Chapter Text
The Jyamato had done it. Against all odds, they had over-ridden the city with their kind, wreaking chaos with every step. At first, they had killed many of the innocent civilians that they came across, but as the day went on and the city became more and more like the Jyamato's forest home, survivors had barricaded themselves away on the highest floors of any tall building that they could find. Hospitals became flooded with the injured as the Military rushed to secure boundaries around them. Safe Zones. The Riders had been called in, in order to control the Jyamato population while the higher-ups at the DGP scrambled to find a solution.
Which lead to this current predicament. The Riders had been fighting a horde of the Jyamato Riders, and it had been a bloody fight. Compared to the Jyamato before, these ones were stronger. Harder to kill. Even Ace had been struggling against the ones that had faced him in combat. But then, it happened. Two had been coming for him at the same time. And in his mind, he knew he could disarm the one in front of him before the one behind him had a chance to strike. At least, based on what he knew of the old Jyamato species, that was something he could do. He hadn't accounted for their increase in speed.
So, when Ace heard Neon let out a scream, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor, he could feel his world come to a slow and hear the blood rushing in his ears as he turned to investigate. His eyes fell upon Tycoon, laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, de-transformed. Ace's eyes trailed up to the Jyamato Rider situated just before Tycoon's body, a bloody scythe clutched in it's hand. And it clicked in the Fox Rider's mind exactly what had happened. That Jyamato had been coming for him. Tycoon had intercepted it with his own body, so that Ace wouldn't be stabbed through the back. Silence enveloped the area as Ace and this Jyamato both stared at it's handywork, save for Beroba's annoying cackling in the background.
"What an interesting development. ~" Beroba sneered cruelly. "How will our Star of Stars of Stars respond?"
And when Ace responded, by god, did he respond violently. He hadn't even touched his driver or reached for a power up, but suddenly Geats Mark IX was standing on the field. And while yes, these new Jyamato variants were quick, Mark IX was quicker. Before Beroba could utter another cruel comment, Mark IX had the offending Jyamato by the neck. The Jyamato struggled in Mark IX's grip as he crushed it's wind-pipe before slamming it's body onto the ground, cracking the concrete beneath it and reefing the scythe out of it's hands so he could hack it into pieces, repeatedly screaming bloody murder with each and every cut.
Once the offending Jyamato Rider had been thoroughly dealt with and the other Jyamato began to angrily descend on them, Mark IX leaned over Tycoon, one hand on the floor and the other slashing the scythe in the air.
"Get back!" Ace screamed. "Touch him and you'll die!"
"Ace...!" Neon cried, as the Jyamato ignored his warnings and began to leap at him. The Nine Tail-Like scarves that caped Mark IX's back became energized and there was a bright flash. When the light subsided, Neon and the other riders found that the attacking Jyamato, all of them had been stabbed through the stomach, all laying defeated on the end of each energized tail. They crumpled to dust. Immediately, the Jyamato around them stopped their fighting and began to back away, clearly spooked by the power Mark IX just portrayed.
"What!? Where are you fools going?! Get back here and fight!" Beroba hissed. With no other choice, thanks to her missing foot-soldiers, Beroba gave the group a scornful look before disappearing into the shadows. The Scythe in Ace's hand dropped to the floor as Mark IX disappeared, leaving an almost deranged looking Ace, hovering over Sakurai Keiwa, clinging onto his body for dear life.
A plethora of DGP Staff, including Tsumuri appeared, some doctors going from Rider to Rider to check on their injuries. As two DGP Doctors approached, Ace let out a warning snarl: "I said get back!"
"Ace-Sama." Tsumuri says gently coming to the unnerved Doctors' side, as Ace looks up at her with unusual yellow eyes, signifiying that Mark IX hasn't quite left his system yet. "Tycoon will be okay, but that is only if you let the Doctors work. Please, move away from him."
"No!" Ace snapped. "Nobody touches him!"
"Ace..." Neon says gently, fearful for both of her friends.
"I said back off! I mean it!" Ace warns, hugging Tycoon closer to his chest. A weak hand presses into Ace's back and the man freezes with widened eyes. He looks down, to find Keiwa's tired eyes looking back at him.
'He's Dying!' Ace's panicked mind supplies.
"Ace." Keiwa rasps. "Let them help me. Please."
Ace's heart aches as he stares down at Tycoon in his arms, his eyes slowly returning to their regular colour, Mark IX's residual energy finally wearing off. He replies softly: "Okay."
Ace lays Tycoon back down onto the concrete and stands, backing away. Immediately, both of the Doctor's get to work, screaming orders to the other Doctor's around them as they attempted to save Sakurai Keiwa's life.
-
"Sakurai Keiwa will make a full recovery." Tsumuri announces to the lounge later on that evening. Around them, other Rider's let out sighs of relief. Some eye Ace warily. Others smile knowingly. Ace isn't bothered with them though. He sits on the sofa, eyes trained on a very interesting spot on the floor. Neon sits next to him, giving him a gentle smile as he looks over to her.
"Hi." She says softly.
"Hey."
"You okay?" She asks carefully. "What happened back there....I've never seen you lose yourself like that before."
"My memory is foggy." Ace admits. "One second, I'm looking at Tycoon laying on the floor and the next...I'm holding him in my arms and he's begging me to let the doctor's help him."
"I see..."
"Not entirely sure what came over me..." He sighs.
"I think I do." Neon giggles lightly. Ace gives her a questioning look. She rolls her eyes in response. "I think Mark IX uses a lot of your energy for you to be able to use it's powers. I think that maybe...seeing Keiwa laying there in a pool of his own blood, you became enraged and Mark IX fed off of that and gained some unusually strong powers...You weren't yourself, Ace. Someone else was holding onto Tycoon for quite a bit of time."
Ace looks away, and Neon throws him a sympathetic look.
"I think...you like Keiwa a lot." She says, nudging him gently. "More than just a friend or someone you fight alongside with and Mark IX could sense that."
"Stop reading my thoughts." Ace supplies with a moody huff. "It's embarrassing."
She smiles gently at that. "When he wakes up, you should talk to him. After all, you don't get yourself stabbed for just anybody."
Another Rider calls Neon's name, and she gleefully replies before getting up to go and talk with them.
Ace sits in silence for another moment, reflecting on her words when Tsumuri approaches him again.
"Sakurai Keiwa is awake, and is allowed visitors. Would you like to see him?"
-
Keiwa is sitting up in bed, a bandage around his stomach when Ace knocks on the door. He's hooked up to an IV drip, he notes anxiously. The Tanuki Rider's expression brightens slightly at the sight of the other.
"Ace?" He greets. "What are you doing here?"
"A part of me couldn't calm down, until I saw for myself that you were alright." He admits, feeling heat crawl up his neck. "How are you feeling?"
"Ah. A little sore, but they said I'd be okay. I needed a blood transfusion, can you believe that? Luckily, there was a rider here that had my blood type and she was kind enough to donate her blood to save me. She's resting in another room and-" Tycoon was back to his blabbering self, and Ace couldn't help but smile at him.
"Ah...sorry." Keiwa says sheepisly. "I didn't mean to talk your ear off..."
"It's okay." Ace replies. "It just means you're getting better...That's good."
"More importantly..." Keiwa changes the subject. "Are you okay? I was sort of in and out of consciousness back there...but I could still hear you. You sounded scary...and your eyes. They were yellow..."
"Right....Sorry about that...I don't remember much of what transpired...save for the beginning and the end."
"Ah okay..." Keiwa nods. "Still, Glad you're okay."
Ace heart aches again. Even now, when he's the one recovering from being stabbed with a scythe, Keiwa's worried about him. That part of him was really admirable...really charming...
'Desirable.' Something deep within Ace notes. Ace pushes it away, and frowns.
Keiwa mirrors him, tipping his head cutely to one side. "Ace...?"
"Nothing. It's....Nothing." Ace murmurs, as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "I have to....go...yeah....I got to go."
With that, Ace turns on his heel and walks out, leaving behind a very confused Keiwa in the process.