CHAPTER 1

"Somebody help me!" Kokoro Katsura screamed as she ran. This was not what she expected as she was walking back home from school one evening. It just wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be safe for her to walk back home on her own but now she was running for her life.

The sky itself also looked weird. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the sky was blood red and there was also the full moon which was glowing with a bright red light. Maybe that was why everything looked red in her eyes, with the exception of what was chasing her.

As a child, Kokoro was told monsters weren't real. However, she was smart enough to reevaluate that fact when actual monsters appeared around the time before she started going to middle school. Fortunately, her Onii-chan was around to take care of the monsters. Unfortunately, her Onii-chan and Onee-chan weren't around to protect her.

The creature coming after her was black from head to toe and sported large, leathery, bat-like wings on its back. It had only two, hook-like toes on each foot and sharp talons on its hands. Hanging from its rear was a long, segmented tail. Finally, what was horrifying about it was that it lacked a face. It had horns on its head to make it look like a devil but it had no face!

In her mind, she took to calling the creature 'No Face' but that wasn't as important as the fact that it was coming for her and coming closer. She ran straight into an alley and realized too late that it was a dead end. She turned, eyes wide with terror as No Face landed in front of her, crouched like a predator as it looked at her without actual eyes. Then, its face split down the middle and opened to reveal a vertical jaw filled with razor sharp teeth as saliva dripped from its maw to the floor.

"No…no…" she begged. She was going to die. "Somebody…somebody…help me…"

The creature was coming closer. Why wasn't it getting it over with fast? Did it get off on the fact that it was terrifying her? As it came closer, its tongue stretched out to touch her. She turned her head away and screwed her eyes shut. As the tongue came within an inch of touching her, all of a sudden the creature was jerked backwards. It let out a combination of a grunt and shriek and Kokoro dared to open her eyes. She blinked as she saw that it was struggling to remove something from its throat which was choking it. Then, she heard something else.

She heard someone else.

She heard someone talk.
"You do realize that you shouldn't kiss with tongue on the first date, right, monsieur?" No Face was then tossed up into the air as the speaker finished his statement. Kokoro saw that what had choked No Face was an umbrella hook.

She looked to see who'd rescued her but couldn't make him out very clearly. She could tell that he was male and a bit taller than her but she couldn't make out any of the details clearly.

No Face landed on its feet and lunged at the dark figure who'd just saved her. The dark figure dodged, actually dancing about, as No Face tried to slash his face off. "Miss me! Miss me! Now you gotta kiss me!" He jumped back and performed a backflip before landing on his feet with his arms spread to the side. "Too bad! So slow!" he taunted no face before chuckling. "As much as I would love to continue this little dance of ours, but the mademoiselle really looks like she needs to go home. So..." His tone changed from cheeky and playful to cold and serious. "Let's end this."

No Face attacked and the figure thrust forward with his umbrella, the sharp tip pointed at the creature. The last thing Kokoro saw before she lost consciousness was a splash of red blood.

When Kokoro came to she was back in her home's living room, lying on her couch. "What...happened...?" Had everything earlier just been a dream? She slowly sat up and yawned. She looked around the living room and sighed. This place may be her house but it just didn't feel like home when she was all alone. Her parents were on a business trip and both her brother and sister were off to college. The big empty house was just not very comforting without her family around.

It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself. She was already in her first year of high school. Like her sister and brother she had enrolled in Sakakino Academy and ended up in Class 4, Year 1. She had also grown up to be a beautiful young lady and resembled her sister. She had curves and a big bust, but nowhere near as big as her mother's. She kept her hair short, chin-length, with a bobby pins to keep the bangs out of her eyes.

She then noticed something else. She smelled food being cooked. Somebody was cooking. Suspicious, she got off her sofa to check who was in the kitchen. She carefully peeked inside and saw someone standing at the stove with his back turned to face her. Whoever he was, he was a stranger, but whatever it was he was cooking smelled delicious. What she could see was that he had dark hair that was slightly tinted green and tied into a short ponytail at the base of his skull. He was dressed in a black vest over a white and black checkered dress shirt with black, white pinstriped, slacks. He was also singing a song, a foreign one, which sounded French as he was cooking.

Kokoro's eyes narrowed. She had learnt how to deal with strange intruders who came into her home from her Onii-chan. He was currently distracted so it would be a good time to take him out and call the police.

"You know, if you're awake, you could help me," he said without turning to look at her. She gasped. "Dinner will be ready soon. Make yourself comfortable."

"Uh...hai..." she uttered. So much for taking him by surprise.

As they sat at the dining table, face to face, she could now properly see what he looked like. His hair was parted down the middle with his bangs hanging over his eyebrows. As for his eyes, they were very distinctive. His left eye was blue and his right eye was red; he was heterochromatic.

"You have a very nice home, and a very nice kitchen. Fully stocked. Your mother's spice rack has a few gaps in it but I was able to work with what she had," the man sitting before her spoke. Kokoro was silent and she looked at her food. There was a bowl of race and on a plate was a cut up hamburger steak with a sunny side up egg on it. There was also a bowl of vegetable salad which some light dressing on it. For drinks, they had juice. "Come on, eat up. Bon appetit," he said.

"Excuse me..." she began.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Who are you? What happened?" she questioned.

"Oh, right," said the young man. "How rude of me." He put his chopstick downs and introduced himself, "My name is Kamikaze. Kamikaze Liquer."

"That's an interesting name," she remarked.

"I come from a very interesting family, Mademoiselle Kokoro Katsura."

She asked suspiciously, "How did you know my name?"

"Student ID," he answered. "I looked at it. Also, it was how I knew where you lived so I could bring you here."

"So, you just invited yourself in," she remarked.

"Nobody was around to answer the door," said Kamikaze. "So, why is a girl like you doing living all on her lonesome? I mean, a house this big means you're rich. You should have at least one servant waiting for you."

"My parents don't believe in hiring servants," Kokoro answered. "They prefer to have me take care of the house and myself on my own."

"Just you? All on your own?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "They must really trust you."

"Well, since my Onii-chan and Onee-chan have gone off to college, what else can I do?" she asked.

"Take a bite," he offered and pointed to her untouched food.

"OK," she said. "But I want answers. What happened? What was that thing?"

"You were being hunted by a Night Gaunt," he answered.

"Night Gaunt? That's what that thing was?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he shrugged. "But don't worry. I took care of it."
"How?"

"I killed it."

Kokoro blinked and asked, "Who are you, Liquer-san?"

"Please, call me 'Kamikaze'," he told her.

"I find it hard to believe your parents named you 'Kamikaze'," she retorted.

"It's an interesting name for a very interesting person," he smiled at her.

"And did you really kill it?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course," he admitted. "The blood stains on my umbrella and coat should be proof enough."

Kokoro was silent for a few moments before she said, in gratitude, "Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome, but there's no need to thank me," said Kamikaze. "I would've done it for any little cutie-pie."

Kokoro blushed and lowered her gaze from him. Sure, she had gotten confessed to before but there was something different. The way he said and then there was that French accent of his. Meanwhile, Kamikaze was looking around.

"It's a big place for just one girl," he said. "Do you need a housemate?"

Kokoro blinked and her head snapped up to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"Do you need a housemate?" he repeated. "Because I need a place to stay."

"You want to stay here?" she asked. He nodded. "But..."

"I just saved your life," he reminded. "You owe me. I think a place to stay is a fair price to pay for your life."

She frowned and accused him, "You saved my life so you could find a place to stay rent free?"

"I saved your life because you were in trouble," he corrected. "I only considered staying here after I brought you home."

"I can't make that kind of decision!" she shot back. "I barely even know you!"

"Then get to know me," he grinned. "And I get to know you. I mean, I think we've got the right setting and atmosphere. Here we are having dinner, like a dinner date."

"It's...not a date!" she shouted, blushing and he laughed. "Stop it!"

"Sorry, but you look so cute when you're frustrated!" he said as he continued to laugh. Kokoro frowned. He was making fun of her. "And it'll be much easier for me to look after you."

"Look after me?"

"Protect you from the Night Gaunts."

"But you already killed it."

He smirked, "The thing about Night Gaunts is that when there's one, there's more. There must be a nest around here and since I did interrupt its hunt by killing it, its brothers are gonna pick up where it left off." He paused to take another bite of his meal before asking, "So, would you rather not have me as a housemate now?"

Kokoro's brows furrowed. Even though he'd saved her life, there was no reason for her to trust him or his words. However, what if he was telling the truth? What if those things were really out to get her? Wait a minute. Why didn't she just call her Onii-chan and Onee-chan? Maybe they could help her make a decision. After all, they had experience with this kind of thing.

'I need to make a phone call,' thought Kokoro. He may have saved her life but she couldn't trust him because of that. Her Onii-chan had taught her that people always wanted something when they did something and that nobody performed a good deed for selfless reasons. They were always after something. Always. And they always expected something in return.

"You can stay here for tonight," said Kokoro as she showed Kamikaze one of the spare guest rooms.

"This will do nicely," smiled Kamikaze. The room was bare, save for a closet, bed and desk. "You're a wonderful hostess, Mademouiselle Katsura."

"Please, call me 'Kokoro'," she told him. He had saved her life and that meant he was allowed to call her by her given name. He'd also given her permission to call him by his. Although, she still didn't think his real name was Kamikaze. "Just make yourself at home. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to make a phone call."

"It's your home," Kamikaze shrugged and Kokoro left as the door closed.

Kokoro was at the house phone and dialing a number. She held the receiver to her ear and waited. However, she received no answer despite the phone ringing multiple times. The ringing soon stopped as an automated voice informed her that the number she was calling was currently unreachable. She put the receiver down and took out her cell phone, hoping that it would work. She called her sister first but she received no answer. She also tried her big brother and she received the same message.

She couldn't reach either of them. She then decided to send a text message, hoping that would reach them. Unfortunately, her text message was also blocked.

What was going on?

"Having trouble, Mademoiselle?" Kamikaze asked and she gasped before jumping back from him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Kokoro shouted at me.

"Je suis désolé, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I couldn't help but notice that you were having problems."

"It's nothing," she said. "Must be some kind of interference."

"I know," Kamikaze agreed. "They won't let you call for help."

"They? Who's they?" Kokoro asked nervously.

"The ones who control the Night Gaunts," said Kamikaze. "They want you and they will do anything to get you, even cut you off from those who can help you." His tone was grim. In a split second he smiled, "But that's OK! You got me! I'll protect you!"

"What's in it for you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, blinking his mismatched eyes.

"You just come in, protect me from a monster, and you expect me to believe you're doing it for no reason except that it's a good deed," she told him. "I don't believe you. My Onii-chan taught me that people always expect something in return for their deeds."

"Your big brother sounds like he doesn't trust people," observed Kamikaze.

"He doesn't trust people easily. He taught me that trust is earned, not given," said Kokoro. "You saved me, that's true, but that doesn't mean I can completely trust you."

"Then allow me to earn your trust," he said as he gave her a bow. "Until you are completely safe from harm, I will stay by your side and protect you."

Kokoro could feel a bit of a headache coming. "OK, fine," she said. He stood straight up and smiled.

"You won't regret this Mademoiselle Kokoro!" He then went off, skipping as he returned to his assigned room.

"I better not," Kokoro frowned. She looked down at her cell phone. "Onii-chan...Onee-chan..."

Kokoro was in her pajamas and lying on her bed. Kamikaze had told her that she could trust him to protect her. Could she really put her life in the hands of a complete stranger? All she knew about him was his name, which she doubt was true, and that he'd saved her. She knew nothing about him beyond that. So, why should she trust him?

Why shouldn't she trust him? So far he hadn't shown that he had malicious intent towards her. So far he was sincere about wanting to protect her. B ut she was letting a boy stay with her. A boy she knew little about. Her parents would be so mad at her, and her Onee-chan and Onii-chan would be upset too because she put herself in danger by letting a stranger inside her house. But what was she supposed to do? She hadn't let him in. He'd just saved her and found her address so he could take her home. She did owe him her life for saving her earlier.

As Kokoro stared up at her ceiling, she wondered what tomorrow would bring. Part of her wanted to get back to her normal routine but that would be impossible. Kamikaze warned her that the Night Gaunts were going to be after her and would not stop until they got her. Why was she so special anyway? She was just a regular girl. The only thing special about her were her connections.

Meanwhile, dark figures were watching the house from the distance.

The next morning, Kokoro woke up for school. She went to check on Kamikaze but he wasn't in the room and he hadn't left anything behind. She went downstairs and spotted a plate of food on the dining table, covered in plastic, that had a note on it. She went and checked the note, reading its contents.

I made you breakfast. Night Gaunts only come out at night, hence the name, so you should be safe in the day. However, I'm going to do some looking around anyway. I will see you later.

Signed: Kamikaze

Kokoro smiled. It was sweet of him to cook breakfast for her. She wondered where he'd gone. He hadn't left any contact information so she couldn't call him. Was he going to come back? She wasn't sure. Why did he just disappear like that without even saying good morning or goodbye?

She shook her head to banish the odd train of thought and sat down in front of the breakfast he'd made, tearing off the plastic covering it. It was Western style and looked so delicious. "Itadakimasu," she said before she began to eat.

Since it was still several days since the end of Summer Break, the weather was still hot so the students were still wearing their summer uniforms. The boys wore the white, short-sleeved shirts with black slacks while the girls wore white short-sleeved blouses with a black vest, red bowtie and short pleated skirt. Kokoro was entering the school grounds when she met up with her classmates and friends: Yuuka and Uzuki.

"Ohayo, Kokoro-chan!" Yuuka beamed.

"Ohayo," added Uzuki.

"Ohayo, girls," Kokoro smiled.

The usual pleasantries were exchanged as they walked to the show lockers to exchange their outdoor footwear to the standard indoor footwear. They then headed up to their class for homeroom.

Classrooms in Sakakino Academy were built to resemble a university lecture room.

"Good morning, class," said Kokoro's homeroom teacher, Mariko Asahina. She was a woman with reddish, brown hair that was curled. "As you all know it is still very hot." She was waving a fan in front of her face. "I know it's uncomfortable but you still need to come to school for class, regularly. Now, I've also got a surprise for you. Today we have a new student joining us." She turned to the door and said, "You can come in!"

The door opened and Kokoro's eyes went wide as she saw who'd come into her classroom. "No...way..." she whispered. He was dressed in the boys' uniform but with a fedora on his head.

"Bonjour, my fellow classmates," he greeted them before he turned towards the blackboard to write down his name.

"Kamikaze Liquer-kun is a transfer student who's just moved from France. So, I would like all of you to be friendly and please help him out," Asahina-sensei asked. "Now, Liquer-kun, would you like to pick a seat?"

Kamikaze looked around and smiled. He took up the empty seat behind Kokoro. Kokoro looked over her shoulder at him and he waved at her.

"Now, let us begin our roll call," said Asahina-sensei.

During the first break between classes, the other students in the class surrounded Kamikaze to get to know him. Like a gentleman, he politely answered their questions as Kokoro watched from where she sat. Yuuka and Uzuki were interested in the new kid in their class as well. Uzuki even remarked that his mismatched eyes made him look exotic.

"What do you think of him, Kokoro-chan?" asked Yuuka.

"What?" Kokoro blinked.

"What do you think of Liquer-san?"

"Well..." What could Kokoro say. "He doesn't seem too bad."

"He's also from France," said Uzuki. "I wonder what that's like."

'I wonder if it's even true,' thought Kokoro. Well, so far, Kamikaze was a nice. He had saved her life and made her breakfast. But other than that she knew almost nothing about him. She continued to watch him though. Right now he was the centre of attention of the class. He was the new kid and the others wanted to get to know him and maybe become his new best friend.

Classes went on and Kamikaze was definitely making an impression. He correctly read a passage from their English textbook, correctly answered a complex math equation, and during PE class he beat all the boys during the 100 metre dash. He was slowly collecting a following of fans and there were girls who were starting to have crushes on him. He didn't show any indication of being aware of this but he still acted like a gentleman that made girls swoon and boys envious.

By lunchtime, Kamikaze finally spoke to Kokoro, "I'm new here so would you mind giving me a tour, Mademoiselle?"

"Sure," answered Kokoro as she tried to make herself sound polite. "Come with me." The two of them left the classroom together as they exited out in the hallway. Once they were out of earshot, Kokoro spun around to glare at him. "What are you doing here!?"

"I came to learn," he answered casually. "The same as you, I believe."

"Don't give me that! You followed me!" she accused.

"Oh, yes indeed," he admitted, "You caught me. But only so I could protect you."

"So, you only followed me to school, enrolled in my class, so you could protect me?" she asked.

"Yes, pretty much," said Kamikaze. "So, are we going to have lunch first, or..." She grabbed his necktie.

"Come with me!" she ordered as she dragged him along with her.

"My, how forceful!" he grinned. "I love a girl who takes charge."

"Shut up!"

Kokoro led Kamikaze up to the school rooftop so they could talk in private. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask from last night but never got around to asking them, until now.

"Alright, I want answers!" she demanded, hands to her hips. "Why are the Night Gaunts after me?"

"It's just in their nature to hunt down humans," said Kamikaze. "And when they've found prey, they don't let it escape for long."
"And why do you kill them?" she asked.

"I'm a Demon Hunter," he told her. "I hunt and kill demons."

She remembered how he'd told her that Night Gaunts always hunt in groups and that they would not let a prey escape. "So, I'm just bait," she concluded.

"Well, I've been after the Night Gaunt's master and you're the only one who hasn't been taken," said Kamikaze. "So, I get to kill the Night Gaunts and maybe find out who's been sending them."

"I'm...bait..." she trembled as she clenched her fists. "You...!" Suddenly, the sky turned blood red. "What!?"

"And the curtain has risen for Act 2," said Kamikaze as he and Kokoro were suddenly surrounded by Night Gaunts.

"I thought you said they only come out at night!" shouted Kokoro.

"I guess these are the ones who decided to break the rule!" Kamikaze shot back. He counted the Night Gaunts, "OK, from what I can see, we're dealing with a dozen and a half of very dangerous demons." Kokoro was desperately trying to call for help on her cell phone but she wasn't receiving any answer. "That won't work. The Night Gaunts are scrambling your phone signals."

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" she demanded.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," promised Kamikaze as he held his umbrella like a sword. "OK, Jimmy! It's showtime!"

The Night Gaunts pounced on the two teenagers when a black blur flew out of nowhere and knocked them to the ground. The black blur then slowed down and hovered next to Kamikaze. As soon as Kokoro saw it, she let out a gasp. She didn't shriek and was struck speechless. Hovering next to Kamikaze was the biggest worm she had ever seen. It had a segmented body covered in a black exoskeleton and had a flat head with a pair of pincer-like mandibles that looked sharp enough to slice through bone. On the top of the head was a single, green eye. The worm then looked at Kamikaze who smiled at him.

"You know the drill, Jimmy!" said Kamikaze as he commanded with a snap of his fingers, "Driver On!" Jimmy the Worm obeyed and wrapped its long body around Kamikaze's waist like a belt with its head positioned in the centre. Jimmy then bit into the tip of its own tail, like a belt that was being fastened.

"Bonjour, Night Gaunts!" Kamikaze began, "My name is Kamikaze Liquer! But I think you know me by another name!" He called out, raising his umbrella into the air, "Henshin!"

Kokoro blinked, hearing that familiar word, and parroted, "Henshin?"

Red hellfire burst out of Jimmy and wrapped around Kamikaze, burning away his clothes but revealing his silhouette. With a downward swing of his umbrella, he dispersed the flames which blew the Night Gaunts back and almost blew Kokoro away. She opened her eyes and they went wide as she saw that Kamikaze had changed.

He was clad in a suit of gunmetal grey armor that was worn over a black bodysuit. The armor covered his torso and mounted on his shoulders were thick and broad pauldrons. In the centre of his chest was a green, rhombus-shaped gem. Hip plates hung from his belt and he had armored boots that went all the way up to his thighs with kneepads. Matching gauntlets with sharp points at the elbows covered his forearms. The suit had glowing red accents. Hanging from his neck was a tattered red scarf. Finally, his head was covered in a helmer which had bat-wing like adornments framing the face which was concealed by an opaque black visor. Mounted on the brow was a green gem with a pair of small bat wings extending from it to form antennae. Also, gripped in his hand wasn't an umbrella anymore. It had turned into a double-edged broadsword with a red gem in the centre of the guard. The blade was black with a silver edge and had ancient runes inscribed in blood red along the length of the blade.

Seeing the armor, Kokoro could only identify what Kamikaze had turned into with two words, "Kamen...Rider..."

"Chaos has descended," Kamikaze said as he pointed his sword threateningly at the Night Gaunts and challenged, "En garde!" The Night Gaunts, identifying the armored youth as a threat, attacked. The first wave of assailant jumped him but were rendered to pieces as Kamikaze swung in a circle, slicing their midsections and cutting them in half. Blood splattered the floor as their split bodies dropped. "Allons-y!" he cheered as he rushed at the Night Gaunts, swinging with his sword wildly. He performed a backflip to dodge an attacking Night Gaunt then planted his foot into face of a Night Gaunt behind him. He bounded off and performed a spin with his sword slicing through the Night Gaunts, killing them. He landed on one knee and saw the Night Gaunts swinging at him. He dodged as he back-stepped before he found an opening and kicked off the ground. He used a tornado kick to send them reeling then brought his blade down for the killing blow.

Meanwhile, Kokoro was using her camera to record the entire thing. However, she should've been paying attention to the Night Gaunt behind her. Fortunately for her, Kamikaze noticed.

"Watch out!" he shouted and his scarf tails shot out and stretched several times their original length. Kokoro shrieked and ducked as the scarf tails smashed into the Night Gaunt. They then wrapped around it and tugged it through the air for Kamikaze to run it through. He then released the Night Gaunt and continued to go on his killing spree.

Kokoro's heart thundered in her chest. Was this what it felt like for her sister? She looked down and saw that her hand was in a pool of Night Gaunt blood and she recoiled in panic and disgust. She then looked back at the battle and saw Kamikaze tossing himself into the air to perform an acrobatic flip which stunned the Night Gaunts before he dealt the killing blow upon them. He was fluid, and looked like he'd done this hundreds of times, like he was trained especially to fight these things. Then again, he was a Kamen Rider.

"Jimmy, let's finish this!" said Kamikaze as he held his sword down so that Jimmy's eye was aligned with the gem in the sword's guard. The sword began to glow and ignite with crimson flames. "Say au revoir!" he shouted as he swung his sword in a horizontal and vertical arch before shooting a cross-shaped energy blast that smashed into the remaining Night Gaunts, turning them to dust. He swung his sword to the side and flicked off the excess flames before turning to face Kokoro. "Kokoro!" His visor slid up into his helmet to reveal his face as he dashed towards her. He knelt down to check on her. "Are you OK?"

"Stay away from me!" she shouted as she pushed him away before running off. Kamikaze sighed as he watched her go before he let his armor vanish, leaving him in his clothes again.

"Fantastic, just bloody fantastic," he grumbled sarcastically. Unnoticed by him, a black butterfly was flying away.

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And so begins the saga of Kamen Rider Chaos. Now, if you want to understand this universe, read the Kamen Rider Days series and its pilot School Days of the ChronoLiner Riders. This is basically a spin-off/sequel of the same series but focusing on a different set of characters. Although, you may recognize them from my previous works. Now, this fic was inspired from Haiyore! Nyarko-san because the anime had a lot of references to the Kamen Rider series. I mean, even Nyarko's armor was based on Kamen Rider, and said armor is what I used as a basis for Kamikaze's suit. The sword itself also has significance to Lovecraftian Lore.