Rippled Dimensions - Chapter 6

[honou_no_izumi]

And this piece returned to the list of the WIPs as I switch back to Hidarime mode. XD. 7 days moar~

Title: Rippled Dimensions
Universe: Original, Decade and AR Rider worlds (Heisei Universe)
Fandom: Kamen Rider Decade
Rating: G, probably PG13 later
Genre: Supernatural
Summary: Before it all started, before the journey ever begins... strange happenings had started happening in the nine Rider worlds. Once again the nine Kamen Riders have to again take upon their Rider lives in order to save their worlds.
A/N: Because I'm biased to Yuji...

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In the middle of Shinjuku, Kaido Naoya wandered aimlessly looking for something that he could do with his time. Noticing a group of youngsters loitering at a corner of the street, he smiled weakly. How long was it since, when he had been just like those kids? Being a normal human being. It was almost five years now since then, yet it felt as if ages had passed by. So many things had happened that year...

Kaido turned to head towards his usual spot when suddenly something caught his eyes as he stopped in his tracks. He blinked. 'That cannot be possible!', he thought as he dashed towards the corner of the road where he thought he saw her. As the other city people moved pass him to attend to their own business, he looked around him to find no one.

"I must have been hallucinating..." he muttered by himself as he walked away..

xxx

"Pleased to be at your service. Come again at the shop some other time..." said Takumi, bowing at the housewife as he walked out towards the corridors. Minutes later he was out of the apartment complex and headed towards the van. Mari greeted him as he opened the van door to get in.

"All done?" she asked as Takumi started the van. He nodded.

"Yeah. This next delivery is our last stop for today." he said as he took a left turn on the next corner. Both of them continued chatting as suddenly he hit the brakes. Both of them were jerked back on their seats but unharmed as Mari turned towards him in surprise.
"Is there something wrong... Taku-" Takumi abruptly got out of the van as Mari looked at him in concern.

"Takumi?" she asked him again as he appeared distracted. She turned to look towards the direction he was looking as she saw nothing. She turned back towards him as Takumi already returned inside the van.

"What is it?" she asked immediately afte she returned inside the van as Takumi remained silent. The rest of the day remained quiet as they left for their next delivery..

xxx

Saeko paced restlessly around the cramped space of a lab she was in. Five years. It had been almost five years she had been hiding in that lab as she tried to revive the Orphenoch King without any result. Five years...

What was the point of her being a true Orphenoch now if she had to remain in hiding; fearing for her life to meet its end before succeeding on her effort to revive the King, should she risk going out of the lab in the open? She was not going to decay but she was still no immortal. Nor was she invincible. What was the point to continue on this existence if she could not do anything that she wanted to do?

A slight shuffling on the floor alerted her senses at once as she turned to look around her. She took a glance at the tank containing the Orphenoch King as it-he remained unresponsive. Then who-she immediately swerved towards the door as her eyes met blue. Smart Lady bowed at her formally as she frowned.

"How did you found this place?" she demanded as Smart Lady spoke without expression.

"We'd like to take the King."

She backed away cautiously. "Who's we?" as another person walked out onto the light behind Smart Lady. Saeko immediately cursed as she attacked him. The person immediately countered her attacks using his broad sword without transforming. Saeko snarled.

"You're supposed to be dead!" she cried out as Yuji smiled.

"There's no time for resistance. We need that Orphenoch King-wait, we need both of you for things to be done."

"Like hell I'd follow you!" she exclaimed as Yuji took out his Kaixa phone. Yuji leered towards Saeko.

"I didn't say I was going to ask you nicely." he said as Saeko stared at him in alarm...

xxx

Takumi stared into empty space as he paused in the middle of ironing. Could he be imagining it? It was already five years. Why did he started to see things now after such a long time?

"You've never changed. I wonder if that's a good thing or not."

Takumi turned around abruptly as he stared at the man leaning on the counter in disbelief.

"Kusaka?" he asked in surprise. "How-"

"Don't ask me how I came back. Hell I don't even know how. Doesn't matter anyway. I thought I'd see something interesting here but I guess it's still the same. See ya!" he said callously as he left the shop.

"Oi wait!" Takumi exclaimed as he contemplated to climbing over the counter, before thinking the better of it and ran out through the proper exit. "Wait, you bas-!" he cried again as he saw no more trace of him around.

"Don't you mind him. I guess no one actually change a lot since then, regardless whether they were still living... or whatever-"
Takumi turned around as he took a long breath.

"Kiba! How-?"

Kiba Yuji just shrugged at him lazily before taking a look inside the shop.

"Better we talk elsewhere. I rather not be here." said Yuji as Takumi argued.

"Is it not a good place? Mari would be glad to see you again-"

Yuji laughed coldly.

"Right now, that's not important. Something is happening... and it will affect a lot of people. We'll need to talk about that... other things can wait for later."

Yuji gestured towards his car parked nearby as Smart Lady came out of the car and bowed at him.

xxx

"I saw you earlier, staring at a house. I thought I was dreaming. But it really is you right now, in front of me." said Takumi as Yuji shrugged.

"That house... had been where my uncle used to live in..." said Yuji as he knelt over his and Osada Yuka's grave. He let out a long sigh as he ran his hand over the grave stone marker. Takumi shrugged.

"I've tried to collect all of them, you know. I did. Your ashes, I mean. But I guess some of it must have been blown by the wind. I mean... sometimes the wind can enter that underground place, right?"

Yuji turned his head towards him.

"Inui-kun-"

"I mean... that must have been the explanation, right? I didn't actually collect your ashes-and you're still alive, in front of me-"

"Inui-kun! Stop," Yuji said sternly as Takumi stopped talking. He glanced towards Smart Lady as she remained standing quietly beside Yuji. Yuji brushed aside some of the dry leaves on Yuka's grave marker.

"Thank you." Yuji started to say as he remained kneeling over the two grave markers. "I used to imagine myself dying without a grave. After all... it's not like my uncle would even remember me or even cared if I had lived or died. If he's still alive, that is. Thank you for doing this for Yuka as well."

Takumi fidgeted, feeling awkward to hear Kiba addressed Osada-san by her first name but set that aside.

"It's nothing..." he said, before looking at Smart Lady. Seeing that she was not going to say anything-he still never found out who exactly had placed the two markers on Kiba and Osada's grave five years ago-he decided to not mention that other fact. Perhaps that lady in blue really did placed it for them or not-but he was rambling in his head now, he should stop.

Yuji, still facing his grave stone; shook his head.

"No, I should thank you. I never thought that anyone would still remember me."

Takumi felt his heart clenched at that thought as he shook his head.

"You can't say that! There are still people who remembered you... and Osada-san. Me... Mari, Keitaro, Kaido-" Takumi turned to look towards Smart Lady as she stared back at him. He shook his head again as he added. "We all still remember you! Even when you had been like that-that time; if it's not because of you holding down that Orphenoch King, you wouldn't have to-"

Yuji rose to his feet. He let out a sigh before turning around to face him.

"Still, thank you. I'm grateful for this, after what I've done-"

"Enough. You don't need to say it again," said Takumi painfully as Yuji smiled at him weakly. He noticed Takumi brushing his hand on his sleeves as he remembered his real purpose for this meeting.

"Inui..." he started to say as Takumi glanced back at him. "My existence in front of you now, is not natural."

Yuji started to chuckle.

"Then again, for us being the Original Orphenochs... our existence were already unnatural, isn't it? What more can top that?" He shrugged again.

"But Inui, this time it's different. I myself am not sure as to how I managed to survive that day. Perhaps, I had another life after that me that had been killed that day. And this me had continued living like a normal person until now before I've awakened to my past memories. Whatever it is that had happened, I'm here now. And I believe that my being here, right now... has a purpose."

"Wait a minute!" Takumi said suddenly as he started waving his arm around. "I don't understand what you're trying to say-"
Yuji stared back at him, his expression suddenly became very serious.

"Something is going to happen to this world. I can sense it. Something big is going to happen to this world. Or perhaps it already had. Who knows? But what I know is that, we'd need Riders. We really need those who can use the Gears." he said as he turned towards Takumi.

"Inui-kun, you still had the Faiz Gear with you, isn't it? How about the Delta Gear?"

"Er... umm, yes... and Delta also-but what-"

"Whatever's going to happen soon, going to effect everyone. Orphenochs especially. And there's the other people... the normal humans. Even if we could find someone else who could use the Gears, there's no guarantee-our world depends on this greatly-it's much too risky. And could you also contact that other person, who used Delta that time-"

"Kiba, what's wrong... what-"

"I need you to follow me to Smart Brain." said Yuji as he scratched his forehead. "-What was the name of that friend of Mari-?"

"He's... Mihara-"

"Good-" Yuji started to say as he grabbed Takumi by his arm. Takumi followed behind him without any choice as he noticed that Kiba had been holding the Kaixa phone. He held his hand over the car door Smart Lady had graciously opened for him as he grabbed Yuji by the shoulders.

"What's this about? I-"

"Your body has started to decay, isn't it? Just like Hanagata-san. But we can't let that happening now, especially you-get in!" said Yuji, urgently as he forced Takumi to get into the car.

He slammed the door close as he got on the front passenger seat. As Smart Lady started the car and drove the car onto the main road, Yuji held his phone next to his ear as he started to call on someone.

"Helo? Sonoda-san? Please don't ask me right now but I need you to find your friend..."

xxx

Takumi stepped back the moment he saw the other two occupants in the lab.

"Kiba! What's the meaning of this-" Takumi exclaimed as he saw Saeko and the body of the Orphenoch King in a tank, at a closed glass lab beside the one he was in. "What are you trying to do... Kiba!"

"I'm trying to find a way to stop your decaying process! The world is facing destruction! I can't let you-"

Takumi grabbed Yuji's neck by the collars of his shirt as he snarled.

"I will not allow you to change me into... THAT!", exclaimed Takumi, pointing towards Saeko as Yuji slapped his fist away.

"I will not allow you to leave unless I found a cure for you. Especially you..."

Takumi shook his head. "I can't believe this! You're still-!"

"Follow me! There's something that I want to show you. Make your decision then after you've seen this." said Yuji sternly as he grabbed Takumi's arm. He turned towards Smart Lady.

"Continue the research on the King and Saeko. We'll be back later..." he said again as he dragged Takumi out of the labs.

Outside at the lobby of the Smart Brain Research Building, Takumi pushed Yuji away from himself.

"Forget it. I'm leaving. You're not going to change my mind regardless of where you're taking me or what ever you're showing me-"
Yuji glared at him, annoyed. He took out his phone half way, in the middle of calling his staff as he hissed.

"There's a time for being unreasonable and THIS is not one of them. It took me several months to locate Saeko and I will not waste any time in preparation for the fu-ugh!"

Suddenly a trolley-full of baggage rammed into Yuji and he and Takumi got thrown off onto the marble floor. Takumi hit the floor hard on his arm while Yuji smashed towards a nearby glass display; as the glass shattered against his weight. Takumi looked up towards Yuji's Kaixa phone that had skidded several meters away from them as he watched someone's hand picking it up. Takumi sat up to get a better look at the person as his eyes met those of Kusaka's.

"You?" he cried as Kusaka waved the phone at him.

"Thank you for the souvenirs..." he said, smirking as he dashed for the exit. In that few seconds, Takumi managed to see that Kusaka had also been holding a silver Smart Brain case that looked suspiciously like the case that used to hold the rest of the Kaixa Gears.
"Why you sneak-!" Takumi cried as he was preparing to give chase before a firm hand stopped him. He turned to find Yuji limping towards him.

"Let him go. The place I'm taking you to is more important than Kaixa..." he said as Takumi stared at him in alarm.

"You're bleeding!" he cried as he tried to take a look at the cut on Yuji's forehead and cheeks. Yuji waved his concerns away as Takumi argued about it before taking out a clean handkerchief from his own pocket and wrapped it around Yuji's right arm that was also injured from the glass shards.

Several workers scampered towards the scene, helping Yuji and Takumi up while some others went to clean up the mess as Yuji nudged him towards the car parking lot where another Smart Brain staff was waiting with the car.

"This is somewhat impressive. It seemed as if you had never died or left this company." Takumi commented as both of them got into the car. Yuji turned his glance elsewhere.

"I actually had some thinking that time after you left me to get to the King. Before I went to that underground base, I've left Lady with some instruction. That's all... and the company had been kept going ever since."

"But then... for you to right away returning back to your post-"

Yuji snorted.

"That was never my intention. In fact... it was Lady who found me. She was the one that insisted for me to come back. And then later..." Yuji trailed off as he continued staring towards the area outside the car. Takumi followed his line of view as he finally noticed the destination the car was taking them to. He turned towards Yuji in confusion.

"Here? What are we doing here?" Takumi asked as the car stopped in front of the entrance to the underground base.
Yuji sighed as he opened the car door and walked outside. Takumi followed behind him as Yuji told the driver to wait for them. He turned his attention towards Takumi as he gestured for him to follow him into the base. Inside, he let out a long sigh as they walked deeper inside.

"I started to sense this... not long after I'm back with Smart Brain. I went back to this place... because I felt it was strange for me to have even survived that day. I thought I could find my answers here..."

They continued walking as Takumi started to recognize some parts of the last battle scene. Right now, there were some supports erected around the place where there used to be stone pillars; destroyed before during their last battle with the Orphenoch King. The battle... that he thought had killed the King at the cost of the life of the person in front of him. Yuji lifted his arm to wipe the blood on his forehead as Takumi remembered that the man had been injured earlier.

He quickened his steps to catch him as he spoke. "You really had to get someone to take a look at that."

Yuji just shrugged again. "I'm alright." he said as Takumi started muttering under his breath, scolding his friend for being oblivious over his own injuries. Suddenly they heard rushing of foot steps behind them as they turned around towards the direction of the sound.
Mari, Keitaro and Kaido stopped on their mad dash as they finally reached the other two.

"Kiba-san!" cried Mari as Yuji just smiled back towards her. Takumi turned his attention back to him as Yuji turned back towards the direction of the core of the base.

"Oi, Kiba!" cried Kaido as well as Yuji sighed.

"Considering most of you are here already, I might as well show you all." he said again before walking away. Seeing that Yuji was not going to explain to them any further than he already had, the others had no choice but to follow behind him.

They eventually reached the core where Mari and the others had seen the Orphenoch King being held to complete its form five years ago as Yuji took another turn elsewhere. They continued walking before finally stopping in front of a sealed entrance-Takumi noticed that it appeared to be newly erected-as Yuji entered some codes on the touch pad to allow them to enter. He motioned the others to follow as he entered the room.

"This had been the control room of that core that we had just passed earlier. Lady had told me that some vandals had broke in this place two years ago... but this was not what I want to show you."

Takumi and the others glanced around the badly trashed control room as they stopped in front of a big super computer. Yuji turned towards them.

"Mind helping me push this lump of junk aside?" he asked as Keitaro looked at him incredulously.

"Are you crazy? You see how big that thing was? How do you think-" Takumi brushed him aside as he and Kaido used their Orphenoch strength to push the block of metal aside. Yuji also helped as the block moved to its side, to where it had originally been placed.

"What the-!" Takumi exclaimed when he saw the thing that had been behind the wrecked super computer hard drive as Yuji reverted into his human form.

Mari's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the section of the wall, where now a water-like apparition was hovering over-not, that part of the wall itself was the apparition. But instead of a full wall, it was just a small hole; barely enough for even the smallest of man to squirm pass through the hole.

"What was that..." she asked as Yuji shrugged.

"It's a rip between this world and another like it. It's a dimensional rip between worlds." Yuji explained before turning around towards them. "Something must have happened in another dimension... world, just like ours; that's causing this rip. Regardless of what is it, our world is facing her own destruction."

"But Kiba... this... just can't possibly-!" exclaimed Takumi as Yuji sighed.

"Perhaps you could understand this more if you see this..." Yuji said suddenly as he waved his hand over the mirror apparition on the wall.

Immediately, the hole enlarged itself into a wide plane mirror wall and washed pass all of them. Everyone other than Yuji ducked for cover as the scenery changed into a plain field. Takumi looked up towards his surroundings as the other also started to glance around to realize that they were no longer inside the control room. Takumi blinked in confusion as he turned towards Yuji.

"What-what had you done?" Takumi exclaimed as Yuji just kept his silence and hung his head low. Everyone else turned towards him after hearing Takumi's outburst.

Yuji took a long breath before facing all of them again.

"Just watch." he said as the others turned their attention towards the direction he was looking at. Everyone gave a cry of surprise. The plains had been empty, save for them for the few minutes earlier but now somehow there was a lone girl in a white fluffy dress standing a few meters in front of them as Mari called out towards her. The girl did not respond to her.

It was more like she had not even heard Mari's voice.

"It's no use. She wouldn't hear you anyway." Yuji spoke again as Mari turned towards him.

"But why? And where are we? What are we doing here?" she asked as Yuji smiled, to the annoyance of the others.

"We're still inside that control room. We really are..." he said as he turned his attention towards the others. "This was one of the scenes in that girl's dreams that she had seen."

Takumi frowned and was about to ask further but before he can do it, the place was blaring with sounds of explosions and cries of anguish. He turned back to see a massive amount of destruction happening all around him as he saw various Kamen Riders, even his own; fighting (against who?) and scattered around in a complete chaos. The others started to back away from the scene as Takumi slowly stepped forward to get a closer look.

Immediately the vision ended and they were back in the control room. Yuji collapsed in exhaustion as Kaido caught him in his fall.
"Are you all right?" he asked in concern. Before Yuji could answer, he stiffened suddenly as if he has been electrically shocked. Yuji cringed in pain as he covered both of his ears tightly. Takumi exclaimed in surprise as he rushed to his side.

"Kiba, what's wrong? Kiba! Can you hear my voice?" he cried as Yuji slowly regained his composure. He looked up towards both of his friends as he shook his head slowly.

"I'm all right. Let's get out of here..." he said, weakly.

Takumi was unconvinced, seeing Yuji being so pale but kept quiet as all of them walked out of the control room; with Yuji being supported by both Naoya and Takumi. Not long after they left the room, Yuji had another spasm as he finally fainted. Alarmed, Takumi tried shaking Yuji's body to no avail. Before he could do anything else, Mari's unexpected scream grabbed his attention as he turned towards her.

To his and the other's surprise, another of those mirror-like apparition that they have seen earlier appeared before them like walls made of water. But unlike the vision that Yuji had led them to see, a number of monsters, unlike the Orphenochs that they were used to; appeared before them. They were colourful for one, unlike the usual grey shades that was like an Orphenoch's. They also had leathery appearances rather that the sculptured looks Orphenoch often have. That told him enough that the monsters before them were unlike the usual enemies they used to fight.

"Damn it! If only I brought along Faiz..." he groaned as Keitaro hurried back beside him and shoved him the small Smart Brain briefcase.

"Eeh! Keitaro, how?" Takumi gasped as Keitaro explained.

"When Mari-chan receiced the call earlier, I thought you might need this-" he said as Takumi immediately took out Faiz belt from the case.

Putting on the belt and taking out the Faiz phone, he motioned towards Mari and Keitaro to stay put as he dialled the number 5 three times on the phone.

"Watch over Kiba for me," he said as he transformed into Faiz. Faiz immediately rushed forward towards the enemy as he sent a hard kick towards the face of a monster that looked a lot like a hybrid between a man and a roach. Naoya also leapt forward, changing into his Snake Orphenoch form as he fought some other of the monsters.

"For Dai Shocker!"

One of the monsters started to shout as it jumped to deliver a hard blow onto Faiz. Mari cried aloud before the Toad-like monster was thrown away; having been shot with multiple rounds of gun blast. Faiz turned around to look and swerved again to see who had attacked the kaijin. To his surprise, it was AutoVajin which he thought had been destroyed five years ago.

Another explosion eruption near him as Faiz turned to find another kaijin, looking like a walking Venus flytrap; fell after being shot. He looked back behind him to find Yuji holding a Gear Phone Blaster while being supported by Mari. Turning back his attention towards the remaining enemy, he watched as they retreated back into the mirror apparition that had appeared again behind them.

Now safe again, Faiz disarmed as Takumi and Naoya dashed towards Yuji's side. Yuji let himself fall on the floor as his strength left him.

"Kiba-san! You're all right?" Mari asked as Yuji nodded his head.

"I'm just exhausted." he said slowly as Takumi knelt beside him.

"What's that?", both Keitarou and himself exclaimed as Takumi gestured towards the phone blaster. Yuji smiled as he changed the phone back into its normal phone mode.

Upon closer look, Takumi noticed that the phone was similar to his own Faiz phone but having a different symbol embedded on top of it. Yuji shrugged as he explained.

"It's a new Gear I've created, based on the notes I've found from Hanagata-san's research. It's still under works though, alongside that other one involving the King." he said as he looked back towards Takumi. "I've got to try fighting my own way regardless. This incoming threat... neither humans nor Orphenochs are safe, and we're not just fighting among these two sides right now."

Takumi sighed. To think he had been so shallow, even now he had never been able to understand Kiba Yuji's thought process.
He shrugged.

"I'm in." he abruptly spoke as Yuji eyed him in surprise. "I'll go along with your plan-whatever you wanted to do to stop my body from dying inside before I would be able to fight those enemies or whatever that's threatening this world. I'll trust you on this. I'll help."
"I'll help too... you idiot." Naoya spoke as he shrugged. "I bet Mihara would think the same too. So don't push yourself too hard."

Yuji's eyes brightened as he heard Takumi and Kaido said it. He grabbed Takumi's hands as he tried hard not to burst into tears.

"Thank you. Thank you for believing in me." said Yuji gratefully, glancing at everyone around him as Takumi helped him to get off the floor...

xxx

Takumi was in a deep thought. The events from the day before as well as the things he had seen so far was still too much for him to handle. Kiba had explained even more about the situation once Mihara had arrived, since there had been some reports before of humans and Orphenochs disappearing mysteriously. Considering that Smart Brain had the technology to monitor almost every Orphenochs in Japan, (probably even the world but he rather not think too far) if they said that the Orphenochs had been killed mysteriously... he just had to accept it. Their data collection on all of the known Orphenochs were almost fully accurate after all.

Takumi turned to watch Kiba working tirelessly alongside his research team, with Smart Lady by his side aiding him once a while. It was kind of ironic for him to be reunited with Kiba like this, just when this world is facing another disaster. As much as this turn of fate had been harsh on himself, so it did for Kiba... as well as his other companions.

He wonder if it was possible for all of them to live in a more peaceful world.

Out of the blue, Kiba suddenly fidgeted as if a fly had just slipped into one of his ears. Takumi looked at him curiously as he rushed towards another computer and typed some commands on the keyboard. He walked towards him to ask what was wrong.

"It's another attack." Yuji said simply as he gave orders to his staffs to send some Troopers to the location.

Takumi smirked at him.

"It seemed that you've been working even harder than before you have died." said Takumi chirped as Yuji brushed him aside.

"Well... I figured that whatever these people are planning to do in our world, is related as to why this world might be facing destruction. If stopping them means saving this world, then I'll do it even if it kills me..." Yuji leered towards him as Takumi snickered.

"-again." he added as an afterthought.

"Regardless..." Takumi managed to say. "I'm happy to be able to work with you again..."

Yuji smiled. "Remember to ask me to work with you at that cleaners shop if ever we survive this ordeal." he said, to which both of them smiled.

Takumi turned to head out towards the enemy as suddenly as if realising something, Yuji called out towards him.

"Take care. There's still a lot for you to do from now on."

Takumi nodded as he left.