Journey Through the Decade: Dark Rider Thesis
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 1: Sachiel
The streets of Tokyo-3 were silent as the grave. No people were around which was unusual given the size of the city in which Tokyo-3 was. Usually there should have been a bustling population of people, talking, walking, and running in all directions. The silence alone was deafening and unnerving should anyone have been in it. However, the streets were silent and alone so no one had to feel that unease.
That would quickly change.
The sounds of a whistle cut through the air as the door to a nearby apartment complex opened. However, rather than the inside of the building, the image of a desert with rocky canyons was visible as what appeared to be a futuristic bullet train sped by. Emerging from that door were three teenagers who seemed to be drastically different, but as close as siblings.
The first one was female and the eldest. She was moderately tall with reddish-pink hair that reached down her shoulders. She seemed to be wearing what amounted to a black bodice which left a tantalizing amount of cleavage with straps on her shoulders that were practically slipping off and leaving her shoulders bare. She wore a simple black skirt which had a white edge that reached down just past her knees. She had a beautiful face and a soft smile as she walked with the other two with her. On her head she wore a sunhat which covered the top of her head and increased her gothic look along with the high heel sandals on her feet. Her name was Lucy Smith and she was 18.
The second was a boy and looked slightly younger than the girl. He wore a simple black T-shirt with a red spiral design on it. Overtop was a black jacket which he left open which had orange accents on the front. He wore khaki pants which had orange bits on the pockets. His eyes were a crystal blue, but he tended to squint. An odd marking was the three whisker-like marks he had on both cheeks. He also had spiky blonde hair which had a look of gold in it. His name was Naruto Uzumaki-Smith and he was 16 years old.
The final boy was the youngest of the trio. He seemed a little plainer than the other two, but somehow made his presence known just the same. He had a simple white button up shirt on with black jeans and blue sneakers. His had short brown hair and blue eyes which seems to sparkle with laughter and happiness, but tempered with maturity beyond his years. His name was Shinji Ikari-Smith and he was 14 years old.
In other worlds, times, and places, these three would have been dealt very awful hands while growing up. Lucy would have been raised in an orphanage while tormented by the others until she finally snapped, going on a killing spree several times in her life. Naruto would have been kicked out of his orphanage, blamed for the crimes of the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed within him. Shinji would have grown up alone and introverted thanks to the manipulations of his heartless and obsessive father. However, Fate decided that these neglected children deserved a happier fate. One filled with the love and family that they so craved.
Their happiness came in the form of Warren Smith. The man appeared in Lucy's orphanage, saving her beloved puppy from being hurt by the bullies there before he brought her home to her new mother Raven who accepted her with open arms. She even got a new little brother and sister, Alex and Tessa. Lucy thought she had found heaven until it suddenly got better. Her new daddy came home with a new little brother for her. Naruto had been thrown out of his orphanage and digging through trash for food when Warren found him. Naruto had leaped at the opportunity to have a home and family, but he was afraid it wouldn't last. Lucy was more than happy to be his big sister and show him it wasn't a lie. Finally, Lucy and Naruto both got a new little brother in Shinji Ikari who had been abandoned by his father immediately after the death of his mother. The boy was still mourning over losing his parents, but the Smith family done all they could to make him feel wanted and loved, which had done miracles for the boy.
Growing up with Warren and Raven was infinitely better than growing up alone for the trio. Lucy was accepted for her looks and abilities without hesitation, helping her bloom into a beautiful young woman who had much love to give. Her boyfriend Kouta could attest to that. Naruto, with all the encouragement in the world and then some, had proven to be an intelligent young man who was skilled in academics as well as athletics, making him something of a school heartthrob, but he only had eyes for his Hinata-chan. Shinji had bloomed like his siblings, finding joy in life, his cello music, and had a bunch of friends in school growing up.
"So, this is Tokyo-3," said Lucy. "A bit quiet."
"Yeah, at least Konoha had some life in it," stated Naruto. "So, is this where we're supposed to be, Shinji?"
"Yes, Nii-san," said Shinji as he checked the letter, which also came with a picture of a beautiful woman. The letter was more of a summon call with one word: come.
"If you ask me you should've chucked that letter in the trash," snorted Lucy.
"I could, but Father did tell me that a man has to uphold his duty," said Shinji. "This world will be in danger and we have to protect it."
"Protect it from what?" Lucy gestured to the quiet city. "Boredom?"
"Lucy-neechan, there must be a reason why the city's quiet," said Naruto. "Most likely it's something bad."
"Kaijin?" Lucy supplied.
"Possibly," nodded Naruto.
"What kind, though?" questioned Shinji.
"That's why we're here. To find out."
It was no secret that the three siblings came from different worlds. As such, Warren maintained properties and/or contacts in each of the worlds so to keep an eye on any and all things which might be happening. It also gave his three children a chance at a broad education. They received a simple upbringing in Lucy's world, to tutoring in the ninja arts in Naruto's world, and the advanced education which could be found in Shinji's world. As such, all three of the Smith children were experienced in many different things and were easily capable of defending themselves from most threats. Of course, that didn't stop a concerned father from giving his children a helping hand, but that can be discussed later.
The reason that the Smith Children had returned to Shinji's world was because of the letter their younger sibling was holding. Days ago, the man who was supposed to be raising Shinji for Gendo (a contact and friend of Warren) received the letter and passed it on to the boy. Remembering the pain the man caused for Shinji, Lucy and Naruto insisted they go with him to make sure the old man didn't try to hurt their little brother again. That led to their quick trip on the ChronoLiner to Shinji's native world where they currently are.
Shinji looked up from the letter and picture with suggestive comments on it. He didn't see anyone like the person in the picture around. Naruto was complaining about boredom while Lucy walked over to a nearby telephone booth to try and call the number she had spotted on the picture.
"We're sorry. Due to special emergency, all lines are currently unavailable." The pre-recorded voice on the phone droned. Lucy frowned and hung up, turning back to her siblings. "Apparently there's an emergency going on."
"Emergency?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "How can they call an emergency when nothing's happening?"
Shinji tuned his siblings out as he tried to see if there was anyone else out there he could ask for assistance. As he searched, he spotted someone standing in the middle of the road. She wore a simple white blouse with a green skirt and had red eyes with blue hair. Shinji at first she was an albino since she was so pale and her eyes were red, but the hair suggested differently. Maybe she dyed it to look more normal but it failed or something?
The sudden onrush of birds nearby caught Shinji's attention for a moment. Chiding himself for being jumpy, he turned his attention back to the girl, but found her missing. It was like she had vanished. 'How…strange…'
"Yo, Shinji!" Naruto cried to his little brother. "What are you looking at? Do you see someone?"
"I…" Shinji began.
That's when the explosions started.
-Roughly at the same time-
The street was quiet in this section of Tokyo-3 much like it was all over the city. However, it didn't stay that way for long. In the centre of the empty street with he abandoned cars a flash of silver light erupted from the air. Something akin to a silver veil appeared before it shifted backwards, revealing two figures.
The first was male in his mid-teens. He wore Chinese clothes consisting of a blue shirt with wood ties and black tang pants and slippers. His hair was black with it being tied in a pigtail. His posture spoke for massive martial arts experience and battles at the extreme of human ability and even beyond in some cases. His name was Ranma Saotome, the one-dimensional fighter also known as Kamen Rider Decade.
Next to him was a girl just leaving her teens wearing a simple housedress. She was slightly taller than Ranma. She had long dark hair which she kept in a simple yet functional ponytail. She was the eldest of the Tendo sisters who called Nerima home alongside Ranma. Her name was Kasumi Tendo and she was his traveling companion during his adventure through the Rider Worlds.
"Where do you think we are now Ranma?" Kasumi asked as she eyed the buildings. They looked so futuristic and technologic. It was like being in a movie.
"Not sure," Ranma sighed, glancing at the Nanban Mirror, their means of traversing through the multiple worlds. "The only image I got was three Riders dressed in black. They looked like they came from Caucasus, Kiva, and Faiz Worlds, but those worlds were saved. It's not like they merged, did they?"
"I hope not," Kasumi frowned.
"Anyway, let's try to get our bearings and see what this world is like," Ranma sighed, stashing the Mirror in a ki pocket to be brought out later.
Nodding, Kasumi and Ranma began heading down the abandoned streets, trying to find some clue as to where they were and what Ranma would end up fighting. It was slightly unnerving to find the streets so empty and quiet. Were they too late? Had the threat already completed its work? Would it be like Desaint World where the monsters were attempting to subjugate humanity?
It didn't take long for some of their questions to be answered when explosions could be heard on the horizon. Kasumi gasped in shock and Ranma quickly drew the Decadriver, his means of transforming into his Rider form as it happened. However, even the hardened Kamen Rider gave pause when he saw the large shape beginning to loom over the rooftops.
"Holy SHIT!" Naruto gaped at the giant monster.
WHAP!
"Ow!" Naruto's head lurched forward as something apparently invisible smacked it from behind. "Nee-chan!"
"I will not have my brothers have foul mouths," the young woman frowned at her brother even as she cast her gaze at the monstrosity coming through the city.
It was a giant beast which easily loomed over the rooftops. Its body was a dark green with massive shoulders and long spindly arms which ended in large hands. It didn't have a head coming from the shoulders, but it did have a white bone mask with a large nose at the point where the neck should have been Just below that mask was a large red sphere which stood out against the dark flesh of its body, surrounded by bone-like armor which resembled ribs. Its shoulders were covered with the same appearance.
VTOL's from the JSSDF were firing volleys of missiles at the monster, but for some reason the missiles would explode before actually reaching the beast. In retaliation, the monster would raise its arms and a long lance of white energy would surge out from its palm and pierce one of the flying machines, sending it sprawling to the ground.
"This is worse than a Kaijin!" Shinji cried as the siblings watched one of the machines crash nearby. "It's a Kaiju!"
"A little bigger than we're used to dealing with," Lucy frowned. The frown turned into a confident smirk "Still, after facing the likes of Makamou, how much tougher can it be?"
"Why don't we find out?" Naruto laughed, his grin matching his sister's.
"I'm game," Shinji nodded.
Lucy moved first, drawing a leather belt from assumedly a ki pocket before wrapping it around her waist. The centre of the belt was made of metal and looked technologically advanced. On the hip was a long black sword which looked likewise technologic. Lucy then brought out a gold and black phone which had an omega symbol stamped on the front and opened it before typing in numbers.
0-0-0-ENTER
"Standing By."
"Henshin!" Lucy cried, snapping the phone closed before inserting it into her buckle and securing it horizontally on the belt.
"Complete."
Gold lines burst from the sides of the buckle, weaving a pattern over Lucy's body before a golden light shone brightly. As it dimmed, Lucy was donned in a suit of armor. It was mainly black with gold lines etched on it. Two strips of black cloth with gold on the edges fell from her back like a cape and a pair extended from her belt like a trench coat would. Her chest armor had a round red core in the centre which seemed to glow with power, surrounded by the gold lining. Her helmet was mainly black and gold. It also had an ornament shaped like an omega symbol. There was a red stone on the forehead which connected to her red visor. She also had a silver mouth guard which fully concealed her identity.
She was now Kamen Rider Orga!
"Standby!" an electronic voice came from Shinji's waist, revealing a technological metallic belt. There was a buzzing sound and a small black shape flew towards Shinji. Shinji caught it, revealing it to be a robotic black beetle.
"Henshin!" Shinji called as he slid the beetle along the front of his belt and secured it.
"Henshin!" the belt echoed as a hexagon field began to cover him.
Shinji was quickly covered in a black bodysuit which had metal strips on the shins and feet for protection. His torso was covered by thick gray armor which had red accents on it. His shoulders were bulky with an insect-like logo on one shoulder with circular plating covering his arms and more plating covering his hands. His helmet was thick with a V-shaped ornament on his forehead and a large yellow visor.
Shinji had become Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto!
Dark Kabuto reached to his waist and unlocked the horn of his buckle, bringing electric surges through his armor. The heavy pieces of metal loosened as the energy passed through it.
"Cast Off!" Dark Kabuto cried as he yanked the horn.
"Cast Off!" the machine called before the heavy armor of Dark Kabuto's Masked Form exploded from his body in all directions.
Dark Kabuto's form was now somewhat smaller without the heavy armor on it. His torso armor was a glossy black with red circuitry designs running on it. The shoulders were rounded gray metal with some black on them. His helmet was black with a yellow visor. However, a rhino beetle horn hidden under the armor folded upward to attach to the helmet, bisecting the yellow visor.
"Change Beetle!"
"Kivat!" Naruto called and a creature that resembled a black and red mechanical bat flew down from the sky towards him. The bat's yellow eyes focused upon Naruto as he extended his hand.
"Biting!" the bat, Kivat-bat the Second, said as he bit into Naruto's hand, causing the stained glass markings of the Fangire Clan to appear on his skin. The markings also appeared on his cheeks. His whisker markings flared with red chakra as the Kyuubi was roused. Black chains wrapped around his waist and melted before forming into a black belt with a perch on the front and slots on the side holding items called Fuestles, six in total with three on each side.
"Henshin!" Naruto called as the bat swooped to the belt and hung upside down from the front. This caused a pulsing sound to be released as Naruto's body was covered in green tinted quicksilver. His body then shifted before the quicksilver shattered from his frame.
He was donned in regal blood red armor which seemed to be sharp on every edge it produced. His chest was covered with a black crest similar to bat wings with three green gems embedded in it. A black cape hung regally from his shoulders like he was royalty. His helmet was blood red with large dark green eyes and a silver mouth guard with fangs on it. Bat wings extended from the temples as if they were part of a crown suitable for a king. From the centre of the forehead was a bat-like head which completed the vampire theme of the armor.
Naruto had transformed into Kamen Rider Dark Kiva.
"Well then," Orga spoke up, gripping her sword. "Shall we teach this Kaiju a lesson about invading cities?"
"Hai!" Dark Kiva and Dark Kabuto nodded. With all three of the siblings in agreement, they charged towards where the monster was facing off against the military.
Ranma and Kasumi gaped at the appearance of the giant monster which was fighting the military. It looked like something out of a Godzilla movie only worse. People were really dying when the monster attacked them. Kasumi quivered at the sight while Ranma tightened his grip on the Decadriver.
"Kasumi," Ranma frowned. "Do you think you can find someplace safe to hide?"
"Anyplace away from that…thing, would be safe," Kasumi shuddered. "I'll be fine, Ranma-kun. You have to go do what Kamen Riders do."
"Okay," Ranma nodded, holding the Decadriver to his waist. A silver strap wrapped around his waist while a metal book called the Ride Booker appeared on his left side. Opening it, Ranma drew a card with a Kamen Rider with green eyes and a barcode-like face with several short horns on the front. Opening his Decadriver, he held up the card.
"Henshin!" he called before slipping the card into the Decadriver and shutting it.
"Kamen Ride: Decade!"
Nine symbols of the Heisei Kamen Rider appeared around him before forming into gray human images. The images then converged on Ranma, donning him in a suit of armor which was gray with black segments and a white X on his left bicep that stretched across his left shoulder and chest. Several red panels emerged from his belt before fusing to his helmet, filling the gray sections with color. The eyes of the helmet flashed green as the transformation was completed.
Ranma had changed into Kamen Rider Decade.
"I'll be back. I promise," Decade swore before he took a running leap and landed on top of one of the buildings. He then charged off in the direction of the giant monster which was cutting down the strange helicopters with ease.
"Ranma-kun," Kasumi sighed softly, very worried for her little brother.
"OK, Nee-chan, how are we supposed to do this?" asked Dark Kiva. The three Dark Riders stood atop a building.
"Papa always said to look for your opponent's weakness," Orga reminded. Her visor covered eyes were focused upon the monster's red core which was mounted on its chest. "My guess it's that red ball in its chest."
"My Rider Kick can handle it," said Dark Kiva confidently as he took out his Dark Wake Up Fuestle. Orga grabbed his hand. "Huh?"
"Not yet," said Orga diplomatically. "This is Shinji's world so Shinji should be the one to take it down, with our help of course."
"Me?" Dark Kabuto pointed to himself.
"Your Clock Up ability," Orga reminded. "No way that thing can counter it." Her eyes then spied another figure that stood atop another nearby building. "Huh? Who's that?"
"Who?" Dark Kiva asked.
"There, standing on that building," Orga pointed. Her brothers followed her gaze to see someone in a suit of armor leaping across rooftops to get closer to the monster. "It looks like…a Kamen Rider!"
"A Rider besides us? Here?" Dark Kabuto asked. "What is he doing here?"
"Hopefully helping," answered Dark Kiva.
Indeed, it was Decade's intention to assist. Looking at the giant monster, he guessed that the red orb on its chest was a possible weakness. Grabbing his Ride Booker, he unfolded it into its gun formation before drawing a card. Opening his Decadriver he sipped the card inside before shutting it.
"Attack Ride: Blast!"
"Hey ugly! Down here!" Decade shouted before he opened fire, aiming at the red core. Energized red bullets shot through the air and appeared to be heading on an unobstructed path towards the monster's centre. However, before they could hit, the rounds collided against some kind of invisible wall. As the rounds hit, orange hexagons spread from the impact points like ripples.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Decade moaned. However, it did succeed in capturing the monster's attention. It pointed its palm at Decade before its energy lance shot towards him. "Woah!"
Decade's speed managed to save him as he leaped onto the next rooftop while the energy lance smashed through the building he was in. The large monster withdrew its lance, but it didn't keep its gaze off of Decade. Lethargically, it began aiming for another shot.
Inside NERV Central
"Status report!" one of the generals in charge of the operation barked out.
"The enemy has stopped moving!" one of the technicians in charge of monitoring the enemy reported through the communication system. "Something's distracting it at the moment!"
A man was sitting at his post with his hands folded together, watching the monitors with an unblinking gaze. He had dark brown hair and a beard while wearing green tinted glasses and a dark jacket. He knew this enemy very well. It was why his organization was created. Nothing should have stopped the enemy save for perhaps an N2 mine or one of the secret weapons in his possession. What could have possibly distracted the enemy from its course?
"Distracted it?" one of the generals blinked. "What the hell could distract it when all of our units couldn't even make it stand still?"
"Get us a visual on what it seems to find so damn interesting!" ordered another general.
"Yessir!" the technician replied and began typing at his console.
All eyes were on the monitors as they zoomed in on the area in which the massive creature seemed to be paying its attention. It was hard to notice at first, but as the cameras from nearby VOTL's zoomed in, four figures could be seen. One was running away from the enemy's lance, donned in an odd suit of armor which was red, black, and white. Running towards the first figure were three people in dark suits of armor.
"Just who the hell are they?" demanded the first general. "We don't have time for civilians playing hero!"
"People fighting monsters in costume," an elderly gentleman standing next to the bearded man spoke. "Reminds me of shows before Second Impact."
"Hnn," The bearded man frowned. He didn't care if people wanted to go insane and dress up in strange outfits, but why did the enemy pay them any mind?
"Holy smokes!" Dark Kiva cried as he and his siblings dashed over to the unknown Kamen Rider. He had managed to escape a second assault by the energy lance and had emerged just a bit dusty from the encounter. "Hey, you okay?"
"Peachy," Decade grumbled as he looked up at the three Kamen Riders who had apparently decided to take part against this monster. "Do you guys know what this thing is?"
"Never seen it before," Orga answered as she looked up at the Kaiju.
"First time fighting one," Dark Kiva added.
"It's new to me," Dark Kabuto agreed.
"Stupid thing has a force field around it too," Decade grumbled as the monster began setting its sights on the four of them. It seemed confused or curious at the moment. That suited the four of them fine since it allowed a moment of rest. "Any ideas about what to do?"
"Well, in my experience protective fields can either only last so long or can only take so much force before they break," Dark Kiva spoke as he gripped his Dark Wake Up Fuestle. "I think I'll try for the latter." Bringing the item to his 'buckle's' mouth, he slipped it in before closing Kivat's mouth, tapping the chin as he did
"Wake Up One!" Kivat cried as he unleashed the first level of his magic.
Clouds rolled into the sky as day turned into night. A red moon hung in the sky, bathing everything in red light, making it seem as if the sky was awash with blood. Growling, Dark Kiva's form was engulfed in red energy with a healthy amount of green mixed in. The enemy was staring at the sky in confusion at what was happening.
NERV
"What the hell?" one of the generals gaped, seeing day turn into night. "Is one of those costumed weirdoes doing that?
"It has to be a malfunction!" cried a second.
The bearded man narrowed his eyes as he watched the event unfolding. This was completely unexpected and there had been no hint that something like this was to be expected.
…this was not part of the scenario.
Dark Kiva glared at the monster, keeping the red core in sight with imaginary targets on it. Decade, Orga, and Dark Kabuto backed away to give him space as the energy field grow larger. Trembling from the amount of energy he pooled together, Dark Kiva gave off a snarl before leaping into the air. He soared through the air, reaching the apex just at the monster's bone mask. Gravity took back its hold and Dark Kiva began sailing back down, sailing towards the red core. Arching back his fist, the energy he collected swirled around it, turning a bright bloody red.
"Darkness Hell Crash!" Dark Kiva roared, punching forward with his energized fist.
The energized punch collided with the force field the monster emitted, causing the hexagonal ripples to appear. Dark Kiva kept up his attack, pushing his might and demonic chakra into the blow. The hexagonal ripples began to become erratic and asymmetrical. The monster itself even seemed to begin staggering from the force of the attack. The ripples became more erratic, losing their shape until…
KERSMASH!
NERV
The operations centre was quiet as everyone froze at the image of what happened. The human leaping into the air was shocking enough, attacking the enemy with just his fist even more so…but this… this…
"Did he just…break through the AT Field?" asked one of the generals in shock. "With just a punch?"
"I think…he did…" gaped the second.
The bearded man began to frown at the sight. This was not supposed to happen. Where had this variable come from?
"One hole ready to use!" Dark Kiva laughed as he landed on the rooftop with his fellow Riders.
The monster seemed off balance as a visible hole was seen in its field. It was easily big enough to fit several people in it. The only way one could tell there even was a hole was because of the glowing edges of the shattered field. However, Orga noticed something right away as the Kaiju was coming back to its senses.
"It's regenerating!" she cried, seeing the edges of the hole spreading back to cover the space. Dashing to the edge of the rooftop, she began to put her special gift to use. "Oh no you don't!"
Unseen to the naked eye, but noticeable to those sensitive to the energies of the human body, Orga lashed out with her psychic limbs known as vectors. They were her special gift and could function as normal arms, but also could be sharpened enough to cut through anything she desired. Often she used them when she needed an extra hand, but today they served a different purpose. Lashing towards the hole, the vectors gripped the edges and began pulling trying to keep the hole from closing.
"It's…too far!" Orga cried as she struggled to keep the hole in the AT-Field open. "It's still…closing! FINISH IT!"
"Right!" Dark Kabuto nodded as he reached to his belt and began pressing the button-like legs.
"1, 2, 3," the machine called out as Dark Kabuto reset its horn.
"Rider Kick!" the dark Rider called as he yanked the horn again.
"Rider Kick!" the machine echoed as tachyon energy began to pulse through his armor, making his visor glow and the circuit patterns in his chest light up.
"You're not leaving me out of this one," Decade frowned as he drew a gold card and opened his Decadriver. Slipping the card in, he shut the device, making it speak.
"Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!"
"Hyah!" Decade shouted as he leapt up.
"Hup!" Dark Kabuto followed.
At the peak of their jump, the holographic cards appeared between Decade and his intended target before he began to descend at an angle, aiming with his right leg out and his other tucked in. Dark Kabuto did the same. The two Riders performed their signature moves as they flew straight into the hole.
SMASH!
CRASH!
Dark Kabuto's Rider Kick and Decade's Dimension Kick smashed hard into the monster's core. Cracks began to spread from the point where their kicks connected. Decade and Dark Kabuto leaped away, leaving glowing footprints where their attacks had landed and the glowing cracks began spreading further out. Orga panted as she released her vectors as her little brother and their ally came back down to the rooftop.
The monster screeched as it stumbled backwards as if it had been shot. The cracks on its core continued to spread with more light seeping from them. Bits and pieces of the core began to fall from the main body as more energy was released through the cracks.
"It's gonna blow!" Dark Kiva cried as the Kaiju's thrashing became more erratic.
"Hit the dirt!" Orga cried, grabbing Decade and Dark Kabuto, pulling them alongside Dark Kiva to find some cover.
BOOOOM!
NERV
The room was silent as they watched the monster erupt in a massive explosion which took the shape of a cross. The cameras were temporarily blinded by the light, making determining the status of the enemy impossible. Eventually, the glare from the explosion began to die down.
The immediate area of the explosion was just a big crater. Everything had been leveled from the detonation. However, there wasn't a single trace of the monster remaining.
"The Angel…has been destroyed!" a technician cried, going from shock to awe in only a few words.
"Thank Kami," one of the generals sighed, leaning in his chair. "I don't know who those masked men were, but they all deserve medals for this."
"Indeed," the second general nodded. Reaching to his radio, he brought up his troops. "I want medics and soldiers examining the area where the enemy exploded! See if anyone is still there!"
"Looks like we didn't need your secret weapon after all," the third general snickered "Eh, Ikari?"
The bearded Ikari frowned deeply.
"Okay…that hurt…ugh."
The groan came from beneath a large slab of rubble which was scorched black. It shuddered before being pushed onto its front. Emerging from an un-scorched piece of asphalt Dark Kiva brushed the dust from his shoulders. Behind him, Dark Kabuto and Orga emerged, shoving more bits and pieces of rubble. Lastly came Decade as he shook his head to get the buzzing noise out of his head.
"Woah," he sighed as he got to his feet and saw the destruction. "Now that was a cool explosion."
"Totally," snickered Dark Kiva.
"Oh yeah," Dark Kabuto nodded.
"Boys," Orga huffed. "If you're not too busy with admiring the senseless destruction, how about helping me see if anyone is hurt?"
"Oh! Right! Coming Nee-chan!" Dark Kiva cried as he and his little brother began shifting through the rubble further away from the point of detonation and in the half-crumbled buildings. Decade wasn't far behind as he began shifting through the larger piles of destroyed buildings.
Orga tore a destroyed door off a half collapsed building when she heard it, a soft whimper of either pain or fear. She knew the sound well since she had made it several times before her father adopted her. Stepping into the ruined building, she heard it again.
"Hello?" she called softly. "Is anyone here?"
A choked sob replied.
Orga stepped past piles of rubble and found a room with the door blown off. Walking inside, she heard the whimper again. Looking to the corner of the room, she spotted, much to her surprise, a little girl with brown hair huddled in the corner, clutching her knees and crying softly.
"Excuse me," Orga spoke softly, slowly stepping towards the scared little girl. She didn't look like she was that old. Just in the early grades of school if anything. What was she doing out here? "Sweetie? Are you okay?"
The girl looked up at Orga and sobbed a little more before managing to choke out, "Is…is the monster gone?"
"Yes," Orga nodded, kneeling down in front of the girl. "It's gone. My friends and I beat it and made it go away. It can't hurt anyone now."
The little girl choked back a loud sob before scrambling towards Orga, capturing her neck in a hug before crying loudly. Orga gently held the little girl as she stood up, carrying her outside of the ruined building while speaking soothing words to her. Stroking the terrified girl's hair, she found her brothers and their unexpected ally running towards them.
"Did you find anyone else?" asked Orga.
"No," replied Dark Kabuto. "All of the civilians must be in shelters or something."
"What about the soldiers in the downed ships?" the eldest Smith asked.
"They didn't make it," Dark Kiva sighed. "The thing pierced each one on the pilot's side or had stomped on them."
"I see," Orga sighed. Turning to the sniffling child, she decided to ask. "Sweetie? What's your name? How'd you get out here?"
"I'm…Mari," the girl hiccoughed, wiping her eyes. "The shelter…it was scary and…crowded…and I didn't like it. So…so I ran out here…but then…then the monster came and there were all these big booms…and then the bright light…and then the building almost ate me…sniff…I want my big brother!" she broke down into sobs again, hugging Orga's neck. The female Kamen Rider just gently stroked Mari's back, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay. It's okay," Orga spoke soothingly. "Mari-chan, can you show us where the shelter you were in is? We'll take you back to your big brother right now."
"Really?" Mari asked with a sniffle. Seeing Orga's nod, she pointed down the street to the right of the battlefield. "I came from over there."
"Okay Mari-chan, we'll take you back," Orga spoke softly. Gesturing to the other Riders, the four of them made tracks towards the shelter Mari had mentioned.
People were already exiting the shelter after everything was clear, the military giving the all clear signal. The Angel had been neutralized so everyone was allowed to return to their homes, if they had any. A huge portion of the city had been reduced to rubble due to the monster's explosive destruction. The only reason the entire city hadn't gone up in smoke was because the explosion went straight up rather than in all directions.
One boy, a 14 year old with short brown hair and wearing a black tracksuit, was calling out for his missing sister. "Mari! Mari, where are you?" He was worried and his dad would kill him. He was supposed to be watching her. "Please…don't be dead."
"Onii-chan!" the boy heard, his eyes widening. It was Mari's voice.
"Mari!" Toji called out and he gaped at what he was seeing. There were four figures, dressed in strange suits of armor, and one of them was holding Mari in their arms. Toji quickly jogged up to them. "Mari!"
"Is she yours?" Orga asked, surprising the boy, Toji, because he didn't expect the person wearing the armor to be female.
"Yes," Toji said. Orga put Mari down. The little girl happily ran to her big brother, hugging him as tightly as she could.
"You should learn to keep a better eye on her. She was out there with that monster stomping around. She could've been killed," Orga scolded.
"…sorry," Toji sighed, allowing his sister to hug him. Whispers and questions were being raised by the people behind him, but Toji still had to ask. "Just who are you guys?"
The armored man with green eyes and the X on his chest chuckled as he supplied an answer, "We're just a bunch of Kamen Riders who are passing through. Remember that!"
With the dramatic answer made, the four Kamen Rider turned their backs to the crowd and began walking away. As they reached a fair distance, they suddenly all leaped up and used a nearby fire escape to leap on top of a building before vanishing into the distance. The people from the shelter began chatting about the four strange people as Toji and Mari watched the group leave.
The four Kamen Riders quickly reached another part of the city before coming to a stop. Kivat II removed himself from Dark Kiva's belt, shifting the Kamen Rider back to Naruto while the Dark Kabuto Zector reset and removed itself, undoing Shinji's transformation and Orga removed her phone and punched the END button, allowing her own armor to vanish. Not one to be rude, Decade removed his belt, allowing his transformation back to Ranma. However, Ranma's outfit had changed from his Chinese clothes to a school uniform which consisted of a white button up shirt and black pants. Nothing fancy like his Smart Brain High School uniform had been.
"It seems like we owe each other some thanks for fighting that monster," Lucy sighed softly, letting her shoulders slump from the exertion.
"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "I don't think I could have done it without some help this time around. Thanks."
"Hey, no problem!" Naruto grinned.
"Any help in a situation like that is appreciated," Shinji laughed as he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"No kidding," Ranma agreed before he sighed. "Well. I have a friend to catch up with first. Maybe we can catch up on this situation another time or something."
"Count on it," Lucy nodded. "Now go see to your friend."
Ranma nodded and took off like a shot, heading towards yet another part of the city. Naruto just heaved a sigh as he rested his arms on top of his head before yawning.
"We'll, I'm starving," he spoke. "Anyone want to go for some ramen?"
"You're an addict, Boy," Kivat II sighed, shaking his head.
"Hey, it's nature's perfect food! Don't mock the perfection that is ramen!" Naruto sniffed angrily at his partner.
"Um…shouldn't we try finding that Misato Katsuragi woman first?" asked Shinji. "I mean, that's why we came here in the first place isn't it?"
"Shinji is right," Lucy nodded. "We still have to see what Gendo Ikari wants with our little brother before we can tell him to go to hell and rot there and then leave."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Naruto grinned. "Let's kick that jerk's butt while we're at it!"
"Uh…we don't have to do that much," Shinji gulped. It felt nice to know that his brother and sister were so protective of him, but he didn't want them to get in trouble for his sake.
Meanwhile, parked at the spot where the trains would unload, Misato Katsuragi was waiting in her blue Renault for Shinji Ikari to appear. She normally should have gone to headquarters to fulfill her duty as the Operations Director, but she had to pick up Shinji first. When she got to the appointed spot, the kid wasn't there. Not that she blamed him considering what was going on at the time. Most likely he had run to a shelter to keep out of harm's way. She was about to go to the nearest shelter to hunt him down when for some reason, the Angel just went and blew up. Not that she minded, but she was sort of hoping to use the Evangelion units on it. Still, the Angel was dead so she couldn't complain. Of course, her superiors would be doing a lot of complaining when the fallout from this incident came up.
"Now where the heck is that kid?" Misato asked out loud.
"Hey! Yoohoo!"
Misato blinked and looked over to see the boy she was supposed to pick up and a couple of older teens with him. One was a blonde with whisker marks on his cheeks and another was a redhead in gothic clothes and a hat. The boy in the lead was definitely Shinji. He looked more or less the same as his file photo. The only difference between a photo and the real thing was that there was more life in his eyes than in the picture she had of him. Apparently Shinji was very good at posing for pictures. Still, the information she had on him as surprisingly lacking considering the Commander had supposedly had agents reporting in on the boy every so often for the sake of records.
"Oh, there you are," Misato smiled, relieved that she wouldn't have to go rooting through the various shelters in the city to try and find him. Removing her sunglasses, she decided to introduce herself. "My name is Misato Katsuragi. I'm supposed to be taking you to NERV when you arrived here."
"We know. Nice picture by the way," Naruto grinned, flashing the photo Misato had sent along with the letter the commander had told her to mail. Of course, seeing how the blonde seemed to enjoy it made her feminine pride swell. Still, she had to ask a question concerning the two with Shinji. Were they friends? Relatives?
"Um…who are you two?" Misato asked.
"We're Shinji's brother and sister," Lucy introduced. "I'm Lucy."
"Call me Naruto."
"Like the ramen topping?" Misato questioned.
"No! It means maelstrom!" Naruto snapped.
"Considering that you're addicted to ramen, the first definition seems more appropriate," snickered Lucy.
"Nee-chan!" Naruto whined.
Misato was confused. She didn't think that the Commander had any other children. On closer inspection she didn't see a resemblance at all. Not a single one. There was probably a logical explanation about that, but either the commander had slept around or Shinji's guardian had brought in more kids.
"Are you really brothers and sister?" asked Misato carefully.
"We're adopted," the trio answered in unison.
"So, Ms. Katsuragi, you'll be taking us all to NERV?" asked Shinji.
"Call me Misato, and I was only supposed to bring Shinji here but I guess since you're all together we can all go. Since the Angel's been dealt with we won't have to be on high alert anymore. It shouldn't be a problem."
"Shotgun!" Naruto called quickly before leaping into the passenger side. Lucy rolled her eyes and went to the backseat with Shinji.
"OK, hold on kids. We're headed to NERV!" declared Misato.
They were in a hurry, so Misato drove quickly. However, the Dark Riders wondered where the woman got her license. She was driving like a madwoman! Naruto was clutching the front dash, wondering if being the first in the front seat wasn't such a good idea as it seemed. Lucy and Shinji had strapped themselves in with seatbelts, but they were still clutching each other protectively while Misato kept making wild turns.
"So you were all adopted by the same person?" Misato asked, making conversation. "That wasn't in the file I got about you."
"Not surprised," Shinji sighed. "Gendo Ikari would have probably forgotten all about me if he didn't need for whatever reason he called me in today. If he checked to see what happened to me, he would have found out I was adopted."
"So who is your father now anyway?" wondered Misato.
"His name is Warren Smith," Lucy answered. "He's a very kind man who took all three of us in when we were small. He's give us a home, family, and more than enough love to show any lucky child." Her eyes grew foggy with happy memories while Shinji and Naruto's did the same. "All three of us were very lucky to meet him when we did. I'm sometimes afraid to think of what would happen if we didn't and how we would have turned out."
"I try not to," Naruto sighed. "Way too dark for me."
"Wow. Sounds like quite a guy," Misato smiled bitterly, recalling the failings in the field aside from where he saved her life during Second Impact. The way his kids talked about him, the guy sounded like he'd be an easy winner for Father of the Year. "So you guys have anyone else in the family?"
"Well, there's Aunt Teresa and Leon," Naruto grinned, remembering what the blonde woman would babysit them when they were little. "Then there's Kaa-san and the twins, Alex and Tessa. Our little brother and sister."
"There are also Aunt Liz and Aunt Angela, with Steve and Michael," added Lucy. "They're 7. They're like little brothers to us."
"I see Shinji's got experience being a big brother," grinned Misato.
"Oh he's in for a world of experience still," Naruto laughed, making even Shinji chuckle slightly. "Lucy and I sure learned quickly when we got our own little brothers and sister."
"Yes, it was a rather new experience," Lucy grinned. "Having a little sister and brothers was very pleasant for me, even if Shinji was a complete goofball half the time."
"Heh!" Naruto laughed.
"Well, I've gotta say you three seem pretty interesting," Misato smiled. "Maybe with you guys around NERV won't be such a dull place."
"Trust me, Misato," said Lucy. "We'll be turning the place upside down." Her grin was an evil one, almost demonic. She really wanted to meet Gendo. She wanted to let the man know exactly what she thought of him. "So Misato, just what is this NERV place you're bringing us too all about?"
"Glad you asked," Misato smiled. "The organization known as NERV is charged with the duty of defending mankind from the threat of the Angels who wish to trigger Third Impact and wipe us all out."
"Woah. Heavy," Naruto grimaced. When their father said there was a threat to Shinji's world, they weren't kidding.
"Trust me. It's as heavy as it gets," Misato nodded.
"So, what does my biological father have to do with any of this?" asked Shinji, although he was starting to get a sneaking suspicion about it.
"Well, believe it or not he's the supreme commander of NERV and the one spearheading the effort of saving the world along the rest of the organization," Misato answered.
"Hmph! You've made a very poor choice in selecting a commander then," Lucy snorted. Seeing Misato raise an eyebrow in confusion while looking at her through the rearview mirror, she decided to explain. "Gendo Ikari is the last person I'd pick to lead a humanitarian organization like you say NERV is on the account that he has promptly abandoned everything that symbolizes the positive aspects of humanity. How can you have someone who abandoned everything that made him human lead an organization which is supposed to defend humanity?"
Misato wasn't sure how to answer that. Even she had to admit that the commander was a bit…cold. The guy just wasn't pleasant to be around. However, Misato couldn't afford to be picky about who her boss was. She had her own vendetta against the Angels and willing to do anything to get her revenge on them. The scar left on her 15 years ago was a mark that would forever remind her of the disaster the Angels had caused 15 years ago with the emergence of Adam, the first.
"Personally, I think Dad would make a better commander," said Naruto.
"Seconded," Lucy nodded.
"That I will have to agree," Shinji nodded.
Gendo, in the conference room, was getting an earful from Instrumentality Committee, the backers of NERV who kept the facility funded for their operations. There were only six of them here, but they were only a section of the greater organization known as SEELE. They were not happy because not only were the Evangelions not sent into battle, but the Angel had been defeated by some unknown variables.
"Why were the Evangelions not mobilized sooner against the Angel?" demanded one of the members. "They are what we are practically bankrupting small countries to build and maintain aren't we?"
"The military insisted in continuing their attempts at destroying the Angel," Gendo replied calmly. "NERV is technically a civilian-run organization and thus the military had priority in defeating the Angel before NERV could make its attempt. The situation was out of my hands at the time."
"Perhaps," Keel Lorenz, the head of the council nodded. "However, there are the four anomalies which must be dealt with. What do you plan to do about them, hm?"
Keel pressed a button and four holographic displays lit up. Each one depicted one of the four Kamen Riders during their battle with the Third Angel. The images revealed Dark Kiva breaking the Angel's AT Field, Orga somehow keeping the hole open, and Dark Kabuto along with Decade dealing the deathblow.
"They will be dealt with as soon as possible," Gendo reassured the committee. "I hardly think they'll be able to hide for long. We will capture them and eliminate them from the scenario. Their armor will be studied so to combat further Angels should the need arise."
"I hope for your sake you're right Ikari," another member commented. "We've put too much into NERV and our purpose to let something ruin it now. Take care of these anomalies and get things back on track."
"Of course," Gendo nodded to his superiors.
"Then this meeting is adjourned," Keel nodded. He and the remaining members save for Gendo then winked out of existence, revealing themselves to be holograms. Gendo would have sighed, but he restrained himself. Pressing a button on his desk, the lights in his office came on.
There was a knock at his door and Gendo said, "Enter." Sub-commander Fuyutsuki entered. "What is it, sensei?"
"Your son has arrived," said Fuyutsuki.
"At least something is going as planned," grumbled Gendo. His son…his tool to make his plans a reality had arrived.
"But there's just one thing you need to know…" said Fuyutsuki.
"LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs as his blue eyes gazed upon the EVA Unit-01. As promised, Misato had brought the Smith siblings into NERV. Naturally the three of them found themselves in awe over the manmade Geofront which NERV headquarters was situated. Of course, the awe turned to annoyance when Misato got them lost in the connecting tunnels. That just got the head scientist of NERV Ritsuko Akagi to come down and find them, which wasn't helped since she wasn't in the best of moods. Of course, Naruto just had to make the comment if only babes could work at NERV then where could he sign up, which got him discretely smacked upside the head by Lucy again. The blonde doctor then led the group straight to where they were now, looking right at Evangelion 01's ugly face.
"Ugly paintjob, though," commented Lucy. "Just who designed this thing anyway?"
"My mother," answered Shinji solemnly.
"Oh, sorry," Lucy apologized. Yui Ikari, Shinji's biological mother, was still a sore issue for the young boy. "Aside from the paintjob it's still cool."
"So, they want you to pilot that thing, huh, Shinji?" grinned Naruto. "Oh, I am so jealous of you right now!"
"Don't be," frowned Shinji. "If I pilot that thing, you know that means I have to work for…" His siblings nodded.
"So, you're here," Gendo spoke as he approached Shinji. Instantly, his eyes hardened like his fathers.
"Gendo," Shinji acknowledged coolly.
"If you had arrived sooner then we could've mobilized the EVA," retorted Gendo.
"Well, it seems to me you don't need me to since the threat has been taken out," answered Shinji. 'By us,' he added mentally.
Gendo didn't visibly bristle but clearly the boy before him was no what he expected. What he'd expected was a meek, timid boy desperate for his attention and acknowledgement, not this young man. His eyes fell upon Naruto and Lucy. "You aren't authorized personnel."
"Wherever Shinji goes, we go," said Naruto.
"We're a team and inseparable," added Lucy, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She was so tempted to run him through with a vector or at least toss him off the walkway. She could make it look like an accident, but her Papa forbade her from killing…unless it was necessary.
"Regardless, you aren't allowed here," Gendo insisted in his stone demeanor.
"I could care less what you allow here or not," Naruto growled. "The point is Shinji is our little brother and we're going to stick with him like glue. Now get to the freaking point before I kick your ass off this walkway. I doubt anyone would miss you anyway."
Gendo frowned while Misato and Ritsuko gaped at the trio for speaking out against the supreme commander of NERV like they had. Rarely anyone had the guts to talk to him like that and when they did, they found themselves getting shunted to some of the worst possible or most dangerous positions in NERV.
"Dr. Akagi mentioned something about me being labeled the Third Child," Shinji frowned. "Care to explain that one?"
"Your designation refers to your capabilities of piloting the Evangelion units," Gendo spoke, gesturing to the giant purple machine. "These machines are the salvation for humanity against the Angels."
"Not anymore apparently," Lucy snickered. "Someone sure beat the monster out there and it didn't seem like this hunk of scrap."
Gendo again withheld the urge to bristle, but Ristuko definitely didn't. She had a lot of pride in her achievements concerning Evangelion technology. She was the chairperson of Project E after all. She especially didn't like hearing someone talk trash about something she put a considerable portion of her life into perfecting and improving on. She may not have invented, built, or designed them, but she was the reason why they were still functioning today.
"An unexpected reprieve against the Angels," Gendo replied calmly. "I doubt it will happen again."
'Wanna bet?' the Smith children snickered internally. Now that they knew how to beat the monsters, they just had to get used to fighting things their size.
"As such, you have been selected as the Third Child to pilot Unit 01 against the Angels," the commander continued.
Shinji didn't like where this was heading. He had a feeling that it wasn't coincidence that he was called to Tokyo-3 on the same day that this monster or Angel as it was designated, decided to attack. If anything, that would have almost guaranteed his piloting the machine if he and his siblings didn't have their means of becoming Kamen Riders. Knowing how low Gendo Ikari could sink, Shinji didn't doubt that the man probably planned that just to get him to pilot the machine.
"You said Shinji's the Third Child," Naruto spoke up. "What happened to numbers one and two?"
"The Second Child is stationed in NERV Germany," Ritsuko explained. "Since we weren't sure where the Angels would appear, we had Eva units in each of NERV's branches. The First Child is here…but she was injured in a training exercise and was unable to pilot."
"Remarkably sloppy means of commanding your facility then," Lucy snorted. "Judging from the size of this place and the technology that has apparently gone into it, you've been expecting these…Angels, to come for quite some time. If my history is correct probably since Second Impact since it's the only event of world history that I can think of that these things may possibly be involved in." She noticed Misato flinch slightly, taking her guess as true. "If that is the case then you've had more than ample time to create a fighting force to combat them yet you've apparently only have one pilot here and only one unit to fight it with. Such sloppy tactics will spell the end of humanity as we know it. You're a real credit to the facility 'Commander'."
"Selecting pilots isn't that easy," Misato spoke up, trying to defend her workplace.
"Fifteen years and you guys only managed to find three pilots?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, that isn't because of difficulty, that's because someone was dragging their feet."
"Or someone with an agenda," added Shinji, his eyes on Gendo.
Coolly, Gendo said, "Since the Angel has been neutralized, you can use this time to train yourself and get accustomed to the Evangelion. Dr. Akagi, prepare the Third Child for the synch test." As Gendo turned, he tripped and fell flat on his face.
Lucy grinned.
"I'm so glad he didn't raise me," said Shinji as he was ready to enter the Unit-01's entry plug.
He was currently dressed in a skintight outfit which was blue and white with the numbers 01 printed on the chest. He also had a pair of clips on his head which were supposed to help him synch with the Eva, but personally felt the whole ensemble made him look stupid. He had only agreed to this simply for his own reasons. Of course, Naruto and Lucy had a hand in it, really. What better way to jam Gendo's gears by planting a mole in NERV? All three immediately suspected that the man had something big planned if an organization which was supposed to be guarding humanity was being so sloppily run. There was no other plausible way in which they could get in this deep without being on the payroll anyway.
"Me too. I mean I thought Ichijyo was cold," said Naruto. Gendo made the head of the Smart Brain Corporation look like a warm and fuzzy bunny in comparison.
"At least Ichijyo has human emotions. Gendo is like something that shouldn't exist." She added, looking to Shinji, "The only good thing he ever did was help bring you into this world."
"He's the sperm donor for all I care," remarked Shinji. "Father is my real father."
"Speaking of which, you think we should report to Dad later?" asked Naruto.
"Papa will get worried if he doesn't hear from us," nodded Lucy. "All things considered, I think he really needs to know what's going on here."
"By the way, thanks for tripping that jerk up, Nee-san," said Shinji with a grin. He would have used a more colorful name for Gendo, but that always resulted in getting smacked by a vector. Lucy didn't like her family using bad language.
"Hey, he deserves worse," Lucy shrugged. She had a vivid and bloody imagination. The only thing stopping her was her Papa's disapproving look. She couldn't bear to see that especially since he rescued her from that orphanage and gave her a family.
"Hey Shinji!" Misato's voice crackled over a loudspeaker. "We're all set here. Just hop into the entry plug and we'll get the test started. Lucy and Naruto can join us up here in the operations booth."
"Got it!" Shinji waved up to where he could see Misato observing everything. Turning to his siblings, he sighed. "Well, looks like its starting. Hope it looks cool from your end."
"I hope so too," Naruto laughed. "See ya soon!"
"Be careful," Lucy nodded, kissing her brother on the cheek. "I don't want this thing to eat you too."
"It won't," Shinji reassured his sister. "I'll be fine."
Lucy sighed again before nodding. With that, Shinji ducked inside the entry plug while Lucy and Naruto made tracks down the walkway towards the elevators.
The two eldest of the siblings managed to reach the operations booth. At the front were three technicians who were keeping track of the mainstream data. While Shinji was getting ready, Lucy and Naruto found their names to be Makoto, Maya, and Shigeru. The three seemed nice enough to the elder Smith siblings. Behind them were Ritsuko and Misato who were overseeing the operation. At the back of the room was the commander (or to Naruto, The King Bastard) and the sub-commander, a man named Kozo Fuyutsuki. Lucy didn't think he looked like the kind of person who would associate with someone like Gendo too much. In fact, she pegged him to be more of a teacher than anything. She had to wonder why he was in a place like NERV.
"Entry plug has been inserted," Makoto reported. "Beginning startup."
"Harmonics are normal so far," Maya added.
"Synch ratio beginning to rise," Shigeru spoke. "Ten percent and rising steadily."
"Just to let you know," Naruto spoke, getting Gendo's attention. "If anything happens to him in there, you're a dead man."
Gendo didn't even give a flinch that he heard, but Naruto was confident that he did. Lucy silently agreed with the sentiment. If something did happen to her beloved little brother, then Gendo was going to find out what death by vector felt like. She might be merciful and let him live if Shinji was able to recover from such an incident, but she wouldn't leave Gendo whole from the encounter.
"Synch ratio just breeched the fifty percent mark!" Shigeru reported with a bright smile. "Man, this kid is something!"
"Wow," Misato admired. "That's better than when Asuka first tried."
"Asuka was just a little kid when she first got into her Eva," Ritsuko reminded her friend. Cynical comment it might have been, it didn't detract from how impressed she felt considering Shinji's synch so far.
"Maybe, but it's still impressive," Misato shrugged. Stepping towards the consoles, she found the communication system which was linked to Eva 01. "How are you feeling in there Shinji-kun?"
"Well, your LCL tastes like blood and I almost choked on it," Shinji grumbled. "A little warning would have been nice. It feels a little weird though. It's like I can feel my own body, but I can also feel the Eva's body as if it were my own. The latter feeling is getting stronger too."
"That's normal," Ritsuko reassured the young man. "The higher your synch rate is the better control you'll have over the Eva."
"But won't that mean he'll begin feeling what the Eva feels?" asked Lucy with some concern. Shinji was no stranger to pain, being a Kamen Rider, but she didn't like the thought of her little brother getting hurt.
"That's one of the downsides of this system I'm afraid," Ritsuko sighed. "We can achieve a phenomenal amount of control over the Evas, but the feedback can be quite painful."
"Some secret weapon," Naruto sighed.
"Breeching seventy-five percent and still rising!" Maya reported. "This can't be possible. Are we sure it's his first time in an Eva?"
"I'm sure ma'am," Shinji nodded. At least the bridge technician people seemed to be nice. No point in being mean to people just because they willingly worked under Gendo. "I've never even seen one before today."
"Well, it looks like you'll be our new ace around here," Misato smiled. "If you keep this up the Angels will have a serious fight on their hands."
"I'll give them everything I got!" declared Shinji with pride in his voice. He wasn't lying. As a Rider he made sure to give it his all.
"I am so glad to be out of that gunk!" said Shinji, relieved to be in his own clothes after a hot shower. The test took over an hour since there were over a hundred things in the Eva's operation that needed checking and testing since someone new was piloting it. Despite pressing for details, Ritsuko was being vague about it which gave Lucy and Naruto the impression that if the Eva didn't accept the pilot, bad things happened. "And back in my own clothes too. That suit was riding up my…"
"We don't need that imagery," Lucy interrupted. "Still, things are running smoothly."
"All we gotta do is just sit and wait before we act," said Naruto, "And gather intelligence." As ninjas, they were trained to gather as much information on the enemy as possible. Gendo was marked as one along with the Angels, and Gendo must know something about them if he was preparing for their return after 15 years.
"Ano, Nee-san, Nii-san, do you think we'll ever see that other Rider?" asked Shinji, referring to Decade. It was quite surprising to see a Rider in this world where none had been before and they didn't really take the time to introduce each other even though they knew each others' faces.
"Maybe," nodded Lucy. "If he's here to help that is."
Misato approached the trio and Naruto greeted, "Yo, Misato!"
Smiling, Misato informed them, "OK, kids, I'm pretty sure you can all guess since Shinji's the newest pilot, we'll need him to stay in Tokyo-3 for when another Angel attacks. To that end NERV is trying to get him an apartment. Before anything is finalized though, I was wondering if you guys wanted to crash with me at my place. I mean, I have two extra rooms so Naruto and Shinji will have to share, but I think we can all fit."
Lucy shook her head, saying, "Don't worry about it Misato. That won't be necessary. As the oldest I am their guardian since I'm eighteen years old. And as for living arrangements, Papa already got us a place."
"Oh." Misato blinked. She didn't expect that. Then again if Lucy was telling the truth about her age then it wouldn't be a problem. She just didn't expect the three to have their own place already.
"Here's the address," said Naruto as he fished a small sheet of paper out of it. "We're new in town so we may need directions." He handed the paper to Misato. The captain took the paper and read over it before a smile overcame her face.
"Hey, I know this place!" said Misato with bright eyes and a happy smile. "It's right next door to mine!"
"Huh?" three eyebrows were cocked.
"Looks like we'll be neighbors! How about you drop by my place later so we can celebrate?"
"Oh…joy…" groaned Lucy, murmuring cynically, "That would be perfect."
"I want Section 2 to watch the Third Child and his…companions," ordered Gendo. His scenario was already off to a very rough start. He couldn't afford one of the keystones to his plan to be uncontrollable. Not when things were as they were now.
"According to Captain Katsuragi, they're his brother and sister," Fuyutsuki commented. "Apparently after you left the boy behind he was taken in and adopted by a fellow named Warren Smith."
"Then get someone to learn everything about him as well," Gendo ordered. "I want to know everything about the man, his relatives, everything down to his daily schedule."
"Collateral over the Third?" asked Fuyutsuki.
"He's too wild at this point," Gendo spoke. "Control has to be maintained on him for the scenario to reach completion. To do that, we need to learn what makes him tick as well everyone around him. Start with his companions and move from there."
"Of course," Fuyutsuki nodded.
"And here it is, home sweet home!" declared Misato as she opened her door, welcoming the Smith siblings to her...pig sty.
There were trash bags filled with empty cans of beer, a full ashtray, and then there was the smell. Instant food packages littered the kitchen along with more trash bags filled with the same. Magazines were littering the living room and the table was covered in a castle of beer cans. Lucy and Shinji both cringed at the sight, being ones who were lean out of habit. However, Naruto felt strangely at home in the mess.
"Was there already a party here?" Naruto asked carefully.
"Sorry for the mess," Misato apologized. She was a little embarrassed by it all, but she honestly never had the time to clean. Between her duties at NERV and taking time to sleep, she was lucky to have time to get her laundry done and eat. Still, she didn't let it get her down as she bravely forged a path into the mess.
'THIS ISN'T A MESS! IT'S A BIOHAZARD ZONE!' the three siblings thought at once. They walked inside, carefully putting on the house slippers. They weren't sure if anything was alive in the mess, but they decided to err on the side of caution. One never knew what secrets the mess would hide.
"I haven't had time to clean up," excused Misato.
"I can see that," mumbled Lucy. 'And I thought Naruto was messy...'
"We could help you clean up," suggested Shinji. "Won't we, Nee-san? Nii-san?"
Lucy sighed. If they were going to have a party, they might as well clean up. Besides, Misato was trying to go out of her way to be friendly to all of them, especially after they were on edge after dealing Gendo. A party sounded nice to relax and maybe a little cleaning would keep her mind off the prick that helped create Shinji Ikari-Smith.
Not even several steps into the dirty apartment, the three Riders then saw a penguin waddle out of the bathroom, into the kitchen, grab a can of beer from the fridge and then waddle into another smaller apparently custom made fridge. Needless to say, they sweatdropped. Of course, Naruto was sporting a strange look on his face that screamed 'WTF'.
"Was it just me or did I just see a penguin?" Shinji asked, wondering if his time in the Eva wasn't making him go insane already.
"It wasn't just you," Naruto and Lucy deadpanned, yet still surprised. It brought relief to them knowing that in fact they weren't going insane when they saw a penguin waddle through the apartment like nothing was wrong.
"Oh, that was Pen-Pen. He's a hot water penguin. He was made in a lab back at my old job but when they wanted to dispose of him, I adopted him," said Misato. "He's probably one of the smartest animals I've ever met too. I mean, he drinks beer, watches T.V., uses the bathroom, runs his own baths, he's like the perfect roommate. All I have to do is feed him. He's the best!"
The Smith children blinked at the grinning woman.
...
Was she for real!
"Says here on the parking pass this is where I live," Ranma muttered as he looked up at the apartment complex.
"It looks nice," Kasumi commented on the building complex.
As the norm, after Ranma donned his Decade armor in a new world, he emerged from it wearing a new set of clothes with some information on his position in that world. In this case, he was a student at Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High in class 2-A. Despite being 16, he was placed in a junior class in junior high. He also had a parking pass to the apartment complex he and Kasumi were currently standing in front of. If nothing else, it made finding a parking spot for the Machine Decader much easier.
"Well, let's see what my apartment looks like," Ranma sighed.
Catching the elevator, Ranma and Kasumi found the floor in which the parking pass said was his. Thankfully for the sake of reference, each parking pass stated which apartment the owners lived in so the managers could quickly check to see if the people who had the passes were the true owners.
Hitting their floor, Ranma and Kasumi stepped off and began walking down the halls. All of the doorways looked the same save for a number and letter announcing which ones they were. Walking past one door, they could clearly hear people thrashing around and the sounds of cans hitting cans. Still, they thought they could hear the squawking of a bird. Ranma just assumed it was someone's pet, but it sounded much bigger than any regular bird one could get at a pet store.
"Oh my. It sounds like someone is spring cleaning. How nice," Kasumi smiled. She recognized the sound easily enough since she always did the spring cleaning by herself back at the Tendo Dojo.
"Seems like they're our neighbors too," Ranma added as he pointed to a door next to the apartment with the noisy occupants.
"Maybe we can introduce ourselves later," Kasumi nodded. "It would only be polite."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Ranma. Even if they would be in this world for a short time until their mission was completed, making friends with the natives would be nice. Kasumi loved meeting new people, even if the new people were his alternate selves.
"Let's first get settled, then we can meet our new neighbors," said Kasumi.
"Right behind you, Kasumi!"
"OK, we've disposed of all the trash," said Lucy. The cleaning had been long and brutal, but they managed to do it. At the moment, she was going over a mental list of what needed to be done to make the space livable, much less ready for a party.
"Mopped and swept the floors," added Shinji.
"And vacuumed the place," finished Naruto.
"I never would've believed someone could be messier than you, Naruto," grumbled Lucy as she mocked him.
"I'm one of a kind," he said, flashing a grin.
WHAP!
"Itai!" Naruto held his head after Lucy smacked him upside the head with her normal hand.
"Baka! That wasn't a compliment!" she snapped.
"I'm sorry you guys had to do this," Misato apologized for what felt like the hundredth time. She felt genuinely embarrassed that her guests for the welcoming party had to help her clean up her apartment before they could have fun.
"Hey, we're used to such messes," Shinji laughed. "Naruto has the same kind of messes you do so we're used to it. Actually, it's kind of a family project day to clean up his room every month to the neighbors don't start complaining and the smell doesn't make us sick. Of course he has to do our chores for a week to make things fair."
"That's never fun," Naruto huffed. He was only allowed to use two Kage Bunshin to help him. If he tried to cheat and use more, his dad always found out and made sure he was punished.
"You wouldn't have to do that if you just learned to clean up after yourself," Lucy frowned at her younger brother. "Honestly, it's not hard."
"Says you," Naruto huffed. "The only time you're remotely messy is when you're busy doing the horizontal hula with Kouta and even then it's only the bed you mess up."
Lucy blushed scarlet, "HENTAI!"
WHACK!
"OW!"
"Ah, so the oldest has a boyfriend, does she?" Misato grinned, walking over to Lucy and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leaving Naruto to nurse the red handprint on his cheek. "So, level with me. Woman to woman. What's he like?"
"Oh here we go," Shinji sighed. Lucy never passed up an opportunity to talk about Kouta.
"He's…he's wonderful," Lucy giggled, sounding like an actual teenager rather than the mature young woman she had been acting like when they first met. "Kouta-kun and I have been dating for a while now…and it's always like the first time again whenever we go out. Sometimes it's hard to see each other, but we always manage to find each other. Papa supports our relationship too. I'm very glad for that."
"Yeah, which is lucky considering how he found out about them," Naruto grinned, flexing his jaw. "He walked into Lucy's room right after they did it the first time. Kouta had to hide in the closet while Pop asked Lucy if anything was wrong. When it seemed like they were in the clear, Pop knocked on the closet and asked if Kouta wanted anything for breakfast. I thought their heads were going to explode since they were blushing so much!"
"Oh that is priceless!" Misato laughed. "Reminds me of back in college when my roommate walked in on me and my boyfriend. Trust me Lucy, I know how you feel!"
"NNNNNNAAAARRRUUUUTOOOOOOO!" Lucy scowled, ready to bring the pain to her annoying little brother. Did he have to bring up that story every chance he got? How immature could he be? What did Hinata see in him? "That's it! You're not hanging out with Jiraiya anymore!"
"Actually, Father already knew about them doing that sort of thing," Shinji calmly pointed out. "He found Kouta's boxers in the laundry after one of Kouta's visits that Mother doesn't tell Father about."
"Shinji! You too?" Lucy gaped.
"I'm just teasing," Shinji laughed. "You make it so easy Nee-san. Besides, we're all mature young adults. It's not like we go telling this to anyone. Misato-san has earned my trust to tell embarrassing stories about my family."
"Awww," Misato grinned, surprised and very touched that the three siblings actually trusted her after first meeting them a few hours ago. "Thanks."
"Fine," Lucy shrugged. "Then I'll tell the story of when Father and Mother caught Naruto making out with Hinata-chan and when Shinji had his first crush."
"ACK!" the boys cried as their faces turned red. "NEE-SAN/NEE-CHAN! NO!"
"Turnabout is fair play, Otouto-tachi," taunted Lucy. If they had something on, she always had something on them. It was just too easy.
Then the doorbell rang.
"Wonder who that is," said Misato as she went to the door. She opened it up to welcome a couple of faces she had never seen before. "Excuse me, but who are you both?"
"Oh, we're new here in the building and we wanted to say hello to our new neighbors," said Kasumi. "I'm Kasumi and this is my younger brother, Ranma."
"Yo," Ranma waved and then he eyed the other people in the apartment. Four pairs of eyes widened and four pairs of eyebrows instantly rose.
'IT'S THEM/IT'S HIM!' they thought in unison.
"I'm Misato Katsuragi," Misato introduced with a smile. "Why don't you come in? We're about to start a housewarming party."
"We'd love to. Won't we, Ranma?" smiled Kasumi.
"Yeah, Kasumi," nodded Ranma. "Sure."
Ranma never thought he'd see someone who could drink more than his father or Mr. Tendo, but this Katsuragi lady was definitely doing it, and staying somewhat rational in the process. When the fathers drank the amount of booze the lady had chugged down, they'd be slurring about wedding plans or just passed out. Somehow Kasumi had been convinced to try some and she was in a giggling fit, finding everything around her funny, never mind when the penguin came and joined them in the drinking fest. Of course, it allowed the four teenagers some privacy out on the balcony. Introductions were finally made as the hard questions were finally asked.
"So what brings you to Tokyo-3 anyway Ranma?" asked Naruto, starting things off.
"It deals with a mission I have," Ranma answered, leaning against the railing. "Do you guys believe in alternate universes?"
"Yes," the three teens nodded. Ranma blinked at their confident answers. That kind of agreement was rare. Well it just made his explanation easier.
"Well, for some reason, the Kamen Rider worlds have been starting to drift together. If someone doesn't stop them then all of the worlds are going to fuse together into one big world. If that happens, then all of the Kamen Riders are going to go to war and maybe end up destroying that world, ending existence."
"No shit?" Naruto blinked before his older sister slapped him upside the head. "Ow!"
"So you've been traveling to the different Kamen Rider worlds to save them?" asked Lucy.
"Yeah," Ranma nodded. "Each world seems to have a threat that the defenders can't seem to beat on their own so I get involved and help. Each time I manage to gain a new power while I'm at it," he drew his nine Kamen Rider cards to prove his point, each having a story of a grand battle behind them. "With these I can copy the abilities of other Kamen Riders. I thought that after going to these nine worlds I'd get an idea how to stop the merging, but I just end up going to more worlds."
"So do you have any idea what you have to do here?" asked Shinji.
"No clue," Ranma answered, putting his cards away. "I was actually kind of hoping that you guys could tell me what the situation was. Did you learn anything about that monster we took down?"
"Loads," Lucy nodded. "You see, fifteen years ago there was a terrible disaster known as Second Impact. It was a massive explosion in the Antarctic which melted the caps and reshaped landmasses from the flooding. Maybe about half of the world's population died in the disaster. The explosion even skewered the axis of the planet, making the seasons get stuck."
"Woah," Ranma gaped, in shock about the massive loss of life. "But what does that have to do with that thing acting like Godzilla today?"
"I'm getting to that," Lucy answered. "The official story is that a meteor struck the Antarctic, but Papa told us otherwise. He said that a team of scientists found something frozen in the ice and like scientists usually do, they poked and prodded it. However, whatever it was didn't like being prodded and reacted and caused Second Impact."
"So you're saying that the thing they found down there is responsible for the thing that attacked today?" asked Ranma.
"We think so," Shinji nodded. "An organization has been made since then to combat these monsters which have been designated as Angels. They're called NERV and they want me to pilot a machine called Evangelion to fight against them."
"Since Shinji is going to be our man inside, he can help us find more information on the situation so we can figure out just why the heck these things are attacking." Naruto added.
"According to what we do know though, there are only seventeen of these monsters," Lucy continued. "The one we fought today was designated as the Third. I believe that the creature found in the Antarctic must have been the First, but what happened to the Second I don't know."
"So this city is going to be attacked by fourteen more giant monsters and we're going to have to deal with them while trying to figure out just what set them off in the first place," Ranma sighed. "Well, it sounds a bit different than my usual fights, but the variety is nice I guess."
"Same for us. We've been fighting Kaijin and a few bigger ones. This is the first we actually fought a Kaiju without our Father," said Shinji.
"Your father?" Ranma asked.
Lucy explained, "Yes, our adopted father but he's like our real father to us. Plucked us out of horrible situations and raised us as his own children. He taught us about what it means to be a hero…and a Kamen Rider."
"Feels hard to live up to, doesn't it?" Ranma smiled. "I mean, I've been seeing probably dozens of Kamen Riders in action with different attitudes and beliefs, but they always come down to the same thing. The Heart if Justice."
"Papa taught us a lot about that," Lucy smiled. "He says that you're only a true Kamen Rider when you have that. It's not enough to wear a mask and ride a motorcycle. You've truly earned the name when you've lived up to the words that the first Kamen Riders Ichigo and Nigo christened when they fought the SHOCKER organization."
"Ichigo and Nigo?" Ranma blinked. "Never heard of them. Maybe I'll meet them sometime after this world or something."
"Dad had a lot of stories about a lot of different Kamen Riders he's met over the years," Naruto grinned. "We grew up on those stories and we've wanted to be just like them. Saving people from bad guys, helping people in need like Dad did to us when we needed someone."
"And that's why we're here," said Shinji. "The commander of NERV, my former father, is planning something. Whatever it is, it can't be for the good of humanity. I doubt a man who abandoned his own son would care about anyone but himself."
"We're here to stop the Angels and Gendo's plans. Papa said it was something huge but rather than tell us he wanted us to figure it out for ourselves. Kind of like a test to prove our caliber as Riders," said Lucy. "So, what about you? Are you onboard?" Lucy asked Ranma.
"Are you kidding?" Ranma said with a grin. "I've been saving worlds left and right! Do you think I'd stop now?"
Naruto, Lucy and Shinji smiled. They had found a new ally.
"Alright, how about we put our hands together?" said Naruto as he laid his hand out, palm down. Shinji put his hand on his and then Ranma did as well. They looked expectantly towards Lucy.
"Nee-chan?"
"Nee-san?"
Lucy had her arms crossed but with a sigh she placed her palm atop theirs. "OK, we're a team now."
"Gendo won't know what hit him," grinned Shinji.
"Because the Kamen Riders will be on his case," said Ranma.
"Believe it!" Naruto smirked.
To Be Continued…