heard a faint sound of police sirens, "Seems the cavalry has arrived. You girls stay here, I'm going in to back Rasyid up. Wish us luck." Taking some deep breaths, Asuka braced herself for combat, taking her revolver out of its holster, she dashed into the junkyard, searching the correct pathway of their battle.

However, Madoka could not help herself but to comment about one more thing the Indonesian has, "You know I was behind him all the time during the race… Have to admit, it was a nice view."

With that, the girls looked at the green haired girl in disdain, and if this was animated, you may see them doing the giant sweatdrop thing they usually do in anime (God, I am not paid enough to read this nonsense). Anyway, Ryuuko put her palm on her forehead, "Seriously, Madoka?"

Now let's see how the author's other self is faring.

"Achoo!"

Linto! What happened?

I dunno, for some reason my nose decided to sneeze right now… Although I managed to headbutt her at the same time as I did that. This reminds me, the Japanese has this thing they always do on TV or any other media they have; when people talks about a particular person when they're not around, said person would sneeze. Could it be that the ladies were talking about me a few minutes ago?

Pay attention!

I am! Can't you see me blocking her attacks?!

Man, this fight feels like an hour or something. "You're really hard to take down, you know that?" I asked Mebio, and surprisingly she was willing to answer, "Of course I am, Kuuga. Otherwise, I wouldn't be having this much fun fighting you!"

She pounced, I grabbed her arms and kicked her off as I laid on my back, she crashed on some pile of junk a few seconds later. You know what, I think I'm done humoring her. Time to finish her off.

I took a stance, planted my left foot and throwing the rest behind me. I can feel the heat rising as the anklet build up the energy into my sole. This is it!

Wait, someone is coming… and whoever it is isn't alone.

Right on cue, just as Mebio and I were about to clash, I saw Asuka coming out of my left… followed by squadrons of police officers—Shit! Don't tell me this is going to end up like in the TV show, with Mebio losing an eye because the cops were shooting both her and Kuuga, resulting in her going on a murderous rampage…

Wait, why are they also aiming at me—Goddammit!

"Wait, don't shoot him! Aim at the Unknown Lifeform!" ordered Asuka. Not sure if FBI has jurisdiction over these guys, but I don't think it's working. "Sorry ma'am, but we have our orders."

Oh, this is just fantastic. Now I'm in a Mexican standoff. I do anything, it might provoke them to shoot. But if she does anything, I may have no choice but to move and drag her away.

Linto, remember how it happened in the original story?

Yeah, Godai didn't tell them to not shoot or something. I guess it's understandable, since his relationship with the police wasn't solidified just yet… You think I should call them out? You know what, screw it.

"Hey!" I cried out, startling some of the younger cops, "Why are you pointing that at me? Aim at her!" giving the Grongi the pointer finger as I continued, "I'm trying to kill her, and this is my only chance to stop her before anymore deaths occurs. I implore you, don't do anything rash!"

Somehow, I got through them. Most of them were hesitating, asking each other what to do. Maybe this might convince them, "Are you really going to shoot a Kamen Rider? I do not think that it is good for your conscience, officers… We are allies of justice, are we not?"

Hopefully, they have their nostalgia goggles on. I know it's very risky, hoping that they won't shoot an iconic hero like a Kamen Rider, but this is reality. There's no guarantee that I can even convince them like this. It's not like I'm some sort of war hero that outranks them.

"Tsk, stupid Linto and their toys… you cannot harm me!"

Shit, she's doing it!

As she snarled at the officers, I locked my arms around her waist, I pulled her back as hard as I can, but this bitch is relentless! "Damn it, fire!" Wait, did he said—

Hails of hot lead passed through me, I see some of them hitting the earth we stood on. Shit, I fucking knew it! Come on, get over here, you damned she-Grongi!

I dragged her even further away from them, I dunno what these cops would think me of later, but I rather have them uninjured than letting Mebio cut loose. "I will not let you harm them!" I told Mebio in the Grongi tongue, which she replied, "Unhand me, Kuuga! You will not deny me my fun! I shall—"

She let out a howling scream of pain as she turned her head to the police. Shit, after all I did to prevent her from getting her eye shot, you're telling me that it's meant to be?

Stay strong, Linto. It is unfortunate that you cannot prevent this, but you must not lose heart.

Dammit, I know. But even if I want to continue and prevent the same scenarios from happening, what hope do I have of doing so if all of this are meant to happen? As if… Sunnovabitch, that goddamn R.O.B.! He or she must have orchestrated this, or maybe this author-self of mine! What is this drama bullshit, I don't need this kind of thing! Of all the—

Linto, evade!

My anger blinded me, I didn't see Mebio hitting my foot and kicking me in the nads… Oh, Sweet Merciful Allah, WHY?

She kicked me in the curb and I was thrown away into a pile of scrap. Despite the pain my comrade is experiencing, I'm still able to see and hear what Mebio is doing, "C-curse it all, my eye! You… you will all pay for this!" and with that, Mebio used her super speed to ran and jumped over the fence a few meters from me. Great, just great…

Linto…

I know, I fucked up, you don't need to tell me twice.

No, I have sensed something else… something familiar.

Before I asked what he meant, my right hand touched some sort of box, it has a green jewel embedded in it. It glowed faintly, and it got brighter. Waittaminute, is this…

"There he is!"

Oh, fuck! Ah, still in pain, can't move… Nonononono!

I covered myself with my hands, even though it's useless. Is this how being gunned down feels like… Shit, is this it for me?

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what happens next. I heard the bullets hitting something metallic, thinking Asuka must've thrown off their aims somehow… but then I felt the familiar presence Riku felt. It's like a gut instinct, but it's more prominent.

"W-what the hell is that thing?!" cried one of the cops. I opened my eyes and…. Oh my God.

There is no mistake. It is the Horse Armor Gouram.

It… it is! The giant stag beetle of black and gold, the one that sucked up all those metal to became what I am seeing now. "Gouram… now way." I can't help but to express my amazement. Then, I was even more amazed when it talked, and I understood it. It sounded robotic, and for some reason, female.

"Master… I will protect you."

Gouram's voice, her voice, consists of clicks and hums, but I understood her completely. Then, Gouram began to spin a full three-sixty degrees. It kept going until she became a makeshift drill, spinning dusts and wind over the cops. Wait, this might look bad! "Gouram! Don't kill them!"

"Understood, my Master." It complied, "But I will protect you still. You must flee, my Master."

…. Shit, guess I should comply. Standing up, I immediately haul ass away from the cops. I ran to my left, it was lucky of me to fight Mebio somewhere close to the entrance. I kept running and running, until I see the shack that was near the entrance, I saw some empty police cars. And an ambulance outside. Shit, I better de-transform before anybody sees me.

Putting my back against the shack's wall, I focused myself, and a few seconds later, everything was no longer tinted red. Visions back to normal, I can breath easily without the mouth plate in the way… and unfortunately, the pain is still there, and it got worse. Limping myself to a yellow jeep, I almost collapsed before a hand picked me up from behind, "Hey, Shonen." Oh thank good, it's Tachibana. "T-Tachibana-san… Are you alright?"

"Never mind me, you look like shit, Shonen." Heh, guess I am. The middle aged mechanic straightened me up, and looked me in the eyes. "Alright, Asuka told me everything," Of course she did, it's my own fault for transforming in front of you all like that. But it's an emergency. "Sorry for not being really honest, Tachibana-san… but I don't think that—" she put her finger on my lips, interrupting me, "Any of us would believe you, even if you told us, right? Don't worry about that now, the girls and I will have a long talk with you later, but right now let's get you checked up, huh?"

With that, she carried me with my arm around her shoulders. "Hey medic! I found one of my students here, go check up on him!"

…Wow, so she see's me as one of her own already?

Your riding skills must have left an impression on her, as well as yourself.

Maybe, but I'm just glad that I have time to gather myself after this fight.

Two of the ambulance medics carried me to the back of the vehicle. I saw Yumiko and Akira inside of it. "Nii-chan! You're alright!" Yumi said happily. "Yumi-chan, hey… is Ryuuko and Madoka…" Akira was the one to answer me, "They're going to be fine, but they're sent to the Odawara hospital. They both bled a lot, especially Ryuuko." Shit, I should've got here sooner…

Akira put her hand on my shoulder, her smile had a calming effect, "It's alright. You did everything you could to help, don't blame yourself."

With that, the medics closed the back door, Yumiko and Akira were inside as well. Guess I should rest for now… But what of the Gouram? Where the hell did it came from? I remember that it needs to absorb metal to become what it is, but why in the junkyard?

Do not worry, Linto. Whatever the reason is, we shall find out sooner or later. For now, I suggest you rest.

Yeah… sleeping sounds good.

Meanwhile, in an unknown realm within the dark side…

"Precure… Precure…."

A booming voiced moaned loudly to itself. The surrounding areas swirled in an inconceivable manner, this was not a realm meant for Men.

The entity was now at its weakest. But what it lacks in power, it compensates with its desire… the desire for vengeance.

"PRECUREEEEEEE!"

However, it was interrupted by a repeated sound. Someone was clapping their hands.

"Well, well, well… that is some fine darkness you are producing."

"Who dares…"

"I dare."

A figure walked out of a portal of darkness. His white clothing contrasted heavily with the surrounding pitch blackness. However, the man seemed to emit his own darkness; a White Darkness.

The white aura he has swirled along the realm, neither attacking or defending. It's just… is.

"You and I have something to talk about. I understand that… you have a grudge against these… Pretty Cures. Never mind how I got here or why I even care… but I believe that we can, as the humans say it, scratch each other's back. Would be hard, considering you have none, but basically, I am here to help."

The dark entity was listening. As impudent the man in white's behavior was, he could feel… something from him. He has his own darkness within him, but it was different that any darkness he had produced and procured from the fallen villains the Pretty Cures have defeated… he felt like an equal to the entity.

"Speak, O dark being. I know not what you are, but if it means that you can assist me on destroying the Pretty Cures, so be it. However, give me your name, for I do not trust so easily"

The man in white giggled, and then he started to laugh. Were he among mere mortals, this action would send shiver among their spines. The laughter was filled with joy, but this kind of joy is one owned by a madman.

"Alright, here's the deal. I have someone interesting that I wish to battle, and I wish to fight him on equal terms. For that, I may need to… borrow your powers. I have reason to believe that this warrior I seek to fight will ask for the aid of these Pretty Cures. Before I start explaining, I shall give you my name…"

The man in white then transformed. For a moment, his body was entirely white, with golden accessories on his person, and a golden metallic cape. His golden horns glowed a bit. However, the form didn't last long, for it was merely a momentary image of what he could have been, were it not for the lost of his entire powers. A few seconds later, his white body turned red, the white mask that was also his face shattered, revealing a demonic face, grinning madly with glee. His wild curly longhair flowing with energy emitted from his body.

"I am N-Daguva-Zeba, and I believe we can form a mutually beneficial alliance."

Well, here it is!

Yeah, been a while, isn't it? Took me some time to got the dialogs and plot right, but I hope it satisfactory.

So, if you have seen Kuuga, you know what happens next, but will SI-Me be able to minimize the casualties? Let's get real, there's no stopping the Grongi, unlike how the Riders since Double, there will be casualties and our hero may have a chance of failing.

However, like all heroes, once they fall down, they must picked themselves up. That's what they do; no matter how fucked up things are, someone must take a stand and kick evil in the curb.

Anyway, you must be wondering about the minimal action here. See, the point of Kuuga is that it's a drama, with some action in the end. It's not just some two-episode plot like in most Heisei shows nowadays. I want to emulate what Kamen Rider Kuuga did in storytelling, and I hope this is good enough.

What's that, "Why did you write the ladies like this, Stranger?" you ask? Well, I do plan for a bit realistic harem. Yeah, an oxymoron if I ever heard one. See, unlike the usual things, I want the girls to be a bit friendlier than whatever girls in many harem series. Besides, they're adults here, not teenagers. I'm positive that women should have gotten their shit together by that age, just like many men as well. George RR Martin once said that he wrote women as people, so I hope that they're "alive" so to speak.

Also, it's just too funny not to have SI-Me get flustered by the girls; I know I will rofl.

Anyways, important news. By Wednesday my time, I'll be gone to Semarang to visit my relatives. Dunno if I'll be able to access the internet there, but if I can't, I may be able to focus on writing chapter 9 and chapter 2 of my Kamen Rider OOO x RWBY fanfic, Dusts of Avarice.

Also, I'm writing a collab! You know OathToOblivion and Symbolic Joker, writers for that Gaim x Heartcatch Cure fanfic Just Live More? We're making a multi-fandom self-insert fanfic with RWBY, titled Remnants of Worlds. The other SI-Me there is to become a legendary toku hero, Jinzou Ningen Kikaider, there.

As usual, based on the SIC action figure. However, not only there will be Kikaider characters there (which I'll write, since none of them are interested in Kikaider much) I'll be combining aspects from the toku version (which I just finished, fan-freaking-tastic!) the animanga (wish I could find the Japanese version of the anime, but I may cave and watch the English dub one day) version including the manga since they omit some stuff in the anime and OVA, and of course, the SIC Hero Saga Story, since Rei, Kikaider 00 (Double-Oh) has a bit more background story there. And yes, Hakaider will appear, alongside his Hakaider Squad. Obviously, they'll appear WAAAAAAAY later into the story. Want to know what's going on, go read it! This being my first collab, I feel honored to be a part of this :D

Oh, and I just found a PS3 game I've been yearning to have; Yakuza 3. This seven year old game is damn elusive, and I bought it second-hand. I miss Kiryu Kazuma and Haruka so much, so I'll be reacquainting myself with them for the time being. Twas a great birthday present, even though I got it in the 21st instead of 19th, but it's fine.

Anyway, I really do hope I'll have something written by the time I came back from Semarang. It's unfortunate that I'll miss episode 1 of RWBY Volume 2, but I'd rather wait for the youtube version since whatever media player RT's website has, slows a lot of things down for my laptop.

Anyways, Read, Review, and Rejoice!