AN: As might be obvious from the title/summary, this is something of a crack fic. It was ultimately inspired by certain anime like Hamefura and The Reason Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion. I got hung up on the idea of characters reincarnating into a work of fiction. Unlike in those anime, they're not reincarnating into a work they're familiar with.
I don't expect many people to even be familiar enough with both fandoms in question. I was just having a blast writing this, and decided to share. To make up for my BS, I'm going to post an actual Spider Riders fic soon too, because this is ultimately a KariSasa fic set in the world of Spider Riders. And yes, most Spider Riders characters will appear in it. They're just not the focus.
1-
"I died, didn't I?" Drive Head didn't save her this time. Not even Dr. Karigari. No, he was there with her, when they were anticlimactically crushed by a falling wall of a building, after walking home from their first official date. "Then… is Dr. Karigari also…"
Sasagawa hoped that he had survived. Karigari was able to survive nearly anything. It was definitely possible, so she was going to stubbornly hold onto the belief that he survived even if a part of her was convinced he didn't.
Well, in that case, where was she now? It didn't look like the afterlife, not that she knew what the afterlife actually looked like. It was pretty dark around her. Glancing at her legs, her arms, it was clear that Sasagawa wasn't wearing the same clothing she was in when she died. And her hair was much shorter, she could tell from feeling around. She wasn't wearing glasses anymore either.
"Then… have I reincarnated?!"
—-
"I knew I'd find myself in hell sooner or later," Karigari muttered to himself. In a voice that was deeper than he was used to. He was quite taken aback. "It figures that I had to die just as soon as I got to confess to Miss. I did wonder why my fortune was so ominous. But now Miss must be…" He didn't even want to say the thought out loud. Had he killed Miss? Not directly, he knew, but if he'd not been with her. If he never confessed like his genius mind kept telling him… Well, that was only because he was certain she would reject him. She didn't, of course. But being a wanted criminal always had its consequences. This was his choices coming back to bite him. He'd indirectly killed Miss, along with himself.
"Of course, if I had merely gone to hell I would have gotten to keep my own body," Karigari thought to himself. His eyes gravitated towards the blue-ish colored skin of his hands and legs. "I don't even appear to be human any longer."
He rather wished he had a mirror accessible, just to see his full appearance. There didn't seem to be much around him at all, but hollow halls. "Who would even recognize me if they saw me now?" he wondered, amused by the thought. "I could start a whole new life on earth, waltz right into the headquarters of the Mobile Rescue Police, and they wouldn't realize they'd welcomed in their greatest enemy. Of course, my idiots wouldn't recognize me either." He'd probably be pulling out hairs getting them to believe that he was the Number One Genius Scientist Who Came Back From Hell Dr. Karigari. Hairs that were now long and silvery white. That would take some getting used to. "Would Miss recognize me?" A part of him thought, if anyone could, it would be her. "It doesn't matter. We'll never meet again." That was the part that stung the most of being sent to this strange hell.
Sasagawa had been kneeling down on the floor when she found herself in this new body. She decided she'd get up and investigate a little.
"I wonder if this place has Drive Head?" She shook that thought away, laughing to herself nervously. "Of course not. I've never heard of Drive Heads existing anywhere but Bayfront City. And this probably isn't even Japan."
The room she'd appeared in was spacious. There wasn't even much inside, short of a pillar-like object that had been right in front of her.
Heading off into the hallway, she was taken aback when she encountered another person heading in her direction.
A person? She wasn't sure when she got a closer look. He was strikingly handsome, but yet his skin was blue. He had what looked to be antennae on his head.
'Cosplay?' If that were the case, he had impressive craftsmanship. And what was he even cosplaying?
"Hello."
She was indeed surprised when the man came closer, suddenly addressing her.
"Umm… yes?" Sasagawa blinked up at the tall man. He really was attractive. Not that she was interested. She liked Karigari. Whom she'd never see again. And this person was likely some weirdo.
"I seem to have gotten lost in the hallways, and misplaced my phone so I can't even access a good map. Rather, I don't think they're allowed in hell, something I plan to work around, being the resourceful genius that I am. Would you be so kind to tell me where we are?"
"What?" Sasagawa could only continue staring. But his words brought a concern to her. She didn't have her phone anymore either. All the pictures and videos of Drive Head she had saved! Would she never see them again?!
"Actually… I misplaced my phone as well," she replied. Perhaps not misplaced. She clearly reincarnated as a different person, and that person wouldn't have her phone. But for now, that was an easier way to explain it. "That doesn't answer your question, does it? The truth is that I've gotten a bit lost too."
"Have you also come here recently?" Karigari asked. What poor luck, to encounter a different person who recently fell into hell, or wherever this was. There must have been countless others that would have been able to answer his question.
"Yeah," Sasagawa replied. But, that was an odd question. She was here due to extraneous circumstances, but was this the sort of place a person would just choose to come to? It was one of the least welcoming looking places she'd ever seen, though perhaps it looked better during the daylight. She wouldn't know. "Well… would you like to look around with me?"
The young woman he'd been speaking to was surprisingly nice for a denizen of hell. It was becoming less likely to Karigari that they were even in hell. But still, they clearly weren't on earth. No scientist would ever hide it if they'd discovered a creature like him on earth. A sentient being with an exoskeleton and human-like hair? It would bring them enormous fame.
"I suppose I can look with you for a little while," he decided. He had to find answers quickly, and finding allies might be a good start. He just couldn't let his guard down. But the way she'd smiled excitedly when he said yes might've already started lowering his guard. In a way, she reminded him of Miss.
But just as the two began to walk, a round yellow creature with wings flew in their direction. It began making chirping sounds.
"I wonder what it wants?" Sasagawa asked. It was sort of cute, but it seemed to think it was speaking directly to them.
"It wants us to follow it," Karigari said. "To meet a person named 'Mantid.'"
"You can understand it?" Sasagawa asked.
Karigari was actually quite surprised that he could. Perhaps that was an inherit ability of his new body. But he wasn't going to show that he was surprised.
"Of course I can understand. I'm fluent in 70 different human languages, including dead ones. Chirplish is quite simple compared to hieroglyphics."
"I see," said Sasagawa. That sounded too much like something Karigari could say. And the man had referred to himself as a genius before already. She didn't imagine there were too many other people out there like Karigari, so it was perhaps more surprising than him being able to speak Chirplish. Speaking of which, the flying ball was already several feet ahead. "Let's hurry!"
She took her ally by the hand, only wondering after if the blue skin paint would run off on her. It didn't seem to be the case.
Karigari was immediately startled, but ran alongside her.
The flying bug led them to an ominous room. Sasagawa felt that the rest of the building looked pleasant in comparison.
"Buguese."
The man in the room's center, surrounded by bug-like guards, was tall with green skin. Karigari wasn't certain whether this was even his real appearance, or he was wearing some sort of armor. Anything could've been hidden underneath the enormous cape he wore.
As his hand beckoned in Karigari's direction, this confirmed his suspicion that Buguese was the name of his new form. This man, presumably Mantid, also clearly knew him… or Buguese rather, but didn't appear to be a dear friend.
"Yes," he replied, waiting for the man who summoned him to do the talking. It was difficult and rare to be in a situation where Karigari didn't have all the answers, but he'd surely rectify that soon.
"There are rumors of a new Oracle Key in Arachna's northern mountain range. I want you to head there with Aqune and search for it."
"Please tell me more," Karigari replied. "I wouldn't want to misinterpret such essential instructions and disappoint you."
It was better than asking what an Oracle Key was or where Arachna was. It was truly disappointing to find so many things at once that had eluded his genius mind. At least he could assume that "Aqune" was the name of his newfound ally.
"What more is there to know, Buguese?" The man sounded genuinely perplexed by his question. "You understand the reason I require the Oracle Keys, and the mere one in our possession is far from enough. Take your transport and go as usual."
"If you insist," he said. "Aqune, best not make him angry." He motioned to her.
"Sure," Sasagawa said. So, her reincarnation was named 'Aqune'? And this person appeared to be her current employer. Just what sort of crazy things was she expected to do?
"I imagine you don't know what an Oracle Key is," Sasagawa whispered when they were a safe distance away.
"Not yet, unfortunately," Karigari replied. "But even when I figure it out, I'm not certain I'd give it to him. The man seems dangerously full of himself."
"I don't trust him either," Sasagawa said. "But… I might have an idea!" It took her by surprise, but Sasagawa felt drawn towards one of the few objects that was in the room she'd appeared in. "Come with me, Buguese!"
Karigari decided he might as well follow. If Aqune were supposed to accompany him, he didn't want to lose track of her.
"I think this is the Oracle Key." Sasagawa pointed to the pillar. Inside, encased in a transparent sphere, was a mostly flat object.
"Well it doesn't look much like a key." Karigari studied it. Perhaps it could pass as a card key, but even then it didn't really look like one. There was something mysterious about it, though. It was clearly on display as if it were an important object. "What makes you think this is it?" He looked to Aqune.
"That's what I'm uncertain about," Sasagawa replied. "It's like… a feeling. Like, it's resonating something. But, a comforting feeling. It isn't ominous." Did it have something to do with this new body of hers? This Aqune person's body? "You can't feel it, can you, Buguese?"
"Not a thing," he replied. "But this should come in handy. Do you happen to know where my transport is?"
He would have preferred if he had his Viper. If he was heading up towards the mountains, being able to fly would be convenient.
"No." Sasagawa shook her head.
"If only I could find that simple-minded chirping creature again." Karigari would have liked to interrogate it for answers. "Oh well then. I should at least be able to find a transport." Even if he wasn't a genius, how easy could it be to hide a vehicle?
Karigari made his way around, Sasagawa in tow. He took note of the fact that anyone he encountered in the halls seemed to have the utmost respect for him, if not fear. He wasn't delusional enough to believe it was because they were bowing to the amazing brain of History's Greatest Genius Scientist like he always hoped the Mobile Rescue Police would think to do. No, the reason was because this Buguese person was someone very important. Something he'd have to use to his advantage.
Karigari did find what appeared to be a hangar. And there, he spotted a number of small ships, and other devices he wasn't entirely sure of the purpose of.
"Which one's yours?" Sasagawa asked. They looked fairly impressive, though not as cool as Drive Head or the Support Vehicles.
"This one looks to be important," said Karigari, pointing to a machine shaped like a snail. "It's certainly not to my aesthetic, and I hope it doesn't travel as slowly as it appears, or it could take us weeks to reach these phantom mountains. But I'm curious to see how their engineering compares. To, say… my own."
"You're an engineer?" Sasagawa asked. Why did he keep reminding her of Karigari? Obviously, he wasn't really Karigari. Though, she was really Sasagawa in Aqune's body. She squinted up at him, trying to see Karigari in his figure. Which she realized was silly when they looked nothing alike.
"I was." His answering of her question snapped Sasagawa back to reality. "A highly talented one, though my talents went unrecognized by the ignorant populous."
"Was?" His past tense was the most curious thing about his response.
Karigari was taken aback by how easy he found this 'Aqune' person to trust. It was as if he was mentally treating her as… Miss. He knew he had to stop that. He was likely in grief over Miss' death. He was not going to bluntly tell this woman he was dead like he first thought to do.
"I still am," Karigari replied. "Now, why don't we go see how this transport compares, Aqune?"
He boarded the snail ship, looking back to make sure Aqune was following.
Sasagawa had made her way to the control room, eyeing the buttons and gears.
"I guess it doesn't work like a car," she thought out loud. Was it more like a Walker Vehicle? She'd never been inside one, so she didn't know.
"It's still quite simple to fly." Karigari could easily guess what most every button did. "There's even an autopilot. That could come in handy." As long as it wasn't powered by any evil AIs.
"I can't believe you really made it fly!" Sasagawa was looking out each of the windows in awe as they moved, the view not actually much different. "But I wish it went faster."
"It is a snail, after all," said Karigari.
'Cyclone Interceptor could go so much faster,' Sasagawa thought to herself. Even if this was pretty cool, it just didn't compare.
'Miss would have been excited too,' Karigari thought. He had let her ride in his Viper for their date. It wasn't even the first time she'd rode in it, but her eyes still lit up. If only he could see her face again one day. But he wouldn't even be able to see his own.
Karigari did finally get a glimpse at his new face, reflected in the glass of the transport. Once they'd flown a little, it had suddenly turned to day, making it far easier to see everything.
"Mantid and I may be the same species, but at least I won out where good looks are concerned," he mused. If he had to be an insect, might as well be an attractive one. Women always swooned over men like Saionji. They would have swooned over Karigari's brain if they had any taste. (Even if Miss was the only woman he was particularly interested in, but that was besides the point.) But sadly, the world was a superficial one and brains meant little to most. Now he finally had a chance to win even more recognition and show it off to the Mobile Rescue Police if he eventually figured out how to resurrect.
"I wonder though… what does Mantid really look like?"
"Huh?" Sasagawa tilted her head.
"Beneath that armor," said Karigari, surprised she was even paying attention to him. "I'm certain Mantid is hiding lots of things. And I intend to expose them."
"Like what?" Sasagawa asked. Trying to expose the truth about Mantid sounded way more fun to her than searching for oddly-shaped keys. "Do you think he's actually really short, and just standing on stilts to look imposing? Or maybe he's a bunch of children climbing on each other's shoulders."
Karigari held up his pointer finger and shook it.
"Wait!" Before he could answer, Sasagawa interrupted. "That's… what you just did with your finger… are you really Dr. Karigari after all?!"
"Dr. Karigari…?!" Echoing his own name, his mouth hung open. "How do you know that name?" Had he truly become famous in this world?
"Because… who hasn't heard of Dr. Karigari?" Sasagawa replied. Was she wrong? No, he absolutely had to be Dr. Karigari. But did he plan to deny it?
"You're right that I've heard of Dr. Karigari," he said. "I may even be a fan, to the point of copying his mannerisms. But as you must already know, my name is Buguese. I happen to be an insect of some unidentified breed, unlike Dr. Karigari, who was a human, and quite possibly Mantid as well."
"You think Mantid is a human?!" Sasagawa exclaimed, ignoring the rest of his banter.
"I've yet to find the proof," Karigari replied. "But in a world where everyone but you, a clear outsider quite possibly employed only for your power seems to be a bug, what else would he seriously have to hide if his goal was to gain respect and fear?"
"You may be right," said Sasagawa. "I'm definitely going to investigate too!"
"I thought you would," said Karigari. Miss certainly would if she were here. "Just try and be careful."
"Sure," she said.
Not that she could do nearly the extent that Karigari could. And on the subject of which, should she tell him that she was Sasagawa, if he indeed was Karigari? Or did he already know? Well, she didn't need to tell him urgently. She would have preferred for him to notice her, even in a new body.
When the ship was flying over what looked to be mountains, in what was the north according to the ship's GPS, Karigari decided to land it. The ship being fairly large, he had to find a mountain with enough of a level surface, not knowing precisely what the transport's balance was like.
"Well, here we are," said Karigari, opening the door to the transport. "I assume if there's a Key, you'll be the one to find it, Aqune. If you need me to fly you closer, let me know."
"Yes," Sasagawa said. "If there's one." She didn't really know how her… or rather, Aqune's powers worked. A part of her was skeptical, thinking that Mantid just wanted to toy with them, and there wasn't anything there at all. Not that she really knew much about him either. She just had her own biases.
What did it feel like before? It was like something emanating a warm light. The sun was doing that. What was with the sun in this world? It was enormous, and the sky kept changing to unnatural colors. She wanted to ask Karigari if he understood such a phenomenon, but he probably didn't. And the sun wasn't what she was supposed to be concerned with, interesting as it was.
There was something! Just then, she had a strange gut feeling.
"I think the Key might be beneath us!" Sasagawa exclaimed.
Walking closer to the edge of the rocky area, she bent over, looking down. There was nothing that she could see, though. Sasagawa sighed.
She hadn't expected the ground below her to start cracking.
"Miss, look out!"
Karigari rushed forward, grabbing her arm. He was able to pull her towards him, and just barely, as the ground she was standing on was no more.
"Dr. Karigari…" When she realized what was happening, Sasagawa found herself being held close to the man. "You… you called me Miss."
"I did, didn't I?" Karigari said, immediately letting her go and holding his hands behind his back. There was a streak of red across his face.
"That's what Dr. Karigari used to call me," said Sasagawa. "I told you, you are Dr. Karigari! And you must have realized… who I really am." Her face was a shade of red to match his.
"I humored the possibility that you were Miss," Karigari replied, trying to avert his eyes from her. "And it seems I might have called you 'Miss'. But I know for a fact that the real Miss is dead. And I was entirely to blame for killing her."
"You did not!" Sasagawa exclaimed. "Unless… you planned for that building to fall in a murder suicide?!" She didn't believe that Karigari would do such a thing, though. He was always trying to protect her. Even if he planned for the building to fall and crush himself, he would have assured she wasn't there.
"Of course I didn't plan for it," said Karigari. "If I planned my own death, I would have gone out with much more flair. But I received karmic punishment for all my crimes at long last, the biggest one of all satisfying my selfish desires to be with Miss, and she was just a casualty."
"Dr. Karigari!" Sasagawa had to restrain herself from hitting him. "I wanted to be with you! You didn't commit any crime! Not this time, I mean. And you're really not so bad! You're always saving me! And you risked your life to save the world!"
She wrapped her arms around him, her body sinking beneath his cape. "You idiot! Do you really think I'm not Announcer Sasagawa?!"
"Miss…"
She was crying. He could hear her shaky breaths and strained voice. Her death may not have technically been his fault, but this was.
"I didn't want to believe you were Miss," he replied. "But you unquestionably are. Even in another body, in another world, you haven't changed." He wrapped his arms around her. "You're the only person this notorious genius criminal is completely helpless against. I mean that as a complement, of course."
"I know," Sasagawa said. She was smiling now, continuing to hold Karigari tight.
In this world, if he was there with her, she wasn't worried about anything else. On the contrary, everything was going to be so much more exciting.
