Chapter Text
High up in the sky, located in Fenix’s Skybase, is the lab of the rather dramatic and eccentric scientist George Karizaki, within which is the man himself, tinkering away at a device on his desk. A belt, of sorts, not the first he’s worked on, but it’s what’s needed for the situation. The belt is a blue green color, with a panel on the top that would rotate to the side in the process of activation.
Sitting across from George, watching him with a degree of limited interest, was Tamaki Igarashi. He fidgeted in his seat, a tad awkwardly, like he was struggling to find a comfortable position, until he finally shifted so that he was sitting a little more sideways, allow for his blue-grey colored tail to no longer be sat upon. The furry ears on top of his head, the same color as his tail and the fur that could be see across his cheeks, twitched in relief as he sighed.
George peered up from the belt, for a moment, glancing at Tamaki before looking back to it. As he continued his work on the belt, he said, “You sit in that chair regularly, Igarashi, and you still take so long to find a way to sit comfortably.”
Sheepishly, Tamaki responded, “It’s… not really that comfortable of a way to sit either, I’m just… not squishing my tail.”
This is a conversation the two have often.
Tamaki had met George in an… awkward way, to say the least, and one that certainly had Captain Kadota not the most pleased. He and Captain Kadota had been in one of their regular training sessions, in the midst of a spar when Tamaki thought he’d heard the door open. He was still getting used to his hearing being more sensitive, so it had distracted him, and he hadn’t even been sure if he’d actually heard the door open. It had turned out to be George, who had through one means or another found out about Tamaki strange appearance and wanted to know more.
He'd told George all he could, but he and his siblings didn’t really know much in the first place. Particularly in regard to the recent developments – that being Tamaki’s ears and Hana’s antenna (as usual, Makoto still appears to be the normal one). They just woke up with those things, and all Tamaki could really say was it was probably connected to those people who took them when they were still kids on the street, but how they got them at home was beyond him.
As a general rule, Tamaki tries not to think about what they did to him years ago, lest the terrifying memories resurface, and he convinces himself he can feel the prick of the needles and his fear as they strapped him down to that table. He remembers even less of what happened the second time, and he really doesn’t want to think much further about it.
The only complaint Tamaki had about spending time in George’s lab, other than the general strange behavior of the man himself, was that there wasn’t much for him to do. But this was what he was assigned to do – with the idea that his features had some connections to the Vistamps or Gifu, he wasn’t allowed on the field, for worry of what might happen if the Deadman found out about him. So stuck he was in George’s lab, unless he was training. Despite Tamaki’s best efforts, he found it was easy to become bored while simply watching George work.
It would all be worth it in the end, of course, but that meant in the meantime, Tamaki was often left to find ways to keep himself entertained. George didn’t exactly make the greatest conversation partner, not when he was so focused on working. Still, it wasn’t uncommon for Tamaki to make attempts at conversation, though they rarely went anywhere.
“Mama’s been pestering Makoto about getting girlfriend,” Tamaki notes idly, “Which isn’t really new, but it’s not like Makoto ever seems really interested in that.” While Tamaki sort of understood where their mother was coming from, the facts of the matter were Makoto was only twenty, and a good reason why he’s never had a love life is because the three of them weren’t around other kids their own age for a portion of their lives, and have always been varying degrees of social outcasts even before that. Though Makoto was certainly the most normal of them… It wasn’t a surprise to Tamaki that he wasn’t hurrying for a relationship. He was happy with his family and helping out at Happy Spa.
But their mother just wanted her children to be the happiest they could be. It was sort of an affectionate pestering, anyway. A teasing. Tamaki was sure he’d probably be subject to it sooner or later, too. Hana was the baby, so she was probably safe for a while longer – then again the entire family was already pretty sure she had feelings for her friend, Hikaru. Hikaru certainly had a crush on her, but if either would actually make a move was… debatable.
Still working intently on the belt, George made little sound to indicate if he had even heard a word Tamaki said. This was normal. Tamaki sighed, it was going to be a long day, as it always was.
---
Happy Spa was the Igarashi family bath house. Yukimi Igarashi had inherited it from her parents and ran it now with her family. Most of the time, it was the eldest of the children, Makoto, who could be found helping, though Tamaki and Hana would too, when they had the time. With Tamaki’s job at Fenix, his aid has become less and less, but the family doesn’t complain, they’re proud of him, and they can manage just fine. Makoto preferred trying to handle a lot of it himself, anyway.
Despite everyone’s schedules, they still manage to find time to sit down for dinner together, each night. It was a wonderful act of normalcy, one of the few moments where the three siblings could feel normal, especially for Tamaki and Hana, who rarely felt normal outside of their home. No one would make fun of Tamaki’s fur, tail, or ears, no one would make fun of Hana’s fuzzy wrists and ankles, or her antenna. Makoto was happy that they at least got this. The world outside didn’t need to exist, for just a little while.
“Tamaki, are you excited for tomorrow?” Makoto asked, watching as Tamaki smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, I think you’ll all be really proud of me when you see,” Tomorrow was the Fenix commencement ceremony, and though no one in their family knew the details, they knew that there was something Tamaki really wanted his family to see. It probably had something to do with whatever that Karizaki guy that Tamaki had been assigned to was working on.
Their mother, Yukimi, smiled, “Tamaki, we’re proud of you already,”
Their father, Genta, smiled and nodded in agreement, “Yes, you’re a part of Fenix, and that’s already quite the accomplishment.
Truthfully, Makoto was amazed that Tamaki managed to make it out of basic training. He knew that he wasn’t safe from bullying even at Fenix, that he had been miserable, but that had all changed one day. He came back from Fenix and asked for the list of names Hana had been keeping (because Hana wouldn’t let the bullying of her brother slide and had kept track of every name Tamaki had mentioned), and he reported them. A few days later, he seemed even happier – one of the captains, Kadota, had taken Tamaki under his wing, more or less, and seemed unbothered by the fur or the tail.
For that, Makoto was incredibly grateful. It was thanks to Kadota that Tamaki was so much happier. Hana suggested sending him flowers as repayment, but Makoto talked her out of it – instead they ended up thanking him when he’d stopped by Happy Spa, since they’d told Tamaki to invite him (that was surely an embarrassing conversation for Tamaki).
Looking over towards Hana, Makoto asked, “Hana, did you have fun out with Hikaru today?”
Hana nodded, “Yeah, though we made the mistake of walking by a flower shop… Hikaru had to drag me away before a shoved my face in the flowers!” She laughed at her own actions. She’d always had an affection for flowers and floral scents, at least as long as Makoto’s known her. It’s only gotten stronger in the past few months, since the second round of changes.
At the very least, she had Hikaru to help her, he was capable enough of keeping her from getting too distracted by the flowers. Never has anyone had to tell Hana to stop and smell the roses.
“Hikaru’s such a wonderful boy,” Yukimi gushed, “You really should invite him over more often.”
“He comes over at least once a week, Mama,” Hana laughed, rolling her eyes.
Makoto smiled, this was a usual route for this conversation to go. It was predictable, but for Makoto, that was comforting. After spending so long not knowing where their next meal would come from, whether they’d be warm or not when it got cold, and keeping an eye on both Tamaki and Hana, it was nice to just… have the safety and normality they had now. He didn’t have to worry about that anymore, hadn’t for years, since they’d moved in with the Igarashis.
Even when there were issues, Makoto wouldn’t trade this peace for the world.
---
Tamaki’s tail tucked itself downwards as his brain ran through every possible way he could embarrass himself today. He could trip, he could sneeze too loudly! With his family out there, with him finally getting a chance… and he could totally mess it up! He… probably wouldn’t, but you never know, and oh god maybe he shouldn’t have invited his family to the ceremony, god, they were going to embarrass him, regardless of what he did.
“You’re getting lost in your thoughts again, Igarashi.” Tamaki startled, too lost in his thoughts to hear Captain Kadota approaching, despite his sensitive hearing. “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.”
Sighing, Tamaki’s tail raised itself a bit, “It’s not that I’m worried about myself – okay, well, I am – it’s just… er, I’m worried about my family.” He scratches the back of his head, his fingertips still longer than he’s used to and scratching more than he expected. “They’re… well you’ve met them. They’re going to embarrass me, I just know it.”
Captain Kadota gave him a small smile, “They want you to know their proud of you. Don’t worry, even if they do embarrass you, it can’t be that bad.”
Just as Captain Kadota finished speaking, George saunters in, “Oh this is going to be so fun, eh, Igarashi? We’ll get to show the world what I’ve been working on.”
“Ah, right, yeah.” Just a little longer, and Tamaki would finally be able to show the world what he was made of, even if few people would know the truth. Sure, the ceremony itself was being broadcasted, but what he was here for was for after the broadcast ended. Mostly, they were just doing it for the Fenix members and family, even then, Tamaki thought it was a bit excessive. He could tell his family himself.
Still, Tamaki didn’t get much say in it all, and George really wanted to tell people about his now completed belt. Though it wasn’t the only one George had been working on, Tamaki had been told the previous one would only work with the “right person” and the other belt, the one that gave off weird vibes, at least to Tamaki, was “not really fit for use” at the moment. Tamaki didn’t know the details and didn’t ask.
Makoto said he was smart enough, and Tamaki recalls his interests before, the glasses he wore for so long until they broke when they were on the streets, until he joined Fenix and began wearing contacts more often than not. His classmates called him a nerd, but he just liked his card game, he was never much a wiz at school, not like Makoto had once been. But Tamaki did well enough, and yet still most of George’s ramblings went over his head. Too advanced for Tamaki, Makoto might have better luck, but even then.
Tamaki and Hana went back to school when they moved in with the Igarashis, even if they were behind, both had pushed through – albeit Hana rather begrudgingly. Makoto though, was a different story. He’d been seventeen at the time and hadn’t seen much point, despite how smart he was. He was happier helping out at Happy Spa, and no one wanted to force him back for such a short time, not with how much he insisting on making himself useful.
Throughout the ceremony, Tamaki counts himself lucky that his family has been quiet, though he thinks he sees some kind of banner or flag with them, which he just knows is going to be a source of embarrassment. His parents have shirts with his name on them, and it looks like Makoto does too, but had put his sweater over it. Hana, thankfully, must have put her foot down and refused to wear the shirt – probably because it wouldn’t go well with any of her clothes and she had a thing about looking like she at least put a little thought into her clothes. She’s clearly trying to pass her fuzz on his wrists as apart of her jacket sleeves and the fuzz at her ankles like as apart of her shoes, as she often did. Her antenna were hid by a headband, certainly squished, but at least hidden.
Thankfully, for Tamaki at least, his family can’t see him at the moment, even if he can. For the same reason that he wasn’t supposed to go in the field, Tamaki was hidden away for the broadcasted part of the ceremony, which would last until after George gave his speech, then the broadcast would be ended and it would be announced who would use the new invention – that being Tamaki.
The ceremony is slow and boring, Tamaki pays little attention to it the whole time, at least until he sees George get on the podium, and even then, he only pays attention to it with a part of his hearing.
“Fifty years ago,” George began, “my father discovered the first Vistamp. Since then, I have been working with Fenix to perfect his inventions…” A sound in the distance, outside the auditorium that the ceremony was occurring in caught Tamaki’s attention. Just a few sets of footsteps, not necessarily that weird, until more and more joined in, coming closer.
Captain Kadota was on the stage with George, there was no way for Tamaki to inform him of whatever it was he was hearing. It could be nothing, but Captain Kadota had taught Tamaki to trust his instinct, and his instinct said something bad would come with those footsteps. The closer the became, the more he felt he had to find a way to tell someone until –
The doors to the auditorium burst open, revealing the leaders of the Deadmans and their henchmen. Tamaki had never seen them in person until now, but he’d seen plenty of pictures, of their live streams, other clips of videos. He knew he’d see them sooner or later, but this was a bit sooner than he imagined.
At the front of the pack was a young woman with brown hair pulled into an extremely long ponytail, all but the very top of which was dyed a yellow. She wore a blue and yellow coat with billowing sleeves, revealing her yellow gloved hands. The sleeves of the coat were off her shoulders, revealing blue and yellow scales. Underneath the coat she wore a dark blue romper and thigh high boots of a blue and yellow color that matched her coat. This was the leader of the Deadmans, Jeanne.
“Well, well, isn’t this a party?” Her lips painted with blue lipstick curled into a smile. “It’s a shame we weren’t invited.”
To the right of her was the tallest member, a young man with black hair, his bright blue-green colored sunglasses hiding his eyes from vision. He wore a black jacket with long, wide, and loose sleeves, over the heart was a splatter that formed an image similar to that of a bat. Flowing out from under the jacket was a white, grey, and gold colored tunic that split into four panels, with darker grey pants adorned with a blue-green pattern. His boots matched the color of his jacket, while his wrists were adorned with golden bracelets over light grey gloves. That was the second in command of the Deadmans, Evil.
With an almost gleeful smile, Evil chuckled, “I suppose we’ll have to show them the consequences of not inviting someone like us.” He moves towards the podium, and finally the audience scatters while Fenix finally tries to stop them. “And look, all these Vistamps in one place, my, I think Karizaki’s becoming dumb.”
At his last comment, George scowled, “Hey! Don’t touch those.”
Tamaki wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Technically, he shouldn’t be in this position until he was officially a Kamen Rider. Should he try to get the belt and Vistamp now and risk being seen by the Deadmans? He wasn’t exactly getting orders at the moment. Out in the audience, he can see his family helping other evacuate. Makoto and Hana were both fighting off Deadmans, but it was only a matter of time before someone noticed Hana’s fuzz or antennas, or she finally summoned her kunai. If the Deadmans couldn’t know about him, then they certainly couldn’t know about his siblings.
The last of the Deadman leaders, to Jeanne’s left, took a step forward. Black horns sprouted from his dark brown hair, which was adorned with pink and blue feathers. He wore a light blue jacket, over which he a light pink capelet sat on his shoulders. His shirt was black, with blue fasteners. The pants he wore were an equal black, though down the side were stripes, on one side blue the other pink, and he wore dark blue sneakers. A black tail twisted behind him, almost seeming hesitant. That was the third in command of the Deadmans, Revi.
“What about these civilians?” He asked, glancing towards the remaining civilians in the auditorium: Tamaki’s family.
Jeanne paused for a moment, before smiling once again, “Well, Fenix will have to protect them.” Her gaze scans over his family, over their parents who were trying to reach Makoto and Hana to get the two away, and Makoto and Hana who were still fighting the Deadmans. “Now what’s this…?”
Tamaki’s blood ran cold when he followed Jeanne’s gaze over to Hana, whose headband had fallen off in the fight, and she’d given up not using her kunai. Jeanne must have been able to figure out Hana wasn’t normal, and that meant she could be in danger, surely had to be with the way that Jeanne began to saunter over towards her. Makoto was closer to Tamaki than to Hana and there were too many Deadmans for either of them to reach her, let alone any still standing member of Fenix.
He's snapped out of his thoughts when George tugged at his arm, “Hey, Igarashi.” He shoved the belt and Wolf Vistamp into his arms. “Now’s the time to transform, especially if you don’t want your family getting hurt.”
Of course. With these, Tamaki could defend his family, protect them. He wasn’t just Makoto’s younger brother anymore; he’d be a Kamen Rider. He glanced down at the items in his hands and froze again, doubt filling his mind. What if he wasn’t good enough? What if he couldn’t protect his family? What if he couldn’t protect anyone?
That moment of indecision was enough for Evil to attack him and knock him down, as well as send all the other Vistamps tumbling. The belt and Vistamp he held prior clattered towards Captain Kadota.
Revi’s attention turns towards the camera that was broadcasting the ceremony, walking over. His posture changes to more relaxed and a smile comes to his face as he waves at it. “Hiya folks! Hope you’re enjoying our little show! Maybe you’ll see Fenix for what it really is?” His smile is toothy, big and showed his too sharp teeth. “Gracias Deadmans!”
Captain Kadota picks up the belt and the Vistamp, staring at them for just a moment, before placing the belt on his waist. Of course, leave it to the captain to be able to do what Tamaki can’t. He activates the Wolf Vistamp, placing it on the sensor of the belt.
“Wait!” George called, but it’s too late. Something strange happened and all of the sudden another Deadman appeared, different from the leaders or the grunts. This one was much more monstrous. Captain Kadota fell to the ground and once more the belt clatters to the side. George groaned, “Goddamn! That wasn’t meant to work for you!”
Tamaki recalled one little detail about that belt. It was only meant to work for people like Tamaki, for a regular human… it would just cause their demon to appear, not unlike being stamped directly with a Vistamp. Which explained why the monster appeared, it was Captain Kadota’s demon.
Jeanne stood in front of Hana, calling off the Deadman around her. Hana looked confused, brandishing her kunai warily. An amused smile came to Jeanne’s lips as she spoke, “Oh dear, you’re just like us, aren’t you?” She takes a step closer.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hana said, her tone even despite the circumstances.
“You’re not quite human – some part demon, like my brothers and I…” Jeanne stood directly in front of Hana now, a bit too close for Tamaki’s comfort. “I have an offer for you, dear. Join us, be with others like you.”
Hana swings at Jeanne, “Like hell I will!”
Easily, Jeanne moves out of the way, taking Hana by the wrist and pulling her forward, throwing off her balance. Hana lands in her arms, against Jeanne’s chest, and Jeanne reaches to cup Hana’s face. “It’d be shame for something to happen to someone as beautiful as you, dear.”
At this point Hana has stopped really trying to fight, a blush covering her face. “W-what?”
Makoto hurries to glance between the scene unfolding and the Deadmans he’s fighting. Eventually one tosses him to the side, and right next to the belt and the scattered Vistamps.
George, seeing this, calls out, “Hey, Igarashi!” which manages to catch Makoto’s attention. Quickly, George pantomimes the action of activating the Vistamp and stamping it on the belt. It takes Makoto a moment, but he seems to figure out what George is trying to tell him, placing the belt on his waist and picking up one of the Vistamps.
He activates the Squid Vistamp, then places it on the sensor of the belt. He pushes it down and to the side, this time working. Instead of summoning another Deadman, a glowing energy squid emerges from the belt, enveloping Makoto. In a flash, it was gone, and Makoto had transformed. He now wore green armor with red accents and in his hand was a sort of spear, though it appeared more like a fishing harpoon.
“Yes!” George cheered, “Kamen Rider… Olteca!”
Makoto stared at his hands for a moment before George’s words seemed to catch up with him “Uh… what?”
“No time for that!” Tamaki yelled, shoving a Deadman away, “Deal with the demons and the Deadmans!”
Jeanne pulled Hana’s face closer, before kissing her lips. This got Makoto’s attention rather quickly, “Hana!” Jeanne let go of Hana, who stumbled away in a daze, face red. She then stumbled into a Deadman, prompting her to snap back to reality and stab it.
Makoto punched at Jeanne, who avoided it as easily as she did Hana’s. “Ah, I see now. There’s more of you that are like us.” She looked at Makoto, then Hana, then Tamaki. “Join us, Olteca, and you’ll be stronger than Fenix can ever let you be.”
“Like any of us are joining you.”
She sighed, then took a step back, the Deadman summoned from Captain Kadota earlier taking her place. “Well then, let’s see you deal with this.” The Deadman attacked Makoto, prompting him to focus his attention there. Satisfied, Jeanne snapped her fingers, “Revi, Evil, our work here is done?”
Revi reaches her side first, again seeming a bit nervous. Evil returns several moments later, informing her, “We’ve gotten what we’ve came here for. But what about the Kamen Rider?”
“An interesting development, but he’s not a threat yet.” She looks back over to Hana, approaching her once more. Again, the Deadmans Hana was trying to fight move away, causing Hana to spin on her heel to face Jeanne. “As for you…”
“Don’t touch me!” Hana raised her kunai once again.
This time, Jeanne does keep her distance. “Hana,” she says her name carefully, like she’s tasting something for the first time. Measuring how it feels on her lips. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I look forward to meeting you again – and my offer remains open.” Then she turns and the three generals of the Deadman leave.
Makoto continues to fight the Deadman that had come form Captain Kadota while the still standing Fenix soldiers took out the rest. Hana hurries over towards their parents, Yukimi on the ground while Genta was worriedly at her side.
Finally, Makoto manages to defeat the Deadman and with the rest gone, the fight’s finally over. The armor around Makoto disappears as George approaches him. “Well, that was quite the fight!”
Looking at George warily, Makoto asked, “Uh… how did you know who I am?”
“It’s obvious you’re apart of your brother’s family,” George answered in a matter of fact tone, “So that meant you were obviously his older brother.”
“Mama! Papa!” Tamaki hurried over to where their parents and Hana were.
Quickly, Hana said to him, “Mama’s hurt, one of those monsters got her.”
That was enough to send Makoto hurrying over too, cutting off any conversation with George. Though not before he shoved the belt and Vistamp in George arms.
Captain Kadota stands beside George, “I guess the Igarashis are all the same. All preoccupied with family.”
“I wouldn’t go so far to say they’re all the same,” George said, “Tamaki Igarashi and his siblings are unique.”
---
Jeanne sat on the couch in the main meeting room of the Deadmans’ hideout. It was where she and the other two generals met to discuss matters. “Now that we have stolen the Vistamps, are any of them of actual use to us?”
Revi looked over the Vistamps they’d stolen, “Doesn’t look like it, but they’ll still make Deadman.”
She looked over at Evil, “Then we’ll either have to come up with another plan to steal more, or you’ll have to steal them yourself.”
“Let’s worry about these, for now.” Evil responded, picking up one of the Vistamp. “These and those siblings, it seems.”
“The Igarashis, yes?” As Jeanne repeated the name, Revi stiffened slightly, though this movement was disregarded by his the other two.
Evil nodded, “Yes, Tamaki, the middle child, works for Fenix and was supposed to become a Kamen Rider today.”
Hesitantly, Revi said, “They’re like us.”
“Yes,” Jeanne said, standing, “Which means our new plan for them, going forward, is to recruit them into the Deadmans. They have a place in our family, if they should choose to accept it.”
Rolling his eyes, Evil leaned back against the back of the chair he was sat in, “Unlikely Tamaki will agree. His brother and sister though… they’re a different story.”
Jeanne approached the door, stopping just at it and looking back, “Whatever it takes to get them to join us.”