Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
Hana awoke slowly, finding herself on a comfortable but unfamiliar couch. Still groggy, she sat up, looking around blearily and discovering she was in a large, very fancy living room in what appeared to be some sort of mansion.
"You must be exhausted. I didn't expect you to faint like that."
What? Who had…
Oh, right. Yuriko. The woman who said she was her sister.
"I was… Wait, where am I?" Hana asked in confusion, head stuffy. Something… Something wasn't right.
Yuriko smiled, got up from her seat, and sat down next to Hana. "You don't remember? We used to live here together when you were younger."
Hana glanced around again, taking in the rather opulent surroundings. There were even lit candlesticks!
She didn't recognize any of it.
This didn't feel like the place where a family would live. It didn't have the sheer warmth and personality of the Happy Spa. This place was… Cold, and quiet, far too quiet.
She was forgetting something, what was she forgetting-
"I don't… Remember…"
"You were abducted a long time ago," Yuriko said kindly. "Everyone in the family tried to find you. Then we saw Aguilera on the news one day, and to think it was our Hana… It was quite the shock."
She took Hana's hands. "But… It's all okay now. Let's be together from now on. I'm sure mother will be happy too."
Mother?
For a second Yukimi Igarashi's face flickered through her mind.
She… she already had a mother-
Wait.
Sakura.
Where was Sakura? Where were the other girls? They… They had been hiding, watching over her, there's no way they could have let her just be taken by a strange woman to an unfamiliar place without doing something, they would've been here when she woke up-
Wait.
Yuriko had said she'd fainted.
Why had she fainted? She hadn't been even remotely tired, not until-
She immediately withdrew her hands and scooted as far back from the startled Yuriko as she could, reaching for her waist-
Her Week Endriver wasn't there.
She was alone, in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar person, completely unarmed.
Her heart throbbed in her throat as the stranger who called herself her sister leaned towards her. "Hana? What's wrong-"
"You're not my sister," Hana snarled, digging her nails into her palms.
Yuriko blinked. "What? Of course I-"
"Shove it. You really think I'd fall for a lie like that?" Hana almost yelled. "I just happened to faint? Really? And if you and the rest of our so-called 'family' recognized who I was from TV, then why haven't you come looking for me sooner? It's not like it was private knowledge that I've been living at the Happy Spa with my girlfriend and the rest of her family – no, our family! Who the fuck are you and what's really going on? Where are my friends? Where's Sakura?!"
Yuriko's face changed from concerned to absolutely blank in seconds. "It didn't work, mother."
There was a sigh, and then a woman in a suit wearing a black mask with a single eye on it emerged from the shadows. "Oh well, it was worth a shot, I suppose. I should've known better than to underestimate the former queen of the Deadmans."
"Who the hell are you?!" Hana demanded.
"I am Ms. Titan, leader of the secret organization called Black Satan," the woman introduced herself.
"Secret? People have known about your group for decades," Hana pointed out.
Ignoring her, Miss Titan said, "We have had our eye on you for quite some time, Aguilera."
"That's not my name anymore," Hana growled.
"You could make quite the name for yourself under our banner. Join us, and together we can create a new world! You have no place in Weekend. No matter where you go, you'll be nothing but a lonely, wondering soul. Forget about Sakura Igarashi and your pretend family! We can be your true family, the family you deserve, a family that understands the darkness within you-" Ms. Titan pitched.
Hana burst into laughter, startling the masked woman. "Are… Are you for real?! Do you really think I'm dumb enough to join another evil cult?! You had some rando pretend to be my sister, clearly kidnapped me, and tried to have her gaslight me into thinking you're my mother, or something!" She frowned. "Wait, you aren't my mother, are you? Not that it really matters if you are, but I just want to make sure."
"I am not your mother," Ms. Titan admitted. "But I could be-"
Hana shook her head. "Yeah, no, screw you, I have a mom now and she's way better than some masked creep who thinks working for a group called Black Satan is a good idea."
"You led a cult called Deadmans!"
"The name wasn't my idea!" Hana said defensively. "And you clearly haven't been watching me very closely or you would realize how bullshit everything you just said was. You really think the Igarashis are a 'pretend' family? That they don't understand me, or my darkness? Bitch, every member of that family has literally grappled with and come to terms with their inner demons, who are members of the household now! Even Vail, who tried to murder everyone multiple times, and if/when Kagerou comes back I'm sure they'd welcome him with open arms! I'm coparenting one of them with my girlfriend, who loves me unequivocally and absolutely and I'm going to marry her one day!" She snorted and stood up, looking for the exit. "If you really want to recruit me, get better material. So give me back my Week Endriver and tell me how to get the fuck out of here, I don't want to see you your stupid mask or any other member of your obsolete try hard evil organization ever again."
Ms. Titan glared at her angrily – at least, she assumed as much, considering she was wearing a mask, and given the big eye she couldn't really do anything but glare. "The hard way it is, then. Yuriko, dearest? I think it's time to discipline your sister."
"Yes mother," Yuriko said obediently as she stood up, hands beginning to glow yellow.
"What are you doing?" Hana asked in alarm, backing away.
"I had hoped you would join us willingly, but I always knew it might come to this," Miss Titan explained. "Yuriko's electro-wave powers can be used to alter neurochemistry by manipulating the electronic impulses in the human brain. Knocking you out to bring you here is just the least of what she can do. Rewiring your brain so that you become my daughter and another loyal agent of Black Satan is child's play. Especially since you're a female Kamen Rider. Yuriko has a… Special connection to people like you."
Hana's blood went cold. "No. You're… You're going to brainwash me?! Turn me against Sakura and my friends?!"
Miss Titan chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, Hana… They'll all be your sisters soon enough. Yuriko, begin the procedure. Oh, and remove her desire for the fairer sex while you're at it, I don't want any deviants in my family."
"Yes, mother."
"Oh, so you're not just evil, you're a fucking homophobe-" an outraged Hana shrieked just before Yuriko hit her with a blast of yellow energy waves, and everything went black.
The Kamen Rider Experience – as the girls were tentatively calling themselves now – observed a large, stately old mansion from behind cover. "So, this is the place?" Alpina asked.
Izu nodded. "Indeed. Hana and the electro-wave human are inside."
"Good," Sakura said, starting forward.
"Sakura, wait-" Reika started to say, grabbing her arm, only to gasp and immediately recoil, shaking her hand. Sakura's arm was burning hot!
"No, I will not wait, big sis," Sakura growled, eyes briefly turning into slits. "My precious treasure is in there, and they could be hurting her, so I'm going to go hurt them-"
"I would not advise that. It is too dangerous," Izu warned her.
"I don't care how many guys and monsters they have in there, nothing is going to stop me from-" Sakura snapped.
"That is not what I meant. Observe," Izu said, pointing at the mansion.
Everyone followed her finger and saw a pigeon flying towards the building. There was a flash of light, and it was gone.
Lovekov gasped. "Birdie, no!"
"Some kind of barrier?" Yaiba immediately intuited.
Izu nodded. "An incredibly powerful one. If any of us were to touch it, we would most likely be disintegrated on contact."
Squishy squeaked in dismay and hid behind his owner's helmet.
"Can we get past it?" Kanon asked.
Natsumi grimaced, a strained look on her face. "I've been trying to create an Aurora Curtain to help us get in, but nothing's happening."
"I can't teleport in," Rinko complained, passing a ring over her belt only to get an ERROR message.
Reika opened and closed a small book in frustration. "My Book Gate isn't working either."
Nico's visor flashed. "I'm picking up a dimensional lock and anti-magic wards incorporated into the barrier. They really don't want us to get in there. Which makes sense, I suppose, since they know we'd cream them, but it's still annoying."
"My lady, can you bypass it?" Poppy asked Yoko, who shook her head.
"As I said, my powers on this plane are limited. We need to find a solution elsewhere," the goddess explained.
"Mrs. Hiden and Hojo, can't you… Chop it?" Reika asked.
The two artificial Riders gave her confused looks. "'Chop' it?" Izu inquired.
"You know… Speak to the machines generating the barrier, and tell them to stop?" Reika asked vaguely.
Poppy brightened. "Oh, you mean hack it!"
"Yes. That," Reika said, looking embarrassed. "My upbringing didn't really teach me much about computers."
"Right, because you were in a cult," Nico said.
"It's not a cult!" Reika insisted.
"That's exactly what someone who's in a cult would say!" Nico shot back.
"Unfortunately, they have a closed network, so neither Poppy nor myself can hack their systems," Izu reported. "Fortunately, Zea has already calculated an appropriate countermeasure, and retasked one of our satellites. It will be ready in a matter of minutes."
"Which means… Until then, we can't do anything but wait. I'm sorry, Sakura," Kanon told Sakura apologetically.
Sakura clenched her teeth – which were starting to look serrated – and squeezed her fists so hard they started bleeding. "… If they've hurt Hana because we had to sit out here and wait, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you, Izu."
"I understand," the gynoid said softly.
"On the plus side, at least this gives us time for some of our reinforcements to get here," Reika said, perking up when a giant book suddenly appeared and opened, the pages flipping to show a moving illustration of a woman walking towards them, suddenly emerging from the pages as the book closed behind her and disappeared. She was a beautiful brunette woman with long hair wearing an elegant white dress. "Lady Sophia, welcome!"
The woman bowed her head. "I apologize for the delay, the meeting at the Western Base took longer than expected. I've been briefed on the situation and am ready to help."
A portal resembling an eye suddenly opened, and a beautiful woman in a gorgeous white dress with very long dark hair emerged along with a short haired brunette in a lab coat. "As are we," said Princess Alia of Ganma World.
"I have so many experiments I want to conduct!" Akari Tsukimura said eagerly. "But nothing that will break the Geneva Convention, of course," she said quickly when Alpina glared at her. "Though really, that bit of out of character behavior was kind of your grandfather's fault."
"You can't blame him for everything," Alpina said in irritation.
"I see no reason why not, it's either his or Tsukasa's fault whenever things don't make sense," Akari replied.
"He doesn't do that anymore!" Natsumi snapped. Akari did not look convinced.
A magic circle appeared in the air, and a long-haired girl appeared. "I'm here to help as well, senpai!" Mayu Inamori declared.
An Aurora Curtain passed by, leaving behind a dark-haired girl with a ponytail wearing a uniform similar to Haruka's, who knelt before Natsumi. "As am I, my lady," said Akira Amami.
"Nadeshiko will be here shortly," Izu reported, glancing skyward.
"Lady Minato, I don't suppose Lady Akatsuki will be joining us as well?" Poppy asked her mistress.
Yoko shook her head. "No, it is the task of Idunn to tend to the gardens of Helheim, and she must not be pulled away from her sacred duty. Nor can we count on Suzuka, for she is evil to the core and cannot be trusted."
"Actually…"
There was the sound of something unzipping, and a woman emerged from a crack in space. Like Yoko, she was clearly more than human, shifting between a very beautiful brunette to a warrior in red and white armor to something else and back again.
"Touka! What are you doing here?" Yoko asked in surprise.
Touka Akatsuki stepped forward and gave Yoko a deep, long kiss. Everyone stared, more than a little aroused. "Her Majesty gave me leave to aid you in this mission. It's been a while since I left Helheim and she thought it would be good for me."
Yoko, astonished, gave her a dazzling smile that made more than a few – by which I mean all – of the girls swoon. "Well, we'd be honored to have you."
"Then… I guess everyone's here that's going to make it?" Haruka asked, overwhelmed by how many very pretty very powerful women were present. She wasn't the only one.
"It seems that way, since Kiriko and Medic are still busy, the oni are out of reach, and the monster hunters are still after Dracula," Yaiba agreed. "Unless there are any surprise last-minute additions?"
"There's me! Reika, sweetie, I'm here to help!"
Reika gasped in delight as a very pretty pink gynoid with green eyes and a knee length cable running from the back of her head raced over, waving her hand. "Magine, my love! What are you doing here?!"
"I saw in my crystal ball that you were about to enter a big battle and wanted to help!" The Kikainoid exclaimed, hugging her.
"That's wonderful! We would be more than happy to have you!" Reika gushed, peppering her with kisses.
"… We are?" Nico wondered.
"Wait, is this all right? She's a Sentai, not a Kamen Rider," a confused Haruka pointed out.
"Yes, but they're adorable so I will allow it," Yoko decided.
"She's so pretty and pink! I love her!" Poppy gushed.
"They're so cute together!" Lovekov squealed, pushing up her cheeks. "Aren't they, mommy?"
"… Yeah. They are," Sakura agreed softly, some of her fury stoking as she saw her honorary big sis and girlfriend together. It reminded her so much of Hana…
"Nadeshiko is in position," Izu suddenly reported. "As is the satellite. Proceeding with the anti-barrier operation-"
"Wait," Akiko, who had been oddly quiet for the last several minutes, interrupted. "Just… Can we wait just another minute?"
"No," Sakura said angrily, rage flaring back up.
"That would be inadvisable. Our window won't last long-" Izu started.
"Please!" Akiko interjected. "I… You girls were right, earlier. I'm not… I'm not like you. I'm not a Kamen Rider. But… But I can be, and if you'll just wait one more minute, she should be here any second now-"
"'She?'" Sophia interjected.
There was the rev of an engine and the squeal of tire on pavement, and the black and green Hardboilder motorcycle suddenly came down the street and skidded to a halt next to them, the rider taking off her – for it most certainly was a her, there was no way Shotaro had a figure like that – helmet and allowing very long pink hair to cascade down her back.
All of the girls who had an inclination towards the fairer sex – which was a disproportionately large number of them – couldn't help blushing, because the woman was extremely attractive, with a sleeveless white top and very tight black pants. "Hey! Did I make it in time?" She asked, pink eyes blinking.
"Tokime! Just in time!" Akiko cried delight, hugging the other woman. "Did you bring it?"
"Yeah," the pink haired woman said, handing her a case. "Are you sure about this? Once you do this, there's no going back."
Akiko nodded firmly. "Yeah. I can't just go around leaving the fighting to everyone else anymore. I think… I think it's my turn."
"I'm not sure this is what your father would've wanted," Tokime warned her.
"You never knew my dad," Akiko said, perhaps a little more harshly than she would've liked. "And… I barely did either. I'm ready."
"Akiko? What are you doing?" Reika asked in concern.
Akiko took a deep breath. "Just about everyone important in my life is a Kamen Rider. My husband, my best friends, my dad… And now…" She opened the box, revealing a Lostdriver and a device resembling a flash drive. "I think it's my turn to ride with the devil."
Tokime grinned and held up another Lostdriver. "And I'll ride right along with you."
Akiko gasped. "Tokime! Does Shotaro know you have that?!"
"No."
Akiko laughed.
"Should… Should I know what's happening here?" A confused Akira asked.
An equally confused Natsumi shrugged.
"Lady Minato… Before we begin… Earlier, I took a look at the electro-wave human's soul. It's… Her, isn't it? She's the one who's been stolen from the afterlife," Poppy asked her mistress.
The goddess nodded. "Well spotted, Poppy. You are correct. She's the one."
Everyone started at this. "What? Then… We have to rescue her, as well?!" An outraged Sakura demanded.
"Boo!" Lovekov complained.
"Well, that's a bummer," Nico remarked.
"Oh no, we don't have to save her," Minato said casually, startling everyone again. "You can still kill her if you like. In fact, it might actually be easier if you do. She's not supposed to be alive in the first place, and we need to get her back to her rightful place in the hereafter one way or another once this is all over."
"… Oh," Rinko muttered, looking uncomfortable at this.
Natsumi frowned. "Lady Minato. The soul… Is it who I think it is?"
Minato nodded. "Yes. She's-"
There was a thunderclap and everyone looked up. "Nadeshiko is inbound, along with our countermeasure," Izu remarked.
"Uh… What is that?" An alarmed Mayu asked, spotting something twinkling in the sky.
"And why is it getting larger?" Tokime wondered.
"I said I re-tasked a satellite," Izu said calmly.
It took everyone a few minutes to process that.
"… Wait. Izu… Did you…?!" Poppy shrieked.
"It needed to be decommissioned anyway. This seemed like an efficient way to dispose of it," Izu said.
"Nu-nu-nu!" Magine wailed, clinging tightly to Reika.
Nico laughed incredulously. "Holy crap, Izu, you're amazing!"
"Thank you."
"Everyone hit the deck!" Rinko shouted just before a massive chunk of burning space debris smashed into the invisible barrier surrounding the mansion, resulting in a catastrophic explosion which shattered windows, set off car alarms, tore up the streets, collapsed building faces, and sent everyone not already on the ground sprawling, save for Izu, Touka, and Minato, who just stood calmly watching the great conflagration.
When all the sound and the furor finally died down, there was a huge gaping hole where the mansion's eastern wing had once been, billowing smoke and fire and what sounded an awful lot like excited laughter.
"The barrier has been disabled," Izu stated. "Nadeshiko is already engaging the enemy forces inside. I suggest we-"
"WHAT?!" Akari shouted.
"I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!" Yaiba bellowed.
"OH GOD I LOOKED RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF IT, I'M BLIND!" Kanon cried.
"MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Lovekov wailed, bumping repeatedly into a wall.
"THAT WAS SO COOL! DO IT AGAIN!" Nico laughed.
"… I may have miscalculated," Izu admitted after a moment.
Minato chuckled. "Indeed." She gestured, and suddenly everyone's sight and hearing was restored.
Except for Sakura, who, to her own surprise, was already fully recovered.
"Izu, the next time you pull a stunt like that, please warn us in advance," Alpina pleaded.
"Noted," Izu said. "The barrier has been disabled. Nadeshiko is already engaging the enemy forces inside. I suggest we transform and move in to join her, rescue Hana, and decapitate the leadership of the resurrected Black Satan."
"Possibly literally," Sakura said with relish.
"Let's get mama back!" Lovekov cried.
"Together, then," Sophia resolved as everyone readied their belts or other transformation devices and their jingles started playing.
OPEN UP!
JOKER!
SKULL!
DRIVER ON, NOW! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO TRANSFORM, SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO TRANSFORM! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO TRANSFORM, SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO TRANSFORM!
DRIVER ON, PLEASE! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO TRANSFORM, SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO TRANSFORM! SHABADOOBIE, TOUCH TO TRANSFORM, SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO TRANSFORM!
STANDBY!
EYE! WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT!
SEVEN VIRTUES! EYE! LOOK HERE! LOOK HERE!
KAMEN RIDER GIRLS PLUS! CLICK AND LOAD! BUG IT UP!
JUSTICE! OVERRISE! KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!
PARADISE! TRANSCEND!
ENEIKEN NOROSHI! KONCHU DAIHYAKKA!
JAOU DRAGON! JAOU READ!
GOD DRAGON! WHAT'S COMING UP? WHAT'S COMING UP? WHAT'S COMING UP? WHAT'S COMING UP?
"HENSHIN!" They all shouted.
"CHANGE ZENKAI!" Magine yelled.
TURN UP!
JOKER!
SKULL!
CHANGE, NOW!
CHANGE, PLEASE!
PEACH ENERGY! LOCK ON! SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!
RINGO! LOCK ON! COME ON! RINGO ARMS! DESIRE FORBIDDEN FRUITS!
LOADING! NECROM!
OPEN YOUR EYE! REVENANT! LET'S GO! GET READY! RE-RE-RE-REVENANT! RA RA RA RA!
VIRTUE OPEN YOUR EYES! VIRTUE SPECTER! PRUDENCE! JUSTICE! TEMPERANCE! FORTITUDE! FAITH! HOPE! CHARITY! BREAK! HEAVENLY VIRTUES!
GIRL POWER! FIGHT POWER! LOVER POWER! USE YOUR HEART! KAMEN RIDER GIRLS PLUS!
QUEEN TIME! KAMEN RIDER TSUKUYOMI! OHI-MA!
SHOTRISE! READY GO! AVENGING JACKAL! THIS GODDESS OF WAR WILL NEVER STOP UNTIL SHE HAS CLAIMED HER PREY.
HOLYRISE! A RIDER KICK TO THE SKY TURNS TO WAKE UP TO A DREAM OF THE PROMISED UTOPIA! KAMEN RIDER ZEA-RO! THE DREAM IS NEVER ENDING! IT'S JUST BEGINNING.
UNLEASH THE SMOKE! FLY! SMOG! STING! STEAM! KISS THE GREAT INSECT ENCYCLOPEDIA~! THE SWORD-POINT FLUTTERS FORTH!
ANKOKUKEN KURAYAMI! JUMP OUT THE BOOK, OPEN IT AND BURST! THE FEAR OF THE DARKNESS. YOU MAKE RIGHT A JUST, NO MATTER DARK JOKE. FURY IN THE DARK~! JAOU DRAGON! NO ONE CAN ESCAPE ITS CLUTCHES…
GOD UP! DRAGON UP! WOW! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN! KAMEN! RIDER! ARC! JA! JA! JA! JA! JA! JA! JA! JA! ARC JEANNE!
29 BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG BANG! BANG BANG! BABABABANG! ZENKAI MAGINE!
When the last jingle ended, a formidable army of powerful warrior women was arrayed for battle. Kamen Riders Kiva-la Empress form, Amaki, Larc, Joker, Skull, Mage, Enchantress, Marika, Idunn, Dark Necrom Pink, Revenant, Virtue Specter, Nico Snipe Metroid Gamer, Poppy Girl Gamer Level XY+, Tsukuyomi Ohima Form, Valkyrie Avenging Jackal, Zea-Ro, Sabela, Caliber Jaou Dragon, Arc Jeanne and Lovekov, and Zenkai Magine.
"Magic power! Zenkai Magine!" Magine declared.
Everyone stared at her.
"Oh… Are… Are we not doing a roll call?" Magine asked, disappointed.
"We don't… We don't really do that," Natsumi told her.
"Nunununu," Magine whimpered, and was immediately comforted by her girlfriend.
"So, Akiko, how does it feel to finally carry on the family business?" Tokime, wearing the Joker outfit, but with pink rather than purple highlights and pink eyes instead of red.
"I feel… Powerful," Akiko, now Kamen Rider Skull Crystal, said, lacking the hat and scarf of the "true" Skull because she knew she was not worthy of them. Not yet, anyway. "Is this why everyone becomes one so often?"
"You look beautiful as always, my lady," Akira said loyally to Natsumi, whose suit was a silver and blue recolor of Kiva Emperor form.
"Thank you, Akira," Natsumi said graciously.
"I'd really love to compare you and Wataru some time, you're both Fangire royalty, but why is your suit so much powerful than his?" Akari wondered, wearing black armor covered in lavender lines resembling circuit patterns with a black hoodie in lavender trim and a lavender helmet with three horns resembling flames and black eyes vaguely shaped like hearts.
"I don't think it's the suit so much as the person wearing it," said Kanon, wearing a pearl-crystal colored extremely formfitting bodysuit, gloves, boots, and body armor, with neon pink techno lines, wrist and ankle cuffs, and soles, with the cuffs having wings shaped like hearts and shoulder armor shaped like fairy wings. Her chest symbol was neon pink with a pupil in the middle shaped like a heart with fairy wings. She wore a pearl colored coat with neon pink lining and trimming, the bodysuit and coat embroidered with symbols in the Ganma language representing the seven virtues, the coat flaps crystal pink lined with pearl, also shaped like hearts with fairy wings. She had pearl-crystal helmet with a crystal pink face plate and neon pink version of her eye patterns, shaped vaguely like fairy wings, the overhead visor crystal-sparkly pink, her horns lined with rainbow. "For whatever reason, Natsumi possesses incredible power, far greater than Wataru."
"We all possess great power!" Poppy gushed. She was wearing a white and platinum body suit with a flared combat skirt, platinum greaves with winged boots covering her legs, platinum gauntlets with small wings growing from the wrists on her arms, Pauldrons with ornaments resembling winged hearts on her shoulders, a pair of platinum wings, a metallic cape split down the middle with circuit patterns engraved on it, a winged helmet with heart-shaped adornments, waist length pink sculpted hair, and a platinum breastplate. Circuit patterns shaped like hearts and the eyes of every female Kamen Rider adorned her armor, and her chest plate had a screen with the faces of every female Rider in existence laid out in grid format on it, while her face was an LED screen resembling that of her Level X form. "Isn't it great?"
"Yeah, well, some of us have more than others," Mayu muttered, looking enviously at Alpina, now wearing a platinum and gold suit with chest and shoulder armor resembling a massive watchband draped around her upper body, the katakana making up her visor pink while her face was framed by curved, swooping crests, while her cape now resembled a pair of watch hands, looking like a mix between her usual form and her grandfather's Ohma form.
"Luck of the draw, I suppose," Rinko said, patting her on the shoulder.
"Like how you're stronger and better at magic than I am even though I've been a wizard longer?" Mayu complained.
"Yeah," Rinko admitted.
"Are we already, then?" Sakura asked currently. "No more delays? No more waiting for backup?"
"No," Yuko said.
"I think we're ready," Yaiba said.
"Then let us go forth!" Reika proclaimed, dramatically pointing her sword. "Riders of the Sacred Rose, featuring Zenkai Magine!"
Everyone stared at her. Magine applauded, but she was the only one. Lovekov looked like she wanted to, but her mother glared at her, so she didn't.
"We aren't calling ourselves that," Nico said bluntly, to her disappointment.
"Lovekov? Sweetie? Give us a soundtrack," Sakura said.
"Sure thing, mommy!" Lovekov cheered, and she began performing Riot in Bloom on her guitar as the army of female Riders – and Magine – advanced on the burning mansion.
Hana found herself in a dark space with twinkling lights falling from the endless sky.
She didn't know how she had gotten there. She was having trouble remembering, or even thinking straight. Everything just seemed so fuzzy…
"You actually want to always stay with your sister, your family," a familiar voice said. Her own voice.
Startled, she whirled around and saw an exact double of herself, wearing a black Gothic dress and floral arrangement in her hair. "Greetings. The other me."
"You're my… Devil?" Hana whispered, dazed.
Wait… That wasn't right. Sakura had killed her devil… Hadn't she?
Why did her head hurt so much…
"Correct. That's why know how you feel," the other Hana said. "We simply don't have a place to call home."
"N-no… That's not-" Hana stammered, something gut deep telling her this was wrong wrong wrong.
"That Sakura Igarashi? She's different from you," the other Hana said dismissively. "She has it all. It doesn't matter if Yuriko is your real family or not. As long as you're with people who treasure you… you'll finally live happily. Yuriko will surely give you that chance."
Hana's head was pounding.
This was wrong. She knew was wrong.
Why did it sound so enticing?
"Now let's be honest with ourselves, and finally have a chance at happiness-"
The other Hana gasped, eyes going wide as a stinger burst out of her chest. Hana recoiled, screaming, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"Finally, I thought she'd never shut up," another voice identical to her own griped as the impaled Hana disintegrated, revealing a more monstrous figure. She resembled the Queen Bee Deadman, but she'd exchanged her white clothes for black, her red stripes for black, her yellow "honey" for gold except for the top of her head, which was black to mimic hair, a pair of flower blossoms growing from the sides of her head instead of those red cone things, elegant wings with shimmering dust on them, barbed stingers growing from her wrists, and her face looked a lot more like Hana's. Astarte's Geoglyph was glowing on her chest, beneath her rather more pronounced breasts, which resembled stingers. "You weren't really going to buy into that garbage, were you? We both know you're smarter than this."
"Who… Who are you?!" Hana cried.
The monster sighed and rolled her eyes. "Do I really have to spell it out? I'm your demon. Your real demon. That pretty little liar was just something Yuriko was implanting into your head to brainwash you. You're welcome for killing her, by the way. The bitch was trying to make us straight, she had to go."
"My demon? But… I thought you died," Hana protested, confused.
"I did," the demon said bluntly. "Hurt like hell, by the way. But you should know by now we demons aren't dispelled that easily. So long as there is enough darkness in your heart, we always find a way back. And we both know that while you're good now, you're not that good."
She tapped the geoglyph on her chest. "Getting an infusion of super demon cells from Astarte back when Akaishi tried to use us as a sacrifice to revive her helped speed up the process of my rebirth. Also gave me this beautiful body," she preened, striking a sexy pose.
She was very beautiful, Hana had to admit. "You… Saved me. But why?"
The demon groaned and facepalmed. "Weren't you listening? She was trying to brainwash us. Turn us into another puppet for Black Satan like she was. And, again, force us to be straight."
Hana shuddered in absolute revulsion, horrified and relieved at just how close she'd been to getting violated beyond all measure. "Thank you. Thank you so much. But… What happens now?"
The demon frowned and glanced around the dark space they were in. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to play along, just for a little while, or else they'll realize something is wrong and try even harder to brainwash us. Or kill us. Neither option is good."
"No, it isn't," Hana agreed. "What do we do?"
"If you let me take over your body, just for a little while, I can handle things," the demon said.
"What?" Hana asked, startled. "And I'm… I'm just supposed to trust you'll give it back?"
"Why not? You trust the demons of the Igarashi family, don't you? Why can't you trust me?" The demon pressed.
"You're not one of the Igarashi demons," Hana pointed out.
"No, but I want to be," the demon said, to her surprise. "Or rather, be like them. While I've been regrowing inside you, I've watched them through your eyes, how they coexist with their hosts, how they share and enrich each other's lives rather than constantly fight each other for dominance. Is it so hard to believe that I might want that for myself? To have a family? Have love? I was born from you, after all. A lot of the things you desire, so do I. And I want to get back to your family, our family just as badly as you do."
Demons lied. Hana knew this.
Her demon wasn't lying. There was too much of herself in her.
"And once this is over?" Hana asked.
"Well, I wouldn't mind getting a body of my own," the demon admitted. "And a girlfriend. I mean, yeah, I love Sakura, just like you do, but unless she's willing to share I think I'd be better off finding someone a little less human. Then again, that might not describe her for much longer…" She moaned in delight. "When she finishes her ascension, she's going to be magnificent."
"Yeah," Hana agreed, both of them briefly lost in reverie as they imagined just what kind of spectacular goddess Sakura would become one day once her evolution was complete.
"So, Hana," the demon said, a contract made of fire appearing in one hand. "Are you ready to make a deal with the devil?"
Hana grinned. "Of course. One question, though: what should I call you?"
"A good question," the demon agreed, tapping her chin with one longer, clawed finger. "You're Hana, so I think I'll be… Hani."
Hana grinned. "A pleasure to meet you, Hani. I think we're going to have a lot of fun together."
When Black Satan purchased and renovated the mansion serve as their new headquarters, they were confident they were prepared for anything the Kamen Riders or any other group of heroes could throw at them. They drilled extensively, had heightened security and surveillance, and had managed to revive most of their old monsters of the week and commanders. It seemed certain that no hero could stop them this time.
They were not, however, prepared for a satellite to fall from orbit and crash into their base, and especially weren't expecting an extremely energetic alien Kamen Rider with a penchant for rockets to burst out of the wreckage and start causing explosions.
As such, they could be excused for not being adequately prepared for the veritable army of female Riders – and one Sentai – who smashed through the front doors while they were trying to recover from Nadeshiko's invasion and started wiping the floor with them.
"You girls… Will not defeat Black Satan!" Kikkaijin Gangaru shouted. "Gangaru Spring Attack!" He fired his chest mounted machine gun at Natsumi, whose cape transformed into bat wings which immediately closed around her to form a shield, his bullets deflecting harmlessly off of them. "What?!"
"You will not harm our Lady!" Haruka and Akira cried, bounding off of their mistress's shoulders and lunging at the monster.
MIGHTY RAY!
SHIPPU ISSEN!
Haruka fired a powerful energy shot from her Larc Rouzer at the same time as Akira unleashed a wind burst from her Ongekikan Reppu, the blasts flying into the barrel of Gangaru's machine gun and blowing it up. As he screamed in agony, Natsumi spread her wings, stepped forward, and dissolved into a swarm of silver bats which shot past the Kikkaijin before reassembling on the other side of him, sword extended. Gangaru screamed and exploded as she wiped blood from her fangs.
"My thirst is far from quenched."
"How are you liking your first real battle?" Tokime asked Akiko, flicking energy cards from her wrists which embedded themselves in the chests of several soldiers and exploded, taking them out.
"It's intense!" Akiko replied, firing her Skullmagnum, her absolute lack of experience with firearms more than made up for by the gun's power and the sheer number of targets she had to pick from. "Wait, how are you doing that card trick? Shotaro can't do anything like that!"
Tokime chuckled, generating a deck of cards which spiraled around her before the cards blasted out, slicing through every soldier and monster around her. "Take it from a former Dopant, he doesn't know everything about the power of Joker!"
GRAVITY, NOW!
Several members of Black Satan found themselves crushed to the ground as Mayu increased the gravity to more than three times Earth standard. Kikkaijin Gorongame, already used to dealing with heavy loads due to being a tortoise, struggled to his feet. "You'll need to do… Better than… That…" He grunted, opening his mouth and preparing his turquoise evaporation spray.
BIG, PLEASE!
His eyes widened as an absolutely gigantic hand emerged from a magic portal and reached towards him. "Oh shit-"
The hand grabbed Gorongame, crushed his shell, and hurled him through the ceiling, his screams fading as he flew away.
"You think we'd use that spell more often," Rinko commented, pulling her arm back through the enlarging portal she'd push it through.
"Do you think he'll ever come back down?" Mayu wondered.
There was an explosion far, far above them.
"No," Rinko said.
Touka drove her sword into the ground, causing dimensional cracks to unzip all around her, Helheim vines shooting out and grappling several soldiers and Kikkaijin, lifting them into the air and flailing them about. "This can't… Hold us for long!" The Spider Kikkaijin snarled.
"It doesn't need to," Touka said as Yoko slid across the ground past her, firing several arrows from her Sonic Arrow, each striking one of the bound villains and causing them to cry out in agony as they were encased in peach-shaped energy spheres. "It just needs to hold you long enough."
RINGO SQUASH!
Charging energy into her sword, she swung it through the air, destroying all of the monsters. Her vines retracted through the cracks back to Helheim, taking their remains with them. They would make good fertilizer for her garden.
"So, how did your date with Igor go?" Kanon asked idly, performing a series of rapid punches and kicks as she tore through several soldiers using her Prudence Bite and Justice Fist attacks.
"It went fine," Akari said, electrocuting about a dozen soldiers using the power of the Edison Damashii. "Only slapped him half a dozen times."
"You shouldn't need to slap him at all," Kanon commented, switching to her Gan Gun Hand and smashing in the face of the Mantis Kikkaijin with her Temperance Slap. "I really don't think the two of you have a healthy relationship. You bring out the worst in each other. Plus, he's way too old for you."
EYES WIDE OPEN! GET HYPED PEOPLE! GET HYPED PEOPLE! GET HYPED PEOPLE! OMEGA SHOOT!
"Oh, like you're one to talk," Akari retorted, firing an electrical shot from her Gan Gun Saber and blowing away Kikkaijin Elekiika. "How much older is Alain then you?"
"Still younger than Igor," Kanon said defensively, switching to her High Slasher – a re-color of the Deep Slasher – and cleaving through Kikkaijin Kemunga with a Kindness Slash. "And he doesn't look like a pedophile."
"He does not-" Akari started angrily.
DARK NECROM SPIRAL!
"Will both of you cut it out?" An irritated Alia asked as she knocked away Kikkaijin Mecha-Gorilla before he could attack the arguing women from behind. "Now is not the time for this! And you're both failing the Bechdel test right now!"
"Sorry, Alia," they both apologized.
"Though at least I have a boyfriend…" Akari muttered.
"I heard that!"
"Run! Run! Before it gets youaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhh-" a soldier was cut off as Squishy latched onto his head, digging his fangs into his neck and beginning to drain the life energy from him, leaving him a shriveled up husk which collapsed to the floor and disintegrated like the half-dozen or so other soldiers the Metroid had already eaten.
"Good Squishy!" Nico cooed, firing a missile over the heads of some more soldiers which struck the ceiling of the corridor they were in, causing it to collapse and block off their path, cutting off their escape. "Eat them all, grow big and strong!"
Squishy squealed happily and flew towards the terrified soldiers…
When suddenly Kikkaijin Arijigoku erupted out of the ground, grabbing the Metroid. "Got you!"
"Hey, let him go!" A furious Nico shrieked, raising her arm cannon, only for the antlion monster to squeeze Squishy, causing him to screech in pain, making her hesitate.
"Not so fast! You don't want anything to happen to the little jellyfish, do you?" Arijigoku taunted her, turning one of his arms into a drill and holding it to Squishy's gelatinous surface.
Nico scoffed. "Shows what you know! Metroid are virtually impossible to kill unless frozen first!"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't hurt it, can I?" The Kikkaijin taunted, stabbing his drill into Squishy and causing him to shriek in agony.
"Dammit, stop!" Nico shouted, charging up her cannon. Dammit, what weapon should she use right now? Seeker Missiles? Did she have any that weren't ice-infused? The Wave Beam had a piercing effect, but while she was fairly certain it wouldn't hurt Squishy too much, was that a chance she really wanted to take?
As she deliberated, Arijigoku backed towards the hole he emerged from. "What a fascinating specimen! I'm sure our scientists would love to replicate its abilities-"
Suddenly, a large mirror on the wall shimmered, a ringing sound filling the corridor. Confused, Arijigoku glanced at it. "What-"
With a terrifying screech, a huge mechanical swan emerged from the mirror and grabbed him in its beak, pulling him back into the reflective surface. A moment later, the mirror shimmered again and Poppy emerged, the icon for Femme on her chest screen selected and her face screen changed to show that of the first female Rider. "You okay, Squishy?" Poppy asked, holding the Metroid in her arms.
Squishy squeak happily in the affirmative.
"Squishy!" Nico cried happily, running over and grabbing the Metroid, squeezing him to her chest. "Oh, I was so worried! Thank you so much, Poppy!"
"Don't mention it! Squishy can always rely on help from his dear old aunt Poppy!" Poppy gushed, petting the gurgling Metroid on his gelatinous head.
"So, can we go, or…" One of the soldiers hesitantly asked.
"Hey Squishy, you still hungry?" Nico asked her pet.
Squishy shrieked.
"Then have at 'em," Nico said, tossing the Metroid at the soldiers, who screamed in terror.
"Does this count as violating the Hippocratic oath?" Poppy wondered.
Nico laughed. "Oh Poppy, we broke that years ago and never looked back."
Alpina calmly walked down a hallway full of soldiers, who frenziedly lashed out at her. She didn't dodge, she didn't retaliate, and yet somehow every strike somehow not only just missed her but hit another soldier fatally. As corpses continued dropping in her wake, she passed by a grandfather clock, whose hands began spinning around and around before suddenly the entire timekeeping device collapsed on itself.
"You… You are the granddaughter of King Tokiwa-"
"May he live forever!"
"Aren't you?"
Alpina paused, finding her way was blocked by the Black Satan commander Dead Lion and his subordinates, Kikkaijin Hasamigani and Kikkaijin Armadillon. "I am. And you are?"
"Dead Lion! Strongest great commander of Black Satan!" The lion monster roared, pounding his metal right claw against his chest. "And you are a VIP the likes of which I never dreamed of meeting! Oho, I will be rewarded greatly for catching you! Your grandfather will yield the world to us in moments once you are in our clutches!"
"Is that so," Alpina murmured, looking completely unimpressed.
"It is!" Dead Lion leered. "Get her!"
His subordinates didn't respond.
"What are you fools doing? I said get-"
Dead Lion stopped, startled to see the state of his minions. Hasamigani had turned into a baby crab monster while Armadillon was a pile of dust vaguely shaped like an armadillo. "What?!"
"My grandfather is the king of time and space," Alpina said, finally unfolding her arms. "I have inherited his power. What do you think that means for you?"
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Dead Lion whimpered.
"I find your name doesn't make much sense," Alpina said, taking a step forwards. "You call yourself Dead Lion, and yet are alive. Let's remedy that, shall we?"
The Black Satan soldiers fell to her blade, her scythe cutting them down as easily as stalks of wheat. It mattered not how many of them there were or how strong, in the end all were slain by her blade, Yaiba living up to her title of Valkyrie as she delivered the souls of these unworthy to whatever hell awaited them.
The faint click was the only warning she got before a giant claw on a chain shot down at her from a balcony of the hall she was in. Fortunately, that warning was more than enough, as she immediately sidestepped the claw, which embedded itself in the ground beside her, and swung her scythe through the air, severing the chain and causing the Scorpion Kikkaijin reel back, screaming angrily. "My claw! You BITCH!"
He yelped and ducked behind a pillar as Yaiba drew her ShotRiser and opened fire. "Hiding will do you no good. I always get my prey eventually."
"Heh, feisty one, aren't you?"
Yaiba immediately lashed out at the voice behind her, only for it to pass through a cloud of gas, which swirled around her before reforming behind her, transforming into the Kikkaijin Okamin, who grabbed her around the neck and waist, holding his claws to her face. "And pretty too, I bet, under all that armor!" he leered. "Why don't you let me take it off you, girl? I've heard you have a THING for wolves-"
Yaiba thrust his ShotRiser into his groin and fired.
"You're right," she said calmly as the wolf monster howled in agony, clutching his bleeding crotch. "I do have a thing for wolves. One in particular, possibly two. But you're no wolf. You're just a rabid, mangy dog. And we all know what we do with those, right?"
Okamin's eyes widened as she pointed his ShotRiser between his eyes. "No, wait-"
"You're not worthy of my scythe," she said, pulling the trigger and blowing his brains out.
Sweating in terror, Scorpion made a break for it. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit-"
Without looking, Yaiba threw her scythe. The bladed weapon spun through the air and buried in the Kikkaijin's back, dropping him instantly.
Yaiba glanced at the corpse of Okamin and shook her head before spreading her wing and ascending to the balcony to recover her scythe. "You should feel lucky I'm the one who killed you. Fuwa might have done MUCH worse."
Kikkaijin Waniida was sent flying through a pair of double doors into a courtyard by a massive beam of light almost as big as he was, landing at the feet of a figure clad in white with a white cape and a grotesque smiling face contained by a transparent mask. "General… I'm sorry… I couldn't stop them…" The alligator monster said weakly before expiring on account of the giant hole in his chest.
The white figure scowled as Izu, Reika, Sophia, Magine, Sakura, and Lovekov entered the courtyard, the former holding her Zea-rising Satelleyezer, a multi-form weapon resembling Zea's satellite form, currently in its shield/blaster configuration, the ring expanded outwards and connected by energy links. "It would seem we have underestimated you," the man said as they readied for battle, drawing his sword. "The objective of your mission is just beyond me… However! You shall go no further! I, the great General Shadow, will-"
"DAD! What are you doing?!"
The general flinched and everyone stood in confusion as a young woman with long dark hair stomped towards him, dragging Kikkaijin Chameleon on the ground behind her by the tail, his buzz saw arm destroyed and missing one eye. "I'm sorry, General, I tried to stop her-" the Kikkaijin said weakly only to scream as the woman effortlessly through him at the far wall, where he exploded.
The general flinched. "H-Hina! What are you doing here?! I thought you had a shift at Cous Coussier today!"
"Eiji is covering for me. What the hell do you think you're doing? I thought you were done with the evil organization stuff after Shocker tried to rewrite history again!" Hina said angrily.
"Hina, sweetie, I know I promised I was done with this life, but Black Satan was the first evil organization I was a part of! When I heard they were getting back together, what was I supposed to do, say no?" General Shadow pleaded.
"YES!" Hina shouted, causing him to cringe. "Does mom know about this?"
"She, um, does not," the general admitted sheepishly. "I was totally going to tell her, though!… After we took over the world…"
Hina snorted and stomped the ground, cratering it and causing the general to whimper in fright. "Well, I think we should go tell her right now, don't you?"
"What?! Hina, please, there's no need to bring your mother into this-" the general said desperately.
"I'm not asking!" Hina grabbed him by the cape and started dragging him away, ignoring his feeble protests. "Sorry about this, I'll make sure he doesn't fall off the wagon again. It's back to Villains Anonymous, dad!"
"No, not that, the food is terrible, and I don't want to listen to Jealoushito harping about his wife and kids again!" General Shadow whined pathetically as his daughter took him away.
"… What on earth just happened?" A bewildered Sophia asked.
"Unknown," Izu replied.
"Mm-mm-mm, that's the sort of craziness my team usually runs into," Magine chuckled in amusement.
Suddenly, every window in the courtyard shattered as a soldier or Kikkaijin leapt through, rolling as they hit the ground and quickly standing up to surround them. Reika bit back a curse. "More of them? Are they not tired of throwing their lives away?"
"Dammit, we don't have time for this," Sakura snapped. "I can smell her… Hana is just through that door on the other side!" She frowned, sniffing the air. "Her scent has changed slightly, though. Not in a bad way. It's actually really good…"
Lovekov nodded. "And so is Yuriko, love!"
"Then we shall clear your path," Sophia decided. "And join you later."
"Go," Reika agreed with a nod. "Save your love."
"This is so romantic," Magine gushed.
"Get them!" The Stag Kikkaijin roared. "Kill the-"
He was cut off when Izu fired her Satelleyezer again, the laser immediately vaporizing about a third of the gathered enemy forces and obliterating the door on the far side of the courtyard, creating a path for Sakura and Lovekov. "Go," the HumaGear said.
Sakura nodded thankfully and she and Lovekov started running.
"Wait, where do you think you're going-" the Bat Kikkaijin started, only for Reika and Sophia to drive their swords into the ground, darkness erupting from the point of Ankokuken Kurayami and spreading out to wrap around the feet of roughly half the villains, dragging them screaming into shadow, while smoke billowed from the point of Eneiken Noroshi, creating a massive cloud which Magine blew into the faces of the remainder with a cry of, "Mm-mm-Magine!" Causing them to succumb to a coughing fit, eyes watering as they were blinded.
Unaffected by the smoke, Sakura and Lovekov charged through the gaping hole Izu had blasted through the far wall and into the corridor beyond, which was at least partially on fire from the laser. Dashing through the flames, they came to a large set of double doors which would've screamed "Boss Fight" if they weren't practically crumbling due to getting hit by Izu's blast, and even without her enhanced strength Sakura wouldn't have had any trouble smashing them into splinters as they charged through them without slowing, entering the fairly opulent room beyond.
"HANA!"
"MAMA!"
Two women in black standing at the far end of the room slowly turned to face them. One was Yuriko, now wearing a rather sexy black leather jacket and pants with spiked choker and translucent yellow gloves and holding a black bouquet, while the other…
The other was Hana.
"Hana… What happened?" Sakura whispered in horror, taking in her beloved's new – admittedly very attractive – Gothic attire.
"What's wrong? This is simply the real me," Hunter said with a smile, and Sakura should have been horrified, but…
Something didn't feel right. Or rather, something didn't feel wrong. She instinctively knew that if Hana were brainwashed or coerced, she would recognize it at once, but that's not what was going on here. Something else was at play.
She glanced at Lovekov, who nodded briefly, indicating she felt the same.
"Hana will live happily from now on, with her real family," Yuriko said smugly, clearly oblivious to whatever Sakura and Lovekov were picking up.
"But we're her family!" Lovekov protested.
"Don't listen to a thing she says," Yuriko said to Hana. "She's our enemy. She's taken away so much from you."
Hana regarded them coolly, and yet something about her expression seemed fake. "I see. You're here to take everything away from me! You took away my rightful place within the Deadmans. And now you're here for my real family too?! Leave me alone… I hate you!"
Hana had said that to Sakura more than once.
She'd never meant it.
She didn't mean it now, either.
What was going on?
Hana raised her Vistamp.
QUEEN BEE!
She inserted it into the Week Endriver, causing a purple energy bee to fly out and start fluttering around her.
"Henshin…"
SUBVERT UP! DON'T BELIEVE MYSELF! KAMEN RIDER AGUILERA! DARK!
Hana was now clad in her Kamen Rider suit, except all of the red parts of her body were now black.
Again, Sakura felt as if she should be horrified that her girlfriend had obtained a dark form…
And yet all her instants were still insisting everything was fine.
Even so, she tensed as Hana slowly walked over, drawing her Needle Kunai…
And relaxed as Hana knelt before her, bowing her head and offering up her daggers. "For you, my mistress. You will always be the only one I shall ever bow to, my love, my goddess." She glanced up at her. "How was my act?"
Sakura smirked. "I saw through it right away, my treasure."
Hana tched. "Oh well, should've known your Dragon God senses would pick up on that. Still, I had them all fooled, which is pretty impressive, right?"
Yuriko gaped in disbelief. "What?!"
Hana laughed as she stood back up, the black parts of her suit flashing and turning red again as the darkness was blasted off of them. "Hate to break it to you, 'big sis,' but your brainwashing failed. I was never under your control in the first place!"
"But… But that's impossible!" Yuriko protested. "Mother said that you would be especially susceptible, as a female Kamen Rider!"
"Normally, that might be the case… But it's not just me in here anymore!" Hana said, tapping her head.
"… Your demon. It came back?" Sakura realized.
"And you made up with it!" Lovekov squealed in delight. "Does this mean I have a new sister? Aunt? Mommy?"
"Either aunt or mother, that really depends on Sakura," Hana said, winking at Sakura, who felt her loins stir.
"Hana, every piece of you belongs to me, including your demon," Sakura growled possessively. "If she thinks she's getting away from me that easily, she has another thing coming."
Hana moaned. "Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes her. Her name is Hani, by the way."
"I look forward to meeting her."
"Me too!" Lovekov said excitedly.
"Oh, also, Yuriko and her bitch mother tried to make me straight," Hana added.
"I'll kill them both," Sakura said calmly while internally she felt like a volcano of pure draconic fury was erupting inside her.
"Stop this! Get away from my sister!" Yuriko snapped, looking confused and overwhelmed.
"You're not Hana's real family!" Akiko yelled as all the other girls, including Nadeshiko, rushed into the room.
Natsumi nodded. "That's right. Your real identity is Yuriko Masaki! Otherwise known…"
"As the Electro-Wave Human Tackle, ally to Shigeru Jo, and the first female warrior to fight alongside a Kamen Rider," Izu added.
"Your soul was plucked from its rightful place in paradise and reincarnated in its current form to aid Black Satan in their current schemes," Yoko explained.
Yuriko gave them a dumbfounded look. "What? That's… What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, there was the sound of applause. "Bravo!" Ms. Titan cheered as she entered the room. "I applaud you for coming this far. This is what we had planned for all along."
Hana snorted. "Yeah right, your stupid brainwashing trick didn't work!"
"I'm not talking about our failed attempt to brainwash you – though I'm sure Yuriko will more than make up for it next time," Ms. Titan said, brushing her hand against her confused 'daughter's' cheek. "You are correct. Yuriko is the original Tackle reborn. But haven't any of you wondered why we brought her back?"
"… Lady Minato, you said that the soul stolen by Black Satan is closely tied to the root of the power all female Riders share," Kanon recalled. "What did you mean by that?"
"It's fairly simple, really. Just as all Heisei Riders draw power from Kuuga, and all Riders overall would not exist without Takeshi Hongo, all the power utilized by female Riders harkens from Tackle," Minato said.
"What? But shouldn't it be Femme? She's the actual first female Rider!" Alpina protested.
Poppy nodded and pointed at the screen on her chest. "Yeah, I don't even have Tackle's picture here!"
"Femme may have been the first female Rider, but Tackle was the first heroine to assist a Kamen Rider and so served as the inspiration for the rest, just as Shadow Moon could be considered the prototype evil Rider," Touka explained. "In fact, she very well may have become a Rider had things been a little different."
"You mean less sexist?" Nico deadpanned.
"That's one possible explanation," Touka admitted.
"Wait, I thought Shadow Moon was a Rider," Yaiba interjected.
"He is now. I think it's King Tokiwa's-"
"May he reign forever," everyone chanted.
"Fault," said Sophia.
"That's… Unfortunately very plausible," a frustrated Alpina admitted.
"You are correct!" Ms. Titan said proudly. "About Tackle, I mean, I don't really know enough about the Shadow Loomed thing to comment one way or the other. And in fact, the fact that she wasn't a Rider made her even more suited for her needs, aside from the fact that Black Satan is the organization that created her in the first place. Because she is the origin for all female Riders, Yuriko has a degree of influence over them, and her resentment from never earning the title of Kamen Rider herself created a crack in her soul which we were able to use to turn her to darkness, and through her, will do the same to you!" She spread her arms out to indicate all the women. "And now, all of you have taken the bait and are right where I want you. My dear daughter can use her powers to turn all of you into my loyal children and servants of Black Satan, through which we will rebuild our organization and take over the world!"
"That's positively diabolical!" A disgusted Haruka shouted.
"Or even… Satanic. And that's how you know it's an Izu," Izu said.
Everyone stared at her. Yaiba facepalmed.
"… Yeah, I'm going to get rid of that sense of humor too," Ms. Titan decided, producing a black ladybug helmet Yaiba and Rinko immediately recognized and holding it out to Yuriko.
"Yuriko, you don't have to listen to her! She's not your real mother!" Hana insisted as Yuriko started the helmet.
Yuriko hesitated, then took the helmet from Ms. Titan and put it on, her visor flashing red as her hands began to glow. "… I am the Electro-Wave Human Black Tackle, Black Satan's ultimate weapon. I must do as my mother says. And now…" She smiled wickedly, eyes glowing. "It's time for all of you to join my family…"