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Link Vent: Suggested by lordri25may2001

All of Ouja - Dual Mode cards: Author

I'll be skipping the reviews this time since this is a fresh new season, but I did read them so don't alarm! They'll come back next chapter!

Chapter 44
Difficult Family

"How long do they intend to wait to give you a damn approval?" Yosuke growled under his breath, paying close attention to his communicator. He was standing in front of Dragreder with Zolda and Ryuki, waiting for instructions."The shuttle will crash in a highly populated area, right?! Don't they realize the gravity of the situation?!"

"We've got permission from the Japanese government, but the US hasn't responded yet," Aoi said, her voice carrying a hint of concern.

"I don't want to start pointing fingers, but..." Genjuro sighed."Pieces of the Frontier containing heretical tech from the ship, as well as Professor Nasstassja, are floating above US territory. Meaning it might be in their best interest to not intervene to get it for themselves."

"Damn it..." Knight hit his helmet in frustration.

"I have to say, the Americans sure are consistent when it comes to wanting to increase their technology and resources." Zolda commented, hands on his hips."What do you think, Lieutenant?"

Ryuki remained silent, his gaze fixated on the sky.

"Luitenant?" Zolda repeated, waving his arm in front of him, getting a reaction."You alright, man?"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry, Captain." Ryuki apologized, rubbing his nape."Just spacing out. I'm okay..."

"You've been doing that a lot lately." Knight pointed out."Are you sure you're okay?"

"Leave him alone, Yanagi. Can't you see he's worried about Hibiki?" Zolda teased, resting his arm on Ryuki's shoulder."He's worried about his girlfriend."

"And you're not?" Knight looked unimpressed under his helmet.

"I am. But it's not the craziest thing we've done, so I know she'll be fine." Zolda shrugged, not at all stressed."So how come they're up in space and we're here?"

"Because, Sakamoto, Adachi is afraid of heights and you get motion sickness."

"Okay, but-"

"Heads up, Yosuke-kun!" Genjuro's voice came through their communicators."We finally got approval. They should be coming to your current location."

"Roger that." Knight responded before addressing his comrades."Listen, Adachi. I need you to focus. You and Dragreder will play a major role in stopping that shuttle's momentum. The rest of us will assist you in whatever we can."

After a few dreadful seconds, they spotted the shuttle descending from the sky at high speeds.

"It's show time!"

Advent: Dragreder

Dragreder released a powerful roar, flying upward to intercept the shuttle. The dragon positioned itself underneath it, wrapping its tail around it. The Rider landed on top of it to begin their plan. Ryuki drew a card, jumped off the shuttle, and activated it.

Ignite Vent

Forming two wings of fire, the boy tried to push back to deaccelerate the momentum."I guess I have no choice but to up the ante, huh?!"

Booster Vent

Jet boosters attached themselves to Ryuki's elbows, feet, and shoulders, igniting into life as they aided him to push forward.

"Hey, that's a new one! But shit! Why do we always have to be doing this sort of thing?" Zolda complained, trying to not lose his footing."First a fucking train, now this!"

"Stop being a baby!" Chris chastised him."You should be used to this by now!"

"Can you guys stop your bantering?" Knight pointed at a mountain up ahead."We got trouble!"

Zolda grinned enthusiastically, running up the shuttle and standing in front of Hibiki."Look at this! Time to blow shit up!"

"Why, you're not seriously thinking of-"

Ignoring Tsubasa, Zolda summoned Magnugiga by activating his Final Vent.

Final Vent: End of the World.

Inserting his visor into the slot in Magnugiga's back, Zolda pressed the trigger, unleashing his monster's whole arsenal at the mountain. Missiles, bullets, and beams of energy collided against it, breaking the tip. Dragreder roared, lifting the shuttle enough for them to fly above the destroyed part of the mountain.

"Nice, very nice." Knight clapped, his voice full of sarcasm."You destroyed one of America's highest mountains."

"What were we supposed to do? Crash into it?" Zolda scoffed."Besides, I only destroyed the tip of it. Don't be a drama queen."

Hibiki peered down the front of the shuttle."Hajime-kun! Everything okay?!"

"All good, Sunshine!" Ryuki smiled at her though quickly cursed the fact that he had his helmet on and she probably couldn't tell.

That is until Hibiki beamed at him as if she could tell he was smiling underneath his mask."We're going to proceed with the emergency landing, okay?!"

"Got it!" Ryuki grabbed tightly onto the shuttle. Dragreder released its hold on it, causing it to crash on the ground."Time to stop this damn thing!"

Much to his shock, Hibiki jumped off with him, digging her heels onto the ground as she gritted her teeth."We'll do it together!"

"Sounds good to me!" Ryuki's fire wings turned to two giant arms of fire, grabbing onto the sides of the shuttle. Two smaller arms extended from them, digging themselves onto the ground. His and Hibiki's boosters used their maximum output as both of them used their combined strength to stop the momentum of the shuttle. They managed to stop it from crashing into the nearest town, safely preventing further damage from occurring.

"Huh. They actually did it." Zolda was impressed, noticing a few people watching from afar."And no one got hurt or had their houses destroyed.

"Did you think they wouldn't?" Chris quirked a brow, receiving a shrug.

"It was kind of a reckless idea. But reckless seems to be their motto, so..."

"Whatever gets the job done, I guess." Yosuke sighed, jumping off the shuttle with Tsubasa."What do you think?"

"It's not the first crazy stunt they've pulled." Tsubasa smiled."At this point, I'm used to it."

"Holly molly..." Ryuki's transformation became undone as he fell to the ground on his back."Too much energy used..."

"Are you alright?" Hibiki caught him in her arms before he collapsed.

"Yeah. Just tired. Used all of my energy in one go and that's no good for me." Hajime chuckled sheepishly."It's okay, you can let me go-"

Hajime ended up collapsing on the ground, bringing Hibiki down with him, ending up with their faces inches from each other's."Did I ever mention how pretty your eyes are?"

"They're the same color as yours." Hibiki whispered, blushing slightly."So that goes to you too."

"Mine are hazel. Yours are orange." Hajime poked her nose."But I can see they look the same color, depending on the lighting. Want to come over to my house when we go back to Japan? My Grandma is eager to have you over again."

"I'd love to." Hibiki nodded, pecking him on his lips."I love you."

"I love you more." He returned the kiss.

"Nope, I love you more." Hibiki grinned, kissing him again.

"Nah, I love you more!" Hajime poked her sides, causing him to laugh uncontrollably."Got your week spot!"

"S-stop that, Hajime-jun! It tickles!"

"Can you guys stop flirting!" Knight cried out in dismay."Gosh, you're acting like you've been apart for months! Take it easy!"

"Why are you so bothered by it?" Chris placed her hands on her hips."You're not jealous, are you?"

"No. I'm not." Knight sighed, crossing his arms."I just never expected them to be so clinging. More than you and Sakamoto."

"People express their love in different ways." Tsubasa placed her hand on his shoulder."Let them have their moment. We should go check on the pilots."

"Right. As well as retrieve Professor Nasstassja's body." Knight nodded."Jades, Maria, and the kids deserve this."

Later that day, the whole group went in to deliver the news to FIS' former members in their cells. They were practically hotel suites to make them as comfortable as possible. Their apartment was divided into two sections. One for the boys and one for the girls, with a shared standard room. Of course, they were required to wear cuffs, but these could come undone easily and were merely there in case they were to be checked up on by people outside Section Two.

"So...you kept your promise." Jades sat with his family on one couch while the others sat on the opposite one to it."Thank you. We appreciate that."

"We couldn't just leave her up there, you know." Takeru brushed the compliment off."It was the right thing to do."

"Besides, she did help save the world." Hajime crossed his legs, leaning back on the couch."She's a hero as well."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that-desu." Kirika nodded at her childhood friend.

"So..." Shirabe got their attention."Did they ever find...you know..."

"No. We searched everywhere but we didn't find either Cypher's or Kuwana's body." Tsubasa explained."Kuwana was most likely vaporized by the Nephilim. As for Cypher, we originally thought he had been launched off to the ocean, but our command center never detected his body."

"I see," Maria muttered, lowering her gaze.

"Serves them right." Raiden scoffed."For using us like that. I don't get why you guys are so sad about that. He killed Atticus-nii."

"He was still family, Raiden." Andreas tried to reason with his brother."Or at least, before he changed."

"Was he really though?" Raiden gave him a skeptical look."He was always a stuck-up jerk who only cared about Serena and himself. In hindsight, I was an idiot too for ever believing in him. But..."

"Family can be complicated." Hajime interrupted his ranting."I should know."

"I think it's better if we leave it at that." Jades patted Raiden's back gently."So...you guys want to catch a movie?"

"Seriously? For being "prisoners" your room is a hell of a lot better than my crappy apartment." Takeru smirked."Got any snacks in here?"

"Nope." Kirika smiled shamelessly."We were hoping you could get some treats-desu!"

"And there's the catch." Yosuke rubbed the edge of his nose."Sure. Why not?"

Three months after securing the shuttle, Section Two was reorganized into S.O.N.G, a new task force under direct UN oversight that helps with disaster relief all over the world. With some strings pulled, Maria, Jades, Kirika, Shirabe, Andreas, and Raiden were given a "pardon" by claiming they were conspiring against FIS since the very beginning as well as having been indoctrinated since they were children. Since Dr. Ver had taken the fault for everything, and considering he didn't deny a single claim due to wanting to take credit for everything, this was done fairly easily, giving them the chance to start over.

Jades had requested for the children to attend school as well as be allowed to go to college once they graduated, hoping to at least secure their future. However, he was forced to testify against Terunosuke Kuwana as well as the crimes he had committed. Maria had to take over this since he didn't have it in him to shame his brother like that, regardless of what he had done.

Had Kuwana been brought to justice, he was looking at a life in prison or execution. He was charged with over two hundred murderers as well as conspiring against Japan in an act of terrorism. But what was most strange was that Cypher's name never appeared in any of the meetings. S.O.N.G never received a concrete answer, but Minister Shibata had theorized that they were covering up for him. Genjuro assumed that it was because of the lack of information they had on him, but also exposing his connection to government officials in and out of Japan would cause turmoil and chaos.

Furthermore, there was still the mystery of the person who had given Dr. Ver the Alternative Zero Deck as well as access to Mirror Monsters. Someone was pulling the stringers from the shadows. But the who or why remained a mystery.

In the empty streets near the port of Yokohama, a blonde girl concealing her figure with a robe ran as fast as she could, carrying something in her hands as well as a young child on her back. The child in question had grey skin and stitches on his face, looking more like a patchwork than anything else. He was wearing short yellow pants, brown boots, and a tattered blue shirt. He had short red hair combed to the side, covering his left emerald eyes.

"Let me down, Master Elfnein. You're in no condition to keep running with me weighing you down."

The girl hid behind a telephone booth, falling on one knee as she caught her breath. The boy tried to give her two cards in his hand, but she pushed him back."No. I'm not leaving you behind, Tobias."

"But it'd be faster if you can take these cards as well as Dwerg Dain's legacy on your own-"

"Ayeyo! Where y'all at?!"

They both peered from the telephone boot, nearly being shot by golden coins.

"Leiur! Where the hell are you aiming?!" Verde landed next to the black-haired woman with yellow highlights on top of a building."You suck! You completely missed! Down bad!"

"We're not to kill them, Zeke." The woman named Leiur addressed him, a hand resting on her hip."Just give them a little scare. Chase them around."

"Orders are orders, I guess." Verde clicked his tongue."Still, we can't let them get away with those cards! They're like, super important! His Majesty created them for us and I won't let them be stolen! As one of the Royal Guard, I will get them back!"

Verde jumped off the rooftop, grabbing onto a light post and maneuvering downward before leaping onto the telephone booth, scaring the blonde girl."Hey, there. Elfnein-chan. Where are you going this late, and dressed like that? My, you're lucky your big bro Zeke is here to protect you from creeps. Now, why don't you hand me those cards and hand Patchwork over there."

"N-never!" Elfnein shook her head.

"That's too bad. Naughty girls need to be taught a lesson." Verde began approaching her with malicious intent."I won't kill you. But I am kind of hungry. I haven't consumed anything for a few days now. Maybe taking one of your arms will help with that, eh?"

"S-stay away from her!" The child on her back jumped off, standing protectively in front of her.

"Tobias, don't!"

"'Ight. Bet. I can rip you apart no problem, yo!" Verde rose his arm, ready to beat him to a pulp.

Tobias' left eye flashed to silver, pointing his index finger at Verde before blasting him with a lightning bolt, sending him flying toward a container. The green Rider screamed in pain, writhing in agony."Fuck! Fuck! That fucking hurt!"

Tobias grabbed Elfnein's hand, pulling her along."We have to move, Lass!"

"But you-"

"We don't have time! We must make haste!"

Leiur was astonished by what she had seen. So much so, that she almost didn't notice the second lighting bolt coming her way. She leaped back, avoiding the attack entirely."A distraction."

She ran back to the edge of the rooftop, noticing both Elfnein and Tobias were gone from sight."What a performance. Here I thought I was going to have to make a show out of it, but he beat me to the punch."

"Help me, you useless bitch!" Verde bellowed, still in pain.

"My, quite the mouth you have. Should I tell Phara about it?"

"N-now, let's not be hasty..." Verde cowered, earning a chuckle from the woman."No need to do that..."

"Now let us go. The subdued approach doesn't suit me, unlike you."

The next day at school, Takeru and Chris made their way to the school grounds, chatting away.

"So did you get everything we need for tonight?" Chris asked her boyfriend, who simply nodded with a yawn.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is all set. I ordered those pizzas ahead so all I gotta do is call an hour before so they can deliver them." He adjusted the two bags he was carrying. One was his, and one was Chris's."I'm going to bake a batch of cookies today. I can't wait to see what they think."

"Go easy on the sugar, okay?" Chris frowned."The last cookies you made me eat tasted like you put a whole bag of sugar in them! You're going to give someone diabetes!"

"It's just the type of sugar I use. Plus, that's the magic of my baking." Takeru grinned in triumph."Everyone likes sweet things. The sweeter, the better. You're just sour, Shortcake. Maybe you need some more sugar?"

"Hah! Okay, that was a good one." Chris laughed, punching him in the arm."You won't get me to chuckle next time."

"That's a challenge I'm willing to take, my fair lady."

"So damn cheesy." Chris groaned, glancing behind them."But not as cheesy as those two. Seriously, three months they've been dating and they're still so clingy to each other."

In effect, Hibiki and Hajime were trailing behind them, acting all lovey-dovey. The girl was hogging his arm all to herself while he rested his head on top of hers.

"Everyone expresses their love differently." Takeru recited."Those were Kazanari's words."

"Yeah, well. What does she know about expressing love?" Chris shrugged."She's almost like a robot sometimes."

"Chrissy! Takeru-san!"

"And here we go." Chris and Takeru stopped to wait for the young couple."Hey. You guys look lively as always."

"That they are." From behind, Hazuki and Miku approached the group."We decided to give them some space by walking behind them."

"It's nice that they're enjoying their time together." Miku giggled.

Takeru scooted closer to her, whispering."Aren't you jealous of how close they are though?"

"Huh?!"

"Well, that's what the Luitenant told me." Takeru explained."Something about you not wanting to share Hibiki."

"Oh. Well, that was true." Miku scratched her cheek, blushing."But I understand she has her boundaries as well. And...well, Hajime-kun shares her with me. We make it work."

"Huh..." Takeru quirked a brow, holding the need to laugh at her phrasing."Well, what about Haz-san here? You guys going out?"

"It's nothing like that." Hazuki quickly answered.

"If you say so, man." Takeru shifted his gaze to the familiar group lagging behind."Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Are all of you holding hands together? That's so cute!"

Raiden groaned but held onto Shirabe's and Andreas' hands as they walked together in a straight line along with Kirika.

"Raiden said we need to hold hands when we're coming to school." Kirika explained, squeezing Shirabe's hand."I don't quite get why, but it's fun-desu!"

"You don't get why, my ass!" Raiden scowled at her, causing her to shriek."You guys get distracted so easily! As soon as I get my eyes off you, you end up skipping school!"

"That was a one-time thing." Shirabe rolled her eyes."Face it. You just want to act bossy."

"Well, I can't deny that." He smiled deviously, pushing his glasses up his nose."I am the older brother when the others aren't here."

"What a tyrant," Hajime muttered from the side.

"I heard that, Bakime."

"I'll be taking your sister away if you don't mind!"

A young girl with short brown hair practically snatched Kirika's hand, pulling her away."Setsuna-chan!"

"Good morning!" Setsuna waved enthusiastically at her seniors."I'm so excited for another day at school!"

"You got to be one of the few of people I know that love coming to school." Chris felt her energy being drained from being in the presence of so many energetic people.

"Her dream was to attend Lydian, after all." Miku giggled."Do you know your way to your class by now, Setsuna-chan?"

"No need! Kirika-chan knows the way!"

"W-what?" Kirika gaped."But I'm just as lost as you are-desu!"

"I-I-I can show you where your class is, Setsuna-chan." Andreas offered, stammering.

"Oh! That's nice of you, Andreas-kun!" The girl giggled cutely, causing the boy's face to flush.

"You know..." Raiden addressed the raven-haired boy."When you said you knew how I felt, I thought you were exaggerating. But they're so exhausting."

"Rude! You'll never get a girlfriend like that, Raiden-san!" Setsuna stuck her tongue out.

"Well, maybe I don't want a girlfriend." Raiden scoffed in indignation."Ever thought of that?"

"You don't?" Shirabe leaned closer to his face."But you were asking Maria how to talk to girls the other da-"

"Shut up! Stop snitching on me!" Raiden let Shirabe's hand go, covering his ears."I'm going to class!"

"I should go ahead as well." Hazuki checked his wristwatch."I have some things to do."

"Have a good way, Haz-kun." Miku waved at him as he left.

"Desu desu!" Kirika cried out."I forgot! I don't have any more money in my account!"

"Kiri-chan, don't tell me you wasted all of your allowance again." Shirabe gave her a disapproving glare.

"I have to call Jades-nii-chan! Hopefully, he picks up." Kirika pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Jades. Within a few rings, he answered the phone, activating his face cam. He was laying on his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"What's up, Kirika?"

"Onii-chan! I need money for lunch!"

Setsuna tried to peer from her side to take a look, but Shirabe beat her to the punch."Don't send her too much. She'll get snacks that she doesn't need."

"Some of my classmates invited me to go to the arcade today." Andreas pushed Setsuna further."Can I get some money too?"

"Fine, fine." Jades chuckled in dismay."I'll send you some money soon. I can't say no to you guys. You at school?"

"Yup! We're almost there!"

"Got it. Make sure you study as much as you can." He paused for a second."And pay attention. Don't fall asleep in class. You hear that, Kirika?"

"Yes, I know." Kirika's shoulder slumped.

"He's such a caring brother, isn't he?" Hibiki smiled.

"More like he spoils them too much," Chris grumbled."Must be nice getting anything you want on a whim.

"Who are they talking to?" Setsuna pulled on Hajime's shirt.

"Their elder brother." He answered, pulling out his phone and showing her a picture of Jades and Maria.

The girl squealed, snatching the phone from his hands and quickly sending a copy of the picture to her phone."H-hey! What are you doing?!"

Setsuna marched over to Kirika as she ended the call, grabbing her cheeks and showing her the picture."Kirika! Is this handsome stud your older brother?! How come you never told me about him?! Oh my gosh, you were holding out on me! Introduce me! Introduce me! Is he going out with anyone?!"

"M-my brother is not seeing anyone right now!" Kirika shook like a leaf."And he's not in Japan right now."

"Tell me more about him!" Setsuna grabbed Kirika's hand and practically dragged her along.

Andreas sighed, looking dejected.

"It's rough being the youngest one, huh?" Takeru patted him on the back."At least you're not on the Luitenant's sights."

Upon seeing the whole thing unfold, Hajime had a dark expression on his face."I'm going to kill Jades."

Later in the day, the girls were enjoying themselves in the school's pool to escape from the heat of summer. Since the pools were still limited to only girls, there was no sign of boys, much to some of the girls' relief.

A lilac-haired girl observed from afar with an icy look on her face, staring directly at Hibiki's group, particularly, Miku.

"The parent-teacher-student meeting is coming up soon." Miku splashed her feet on the water, oblivious to the glare she was receiving from afar.

"Why did you need to remind me of that?" Yumi groaned."My mom will be here and she's so strict about grades. It's too bad I can't get my dad to come."

"What about you, Bikkie?" Kuriyo asked.

"My grandma." Hibiki easily replied."I don't have a dad and my Mom is busy on Sundays, so..."

"It's okay. There are a lot of people who don't have both of their parents too." Miku said in an attempt to ease her worries."Hajime-kun is on the same boat as you."

"Speaking of Hajime, I'm surprised he hasn't called you today." Shiori teased."Maybe you should go check your phone."

"Huh?" Hibiki pouted."We don't talk that much."

"Actually, Hibiki..." Yumi trailed off."You do."

"Whaaat? But that's not bad, right?" Hibiki turned to Miku, who giggled as she didn't know what to say.

"Well, it would be if he was constantly asking for your location and forcing you to do things, but it seems that you're clingy too." Yumi shrugged."So I'd say it's normal. Or as normal as it can get for you."

"Why don't we-"

"HELP!"

The girls quickly turned to see someone crying out for help from the deepest part of the pool, trying to stay afloat.

"That's Nakahara-san!" Kuriyo gasped."She's drowning!"

Miku quickly jumped into action, swimming over to her as she knew she had to act fast.

Chiaki sunk deeper into the water, a maniacal grin plastered on her face as she saw Miku swimming closer to her.'Yeah, get close, you cheap whore. As soon as I can grab you, I'll pretend like I'm panicking and drag you to the bottom of the water. I'll gladly die with you if it means you get your stinking paws off of my Hazuki. And besides, two girls dying after such a tragic accident? It would be so memorable~!"

Miku stretched out her arm, trying to reach out for Chiaki. The serial killer attempted to do the same, but guided her hand to grab her Miku as soon as she came within reach."Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! I'll kill you!"

Before Chiaki could grab Miku's neck, she felt someone pull on her swimsuit and pull her up to the surface. Miku, baffled, swam after them as well.

"Miku!" Hibiki and the others ran to the edge of the pool where a crowd had gathered around."Are you alright?!"

"Yeah...But what happened?"

Chiaki was dropped onto the edge of the pool, coughing up water."What...?"

"Maybe next time you'd think twice before doing any stuns like backflipping onto the pool like that." The emotionless voice of a girl reached her ears.

"Chao-Xing-san saved Nakahara-san!" The girls around them began to clap.

The girl in question was relatively short, standing around 5'4 feet but was well endowed with a curvy figure emphasized by her swimsuit. She had long pitch-black hair and piercing hot pink eyes.

"Thank you so much." Miku approached her, bowing."I was a little scared since she was so deep into the water and wasn't sure what I'd do once I got a hold of her."

The girl said nothing, folding her arms under her chest.

"That was really cool! I didn't even see you dive in." Hibiki offered a friendly smile. She flinched when she saw the glare the older girl was giving her, making her squirm."I-I...My name is Hibiki Tachibana and-"

"YOU are Hibiki Tachibana?" Chao-Xing snorted."So it is true. He really went for a Japanese girl after all."

"He?" Miku pondered."Wait, do you mean you know Hajime-kun?"

"Oh, yes. That is his legal name, I suppose." Chao-Xing huffed."But yes. I do know him. My name is Chao-Xing Liáng"

"Liáng?" Hibiki's eyes widened upon hearing the last name."But that's-"

"I am his first cousin."

"First...cousin?" Shiori tilted her head.

Chao-Xing sighed."It means that our parents are siblings. His father is my mother's brother."

"I guess the hair kind of gives it away." Kuriyo commented."It's just as dark as Hajime-kun's."

"That is the Liáng family's respective trait." Chao-Xing explained."That as well as our pink eyes. It symbolizes a full-fledged Liáng."

"But Hajime-kun's eyes are hazel." Hibiki pointed out.

"As I said, full-fledged." Chao-Xing sneered in disgust."He may have the hair but since he's a halfbreed, his eyes are of a different color. Had his father chosen a Chinese woman, his genes would have been dominant. But since he lowered himself to that level and disgraced our family by marrying a Japanese broad, we have little halfbreeds running around. And apparently, his foolish son is making the same mistake."

"Hey, I don't know who you think you are, but-" Yumi was about to grab the girl's shoulder, but in one swift motion, she was thrown above the water."Huh?"

The pig-tailed girl landed on the water, grabbing onto the edge and taking a deep breath of air.

"How did she do that...?" Shiori blinked.

Chao-Xing made her way to Hibiki's face, staring her down with disdain."I don't know why Lingyun or his disgraceful father decided to branch off our family and pick on Japanese women, tainting our bloodline. But personally, I don't care. For all the rest of our family care, they're dead to us."

"How could you say that?! He's your cousin!" Hibiki cried out, standing her ground."You shouldn't treat him that way."

"I'm not about to let a disgusting Japanese airhead like you tell me what to do." Chao-Xing got dangerously close to Hibiki's face, narrowing her eyes."Cousins yes, but I have no interest in someone with dirty blood coursing through his veins."

"You can insult me all you want..." Hibiki scowled, sending shivers down the raven-haired's spine."But don't insult Hajime-kun. Ever."

Chao-Xing rose her eyebrows, taken aback. She looked around, noticing all the girls muttering amongst themselves."Point taken."

Without another word, she made her way toward the exit of the pool, leaving everyone speechless.

"That was unexpected." Chiaki broke her silence.

Miku crouched next to her, checking for any injuries."Are you okay, Nakahara-san?"

"Eh? Oh. Yes!" Chiaki switched to her bubbly persona."Thank you so much for your concern, Kohinata-chan! I was so scared! I'm sorry for being so clumsy! It's because of me this fight started..."

"It's fine." Hibiki knelt beside her, forcing a smile."The important thing is that you're okay!"

"Again, a million thanks." Chiaki apologized again, internally cursing at the fact she was stopped.

"Hibiki, are you-"

"I'm fine." Hibiki shook her head, her smile faltering."Let's not let that ruin our fun today."

At night time, everyone had gathered in Chris's apartment, making themselves at home in her spacious living room. Raiden and Andreas helped set up the snacks on the table Takeru had brought. Hajime and Hazuki carried the boxes of pizza Takeru had ordered earlier and stacked up on top of each other on the floor.

"Seriously...why in my apartment?" Chris's left eye twitched."Someone better help me clean up after we're done."

"Yeah, yeah." Takeru rolled his eyes, carrying a tray full of cookies that he set up on the coffee table in front of the TV."Everyone. I present to you my newest creation! Oatmeal cookies with a tiny bit of cinnamon. You'll like it."

"Don't mind if we do!" Yumi was the first one to munch on a cookie, her face quickly turning blue."So sweet...Too sweet..."

"Let me try." Hazuki snatched a cookie for himself, immediately shivering once he bit into it."Sheez...how much sugar did you put in these?"

"Ah...you don't want to know." Takeru laughed nonchalantly.

"Damn it, Takeru!" Chris huffed, throwing her arms up."I told you you'll give someone diabetes like that!"

"Are they really that sweet?" Hajime tried one for himself, shrugging."They taste alright to me."

"That's because you have a sweet tooth, Haji." Setsuna said, her head laying on Kirika's lap and her legs resting on Shirabe's thighs.

"Aren't you comfortable?" Hajime poked her stomach, prompting her to giggle."Why are you guys letting her do what she wants?"

"She's not harming anyone." Kirika offered a lopsided smile."Plus, we're close friends."

"Setsuna-chan, do you want something to eat?" Andreas offered, fidgeting in place in nervousness.

"I could go for a pizza."

Hajime shifted his gaze to Raiden, who shrugged in return."The hell?"

"Don't look at me." Raiden rose his hands."I don't know what goes through his head."

"Shouldn't we start tuning it for the concert?" Takeru asked, sitting on the edge of the couch next to Shirabe.

"It starts in 10 minutes." Chris checked her phone."The time zones are different and all that."

Kuriyo noticed Hibiki standing from her seat, heading over to Hajime as he was chatting with Hazuki."Bikkie?"

"Hajime-kun. Can we talk outside?"

"Here we go." Takeru clasped his hands with a grin."Are you guys going to go do your things outside? How bold of you."

"I-it's nothing like that!" Hibiki shook her head frantically, blushing profusely."I just want to have a word with him!"

Miku and Shiori exchanged worried expressions, already knowing what Hibiki wanted to talk about.

"Sure." Hajime nodded, guiding her outside. He closed the door behind them, leaning on the door."What's up, Sunshine? Everything okay?"

Hibiki brushed some of her hair behind her ear."Everything is fine, d-dear. But...Do you remember back when you told me about your dad after the whole thing with the Frontier? And how you wanted to find him?"

"Yeah?" Hajime arched a brow, unsure of where this was going. He grabbed her hands, rubbing them gently."You can tell me what's on your mind."

"It's just...I think I met your cousin today."

"Oh. Oh..." Hajime took a step back, releasing her hands, bumping into the wall."You met Chao-Xing..."

"Yeah. I was surprised, honestly." Hibiki grabbed his hand again."But the dark hair reminded me of yours. She...said some pretty mean things about you."

"Did she say anything about you?" Hajime asked, a tint of anger in his voice."I swear if she said anything to you-"

"No, no. Nothing at all." Hibiki bit the inside of her cheek, hating having to lie to avoid conflict."She just surprised me, that's all. She called you Lingyun."

"I'm sorry." Hajime sighed as she pulled him close for a hug, running a hand through his hair."It's just...I didn't mean to hide it from you. But I wanted to avoid it. It's not something I usually talk about."

"Want to talk about it?" She gingerly asked, pulling back slightly."I'll listen."

"I...well, my dad is Chinese, but he was born here in Japan along with his siblings. The Liáng clan prides itself in its great martial arts abilities. We come from a long family of proficient martial artists and warriors."

"Oh! Is that why you're so good at fighting?"

"I guess. I'd like to think I'm just naturally gifted, but it's possible." Hajime shrugged."Anyway, my dad is the black sheep of the family. He wanted to do something else other than be a martial artist. So he went to college and became an archeologist. That's where he met Mom and got married. Of course, this was considered a disgrace for the Liángs, so they vanished him. However, from what my grandma remembers, he never harbored any ill feelings toward them. In fact, he named me Hajime Lingyun in their honor."

"So that's why that girl called you Lingyun." Hibiki nodded in understanding."It's your middle name. But you never mentioned it before. I take it you don't like it? I had no idea you were half-Chinese."

"Legally, my name is Hajime L. Adachi. Or that was until I asked it to be changed to just Hajime Adachi. When my dad disappeared, Grandma said she went to go try to talk to them. See if they knew anything about his whereabouts or what had happened to him. Of course, they didn't care. And they even dared to badmouth my mom, calling her all sorts of things. And worse of all, Setsuna...Because we're half-Chinese, they refer to us as "halfbreeds". It was even worse for me because of my hair. When I first attended Lydian, I encountered Chao-Xing and we had a little argument. Ever since then, I've been doing my best to avoid her. But I guess now that she found out I'm dating you, a Japanese, instead of dating a Chinese girl, she took great offense to that. I don't like her, but I can't help but respect her in some reward. She is the most talented in the family when it comes to martial arts. She's rumored to be the next successor."

"Why is it such a big deal you and Setsuna-chan aren't fully Chinese?"

"Because they want to keep the family purely Chinese." Hajime grumbled."The head of the family is an asshole. So to him dating someone outside of their culture is a great offense. But I don't care. I love you and nothing will change that."

"Hajime-kun..." Hibiki teared up a bit."I love you too. But family shouldn't fight like that. Especially now that you want to find out where your dad is..."

"Chao-Xing told me that my dad probably had an affair and ran off out of the country because he couldn't take the pressure." Hajime laughed dryly."Honestly, I'm starting to think it's true..."

"You guys!" Setsuna swung the door open, nearly slamming it into Hajime."The concert is starting! TSUBASA-SAN IS SINGING! OH MY GOD!"

As the concert began, Jades, Yosuke, and Ogawa watched from the VIP seats reserved for the managers. Yosuke had requested to tag along to support Tsubasa, to which Ogawa had gladly accepted. Jades was a different case since he was Maria's manager.

"Funny." Jades chuckled, his eyes fixated on Maria as she sang with all her passion."Back when we first fought at that concert, I thought that was the last time I'd ever see her as an idol."

"Yeah, been there, done that." Yosuke laughed at his morbid joke."A little dark. But if I had a penny for every time one of Tsubasa's concerts goes wrong, I'd have 2. Which isn't a lot. But it's astonishing to think it happened twice."

"I guess it's true what they say. Once you face death a certain amount of times, you can joke about it, huh?" Ogawa chuckled.

"Hopefully we don't have to worry about that anymore." Jades popped his neck with a moan."I mean, what are the odds of the concert being attacked? By whom? Ryuga? He wouldn't do that."

"Remember there are still two Riders we know nothing about." Yosuke reminded him."That's why I tagged along with you. In case something happened, you'll need backup. The others are back in Japan safely."

"Safety in numbers." The silver-haired man nodded, focusing back on the concert."It feels weird. To rely on people."

After the concert finished, Maria descended down the stage, meeting up with Jades."Jades-nii."

"You were awesome back there." Jades engulfed her in a hug."I'm proud of you."

"I sure hope everyone back home enjoyed the show."

"I wouldn't be worried about that." He grinned. The pair soon were met with a couple of security guards who were there to escort Maria."Sorry, boys. I had to come to see my sister."

"It's not a problem." One of them nodded."You are her manager after all."

"You say that, but it's probably easier for you to keep us both on a leash together." Maria spat, surprising herself with her tone.

"I can guarantee you we only do it for your safety." The other one expressed his feelings."Some people wish to bring harm to the heroes of the world."

"Well, ain't that the truth." Jades laughed in good nature, holding his arm out."Shall we go, milady?"

"Milord." Maria grabbed onto his arm as they were escorted by the guards. They eventually reached the prop room, filled with mannequins.

"So creepy." Jades muttered with a neutral expression."Reminds me of that movie Andreas showed me the other day. The one where the doll took a life of its own and went on a murderous rampage."

"Is that what he's watching?!" Maria gasped."You shouldn't let him! He's unable to fall asleep with his lights off!"

"Trust me, I know. Raiden gave me an earful." The burly man scratched his cheek. They suddenly felt a strong breeze, despite the room having no ventilation."Wind?"

"Here?" Maria gritted her teeth?"Is there someone here?!"

"Through backroom deals and manipulation of the media, the Frontier incident was swept under the rug." A female voice rang from within the mannequins."Jades Demetrios. Maria Cadenzavna Eve. The so-proclaimed tainted heroes."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jades saw a green blur move past Maria and grabbed one of the guards, pulling him into a kiss. Before they could react, the man shriveled up, becoming extremely pale before collapsing on the ground, dead.

The other man drew his gun, firing a total of three bullets at the mysterious woman, who simply swung her dress, creating a veil of wind that deflected the bullets back.

"Without your Symphoghear, you are worthless to me, Maria." The woman eyed Jades, licking her lips."But maybe your brother can entertain me."

"Oh, I'll do more than just that!" Jades pulled out his Tiger Deck, inserting it into his V Buckle as soon as it appeared."Henshin!"

"Getting yourself into a big mess already? That's just like you, Phara."

The group turned to where they had come from, watching as a young man wearing a navy blue tuxedo approached them. He had pale skin, light blue eyes with 3 sets of curved facial markings under his eyes, gills on his shoulders, and sharp triangular teeth. He had curly blue hair with his sides shaved and a pair of orange aviator glasses and a fur scarf around his neck.

"Right on schedule, Damian."

"Another one?" Tiger took a battle stance."What, two-on-one?"

"No. You'll be fighting me." The shark-like young man pulled out a blue deck."Henshin."

In a flash of light, he was clad in blue armor, reminiscing the appearance of a shark.

"That's...!" Maria's eyes shot open.

"The Kamen Rider that Hajime-kun said was in the Frontier." Tiger clicked his tongue.

"I'm Kamen Rider Abyss." Abyss introduced himself, aiming his Abyssvisor, a Remora-type glove that was equipped on his left arm."And you're dead, Tiger."

From his visor, blades made of water emerged, striking Tiger in the chest, and destabilizing his footing. Before he could react, Abyss tackled him, taking him toward the far wall with a huge mirror. Tiger braced himself for the impact, but to his utter shock, not only did it never come, but he could have sworn they went through it. Abyss fired more water blades, launching Tiger across the area to where he was before, except everything looked mirrored.

"Maria?" Tiger glanced around, realizing Maria and the woman from before were gone along with the corpses."Maria! Where are you?!"

"Don't make such a fuzz." Abyss slowly made his way over to him."We're in the Mirror World now. They're back in the real world."

"Mirror...World...?"

"That's right." Abyss snapped his fingers."And this is where you die."

Kamen Riders Remaining:

Ryuki: Hajime Adachi

Knight: Yosuke Yanagi

Zolda: Takeru Sakamoto

Tiger: Jades Demetrios

Imperer: Andreas Kagatsuchi

Raia: Raiden Amaterasu

Odin: ?

Ryuga: Hazuki Kaburagi

Gai: Terunosuke Kuwana

Ouja: Allister Albedo/Code Cypher

Femme: Chiaki Nakahara

Abyss: Damian Schwarzer

Verde: Zeke Crowley

Alternative: ?

Defeated Riders:

Scissors: Goro Tanaka (Killed by Ouja)

Alternative Zero: Dr. Ver (Deck destroyed by Ryuki)

And that's the beginning of GX. Hope you all liked it! Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts or opinions as they're very much appreciated! This will be the season that I expand on the most, so strap on, because we're in for a wild ride.