In each generation heroes are born. Whether it was due to free will, fate or divine intervention, these heroes were created in order to protect and avenge the people. It all started with one but now they are ten. Masked men who fight in the shadows to combat the nightmares that humanity denies exist. This is a new chapter for them...

KOIHIME MUSOU: MESSENGERS OF HEAVEN

Kan'u, Chouhi, Choun, and even Koumei were all stuck in a tight situation. While in their usual travels, they had been jumped by a group of bandits. They had heard about the Beautiful Black-haired Bandit Hunter Kan'u Unchou and set a trap for her. Rumours they had spread in the city had brought Kan'u to where they had been hiding out and soon their trap was sprung. All of the bandits had in fact been from former groups which Kan'u had busted before and all of them wanted revenge. Some weren't very concerned about who her companions were since some had been from the gang that Kan'u and Choun had busted by themselves.

"We're in a tight spot," Kan'u frowned.

"Too many. Even for me," Choun frowned.

"Hey! We can beat these guys! Just like all of the other ones we took on before!" Chouhi insisted.

"The numbers aren't in our favour, common thugs or not," Kan'u insisted. "We're in for the fight of our lives right now."

"I'm scared," Koumei whimpered, clutching to Kan'u's back.

"You've had this coming for a long time Bandit Hunter!" snickered a short bandit with a big nose.

"All of the suffering you gave us is going to be paid back in full!" grunted a large fat bandit.

"All right boys!" yelled the apparent leader who had at least some garments of a Chinese soldier. "CHARGE!"

"AHHHHHHH!" Koumei screamed in fear.

"STOP!"

The bandits halted, fearing that they had been busted by some kind of government official. Quickly ignoring Kan'u and her friends in favour of what might have been a deadly force of soldiers, the bandits turned to see only one man standing at the opposite end of the clearing, panting slightly and with the setting sun to his back, casting a glow on him. His clothes were odd, some kind of blue jacket with matching blue pants. His inner shirt was red with a black symbol on it which seemed a little like a snake. (These people are in ancient China and haven't seen as S before most likely.) His hair was black as night. His hands were covered with black gloves which seemed good for riding something, say a horse.

"Eh?" blinked the short bandit. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to stop you!" the man frowned. "Now back away from the women!"

"Heh! One man?" asked the bandit leader. "One man thinks he can tell us what to do? He must be a fool! Kill him boys! We'll warm up with him and then take down the Bandit Hunter!"

Several bandits broke away from the main group and began approaching the man with murderous grins and their weapons. Kan'u and the others cried out and begged the man to run away while they were cut off by the remaining bandits, but the man didn't budge. Instead, he removed his gloves, revealing metal hands with silver coils around the wrists. Pointing his hands over his right shoulder, he drew them across to his left shoulder before drawing his right arm back.

"Henshin!" the man cried, thrusting his arm over his shoulder and creating a large spark which blinded everyone.

The bandits and the group of women cried out as they shielded their eyes. It was like lightning had struck in front of them. The glare had died down, allowing everyone to see again, but what they saw made their jaws drop. The man had been replaced by…something else. This something else wore a black bodysuit with a belt wrapped around his waist that had a buckle shaped like a star. He wore white gloves and boots with red lines running down his legs and over said boots. His torso was protected by this red armor with the strange symbol on it while his abdomen had blue armor. Wrapped around his neck was a white scarf which danced in the breeze. His head was covered by a black helmet with large green eyes and a silver mouth guard. To top it all off, the man sported horns which looked like they were from an insect.

Clenching his fists, the armoured man pointed at the bandits,

"The heavens call...
The earth cries out...
The crowds roar...
All calling on me to strike back against evil.
Now listen up, villains!
I am the warrior of justice,
Kamen Rider Stronger!"

The bandits clearly didn't know what to make of the fighter, but Kan'u and the others were able to put some words with their shock.

"The heavens call…" Kan'u gasped.

"The earth cries out…" Choun gaped.

"The crowds roar?" pondered Koumei.

"What?" wondered Chouhi, confused as to what her friends were talking about.

"That man…" Kan'u spoke softly. "That man…he's claiming that the heavens, earth, and humanity had called out for him. If what he said is true, if he truly is one that has come directly from heaven to assist us…!"

"The Messenger From Heaven," Choun gasped. "He's here…he's really here…I…I heard the tales as a girl…but I never thought…I never dreamed…"

The man charged at the bandits. The bandits, recovering from their shock, charged right back at him. However, though they outnumbered him, Stronger completely outmatched them. He would just need one blow to defeat them all. He just had to make sure not to kill them. As they came at him with their weapons, he struck back, knocking them backwards with a single blow into the lead bandit, knocking him back into his comrades and creating a domino effect with the others since they were so packed together. The few that got close enough to fight found their weapons failing them. Their swords and spears could do nothing against his armor. Stronger scanned the area. The bandits were all around him. Perfect. They were in for the shock of their lives.

"Electric Magnet!" Stronger called out and the bandit's weapons were all ripped away from them and towards Stronger. Before they could reach them, he stopped his magnetic power and the weapons fell at his feet. He'd completely disarmed them and hadn't even touched them. "Now, to finish!" He knelt down and slammed his palms to the ground. "Electro Fire!"

A spider web of lightning lanced out from under him and towards all the bandits. They could not escape in time as they were electrocuted. The amount of electrical energy was only enough to stun them and not kill them, which was what he was hoping for.

As all the bandits fell, Stronger rose to his full height and dusted off his hands. "Bandits. All bark but no bite."

Kan'u and her friends could only gape at the exhibit of power that they had been treated to. After seeing a man disarm at least fifty to seventy-five bandits with just a single gesture and see him knock them all down with but a single punch, they could believe that he was the Messenger. No regular human had the ability to do such amazing things. It had erased all doubt in their minds that he was someone very special.

Stronger looked at the group of women and was relieved to see that they were unhurt. Granted, the older two looked like they would be able to take care of themselves and the girl with short pink hair seemed to be good in a fight with thugs like the ones he took down, but the blonde was anything but fight capable. Maybe it was overkill to transform to fight regular humans, but a mob like this and when four lives were at stake, there was no choice. Nodding to the four stunned ladies, he turned to leave and head back to the village.

"Wait!" four female voices cried out, causing Stronger to turn around to see the four women running towards him.

"What?" asked the electric Kamen Rider.

"Are you the Messenger from Heaven?" asked three of the four girls at once.

"That was so cool!" cried the pink-haired girl with the spear. "Can you teach me to make people drop just by touching the ground too?"

"Messenger of Heaven?" Stronger questioned. "Sorry, but you must be mistaken. I'm nothing special like that."

"But you are!" insisted Koumei. "You came to assist us from the heavens! You said so yourself!"

"Just doing my duty," said Stronger.

"May we know your name?" asked Kan'u.

"Right. You can call me Stronger," said Stronger. In a flash of light he was back in human form. "Or you can call me Shigeru. Shigeru Jo."

"Jo-sama," nodded Kan'u.

"Hey, there's no need to be so formal," said Jo nervously. Fighting the likes of Black Satan and the Delza Army was something he was immensely used to. Stuck in formal situations or with people who wished to speak with him in such a formal way was something more than a little out of his depth.

Bacho hummed a short tune to herself as she strolled through another town in her journey. Since she learned the truth to her father's death, she didn't hold any malice towards Sousou anymore. Still, she was travelling to make her skills better so that she could be as good as her father was one day. Of course, sometimes it wasn't as easy as some may think it was in order to make their way on a training journey.

-gurgle-

"Man I'm hungry," Bacho sighed, rubbing her stomach. She had run out of money again and was looking for something to fill her wallet again. The last few times she had been lucky with martial arts tournaments or eating contests. Sometimes work was hard to find or she just wasn't suited to it like that made café back when she met Chouhi. Maybe if she was lucky there was something in this town that she could get some money out of. To that end, she began looking for postings or heralds which would announce upcoming events.

She found one with ease and it was announcing a martial arts tournament which was her specialty. Grinning in anticipation of the prize money she'd win, Bacho immediately ran to enter the tournament. She could already imagine all of the good food she could buy with the money she'd win.

Apparently there were so many people entering they had to split the tournament into two divisions. Bacho was placed in the A division where she was able to make victory after victory and enter the finals after dropping a few of the other competitors. However, her victories weren't getting the amount of applause that she was used to. The audiences for her fights were rather small and most of the people had been checking out the B division fights. She had been hearing that some kind of monster was in the B division and was systematically wiping out the competition, leaving them to be carried away.

"Monster eh?" Bacho wondered as she listened to the crowds for the B division cheering over another victory. "Wait until they see me in action. If he's a monster, then I'm an angel."

-TIME BREAK-

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the finals of our tournament, sponsored by our lord!" a purple-haired girl with glasses announced o the cheering crowds. "The winner of this tournament will receive our luxurious prize and the prestige fit for a champion! Now let's meet out finalists!"

Bacho walked with a confident stride, hefting her naginata over her shoulder with practiced ease. "A travelling martial artist looking to enhance her skills, we have Bacho Moki!" The crowds gave out roars of approval, making Bacho grin. It felt nice to be appreciated by the masses like this.

"And her opponent," the announcer continued. "A strange man from a foreign country, bringing a power none of us have seen, Kazuya Oki, Kamen Rider Super-1!"

"Kamen Rider…Super-1?" Bacho wondered what that title could mean.

Bacho expected to see a huge warrior with rippling muscles, but what she got was an average looking man in his prime in strange clothing. Around his waist was a white belt with a black metallic buckle which seemed very odd. He had bushy black hair and really didn't seem to look anything like a fighter to her. Although the way he walked seemed to hint at many battles fought. Still, he seemed very pleasant for a fighter as he waved at the crowd as he smiled. Many members of the audience supported the man as they cheered out loudly.

"So, you're the winner of Division A," said Kazuya. He gave her a bow and smile. His handsome looks did cause her to blush. She didn't want to, since that was a sign of weakness to some, but she was just so inexperienced with men. Shaking it off, she played tough.

"Where's your weapon?" Bacho asked.

"Haven't you heard? I am a weapon," Kazuya told her.

"Your funeral then," said Bacho. 'He's a monster? Maybe his opponents were just too weak. Then again, I've seen Chouhi tackle opponents twice her size. Maybe he's just someone with monstrous strength. Still, he should have at least one weapon.'

"Fighters' ready!" the announcer called, immediately causing both fighters to take a battle stance. "Begin!"

Bacho raised her spear in preparation to charge, but Kazuya began to do something strange. He took a martial arts stance before he cupped his hands together and held them out together, right over left. "Henshin!" he cried, and then flipped them over.

The belt he wore suddenly split open, revealing a red fan which began to spin. A rainbow of light began to shoot out and illuminate the area, shocking Bacho and the audience, although those who had watched Kazuya's fights before had a better idea of what it was. Kazuya's body was covered in sparkles and light, making for a brilliant show. Bacho watched, mesmerized as the sparkles began to fade and Kazuya reemerged, changed.

He was wearing armor that she had never seen before. It was all black but flexible like fabric. His chest armor did look durable and it was coloured silver. His gloves and boots were also silver and strings hung from his gloves. His helmet concealed his entire head like a mask and crimson eyes like a hornet's shone. To add to the insect-like appearance, the helmet also sported a pair of antennae. Around his neck a red scarf floated with the wind, making for a dramatic effect.

"Kamen Rider Super-1!" the armoured man cried, taking a stance.

Bacho blinked at what she had seen. She wasn't too sure just what she had seen, but it was something grand to be sure. Shaking her head so to get her senses back, she took a battle stance and readied herself for this unknown opponent.

"La, la, la, la, la," Riri, the daughter of the nigh legendary archer Kouchu Kansho sang as she skipped through the grassy plains near her home. She never wandered very far since she didn't want to get kidnapped again like before with those other bad guys who wanted her mother to kill a nice man who wanted to stop bandits.

Taking the time to look at thee pretty flowers her mother might like, Riri continued her merry little romp through the grass. She also found some weird bugs which looked kind of icky but also really neat. Moving through the slightly taller grass, she decided to see if there was anything neat in the stream nearby. All of the villagers went there to clean their clothes or to go swimming. Sometimes there were even fish that the villagers would catch for food. There was always something interesting to see there.

"Hyah!"

"Oh?" Riri blinked, hearing the loud noise. It was near the river if she was right. Travelling closer to the river, she tried to see what had made such a big noise. It sounded like a tiger to her. Maybe if it was her mother would let her bring it home!

"Hyah!"

Riri scooted to the edge of the trees before it opened up into the river. Glancing curiously, she saw a man standing in the middle of the river. He had a black and red loincloth on with a funny belt that looked like it had a big nose with something running through it. He also had black bracers and a vest on. His hair was untamed and rather wild while his face was etched in concentration. On his left arm was a silver armlet of some kind with a pair of red eyes on it. Riri blinked in confusion and wondered what the funny man was doing in the middle of the river.

The funny man's attention was on the water as he had his arms out to his sides and legs apart. He looked around and then his face brightened. "Hyah!" he cried out as he shot towards the water. There was a huge splash and when the funny man came back up he had a fish in hand. "Three fish!" he said almost childishly as he waited for the fish to stop flopping around before he tossed it onto shore where two more fish he'd caught lay. "Need more fish," he said to himself as he prepared to find more prey.

He heard clapping and looked up to see Riri. "That was amazing!"

"Hmm?" the man blinked, looking at the little girl who was clapping for him. Scratching his head, the man walked to shore. The little girl was still watching. Even more curious, the man walked towards the little girl before kneeling down and examining her like she was a new discovery.

"I'm Riri!" the little one smiled. "What's your name?"

"Amazon is Amazon," the barely-clothed man replied, smiling slightly

"A-ma-zon," Riri nodded, sounding out the word. It sounded funny to her but her mother said that it was bad to say things like that about a person's name. Looking over the newly dubbed Amazon, she voiced her next question. "Are you a bandit?"

"Amazon is not bandit," the man denied. "Amazon is Amazon."

"Okay!" Riri smiled. "I saw you fishing! That was amazing!"

"Amazon get fish like that his whole life," the wild man smiled. "Is easy."

"Can you show me?" Riri asked excitedly. She hadn't seen anyone fish like that before and wanted to see more.

"Okay!" Amazon smiled.

-TIME BREAK-

Amazon and Riri sat by a small camp fire, munching on the cooked fish. It wasn't anything as good as Riri's mother usually made, but sharing with a friend made it very good. Amazon was just happy to have another new friend. He told Riri that he didn't know where he was since a bright light dropped him there. He wanted to go back home to see his friend Masahiko and his big sister who stood by him after so many trials. Riri could vouch for Amazon being lonely since she remembered when she had been kidnapped by bandits and taken away from her mother.

"Urp!" Riri burped after she finished her fish. "All done!"

"Amazon is full," the wild man agreed, rubbing his stomach.

That was when the wild man sensed that they weren't alone. He turned and saw a small mob bandits. They were looking at Riri with evil intent and the girl shivered. Growling slightly, Amazon stood up, shielding Riri from their sight. There wasn't much room for her to run since the path away from the river was being blocked by the bandits and the tall grass would only slow someone of Riri's height down, making her easy picking for the bandits.

"Hand over the brat," one bandit ordered, hefting his sword threateningly.

"No, Amazon won't let bad men take Riri," he responded, his hands clenched in a claw-like position.

"Well, then looks like we'll take her from you," said another bandit. He eyed Amazon's belt and armlet. Foreign objects were always worth a pretty penny to someone and that armlet looked like it was made out of real silver. Heck, the bandit swore he saw rubies embedded in it. "And take that fancy belt and armlet of yours too."

"Amazon-niichan…" whimpered Riri.

"Amazon and Riri are friends, so Amazon will protect Riri," he told her confidently before flashing a smile. He then put on a serious expression as he prepared to show these bandits what he was made of.

"A-MA-ZON!" he cried out, bracing his arms as if he were an animal. His eyes suddenly turned bright red before his body was enveloped in fiery energy. His whole body was engulfed before he seemed to…transform.

He had turned into some sort of lizard man with mixed green and red skin. He had a yellow chest and wore black boots on his legs with black gloves on his arms. The gloves sported claws on the fingertips and three sharp spike-like blades on each glove. His head looked reptilian with a pair of bulbous red eyes and a mouth filled with teeth. On his back was a fin and hanging from his neck was a scarf. Despite his change, his belt and armlet remained the same and were in the same position as before.

"Gi, gi, gi, gi!" Amazon bellowed, growling at the collected bandits, all of whom had frozen in shock and some even wet themselves.

"Wh-what is that?" cried one fat bandit.

"A demon!" cried a short bandit.

"Who cares? Just kill it! We can nab the kid later!" shouted the leader.

"Wow!" Riri gasped, her eyes sparkling. Her friend knew magic!

"Gaoooo!" Amazon snarled at the bandits, making them freeze again. Swiftly picking up little Riri, Amazon jumped into the air, landing on the lead bandit's head. Before gravity could make both of them fall, Amazon leaped again, landing on another bandit's head before leaping again. Using the bandits as stepping stones, Amazon bypassed the mob and landed behind them, the path free once more. Setting Riri down on the ground, Amazon gazed into her eyes.

"Run home to mama!" Amazon spoke. "Amazon will beat bandits!"

"But the bandits…!" Riri cried, fearing her amazing new friend would get hurt.

"Amazon will win!" the reptile Rider insisted. "Amazon has Riri as friend!" he finished the statement by making his two-handed friendship salute. Sniffling, Riri returned the gesture before she started running down the road back to her home where her mother was. She had to get help for her friend!

"Get the brat!" yelled the bandit leader in a panic.

"Gi, gi, gi, gi!" Amazon snarled, taking a stance again. "Monkey Attack!" he launched himself at the bandits and performed a flying tackle that knocked them down. A few swung their swords at him but the Amazon Rider flipped backwards and nailed them in the chin with his heels. Some with spears thrust their weapons at him but Amazon caught the spears in his hands. He then bit the spearheads off before spitting them away. "Gi!" He leapt at the bandits and slashed at them with his claws. Clothes were cut up and blood spilled where his claws touched.

He then began using the martial arts move that he'd seen on TV with Nobuhiko. It was called Capoeira. It looked like dancing but in fact it was a type of martial art. He leapt and performed a spinning kick and then he used a reverse roundhouse on the bandits.

"Amazon Kick!" He performed his signature flying kick attack that knocked the fat bandit backwards and into the rest of the gang. Granted, it was a supposedly lethal move if all the Jujin he used it on were any indication, but he reduced the force of the kick since he only wanted to scare the bandits away, not kill them.

Suddenly, several arrows landed where the bandits and Amazon stood. The bandits screamed and yelped while trying to avoid the lethal lengths of wood while Amazon flipped backwards to avoid the worst of the barrage. The reptilian Rider turned to see where the arrows had come from and found a small group of people approaching with bows and arrows ready to use. The leader of the group was a woman with long flowing hair and impressive robes which showed off her figure. She had an ornate bow in her hands with a very sharp arrow ready to use. Running next to her was Riri, her face in a bright smile as she laid her eyes on Amazon.

"Amazon-niichan!" the tiny girl waved.

"Riri!" Amazon smiled, although one wouldn't be able to tell thanks to his reptilian face at the moment.

"Let's get out of here!" one of the bandits yelled. They picked up their wounded and escaped, leaving behind any thoughts of kidnapping or thievery. A demon was bad enough, but facing the mother of the kid they tried to snatch was something akin to suicide. Amazon looked at the archers who had their aim on him. From his appearance he did look like a demon. He just hoped they didn't treat him as such.

"Mama, that's my friend! His name is Amazon!" said Riri.

Riri's mother used her hand to gesture for the archers to lower their weapons. She then approached this strange being who Riri claimed was protecting her and had fought the bandits to do so. He did look frightening, but she wasn't one to give into first impressions. "Your name is Amazon?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Amazon answered. "Amazon is Amazon. You are Riri's mama?" In a flash he resumed his human form, surprising the woman as well as the archers. Riri smiled, glad to see her friend was alright.

"Yes, I am her mother," the woman confirmed. "My name is Kochu Kansho." She bowed. "Thank you for protecting my daughter Riri, Amazon-dono."

"Riri is Amazon's friend so Amazon protects Riri," he answered simply. It was as simple as that. Amazon's stomach growled and he groaned, "Hungry…" Using his powers always left him hungry as fighting used up a lot of his energy.

"Come with me then. Also, you look like you may need new clothes," said Kochu.

"Amazon thanks you," he said.

Bacho panted. Her opponent was definitely a monster and a master martial artist from what she managed to gauge. He managed to deflect her attacks with his bare hands and didn't seem all that exhausted. What worried her was that his hands hadn't been cut by the instances where the blade met his gloves. Usually she kept the blades razor sharp but this guy was deflecting them as if they were nothing but dull knives. Just what were his gloves made of?

"Super-1 manages to deflect and evade all of Bacho's attacks! Will she be able to break through his defences and obtain victory?" the bespectacled commentator spoke.

Super-1 struck with a kick that Bacho side-stepped from before she swung her naginata at his back. He ducked and performed a sweep kick which she leapt over before thrusting down with her naginata. He caught the cross-shaped blade between his hands. Bacho gasped. Did he see through her technique?

"And Super-1 surprises us by catching the blade of Bacho's weapon between the palms of his hands! What a magnificent manoeuvre!"

Super-1 released Bacho's weapon and he stepped back. She charged again and struck with a series of forward thrusts that he dodged with ease and grace. He suddenly called out, "Reinetsu (Hot/Cold) Hands!" His gloves glowed and changed, becoming green with strange devices on them. "Hah!" He pointed his left hand down at Bacho's feet and fired a spray that formed ice.

"Wagh!" Bacho cried out as she slipped and fell on her rear. Groaning, she picked herself up. She was going to be feeling that one later. Still, how the heck did he manage to create ice when it was still the middle of the summer season? She wasn't dealing with an ordinary man, that was for sure. Gripping her weapon, she prepared for another attack.

"You're a pretty good fighter," complimented Super-1.

"Thanks, my father taught me," Bacho smiled slightly.

"But it looks like this is where you lose," said Super-1.

"Oh, and why's that?"

FA-SHOOOOOOOOOM!

A tongue of fire flew from Super-1's right hand and Bacho felt the heat as it flew past her. Her eyes widened as she stumbled backwards to avoid the flames. First ice and now fire? Just what kind of magic was she up against?

"Super-1 displays his magical abilities now!" the commentator spoke. "I have never seen anything like it!"

"Because when you play with fire, you're gonna get burnt," Super-1 replied, answering Bacho's previous question. He didn't like having to scare his opponent away, but he really needed that prize money and he'd already come this far. There was no way he was going to give up after coming to this stage.

Of course, neither was Bacho. The flames had freaked her out but she was a warrior. She would not be deterred by some strange magic.

"Bet you can't try that trick again," said Bacho as she charged. Super-1 fired, alternating between flames and ice blasts but she leapt over them. When she got close, she swung down and hit Super-1 in the shoulder. He grunted as the shaft of the naginata came down heavily upon him.

"So, who's gonna lose?" she asked.

"You," he answered. "Power Hands!" His gloves turned red and he grabbed the naginata. "Sorry, but this is where you leave!" He spun around and around and Bacho cried out as she was being taken along for the spin. "Say, bye-bye!" He let go and tossed her away from the stage. Bacho's eyes widened as he let go of her staff, sending her flying through the air, screaming the whole way. Several feet away from the ring, she crashed into the audience. Thankfully, they had all gotten out of the way and she was able to land without major injury.

"Bacho's been knocked out of the ring!" the announcer cried. "To that end she is eliminated! So that means our winner and champion is, Super-1!"

Super-1 listened to the cheers of the crowd, waving to them all as he felt satisfaction in his victory. Bacho might have felt a little ire at having lost the match and thus the prize money, but she was too busy seeing little birds swirling around her head to care.

Go Kingdom

Sonsaku heaved a sigh of relaxation as she lounged in the baths of her palace. She was a very regal woman, which was appropriate considering that she was the queen of the Go Kingdom. She had long pinkish hair which she was keeping tied back so it would not soak in the bath water. Her body easily made her one of the most desired women in the kingdom, but queens had a tendency to be like that. She had been waging a brutal war to unify the country as per her late mother's wishes, but it was difficult with so much resistance and the low morale of her people. Right now, she just wanted to lay back and let the stress leave her body.

Of course, sharing it with someone precious made it all the better.

Leaning against her and pressing close to Sonsaku was her strategist Shuyu. She was a usually very serious woman with long black hair and a mind which was responsible for all of the Go Kingdom's victories. Like her lover, she was also a beauty, but only had eyes for Sonsaku. The pair of them had been lovers for some time and dreamed of retiring from the games of politics and war so they could live out their days in relative peace. However, both of them were committed in making the late queen and Sonsaku's mother's dream come true.

"After dealing with politicians and war for so long, it's nice to simply relax together like this," Sonsaku smiled.

"Yes," Shuyu sighed, holding her lover. "This is far overdue."

"Someone's feeling frisky," Sonsaku teased.

"What can I say? I'm the type of woman who appreciates the finer things in life," Shuyu replied.

Just as they were about to lean in for a kiss, a figure caused a huge splash in the water. "What!" Sonsaku exclaimed.

It was an assassin, clad in black with blades protruding from their gauntlets and wearing a skull mask. The assassin also wore a belt with a skull-shaped buckle.

"DIE!" the assassin lunged.

Shuyu shielded Sonsaku as she stood before her lover, ready to take the blow despite her protests, when all of a sudden something fell right on top of the assassin and caused another splash.

"Another one!" Shuyu yelped. Surprised as she was, she knew professional assassins didn't bungle like this. Her fear grew in leaps and bounds as she pondered the idea of assassins coming from two different factions to assassinate the same target.

The assassin rose from the water along with another figure. He was clad in a grey bodysuit with a red chestplate. Armor in the shape of an 'X' was on his stomach. He sported a belt with a fan in the buckle and a handle of sorts on the right side. He wore black gloves. His head was concealed in a silver helmet with red eyes and a 'V' shaped antenna. His mouth area was covered by a strip of metal.

He was known as X-Rider.

The assassin was understandably upset that his element of surprise was lost now that X-Rider had interrupted. No doubt the guards would come charging in soon. He needed to finish the assassination fast! Raising his gauntlets, the Assassin charged, trying to stab at Shuyu and Sonsaku, but X-Rider's arm wrapped around his neck, throwing the assassin back into the hot waters. Sputtering, the assassin got up as X-Rider took a pose.

"I don't know what's going on!" the new masked man declared. "But I know you're up to no good!"

The assassin lunged and X-Rider drew out the handle from his belt. "Ridol Stick!" The handle was attached to a long shaft and he parried the blades with it. He then pushed forward, sending the assassin staggering back. X-Rider thrust forward with the Ridol Stick. The assassin dodged to the side but was whacked upside the head by the Rider Stick. "This is it!" He thrust the Ridol Stick straight into the assassin's sternum, causing them to cough from the sudden impact.

"X Punch!" X-Rider called as he slammed his fist straight into his opponent's stomach. The assassin doubled over. "X Chop!" A karate chop to the neck was what ended the fight, knocking the assassin out cold as they slumped forward and fell facedown on the water.

"Are you alright?" X-Rider asked as he noted the women but then he covered his eyes when he realised their state of undress. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

The guards came in, hearing the commotion, and instantly thought that X-Rider was the assassin since he was standing and armed, totally overlooking the unconscious assassin floating facedown in the bath water.

"Kill the assassin!" the leader of the guards roared. His compatriots gave a unanimous cry, raising their spears and aiming them at X-Rider.

"Hold!" an imperial female voice shouted, stopping the guards as if they turned to stone. Turning to the source, the saw Sonsaku and Shuyu covering themselves, if minimally, with towels. Sonsaku quickly stepped forward and continued. "Do you not have eyes to see with? Clearly the man in the mask is not an assassin, but the one floating unconscious in my bath is! Take the one garbed in black to the dungeons for interrogation!"

"Yes Your Majesty!" the guards nodded. Dashing to the edge of the bath and clearly trying not to stare at the very feminine forms of their queen and her strategist, they quickly collected the downed and soggy assassin, leaving X-Rider still covering his eyes and both women in the room. However they left two guards stationed outside the door just in case. Sonsaku looked to the strange man who rescued herself and her love with some amusement as he bashfully hid his eyes.

Sonsaku informed X-Rider, "You can look now."

"Oh, my apologies," said X-Rider. "May I please ask a question?"

"Yes, you may."

"Can you please tell me where I am?"

Bacho was walking down the streets in a state of hunger and depression. Not only had she lost a fight, but she'd lost any chance to get that prize money. She was starving. She needed something to eat, now! Sighing, she just continued to go along, commenting to herself about how her luck just wasn't going her way recently.

When she felt a tap on her shoulder she spun around and she grimaced. It was the man who'd beaten her, Kazuya Oki "What do you want?" she asked bitterly.

"I couldn't help but notice but your stomach was growling," said Kazuya, causing Bacho to flush embarrassedly. Why did her stomach have to be so loud when it was empty? "Do you need something to eat?"

"I don't need any charity!" she snapped at him.

"Hey, I'm just offering a lovely lady to have lunch with me," said Kazuya, holding his hands up defensively. "It's a bit depressing to be eating alone, don't you agree?"

Bacho blushed at being called a 'lovely lady' by her former opponent, but she was hungry. "Alright, you can buy me lunch but that's it."

"Thanks!" said Kazuya, smiling.

Bacho couldn't help but smile back. Maybe she could ask him about his abilities and how he'd gotten them.

It didn't take them too long to find a place to eat. The cooks were more than happy to serve them since Kazuya had the money to pay for it. Apparently they had been having a rash of people eat and then run, leaving their meals unpaid for. When Kazuya revealed he had the money, they were more than happy to serve him. Payment in advance of course.

"Mmmm!" Bacho smiled, digging ravenously into a meat bun. It had been so long since she had been able to eat! "So…Kazuya, is it?"

"Yes," Kazuya nodded, chewing his noodles.

"How are you able to do what you can do? How did you get the name Super-1?" she asked bluntly.

"Uhh…" Kazuya shifted uncomfortably. "Well, the name Super-1 was given to me by the people who helped me become what I am now. It's because of them that I was able to do what I did during our fight."

"Wow! They must be powerful sorcerers to be able to do that!" Bacho gasped. "Who were they?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Kazuya sighed. "They're dead now."

"Dead?" Bacho blinked.

"An evil group calling themselves the Dogma Kingdom killed them all," Kazuya sighed. "Apparently the mission that the 'sorcerers' wanted me to go on interfered with their plans. So they destroyed our base. I was the only one who survived thanks to the enhancements which I was given."

Bacho shivered at Kazuya's dark tone. It was a rather gruesome tale and unfortunately one which was all too common in these troubling times. The Dogma Kingdom was also rather fearsome of their name was anything to go by. "What happened to the Dogma Kingdom?"

"I destroyed them," Kazuya answered. It was a blunt and simple answer, "After what they did and what they planned to do, it was the only thing I could do. I couldn't allow them to terrorize anymore innocent people. I lost a lot of good friends that day, but now they can rest in peace knowing I avenged them."

"I know how you feel," said Bacho. She'd felt the bitterness of vengeance before, but unlike Kazuya it'd been over a misunderstanding and rumors. At least Kazuya's reasons for vengeance were genuine. She'd nearly killed someone simply out of not knowing all the facts. Then again, she wouldn't have believed her father had died from falling off a horse while drunk. To her he'd always been a great martial artist. Such a death was dishonourable. Sousou honored his reputation by silently taking the blame, even if it meant certain ramifications.

"I actually entered the tournament for traveling expenses. I'm actually looking for some friends of mine. We got separated," he told her. "I just stopped here to get some money, fill my belly, and then move on." He then asked, "Have you heard any stories of masked men like me?"

"Sorry, but I haven't," said Bacho. "Sorry."

"That's fine. Well, I should set off soon," said Kazuya.

"Want some company?" she offered. "I'm looking to join up some friends too."

"Company from a lovely lady with your skill? I think I'd like that," he said.

Bacho blushed in response to that.

Ensho sighed with annoyance as she tracked the mountain side with her two advisors, Bunshu and Ganryo. She asked, irritably, "How many more miles will it be until we arrive to our destination?"

"It's just a few more miles Reiha-sama," Ganryo stated shyly as she, Ensho and Bunsho were heading towards an area where reports of a mysterious flying man being sighted were heard. Since Ensho was feeling rather bored at time, she decided to hold an expedition to find this 'flying man'. Ganryo and Bunsho, as usual, were dragged along for the ride as well.

"Are you sure this info is accurate Toshi? It seems fishy to me." Bunsho asked. Ganryo stopped as she turned to look at her friend and fellow advisor.

"Are you questioning my intelligence, Lishe?" remarked Ganryo.

"No, I'm just questioning the validity of these rumors you heard," retorted Banshi. "It's all sounds farfetched if you ask me. If men were meant to fly they'd be born with wings."

"Oh well that's alright then," Ganryo said calmly. She was very serious when it came to her IQ which was 34 and not any lower!

Ensho sighed. As much as she wanted to continue this little expedition, she was tired and her feet were sore. She was half tempted to tell them to go back home when all of a sudden she saw a blur flying across the sky. This also caught Ganryo and Bunsho's attention.

"It's him! It's him!" Ganryo shouted. They immediately ran, not wanting to lose this figure. Was it the flying man in the rumors? They were in luck as the man landed on the ground. He was in a green bodysuit, sporting a red chestplate and sleeves. He also wore black gloves and boots and his belt sported a fan in the centre with switches on the side. His helmet was green with red eyes and a silver faceplate resembling an insect's mandibles. His antennae also completed the insect look. Finally, he wore a red scarf that hung from his neck.

The figure sighed to himself as he muttered, "Well, wherever I am, I'm sure that I'm no longer in Japan," before changing back to human form.

"Holy shit!" Ensho cried with her eyes widening. Right before her eyes the mysterious, flying, insect-like man had changed into a rather attractive young man. The man heard the noise and turned his head to see the three women looking at him.

"Umm... Hello?" The man said, sweating a little.

Ganryo immediately fell on her knees and bowed. Bansho cried out, "Toshi, what are you doing!-?"

"He's a god! We have to show our respect! Reiha-sama, you too!" Ganryo shouted.

Totaku smiled happily while she was walking down the streets in disguise. She was visiting her subjects incognito to see how they were doing. Despite how she was in history as a cruel tyrant, in truth she was a kind, sweet, timid and innocent girl who wanted to help her country and the people no matter what the circumstances.

She was unaware of a black clothed figure tailing her from behind until it was too late. He grabbed her from behind, putting a hand on her mouth before dragging her backwards into an alley.

"Well well looks like our information about the ruler of the Dong empire was correct. You're the kind of idiot that leaves the safety of the palace to mingle with commoners." The owner of the voice cackled as he brought out a long knife, making Totaku eyes widen in fear. "Nothing personal, but I have a job to do." He was about to plunge the knife into the little girl when his wrist was grabbed in a vice-like grip.

The assassin was then punched so hard that he was sent flying backwards, releasing Totaku in the process. The girl collapsed to her knees, her legs paralysed in fear as she trembled and sweated. "Hey, are you alright?" her savior asked and Totaku gazed up at him.

"Hey, bastard! How dare you get in my way!" the assassin shouted as he recovered. He then lunged at him as Totaku cried out.

"Henshin... V3!" the man shouted as a light was released from his belt buckle. Both Totaku and the assassin covered their eyes from the bright flash. When the light died down, the man was now clad in a green bodysuit with a high upturned collar, white gloves, red boots, a silver chestplate with a red segment going down the middel and a red helmet that had a wide and white strip going down the middle with green eyes. Both Totaku and the assassin gawked but the assassin recovered quickly. He had a job to do and would not allow some magician to get in his way. He thrust forward to stab at V3 but the knife broke when it came into contact with V3's chest. V3 looked down at the assassin and shoved him backwards, tossing him out of the alleyway and into a cart.

'He's so strong…' Totaku thought in surprise. The assassin decided that he would need to retreat and think of a new plan. He got up to run but a net shot at him and pinned him to the ground.

"You're late, Joji," V3 said.

"Sorry about that, Shiro," V3's partner said as he appeared. Totaku saw him. He was a man in similar armor as V3 except that his helmet didn't cover his while face and left everything from the nose to the chin exposed. His right forearm was in a big and bulky looking gauntlet with a hook attachment. His suit was black with red armor on the chest. He also sported silver boots and on his non-gauntlet covered arm was a silver glove as well. Hanging from his neck was a yellow scarf. "Anyway, I saw how you saved the little lady from distress."

Shiro grunted as the two reverted back to normal. They were going to leave when Totaku said, "Wait please." Both Riders turned their heads to her, "Please allow me to repay you."

"Hey, it's fine," said Joji Yuki, "There's no need to repay us, really."

"No, I insist. I owe you for saving my life," said Totaku firmly.

Sousou, though annoyed, was sitting on her throne calmly. After finally dealing with issues concerning her empire for the day, she sighed in relief and went to greet her cousins. They had just returned from a trip and wanted to spend some time with her. She spotted them and saw that walking alongside Kakoton and Kakoen was a man in strange clothing and a serious air around him.

"Ah, Karin-sama! Hello!" Kakoen greeted Sousou.

"Hello, Shuran, it's nice to see that you are well," said Sousou, "You too, Shunran." She then looked to the man, "And who is this here?"

The man bowed respectfully and answered, "Sousou-san, my name is Ryo Murasame. I am sorry for intruding but your cousins were the ones who brought me here."

"Oh, did they?" Sousou asked, curious, "And why is that, Ryo-san?"

Kakoen answered, "Well, it's because we saw him in action, Sousou-sama!" Sousou looked to her to elaborate as she continued, "Well, while we were out we were just admiring the countryside when we saw Go and To soldiers getting ready to fight."

"Go and To?" asked Sousou, frowning. What were they doing so close to her country?

"Yeah, I think that they must have been scouts, but that isn't the point. These two factions were ready to kill each other when suddenly this guy appears and was able to stop both factions. He broke their weapons with ease," Kakoten said happily though frowned sheepishly "Although, we kind of, accidentally distracted him long enough for them to run away when we came to greet him and ask what was going on."

Sousou frowned and regarded Ryo, "I see. And how did he overpower them exactly? I see no weapons on him."

"Well, you see, when he was fighting them he wore this magical suit of armor which vanished as soon as the soldiers fled," Kakoen said, still not believing it herself when she saw Ryo's armor just disappear like that. Ryo said nothing but was smiling, impressed with how well Kakoen was handling the situation.

Sousou seemed confused when she heard this but then shrugged. While the story sounded ridiculous, there were far stranger things happening in this world.

"Ryo-san, you must be hungry," said Sousou. "How would you like to have dinner with me and my advisers?"

Gien growled angrily as she was surrounded by three men in black robes and wearing skull masks. The apparent leader's mask sported a horn as he commanded, "Give up, Gien! We obviously have you outmatched!"

"Bastards!" she shot back, "There's no way I'll ever surrender to a bunch of cowards in costume!" She reached for her sword. The leader growled and ordered his men to take Gien, dead or alive. Her body could still prove useful for their master's plan. It was too bad that she wanted an early grave. She was rather attractive.

They rushed at Gien who drew her sword, ready to take these men down for assaulting her. Suddenly, there was a loud that stopped everyone

Suddenly there was a loud shout that stopped everyone in the fight as two armored figures slammed their feer into two of the three assailants. The two new fighters were men in a black bodysuits with reinforced green chest armor. Their helmets were a greenish color with red eyes and bug antennae. Hanging from their necks were blood red scarves. The two looked identical, with the only difference being that one wore silver gloves and boots while the other wore red gloves and boots.

"That the-!-?" the leader roared, wondering where these two costumed jokers had come from. Gien was curious about them too and while she was grateful for the help, her pride wouldn't let her admit this.

"Sorry, but this fight is over," said the one with silver gloves.

"Yeah, and didn't your mother ever teach you not to gang up on people?" the one with the red gloves added.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you will regret trying to stop us," the man sneered as the two assassin got back on their feet with murder in their mind and in their eyes. They lunged forward to get revenge on the ones that had defeated them. However, with machine-like precision, the two Riders countered and knocked the two out cold with powerful punches.

The leader of the skull-masked trio growled in agitation but he knew better than to fight while he was outnumbered. He then tossed a smoke bomb, which exploded, allowing him to escape as the smoke provided him cover. When the smoke cleared as Gien coughed, the man was gone, leaving his two comrades lying on the ground.

"He got away," the red-gloved Kamen Rider Nigo said as he and Ichigo turned back to human form. Gien raised an eyebrow at the transformation.

"Hey, you two," said Gien, "Thanks but who are you two and how did you know I was in trouble?"

Both men looked to Gien and one of them answered, "Well, my name is Takeshi Hongo, and this is my partner Hayato Ichimonji."

"And to answer your second question," Ichimonji added, "We were just passing through. We actually have no clue you were in danger until we heard what was going on."

"Oh, are you both lost?" Gien questioned.

"Well…you might say that," said Ichimonji. "We're not from around here, you see."

Gien raised an eyebrow before shrugging. She figured that these two were tourists from a foreign country. That might explain the odd clothing and their 'magic'.

"Well, I still owe you. Come on, there's a town nearby and you both look like you need a rest," said Gien.

"That is most kind of you," Hongo said.

"Think nothing of it. This is my way of paying you back," Gien said as all three began to walk towards the town.

A/N: This was just something me and 10-Faced Paladin wanted to see would make a good fic. However, we couldn't think of anything beyond this. So, if anyone out there is interested in picking up this idea, be my guess. Oh, and I'd like to thank everybody from my forum for their help and assistance. This couldn't have been done without them.