Ryoutarou
12-06-2006, 08:34 PM
This is my first in a series of three one shots I'm going to be doing. They're all based one of the Kabuto move Riders. I've basically given them my own version of an origin story and changed some things to make this not fit up with GSL or the series. I hope everyone enjoys them.
Kamen Rider Ketaros
~another LOVE~
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Love can transcend anything and everything. It can be the greatest gift this world has to offer and it can be the worst pain a person can feel. Love is what drives so many people in life, love for family, a child, a lover. For some of us, love is something we want to leave behind, not because of pain brought to us by love, but because of the happiness it brought us. A person cannot live their life until they come to accept what has passed, until then, life will continue to leave them behind.
======
In the middle of a barren street between what were once small shops filled with people lay a fallen creature. Its green and coarse skin belonged to something not of this world. Standing before it was a man in bronze armor, looking just as alien as the first creature.
"Well...I guess this is as far as you go." Said the bronze figure with a slight hint of arrogance in his voice. "RIDER BEAT!" He commanded as the brown beetle-like item on his wrist charged up with energy shooting from it as if it was lightning. Running straight at the creature, who could barely move, the figure pounded his fist straight into it, causing it to wriggle in pain for a moment before its body locked up and it exploded, leaving a cloud of green gas and dust in place of where its body once was.
"Just as pathetic as the rest of them." Said the figure. "Alright, Ketaros, that's enough for now." He continued as the beetle-like object on his wrist known as a "Zecter" came to life and flew off into the distance, causing the man's armor to demateralize around him.
In place of the menacing looking warrior now stood a normal man. His head of black hair was starting to turn gray in hardly noticeable places, but he still did his best to hide it. He wore a black dress jacket with the word "ZECT" on the left arm and a black pair of pants, unusual for a man who had just come out of battle.
"Finished that sooner than I thought I would, might as well go home for the night...unless you need me for something else, Mishima." Said the man, without having to look, he could easily tell someone was standing behind him.
"No, that will be all for tonight, good work Yamato." Said the man known as Mishima, pushing his slipping glasses back on his eyes with his index finger.
"And my money?" Asked Yamato with a grin.
"Very well, fifty-three-thousand Yen for one week's work, plus another three for picking up the slack of Hercus and Caucasus." Replied Mishima, throwing a brown pouch at Yamato.
Yamato reached his hand out and caught the pouch. "Thanks, you know how to reach me if you need another job done." Yamato said as he began walking away from Mishima.
"Not even going to count it?" Asked Mishima.
"No reason to, I trust you guys enough not to give me any more or less than what I earned." Replied Yamato without even turning his head back towards Mishima.
"I suppose it won't make any different to a person like him." Mishima thought to himself as he let out a sigh.
Mishima gazed up at the sky, the setting sun allowed for some stars to be visible in the sky at the moment, the fading orange from the sun looked as if the dark blue sky was pushing it away. "We haven't had a night this calm in a long time." Said Mishima as he began walking away from the scene of the battle.
Yamato came to a stop on his way home, he stood at the front of a small shop. Yamato grabbed a random amount of money from his recent payment and entered the shop quickly.
"Ah, Yamato! Haven't seen you around here in a while! How's live been treating ya'?" Asked a jovial old man sitting behind the store's counter. He took his stained blue apron off and walked around the counter to meet Yamato.
"I've been fine, sorry for not coming around as much as I used to." Replied Yamato as he began walking down the isles of the store, with the plump old man following behind.
"That's good to hear, looking for anything in particular?" Asked the man.
"Just getting some flowers, for her..." Replied Yamato in a quiet tone.
"Oh, right, it's been seven years today...I forgot myself. To be honest, I try to keep that event as far away from my mind as I can, you should too. It's not healthy to dwell on such things, Yamato." Said the old man as the two stopped in front of an old wooden cart at the back of the store containing fresh flowers.
"I know...I try not to think about it either, but it's hard not to on days like today." Said Yamato, looking down at the ground, going out of his way to avoid eye contact with the man. "So, how much for these?" Asked Yamato, pointing towards six large bouquets of light yellow flowers.
"Ah...these would run you about twenty-three-thousand." Said the man.
"That's good, I'll take them." Replied Yamato.
"Are you sure?" Asked the man, amazed at Yamato making such a large purchase.
"Sure, I don't really have anything else to spend my money on these days" Said Yamato with a fake smile.
The old man sighed, as if he could see the frown behind Yamato's happy front. "Okay, meet me at the counter, I'll bring them up in about twenty minutes, I have to check some inventory in the back room first." Replied the old man, walking off into a different area of the store, not even waiting for Yamato's reply.
"...sure thing." Said Yamato.
Yamato walked back up the isles, slowly looking through all the merchandise the store had in stock before exiting the store and sitting himself down on an old green bench located at the entrance of the store.
Yamato let out a load sigh as he stretched his arms and laid his head against the wall of the store, looking up at the sky, that had already become dark, he admired the shining stars in the sky. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed such a night. Yamato smiled and closed his eyes, trying to get in a few minutes of sleep.
"Mommy! Mommy! The store's still open!" Yelled a young voice, abruptly ending Yamato's short nap.
"Daichi, don't be so loud." Ordered a female voice.
Yamato opened his eyes to see a young boy, no older than five years, in blue shorts and an orange hat, running down the street and jumping up onto the bench.
"Hi!" Yelled the boy named Daichi.
"Eh...hi?" Replied a dumbfounded Yamato.
"Hi! I'm Daichi!" Yelled the boy once again.
"I'm...Yamato." Replied Yamato, clearly uncomfortable with the child talking to him.
"Daichi, quit bothering the man! Can't you see he was trying to sleep?" Said a dark haired woman in a blue dress walking up to the two.
Without looking at the lady, Yamato replied. "Oh, no, it's no bother, I didn't want to..." Yamato ended his sentence abruptly as he looked up at the lady, his eyes widened as if he had just seen a ghost. "You..." He uttered.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" Asked the lady, grabbing her son off the bench and placing him on his feet again.
Yamato continued looking on in shock. "Umm...you don't..." Said Yamato, unable to finish his sentence.
"Excuse me?" Asked the woman in a kind voice.
"What...what is your name?" Asked Yamato.
"Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me not to introduce myself." Said the lady with a chuckle and a blush upon her face. "My name's Sara, Sara Toyooka." Said the woman.
"And I'm Daichi!" Yelled the child, jumping up and down, trying to grab Yamato's attention.
"I'm Yamato, Yamato Tetsuki." Replied Yamato, still stunned for some unknown reason.
"Well it was nice to meet you, but me and my son need to be moving along now." Replied Sara, with a curious look as she heading into the store. "Daichi! Stop bothering him!" Yelled Sara as she dragged Daichi into the store with her.
"How...this can't be, there's no way it can be her." Thought Yamato. "Sara, Erika? It can't be the same person...there's just no way at all," Continued Yamato as he stood up, looking at the night sky again. "...and with a child? I have to find out what's going on." Said Yamato aloud, with a look of determination upon his face.
Before Yamato could even take one step, he heard a yell coming from within the store and ran as quickly as he could to find its source.
Inside he found Sara, holding Daichi tightly as the two cowered at the green, slimy creature called a "Worm" hissed as them, looking for its next meal.
"Get away from them!" Yelled an enraged Yamato as he jumped into the air an connected a kick to the monster's side, causing it to fall to the floor. "Are you two okay?" Asked a frantic Yamato as he helped both Sara and Daichi up.
"We're fine, is that one of those creatures that have been attacking people?" Asked a fearful Sara.
"Yeah, the Worms...you two better--" Before Yamato could finish his sentence, the Worm rushed at him, sending him flying through the store's wall.
Caught off guard and with no time to reply with any sort of attack of his own, Yamato could only yell out in pain as he made a strong impact on the ground.
"You should have just forgotten today, I told you it was unhealthy to remember these things so often." Said the Worm in the voice of the shop owner.
"No, you're a Worm?" Asked a shocked Yamato as he slowly rose to his feet, clutching his left shoulder with his right hand.
The Worm simply ignored the question and ran towards Yamato, swiping its long nails at him.
"Dammit!" Yelled Yamato as one of the Worm's attacks slash into the side of his face.
Yamato looked back the store, a clearly distraught Sara was still holding onto her child as hard as she could.
"I can't do this in front of them, I can't let them now I'm a Kamen Rider." Yamato thought to himself. "Heh, fine then, I'll just take you on without transforming." Said Yamato with a grin, pulling out a small silver gun from his left pocket.
The Worm hissed at Yamato as the two slowly eyed each other down, walking in circles before either one of them made a move.
"So, how long's the real you been dead?" Asked Yamato, aiming his gun towards the Worm.
"Long enough for to have seen the others pick off your pitiful loved ones." Replied the Worm.
Yamato's eyes widened in shock as those words rung through his head.
"It's funny really, you humans are so much fun to kill usually, but your family wouldn't even beg for their own lives...except for your wife. She was the best, she made killing the others worth it. You should have heard it, her begging for her life and the life of the child in her...it was a wonderful sight indeed. A great welcome to this planet." Said the Worm, laughing cruelly.
"A...child? You monster!" Yelled Yamato, breaking any form of concentration he had. "I'll kill you!" He yelled, firing his weapon at the beast.
The red bursts of energy from the gun bounced off the Worm's armor like skin as if it was a ball.
"Sorry...but I don't have time to play today." Said the Worm as a red mist began to flow from its body and its green skin slowly turned red and fell from its body, revealing a new figure. Where the pupa once stood was now sleek silver and red looking figure with a crab like claw for left hand.
Before Yamato could react, the Worm sped itself up and Yamato was once again hit by its attack, sending him to the floor and knocking him out.
======
"Yamato, wake up. You'll be late for work if you sleep any longer." Echoed a voice in Yamato's head.
"What time is it?" Asked a groggy Yamato, removing the covers over him and yawning.
"It's almost ten, you'll need to be going soon if you wanna get there on time." Said a voice coming from another room.
"Sorry if I kept you up last night, Erika, I had do some more number crunching." Said Yamato as he jumped to his feet and looked around the small and empty room containing only a single bed.
"The bills again?" Asked the voice.
"Yeah, things are starting to get a lot harder to deal with, they're cutting men down at work and I'm afraid we might not be able to make it on our own soon enough." Replied Yamato.
A woman then stepped into the room, her black hair was combed neatly and her blue dress was as clean as ever, a stark contrast to Yamato's food stained white shirt. "Don't worry about it, honey, we'll make it, somehow, we always do. Just do your best at work and we'll both be fine." She said as she walked over the room's one closet and picked out clothes for Yamato.
"Heh...that's easy for you to say. You've got your family to fall back on, what about me? You know how much my family hates me now." Replied Yamato, taking off his dirty white shirt and grabbing the grabbing a towel from the closet.
"You think too much sometimes." Said the woman with a laugh. "You're family doesn't hate you, there's no way that they could ever hate you. Even if they did, I am your wife and we're in this together, I'd never leave you, I love you." Said the woman in a caring voice, wrapping her arms around her husband and giving him a light kiss.
======
"Yamato, wake up. Yamato, please, wake up." Said a voice.
Yamato weakly opened his eyes to see the figure or a dark haired woman. "Erika?" He called out.
"Yamato, it's me, Sara, we met at the store today." Said the figure, whose details were steadily becoming more visible.
"My head...why does it hurt so much?" Yamato asked as he tried to bring himself to his feet but was pushed back down by Erika.
"Don't get up, that thing gave you a pretty good beating." Said Sara.
"Where am I?" Asked Yamato as he looked around the empty room.
"I brought you home with me, you were bleeding pretty heavily so I patched you up." Replied Sara, pointing at the bandages on Yamato's head and arms.
"Thanks for the help, but I need to get going now." Said Yamato with a grunt as he slowly put his ZECT jacket back on.
"You can't go, you're still hurt, you should stay here for the night." Sara said in a worried voice.
"Ha, no need to worry about me, these is a light beating compared to the ones I've taken in the past." Yamato said with a chuckle.
"What does that mean?" Asked a confused Sara.
"Umm...crap." Said Yamato under his breath. "Nothing, I'll be fine, I'm thankful for the care you've given me but really, I'll be fine on my own, there's no need to worry about me." Yamato replied, slowly rising to his feet, trying to hide the fact that he was still obviously in pain.
Yamato took a quick look around the empty little room and began on his way out of the apartment. As he walked down the main hallway, he passed a room with Daichi sleeping in it and paused for a moment.
"Nice kid you've got there, he sorta reminds me of myself that age, just as annoying." Yamato commented with a slight laugh.
"His father died a long time ago, in the incident seven years ago. All of his family as well, they were coming to visit him. It was supposed to be a surprise, it took me a long time to get over what happened. He actually survived the strike, it was those creatures that came with it that killed him and his family."
"The Worms." Said Yamato.
"Worms?" Asked Sara.
"Yeah, the name of the things that came on the meteorite. My family was killed in the initial strike but my wife survived...just not what came after. We would have had a kid as well, at least that's what we were hoping for." Yamato said.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your loss." Said Sara somberly.
"That's life, all we can do is go with it. I hate what this world has become, so instead of wondering what could have been, I do whatever I can to change this world for the better, to get rid of those things. They don't deserve this planet, those monsters killed my wife, they ruined my life, they took everything and everyone from me." He said.
"That sounds horrible, I can't imagine what life would be like for me if I lost Daichi." Commented Sara.
"Just don't think about it, there are those of us that do what we can to protect others. Life is fleeting, if you look away for a moment of ponder what could have been or what might be, you'll eventually find that life has left you in the dust." Yamato said.
Yamato proceeded to head for the door until Sara's hand gently tapped him on his shoulder. "Please, be careful out there." She said.
"Always am." Yamato replied with a grin as he headed out into the night on his way home.
======
Hours later, after returning to his own small home, Yamato laid awake in bed thinking about everything that had happened that night.
"How can this be?" He thought to himself. "She looks exactly like Erika, sounds like her, dresses like her, even has the same mannerisms...yet she isn't Erika? What's going on?" Yamato though as he pensively looked up at the ceiling. "I've gotta find out what's going on, if it's really her...I have to know the truth."
======
"Erika! Erika! Where are you?!" A voice screamed out from a cloud of dust setting upon a pile of rubble.
"Yamato! Please! Help me!" Echoed a Sara's voice from the rubble.
"Erika! Hold on! I'll find you!" Yelled the frantic Yamato.
A confused Yamato made his way around the rubble, not able to see much due to the settling dust. "Erika!" He called out again.
A chilling scream could be heard in the direction Yamato had come from. He ran towards the sound as fast as he could but could not find the source. He felt as if he was in a house of mirrors, every turn he made only put him further and further away from where he needed to be.
"Dammit! Where can she be?" Yamato thought to himself.
"Please...help me..." Said a voice weakly nearby Yamato. Again, the voice weakly called out for help as Yamato stared down to see a bruised woman on the ground. She reached her out slowly, pleading for him to come and save her.
The distraught Yamato could do nothing. The voice called out a third time "Help me..." and a fourth time, weaker with each and every call for help. Yamato looked at the woman, his eyes clearly showing the shock he was in, he did not answer the woman, but simply nodded his head as if to say "No" before running off into the dust once more.
Again, the screams of his wife could be heard. Frustrated by not being able to find her, Yamato yelled out in rage, punching a piece of rubble, not even realizing he had hit directly hit rock.
"I've got to find her, I can't let her suffer, where is she?!" Yelled Yamato. "Erika!" He called out again and again.
Just then, another loud, chilling scream could be heard, this was Erika's voice and it was becoming weaker. Yamato raced in the direction of the scream and this time came upon the body of his wife under a mountain of rubble, being attacked by a green creature he had never before laid eyes on.
"What...is that?" He thought for a moment before realizing the harm is was doing to his wife.
"Get away from her!" Yelled Yamato, picking up a random piece of rubble to throw at the creature. The rubble hit the creature in what seemed to be its head, but it was as if Yamato had thrown nothing.
The creature gave Yamato a cold stare and hissed as it jumped at him, knocking him into the rubble, Yamato's head hit a piece of metal directly, causing him to lose conscious.
======
"Sara...Sara Toyooka...where are you?" Yamato asked himself aloud as he typed her name into a computer and searched for her records in a dark room.
"You shouldn't be in here, Yamato." Said Mishima as he entered the room.
"Please, I don't have time for you right now, I'm doing something important." Yamato replied, annoyed, as he continued searching through the computer records for anything on the person he met yesterday.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." Said Mishima in a blank tone. "Aside from this being a restricted area, you don't want to get yourself involved with that lady." Mishima said.
Yamato stopped typing and stood up to face Mishima. "What do you know? Tell me, I need to know what that woman is." Yamato said.
"No you don't. You need to follow the orders given to you." Mishima replied.
"Tell me, now. What do you know about her? What is it that I don't know? Am I just going crazy or is she--" Mishima interrupted Yamato.
"Erika? Don't be foolish. Your wife is dead, you need to accept that and move on, if you continue down this road, you won't like any of what you're going to find." He said as he walked of the room.
"Mishima!" Yelled Yamato, following him out of the small and dark records room.
The two stood still in a cold and empty hall. "Mishima! What is it that you're keeping from me?" Yamato demanded.
"I suppose I won't do any more to stop you, it isn't my job to babysit the Riders, but you will not like what you find." He said as he walked away once more, leaving Yamato behind.
As Yamato stood silently in the hallway for a moment, he flashed back to Sara saying she had lost her husband in the incident. "She never had a sister...so it can't be that. Why couldn't I find any records on her in the computer?" Yamato asked himself.
Before he could continue wondering, his phone rang.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Yamato, Area 97-Y, 7 pupa Worms along with a crab type. They're really close to a school." Said the person on the other end.
"It's the one from before...the one that...that bastard!" Yamato angrily replied as he hung up the phone and raced outside, jumping on his motorcycle and putting his helmet on. "One way or another, I'm going to get an answer today." He said, sternly as he rode off.
======
"Don't you think we should have done more to stop him?" Mishima asked a man sitting in a chair.
The two were in a dark room with no lights on, looking out of a large window, watching Yamato race off to fight the Worms.
"No. If we stop him from finding out, he'll probably just leave ZECT, we can't have that. With the death of Gatack and Drake, we need all the Riders we have, especially if we're going to stand any chance against NEO-ZECT. So let's just let these Worms come out like this...at that place." Replied the man sitting in the chair.
"Sir, I know...but Yamato will be greatly hurt by this, I don't feel its proper that he know this...more so that he finds out in this manner." Mishima replied.
"What's this? Showing signs of a heart? I'm surprised. Mishima...let me think of our tactics and you do as I tell you, that is your place. Understood?" Said the man in a scolding manner.
"Yes sir. Understood." Replied Mishima blankly.
======
"Remember what I said? We're always going to be together. Don't worry about what our families think, all that matters is that you love me and that I love you, that's all we need to make it in this world."
These words echoed in Yamato's head as he raced down the road. Words that Erika had once told him to never forget. For the last seven years it seemed as if he tried to forget that his family was gone, that his wife was gone, but today, he was finally going to get the answers he had longed for.
The screams of children could be heard growing louder as Yamato finally closed in on the school, jumping off his bike and sending it flying into the back of a Worm.
"Okay then, it's play time." Yamato said with a grin as he held his arm up high. As if out of nowhere, the brown beetle appeared in the sky and flew to a silver brace on Yamato's wrist. "Henshin!" He yelled as he turned the beetle.
"HENSHIN" cried a robotic voice, causing a suit of black and brown armor to appear over Yamato's body, making him become Kamen Rider Ketaros.
Without wasting any time, Yamato went into Clock Up and easily disposed of the seven pupa Worm that were attacking children.
"CLOCK OVER" echoed a robotic voice, allowing Yamato to slow down.
"Now...where the hell is that other Worm?" He though as he looked around the school.
The children he had just saved all ran away, not knowing Ketaros was there to protect them.
"Where are you?!" Yamato demanded to know as he aimlessly walked around the school grounds.
"Up here!" Yelled a voice. "Come and get us, I'm sure you'll love what I've got waiting for you!" Continued the voice in a demonic tone.
"Bastard...there's no way I'm letting him get away from me this time." Yamato thought as he initiated Clock Up again, allowing him to easily make his way up to the roof of the ceiling.
"Nice of you to join us, mister Kamen Rider." Said the Worm mockingly. "Come see what I've got." He said as he stepped to the left to reveal an unconscious Sara and Daichi.
"What did you do to them?! I'll kill you!" Yelled Yamato as he rushed towards the Worm.
"Don't think you can beat me that easily, boy, you've no idea what power I hold." Said the Worm, rushing towards him as well.
The Worm sped itself up and Ketaros soon joined by using Clock Up. The two met on the ground and slowly eyed each other for a moment before running at each other at full force. Ketaros threw a punch only to have it blocked by the Worm, who did the same, connecting his punch.
Yamato grunted in pain and once again ran straight at the Worm, who charged up his claw with energy. As he ran towards the Worm, Yamato charged up his Rider Beat, both attacks hit each other straight on, sending both warriors flying into objects.
Before Ketaros could get up, the Worm charged the ground with energy, shocking Ketaros and sending him flying once more. The Worm grunt and snorted, as if to laugh at Ketaros, who was on the ground in pain, barely able to stand up.
"CLOCK OVER" announced a voice, causing time to flow as normal once more.
The Worm slowly made its way over to Ketaros, who try as he might, could not force himself to stand up. A shadow slowly grew over him as the Worm stood before him and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground once more.
"Stupid human, you have no idea what really is going on, do you?" The Worm asked with an evil laugh.
"Shut up!" Yelled Ketaros.
"Die!" Yelled the Worm as he stamped his foot into Ketaros' back, allowing only to scream in pain.
"You know...this somewhat reminds me of what your woman went through all those years ago. Though I must admit, you are putting up a slightly better fight than she ever could." Said the Worm, once again laughing and stamping his foot into Ketaros' back.
"Shut up!" Ketaros yelled again.
"Die!" Yelled the Worm as he charged his claw once more, preparing to end Ketaros suffering.
"You monster!" Yelled Ketaros. "Why?! She was a defenseless human! She did nothing to you! She couldn't!"
"Oh, boy, I know that...but we had just arrived on this planet...I had to have some fun." The Worm replied, maniacally laughing. "And now, join your bitch in Hell!" It yelled as it thrust its claw towards Ketaros.
"Rider Beat!" Yelled Ketaros, managing to connect his finisher to the Worm's leg, ripping it right off and causing him to fight.
The Worm hissed as purple blood dripped from where its leg once was. "Die! You sickening piece of crap, die!" Yelled Yamato. Before it could do anything to get away, Ketaros ran as fast as he could and grabbed its claw, plunging it into the Worm's own body and causing the beast to finally die in a small explosion.
Just as the dust from explosion settled, the Zecter flew away from Yamato, causing him to nearly fall to his feet.
"Stronger than I thought it would be..." He said to himself as he found a nearby tree to help him stay on his feet.
Yamato began breathing deeply and looking up at the sun, which was at its hottest right now. Yamato laid his head against the tree for another moment before looking at the school, to see Sara standing in front of the entrance, with Daichi still unconscious.
"Yamato!" Sara yelled as she put her son down on the floor and ran towards Yamato.
"Sara..." He said, unable to form full sentences at the moment.
"Yamato...what, what was all this? What happened?" She asked.
"It was--" Yamato let out a long sigh, his grabbed his shoulder, which was now in more pain than ever.
"You're hurt! Here, let me see." Sara said as she grabbed his shoulder.
As she did this, Yamato noticed Sara had a long cut on her arm, the cut was slowly dripping blood. Yamato let out a grunt and closed his eyes in disbelief as he banged his head against the tree.
"Leave me alone." He said, walking away from Sara and towards his motorcycle.
"Yamato, please wait!" She called out.
"Take care of your kid, he doesn't look too good right now." He said as he put his helmet on. "...and you might want to clean that cut up, I'm sure people wouldn't like to know what you really are." He continued. "...you had to use that form to hide yourself...why?" He thought to himself as he started up his motorcycle and rode off.
Sara was left standing alone, wondering what was going on, she looked at the cut that Yamato had pointed out and quickly took out a white napkin to clean it up. She heard Daichi calling for her as she did this and dropped the napkin to run to her son.
Yamato sped up, going faster and faster at every chance he got before he came to a stop light. He looked at his shoulder and wiped away the purple blood left by Sara's cut.
"I know you couldn't have done anything to hurt her...even now, you wouldn't, you have a child. Dammit, Mishima was right...Erika." He sighed as he rode off into the distance at a great speed, soon leaving the city behind.
THE END
Kamen Rider Ketaros
~another LOVE~
======
Love can transcend anything and everything. It can be the greatest gift this world has to offer and it can be the worst pain a person can feel. Love is what drives so many people in life, love for family, a child, a lover. For some of us, love is something we want to leave behind, not because of pain brought to us by love, but because of the happiness it brought us. A person cannot live their life until they come to accept what has passed, until then, life will continue to leave them behind.
======
In the middle of a barren street between what were once small shops filled with people lay a fallen creature. Its green and coarse skin belonged to something not of this world. Standing before it was a man in bronze armor, looking just as alien as the first creature.
"Well...I guess this is as far as you go." Said the bronze figure with a slight hint of arrogance in his voice. "RIDER BEAT!" He commanded as the brown beetle-like item on his wrist charged up with energy shooting from it as if it was lightning. Running straight at the creature, who could barely move, the figure pounded his fist straight into it, causing it to wriggle in pain for a moment before its body locked up and it exploded, leaving a cloud of green gas and dust in place of where its body once was.
"Just as pathetic as the rest of them." Said the figure. "Alright, Ketaros, that's enough for now." He continued as the beetle-like object on his wrist known as a "Zecter" came to life and flew off into the distance, causing the man's armor to demateralize around him.
In place of the menacing looking warrior now stood a normal man. His head of black hair was starting to turn gray in hardly noticeable places, but he still did his best to hide it. He wore a black dress jacket with the word "ZECT" on the left arm and a black pair of pants, unusual for a man who had just come out of battle.
"Finished that sooner than I thought I would, might as well go home for the night...unless you need me for something else, Mishima." Said the man, without having to look, he could easily tell someone was standing behind him.
"No, that will be all for tonight, good work Yamato." Said the man known as Mishima, pushing his slipping glasses back on his eyes with his index finger.
"And my money?" Asked Yamato with a grin.
"Very well, fifty-three-thousand Yen for one week's work, plus another three for picking up the slack of Hercus and Caucasus." Replied Mishima, throwing a brown pouch at Yamato.
Yamato reached his hand out and caught the pouch. "Thanks, you know how to reach me if you need another job done." Yamato said as he began walking away from Mishima.
"Not even going to count it?" Asked Mishima.
"No reason to, I trust you guys enough not to give me any more or less than what I earned." Replied Yamato without even turning his head back towards Mishima.
"I suppose it won't make any different to a person like him." Mishima thought to himself as he let out a sigh.
Mishima gazed up at the sky, the setting sun allowed for some stars to be visible in the sky at the moment, the fading orange from the sun looked as if the dark blue sky was pushing it away. "We haven't had a night this calm in a long time." Said Mishima as he began walking away from the scene of the battle.
Yamato came to a stop on his way home, he stood at the front of a small shop. Yamato grabbed a random amount of money from his recent payment and entered the shop quickly.
"Ah, Yamato! Haven't seen you around here in a while! How's live been treating ya'?" Asked a jovial old man sitting behind the store's counter. He took his stained blue apron off and walked around the counter to meet Yamato.
"I've been fine, sorry for not coming around as much as I used to." Replied Yamato as he began walking down the isles of the store, with the plump old man following behind.
"That's good to hear, looking for anything in particular?" Asked the man.
"Just getting some flowers, for her..." Replied Yamato in a quiet tone.
"Oh, right, it's been seven years today...I forgot myself. To be honest, I try to keep that event as far away from my mind as I can, you should too. It's not healthy to dwell on such things, Yamato." Said the old man as the two stopped in front of an old wooden cart at the back of the store containing fresh flowers.
"I know...I try not to think about it either, but it's hard not to on days like today." Said Yamato, looking down at the ground, going out of his way to avoid eye contact with the man. "So, how much for these?" Asked Yamato, pointing towards six large bouquets of light yellow flowers.
"Ah...these would run you about twenty-three-thousand." Said the man.
"That's good, I'll take them." Replied Yamato.
"Are you sure?" Asked the man, amazed at Yamato making such a large purchase.
"Sure, I don't really have anything else to spend my money on these days" Said Yamato with a fake smile.
The old man sighed, as if he could see the frown behind Yamato's happy front. "Okay, meet me at the counter, I'll bring them up in about twenty minutes, I have to check some inventory in the back room first." Replied the old man, walking off into a different area of the store, not even waiting for Yamato's reply.
"...sure thing." Said Yamato.
Yamato walked back up the isles, slowly looking through all the merchandise the store had in stock before exiting the store and sitting himself down on an old green bench located at the entrance of the store.
Yamato let out a load sigh as he stretched his arms and laid his head against the wall of the store, looking up at the sky, that had already become dark, he admired the shining stars in the sky. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed such a night. Yamato smiled and closed his eyes, trying to get in a few minutes of sleep.
"Mommy! Mommy! The store's still open!" Yelled a young voice, abruptly ending Yamato's short nap.
"Daichi, don't be so loud." Ordered a female voice.
Yamato opened his eyes to see a young boy, no older than five years, in blue shorts and an orange hat, running down the street and jumping up onto the bench.
"Hi!" Yelled the boy named Daichi.
"Eh...hi?" Replied a dumbfounded Yamato.
"Hi! I'm Daichi!" Yelled the boy once again.
"I'm...Yamato." Replied Yamato, clearly uncomfortable with the child talking to him.
"Daichi, quit bothering the man! Can't you see he was trying to sleep?" Said a dark haired woman in a blue dress walking up to the two.
Without looking at the lady, Yamato replied. "Oh, no, it's no bother, I didn't want to..." Yamato ended his sentence abruptly as he looked up at the lady, his eyes widened as if he had just seen a ghost. "You..." He uttered.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" Asked the lady, grabbing her son off the bench and placing him on his feet again.
Yamato continued looking on in shock. "Umm...you don't..." Said Yamato, unable to finish his sentence.
"Excuse me?" Asked the woman in a kind voice.
"What...what is your name?" Asked Yamato.
"Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me not to introduce myself." Said the lady with a chuckle and a blush upon her face. "My name's Sara, Sara Toyooka." Said the woman.
"And I'm Daichi!" Yelled the child, jumping up and down, trying to grab Yamato's attention.
"I'm Yamato, Yamato Tetsuki." Replied Yamato, still stunned for some unknown reason.
"Well it was nice to meet you, but me and my son need to be moving along now." Replied Sara, with a curious look as she heading into the store. "Daichi! Stop bothering him!" Yelled Sara as she dragged Daichi into the store with her.
"How...this can't be, there's no way it can be her." Thought Yamato. "Sara, Erika? It can't be the same person...there's just no way at all," Continued Yamato as he stood up, looking at the night sky again. "...and with a child? I have to find out what's going on." Said Yamato aloud, with a look of determination upon his face.
Before Yamato could even take one step, he heard a yell coming from within the store and ran as quickly as he could to find its source.
Inside he found Sara, holding Daichi tightly as the two cowered at the green, slimy creature called a "Worm" hissed as them, looking for its next meal.
"Get away from them!" Yelled an enraged Yamato as he jumped into the air an connected a kick to the monster's side, causing it to fall to the floor. "Are you two okay?" Asked a frantic Yamato as he helped both Sara and Daichi up.
"We're fine, is that one of those creatures that have been attacking people?" Asked a fearful Sara.
"Yeah, the Worms...you two better--" Before Yamato could finish his sentence, the Worm rushed at him, sending him flying through the store's wall.
Caught off guard and with no time to reply with any sort of attack of his own, Yamato could only yell out in pain as he made a strong impact on the ground.
"You should have just forgotten today, I told you it was unhealthy to remember these things so often." Said the Worm in the voice of the shop owner.
"No, you're a Worm?" Asked a shocked Yamato as he slowly rose to his feet, clutching his left shoulder with his right hand.
The Worm simply ignored the question and ran towards Yamato, swiping its long nails at him.
"Dammit!" Yelled Yamato as one of the Worm's attacks slash into the side of his face.
Yamato looked back the store, a clearly distraught Sara was still holding onto her child as hard as she could.
"I can't do this in front of them, I can't let them now I'm a Kamen Rider." Yamato thought to himself. "Heh, fine then, I'll just take you on without transforming." Said Yamato with a grin, pulling out a small silver gun from his left pocket.
The Worm hissed at Yamato as the two slowly eyed each other down, walking in circles before either one of them made a move.
"So, how long's the real you been dead?" Asked Yamato, aiming his gun towards the Worm.
"Long enough for to have seen the others pick off your pitiful loved ones." Replied the Worm.
Yamato's eyes widened in shock as those words rung through his head.
"It's funny really, you humans are so much fun to kill usually, but your family wouldn't even beg for their own lives...except for your wife. She was the best, she made killing the others worth it. You should have heard it, her begging for her life and the life of the child in her...it was a wonderful sight indeed. A great welcome to this planet." Said the Worm, laughing cruelly.
"A...child? You monster!" Yelled Yamato, breaking any form of concentration he had. "I'll kill you!" He yelled, firing his weapon at the beast.
The red bursts of energy from the gun bounced off the Worm's armor like skin as if it was a ball.
"Sorry...but I don't have time to play today." Said the Worm as a red mist began to flow from its body and its green skin slowly turned red and fell from its body, revealing a new figure. Where the pupa once stood was now sleek silver and red looking figure with a crab like claw for left hand.
Before Yamato could react, the Worm sped itself up and Yamato was once again hit by its attack, sending him to the floor and knocking him out.
======
"Yamato, wake up. You'll be late for work if you sleep any longer." Echoed a voice in Yamato's head.
"What time is it?" Asked a groggy Yamato, removing the covers over him and yawning.
"It's almost ten, you'll need to be going soon if you wanna get there on time." Said a voice coming from another room.
"Sorry if I kept you up last night, Erika, I had do some more number crunching." Said Yamato as he jumped to his feet and looked around the small and empty room containing only a single bed.
"The bills again?" Asked the voice.
"Yeah, things are starting to get a lot harder to deal with, they're cutting men down at work and I'm afraid we might not be able to make it on our own soon enough." Replied Yamato.
A woman then stepped into the room, her black hair was combed neatly and her blue dress was as clean as ever, a stark contrast to Yamato's food stained white shirt. "Don't worry about it, honey, we'll make it, somehow, we always do. Just do your best at work and we'll both be fine." She said as she walked over the room's one closet and picked out clothes for Yamato.
"Heh...that's easy for you to say. You've got your family to fall back on, what about me? You know how much my family hates me now." Replied Yamato, taking off his dirty white shirt and grabbing the grabbing a towel from the closet.
"You think too much sometimes." Said the woman with a laugh. "You're family doesn't hate you, there's no way that they could ever hate you. Even if they did, I am your wife and we're in this together, I'd never leave you, I love you." Said the woman in a caring voice, wrapping her arms around her husband and giving him a light kiss.
======
"Yamato, wake up. Yamato, please, wake up." Said a voice.
Yamato weakly opened his eyes to see the figure or a dark haired woman. "Erika?" He called out.
"Yamato, it's me, Sara, we met at the store today." Said the figure, whose details were steadily becoming more visible.
"My head...why does it hurt so much?" Yamato asked as he tried to bring himself to his feet but was pushed back down by Erika.
"Don't get up, that thing gave you a pretty good beating." Said Sara.
"Where am I?" Asked Yamato as he looked around the empty room.
"I brought you home with me, you were bleeding pretty heavily so I patched you up." Replied Sara, pointing at the bandages on Yamato's head and arms.
"Thanks for the help, but I need to get going now." Said Yamato with a grunt as he slowly put his ZECT jacket back on.
"You can't go, you're still hurt, you should stay here for the night." Sara said in a worried voice.
"Ha, no need to worry about me, these is a light beating compared to the ones I've taken in the past." Yamato said with a chuckle.
"What does that mean?" Asked a confused Sara.
"Umm...crap." Said Yamato under his breath. "Nothing, I'll be fine, I'm thankful for the care you've given me but really, I'll be fine on my own, there's no need to worry about me." Yamato replied, slowly rising to his feet, trying to hide the fact that he was still obviously in pain.
Yamato took a quick look around the empty little room and began on his way out of the apartment. As he walked down the main hallway, he passed a room with Daichi sleeping in it and paused for a moment.
"Nice kid you've got there, he sorta reminds me of myself that age, just as annoying." Yamato commented with a slight laugh.
"His father died a long time ago, in the incident seven years ago. All of his family as well, they were coming to visit him. It was supposed to be a surprise, it took me a long time to get over what happened. He actually survived the strike, it was those creatures that came with it that killed him and his family."
"The Worms." Said Yamato.
"Worms?" Asked Sara.
"Yeah, the name of the things that came on the meteorite. My family was killed in the initial strike but my wife survived...just not what came after. We would have had a kid as well, at least that's what we were hoping for." Yamato said.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your loss." Said Sara somberly.
"That's life, all we can do is go with it. I hate what this world has become, so instead of wondering what could have been, I do whatever I can to change this world for the better, to get rid of those things. They don't deserve this planet, those monsters killed my wife, they ruined my life, they took everything and everyone from me." He said.
"That sounds horrible, I can't imagine what life would be like for me if I lost Daichi." Commented Sara.
"Just don't think about it, there are those of us that do what we can to protect others. Life is fleeting, if you look away for a moment of ponder what could have been or what might be, you'll eventually find that life has left you in the dust." Yamato said.
Yamato proceeded to head for the door until Sara's hand gently tapped him on his shoulder. "Please, be careful out there." She said.
"Always am." Yamato replied with a grin as he headed out into the night on his way home.
======
Hours later, after returning to his own small home, Yamato laid awake in bed thinking about everything that had happened that night.
"How can this be?" He thought to himself. "She looks exactly like Erika, sounds like her, dresses like her, even has the same mannerisms...yet she isn't Erika? What's going on?" Yamato though as he pensively looked up at the ceiling. "I've gotta find out what's going on, if it's really her...I have to know the truth."
======
"Erika! Erika! Where are you?!" A voice screamed out from a cloud of dust setting upon a pile of rubble.
"Yamato! Please! Help me!" Echoed a Sara's voice from the rubble.
"Erika! Hold on! I'll find you!" Yelled the frantic Yamato.
A confused Yamato made his way around the rubble, not able to see much due to the settling dust. "Erika!" He called out again.
A chilling scream could be heard in the direction Yamato had come from. He ran towards the sound as fast as he could but could not find the source. He felt as if he was in a house of mirrors, every turn he made only put him further and further away from where he needed to be.
"Dammit! Where can she be?" Yamato thought to himself.
"Please...help me..." Said a voice weakly nearby Yamato. Again, the voice weakly called out for help as Yamato stared down to see a bruised woman on the ground. She reached her out slowly, pleading for him to come and save her.
The distraught Yamato could do nothing. The voice called out a third time "Help me..." and a fourth time, weaker with each and every call for help. Yamato looked at the woman, his eyes clearly showing the shock he was in, he did not answer the woman, but simply nodded his head as if to say "No" before running off into the dust once more.
Again, the screams of his wife could be heard. Frustrated by not being able to find her, Yamato yelled out in rage, punching a piece of rubble, not even realizing he had hit directly hit rock.
"I've got to find her, I can't let her suffer, where is she?!" Yelled Yamato. "Erika!" He called out again and again.
Just then, another loud, chilling scream could be heard, this was Erika's voice and it was becoming weaker. Yamato raced in the direction of the scream and this time came upon the body of his wife under a mountain of rubble, being attacked by a green creature he had never before laid eyes on.
"What...is that?" He thought for a moment before realizing the harm is was doing to his wife.
"Get away from her!" Yelled Yamato, picking up a random piece of rubble to throw at the creature. The rubble hit the creature in what seemed to be its head, but it was as if Yamato had thrown nothing.
The creature gave Yamato a cold stare and hissed as it jumped at him, knocking him into the rubble, Yamato's head hit a piece of metal directly, causing him to lose conscious.
======
"Sara...Sara Toyooka...where are you?" Yamato asked himself aloud as he typed her name into a computer and searched for her records in a dark room.
"You shouldn't be in here, Yamato." Said Mishima as he entered the room.
"Please, I don't have time for you right now, I'm doing something important." Yamato replied, annoyed, as he continued searching through the computer records for anything on the person he met yesterday.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." Said Mishima in a blank tone. "Aside from this being a restricted area, you don't want to get yourself involved with that lady." Mishima said.
Yamato stopped typing and stood up to face Mishima. "What do you know? Tell me, I need to know what that woman is." Yamato said.
"No you don't. You need to follow the orders given to you." Mishima replied.
"Tell me, now. What do you know about her? What is it that I don't know? Am I just going crazy or is she--" Mishima interrupted Yamato.
"Erika? Don't be foolish. Your wife is dead, you need to accept that and move on, if you continue down this road, you won't like any of what you're going to find." He said as he walked of the room.
"Mishima!" Yelled Yamato, following him out of the small and dark records room.
The two stood still in a cold and empty hall. "Mishima! What is it that you're keeping from me?" Yamato demanded.
"I suppose I won't do any more to stop you, it isn't my job to babysit the Riders, but you will not like what you find." He said as he walked away once more, leaving Yamato behind.
As Yamato stood silently in the hallway for a moment, he flashed back to Sara saying she had lost her husband in the incident. "She never had a sister...so it can't be that. Why couldn't I find any records on her in the computer?" Yamato asked himself.
Before he could continue wondering, his phone rang.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Yamato, Area 97-Y, 7 pupa Worms along with a crab type. They're really close to a school." Said the person on the other end.
"It's the one from before...the one that...that bastard!" Yamato angrily replied as he hung up the phone and raced outside, jumping on his motorcycle and putting his helmet on. "One way or another, I'm going to get an answer today." He said, sternly as he rode off.
======
"Don't you think we should have done more to stop him?" Mishima asked a man sitting in a chair.
The two were in a dark room with no lights on, looking out of a large window, watching Yamato race off to fight the Worms.
"No. If we stop him from finding out, he'll probably just leave ZECT, we can't have that. With the death of Gatack and Drake, we need all the Riders we have, especially if we're going to stand any chance against NEO-ZECT. So let's just let these Worms come out like this...at that place." Replied the man sitting in the chair.
"Sir, I know...but Yamato will be greatly hurt by this, I don't feel its proper that he know this...more so that he finds out in this manner." Mishima replied.
"What's this? Showing signs of a heart? I'm surprised. Mishima...let me think of our tactics and you do as I tell you, that is your place. Understood?" Said the man in a scolding manner.
"Yes sir. Understood." Replied Mishima blankly.
======
"Remember what I said? We're always going to be together. Don't worry about what our families think, all that matters is that you love me and that I love you, that's all we need to make it in this world."
These words echoed in Yamato's head as he raced down the road. Words that Erika had once told him to never forget. For the last seven years it seemed as if he tried to forget that his family was gone, that his wife was gone, but today, he was finally going to get the answers he had longed for.
The screams of children could be heard growing louder as Yamato finally closed in on the school, jumping off his bike and sending it flying into the back of a Worm.
"Okay then, it's play time." Yamato said with a grin as he held his arm up high. As if out of nowhere, the brown beetle appeared in the sky and flew to a silver brace on Yamato's wrist. "Henshin!" He yelled as he turned the beetle.
"HENSHIN" cried a robotic voice, causing a suit of black and brown armor to appear over Yamato's body, making him become Kamen Rider Ketaros.
Without wasting any time, Yamato went into Clock Up and easily disposed of the seven pupa Worm that were attacking children.
"CLOCK OVER" echoed a robotic voice, allowing Yamato to slow down.
"Now...where the hell is that other Worm?" He though as he looked around the school.
The children he had just saved all ran away, not knowing Ketaros was there to protect them.
"Where are you?!" Yamato demanded to know as he aimlessly walked around the school grounds.
"Up here!" Yelled a voice. "Come and get us, I'm sure you'll love what I've got waiting for you!" Continued the voice in a demonic tone.
"Bastard...there's no way I'm letting him get away from me this time." Yamato thought as he initiated Clock Up again, allowing him to easily make his way up to the roof of the ceiling.
"Nice of you to join us, mister Kamen Rider." Said the Worm mockingly. "Come see what I've got." He said as he stepped to the left to reveal an unconscious Sara and Daichi.
"What did you do to them?! I'll kill you!" Yelled Yamato as he rushed towards the Worm.
"Don't think you can beat me that easily, boy, you've no idea what power I hold." Said the Worm, rushing towards him as well.
The Worm sped itself up and Ketaros soon joined by using Clock Up. The two met on the ground and slowly eyed each other for a moment before running at each other at full force. Ketaros threw a punch only to have it blocked by the Worm, who did the same, connecting his punch.
Yamato grunted in pain and once again ran straight at the Worm, who charged up his claw with energy. As he ran towards the Worm, Yamato charged up his Rider Beat, both attacks hit each other straight on, sending both warriors flying into objects.
Before Ketaros could get up, the Worm charged the ground with energy, shocking Ketaros and sending him flying once more. The Worm grunt and snorted, as if to laugh at Ketaros, who was on the ground in pain, barely able to stand up.
"CLOCK OVER" announced a voice, causing time to flow as normal once more.
The Worm slowly made its way over to Ketaros, who try as he might, could not force himself to stand up. A shadow slowly grew over him as the Worm stood before him and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground once more.
"Stupid human, you have no idea what really is going on, do you?" The Worm asked with an evil laugh.
"Shut up!" Yelled Ketaros.
"Die!" Yelled the Worm as he stamped his foot into Ketaros' back, allowing only to scream in pain.
"You know...this somewhat reminds me of what your woman went through all those years ago. Though I must admit, you are putting up a slightly better fight than she ever could." Said the Worm, once again laughing and stamping his foot into Ketaros' back.
"Shut up!" Ketaros yelled again.
"Die!" Yelled the Worm as he charged his claw once more, preparing to end Ketaros suffering.
"You monster!" Yelled Ketaros. "Why?! She was a defenseless human! She did nothing to you! She couldn't!"
"Oh, boy, I know that...but we had just arrived on this planet...I had to have some fun." The Worm replied, maniacally laughing. "And now, join your bitch in Hell!" It yelled as it thrust its claw towards Ketaros.
"Rider Beat!" Yelled Ketaros, managing to connect his finisher to the Worm's leg, ripping it right off and causing him to fight.
The Worm hissed as purple blood dripped from where its leg once was. "Die! You sickening piece of crap, die!" Yelled Yamato. Before it could do anything to get away, Ketaros ran as fast as he could and grabbed its claw, plunging it into the Worm's own body and causing the beast to finally die in a small explosion.
Just as the dust from explosion settled, the Zecter flew away from Yamato, causing him to nearly fall to his feet.
"Stronger than I thought it would be..." He said to himself as he found a nearby tree to help him stay on his feet.
Yamato began breathing deeply and looking up at the sun, which was at its hottest right now. Yamato laid his head against the tree for another moment before looking at the school, to see Sara standing in front of the entrance, with Daichi still unconscious.
"Yamato!" Sara yelled as she put her son down on the floor and ran towards Yamato.
"Sara..." He said, unable to form full sentences at the moment.
"Yamato...what, what was all this? What happened?" She asked.
"It was--" Yamato let out a long sigh, his grabbed his shoulder, which was now in more pain than ever.
"You're hurt! Here, let me see." Sara said as she grabbed his shoulder.
As she did this, Yamato noticed Sara had a long cut on her arm, the cut was slowly dripping blood. Yamato let out a grunt and closed his eyes in disbelief as he banged his head against the tree.
"Leave me alone." He said, walking away from Sara and towards his motorcycle.
"Yamato, please wait!" She called out.
"Take care of your kid, he doesn't look too good right now." He said as he put his helmet on. "...and you might want to clean that cut up, I'm sure people wouldn't like to know what you really are." He continued. "...you had to use that form to hide yourself...why?" He thought to himself as he started up his motorcycle and rode off.
Sara was left standing alone, wondering what was going on, she looked at the cut that Yamato had pointed out and quickly took out a white napkin to clean it up. She heard Daichi calling for her as she did this and dropped the napkin to run to her son.
Yamato sped up, going faster and faster at every chance he got before he came to a stop light. He looked at his shoulder and wiped away the purple blood left by Sara's cut.
"I know you couldn't have done anything to hurt her...even now, you wouldn't, you have a child. Dammit, Mishima was right...Erika." He sighed as he rode off into the distance at a great speed, soon leaving the city behind.
THE END