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(This is a sequel to the story 'Evil Life, Evil Wife. In order to get the full experience and understand the story and setting properly, please read the prequel first. Thank you!) Every little thing of the past few hours had been a heated blur. Blood. Fire. The smell of ashes. The nasty grasp of frostbite. Hands, tensed up into fists so tightly that they threatened to obstruct the flow of blood to his fingertips. Echoes of screams, ringing through his ears. His own voice, the voices of his enemies, the sound of weapons clashing against his armor - they all meshed together into a desperate cacophony, drowning out any notion of logical thought. To Raichi Ikeda, that was what it meant to lose his best friend to the enemy - what it meant to lose himself to pure rage. Every time his eyes regained focus, every time his head cleared up, he had already been in a different place entirely, not realizing what had happened since the last time he had lost his conscious thoughts. Amidst the chaos in his head, there was only one thing driving him forward. Naoya. He had to get to Naoya! Everyone had to pay! The entire T Liberation Empire had to pay for taking away his comrade Naoya! A frustrated, almost primal shout was bellowing out of the deepest regions of his body as yet another one of his leads had led to nowhere - he needed to find him! He needed to find him quick, and get him back! Never again! Never again should Naoya be hurt because of him! He never wanted to feel this crushing guilt again, and yet here he was, letting Naoya be kidnapped when he wasn't careful enough for a while! He should have stopped him! Absolute silence should have never been allowed again between the two of them! Why? Why did he have to give the okay to something he knew would lead nowhere good? On pure instinct, the hero rushed through the streets of the city like a man possessed, hunting for any minion of his enemy that he could find. One of them had to know the way! They just had to! He did not care how much he was hurting his own body by using modes of his armor that were still in development - anything that would help him find his way even a second quicker would be used, no matter the consequences to his own body! It didn't matter to him that the imperfect Chill Mode caused him to develop frostbite on his shoulder. He didn't care that Storm Mode's recoil blasted him straight into a wall, roughing up his back in ways that would have taken out any regular person without a powered suit of armor. Even the fact that Gravity Mode was threatening to mess up his legs entirely didn't concern him - he couldn't allow a soul as friendly as Naoya to be harmed any further, his own body be damned! In his righteous fury, everything played out like in a movie - and yet, he wasn't even allowed to be a spectator. His body moved on its own. His lips spouted words without any of his input. His brain was entirely disconnected from the reality facing him. His eyes were receiving pictures of his surroundings, and yet, none of them ever came into contact with the actual mind within him - no, if anything, he had a closer resemblance to a feral animal than an actual human being, even though he was capable of restraining himself from performing the final step between him and a beast. Enraged as he was, his body refused to outright kill human beings - however, inflicting pain on villains was another story entirely. Finally standing in front of the entrance to their lair, he punched the massive door out of its restraints without so much as batting an eye - and with it, the first line of defense was greeting him. "So, so. The worm finally graces us with his presence. Do not think I have forgotten what you did to my daughter - this time, you will have to deal with the heat-resistant me! Are you ready to go down to the ground, groveling in front of your better? Kneel, Rider Raichi! Do not even attempt to hinder our wonderful Dark Emperor!" Words that never reached the Raichi who was actually capable of conscious thought - no, they simply got lost in the void that was between his head and his brains. Lost to the flame that was his rage, without so much as questioning what he had heard for a single second. "You are that villainous scum who intended to hurt the girl Naoya liked. Don't think coming back from hell will give you another shot at me - begone from my sight! Rider Raichi, Chill Mode, suit up! Experience my icy retribution!" "Wait, wait, we can talk about this, do not do this, stop it this instance, I tell you, sto-" But he didn't stop. In his current state of mind, he wasn't capable of mercy, he wasn't capable of self-preservation. With astonishing quickness, the Gooey Goddess' body started to harden - all the way from where her feet would have been, the ice spread across her green body, coating every single nook and cranny of hers. Within moments, the slime girl could tell - this wasn't the kind of ice Thoughtfreeze was making use of, the kind that was there to further a goal of hers, a means to an end. No, this ice was a weapon, with the intent to kill behind it - and she was completely helpless to resist it. She cursed her luck - there was never anything she could have done about this. She knew that if she dedicated all of her efforts, she would be capable of surviving a couple of days in this ice - the only option for her would be to put this fight into the hands of those more capable than her, and pray they would be victorious, allowing her for an opportunity to thaw out. Her face frozen stiff in a mixture of fear and rage, the Gooey Goddess had become little more than an ice statue - and as close as Rider Raichi had been to shatter it into tiny little pieces, he resisted that urge, and pulled back his fist at the very last second. There would be time for this act later - right now, every second counted if he wanted to make sure that Naoya was safe and sound! Even with the frostbite extending further below his shoulders, not so much as a gasp of pain came from his lips. "Nyahahaha, the time for a grudge match has come! Last time I may have had to run from nyu, but nyu will see that the tables have turned nyow! Get rea- Wait, what did nyu do to slimy? Only I am allowed to mess with her!" Already, there was the next challenger waiting for him, that annoying cat girl whose name he had already long since forgotten - but there was no time to play around! If two commanders were in this very hall, the big boss couldn't be far! "Out of my sight! Rider Raichi, Storm Mode, suit up! Blow her away!" With his suit shifting hue from a dark, deep blue to a much lighter shade of blue, the air seemed to distort around him, with debris being tossed left and right by unseen hands. With a swipe of his arm, he sent a gust of wind towards the unprepared Captain Katze, sharp as a sickle - however, even with her cheek, left arm and boob being cut by the wind, her smile only grew wider and more feral. This was the kind of hunt, the kind of prey that she was enjoying the most! "Oh, nyow nyu're on, Rider Raichi! Scratch for a scratch, taste these claws!" Like a cheetah, the girl leaped at him - and yet, in midair, she was already flung to the ground, leaving behind a small crater. Barely being able to move her head, she looked up at her adversary - already, Rider Raichi was donning the purple suit of his Gravity Mode, keeping the girl in her place. However, the smile was not lost on her - she knew what this turn of event meant. Gravity Mode, one of the most powerful tools at his disposal - wielding that much unnatural force took a heavy toll on one's body, and unlike her superior self, Rider Raichi was only human - in the grand scheme of things, his bones were brittle, his body inferior. Right now, the hero was probably on pure adrenaline, not minding the consequences of his action - and something told her that this was not the first time he had used the mode throughout the afternoon. It suited her fine - in exchange for a little bit of pain, he would be softened up enough for Dark Emperor herself. His body weakened, his mind pushed to the brink - just the thing that the lady had been asking for. It might have hurt, but Rider Raichi would be the one to be on the losing side - he just hadn't realized it yet. Down her arm, she could feel a little bit of blood trickling down from the wound inflicted by Storm Mode, but that was a price she was willing to pay - it was nothing a night with one of these lovely nurses couldn't fix. Smiling to herself at the thought of that, she closed her eyes, pretending to have passed out - she did her work. It would be up to her lady to finish up the rest. Raichi of course had been completely fooled - simple as his thoughts had become, he did not even bother to verify whether Captain Katze was conscious, or even alive in the first place. No, the only thing of importance to him was the large, ornate door at the end of the long corridor - there was no mistaking what would be behind it. Even without accounting for its size, its presence, the husk of Raichi could feel the overwhelmingly evil presence permeating behind its wood - Dark Emperor had to be behind it! And then, there would be answers, or violence - in all likelihood, even both. Reverting from Gravity Mode to return back to his default green armor, Rider Raichi kicked down the door, removing it from its hinges with a surprising show of force, as if the wounds across his body were never present to begin with. There it was - a large, lavish room, red carpet leading to a massive pair of thrones. On it, two people - Dark Emperor in the flesh, and a woman clinging tightly to his arm. His blood was boiling - seeing the guy responsible for this entire disaster, his rage once again spiked. "Villainous scum! Return Naoya to me at once, or not even King Enma himself will be able to save you from what I am about to do to you!" It was the best thing he was able to come up with - and yet, the venom coating his words was enough to convince anyone he meant business. This was a threat he was being extremely serious about - nobody would be able to quench his wrath, and if Dark Emperor would take him lightly, he wouldn't live to regret it! It didn't matter how wrecked his body already was, he would show no mercy! Dark Emperor, however, did not seem to feel threatened at all - if anything, an almost triumphant laughter echoed through the room as he stood up from his throne, the woman beside him immediately following suit in an effort to keep clinging to him. "What a simple-minded, blind fool of a friend you are, Rider Raichi! Letting your closest ally out of sight, and blaming me, the lord of an empire, with your own failure? You are a disgrace, unbecoming of the title of hero!" No, no, he wasn't! A hero always set things right in the end, and there was no way this event would be any different! Rider Raichi would once again be victorious, would once again rid the world of its most evil threat! It was the very foundation of himself, the belief to be on the side of courage and justice! Attributes that shined their light on the forces of good, ensuring their victory! His words, however, conveyed much less of these heroics he took pride in so much. "Shut it with your semantics, you lump of metal! Where the hell is Naoya? If he's not here by the count of three, you can start preparing for that armor to become your smoldering coffin! Rider Raichi, Heat Mo-" Before even being able to initiate his heroic transformation sequence, however, Dark Emperor's laughter only grew louder - what the hell was so funny about this? Did this madman revel so much in the chaos he caused? "Take a good look, oh you blind fool! What kind of hero does not even recognize their own inspiration when it is right in front of them?" Yeah right, as if a villain and his little harlot were ever any form of inspiration to him! "What the hell are you babbling on about?" "Your ignorance is astonishing, Rider Raichi. Are you truly this blinded without Naoya by your side? Were you ever a worthy companion to begin with? Why don't we let my dear wife Naomi be the judge of that?" Balling his hands into a fist even harder than before, Raichi would have cut his own hands from the sheer pressure he was applying to himself, if it wasn't for his armor protecting him from this kind of self-inflicted injury. Why should he care what some promiscuous harlot had to think about him? What did it matter to know her name? Who was this girl to judge? This was a matter between him and Dark Emperor entirely, about Naoya's safety! Some piece of arm candy shouldn't get between them! As she turned around, she was giving him the dirtiest look of pure disgust - but why should he care? She was a complete stranger. In a way she looked just a little familiar, but what did she have to do with the matter at hand, to the point that this villainous scum wanted her opinion on him? Somewhere, in a corner of his head that had grown separated from the rest of him in his rage, the gears started turning. The way that long hair was snaking its way down her body, her curves, the way it shimmered in its pure darkness - he had seen something like this before, some time in his distant past. But where? Black hair, as dark as the night itself, about to swallow up his retinas in their entirety. "Take care of little Naoya, won't you Raichi? He's such a timid little boy, please protect him if anyone is bullying him! Don't be out too late, would you please return by five?" A distant, hazy memory. A woman, with long, black hair, just like the person currently in front of him. Himself as a little boy, no older than eight years old. And little Naoya, black hair just as marvelous as the one his mother Chitose was sporting, albeit so much shorter, as was appropriate for a boy. A memory from so long ago, he had almost forgotten about it entirely - so why was it suddenly resurfacing like this? They were heading for the playground on that day, but he couldn't remember anymore what happened afterwards - what was the point in this? Why was he remembering auntie Chitose and little Naoya all of a sudden? Naomi. Dark Emperor was calling this woman Naomi. She had the same hair, but this wasn't Naoya's mother - the name did not match, and by now, auntie Chitose's once fabulous hair had already started graying. He never had a sister either, nor any cousin by that name. Naomi. It sounded similar. So similar to Naoya. Could it be? But then... how? Dark Emperor's power? Somebody else? What... what was going on here? Within an instant, as the woman gave him an expression as if he was even lower than a cockroach, the rational part of Raichi's mind swung back into his own head in full force, like a rubber band that had reached the limits of its elasticity and was now being let go of, snapping back at breakneck speed. The realization was starting to sink in - and already, cracks were starting to form inside of his heart. "N-Naoya? Is that...? What the hell did this guy do to you? Naoya, wake up, it's me, your best friend! I-it's me, Raichi Ikeda! W-why are you looking at me with eyes like that? Don't you remember me? Hey, Naoya! Listen to me!" No, no, no! This couldn't be! This had to be a lie, an illusion, some sort of trickery! No, please no! Did he fail Naoya once again? Why? He worked so hard to always keep Naoya safe! He promised to never let him get into any danger ever again! Why? Why did he allow things to come this way? Why was Naoya there, changed into a woman, converted to the bad guy's side, not even remembering anymore? His face! That had to be it! Rider Raichi had only existed for a little less than three years, and even then, he never wore the mask permanently! Only when it was time to fight a villain did he don his armor, and in most of these instances, Naoya was never around - he was watching through the armor, instead of from the outside! Of course! Hahaha, of course! That had to be it! Naoya wouldn't recognize this armor, this mask, how could he have been so stupid! His own face, that was what Naoya had been seeing his entire life - not this crazy mask! In a hurry, he forced off his mask, not even caring that he did not do it in the proper way of calling out the reversal incantation. There it was, the face that Naoya had always been seeing - in a far rougher state than it usually was, with disheveled hair, cuts across his forehead, and ice creeping up his neck from overuse of his power. And yet, Naoya just had to recognize these features! There could be no way he wouldn't! They had shared so many experiences together, did so many things in each other's presence, all of these memories had to mean something! Some of these had to go through to his childhood friend, they just had to! However, everything was in vain. Not only did the look of disgust and pure disdain grow stronger on her face - no, after a moment, she turned away from him in pure disinterest, more content in in paying attention to Dark Emperor beside her. Shit, this just couldn't be! There had to be a way! A way to free him from the villain's grasp once and for all! It was in that moment that his darkest thoughts had hit him. Kill. Kill Dark Emperor. Tear out his limbs, gouge out his heart, burn him to cinders, scatter the ashes. Certainly, that had to do the trick. It worked on that slime girl. They were all one and the same. Villains. Villains to the core! Villains that had to be eradicated! He didn't even see Naoya leaving - no, when his crazed eyes focused on Dark Emperor again, he was standing there, in an imposing fighting stance. "I see you have prepared your heart and soul to end this once and for all. Let me commend that fighting spirit and determination of yours - even backed into a corner, you still cling to a shred of hope, not knowing that it has already been consumed by the night. Very well! As a sign of respect, allow me to bestow you with the honor of looking at my face - burn it into your memory, Rider Raichi, for it will be the last thing you shall ever see!" For a moment, it did not even register to him how Dark Emperor flung his helmet away, revealing that he was anything but a him - a beautiful woman was underneath the armor, long, red hair framing tanned skin. He was ready to lunge at her, to go for the throat - and yet, his body would not move. He was only able to stand there, looking ahead... looking ahead... into those accursed blue eyes. Drawing him in, dragging him down to the bottom of the ocean. What? Huh...? What... was going on? Why did the world suddenly look larger? He didn't realize, couldn't realize, that he had already fallen to his knees, or that he had fallen straight into Dark Emperor's ability - having lost control over his own body, he could no longer even use the force of will that allowed him to keep standing, that allowed him to keep moving in the first place. He had pushed his body far beyond his physical limitations long ago in his enraged frenzy, and only soldiered on through his single-minded determination to right the wrongs he was so obviously perceiving! It was such a humiliation! There she was, Dark Emperor in the flesh, and there was nothing he could do! Naoya was so close, to the degree that normally he could have just rushed forward and grabbed him, and yet, his body wouldn't obey! No. Would Naoya even let him do this? If Dark Emperor's grasp on him was this tight, Naoya would resist, maybe even try to hit him back - but if it meant taking him back to safety, then a few punches wouldn't matter! If only his body would move! He didn't care if it brought even more pain to him! Naoya needed to be saved! Dark Emperor, meanwhile, was inspecting him with a pensive, questioning look - as if she herself was figuring out where to proceed from this near-certain victory she had arrived at. The way she was holding onto her chin with her gloved hand, the way she looked down at him, straight into his eyes - it only served to piss him off even further! Yet even with that fire burning so brightly within him, there was nothing. He could feel his entire body - the bones crying out in pain, the frostbite chewing away at him, the bruises on his back from crashing into walls time and time again. Not a single cell within his body eluded his consciousness - and yet, nothing beyond it. "How strange it is, this turn of events. So utterly bizarre. What is the point in your struggle, I wonder? To show somebody you do not agree with her place? To return your friend to normal, continuing the status quo?" With slow and deliberate steps, she walked forwards, making sure to keep up eye-contact - and by the time there was only an arm's length or two between them, she sat down in front of him, cross-legged. Carefully, she placed her elbow on her thigh, supporting her face by letting it rest on her hand. "To think that in the past, there was a time when I considered it to be fine for the world to be left in your hands, Rider Raichi. A day when I saw you resisting the Eternal Void Army, protecting humanity so gallantly in that green armor of yours. I wonder what changed? The hero that so dashingly made sure no innocent ever came to harm, even extended a hand to the defeated who could still be redeemed, started using force in more and more excessive ways. Was that all a heroic oath came down to? Getting drunk on newfound powers, using them without a clear goal in mind?" For a while, she simply looked at him silently, her expression disappointed. It wasn't like she was expecting an answer from him - she knew that he couldn't. Captured as he was, Rider Raichi was still a super hero - some of his powers were accessible with mere thoughts, and yet, he still needed an incantation to switch to his more dangerous modes. It was a blessing, really, that he decided to switch to his regular form just before the battle - they could have handled him regardless, but this made things significantly easier for her. "I saw what you did to Immortal Khan. It was hard not to, in all honesty - the entire world broadcasted your victory. There wasn't even the slightest trace of his original form remaining. Mauled, torn apart beyond recognition. What made you so different from him? What made you so different from anyone else, really? People cheered you on, because you were on their side. The magnificent hero, making sure that nobody on planet earth had to worry about the evil, evil invaders from space! You couldn't make it a more heroic, magnificent tale if you tried, don't you agree? It was straight out of a movie. A divine script handed to you! Where you could be in the starring role, making sure that everything could go on as it always had!" What was she getting at? Was she seriously about to give him a lecture? She, the villain? Of course he had to make sure Immortal Khan was deader than dead, no matter how gruesome it had been - the name was not for show, for anything less than what he did would have lead to the big bad straight up reviving himself from scratch again! What was she going on about with the status quo? The world was wonderful, of course he would risk his life protecting it! But of course! She was a villain, one of the worst kinds of scum in this world! Of course she wanted something much more suitable to her needs! If only he could move his lips! He would tear her apart with Storm Mode, cocky as she was! Move, lips! Move! "Tell me, was it worth it?" Of course, the question was rhetorical - she knew full and well that his silence would continue, and that his rage would smolder further within him. He was so predictable - so much of a representative of the world she so utterly hated in its current state. All force, all rage, all power, keeping the world in stasis. "Of course, you do not need to answer this - you cannot, after all. You are just the same. The mask may be prettier, may sport less blemishes, but there is no difference between you and any sort of invader. You are the same as the leaders of this world, using your powers in ways that keep you at the top, but change nothing for anyone else. You are the same as a common soldier, pulling that trigger when a person in power tells you to, without questioning whether there is more to things that you do not understand. After all, you do not need to, do you? Everything is so much easier in a simple black and white. You, the glorious hero. Us, the villainous scum. Have you ever considered what it is our empire hopes to achieve? What if I would tell you that it is to the benefit of everyone, Rider Raichi?" For a moment, she stopped supporting her head with her hand, and instead moved it to grab Raichi's unprotected chin - there was pressure behind it, but not necessarily force, for she did not intend to mutilate a fallen adversary. No, she was above the methods that the ones she despised were applying - there was no point in this cycle of violence, if it could be helped. "Just imagine, a world of feminine bliss! No further struggles for power, as the warmongers of old lose their status, their very bodies that allowed them to exert their influence in the first place! I have no interest in torturing civilians, beyond giving them a trip to the fairer side of life. Those in my sights are the ones that abuse their powers, that perpetuate this eternal cycle - they, and only they, shall become the minions that make up my ranks." To Raichi, it was hypocrisy of the highest magnitude - then why did they ever kidnap Naoya? Why did they change him into this? Naoya was the sweetest, most gentle person he had ever met, always pouring his heart out for his friends, always supporting them even at the cost of himself! Then why did they have to take him? Why did they have to change him beyond recognition, just like that? "I can see that you are a doubter, Rider Raichi. 'Then what of my dearest friend'? Is that what you wonder? Naomi was but a victim of this world. A beautiful, radiant soul, slowly being poisoned by what blights this world, your very presence. Somebody destined for great things - yet also somebody that has been dragged down by the very same system hoping to not be usurped. One that wants to deny people the power they actually have. Wants to make them feel unworthy, keep them down forever, so that nothing at the top ever changes. Would it not be villainous of me to not extend a helping hand? To give her the confidence she needs, to help guide this world into a better direction? To help her become the kind of person she should have been from the very beginning? Radiating that beauty for the entire world to see. Applying her daring, feminine touch to the world, making it a better place. She is the best partner I could possibly hope for - it was her who accepted the throne at my side. Don't you see it? Everything you did, it only served to stifle the potential Naomi had. And now, she recognizes that." With the blood rushing through his head once again, Raichi wanted to end this farce - and as if by a sheer miracle, his body seemed to listen to him. By sheer willpower, he actually managed to move his hand - and yet, it ended up being a pathetic effort, for after a second, he already was not the master over his body again. Five centimeters. That was all his willpower had led him towards. Five mere centimeters. "Oh my, how scary! To think that even under my spell, you could still resist to such a degree! Have you been stained by this world to such a degree? That even revealing the truth is met with denial this intense? I pity you, Rider Raichi. I really do. You are but a cog in a machine, thinking himself to be the core that is indispensable. In truth, the world does not care about you. It does not matter to the world that you were the one to receive the powers you did - only that somebody received them. Why, if there had been a Rider Ashito, a Rider Yusuke, a Rider Shinji, do you think the general public would have cared that Rider Raichi wasn't there in their place? To them, you are a convenient tool - one that allows them to avert their eyes from the inconvenient truth. They do not need to think hard about their actions, or where it leads them. The big, strong hero will make sure that nothing ever changes! The cozy lives where some are inherently much more powerful than others protected forevermore! People praise you, make you feel good about yourself. Perhaps deep down, you realize it yourself. All you do is to return violence with more violence. But being a hero allows you to avert your eyes. It allows you to tell yourself that you are in the right. Perhaps, that things are out of your control. That there is nothing else a hero could do. In the end, you are but a child. A petulant child forced to grow up in ways the world mandates, even though they are not what the child actually needs. A child burdened with the responsibility of power, power that is much too big for its own hands. Allow me to repeat - I pity you, Rider Raichi. That admiration I used to have did not come out of nowhere, and getting to know Naomi has taught me many things about you as well. You have qualities that would be enviable on any person in the world. The urge to protect. The urge to care. Empathy to connect with those who do not share your abilities. Yet, you have become a corrupted version of these values. Clinging to them so tightly that the moment they look out of reach, you become a feral beast. Empathy so great, coupled with the expectations people have of you, that you let your own rage consume you, caring less and less about justice, only retribution. You are not a hero. Not anymore. But this burden had been too great for you from the very beginning. It is not what your heart needed. Rider Raichi. You have inflicted a great deal of pain on my beloved subjects. I cannot ascertain what it is exactly that you did on your raid today, but seeing this expression of yours, I have my suspicions. My creed would put you on the same level as the people that end up as my minions. Yet, I can realize that this creed has some flaws to it. A soul that has known nothing but fighting. Nothing but violence. Would it not be hypocritical of me to take such a light in this world, and immediately return it to the front line? A fight for a noble cause it may be, but it will not cure a fractured heart, no. For you, I have a much better role in mind. To allow you to heal, to make use of your guiding lights. To help you be the person you should have been from the very beginning. Perhaps then, you and Naomi can bring true happiness to each other." It was a speech that left Raichi fuming, desperate to call upon the forces that allowed him to move once more. This woman was insane, down to her last brain cell! It did not matter how much he was hurting inside! It didn't matter at all! Anything, a prayer to a god, a pact with the devil, anything would do! He just wanted to give her a good slug, a personal meeting with the ground below her, anything that would allow him to break free and reclaim for Naoya! He always selflessly dedicated himself to Naoya! Shared his earnings with him, watched out for his health, protected him from bullies, trained him up when it looked like he would fail his physical exams! There could have been no possible way that Naoya was hurting on the inside! There was no way this could have been him taking advantage of Naoya! She was lying through her teeth! And yet, there was no denying it. Whatever she did, Naoya was there, not just agreeing with every word Dark Emperor said, but even adding on to it whenever she saw the opportunity. Was this brainwashing? Or was this some kind of hidden side of Naoya, one that he always kept hidden? One that he couldn't even entrust his best friend with? No, why was he doubting him now, of all places? Why would he start lending an ear to what Dark Emperor had to say now, of all places! She was a villain! A villain could never be trusted! Especially not one so evil as to take his best friend away from him! On Dark Emperor's face, only a look of sadness and disappointment was to be seen - this boy was hurting so much, and he did not even realize it himself. He was forcing himself to keep going, to push ahead further and further, not realizing that his heart had shattered into tiny little pieces long ago. What a cruel world this was. What a cruel world, to lead two souls as beautiful as them into its pathetic struggles. It was her job to do the two of them right. It was her role to give out justice, a second chance to any of the souls that were just like this pair of friends. She could not afford to be gentle with what she was about to do to him, but hopefully, it would be the first step towards a true paradise - a place where Naomi and Raichi's future self could be who they should have been from the very beginning. Standing up, the woman took great care in keeping up the eye contact, walking backwards step by step, careful to leave Raichi immobile in the center of the room. Finally, she deemed it to be enough distance - a snap of her fingers, as well as a curt comment belying her earlier monologue, were the only things to come from her. "My charming crystal. You have witnessed Rider Raichi for yourself. The appeal to his better self has been deemed a failure - you are free to execute plan M." And without so much as missing a beat, a reply came back from the remote shadows of the room. "Understood, my lady." Before it even dawned upon Raichi which villain the voice belonged to, he had already been completely encased in ice - and unlike during their last meeting, during which he had been frozen while in Heat Mode, this time there would be no convenient escape for him. Quickly, the room fell silent, and Dark Emperor allowed herself to finally let her guard down, to get rid of the tension that had been building up - as confident as she was, that moment when Raichi was able to move his hand gave even her a scare! It was such a shame, really. He had such a strong willpower - how much of a force for actual good could he have been if he used it for a more targeted purpose? But no. Already, she was looking for ways she could have taken advantage of him - this wasn't the way Raichi should have been, and it would have made her no better than the ones she wanted to throw down from their throne in the first place. He would end - but she would experience the tranquility her heart needed to thrive. "My charming crystal, please give me an update on what has transpired over the last few hours. We need to make sure that everyone caught up in his madness shall receive proper nurture and care. Spare no detail." With a slight yawn, Thoughtfreeze stepped out of the shadows, marveling at her newest creation of ice, before walking up to her lady and kneeling in front of her. It was not a necessary gesture, far from it, but one she deemed to be appropriate - her lady was the one to put herself into danger after all, while she only applied the finishing touches from the shadows. Everyone contributed their part - it was only natural that she showed the proper respect for it. "In total, our injured number 26, several of them incapacitated. No loss of life, though some may still enter critical condition if wrong steps in their recuperation are taken. Among the injured, Kitty and Slimy outside received quite the punishment, but beyond that, only the minions were affected. I would recommend to carry Slimy to a safe room and let her thaw out naturally - it should take a few days, but as long as she doesn't receive any significant cracks, she should manage. Trying to speed up the thawing process would only risk drying her out. Kitty, well... it's going to leave some scars, I am afraid. Some of the cuts she received were shallow, but if her reaction time was any slower, there could have been a very real chance for her to lose her arm. It's still attached, and she will heal just fine, but I recommend letting her rest for a week." Taking the report in, Dark Emperor's face distorted in horror - to think that Raichi was poisoned by his power to such a degree! Her poor kitten, her poor love drop, they deserved a fate much better than this! "Please move her to the luxury quarters then, and make sure that no expense is spared for her. Assign as many maids to her as you deem suitable, and tell our resources department to acquire as much fresh tuna as they can prepare for her. My sweet kitten should be allowed to recover like a queen while she is out of commission - that is the least I can do for somebody willing to put herself on the line for our cause." "Then I shall make it happen, my lady. How would you like me to proceed with the injured minions? I already sent out Night Princess to provide first aid, and if push comes to shove, she will be able to share some of her blood with them. Would you like them to get a vacation as well?" "That goes without saying. Fighting makes the heart grow weary - they shall be allowed the opportunity to rest their heart, even with their minds emptied. Do not forget that they, too, shall receive their new chance once our mission is done. It is our job to take care of them until then." "Understood. Is there anything else my lady requires of me, then? Or shall I take my leave, and give my lady and her queen some space?" For a while, Dark Emperor was thinking - even with her role being a more supportive one, Thoughtfreeze deserved a rest just as everyone else did. Creating a pillar as ice as massive as she did to make extra sure Raichi was contained would take a lot of energy out of anyone, even her - and even in her unflinching loyalty, Thoughtfreeze made no attempt to hide this. Part of loyalty was to be truthful, to show weakness - the latter of which being something that Rider Raichi had never learned. "One more thing, perhaps - then I would like you to head home for the day and get some rest. I expect with what the news will be showing of his raid today, your wife will be worried sick, so ease her mind. The only thing I need is a camera - ideally one attached to a live feed, if possible." "Ah, I see my lady has something special in mind!" It elicited a smirk from Dark Emperor's face - it was a little bit earlier than planned, but Raichi's downfall would give her the prime opportunity to move her plans along in fascinating new ways. "Consider it moving ahead in our schedule while we have the opportunity - it is time for a dramatic entrance. The actors are gathered, and the curtain shall rise - look forward to it, my charming crystal. We shall not fail in our mission." ***** Complete, utter darkness. It was as if Raichi was merely floating in the furthest corners of space. Where not even the light of the stars reached him anymore, just cold and alone. In his memory, there was a large gap - he didn't know how he ended up here, or what the last thing that he had been doing was. Why was he here? What went wrong? This place felt so cold, so vast, so distant. "Are you sure you want to know?" It was his own voice reaching his ears, but that made no sense - he didn't speak just now. He was absolutely certain of that - his lips didn't even move! There was no way this could have been him! And yet, that voice was his own, there was no mistake to it. "Reveal yourself! Show yourself to me, or I will assume that you are an evildoer!" As if on command, crystals of ice started gathering in front of him, more and more, slowly forming a human shape. It grew, lengthened its limbs, changed its surface - until Raichi felt like he was looking into a mirror of sorts. There it was, right in front of him - Rider Raichi in Chill Mode! But... how? His eyes rushing downwards, he saw that he was still sporting the familiar bracelet - the one that allowed him to transform into Rider Raichi! Why was there a second one of him, then? "Always on and on about good and evil, Raichi. Have you lost trust in yourself that much? Are you jumping at shadows, looking for any excuse to fight?" Again, that very same voice. The very same gestures, the very same body language. In all ways but one, it was the perfect copy - except that Raichi currently wasn't donning his armor for himself. "I just need to go back as soon as I can! Something awful happened, my heart can feel it! But I cannot remember! My memory doesn't want to tell me! If I do not go soon, something bad will happen!" Softly stroking its chin, as if lost in thought, his twin was considering his words, as if to appraise him. It left Raichi with a feeling he couldn't explain in his stomach - inexplicable dread, perhaps, or tension from being left in the dark, unknowing to everything around him. "The truth is not always what you want it to be like, Raichi. It may be cruel, and merciless. It could tear your own heart apart. Are you willing to fight the good fight all the same? Will you persevere for the cause, no matter how uncomfortable events may have been?" "You do not even need to ask me that! I am Rider Raichi! I took an oath to protect, to be a hero! What good would I be if I ran away from my responsibilities, my duties? Somebody out there needs me! My heart and soul are crying out to find somebody! Someone I need to be a shield for - there isn't a moment to waste! If you are truly me, then you should know better than anyone else, what our mission is!" Hearing that, his twin went silent, a long, awkward pause between the two of them. "I repeat. It may crush you, Raichi. Do you want to go ahead with it all the same?" "Of course! There is nothing worse than not knowing a thing, to be helpless when you could have acted! Please, I beg you! Tell me what my memory is keeping from me! I need you to help me out here!" It was a rather simple demand from Raichi, with no malicious intent whatsorever - he simply needed to know. That void inside of his own head was driving him crazy, knowing that something was so obviously wrong. "Very well then. It is time for you to revisit your legacy, Raichi. It is time for you to experience the things you would rather not experience ever again." "What do you mean by th-" But it was too late. As quickly as the twin had appeared in front of him, he already dissolved again, melting into pure water before vanishing into thin air. The very same absolute darkness, still around him. However, with each blink of his eyes, his surroundings seemed to shift, colors merging itself into the scenery, shapes slowly coming into focus. This was a room. He was entering someone's room! "... in other news, another victim has been claimed in the string of recent disappearances. Naoya Endo, age 26, from the district's..." An old reporter was on television, standing in front of a house closed off by the police. An apartment that Raichi was all too familiar with - he had spent dozens of afternoons, dozens of evenings at the place, after all! Almost immediately, the color drained from Raichi's face - this had to be a joke, right? This absolutely had to be a joke, didn't it? In a panic, he crammed out his old, blocky cellphone, trying to enter the number several times but always making an error or two in his hurry. There was no time for this! He had to confirm this as soon as possible! Finally dialing in the correct number, there was a long silence. No ringing on the other end. Still no ringing. Come on, pick it up, Naoya! Prove this silly report wrong! "... regret to inform you that this number currently is out of service. Please confirm that you entered the correct..." Shit! This couldn't be! Hearing the automated message, Raichi threw his old phone into the floor with full force - it survived the brunt of the impact without any visible damage, but even if it didn't, Raichi didn't care - how could he have allowed to let this happen? How? Absolute silence. Naoya had requested absolute silence. But why? Why did he do that? Desperately, Raichi searched his brain, trying to reconstruct the conversation he knew happened, but couldn't remember in detail. They were doing something, just a week earlier. They had... they had a meeting? Yeah, they met up! He remembered bringing soda along, and talking about something. But what exactly? If it was absolute silence that entered the conversation, it had to be something super serious, especially if he actually agreed to it! He never liked the technique, and Naoya knew that! Rushing out of his house, not even stopping to lock the door behind him, he ran through the streets, not even caring about what anyone who would see him like this would think about him. He had to go to Naoya's home! If he could just get a look at the place, he would know what happened, or where Naoya could have gone! Making his ways through the side alleys, he came across a place that jogged his memory, and yet, it did not stop him from rushing forward. The alley where he had fought the Gooey Goddess. Some of the traces of the battle were still left behind in the walls, dents and smaller craters everywhere. Of course. He fought the Gooey Goddess... but it was harder than they expected! They wanted to have a strategy meeting for their plans going forward, but Naoya thought it would be much harder than expected, so he requested some time to program some additional help! But then why was he kidnapped now? "Hey, I can't let you through here! This place is off-limits for civilians, a crime happened over here!" Raichi didn't care that he normally didn't reveal his secret identity to outsiders - when the policeman tried to stop him, he instantaneously transformed into Rider Raichi, hopping from the ground level all the way to the second floor where Naoya lived - only to see the entrance sealed off by the police. "Rider Raichi, requesting an information exchange! What happened here? Where did the person who lives here go?" With a look of exhaustion, the old policeman in charge sighed - he knew where this was going. For Rider Raichi to be this out of breath, this worked up, whoever lived here had to be somebody important to him - and knowing his sometimes fierce swings of temper, there was no way the hero would remain calm after hearing him out. Yet, what was there to do for him? In the end, he would get the truth, even if he had to bait it out from somebody lower on the totem pole. "It looks like there has been a remnant of the Eternal Void Army, trying to rebuild the forces of Immortal Khan. Over the last few days, they were capturing especially bright minds all across the nation - Endo here was their most recent target." Wait, the Eternal Void Army? Something about this seemed to be beyond wrong - and yet, upon being allowed a look inside, he could see the telltale traces. Those singed walls, those walls skewered like a Swiss cheese, as if they had been stabbed by a horn over and over - this looked like the work of one of Immortal Khan's former commanders, Incinerhino! But he was dead! Raichi knew it, he saw him get tossed out into space and burn up there! "I-is there anything else you can tell me about the incident, officer?" "Hm. Well. Endo is a bright mind alright. In recent years, he has been getting recognition all across the continent because his work improved by leaps and bounds all of a sudden. Some say it's because he found somebody he really wanted to program for - it's a shame that has put him onto the radar of a villain in the end. This is just between the two of us, but I suspect that if it wasn't for that, he would still be here, typing away in his room. It's a shame. My daughter was a great fan of his, she would always talk about how he would fix up stuff for her whenever something broke by accident..." He got more well-known because he was programming for somebody else. He got more well-known because he started programming for Rider Raichi, in order to help him fight. No way. He was kidnapped because of him? If he had never involved Naoya, he would still be safe and sound? "I... I need a moment, please. Thank you so much for telling me what you know, officer. I will take it from here. I swear I will catch Incinerhino, no matter what it takes." "Of course. That is what the taxpayers expect from you after all, Rider Raichi. Good luck out there in the field." Yet, Raichi's body betrayed him - he couldn't believe this. He remembered Incinerhino's modus operandi very well - once he had lost patience with somebody, he would kill, no questions asked. In all likelihood, Naoya refused to cooperate - the chances of him being still alive were slim. He had failed him. Stumbling his way down the stairs, he did not even see the policemen that he left behind melting into a puddle of water - no, if anything, he was on the verge of letting out a confused scream. This felt so wrong! This couldn't possibly be! Why was there a remnant still alive! This isn't possibly what could have happened! He knew none of them were still alive! And yet, apparently, there was! Why did it feel so wrong to hear the name of the foe, even though the traces were so unmistakable? "It may crush you, Raichi." The words of his twin echoed throughout his head - was this what the twin meant? Was it all an effort to protect him from an uncomfortable truth? That it was his fault that Naoya got hurt? "Shit, and here I promised him it would never happen again..." Again? Yes. At some point, he had already failed Naoya. But when? When exactly was that? As he lost track of his surroundings, they shifted and morphed once again, from the lush greenery of the public park that he walked through, to the futuristic, steely gray of a spaceship that had burned itself into his memory. A place he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried - and right away, the pressure overwhelming his body spiked, as if it was completely out of this world! "You nuisance! Go down already, you pest! You shall not stop my righteous conquest, worm!" Raichi did not even need to look up to see the face which belonged to the booming voice - no, their battle had been so intense, so massive, that even two years after its conclusion, it still revisited him in his dreams every so often. Without noticing, he had already switched into his Gravity Mode - up here in space, above the planet he wanted to protect, he could unleash all of his power without the drawbacks it usually had! Immortal Khan, the force of nature intending to subjugate all of the known galaxy to his whims - now, he had put his sights onto earth, challenging Rider Raichi to a final battle, the ultimate conclusion to their shared saga! He was grotesque. A being that had been alive for far longer than he should have, a body that told of the millions of years he had experienced in his travels through space. It was a body that revealed the lengths he went to in order to achieve his immortality at a mere glance - bulging veins everywhere, a literal patchwork of various skins, great tusks that no humanoid being should ever possess. Towering over him, much larger than Raichi ever remembered him to be - wearing a massive coat, made of the garments of his fallen foes. "Never! As long as the people of earth are counting on me, I shall never go down, evildoer!" It elicited a loud, cruel laughter from his foe - none of the wounds that this Rider Raichi had inflicted on him had been close to fatal, and yet here he was, spouting this nonsense? Earthlings were so delusional, it wasn't even funny anymore - and yet, the way this guy kept standing up was getting on his nerves! Even with his immortality, he did not have all the time in the world - there were more planets to conquer, more wars to be fought! "As long as the people of earth are counting on you? Can you even hear yourself? What difference does it make if an insect cries out, hoping to be saved? Before it can even blink, it will be buried underneath the sole of your feet all the same! They lack power! The absolute power that I own! None of them matter right in front of me! I could breathe out, and their entire planet would be swallowed up by tidal waves, leaving them to drown in agony! I could take a step, and even on the opposite side of the planet, they would fall to their doom as new crevices open up in that land of theirs. All of you are powerless, and it is about time you accept that!" He knew this scene. He knew it all too well. Frightened by something he could not explain, frightened by Rider Raichi's persistence, he was about to fire a concentrated beam of energy at the planet - a beam him and Naoya were barely able to block with their combined teamwork. They knew he intended to fire this beam from the very beginning, for he threatened it several times over - surrender quietly, or resist and face oblivion. It was a gamble, but Raichi pushed to take the fight to Immortal Khan - and in an effort to help him, Naoya was typing away furiously, scraping together every little second to program an energy shield to protect the surface. "Now then, little pest. You entrust your fate to the people of earth that much? Let us put this faith to the ultimate test! It has been a while since the last time I had to use this, so feel honored - not many can claim to have pushed me this far! Say goodbye to those friends of yours!" "It's okay Raichi, this should hold! I think I made it just in time! Keep fighti-" However, as the spaceship of the invader shook from the recoil of its cannon, static filled their connection - and right away, from the very bottom of his gut, Raichi knew that something was seriously wrong. It didn't matter to him that Immortal Khan was right in front of him. It genuinely didn't matter. Before he even realized what happened to himself, Raichi was already rushing towards the nearest window, desperate to see his worst fears denied - and for a second, he felt hopeful. He could see it, right there - the energy shield holding the line for the planet, and the beam of energy trying to force its way through! Right, this was the way it was supposed to be! However, he failed to see the crystals of ice separating themselves from the shield, creating a hole that became bigger and bigger. The blast hit the earth, at full force. Already, he sunk to his knees as a bellowing laughter echoed throughout the room - but... how? Immortal Khan won? He wiped out the earth? Naoya had been killed? Because Raichi insisted to fight, consequences be damned? "All you do is to return violence with more violence. But being a hero allows you to avert your eyes. It allows you to tell yourself that you are in the right. A child burdened with the responsibility of power, power that is much too big for its own hands." It was the voice of his twin, his own voice - words that it had never spoken, and yet sounded so familiar to him. Was this all his fault? Because his first option had been violence? Because he chose to answer power with power? Would things have been different if he had just quietly submitted to Immortal Khan, would Naoya still be alive? But then, wasn't Immortal Khan just the same? The same as him? Answering with even more violence? Again, Immortal Khan melted into a puddle of water, and his surroundings, his entire body shifted - and before he knew what was going on, he was in his casual clothes, right next to Naoya. This event - it was familiar. Above him, he could see the stars, and he could distinctively remember Naoya talking about what each of these constellations in the sky actually represented. How some people in the past believed that a god had exiled an especially troublesome animal away from earth, where it now took on the form of several stars in the night sky instead. Naoya was so much smarter than him - and yet, he chose to stick around his unreliable self all the same. No matter how many tests he failed, Naoya would help him make it through the repeat exams - that's the kind of friends they were. "Do you want to try and wear it? I do think it's supposed to do something, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what exactly. Maybe you'll have more success with it?" Oh. Oh right. For a moment, Raichi had wondered where the bracelet had gone - but there it was, on Naoya's arm. This was the night on which they had found it during their camping trip, and underneath their feet, there was a small crater from its impact on earth. It was so strange - glowing brightly, as if it was begging to be worn - and yet, that light muted upon Naoya attaching it around his wrist, looking closer to a regular bracelet than what it had been mere moments ago. "I guess, I could try buddy? Though I'm not sure what you expect to happen. You're the smartest person I know, and if even you couldn't make heads or tails out of it, then I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing about this!" "Raichi, we all have our own strengths. It's true, I can figure out things a lot quicker than many other people my age, or even older than me. But there are ways in which I too pale in comparison to others. You've got a strong heart, and a lot of empathy - maybe that is what the bracelet is looking for? Admittedly, that is just what these old TV shows keep telling us all the time. You know, your favorite phrase! A heart of justice, burning bright!" Oh dear, Naoya remembered that old story from so long ago - it made him blush ever so slightly, knowing that somebody had stuck around him for long enough to have even experienced these stories in the first place. In his youth, he had been into these kinds of shows so much - when he had to write down in elementary school what his dream job would be, he always put superhero into all three spaces, even though they expected him to deliver answers distinct from each other. A hero that could protect Naoya for everything he did for him, somebody that would take care of Naoya when he was going through hard times too. "Then hand it over, and I'm going to give it a try! What's the worst that could happen?" Nonchalantly, Naoya took the bracelet off and tossed it over to Raichi, who immediately got it with an expert catch - among the things he tended to perform better at than his friend, athletics was at least one of them. Slipping it on his arm, the bracelet seemed to glow again, ever so faintly - yet, none of them could consider what this meant before they heard a rustle directly behind them. "So, there were natives here. So much for abandoned landing site, damn it. You guys! Hand that thing over. It is not meant for your hands. I may have to use force if you do not comply with me!" There it was, a good meter taller than either of them - a huge being, a mixture of lizard and human, looking at them through cold eyes. Creatures like him shouldn't exist - they normally only appeared in movies! Looking behind him, Raichi could see Naoya frozen in fear, not able to take so much as a step forward or away, his legs apparently not obeying the rest of his own body. He was shaking - Raichi could tell that much with a mere glance. But what? What could he do, then? Even though it was hard to make out in the middle of the night, it looked like the new arrival was carrying something like a weapon on his back - and here on the opposing side they were, just two regular youths who had just finished university recently! This was insane! To fight? To run? To surrender? To give him what he wanted? This bracelet obviously had to be important if whoever this was uttered threats to them - but would he just leave them in peace if they followed along and promised that they never saw anything? No, he couldn't gamble on this chance - what if that lizard hurt Naoya? Wasn't it his turn to protect his best friend? All he needed was an opening - he had always been confident in his body, so even with the size difference, there just had to be something that could be done! On his hunt for a solution, Raichi's gaze drifted to the bracelet - and yet, its light had died out. It would not respond to him. But why? Raichi didn't know how, but his entire mind was screaming out that it had to activate, had to transform him into Rider Raichi! But where were these thoughts coming from? Why was he expecting a bracelet that they found on the ground to even transform him in the first place? "Gah, this is taking too long! Time to do this the unpleasant way." Within an instant, the lizard had been behind him - and already, Raichi could see how one of Naoya's arms had been broken by the unknown adversary. "Just hand it over, kid, or the other arm is next to go." What? Just like that? Just like that, he had already gotten Naoya into trouble again? Just because he considered fighting back? Just because he had a delusion of heroism in the heat of the moment? Before he was even able to process the events from him, he saw the lizard and Naoya melting, and his surroundings shifting once again - whatever it was that this world wanted to show him, it would not give him the chance to gather his bearings! Already, the next scene of his past formed in front of him - Naoya's living room, his closest friend laying on the couch with an intense fever. "Ahaha, sorry..." For a moment, the sickly Naoya couldn't help but to cough, all while Raichi stared at him in sheer and utter disbelief. "I guess I've been pushing myself a little too far. Should have known that three days of absolute silence were pushing it. Just a tiny little bit. Could you fetch me a cup of tea, please? There should be some in the cupboard." "Just... don't try to speak up, buddy. Get some rest. I'm gonna get you what you need, it's okay." Dragging his feet to the kitchen, Raichi was in no particular hurry to return. He knew he was actually the one at fault here - the one who should have stopped Naoya from overdoing things. Three days of no outside contact, working from the early hours of morning straight into the dead of the night, with the only breaks being in his sleep? It was too much, entirely too much - and yet, he let Naoya sweet-talk him into letting it go. Into not interfering. In the end, the blame laid on him, and only him - if only he had been more insistent. If only he had paid attention. Three days, like that? It was obvious that it was a disguised cry for help. A gasp for air, hoping that somebody would stop Naoya. And yet, he just let it go, just like that? Just because Naoya told him it would be okay? Putting on the kettle, Raichi just couldn't help but to beat himself up over this stupid little mistake - in hindsight, it was so obvious! What good was he as a friend, if he didn't even notice Naoya suffering quietly, all on his own, like that? And for what? Only so that he could hit up the gym on those days? What an idiot he had been! An absolutely stupid idiot! If only he had paid closer attention to his friend. If only he hadn't let him out of his sight. If only he could have helped him, if only he could have made his life a little easier in some ways! Returning to the living room with a piping-hot cup of tea, he found Naoya sitting up on the couch, clearly struggling - the boy was sweating like crazy! Yet, as Naoya took the cup with a shaking hand, almost spilling some of the tea in the process, Raichi couldn't find it within himself to admonish him for it - no, if it wasn't for him, Naoya would have never been this out of shape in the first place. "What are you thinking about, Raichi? You look like something is on your mind. Tell me. I may not be in my best condition, but that's the least I can do in exchange for the tea." Even like this, Naoya was still this kind to him? No, this was getting too much for him. "I... I do not deserve that kindness. As a friend, I've failed you. I couldn't even tell that you were struggling, and allowed this to happen in the first place. I'm... sorry. I really am." However, the reply he received was so unlike what had actually happened in reality - so out of nowhere, that Raichi did not even recognize how much Naoya's expression had shifted into a malevolent grin. "As if this is anything new to me at this point. You have failed so many times. So many times have I gotten hurt because of you. So many times have I been killed because of you. What difference does another time make at this point? Do you think words of apology alone are enough to change things?" What? Though the voice may have been Naoya's, the words were decidedly not - but before he could so much as verify things, actually take a good look at Naoya's face, he had already melted once again, leaving only the dagger he had hurled into Raichi's heart behind. "It may crush you, Raichi." Again, his own voice ringing between his ears. The only responsibility here laid on himself - he allowed all of this to happen. It was right all along - those were experiences he never wanted to go through again, ever. And yet, all his biggest failures were thrown into his own face, one by one. He had let Naoya down so many times. He just wanted it to stop! He did not want to see this anymore! However, the mysterious space in which he had found himself in was not yet finished - there was still one more thing that it wanted Raichi to see. "Take care of little Naoya, won't you Raichi? He's such a timid little boy, please protect him if anyone is bullying him! Don't be out too late, would you please return by five?" A faint, distant memory. Summer, the cicadas crying up a storm. Bright, warm daylight enveloping a group of three - a young mother, and two boys that couldn't have been older than eight years old. Looking down at himself, Raichi could see a surprisingly small, surprisingly soft hand - a hand which he hadn't possessed for a long, long time. "You can count on me, auntie! Nobody's going to hit Naoya on my watch!" Her smile was as warm as the sun - in a way, she was Raichi's first youthful little crush. Waving the two boys goodbye, they made their way to the nearby playground - just before summer break, one of their classmates told them about the biggest beetle they had ever seen on one of the nearby trees! Naoya in all honesty didn't really care for beetles all that much, and would rather spend his time with reading. And yet, something about Raichi made him stick around anyways - their parents may have been friends, and pushed the two of them to be friends as well, but something about Raichi's energy was just inescapable to the boy! "I-I hear they come out if you put some honey on the bark?" "Yeah, that's what mom told me too, Naoya! Though we didn't have any at home, so dad told me spraying some soda at it could do the trick too!" "And... and do you think there's going to be any scary ones?" "Hm... I dunno! There could be a spider or two, I guess, but they aren't scary at all if you just look at their fuzzy legs!" Naoya shivered - spiders were something he couldn't deal with at all! Raichi simply laughed, however - the two of them were so different, but that was half of the fun here! Wouldn't it be so boring if he just had a second copy of himself to spend time with? If anything, Naoya said some really smart stuff, even the teachers were all impressed with him! Said something about him being dest... de... it was a hard word, but something like he was meant for super important things! How cool was that? To have a friend like that! "Watcha wanna do while I check the trees? Wanna come along? Don't feel like you have to though, I know you actually don't like these!" Naoya looked hesitant, caught up between his desire to be with his friend, and to avoid looking at whatever may have sprung up from nature - it was one or the other, no convenient third choice. "I... I think I will be fine here on the playground! I'm just going to be sitting on the swing and watch you from afar!" "That so? Hm... lemme see..." With eagle eyes, Raichi scanned his surroundings, making sure that nobody other than them was actually around - after all, Naoya had a bit of a problem with being able to stand up for himself, so it was no good if he let him out of his sight while other kids were around. He knew some of the kids in this neighborhood liked to harass Naoya behind his back when they thought he wasn't watching, so this only made auntie Chitose's concerns all the more valid - but then, nobody actually seemed to be around. Perhaps because it was summer break? Some of the bullies definitely had to be on some tropical island right now, enjoying this heatwave on the beach. So maybe it was fine? After all, wasn't it just for how long it took to check all the trees he sprayed last evening with his dad? "Yeah, I think that works! But start shouting once you see some bad guys showing up, okay? Or better yet, run to me as fast as you can, gotcha?" "Mhm! Mhm, I think I can do that, Raichi!" Seeing Naoya with that smile lifted his spirits - he just couldn't help it, before he knew it, he was already giving his friend a pat on the head. "That's a good boy! I will be back before you know it, and return with the most amazing bug you've ever seen! One so cool that even you're gonna love him, I promise!" Before Naoya could even reply that this really wasn't necessary, that he just wanted Raichi to have fun, the boy already vanished from his sight, heading towards the many trees near the playground. Already, a sickeningly sweet smell reached his nostrils, almost making him gag - okay, maybe he had overdone it just a little bit the day before, after all. Still, there they were - bugs as far as the eye could see! Or cicadas as far as the eye could see, anyways. There, on that tree. On that other tree, too! A bit further in the back, two of them on the same one, even! And yet, those did not terribly interest him - he had already seen his fair share of those. They were everywhere in summer - that didn't make them special at all! Further and further, he was led away by the trail of bugs, away from the playground where he left his friend behind. Cicadas. More cicadas. Not even a stag beetle! How cool would it have been if he could have shown up to class with one of those? As his walk continued, he started losing track of time - the daylight being covered up by the shade of the trees around him, almost making it feel more than a small forest. It took him a while, but ultimately, a realization had hit him - those weren't the trees he sprayed anymore! How far away did he walk? Did Naoya lose sight of him? In a panic, he turned around, but the playground wasn't even in sight anymore - no, he had gotten way too far out. This wasn't good at all! Hurrying back the same route he came from, he made sure not to trip on any stray roots, hoping that Naoya didn't start to cry in the time he was away. It took twists and turns, enough to make a regular young child like him lose his way, and yet he did not err even once - too good was his memory of this place, now that he had explored it like this before. Finally, he saw light on the horizon - with rushed steps, he jumped out of the woods, back at the edge of the playground. Yet, what greeted him was an unpleasant sight - one that immediately surfaced from underneath his buried memories. "Take that! Think you're so smart, and better than us?" "Raichi's not here to protect you this time!" "Here, let me take a swing too!" "Hahaha, look at him crying!" His blood boiled. There they were, a group of good-for-nothings - bullies from their school that only dared to come near Naoya when Raichi wasn't to be seen, trying to make his friend's life hell. Naoya was soft, and timid - even with all the abuse they inflicted on him, it did not even cross his mind to get angry, he only silently endured it. Perhaps somebody told him that was the way to deal with bullying, however, it only spurned on his tormentors - the harassment only got more extreme, if anything. Already, he could see from a distance that they had forced his friend to the ground, some smaller cuts and bruises on his body - and he saw red right away. The moment the boys saw him coming, they turned tail and ran away, knowing that even with the four of them, there was no beating Raichi when he got into a rage like that. However, the damage had been done. Even before he arrived, he already knew that Naoya sprained his ankle when he had been pushed down from the swing. He had already lived through this experience once before. Naoya got injured, because he couldn't put his own interests behind Naoya's safety. He got injured, because he let him out of his sight. Even getting angry at the bullies accomplished nothing - all they did was to come crying to their parents, and they got off scot-free. In the middle of his sprint towards Naoya, Raichi came to a screeching halt. What was the point of his existence? Did he cause Naoya pain and discomfort, simply by being in his life? Why was he the way he was? Couldn't he have been a much better friend to Naoya? He swore to take care of him, but at every single step, he failed. He was a miserable failure. He could not even lift up his head to take a good look at him - the memory of what happened alone was already far too overwhelming for him. Without so much as missing a beat, the bright blue of the sky, the sandy brown of the ground beneath him, all vanished into absolute darkness - once again, he found himself in the cold, lonely void of whatever space he started out in. Again, his twin manifested in front of him, still using the blue armor of Chill Mode - and yet, the two of them were not alone. Behind his twin, there was another person - and as the twin stepped aside, Raichi realized that it was Naoya, giving him a disgusted look. Of course. Of course he would. All the trouble, all the issues he went through in his life - weren't they all his fault? Nothing good had ever come out of associating with him. He only wanted to help, only wanted to support him, and yet, kept failing so miserably. That... that was what he did not want to remember. He had seen it all unfold with his own eyes again. It had to be the truth. It all looked so vivid, that it couldn't possibly have been a falsehood - even though Raichi did not realize how some of the memories he saw directly contradicted each other. Slowly, the appearance of Naoya started to shift. He grew taller, developed curves. In some ways, he was starting to resemble auntie Chitose, and yet, he was looking so very different - with each stroke of the body that shifted, rather than the warm, motherly presence he associated Chitose with, Naoya started to develop a confident, passionate presence - one that he always would have benefited from. Was he holding him back all this time? Did he stunt his growth as a person, by being Raichi, the boisterous bruiser between the two of them? Continuing to change, Naoya was becoming more unrecognizable by the second - only the deep, black hair he had been born with remained as a final trace of who he used to be, replaced by her - a woman whose name he somehow knew to be Naomi. Still giving him a look of disgust, even her improvement did not seem to ease her feelings towards Raichi - but that was to be expected. Anyone would, if presented with such a failure of a friend. With his twin still silently observing Raichi, another person manifested at the far end of space - and even though his armor was distinctively black, a color that should have merged with the scenery under normal circumstances, Raichi could clearly see her, the woman he thought to be his enemy all the time. Woman? Yes, somehow he knew her to be a woman. A beautiful woman, with red hair, blue eyes and tanned skin - the woman known as Dark Emperor. Naomi did not waste a single moment of her time - with a clearly love- struck gaze, she started clinging to Dark Emperor's arm, happily showering her with love. Whatever she did, Raichi did not know. But after receiving such a disdainful look, and seeing Naomi so elated when being with Dark Emperor, there was one thought he could not get out of his head - this woman must have done something right. She must have truly cared for Naomi, must have actually made her happy. All the things he wished to do, but couldn't, this woman was capable of them. It hurt. It hurt so much. Knowing that the person he wanted to support more than anyone else was already taken care of by somebody else. Dark Emperor was powerful - she would never give Naomi a single reason to cry. Whatever she did, Naomi's happiness was almost certain to be assured - how could he possibly compete with that? How could he possibly compete against the woman that had perfected the task his heart desired so much, to give Naomi happiness, a warm and comfortable space? "Do you realize it now? What a fool's errand your heroism has been? Pretending to care for your best friend, yet never actually being able to do anything for him. All that mattered to you was to fight. When you did not know what to do, you let your fists guide you, hurting many people in the process. You never actually turned your gaze towards Naomi, and tried to understand what she wanted. You couldn't be bothered. In your mind, it was enough to tell her that you cared, but never did you actually act on it. And now look at you. Usurped in your own role by your better. A complete and utter loss to Dark Emperor - and ever still, you thought her to be a villain. The person who gave your best friend happiness, and you demonized her, fearing abandonment. Lashing out, not knowing what to do with yourself. Is that who you want to be, Raichi? Somebody who will never be able to give Naomi what you wanted to give to her?" Raichi couldn't argue. He didn't want to argue. If anything, he just wanted to cry. Why? Where has everything gone this horribly wrong? What did the world want him to do? How could he possibly make amends? "I... I... I don't! But what do you expect me to do? I tried! I tried so hard! And yet, everything I did backfired so horribly. I did terrible things to my best friend. Terrible things I couldn't possibly take back! I don't know. I don't know what to do. You are right - I can only think about fighting. Even now, I am looking for something to punch! But it hurts Naomi! All I do is hurting her! I don't want this. I am sick of it! But I cannot think of anything else! What... what can I do? How can I make Naomi happy? How could I possibly ever show her my face again?" Underneath the mask of his twin, a wicked smile formed - Raichi Ikeda was right where he needed to be before a rebirth could happen. To create something amazing, one needed to prepare fertile soil for the seeds to sprout. It was no use to work on a barren wasteland - the ground needed to be nurtured, prepared in just the right way before any kind of harvest was possible. A shattered Raichi was what was needed for an endeavor just as this one to succeed - and shattered into tiny little pieces he was, his confidence shot, and shot again, and shot even more for good measure. He was pliable, about to admit defeat - so it would be easy to dangle a new hope in front of him, one that would reform his ways for good. "There is one final, ultimate way to still make Naomi happy. It is a completely unfamiliar path to you, the likes of which you have never walked before. Even knowing that, are you prepared to walk it, Raichi?" "I don't care what it takes! I cannot leave things as they are! I want to make Naomi happy! She is amazing, and I want that she's never lacking in anything! If there is anything I can do to still accomplish this, then I will do it!" Silence. His twin was gauging him on how serious he was - and what it saw was as telling as it could have been. His eyes - the fire that had been in them had been so thoroughly doused. He was barely keeping it together, trying to keep himself from drowning in his own guilt, looking for any anchor, any lifebelt that would keep him afloat. How far Rider Raichi had fallen - a far cry from his boisterous, confident self. "There exists a role in this world that is all about what you desire to give Naomi, Raichi. A role that is completely at odds with everything you ever stood for." "Even then, I cannot stand to leave things like this! I want to be useful to Naomi! I want to do good for her!" "Then, Raichi. Who you must become in order to make Naomi happy isn't Rider Raichi. You yourself have seen where that path has lead you down to. It is not a superhero who makes her happy. It is not a bruiser. Not the life of the party. None of these things is what Naomi needs, and yet every single one of these represented you. No. Become her maid. Her dainty, girly, timid maid. Feminine, cutesy, a bit of a crybaby. Somebody with not a shred of power within her. Somebody as far removed from the battlefield as she could be. Her entire existence a dedication to service, good manners, trying to brighten people's lives, to make life a little easier. One Naomi can tease, so that she can express herself in the manner she had always wanted. One Naomi can confide in, girl to girl, in the little secrets in femininity. One who knows what she needs before the request even leaves her lips - who can coordinate her wardrobe, works tirelessly to her benefit - and can in turn be protected by her. You have seen where power has lead you. It poisons you, corrupts the very ground you walk on, and pulls those close to you into its abyss. Isn't it time you relinquished it? There is no need to fight any longer. Whatever you may have fought for, Dark Emperor is so much better at protecting - you do not need to torture yourself anymore with worries about when an even stronger enemy comes around. You can simply be. Be somebody who only wants to make Naomi happy - happy, and nothing else. Not sad. Not disappointed. Not hurt. Only happy." To his great surprise, Raichi was actually considering it - considering to take his twin up on its offer. A maid. A maid - truly something so unlike what he stood for. Was this a step he could afford to take? But then, could he afford to simply remain as he was, to hurt Naomi even further? For a moment, he tried to envision it, and an image flashed inside of his head - but before he could properly grasp it, it already vanished again, nowhere to be seen. And yet. And yet, something felt strange. Something felt warm. For a moment, he felt as if he had gotten the grasp of something so much bigger than himself, enveloping him like a warm, fluffy blanket. A safe place. A comfortable place. What... what was that? Was it because he tried to imagine what his twin was telling him for a moment? "You only need to picture her in your mind. Try to remember - the joy of dusting off the shelves with Naomi's favorite books, and the praise she gave you in return for a job well done." Remember? Remember. Remember dusting off the shelves. It was so utterly absurd, so completely bizarre, and yet, Raichi couldn't help himself - he was craving this warmth again. He wanted to be somebody who could feel at ease with himself, because he was helping Naomi. For a brief few seconds, the image of an old, fancy, luxurious room appeared in front of his eyes - he was in front of a shelf, a massive shelf. Desperately, he tried standing a little bit further on his own toes, trying to reach the last remaining corner - and with a massive effort, he managed to get rid of that pesky speck of dust that had been bothering him for a while now. He could feel the sensation of a soft, gloved hand brushing past his forehead, only to realize that it was his own hand that had moved as he wiped off a tiny pearl of sweat. "I have to say, your work is as impeccable as always! To think this place used to be so filthy - you are just such a darling, my little Rika! Oh, how thoughtful it was for my wife to hire you..." He could have sworn that he heard Naomi speaking to him, praising him - completely failing to notice the name by which she had addressed him, or the weirdness of his body feeling so completely different for a second. Already, his body was showing traces of having changed - small, dainty breasts sprouting on his chest, stopping at a modest B cup. A slightly softer face, daintier hands - even some lost height, with him now having to tilt his gaze upwards to look at his twin. "Enviable, wasn't it? To think that such a slight shift in perspective would make you so much more appreciated. But to think, your role could be even more than that! Picture it! Imagine it! Try to put yourself into her place!" His twin was right - it was enviable, oh so enviable. He wanted more of it - he craved more of it. Already, he was scrambling his head, trying to come with another scenario like the one from before - there just had to be something that maids did, right? What was he supposed to be like? Dainty, girly, feminine. Timid, cutesy, a bit of a crybaby. Soft, gentle, pleasant. Soothing, thoughtful, unassuming. Try to embody as many of these as possible! He just had to try! Already, his vision shifted once again, to a much smaller room. The tiles on the floor a pure marble, and yet, still looking so much less fancier than where he had been earlier. An ironing board in front of him, with stacks of dresses, skirts and blouses to his right. Yeah, that was correct - he had to get the laundry done for mistress! It was his duty to make sure she could presentable when she went out with Dark Emperor later! A smile on his glossy lips, he started humming, carefully making sure that every single piece of clothing became smooth and perfectly even, with not a single accidental burn in sight. Folding every single piece of clothing together, neatly, before putting it into a nearby wardrobe, clacking sounds following him wherever he went. There was just so much to be done! A maid's work never ended, but it was all so worth it to get to see mistress smile! Mistress' smile was a blinding light, the radiant sun - knowing that his actions were capable of bringing this most wonderful sensation made all the work more than just worth it! Brushing aside a strand of pink hair that fell in front of his face, he stopped for a moment, putting up his hands to make sure the bun at the back of his head was still affixed just right - then, without so much as wasting any more seconds, he returned, pulling out yet another dress to be prepared with meticulous care. Even outside his own visions, he shifted further - his hair being dyed a playful pink, extending all the way down to his hips. Already, two strands fell beside his face, twisting and turning, until they ended up as delicate ringlets - fancy and elaborate, too good for a mere maid, and yet styled that way on the recommendation of his mistress! Telling him to take pride in his role, that it would not be vain to show some dedication to his femininity - initially, she tried to talk him into an extravagant up-do, before they settled on far more practical ringlets instead. Slowly, his hair was being lifted up by invisible hands as it looped and looped around itself, gathering up on top of his head, before being held in place by a little, pure white cap - a bun, neatly in place so that none of his long, adorable hair would get in the way of work. Slowly, the way his feet were touching the ground changed, for his shoes morphed into adorable black mary janes with quite the large heel to them - and yet, it did not make him appear any taller, for any height gained by his shoes was immediately traded off by shrinking the very same amount he had earned. He was standing on the tip of his toes, no other part of his soles coming even close to touching the ground - and yet, it felt so natural, as if this was the kind of footwear he had worn for all of his life. They even had cute black bows for their clasps - could it have been any more dainty than that? Continuing his visions, he was now completely naked, in a large, vast pool of water - an extravagant bathtub, shared only between him and his mistress! With her back turned towards him, she expected him to wash her - and wash her he did, for it was the very reason he was allowed to bathe with her in the first place! Softly, his dainty hands were lathered in soap, coating his mistress' back in it, kneading it into every single inch of her perfectly sculpted body. Mistress was so tall, so powerful, so unlike a little maid like himself - and yet, it gave rise to a certain giddiness within himself that he could not explain. That was the way it was best! Nobody should mistake him as somebody big and powerful again! People should be able to tell that he was just a tiny, diminutive maid! Wasn't this so much better? People wouldn't expect him... expect him to fight! To hurt others! To hurt his mistress! No. Wasn't it so much better if they immediately knew how soft he was, how pleasant he was to be around? He didn't need to fight. Nobody would expect him to. He could just dedicate himself to thoughtful service, all in the name of his mistress. The beautiful, elegant mistress Naomi - so impressive, so feminine. Rinsing the soap off of his mistress' back, he couldn't help but to let a hand brush against his own tender thighs for a moment, wanting to compare just how much they measured up to his mistress in terms of softness - and yet, as he brushed past them, sending a delightful shiver throughout his body, he ultimately arrived at an unfamiliar emptiness. Unfamiliar... and yet so natural, so fitting. Was there truly ever supposed to be something there? Up, between the legs? For a moment, the maid pondered about this question, trying to picture different people - those who had it, those who did not. Yet, as different people appeared, a common trend made itself know - all the people that were admirable, all the ones worth looking up to, they did not sport this piece of equipment. No, it was that other half that stood for everything she did not want to be - she was happy to not be the owner of what she initially thought might have been missing. A symbol of power. A symbol of force. Owning one meant the world put you on a pedestal - it was all so wrong. Why did she ever own something like this? Something so horrifying? No. No. She had to trust her memories. Her happy memories as the maid of her beloved mistress Naomi. Anything trying to tell her differently was merely but a dream, an evil lie that would tempt her down the rotten path - she was safe and sound, where she currently was. Brushing away her hand once more, Rika turned her attention towards her mistress once more - just rinsing her back alone was far from the only work waiting for her! She had to wash the hair, massage her back, relieve her of tension - but it was work that she was gladly willing to do, for it brought her pride and joy. The ability to care, with such simple gestures - wasn't a maid who she was meant to be? As if to make sure her dreams would become reality, her inner self started to shift - no longer was this symbol of power representative of how she saw herself. With astonishing swiftness, her crotch had flattened down, not a single trace of a bulge to be seen - and even more changes were on their way. Slimmed shoulders, a rounded face with just the lightest amount of blush, the prettiest set of kissable pink lips, hips extending ever so slightly, nails painted a dainty pink - in heart and soul, Rika was steadily approaching who she should have been from the very beginning. No, that was the wrong way to think of it - the one she had always been. Being Rider Raichi, fighting evil armies, getting hurt, hurting others - it had to be a bad dream. A scary, scary bad dream. But it was okay. Mistress would protect her from ever turning this dream into reality. She simply needed to be her natural, pleasant self - Rika, the timid crybaby maid, the one who made people feel better about themselves with her pure, shining heart of service. The expression felt so right, so joyful - a heart of service. Wasn't that what she had needed all along? The way to make mistress happy through it? Another vision followed, and yet it felt so real - Rika herself did not even realize that her surroundings had shifted, from cold, dark space to a pleasant, cutesy room, clad in various pastel tones. Stretching her arms, Rika had let out a small yawn, ready to greet another day of wonderful duties, helping others in having a more pleasant life. Crawling out from underneath the pink blanket, the girl got up, walking on her toes with the natural grace and elegance of a trained ballerina. All the way to the full body mirror, she looked at herself, making sure that the nightmare she had about being a boy was just that, a nightmare - and thankfully enough, a familiar face stared back at her. Her delightfully pink hair framing her hair, her slightly puffy cheeks, the traces of youthful freckles, the way her ringlets bounced up and down so charmingly as she did a twirl on the tip of her toes. She was tiny, and her curves had never developed to the same degree as her mistress', but nobody ever expected her to be like that - if anything, Rika took great delight in her body. She was so small, so fragile, so dainty - people just wanted to protect her. And in return, she did her best to reciprocate those feelings in the best way she knew how to - by being as charming of a maid as she could possibly think of. Indeed, a maid - as she was inspecting herself in the mirror, she had almost forgotten about her sacred duty, the activities that gave her greater joy than anything else! But she couldn't do them, not the way she was - a maid had to take pride in herself, and that always meant to be presentable in her uniform! Gracefully making her way to the wardrobe, the girl spared no effort - with polished efficiency, she pulled out one piece after another, making sure her ensemble was as coordinated as it could possibly be. Removing her lingerie, she opted to go for a clean pair of white, cotton panties and a matching bra - it had to be comfortable first and foremost, for there was quite a lot of work ahead of her, and yet she couldn't resist picking the pair with the little pink bows. Nobody would see those adorable little decorations, and yet, a girl had her needs as well - being cute was a balm on the soul, a way of expressing her own happiness. Following suit, a pair of crisp white stocking were rolled up her legs, making sure not to bunch them up, even if nobody would be seeing them for the rest of the day - part of being a maid was taking care of every single corner, even those that ordinary people may not always look at, it was only natural! Doing yet another twirl in order to express her elation, Rika finally moved on to the next piece, and pulled out a simple, black dress, one covering up her chest, reaching all the way down to her feet. She liked to have a little bit of variance - Dark Emperor was kind enough for her staff to pick the attire they preferred, and yet, she could never settle on a single type of maid uniform alone. What was the point in limiting herself like that? There was just so much she could express of herself through this amazing ensemble of clothes! Whether it was the more formal, professional appearance of a Victorian maid, or the more cutesy, playful look of somebody serving at a maid cafe, she cherished all the ways in which they could make her look so delightfully feminine - and this time, she just happened to pick the Victorian look for herself. Taking great care in tying the apron in front of her dress, as well as buttoning up the cuffs of her long sleeves, Rika was almost ready to move out - and yet, the little touches still remained. Carefully, she put her hair into her familiar bun, making sure to tie the cap up neatly, in a way that would not damage her hair later - now, everybody who would see her could immediately tell what her life's work was, and it could not have made her any happier. With deliberate steps, she slipped into her tall, heeled shoes, carefully walking up and down to hear the muffled clacking of her heels against the carpet. Truly, this was what she had been looking for in life, all along - everything she ever needed, everything she ever needed to be. As long as mistress had tasks for her, her happiness was secured - was that not a greatest honor a maid could receive? It made her feel like she was falling down, into a paradise of her very own making, as the ice keeping her suspended melted, no longer needing to keep the hot-headed hero in place - and yet, for Rika, it was hell she was descending into. Right away, something felt deeply, distressingly wrong. Ahead of herself, there they were - mistress Naomi, as well as her powerful wife, Dark Emperor herself. Dark Emperor was looking at her so strictly, as if to seize her up, and mistress sported a smile she could not read - but that was not what threw her off at all. No, it was something different entirely. The feeling of every pore within her crying out in pain, begging to be released, pleading for help in any shape or form. What was this? What was this disgusting feeling? Why did she feel so dirty, so filthy? Why did her entire body feel so plain wrong? Tears welling up in her eyes, Rika didn't know what was being so off about her, only that something had gone horribly, horribly wrong - the way her arms felt so constricted. The way her chest was so tense, giving her much less feedback than it should have under any normal circumstances. The way her point of view seemed to be so high, high enough that it scared her. And that uncomfortable, unrelenting pressure between her legs - what was going on with her? Everything felt so bulky, so heavy - where was the comforting airiness of her uniform, the smoothness of stockings against her legs? Her first reaction hadn't been to ask questions, to insult her betters in front of her, or even to inspect herself - all the poor maid could bring herself to was to cry, to sob uncontrollably. Seeing the display in front of her, Dark Emperor's expression softened for a slight moment - yet, quickly, she recomposed herself. She hated doing this. She hated giving beautiful little Rika so much pain and despair. And yet, there was something that needed to be done, and unfortunately, it had to be done off the back of Rider Raichi's final moments - at least, as far as the world was aware of it. For just a little bit longer, she needed to avert her eyes - but internally, she promised she would make Rika the happiest maid she could ever be, after this necessary evil had been completed. There was something very special for her in store, as a show of genuine appreciation. "Whatever is the matter with you, Rider Raichi? Here you are, in front of Dark Emperor, showing the world this display of weakness. Is that all there is to you? Is that what you want the world to remember you as?" Even as Rika was sobbing, she listened intently to the words of Dark Emperor, her better, the one who wanted to return the world to the state it always should have been. This cold, metallic voice, the way she did not even show her face, and called her Rider Raichi - such a dreadful scary name. The mere weight behind it terrified her, even though she did not associate anything in particular with it - to her, it was like hearing the name of a small, unimportant village at the opposite end of the globe. No, this name was scary. Even without knowing a thing about it, it sounded so violent, so brutal, so completely removed from herself - why was Dark Emperor being so cruel to her, by calling her by such a dreadful name? "I... I am not whoever you think I am! Don't you recognize me? It's me, your loyal maid Rika!" "Rika? What does somebody with a body like yours have to do with the name of Rika?" Body? A body like hers? Terrified, she turned her attention downwards, finally taking stock of just what exactly had unnerved her so much - only to feel sick to the very core of her stomach. What was all of that? Why was her chest so flat, like that of a man? Why was her body so much sharper, lacking her familiar curves? What business had this bulge between her legs, why was everything about her so much bigger and bulkier? And this mockery of a costume - where was her trustworthy maid uniform? Why was she in this bad cosplay of a green bodysuit? Once more, Rika started sobbing uncontrollably, tears flowing far more freely than they ever had throughout Raichi's entire life. She didn't want this. She didn't want this dreadful body. Where was the comfort of her role as a maid? Did she accidentally upset mistress in any way, and that was why she was now sporting a body like this? No, this shouldn't be! Under no circumstances would she ever try and upset mistress - her whole purpose in life was to make her feel happy and cherished, not the opposite of that! "Please... I beg you! Dark Emperor, please, return me to normal! I want nothing more than to return to normal, the way I should be!" "Oh? Then tell me, Rider Raichi. Tell it to all of us. What is this normal you are speaking of? What is it that you are expecting me to do? Me, your mortal enemy?" It was getting silly - none of what Dark Emperor was saying made any sense. She wasn't Rider Raichi, she was Rika! Dark Emperor wasn't her enemy, she looked up to this woman to a degree that almost bordered on worship! She did not know if this was an elaborate prank, and the camera filming every single moment of their meeting completely eluded her - and yet, she just knew she had to set this misunderstanding straight. There was no point in any of this! "You aren't my mortal enemy at all, Dark Emperor - I do not even know what brought the idea upon you! There is nothing I wish more than to serve you and your wife - to be your girly little Rika, the maid that serves with a smile on her face! But this - this isn't anything like who I truly am! Please, I beg you, make this dreadful body go away! I want to be nothing more than to be Rika again! Please, allow me to serve you again! I promise, whatever I did to upset you like this, I won't ever do it again! Please, give me another chance! The mere thought of not being able to serve the two of you is hurting so much! It tears me apart, makes me feel nauseous. I miss it. I miss everything! The weight of my pink hair as it tickles my back in the morning. The way I cannot even reach your shoulders standing up, even when I wear my tallest pair of heels. The way the skirt of my uniform flutters so nicely whenever I do a twirl. My soft, round face. My adorable little chest. I miss it so much! Please, Dark Emperor! I beg you, allow me to serve you again as your faithful maid Rika! Please! I am willing to give everything I have, dedicate every single fiber of my being to you and your wife!" "Oh? Everything you say, little one?" Of course, Rika meant every single word of what she said - no matter the price, it did not matter to her just what she had to give up! Was this even a question? "I meant every single word I said - everything I could possibly give to you!" Having heard those words, Dark Emperor stood up, walking towards the scared hero - no, there was no more hero to be found in this room anymore. A scared maid - one that should finally be allowed to leave this cruel joke being played on her behind. Standing there in front of her, she towered over the maid - and yet, a small wave of relief washed over Rika, knowing that even in this body, she still was where she belonged, below a woman as amazing as Dark Emperor. "This suit you are wearing - it is actually a bracelet. Wish for it to return to normal, and hand it over to me - it is a cursed tool keeping you a prisoner to this body. It landed on you by pure accident, poisoning you, corrupting you into somebody you should have never been. It is a fate far too cruel for a maid as loyal and adorable as yourself - a nightmare, one I shall finally allow you to wake up from." It was all Rika needed to hear - at blinding speed, she reverted the suit back into a bracelet, and tore it off her wrist without ever looking back. It made so much sense! There was no way this was a punishment for her, after she did her very best to be the best maid she could possibly be! No, everything about this was just an unfortunate accident, one that she would be freed from - and just as she handed over the bracelet, she could already feel familiar proportions returning to her, Dark Emperor's actual hand touching her back, at an angle where the camera would reveal nothing about her true identity. No, if anything, it only looked like the emperor in the black armor was embracing the hero - the hero who rapidly shifted into a dainty, diminutive maid with long, pink hair. She was still clad in clothes that were far too big, far too spacious on her - and yet, for this very moment, a certain sense of calmness had returned to her. She was back in her own body, back to being Rika - that was everything that mattered to her. Watching on, the entire world bore witness to the livestream of their hope, their hero, begging to be turned into a fragile maid - a blow that was to send ripples through the world, repercussions that would be felt for the time to come. For Rika, all of this didn't matter - the world, fate, all of these things were far too large for her. She was much more at home by the side of her mistress, attending to her every need - making use of the shining heart of service that she possessed. Little did she know that Dark Emperor had one final reward waiting for her, a compensation for the grief that she had to endure in front of the entire world. ***** "Mistress! Please, hold your breath a little longer! I promise you it will be worth it!" It was a sentence so easy to ask, and yet, her cute little maid had no idea just how difficult the task she was demanding actually was - corsets were tight, and it did not help that Rika's meager strength made the process of tying everything up take far longer than what was actually comfortable. Still, Naomi persevered - after all, this day was supposed to be just as special for her darling little Rika as it was for herself. A bold claim for an occasion as joyous as this one, but Rika was a special case - nothing brought her more joy than being allowed to thoroughly fuss about the mistress she adored so much, pampering her, spoiling her at every corner. "Aaaaaaand... you may breathe out again, mistress! Please tell me if it is still too tight for you, but I fear we may not be able to get as good of a fit for you anymore if we loosen it up for much more than this!" Well - this much, she could handle. Beauty took its sacrifices, and if it meant that she had to take smaller breaths for a few hours in order to wear the best dress for her darling Dark Emperor, wasn't this a price she was willing to pay? Turning around, she tried to give herself a quick twirl - however, she stopped in mid-motion, instead using the opportunity to get a good look at Rika once more. There she was, the loveliest maid a woman could ever ask for - always kind, always pleasant to be with, always serving with the brightest, most genuine smile. It was a miracle that a material as crude as Rider Raichi could bring forth such a magnificent maiden - and yet here was Rika, almost making Naomi forget who was originally in her place to begin with. The girl just had such a wonderful, delicate presence to her - even the smallest things could get her all emotional, and often, the girl would cry, whether it was because the dark scared her, or because she was simply being too happy to be herself. Yes, the darkness of the night scared Rika immensely, however, it was nothing that could not be fixed - in recent days, Naomi made it a habit to invite Rika to stay the night. After all, it was only proper - the girl went to such great lengths to make her happy, that it would only be natural to return the favor at times. "I think this is a good compromise, my little petal. Help me with the dress, will you? I know I can entrust you with it." Nodding to herself with the brightest smile, Rika started humming and walked over to the wardrobe, returning with a wide, elegant, black dress - one that would show off all the best attributes of her mistress, on the most important day of her life! It was unusual to wear black for a wedding, but Naomi insisted on it - with Dark Emperor ironically choosing to be in white for the special event, she wanted to complement her, to be her missing other half. To Rika, that meant an opportunity unlike any other - to help her mistress be at her most beautiful for an event such as this, wasn't it the greatest honor she could have possibly received? Already, she was sporting her most festive maid uniform, reserved for only the most special of occasions - completely and utterly in pink, cutesy bows surrounding her short skirt as little roses were stitched all over into her apron. For a change, she opted to skip the bun, instead tying her hair into a long, long braid - but that too, was part of service. To always look at her most presentable at any time. "Hm... I think we are good to go, mistress! Would you like me to fetch you a bouquet? There is this beautiful batch of lilies that Night Princess just brought in the other day, they would look so delightful on you!" Ah, the way her little Rika was being so thoughtful, continually striving to put her little touches into affairs in an effort to enhance them even further - it was downright magical. Bending down ever so slightly on her knees, Naomi attempted to be on eye level with her, looking directly at her - a gesture that was returned by Rika starting to blush rather bashfully, averting her eyes ever so slightly while keeping its signature sparkle. For weeks, the girl couldn't contain her giddiness at the upcoming wedding - when Dark Emperor officially proposed to hold a wedding in the quiet period until the next stage of their plan, it was Rika who was being assigned with all the duties related to the wedding. Decorating the avenue, selecting all the guests in attendance and sending out individualized invitations to every single one of them, getting her mistress into her dress and accompanying her to the altar - every little bit of the wedding had been with Rika in mind just as much as it had been for the two beautiful brides. Her reward, for simply being her delightful self - something that Rika never needed to be reminded of, but treasured deeply all the same. "Of course, why not - I trust your sensibilities, my little petal. Take your time - I am not going to leave until you return to my side, I am going to patiently wait for you." It was a sweet, genuine smile, so far removed from her persona as the sinister seductress - and yet, Naomi couldn't help herself. Something about Rika's enthusiasm just brought out these feelings in others, herself included. For Rika, it was an opportunity to skip and twirl through the corridors, happily humming to herself as she made for the vampire commander of their forces - a girl with unique eyes that seemed to be unapproachable, yet also seemed to be so bashful about her own body. What her story was, she didn't know, but she had a good eye for flowers - something that allowed for this wedding to become even better! With perfect punctuality, she fetched two bouquets, making sure to leave one with Thoughtfreeze. She had been selected to be Dark Emperor's bridesmaid for the day, showing just how much the two women appreciated each other - deep down, Rika figured that perhaps, Thoughtfreeze was to Dark Emperor, what Rika had been to Naomi. She liked the woman a lot - whenever the two of them met, she could feel a sensation of the deepest gratitude well up inside of her for an inexplicable reason. Respect, admiration, something else entirely - she just had the slightest feeling that Thoughtfreeze helped her become the maid she was today. It was something she appreciated - she would never wish for any other role in her life. Skipping past the wedding avenue, she could already hear loud, blubbering sobs coming from the other side of the door - but that too was no secret to the maid, for she had enough time to get familiar with all the lovely women that fought for the same cause. Those were the voices of Captain Katze and the Gooey Goddess - as much as they argued, the two of them were big softies who just wanted to see their lady happy. Yeah, it was all within expectations - now she only needed to hand over the bouquet and accompany her mistress! Knocking softly at the door to Naomi's personal chambers, the bride in black came out, a large skirt trailing behind her. Seeing her mistress this regal, Rika burst into tears herself - however, she allowed herself to calm down after a few moments, knowing that nobody would want to see her crying on such a lovely afternoon either. Bouquet in hand and arms interlocked, Rika guided her mistress into the makeshift chapel, already filled with a few select commanders as well as several of the minions - and at the end of it, there was Dark Emperor, clad in her white, radiant wedding dress, Thoughtfreeze directly by her side. On her head, a crown that looked just the tiniest bit familiar to the maid - and yet she chose not to pursue the line of thought, not caring that the object used to be the very same bracelet that enabled the horrors Rider Raichi inflicted upon the world. No, with a smile, she accompanied her mistress to the altar - and by the time the two wives kissed, she couldn't help herself but to break out in tears once again. She was the happiest little maid in the entire world.