Episode 21: Shards of the Past
The atmosphere at Atori Café was tense as Shinji and his friends fully processed the current state of the Rider War. As things currently stood, the Rider War had its deadliest combatant yet in the form of Ouja. Better known in the real world as the psychotic criminal Takeshi Asakura. And he'd just claimed his first victim in the Rider War: Kamen Rider Gai. AKA Jun Shibaura, a sociopathic rich kid who viewed the entire conflict as nothing more than a game to be won. It was too bad for him that Ouja didn't play around when dealing with things that vexed him. Shinji had just gotten off the phone with his boss after Reiko and Kitaoka had come clean with the circumstances of Reiko's absence. While Daisuke had initially given Shinji quite the scolding, any outrage was instantly quelled by the fact that Shinji had risked life and limb to come to Reiko's aid.
"Well, on the plus side, I got the rest of the day off." Shinji sighed trying to find a silver lining to the whole situation.
Tezuka shook his head. "Don't try to put yourself into a mood that doesn't fit you right now. We're all quite shaken by what we just witnessed."
"Tezuka's right, Kido." Ren added. "Even with how long I've been fighting, seeing how Ouja took out Gai? That's something that unsettles me."
Shinji clenched his fists in frustration. "Yeah. He felt so little about what he did that It was like he just swatted a fly. How can a person like that exist?"
"I don't think you can call someone like Asakura a person." Tezuka shook his head. "It's as I said: He's a monster."
Shinji shook his head in confusion. "Tezuka, how can you say that? He's a human."
"Shinji… " Tezuka sighed. "If a person lacked any and all traces of humanity, could you truly call them human?" Before Shinji could answer, Tezuka raised his hand. "You don't have to answer that question right now, Shinji. But, when you do find the answer, I pray that you can forgive me for asking you in the first place. Some knowledge is better off unknown."
"I… don't exactly get it, but okay." Shinji nodded. "All this begs the question: What's our next move?"
Ren shook his head. "Hard to say. Asakura is a wild card. We've got no locations that we can tie him to like Scissors. Couple that with the fact he's a criminal on the run, he's bound to keep moving a lot. In short, tracking and pinning him down is a needle in the haystack at best. For all we know, we could run into him the next time we're out patrolling the Mirror World."
"Great." Shinji groaned. "Can't believe the Rider War's escalated tis quickly. I thought we were doing a good job keeping things from getting crazier."
Tezuka sported a knowing, yet disappointed look on his face. "Perhaps that's exactly why Kanzaki recruited him. He wants things to escalate. More fighting, more death, more people devoured by the Mirror Monsters."
"How can he do that?!" Shinji snapped in righteous indignation. "Does he just not care what happens to others?! Why is he even doing this? Is it because he just wants people to hurt or suffer?!"
'Shiro…' Yui thought sadly as her mind began to wander down memory lane. More specifically to the childhood she and Shiro had shared.
Many children could say that they had loving families with parents who would always be there for them. Unfortunately, for Yui and Shiro Kanzaki, that was a claim neither could make. Yui remembered that often, her parents would neglect her and Shiro. So much so that the Kanzaki siblings basically had to look out for themselves save for the times their grandmother would show up.
'I could never call my home life a truly happy one, but there was one thing I'd never hesitate to call good.' Yui smiled wistfully. 'That Shiro and I were always there for each other. Even if we were locked in that room, I never felt alone. Just the two of us, a box full of crayons, and lots of sheets of paper. How we'd just spend days drawing together… '
As Yui reminisced about the drawings Shiro and her made as children, she froze when she remembered a particular set of drawings that she and Shiro made. Unfortunately, the image was obscured by static, and Yui's efforts for trying to make the image clear earned her a painful headache. One so strong that it almost sent her falling to the ground.
"Yui!" Shinji, Ren, and Tezuka rushed to their friend's side to catch her in case she should fall. "What happened?!"
Yui shook her head lightly. "I was trying… to remember something. It was related to me and my brother's past.
"Care to tell us what that something was?" Ren asked.
Yui frowned. "Sorry, but the image was fuzzy and piecing it together was what made my head hurt earlier. I think a good night's sleep might do the trick for getting the whole picture."
"I believe that we could all do with some rest." Tezuka nodded. "After today's events, I doubt we'll sleep soundly. But it'll be better that than nothing."
Shinji sighed. "Yeah, true enough. See you guys around, then."
With a nod, the group went their separate ways. Shinji and Tezuka departed for their respective apartments while Ren and Yui went about the rest of the day performing their duties at the café. Once the day was over, Yui settled into her room at the café that served as her living space. Yui was quite glad for the day to be over.
'This is the second time a Rider has fallen.' Yui thought sadly as she lay down in her bed. 'Even if Gai deserved what happened to him, I'd be lying if I said how he was killed didn't make a pit form in my stomach. And to think, countless people have already died even with Shinji's best efforts. It's cruel… it's all just too cruel! What happened to you, brother? Why did you change so much?!'
Yui let out a sigh as she closed her eyes and let sleep take hold of her. Whatever answer fate had in store for her, she hoped she would find it soon. Or at the very least, some clues as to how this mess began and how to undo it. Before long, Yui was off to dreamland. However, she had arrived in a place she thought she'd never dream of for a long time. Her childhood home.
"One place I wouldn't mind forgetting." Yui murmured as she walked up to the front door.
Walking up the stairs to her and Shiro's drawing room, Yui couldn't help but see phantom images of her brother and younger self walking or running through the halls. A nostalgic smile on her face as she remembered Shiro how he was. Kind and caring without a mean bone in his body. Upon opening the door to where Shiro and her spent nearly all their time, Yui was shocked to see the entire floor was littered with crayon drawings. Before Yui had a chance to inspect the drawing she was holding, an all too familiar sound assailed her ears.
*EEEeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEEeeee!*
"Mirror Noise?!" Yui gasped as her eyes darted between all the reflective surfaces in the area. But to her shock, she couldn't see any Mirror Monsters scuttling about. However, one thing did catch her attention. A large mirror that she never remembered being in the room before. But that surprise paled in comparison to the reflection held within the mirror: Yui's child self.
"What on Earth…?" Yui murmured before she saw her younger self run away further into the reflection. "Wait! Come back! It's dangerous in there!"
Yui ran towards the mirror, her eyes widening as the mirror rippled the second she touched it. Startled, Yui couldn't halt in time and tumbled into the mirror. When she regained her bearings, Yui saw that she was in the Mirror World. However, instead of her childhood home, she was now in the open city streets.
"Took you long enough, slow poke!" A voice called out. Yui immediately zeroed in on the source of the voice and saw what looked like her younger self sporting a playful smile. Before Yui could get a word in, her younger self lifted a stack of drawings. "I'm glad I could have fun with you. And they all want to play, too!"
"'They'?" Yui quirked a brow in confusion. But upon taking a closer look at the drawings, she noticed they looked striking familiar. Chief among them being a red dragon. "Is that… Shinji's dragon? Why would-"
Before Yui could finish her thought, a familiar roar rippled through the air. Gazing up at the sky, Yui gasped as Dragreder descended towards her and her younger self. Yui was about to make a break for it, but her younger self just giggled.
"Don't worry! He's not going to hurt us! None of them are."
It was then that more Mirror Monsters began to gather around Yui and her younger self. Some figures were familiar to Yui like Darkwing, Evildiver and Magnugiga. Others were monsters she hadn't seen yet. But given who some of the gathering's members were, Yui could only assume that these were all Mirror Monsters that are, were, or would be in contracts with Riders. Though they all consisted of different shapes and sizes, the assembled Mirror Monsters all had one thing in common: They looked ready for a fight.
"They're meant to fight for us." Yui's younger self answered with a smile before frowning sadly. "Because we don't have much longer left."
"What do you mean?" Yui asked. Her younger self smiled sadly at her.
"You should go back home soon." She said. Right as she began to dissolve.
Yui's eyes widened in horror. "What do you mean?! What's happening to you?!"
Yui's younger self made no response as she faded away, her particles scattering to the wind. The assembled Mirror Monsters seemed to give of cries or roars of sadness right before an ominous roar silenced them. Thunderous footsteps shook the whole city, and the rumbling only intensified as they kept sounding closer and closer. But Yui would not bear witness to whatever behemoth could unite the Mirror Monsters in fury. For beneath her feet a reflective puddle began to form, sucking her in. The last thing that Yui saw before falling through was all the Contract Monsters charging toward whatever was shaking up the city.
The next thing Yui knew, she bolted out of her bed. Her breathing was rapid as she processed the vivid dream, she'd just experienced. However, the words her younger self said to her still echoed in Yui's mind.
"Maybe the answers I'm looking for lie with my past." Yui muttered to herself with a pained look on her face. "But no one said I have to face it alone."
With her resolution set, Yui called up Shinji and Tezuka before getting dressed and heading into the café to inform Ren of the two's arrival. Once everyone was gathered, Yui explained her dream.
"And that's about it." Yui sighed.
"I don't know what exactly is waiting for me at my old home, but the dream I had means that it's something that I need to face. But my past? It's painful. And seeing my old home is going to bring back some bad memories. That's why I've asked you all to come with me. If none of you want to tag along, don't. I won't hold it against you."
Shinji was the first to speak. "You can count me in, Yui. I can't refuse a call for help. Especially when its coming from one of my friends."
"I'll come as well." Tezuka nodded. "If what you saw in your dream is an indication, we just might find answers regarding the connection between you and the Rider War. As well as some more information on the Mirror World. After the last lead we had was silenced, we need all the info we can get."
"I'm Yui's ride, so that puts me in by default." Ren stated. "And be sure to always keep your Advent Decks on you. There's no telling whether Kanzaki rigged up his old home as a trap for Riders trying to poke around."
Yui beamed at the support her friends were showing her. "Thank you. All of you. It's nice to know I don't have to face this on my own."
One bike ride later, and the group had arrived at Yui's old home. They'd expected it to look more run-down, but it was surprisingly well-polished for being out of disuse for so long. Upon entering, the signs that the house had been deserted were more apparent. Thick sheets of dust had accumulated on the various surfaces of the house and the coverings placed upon the various furniture pieces. Yui's face showed an expression of discomfort, but it was quickly dispelled when Shinji lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. We're with you all the way." Shinji confirmed with his signature bright smile.
"Thank you." Yui smiled gratefully. With her resolve solidified, Yui led the group to the house and opened the door.
Long had it been since this house last had occupants. The furniture was covered with sheets that had been caked with layers of dust due to the passage of time. If the home of Yui and Shiro could have ever been called alive, it was most certainly dead now. Shinji, Ren, and Tezuka kept a constant vigil as they explored the house alongside Yui. The group's investigation began with the first floor of the house. From the kitchen to the living room, it looked like nothing had been touched. Not even the most thorough of their scrutiny could pick out anything out of the ordinary.
"All clear on the ground floor." Ren muttered. "Let's check the upstairs next. Think we're good to split up?"
Yui nodded. "Yes. None of the rooms are too far from each other, so we'll be able to reach each other quickly."
With the course of action agreed upon, the four headed upstairs to inspect each of the individual rooms that once held occupants. Shinji was searching Yui and Shiro's old bedroom while Ren and Tezuka scoured the room of Yui's parents. As for Yui, she took it upon herself to inspect the old room where she and Shiro would be locked up for countless hours. Once more memories began to resurface in Yui's mind as phantom images of her and Shiro as children occupied the now barren space. A fond smile creeping across Yui's lips as she reflected upon happier moments. But a minute or two into her reminiscing, Yui's eyes widened as she now had a clearer picture of the drawings Shiro and her had made as kids. Drawings that depicted creatures eerily like the Mirror Monsters that now roamed the Mirror World.
'Why on Earth would Shiro and I draw such things?' Yui wondered as her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Yui." Tezuka called out as he, Ren and Shinji approached Yui. "We finished up our sweep but couldn't find anything. Every nook and cranny turned up blank."
Ren nodded. "We even felt around for trap doors or secret panels. No such luck."
"Don't worry! I made sure I didn't touch your diary!" Shinji interjected playfully to lift the mood.
Yui couldn't help but giggle. "You can't read something I never had, Shinji. There aren't any… secrets…"
In that instant, a new memory popped into Yui's head. It was of her and Shiro in the house's backyard, and from the looks of things they had dug a hole. They then placed a box in the hole and buried it.
"The backyard!" Yui exclaimed. "Follow me!"
Confused, the three heroic Riders followed Yui to the house's backyard. It was thankfully small, but what really made their search easier was that Yui had already started digging away at a particular spot. About a minute later, Yui pulled a box out of the hole she'd dug up. With great zeal, she ripped off the top! Her eyes widening as she beheld the container's contents.
"Just like in my drea-…no. " Yui shook her head. "My memories."
"What're you talking about, Yui?" Shinji asked as he leaned in. From where he stood, he could tell that the contents of the box were drawings. But what really floored him was that one drawing depicted a very familiar dragon.
"That's… Dragreder!" Shinji shouted, grabbing Ren and Tezuka's attention.
As the other Riders beheld the drawings, they too were taken by surprise.
"Darkwing's here too…" Ren murmured.
"Evildiver, Volcancer, Metalgelas, Magnuigiga, and more." Tezuka spouted off. "And if I'm not mistaken, there's also drawings of Mirror Monsters we've already slain."
Shinji shook his head. "What does this mean? That the Mirror Monsters are drawings come to life? Is the entire Mirror World just the product of imagination run wild?"
"It's neither of those things, Shinji." Yui answered. "I know because… I remember seeing these creatures through the mirror where Shiro and I were frequently confined to."
This news made the three Riders pale. Yui and her brother had been exposed to the Mirror World ever since they were children? As if sensing the questions on their minds, Yui responded.
"For whatever reason, no Mirror Monster attempted to harm me or my brother. Oddly enough, they were quite docile." Yui began, a small smile on her face as she recalled that time in her life. "Anything was better than the same four walls we were greeted with on an almost daily basis. Plus, what kid doesn't dream of a world full of fantastical creatures?"
"This raises some interesting questions." Tezuka's brow furrowed in thought. "If the Mirror Monsters were docile before, what could have prompted them to run wild and devour people like they do now? Perhaps your brother had something to do with this?"
"And above all else: Why could the two of you see into the Mirror World?" Shinji asked.
Yui sighed. "I don't know. My childhood memories are like a mirror with pieces missing from it. And today, I just found a huge shard of it. I'm just sorry that I don't have much more answers to give."
"I wouldn't say we're farther from the goal post." Ren stated. "Now we know that the Mirror World's been around before your brother started messing around with it in college. And right now, that's more than enough. We'll piece together these shards of your past, Yui."
"Though this has given us much to reflect upon." Tezuka smiled.
Yui couldn't help but giggle. "Then let's head home. We've learned from the past, we live for the present, and right now we all need to rest so we can face the future."
Author's Note: Hey everyone. I'm really sorry this took so long to put together. I had meant to get it out sooner and I had a plan for the chapter, but I got distracted by reading other stories on the site. So, here we have it. A shattering revelation on Yui's past. Don't worry, this is a plot thread that WON'T be dismissed (looking at you Canon!Ryuki). And I'm also pleased to announce we're almost at the halfway point of the series! YAAAY! As always, please remember to read and review. And don't be afraid to share your theories with me regarding plot points or arcs in the reviews or PMs. Thanks so much guys! See ya next episode!