Traversing the Worlds: 2

[thekingofkamenriders]

[Action A: 7135 Brooks, locked to housemates and possibly Marvelous and Ambrosia.]

[Tsukasa hasn't had a happy morning thus far. In fact, it could be said that he was in a lot of pain right now, due to the rum from the bonfire that Ambrosia threw the night before. He shouldn't have drank anything, but...well, he had to prove a point. What that point was, who knows.]

I'm going to kill both of them. I mean it.

[Its great to have friends, isn't it?]

[Action B: MacCready & Son's Law Firm]

Look, I just think that John needs to get his dog to stop going on my lawn. Is that so much to ask, Mister Kadoya? I may have to utilize your services soon if it doesn't stop.

[There is a click and a whirr, the drone blinking slightly as Tsukasa puts down his camera.]

Well, if you ever decide to do so, be sure and come back.

[As the drone leaves, Tsukasa just lays his head down on the desk, still suffering from the effects of a hangover. This day couldn't get any worse.]

[Action C: Around Mayfield]

[Tsukasa had lived through the hangover and the boring day at work, but now is the time to finally do what he really wanted to do: Walk around and take pictures. If anyone would like to be his subjects, they just need to talk to him!]

Comments

[the_end_run]

So if people forgot about the Riders, they'll just disappear?

Re: C

[afterthesky]

It sounds a great deal more organized than travelling with the Doctor.

[queen_of_swords]

Good, you shouldn't run away from something like that, you never know when it could be useful, but don't let it bother you, either.

Re: C

[thekingofkamenriders]

You say that now...but you've never met the conductor of the DenLiner.

[thekingofkamenriders]

[He looks at Shepard with a very sober expression.]

Isn't that true of just about anything, when you think about it? When they pass from the realm of memory, what's to say that they ever existed, no matter what good they've done.

[thekingofkamenriders]

[He actually looks a little upset about that.]

I wasn't running. I was just...setting it aside for a while to come back to.

[That's right, Tsukasa. You can't have people think that the destroyer of worlds was scared of something.]

[queen_of_swords]

[Yes, she recognizes that for an excuse, she knows how to evade topics like this, has done so herself, but lying to himself won't help at all.]

Did that help?

[thekingofkamenriders]

Well, it hasn't hurt me any.

[He sighs a bit.]

Look, I promise that I'll develop the pictures in a few days.

[the_end_run]

[That's...that's deep Tsukasa. Shepard nods solemnly.]

I get what you mean. There are lots of kids out on the streets; nobody knows who they are, nobody really cares. They could just die one day and nobody would even know.

[queen_of_swords]

[She nods.]

Then I'm sure you'll let me know how they turn out next time we meet.

[thekingofkamenriders]

[Tsukasa is a much deeper person than one might think. He nods slowly to her statement.]

Exactly. I don't like it when that happens, not to the least of them, or the heroes that protect the world. It would just be a shame. That's why I exist. My story is to save their stories.

[thekingofkamenriders]

Your photos will be the second ones that I develop. I've already promised my first to someone else.

[queen_of_swords]

I don't care about who they're of, just how they turn out.

[the_end_run]

...

You got any stories for me then? I think I got time for one or two.

[thekingofkamenriders]

[Tsukasa looks down at his camera, then back up at Shepard. He nods once.]

My friends and I went to somewhere called 'The World of Kabuto'. This was an earth where Kamen Riders were part of a government security force called Zect, who was protecting the population from monsters called Worms, who could assume the form and memories of anyone.

[He pauses.]

Worms were able to shift into something called 'Clock Up', which made them move very quickly, faster than light speed, and the Riders had a system that countered it, letting them move at the same speed. The greatest Rider on that world is named Kabuto, and his Clock Up system was malfunctioning, causing him to be stuck at super speed, and to become something like a ghost story to the people of his world. They feared him, because he seemed to strike at random and without warning.

The fact of the matter is that Kabuto's actions were calculated. He was protecting his sister, or, rather, the person he thought was his sister. He found out that she was another Worm, though she didn't know. He didn't care, because she was family. At the end of it, despite being dragged out of Clock Up for a while, he had to return to that mode, if only so that the rest of the Riders of that world would be able to stop the Worms. He continues to protect his sister to this day, unable to communicate with her, just watching from a distance.

[He clears his throat a little bit, then looks at Shepard again.]

And that's the story of one of the greatest men I've ever met. I don't think that I would have been able to do that.

[He looks like he'd be willing to tell another story, if she'd like.]

[the_end_run]

[Tales of sacrifice and love always strike a chord in people. Shepard listens to the story and when Tsukasa finishes, she solemnly nods.]

He does sound like a great person. I work in the military back home; you hear a lot of stories like this the longer you're around. Someone has to do the hard work to keep others safe, and sometimes these people go unnoticed.

[She's one of the luckier ones.]

Got any other stories?

[thekingofkamenriders]

[Tsukasa thinks for a moment.]

I've got another one, I think.

[A pause. This one seems...hard for him to talk about.]

Where I come from, there is a converged world, called the World of Rider War. On that world, great heroes banded together to stop a single villain. He was the greatest among them, but had fallen into rage and hatred. One by one, he destroyed them and took their powers, sealing their memories into cards. The villain did not like his job, but he knew that it was his destiny to do so.

[He pauses.]

He had worked with them, once, but that time was over. He had cast away his friends and his family, so that his only goal would be the destruction of the others. It wasn't until one of his oldest friends took on the mantle of Rider, that she was able to face him.

[He stops, shaking his head. Again, this looks like a painful story for him.]

[the_end_run]

[She's silent throughout the whole story. This sounds like something she shouldn't interupt.]

[thekingofkamenriders]

[He gives a grim sort of smile.]

And then, she killed me, because she had to. I was a rabid dog that was out of control.

[He shrugs.]

And then they found a way to bring me back, because I still had things to do that didn't involve being the Destroyer of Worlds. I guess that's my own sad story. It's probably the reason that I'm here today.

[The sadness is gone, and now he looks a little triumphant.]

It's been a while since I told that story, but I figured if I told Kabuto's, I should tell Decade's.

[the_end_run]

[When he's finished, Shepard crosses her arms and sighs. Keeping her eyes on the park, she doesn't say anything to Tsukasa for a while. It's almost as if she's got nothing else left to say to him.

Eventually though, she does break the silence. Her voice doesn't sound judging at all. More...slightly disappointed, but also encouraging and comforting.]

We all make mistakes and we all have to face the consequences for them. It's what we do after that though that counts. I know too many people who know that what they're doing is wrong, but they just don't give a damn. The high road is never the easy road, and it takes courage and determination to face up to what you've done, to swallow your pride and change.

You got a second chance Tsukasa. I hope you know that not everyone's so lucky.

[thekingofkamenriders]

[Tsukasa nods.]

It wasn't something that I enjoyed doing. I knew these men, and had formed a bond with many of them. It's just...something that had to be done, so that their memories would never fade. Memories never die, after all.

[There's a little bit of a grim laugh, though.]

Once I finished with the task, they were all home, and it restored the balance. It was painful, but necessary, and in the end, we all rallied together to take on a bigger threat.

[He shrugs.]

Trust me, I've never forgotten my second chance, and I've never forgotten my friends. Its just sometimes that you have to make the hard decisions. That's what makes a hero, isn't it?

[And Shepard, you wouldn't believe the amount of change that this Rider has done...but, that may be a story for a different day.]

[the_end_run]

[She regards Tsukasa with a strange look, before she relaxes into a small smile.]

Right.

It's good to have you with us Tsukasa. You sound like someone who knows his way around; I'm sure you'll do a great job in the Resistance. If you ever need any back-up, you know who to call.

[thekingofkamenriders]

[He gives a slight nod.]

I've had to, due to my life. When all you do is wander from world to world, you have to. And the offer goes in reverse. If you ever need anything, I'll be there. It's what Riders do...well, once I get my powers back.

[the_end_run]

You can still be a Rider without your abilities. It's what's inside you that makes you a Rider.

But I'm glad you've got my back Tsukasa.

[thekingofkamenriders]

I guess it is, at that.

[That will actually get a small smile from him, for once.]

And I'm glad you've got mine.