Kamen Rider Kiva: B-side (AU/AR)

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 8: White Knight

The night before Graduation Day, Mao was in front of a mirror in his cubicle, reflecting on recent happenings while playing with his PSP. Finally, after a year with class 4-K – his first moderating class – here was their graduation. All of them were graduating, thanks to their cohesive nature; they were guys who wouldn’t just stand by and watch while a classmate flunked his classes. And in the rare cases that it did happen, Mao used his uncanny (some would say unnatural or even unethical) ability to charm the Principal or the teacher involved to let his student off the hook.

However, none of his students concerned him more than Sirius – the first one among them he had gotten to know, and the one he was closest to. Among all of them, Sirius was the one who Mao had touched the most, and as a result Mao was the teacher he trusted and even loved as an adoptive brother. Mao knew that they had a bond practically bordering on brotherhood, and so did Sirius; it’s just that the latter didn’t know just how deep it was.

And, judging from what Kivat had been telling him – in his occasional nocturnal visits to his old master – Sirius wore the mantle of Kiva quite well. It’d only been a week, but the kid already racked up quite a kill record where the Fangires were concerned. And Mao learned Rock’s nature as one of them, too (though to his relief, Sirius was surprisingly accepting of this, or maybe he was just naïve that way). Well, at least he found out that not all of the monsters actually are monsters, right?

On a grimmer note, though, he’d encountered one of the Riders of the Apocalypse already: Lilith, who attempted to give Rock his death sentence. Mao knew that they were getting rid of the occasional odd Fangire who respected human life, but just why they hunted Rock with particular zeal escaped him. Of course, with their Queen… She messed up my life too, actually, thought Mao. Just as they did Sirius and Rock and God knows who else –

He dropped his handheld as he gave over to a violent coughing fit. And when it was done, Mao saw blood on his handkerchief and was horrified. It was becoming more often, and for it to happen to him…

I can’t. Not yet. These kids still need me…

A while later, at the Principal’s office, Father Lucien was having a discussion with Andrew (who, for Graduation Day, was in charge of security) over what would happen tomorrow night. “What’s your plan, then, Andrew?” he asked. “We both know that monsters have been running around recently. We need our young men to be safe on the most important night of their lives so far.”

The one he was talking to, Sir Andrew Seroza, moderator of class 4-A, smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it, Father,” he assured the priest. “One of my students has it all taken care of. He says his parents will take care of it.” An image of the said student showing him a sleek, high-tech looking knuckle duster flashed through his mind, along with his assurance of his father’s support – he was head of some arms company.

“I’m glad to hear that,” sighed Lucien, a bit wearily. “The last thing we need right now is for something to go wrong during their Graduation. I heard there was a day after the exams that –“

He couldn’t bear to continue. Apparently, around a hundred of their students vanished without a trace – they had a job explaining it as a mass kidnapping. Andrew, who remained standing, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Knowing my student, sir, everyone’ll be fine!” Andrew reaffirmed as he gave a thumbs-up. “His father’s providing the personnel and the weapons for them! Just put your faith in them, and in God, Father. Nothing will go wrong.”

“I pray for all our sakes, you’re right, Andrew…”

Meanwhile, at the shopping center in Eastwood, a Fangire was running loose. There were already quite a few glass corpses on the ground, and the monster now set his sights on a young man and who appeared to be his little brother; fangs materialized over the child’s shoulders.

“Steve, don’t let him get me!” the child pleaded, scared; he hugged the older boy around the legs. The one called Steve pulled out a knuckle duster and punched it at the air in the Fangire’s direction; the resultant energy blast blew him away. He then punched his hand with the knuckle duster; “Ready,” said a monotonous, robotic voice.

“Henshin,” said Steve as he inserted the knuckle duster into a slot on his belt. “Fist on.”

After a gold flash, Steve was clad in shining white armor, with gold on his pauldrons as well as a golden cross on his helm that opened up to reveal his eyes. He looked at his brother, who let out a gasp of awe, to say:

“Ron… Leave him to me.”

Steve wasted no time in letting loose a volley of merciless punches on the Fangire, who felt the force of every blow, as his brother Ron cheered him on. You tried to touch my little brother, huh!? thought Steve as he continued his assault on the apparently helpless Fangire. You’ll pay for that, punk!

Before long, the Fangire was on all fours in front of Steve as if begging him for mercy. He responded by stomping and kicking at the fallen monster, who cried out with pain at every blow. And then, finally, with one last almighty punch, the Fangire shattered as Steve reverted to his usual form. He then turned to his little brother and hugged him. “You okay, Ron?” he asked. It was a good thing that his dad’s new toy was working well, or else… his stomach clenched at the thought.

The next morning, Sirius woke up early as Kivat bit his hand. “Sirius, you don’t wanna be late for your graduation, do you?” he asked as Sirius sat up on the bed and yawned loudly. “Thought not. Better get prepared, then!”

And an hour later, Sirius was done eating, brushing and taking a bath. But the outfit was what took up the most time; he let Kivat be the judge of what he was gonna wear. “THAT one,” said Kivat, finally, as Sirius donned a trenchcoat over a white polo shirt and slacks. “Well, we’re all set, right? Let’s go –“

As he fell silent, both he and Sirius heard the strings of the Death Jammer being plucked gently; the tune was soft, but rather upbeat. “Fangire, huh…?” Sirius muttered. “It’s not particularly loud,” said Kivat in reply, “So it might not be hunting yet. But better stay safe, right? I’ll be watching you from somewhere!”

And when they got to school, it was barely in time for the traditional Baccalaureate Mass in the Covered Courts; Sirius arrived just as Sir Mao prepared to lead his class inside.

“You made it,” he said, smiling. “Well, class, let’s go!”

Sirius couldn’t help but notice the tune gradually becoming louder, though. It’s here, then…

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 9: Trigger Happy Princess

After the Mass, the seniors went back to their respective classrooms for lunch, which had been provided by the school itself. It wasn’t bad either; they apparently got some nice restaurant as their caterer, without needing to collect a fee – apparently, it was covered by their tuition. Besides, it was probably the last meal they’d share as a class, and so no one dared miss it. Whether they looked forward to the moment of farewell, or dreaded it, as was Sirius’s case, they opted to make the most of the last day they would spend with their comrades.

As talk buzzed around him, Sirius sat in a corner, greedily wolfing down his tenderloin steak. It was to be his last meal at Ateneo High, so he milked it for what it was worth. To an observer, it would seem that he was acting like a complete glutton, but it was more that that. He didn’t want to face the finality of this day, that there would be no coming back next year.

It was then that Sirius felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Mao. “Sirius, can you come over here for a second?” he asked. “There’s some guys I’d like you to meet.”

He walked over with Mao to the area outside his classroom, where two men and a teenage girl were eating quietly. “Hi guys,” Mao called their attention; they all focused on him. “This is him,” he added as he gripped Sirius’s shoulder slightly. One of them, a badass (for lack of a better word) looking, 30-ish man wearing rose tinted shades shook his hand. “Name’s Lupin,” he said. “That Garulu Saber you like summoning so much? That’s me.” He laughed as Mao slapped Sirius on the back. “We’ll get along fine, kid!”

“Arnold,” said the other guy, a musclebound giant. “Also known as Dogga.” Then he went back to eating whole steaks, including the bones, on his plate.

Which left the girl, who gave Sirius a cute smile. “I’m Mizuna,” she said. “Master. Promise me you’ll summon me soon, alright?”

“A strange bunch,” Sirius told Mao later that afternoon as the class prepared for the ceremony itself; they were what he least expected the Arms Monsters to look like… although he had to admit, he felt like taking some lessons in badass from Lupin. “The girl, though…” he broke off, deep in thought. Mao laughed out loud.

“Taken a liking to her, huh?” Mao teased him. “She’s 120 years old, even if she does look like a cute little girl. Besides,” he added, “You’ve got Karina!”

A church bell tolled from somewhere; everyone stopped whatever they were doing, stood up, and lined up outside in a single file. “Alright, gentlemen,” Mao said as he faced his students. “This is the moment you’ve worked for since 1st year. Relish it! And…” he hesitated as he looked at Sirius in the middle of the line, then continued. “I’m… proud and happy to have been your teacher. Visit if you guys have time, ok?”

They all nodded. Mao smiled and looked down as a tear formed out of the corner of his eye. “Alright guys, move it!”

Around half an hour later, the admin and guests made their speeches already. It was the same old speeches challenging them to be men for others, as Ateneo’s thrust was supposed to mold them into. The same old exhortation to give more that what was expected of them. The same thing about giving everything for the greater glory of God. But this time, not only did Sirius bear with it, he listened attentively; this would be the last speech he would hear in this venue.

Soon, the honor awardees were called, one by one, as they received their certificates and medals from Father Lucien, the Principal. Sirius wasn’t among them, though he felt no regret for this. For one thing, it was a generally held notion that to be an honor student in Ateneo High meant working yourself like a dog. Besides, his grades weren’t too shabby anyway; in fact, Sirius was sure that a good number of the non-awardees would have been honor students anywhere else. Regardless, he applauded them, particularly those from his class – Rock was among them.

Just as the students of each class were being called, though, there was a furor at the back that caused quite a panic. Out of nowhere, about a dozen Fangires were attacking and sucking the parents and guests dry; those still capable fled the Covered Courts in terror. Only Rock, Mao, Sirius, some guy from 4-A, and Karina (who had been invited by both Sirius and Rock) were still inside. Sirius then turned to his teacher.

“Sir, take Karina and go!” said Sirius as Kivat bit his hand. There’s too many of them! We’ll handle this –“ he said as he looked at Rock, who was beside him in his Fangire form. Meanwhile, Steve took out his knuckle duster and punched it into his hand. “Ready,” it said. And as the monsters advanced, both Sirius and Steve shouted the same thing:

“Henshin!”

But though Sirius, Rock and the white Rider managed to last for a bit, the sheer numbers difference caught up with him; Sirius, even with Kiva’s armor, could hardly take on five Fangires at once. Rock and the A-boy only managed to hold out since they teamed up together to take on the seven remaining monsters. Just then, Sirius remembered his promise to Mizuna: that he would summon her soon. Maybe now was the time?

"Sirius, you need to get back some!” said Kivat urgently. Sirius did so, and, while not knowing what or why he was doing it, pulled out the green whistle. He then inserted it into the belt.

“Basshaa Magnum!”

At Gateway, where the Arms Monsters were doing the groceries, Mizuna heard the call of the Basshaa Fuestle. Master Sirius! she thought. “Alright guys,” she said to Lupin and Arnold. “Take care of things here first, I’m being summoned!”

Kiva’s yellow eyepieces became green, as did his chest plate and his right arm. When the transformation was done, Sirius held a green, gun-shaped weapon in his hand. And as he surveyed the battle, which became a beatdown for Rock and the white guy, he heard Mizuna’s voice in his head:

I’ll guide you, master!

”Basshaa Bullet Time!” announced Kiva, in Mizuna’s voice.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Mizuna took over, picking off each of the enemy Fangire with pinpoint accuracy. From Rock’s point of view, it was like the Fangire who were beating down on them just moments ago were now reeling in pain with no apparent cause. Mizuna, meanwhile, decided that she’d better end this quickly – otherwise, both Rock and the other one might be beaten to death.

“Basshaa Bazooka!”

A flash of light later, the Basshaa Magnum became a missile launcher of sorts that Mizuna tucked under her arm. An extremely large ball of water formed at its mouth as she prepared to launch…

Basshaa Overkill Barrage!

The large ball exploded into a dozen even smaller water balls which homed into each of the twelve Fangires, paralyzing them and turning them to their fragile state. And as the Basshaa Magnum reverted to its usual form, Mizuna shattered each of the defeated Fangire with a single shot.

Later…

“Thank you for your efforts, gentlemen,” said Father Lucien to Sirius and Steve with the rest of the batch watching. “Because of your quick action, many lives were saved tonight,” as he laid hands on each of their foreheads.

“No way, Father,” Steve said, as he bowed his head. “I should’ve noticed them sooner!”

“Me too,” echoed Sirius in agreement.

Father Lucien smiled sadly. “There’s nothing we can do about them now, except not to forget… You’re forgetting, God gave us our lives,” he said. “And he can take them away anytime.” With nothing to say, Sirius and Steve both bowed their heads in silence.

The rest of the batch followed. Mao, watching them from a corner, was seething with outrage. It seems they’re responsible, thought Mao bitterly. Dammit! Queen, I’ll see you dead for this!

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Act 2 – Opening Act

Chapter 10: King in Exile

The day after graduation, Mao was on the way home after chilling out with the other teachers at Eastwood. It was probably the most tragic graduation he’d ever been to; he still couldn’t get the image of the glass corpses strewn across the Covered Courts. As it was, it was fortunate that it had stopped there. If Sirius, Rock and that other guy (who seemed to be one of Andrew’s boys) weren’t there, who knows how many more would’ve been drained of life?

It took his toll on Mao, and he knew it; why else would beer bottles be littering his home? Even the Arms Monsters noticed it, too - Mizuna in particular was complaining about it, telling him that he ought to set a better example for Sirius… he smiled at the thought. Of course, she likes him, Mao noted to his pleasure. However, the issue was that if she attempted to pursue, it’d be a clear-cut case of child abuse. A 120 year old Mermaid hooking up with a 17 year old boy… he laughed to himself as he imagined it. If that wasn’t child abuse, he didn’t know what was.

Just then, Mao heard a child’s scream. Swearing fluently, he ran off to help whoever it was.

Near one of the taxi stands, a Fangire advanced on what appeared to be a ten year-old kid, who was crying as she cowered in the corner. She closed her eyes, as if doing so would make the monster go away. A second later, he prepared to deal the coup de grace…

But before he could even touch her, he was tossed aside by another, amber-colored Fangire, this one bearing distinct likeness to Baphomet, the goat demon. “Bastard…” the other one muttered as he prepared to attack. But the Goat Fangire was long gone before he even threw his punch, countering with a vicious roundhouse kick to the midsection. And when it was down, the Goat finished it with a blast of blue flame, then put a hand on the still-scared (although not as much as a moment ago) little girl’s shoulder.

“Are your parents around?” he asked her; she nodded. “Good. Just have them fetch you right here.”

And next thing she knew, he was gone. All of a sudden, the Goat Fangire was gone; Mao replaced him, clutching his chest in panic and in agony. It was that feeling again, the feeling that reminded him just how much time he had left - in other words, not very long. Dammit…

Sirius…

Mao didn’t know that one of the Queen’s agents had his eye on him from afar.

Sirius was in for a shock the next day, when someone rang the bell to his condo unit. When he opened it, it turned out to be a teenage girl with long, dark hair and a heart-shaped face: Mizuna, who beamed at him. Kivat snickered as he blushed. “Good morning, Master!” she greeted him brightly. “Mao told me to stay here and keep you company,” she explained as Kivat swooped down on her. “Don’t worry Kivat, I haven’t forgotten you!” she laughed, caressing the bat as she looked at the clock: 12 PM.

“Master, have you eaten yet?” she asked. And when Sirius shook his head, Mizuna smiled and clapped her hands. “Why don’t I make lunch for you, then?”

An hour and a half later, they’d finished. Sirius was amazed; Mizuna really knew her stuff – of course, she would, having had 120 years of experience. “I do it all the time for Mao and the others,” she explained. “At any rate, I’m glad you liked it, Master!” she beamed once more, giggling. “We’ll get to know each other very well, I’m sure. Speaking of which,” she added, “D’you wanna go out?” At this, Kivat laughed out loud; Sirius, though, blushed.

“N – no way, that’s too sudden –“

“C’mon, Sirius, what harm can it do?” cut in Kivat. “You deserve a treat, don’t you think? Besides, Mizuna won’t eat you or anything.” He said this as he grinned at her. “You have my word on that.”

Sirius was silent for a few moments before nodding. “…Ok. What about you, Kivat?” he asked, seeing his partner perched on the window. “Going to Sir Mao?”

“Yep,” the bat replied. “He’s got something we need to talk about.” His will, to be exact, thought Kivat as he said this. “Enjoy your date, you two!” he cried as he flew out the window.

“It’s not a date!” Sirius protested, but at that moment Mizuna was already dragging him out the door.

Meanwhile…

“Your Highness, we’ve tracked down His Majesty,” said a Rider with white armor and blue eyepieces. “He was defending a young girl from one of our subordinates.”

The Queen’s brow furrowed at this. The former King’s beliefs and ideals were everything that went against Fangire nature. For instance, he defended humans, that which their kind considered as playthings. Whereas their elders taught that humans were to be killed and eaten without hesitation or regret, he enacted a law forbidding wanton violence against them. It was the reason she and her Riders deposed him in the first place – and killed her predecessor in the process.

“If you ask me, Your Highness,” continued the Rider, “It would be in our best interest to eliminate him now! If he gathers like-minded Fangire to his cause, he might be able to mount a revolt against us!” he continued, bowing; there was a hint of gravity in his voice. The Queen motioned for him to stand.

“Saga,” she said. “No. Don’t touch him. I made the mistake of letting him live, and so I’ll be the one to fix that. I’ll,” she added, as a dark bat with yellow eyes hovered over her shoulder, “Execute him myself.”

As for Mao, he was at his home, sitting in front of a laptop computer. He was in a lot of pain lately, and that transformation yesterday didn’t help any. I’ve survived being booted from the throne, thought Mao. I’ve survived assassination attempts from them, but I’m gonna die of an illness like some poor idiot… he smiled grimly at the cruel irony of his situation.

Just then, though, he heard a rush of wings and knew that he’d arrived. “Mao, you look terrible!” observed Kivat as he saw how pale his old friend was. “Here, lemme bite you –“ he said as he swooped toward Mao’s hand; his fangs had healing properties. But Mao shook his head.

“No,” he refused gently. “I’ll die anyway, no matter what we do. The reason I called you here is… my will, right?” he confirmed, not that he needed it. “This whole place, everything here –“ Mao looked around, “When I’m gone, it’ll all go to Sirius. As will this letter,” he added, pointing to a sealed black envelope beside his laptop. “And when that happens, you free him as well, alright?”

At this, Kivat suddenly bobbed up and down as if in protest. “What? Why!?” he cried out, aghast. If it was possible, he didn’t wanna see him again. But Mao smiled and shook his head.

“Sirius will need his power if he’ll go up against them,” he explained. “The three of you are in this together, Kivat. Please, swear to me!” he practically pleaded as he placed a hand on Kivat’s head. “You’ll free him when I die.”

After a few moments of hesitation, Kivat agreed. “Good. Now…” he picked up another letter, this one blood-red in color. “Give this to the Queen. Tell her I want to settle things. No need to argue,” he added when Kivat looked defiant. “I’m dying anyway, right? I at least deserve a more dignified death than dying in my sleep!”

Again, Kivat agreed, flying out the window with the letter in his mouth. Mao watched him leave, then let out a sigh as he went back to typing something on his laptop. It was his written will.

Sirius… my son…

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 11: Goddess of War

While Sirius and Mizuna were on a date – err, outing – somewhere, trouble was brewing at Katipunan’s LRT station. As they debarked, some of the passengers fell to the floor as glass corpses, having their life energy drained by a pair of giant fangs, then shattered. In a terrified panic, the rest of them stampeded their way up the stairs. The Fangire, seeing his food running up the stairs, gave chase, specifically opting to target a young boy who was trailing behind. But before he could touch him…

There was a small explosion of white energy as the Fangire was blasted into the nearby wall, followed by the sound of bullets. The boy turned to see who it was: a woman, in her twenties, holding a knuckle duster in her right hand and a submachine gun in her left. “Run!†she said to the kid, who obeyed immediately. With him out of the way, she turned her attention back to the monster, whose arms suddenly reformed themselves into hammer-like projections.

“Monster…†she said. “God made a big mistake when he let your kind live,†She then punched the knuckle duster into the floor, creating a small creater. “Ready,†said a rasping, robotic voice that seemed to come from it.

“Henshin!†shouted the woman as she slid it downwards into her belt. “Fist on.â€

A bronze, armored figure materialized in midair and encased her, flashing white as it did so. When the transformation ended, she was clad in white armor, akin to the one Steve had donned, with a cross where her face was; the one difference from his version was that the cross didn’t open to reveal her faceplate. She then swept her right arm to the side as she assumed a fighting stance. “Those lives you took… return them to God!â€

The monster roared as it charged the woman, who followed its lead. Their punches met, sending the both of them tumbling backwards; good thing she landed on her feet. She wasted no time going on the offensive, hitting the Fangire with hard, fast blows that left it gasping for air. Each attempt it made at counterattacking only led the woman to punish it further. And with a side kick to the gut, she sent it crashing into the stairs.


With the intent of putting the Fangire out of its misery, she took out a white whistle on the side of her belt and plugged it into the buckle.

“Ixa Knuckle - Rise Up.â€

She then took the Ixa Knuckle in her right hand and swept it to her side, as she did earlier; white energy seemed to be playing on the knuckle’s tips. The monster charged at her once more with an unearthly roar, but she didn’t give an inch. She crouched slightly, drawing her right fist back.

And as the Fangire reached point-blank range, she drove the Ixa Knuckle full-force into its chest, turning its dark-purple hued body into a stained-glass sculpture; the left hook that followed shattered it completely. It was at that moment that her armor dissolved and she replaced the Ixa Knuckle in the pocket of her jeans. She answered her phone, which began to ring.

“This is Hilda,†she said. “What, another attack?†She sighed as she popped a piece of candy in her mouth; today was a very exhausting day. “Alright, I’m there.â€

Unknown to her, the security cameras captured the scene on video…

That night, at an office building in the business district of Makati City, Steve and his father watched the footage of the battle; needless to say, it came as an utter shock that the Ixa System, supposedly the exclusive property of Steve, was being used by someone else; a woman, at that! He watched her as she took care of the Fangire, torn between disdain and admiration as he held his own Ixa Knuckle in a death grip. She was good; about as good as, if not better than him.

When the video finished, his father spoke. “It can’t be…â€

“What is it, dad?â€

“We did make a prototype Ixa way back in ’86,†explained Steve’s father. “We assigned it to a nun who took part in the People Power Revolution, in case things got bloody. With a mad dictator like Marcos, it was natural that we take precautions, right, son? Even then,†he added, voice swelling with pride, “Ixa turned its user into a one-man army – not something to sneeze at, considering the limited technology we had back then, eh?â€

Steve grinned at his father; if Ixa was that strong 22 years ago, how much more now? At the same time, though, he figured that something that powerful would come with correspondingly debilitating backlash. And the next thing his father said proved him right:

“Unfortunately, it still had technical problems. Like, say, if you use it for too long it’ll hurt horribly,†the older man observed. “Of course, that still holds true for your Ixa, but the time limit’s a lot more forgiving in your case. For her to use it like she does…†he finished, “She must be something else.â€

Steve couldn’t help but agree with this assessment. “What should I do then, dad?†he asked.

“If – and I’m sure you will – you encounter her, try to bring her here,†replied Steve’s father. “We may be able to upgrade her system to match yours. Besides,†he added, “In the fight against Fangires, we need all the help we can possibly get.â€

“And Kiva?†asked Steve, referring to his batchmate whom he had fought alongside during the graduation. “I’ve fought alongside him, dad, he seems to be on our side as well!â€

At this, Steve’s father bowed his head. “It’s… too early to tell,†he said as he looked at his son. “Keep an eye on him a little while longer. Then we’ll decide,†he finished.

In his condo at Burgundy, Sirius was practicing guitar on the Death Jammer as Kivat and Mizuna watched, the latter looking at him with misty eyes; not only did the music turn her on, so did Sirius’s voice – as did Sirius himself. He refused to look at her as he played, focusing his eyes on the carpet, although his cheeks were bright red by now. When he had played the last note, she clapped wildly; it was here that he forced himself to look at her.

“T-thanks,†he stammered, pink in the face; it was like this whenever there was a girl in front of him, but more so in Mizuna’s case; being more than human, her beauty was correspondingly unearthly. In fact, those who saw them earlier were shooting glances at her – guys out of desire, girls out of envy. She giggled in that manner only she could, causing Sirius to feel the sensation of butterflies in his stomach.

“I can see now why Mao picked you, Master,†she said admiringly, smiling as she did so. “I’m surprised you aren’t taken yet!â€

Sirius hid his face as he disappeared behind his PSP, Kivat laughing on his shoulder. “Stop it Mizuna, you’re making him blush,†he said teasingly. “He’s not used to girls, let alone Mermaids, telling him these things!â€

“Oh shut up, you stupid bat.â€

Meanwhile, Mao heard someone lurking in his front yard. He went out the door to see who it was; sure enough, the glowing red eyes of Lilith greeted him. “Good evening, Your Majesty,†she said, performing her salute. “Her Highness sent me to fight in her place.â€

Understandably, Mao was disappointed and incensed. He asked the Queen, specifically, to come and settle things. If he was going to die, it wasn’t going to be at the hands of one of her amateur underlings. doubted this little girl even knew the first thing about being a Rider! Nevertheless, he smiled as he bowed slightly, preparing for battle. “You’re not the one I want to fight,†he said. “But since you came all the way here, I’ll be sure to entertain you!â€

He grinned, showing his white, even teeth, as he morphed into the Goat Fangire.

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 12: Sinner and Saint

Despite his impending death, Mao’s fighting skill was still as formidable as ever, if not more so. Lilith, who had manhandled Rock like it was nothing, could do little to defend against the ex-King’s relentless assault; it was as if five of him were attacking at once. Before long she was hurting everywhere. She marveled at his level of power; had the Queen not told her, she wouldn’t have believed that he was dying.

The Goat Fangire kicked Lilith from one side, but next moment, he was gone. Mao then followed it up by punching her in the face, sending her crashing into a nearby wall; there was a crater where she hit.

Meanwhile, Mao approached the fallen Rider, shaking his head. “I told you,†he said, “My business isn’t with you. I’ve no intention of letting you kill me, but neither do I want to kill you.†To prove his point, he reverted from his Fangire form. “Now go.â€

Lilith, though, was adamant. With a superhuman leap over Mao’s head, she placed her blade in Kivara’s mouth, charging it with energy. “Don’t tell me what to do, traitor King…!†She then ran at Mao with a splitting battle cry, her sword held in a reverse grip. Mao let out a sigh of weariness.

“Guess you won’t listen until I spank you…â€

Mao once again went Fangire as he parried the slash with his arm, from which protruded a blade resembling a goat’s horn. He then drove his other one into Lilith’s stomach, sending her flying. She screamed in pain as she reverted to her human form, her face contorted in agony.

“Had enough yet?†Mao asked, his voice filled with genuine concern. “As the former King, let me give you a piece of advice: ask yourself if this really is the way to go. Are we really that different from humans that we need to suck them dry?â€

Lilith didn’t answer; she merely glared at Mao as Kivara started flying around her. In a flash of light that pierced the darkness of the night, the two disappeared.

The next morning, Hilda sipped coffee as she sat inside a certain Starbucks in Makati City. Just a day after destroying not one, but two Fangires, she was going to be hired to take down another. She wasn’t sorry for it, though. Not because it paid her well, but because she hated them with a passion; she lost the closest thing to a mother she had because of them. It was the main reason she became a Fangire Hunter in the first place.

The sound of the door opening made her look up. It was Rayne, her handler, accompanied by a woman in a hooded black cloak; they drew the eyes of other customers especially because of the latter’s clothing. They took their seats opposite Hilda, who frowned slightly. “Sure took your time getting here,†she muttered. “Well, get to it, then. Gimme the target!†she said as she drained the last of her coffee. “He’s as good as gone.â€

She punched the air in front of her. Rayne swept her long sheet of hair behind her as she smiled, then took out a picture from her pants pocket: it was a teenage boy, wearing a light blue polo shirt and khaki pants. Hilda’s expression turned to one of distaste when she saw who her next hit was going to be. “You want me to kill a kid?†she blurted out incredulously.

Wordlessly, the woman in black put another photo on the table; this time, Hilda’s eyes narrowed. It was a Fangire, presumably the boy from the first photo. The scenery definitely pointed in that direction, in her opinion. She brought her eyes back up to meet their client’s, which were like glaciers as she stared back at Hilda.

“They come in all shapes and sizes,†she stated in a grave voice as she put her finger on the first photo. “He hasn’t attacked anyone yet, but it’s only a matter of time. As for the fee, I’ll pay a quarter of a million in advance,†she continued as she placed a briefcase on the table. “The other quarter, I’ll pay upon completion. Well…?â€

Wordlessly, Hilda took the briefcase; the woman smiled. “Good. I wish you the best of luck,†she said as she left the coffee shop, leaving the assassin and her handler inside.

“Any more info on the target?†Hilda inquired; if she were to do this right, she needed to know more. At the very least, though, she knew that her target went to a certain exclusive school along Katipunan Avenue – she’d recognize that uniform anywhere. She shook her head in disappointment; it seemed even the most prestigious school in the country was no exception with regard to the Fangire menace.

After a long silence and another cup of coffee, Rayne gave her the dossier. A smile formed on Hilda’s face; this was gonna be easier than elementary-level math.

Meanwhile, in the shopping center at Cubao, Rock and Sirius were fighting off a mob of Fangires that apparently decided to go wild. Despite Steve’s absence (Sirius tried to contact him, but he didn’t seem to have gotten the text), their teamwork helped them clean house early on, leaving only two behind. Unfortunately, they decided to double-team Rock, who, while resistant at first, slowly but surely crumbled under the combined force of two Fangire. Sirius snorted in disgust as he prepared to finish them.

“WAKE UP!â€

As his right leg armor turned into the bat’s wings again, Sirius jumped up and landed a front kick to the first Fangire’s chest, and, rebounding, attacked the second with a crushing axe kick to the head. As his leg armor resealed itself, the two Fangire shattered; Rock, injured, reverted to his human form. And to make matters worse, it was then that Sirius heard the sound of someone approaching. It was a woman, wearing a sleeveless longcoat and holding a familiar knuckle duster in her right hand. No, it can’t be…

“Fangire.†The woman said, as if addressing a piece of dirt at her feet. “God made the mistake of letting you live.â€

She then swept back her right arm and punched the ground. “Ready,†said a robotic voice. “Henshin!â€

“Fist on.â€

A bronze figure encased her as she transformed into a familiar figure. Rock, lying on the ground, saw that it was the same armor as Steve’s, save for the cross on her faceplate. How…?

Kiva met her charge full-force, trading blows that knocked both of them around, in the process causing a bit of collateral damage to the surrounding area. “Get out of my way!†she screamed at Sirius as she tried to get to Rock only to have him in the way. “That monster’s a murderer! He deserves what he’s gonna get!â€

“That monster’s my best friend,†Sirius said quite calmly, despite the outrage pounding through his head. He had no reason to believe that Rock lied to him about not feeding on humans; he could’ve drained him a thousand times. “And anyone who tries to hurt him – I don’t care if she’s a woman – is gonna get it from me!â€

Unfortunately, as he said this, the woman sent him flying through a glass window into a clothing store; those inside fled the scene in terror. Meanwhile, she had finally gotten to Rock, who could do nothing but stare up at his executioner in grim acceptance. “Fangire,†she said, raising her fist. “The lives you’ve taken… return them to God!â€

But before she could drive her fist into Rock’s helpless form, a blast of energy knocked her away. Rock turned to see who his savior was; it was Steve, who came running to him with a wild look on his face. “Sorry it took me so long!†he panted as he looked at Rock, who lay at his feet, and at Sirius, who had reverted due to fatigue.

Steve’s expression was one of confusion; who could have done this to them? And as he looked around, it turned into a cold fury when he saw who their opponent was. It was the woman who somehow hijacked her own copy of the Ixa System. “You guys,†he said, looking at both Sirius and Rock, “Better go now. This one’s mine.†He punched the Ixa Knuckle into his left hand. “Ready.â€

“Henshin!â€

And as Steve transformed into Ixa, he stared down his female counterpart as a mixture of rage, fear and adrenaline rushed through his veins. He saw what this woman could do with the Ixa System, and was about to experience it firsthand. On the other hand… she hurt his comrades (they’d only really become acquainted with each other recently, but it was still the same to Steve), and he wasn’t about to let that pass, right?

He let out a roar of fury as he prepared to charge the other white knight in what appeared to be a destined battle.

She might be able to kick my ass, but it’s an ass-kicking I’ll have to take!

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 13: Ixa vs. Ixa

Two Ixa Systems, an avatar of judgment and an avatar of vengeance. One wielded it in order to bring justice upon the evil ones, while the other used its power to exact vengeance upon those she saw as monsters – even if they were monsters in but appearance. One wielder was a teenage boy with a promising future ahead of him; the other, a young woman who practically dedicated her life to crushing Fangires beneath her foot. And it was here, in a seemingly ordinary shopping district (at least, it was, until today) that these two contrasting and opposing forces would collide.

Unfortunately for Steve, it was going horribly. On paper, he should have had the advantage; the ’86 prototype was limited to the basic Save Mode, while the latest model of the Ixa System had the much stronger, and more versatile Burst Mode. In practice, though… Steve was getting the tar stomped out of him. Any attack he made, any punch he threw at the other Ixa, was either dodged or intercepted with an even nastier comeback. And just then, the punch that hit him full-force in the face sent him crashing into the concrete wall behind him; he slid down it into a sitting position.

It dawned on him that she was an opponent he couldn’t beat, at least not in his current state; her body had clearly and effectively been honed into a lethal weapon. Steve practiced boxing, but he had never gotten into real-life situations wherein he could apply his skills. And up against a professional Fangire Hunter… his prospects were bad.

He remembered his thoughts as he and his father watched the video of this woman fighting one of the monsters in the Katipunan LRT station. According to design specs, Save Mode was only a bit stronger than the average Fangire, but in her hands it was an unstoppable harbinger of their doom. You’re right, dad, Ixa really does turn the user into a one-man army, he thought. And in the hands of a monster like her…

Sirius and Rock could do little more than watch their comrade being punished. The only reason Sirius managed to hold his own against her, even for a while, was because of the advanced karate lessons he took – in particular, he excelled in sparring sessions, and wasn’t too bad in actual fights either – but even his skills and experience paled in comparison to this woman’s. Rock simply watched in horror; if this was who they sent to assassinate him, what chance did he have?

As he thought this, he passed out from injuries and exhaustion.

And so Steve no longer sought to defeat his opponent, but merely to hold out. He promised himself that if he made it out of this battle alive, he’d train night and day to surpass this woman. Even if he killed himself trying. He then looked up at his opponent, who inserted the Knuckle Fuestle into the belt after sweeping her right arm back. If she puts it that way…

He got to his feet, taking his own Knuckle Fuestle as adrenaline began to shoot through his system. A moment later, both belts announced:

“Ixa Knuckle – Rise Up.â€

Both of the white knights charged as they drew back their right fists, then threw an almighty punch. The impact of both Ixa Knuckles sent them flying backwards away from each other; Steve landed in a heap on the pavement while the woman somersaulted and landed on her feet. But then…

Wha - ? EEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

She screamed and writhed in pain as steam began to shoot out of the Ixa belt. Apparently, this was one of the problems of the ’86 model that they weren’t able to rectify in time.

This is what you meant, huh, dad…?

Such was Steve’s thought as he saw what was happening to his adversary. At least his Ixa was programmed to warn him if he was overexerting himself. He watched as she fell to her knees, her armor disappearing. With a bitter look at the three of them, she ran off. Steve looked at Sirius, then at Rock’s unconscious form. He reverted as he stood up, and, together with Sirius, walked towards their fallen friend. “We’d better take him to a hospital,†said Steve. “I’m sure my dad won’t mind.â€

“Who did this to him?â€

It was Karina who asked the question later that afternoon, in the guest bedroom of Steve’s mansion in the subdivision of White Plains. She stared out into the twilight as Sirius and Mao patted her on the back, attempting to comfort her. Indeed, who would be so cruel as to do this to Rock? True, he was a Fangire, but far from feeding on human lives, he fought to defend them.

Sirius could only think of one group who wished him harm, but Kivat said that the woman wasn’t one of the Queen’s Riders. It was Steve who answered this.

“Obviously, it was a hired hit. Using our company’s technology, no less,†he added after a moment. “I think someone hired her to kill Rock. Sirius… Sir Mao,†he asked, “Do you know anyone who’d want him dead?â€

As a matter of fact, he did. But then, how could it be?

“Only the Fangire Queen –“

Steve’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re not joking, are you? Even if that were true, why would she have accepted?†And after a while, he added: “Does she even know who she’s working for?†Somehow, the idea that the Queen of the Fangires would hire someone who hunted her kind was incredible. Mao, though, thought otherwise.

“I don’t know,†he said. “It sounds like the exact sort of thing she’d do, hiring someone to do her dirty work…†he trailed off bitterly; the memory of that battle with Lilith was clearly still on his mind. He wanted to settle with the Queen herself, but apparently she didn’t feel up to the task, so she sent her underling instead.

“As for the Hunter not knowing who hired her, I suppose it’s something called the need-to-know basis. After all,†Mao looked at Steve, and then at Sirius, “She doesn’t need to know that her employer happens to be the Queen, right? All she needs to know is that Rock’s a Fangire…†he explained, a hint of resentment and anger in his voice. “That’s reason enough for her to go after him.â€

Sirius sighed; as if the problem of regular Fangire attacks wasn’t enough, now they had to worry about someone making attempts on his friend’s life. Rock was capable of defending himself, yeah, but that woman was… He shuddered at the thought of them encountering her again. After a long silence, Steve spoke once more.

“We’re gonna have to keep our guard up,†Steve told the rest of them. “I doubt this’ll be the last time they try, so better be ready, guys,†he nodded at Sirius and Mao. “I’ll defeat her myself… It’s the least I can do.†He looked at his Ixa Knuckle as he muttered. “I can’t have her using our technology for this kind of thing!â€

Meanwhile, at Hilda’s place…

“He brought friends, Rayne.â€

Hilda was on the phone with Rayne, discussing her failed attempt at collecting the bounty. Nothing smelled right; not only did the target have friends defending him, she actually saw the two of them fighting off Fangires right in the middle of the shopping area. If he really attacked others, why would his fellow monsters be attacking him?

And on top of that, the other Ixa bothered her greatly. Supposedly, she was the only one who could use it, but now there was someone else wielding an upgraded version? It was by skill that Hilda triumphed over him; had they been equal in that regard, the boy would’ve beaten her for sure. To her surprise, though, Rayne giggled.

“Don’t worry, Hilda,†she reassured her. “Our client understood that the target wouldn’t be easy to kill, which is why she paid you that much. Oh, by the way?†she added, “She says that you get an extra half-million if his two friends go down as well. Go get ‘em for me, will you?â€

Hilda smiled; the extra reward was merely icing for her. In any case, she was already planning to make them pay for giving her a hard time today. “I got you, Rayne. I’mma sleep now.â€

As she hung up, she decided that she’d wait a week to mount another attempt; it’d be best to lull them into a sense of security before going back on the attack. Besides, she had a rule when it came to killing Fangire: unless they proved dangerous enough, she wouldn’t slaughter them like animals. To do so would only bring her down to their level.

Not to mention, she wanted payback on that boy who used Ixa against her…

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 14: Doubts

Somehow, in spite of the wackiness that had suddenly taken over Sirius’s life, there were certain things that he still needed to do, like taking a college entrance exam. As he failed both the ACET and the UPCAT (although, to be fair, neither was a walk in the park, as was fitting for the high-class colleges they were for), he was now to apply at San Beda College in Mendiola. It was the thought of transferring that he brooded on as he rode his motorbike, the Blood Fang, with Mizuna wrapping her arms around his waist.

Though Sirius kept both eyes on the road, in his mind he was cursing the circumstances that led him to this moment. See, it was only this year that he actually put effort into his studies; the past 3 years had him taking summer remedial classes which predictably didn’t look too well on his record. And so, the price of slacking off for most of his high school life was separation from his comrades, most of whom did make it to Ateneo. Nice job breaking it, genius, thought Sirius bitterly. If only he’d taken his high school life a lot more seriously…

He thought of what Rock had said, that they’d be comrades no matter what happened. While it did ease his mind somewhat, it still rattled Sirius to be somewhere new. If all the stories he’d heard about people in the University Belt (which San Beda happened to be part of) were true, these guys would eat him alive. True, he was Kiva, but still, he shuddered at the thought.

“Sirius, we’re here!”

Mizuna’s voice recalled him to his surroundings. He looked to his left; yep, this is it, alright. The location of his possible new school, right in the middle of a noisy, air-polluted city, only served to dampen his spirits even more. He tried to shake these thoughts off as he approached the gate, managing a faint, brief smile as he turned to look at Mizuna for a moment. “Well, Mizuna, wish me luck, alright? Just hang around the area for a while,” he said, giving her his wallet before entering. Following a mandatory inspection of his stuff, he was allowed through.

After a moment, though, Mizuna smiled as she pocketed the wallet, deciding to follow Sirius inside the campus. The guard’s eyes were focused as she looked at him before passing; she didn’t like showing strangers the contents of her handbag, and some idiot in a white uniform wasn’t going to be an exception. See, as Princess of the Fangires’ Mermaid Clan, she was gifted with psychic powers and control over water; the former, she milked for what it was worth. Don’t worry Sirius, I’ll be watching over you…

Two hours after Sirius and Mizuna entered, a young girl with pigtails attempted to enter. However, after taking one look at her outfit, the guard blocked her way. “Sorry, miss,” he said, “But we have a dress code here.” He pointed to a poster on the wall behind him: No miniskirts allowed. And unfortunately, the girl just happened to be wearing one. Nevertheless, she acted as though she hadn’t heard, and continued on. “Wait –“

But as the guard tried to stop her, large fangs appeared and stabbed his shoulders, draining him dry. Shortly thereafter, two more girls entered, stepping over the glass-like corpse that lay on the floor in front of them. And after a moment, it shattered.

Meanwhile, at a nearby internet shop, Hilda was playing DotA; today was one of the rare breaks she had from hunting Fangires, and she welcomed it. When she wasn’t on the hunt, she was just like any other young woman would be at her age – barring the shopping and the gossiping. Specifically, she liked to have fun, and treated herself as often as she could. With concentration akin to how doggedly she hunted down monsters, she pushed further and further into the enemy camp. But then –

Her phone rang; one look at it told her it was Rayne. “Fangire attack,” she said as Hilda grumbled resentfully. “It’s close to where you are now!” The phone went dead after that line.

They never take a break, dammit!

She paid for her rental fee as she sped out the door, cursing the situation. A Fangire attack, just when she was beginning to enjoy herself! She knew this was urgent and more important than her game, but still… Oh well, guess I’ll have to take it out on the monster, then!

Inside San Beda, no sooner had the exams ended than Fangires begun appearing all over the place. People fled towards the exit in a panic, but the monsters still managed to catch a bare few stragglers in the waiting area just in front of the entrance, knocking them around the place like soccer balls. Mizuna, upon seeing this, brought both arms to her chest and crossed them as she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to do it, but right now was a bit of an emergency, so…

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

She morphed from her human form into a naked, aqua-green skinned fishlike creature with finned arms and legs. When her metamorphosis was complete, a flood of water rushed towards Mizuna from behind. At a snap of her fingers, it solidified and formed itself into three humanoid figures with swords in their hands. With a low moan, they turned to their mistress for instructions.

“Get them!” ordered the Mermaid Princess, pointing at the Fangires. The water elementals then obeyed their summoner’s command, leaping into the fray as they began to hack and slash at the supernatural creatures that were attacking.

A few seconds later, Sirius arrived on scene, horrified at the sight that greeted him. Most of the people had managed to escape, true, but there were an unlucky few who didn’t, and lay bleeding all over the place. A fish-creature whom he recognized as Mizuna was managing to hold them off, but he didn’t know how long it would last. Besides, it was unbecoming of a gentleman to leave a lady in a mess like this one – even if the lady in question happened to be a 120-year old Mermaid.

He raised his hand in front of him as Kivat sank his fangs in it. “Henshin!” Sirius shouted as the blood-red armor began to form itself around him once more.

Sirius, now clad in Kiva’s armor, charged into battle just as Mizuna’s summoned creatures managed to shatter one Fangire and were defeated by the other. He sent one of the Fangires flying with a punch to the right side of the head, then turned his attention to its fellow. A kick to the midsection, followed by an elbow strike to the head, sent it reeling; it yelped for mercy as Sirius continued stomping it into the ground. And when he felt that enough punishment had been meted out, he turned to Mizuna, who had reverted to her human form, and nodded.

Mizuna held out her palm. The next moment, she shot a high-pressure stream of water shot towards the Fangire, reducing it to its fragile state before she finished it off with a ball of water. Just then, though –

“Sirius, look out!” she screamed, seeing the other Fangire running at him from behind.

He turned around, but the Fangire never even got within striking distance as a blast of energy sent it flying into one of the support pillars, crushing it. It was that woman again, the same one who attempted to kill Rock! “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid,” she said smugly as she punched the Ixa Knuckle into her right hand. “Ready,” said a robotic voice. “Henshin!”

“Fist on.” A bronze figure appeared and merged with her, completing her change into Ixa as she stared at Sirius. “Let’s finish this little bugger first,” she said, referring to the Fangire; he nodded in acknowledgement. “Then we’ll talk.”

The two armored fighters advanced on the Fangire, who turned tail and ran. However, Sirius leapt over him and blocked his path, greeting him with a side thrust kick and sending him towards the woman. She followed this up with a shot to the head, compounded with some more blows before tossing him back to Sirius. And then it began all over again.

Before long, the Fangire could barely put up even a token resistance before the combined might of the two Riders. As the woman took out her Knuckle Fuestle and inserted it in her belt, Sirius did the same with his Wake Up Fuestle. It was time to end this once and for all.

“Ixa Knuckle – Rise Up.”

“WAKE UP!”

Sweeping back her right arm, the woman charged at the Fangire with a battle cry as Sirius leapt into the air and aligned himself downwards at the enemy. A second later, her fist and his right foot hit the same spot on the Fangire’s chest, blowing it to bits. With the battle done, both of them disengaged their transformations. The woman then put her hand on Sirius’s shoulder.

“Kid, we need to talk.”

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 15: Supernova

That night, Hilda lay in bed, oblivious to the air-conditioned breeze kissing her face as she stared up at the ceiling. The work of a Fangire Hunter never seemed to end; even today, she was unceremoniously called out of her break to deal with another attack. It was a good thing that kid and his girl already took care of some of them before she arrived. It made her work a lot easier. Even then, though, she was spent – physically, emotionally, mentally.

More importantly, that the boy named Sirius defended his Fangire friend despite killing off the others confused Hilda; she was beginning to doubt their client now. Until then, the only Fangires she’d ever encountered were ones who attacked humans and fed off of their life energy, but her current target appeared to be an exception. And if that’s the case, thought Hilda, Am I even right to be hunting him?

She thought of the mysterious client who had hired her in the first place, and wondered whether she spoke the truth about the Fangire boy. Because from what Hilda had seen, the boy was anything but a threat – far from it, even. She didn’t forget that, before she made herself known, he and Sirius were fending off the ones making sport of civilians in Cubao. If that was indeed the case, was she a murdering bitch for accepting the contract?

As she pondered this, images of a fateful event in her childhood flashed through her mind: a memory of herself and a woman who was mother to her, surrounded by Fangires. Another memory, this time of the said woman transforming into Ixa and defeating them one by one. Finally, a memory of the only mother she had ever known, dying from the toll the Ixa System took on her body. It seemed to Hilda that her grudge against the Fangires couldn’t and wouldn’t just go away in a heartbeat.

Sister Kaye… thought Hilda as rolled over and lay on her right side. Tell me… what should I do now?

A moment later, she got her phone and texted Sirius, asking him to take his friends and meet her in McDonald’s Cubao, near the place where they fought last time. This time around, she had no intention of fighting, but there was something she needed to know from them. They just might have an idea who her employer was, and what her true intentions were. Hilda had her own, unpleasant suspicions, and if they were true…

Oh crap. Rayne!

She texted Rayne as soon as the realization came to her; if her fears were true, their client would come after them next. “Be careful, Rayne, don’t let your guard down even for a moment!”

The next day, Sirius, Steve, Rock and Mizuna were waiting in McDonald’s Cubao for the mysterious Fangire Hunter. According to Sirius, she wanted to talk to all of them about her employer – specifically, she wanted them to share what they knew. Steve and Rock protested, but Sirius and Mizuna assured them this would be worth the time and effort. Besides, if she tried anything (though he highly doubted it) she’d have all four of them to deal with.

Half an hour passed; Steve and Rock had finished their food, and still she wasn’t there. “Maybe she wimped out?” suggested Steve, laughing; he’d never quite gotten over being beaten by the Ixa prototype. “Guess she’s not much –“

“I heard that, kid.”

All four of them looked at the entrance, where stood a grinning, amber-eyed woman with her hair tied in a tail that fell just above her waist. Her attire, a light jacket worn over a white tanktop and maong pants in no way suggested that she was a Fangire Hunter, and one of the best, too. She smiled flirtatiously at Sirius (earning her a dirty look from Mizuna) as she approached their table; Steve’s mouth fell open in a mixture of horror and resentment. “Name’s Hilda, by the way,” she introduced herself as she took her seat beside Sirius. “Lay it on me, then,” she said, speaking to all of them.

It was Rock who obliged. He began by recounting his birth; that he had been born a Fangire but trained not to attack humans. He next provided a brief overview of Fangire society and its laws: that it expressly forbade the coexistence of Fangires and humans, and mercilessly executed violators of this law – Rock’s parents, among others. He then concluded that they tried and failed to kill him too, and that they’d been making attempts on his life ever since.

Mizuna looked sympathetic; Steve, solemn. Hilda, torn between horror and remorse, bowed her head and asked for forgiveness in a low voice. “I’m sorry…” she muttered, almost to herself. “If I’d known who that woman was…”

“It doesn’t matter, don’t apologize,” Rock smiled slightly. “If it wasn’t you, she’d have hired someone else to come after me. She usually has others do the dirty work anyway –“

At that moment, the sound of screams started coming from outside. They turned toward the noise; quite a few of the monsters (which, funnily enough, reminded Sirius of a bunch of mosquitoes) were running wild again, attacking anyone and everyone they could reach. The party rushed outside; Kivat flew beside Sirius for a while before biting him. Steve and Hilda both took out their Ixa Knuckles (“We’ll settle our score later”) and punched it into their hands. “Ready.” A moment later, all three shouted:

“Henshin!”

The three disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by Kiva, Save Ixa and Burst Ixa. Beside them, both Rock and Mizuna assumed their Scorpion and Mermaid Fangire forms, respectively. They charged their enemies with a loud cry, each one making the first attack.

It wasn’t easy, but the battle was more or less going in their favor. Sirius and Rock were managing to fight their respective opponents on an even level, and were being assisted by Mizuna’s covering fire. Steve managed to take on two at once, a sign of his steady improvement. And Hilda, of course, was practically wiping the floor with their enemies. As they watched her mercilessly pound away at one of the Fangire, the boys were relieved that she was on their side this time around.

A few more minutes later, both Steve and Hilda took out their Knuckle Fuestles and inserted it into their belts. Likewise, Sirius prepared for his own finishing attack. On the other hand, Rock and Mizuna stuck together, the latter keeping the monsters at bay with a barrage of water balls.

The three Riders jumped backwards, then charged back into the fray; Steve and Hilda obliterated their respective opponents with their Ixa Knuckles while Sirius leapt into the air and landed a flying front kick on one of the monsters. From there, he jumped back up and hit the remaining two Fangires with the same attack. And after a few moments, all three shattered as they reverted to their human forms. Just then, though, out of nowhere came the sound of applause.

It was the Queen, dragging a bound and gagged girl behind her.

Rayne!

Hilda was horrified as she saw her unconscious partner. Her worst fear had come true: the Queen actually did kidnap Rayne from under her nose! “Her life for the Ixa Knuckles,” the Queen announced, smirking. “If you so much as take a step toward me, I’ll kill her!”

“You have five seconds to comply. One,” she said mockingly, as she began the countdown. Sirius looked at Steve, who appeared angry, and at Hilda, who was downright furious. Hell, if that was Rock the Queen had in her dirty hands, he’d be pissed too. It escaped Sirius’s mind just how some spineless coward could become Queen of her race.

“You actually sank that low, Your Highness?” Rock asked, disgusted. “So much for Queen-like behavior, then!”

But she ignored this. “Two.”

“Bitch!” Hilda screamed; her knuckles were white as she stared, horrified, at the lifeless body of her best friend. She was one of the best Hunters in the world, but she was to be undone by a cowardly Queen who had to stoop to such tactics… the thought made her shake with barely suppressed rage. “Let her go!”

“Three.”

Steve stood there, frozen. It went against his nature to just stand there while a known enemy , but with that girl’s life hanging in the balance, there was no alternative. If he attacked, it could very well cost the girl her life; he didn’t need Hilda to have a legitimate grudge against him, not when these monsters were causing enough trouble as it is. “Dammit…”

“Four,” continued the Queen mockingly; she tossed Rayne’s limp body in front of her as a sword appeared in her left hand. She raised it high; Steve and Hilda, who had no choice, prepared to toss their weapons over. But –

An orange blur collided with the Queen, sending her flying through a glass window a few feet away from Rayne, who he picked up and laid in front of Hilda. She knelt down and hugged her friend with tears in her eyes. “Thank you –“

The figure stood in front of Sirius for a moment before reverting to his human form: Sir Mao. Predictably, the boys were thunderstruck at this fresh revelation. Their teacher was a Fangire, too…?

“Look at you, Isabella,” he spat. “Taking little girls as hostage – have you really lost the mediocre sense of morals you had?” He held out his hand. “This’ll be our last,” Mao addressed Kivat as he sank his fangs into the former’s hand.

“Don’t talk down to me!” screamed the Queen, who transformed into a lavender-colored, fragile-looking creature with butterfly wings. Mao perched Kivat on the belt’s buckle after one last smile at his students. “Henshin.”

Kiva’s scarlet armor briefly enveloped itself around Mao’s form. There was a flash of light; when it was gone, the armor had changed form. Instead of blood-red, Mao’s armor was bright gold, with a scarlet breastplate and matching red eyes. Sirius’s eyes widened in awe; he’d never seen this before. He wondered whether he could achieve this same power. Before he could take in what he was seeing, Mao charged the Queen, his right arm drawn back.

At least I’ll burn out as a supernova… At least I won’t fade away…

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 16: Final Ascension

Isabella attacked first, launching volley after volley of black pearls at the golden Kiva, but Mao’s reflexes were unnatural, even by Fangire standards; he dodged these attacks without much effort. Her next attempt came in the form of a blast of energy, but Mao merely swatted it aside with his cape, sending it into the air. Seeing that her long-range attacks had proved futile, the Butterfly Fangire conjured a pair of arm blades as she prepared herself for Kiva’s assault.

“Mao, don’t push it,” warned Kivat severely. “Are you really planning on dying here!?”

The deposed King ignored this as he rushed the usurper queen, a red-and-gold blur that wove and blitzed around his target as he attacked her from all angles. Mao thought of his queen and his son (the latter of which was watching, eyes round as golf balls) and how this vile… creature robbed them of that which was theirs. More importantly, he thought of all the effort he put into ending Fangire violence against humans, and how this woman had undone it all. Needless to say, his blood, his entire being was screaming for Isabella’s death.

It was bitterness and anger that fueled each of his blows as he mauled the Butterfly Fangire with brutality more befitting a beast. Those watching did so with a mixture of horror and awe; to Hilda, this man’s power was such that even she, for all her skill as a Fangire Hunter, could never even dream of standing against. Steve, meanwhile, felt like wetting his pants right there. Up till now, he thought he was pretty good at fighting Fangires, but this guy – who even made Hilda look like an amateur – was hell unleashed.

But none were more shocked at the fight (although ‘beatdown’ was more like it) than Rock and Sirius, Mao’s most beloved students; to them, it was like finding out one of their close friends happened to be a wanted criminal. Mao had always been a mild-mannered, even lighthearted fellow, and not one they knew to have a temper. To Rock, it was like something out of a nightmare!

Sirius, though, realized it made more than a bit of sense. After all, Mao was the original Kiva before passing the armor on to him; that being the case, such power was actually fitting. Not that he thought his teacher was a wimp (far from it, in fact), but this was simply incredible, if a bit… scary. He must’ve trained hellishly hard, Sirius thought. But it’s nothing I can’t do, too! …At least, hopefully.

As for Mao, he was still fighting the Queen, though at this point it could hardly be considered a fight anymore. It was more like a long, drawn-out torture session; Isabella was practically begging for mercy by now. He started laughing to himself in a way that said plainly he had no intention of ending this soon. And, judging from what Kivat said the next moment, he noticed, too.

“What’re you waiting for, Mao!?” demanded the bat. “End it already!”

As he said this, Mao kicked the fallen Queen, sending her flying through the air like a football; she crashed through the wall and into a nearby deserted shop. “Goal,” he sneered gloatingly as he walked forward. “What was that, Kivat? Nah, I think she deserves to scream some more,” he laughed sadistically. But –

Urgghhhhh…! Why now…?

Mao fell to his knees as he felt a stabbing pain in his chest once more; this time, it was at an intensity so great, he knew he didn’t have much time left. Now with a newfound sense of urgency, he took out the Wake Up Fuestle and plugged it into the belt. Kivat announced, in a loud, enthusiastic voice:

“WAKE UP FEVER!!”

The golden Kiva that was Mao leapt into the air as he prepared to deliver a barrage of kicks to Isabella’s fallen form, but…

This can’t be…

Out of nowhere, a green-and-black Kiva insignia appeared, acting as a barrier upon which Mao’s finished rebounded. He was sent flying backwards toward Sirius and friends; it was lucky he was able to land on his feet. All eyes were at the Kiva insignia that had appeared, blocking the Queen from view and from attack. And when it disappeared, even Kivat appeared aghast and horrified as he beheld what looked like a black-and-red bat, with yellow eyes.

His father, Kivangel: Kivat-bat the 2nd. Flying around Isabella, no less!

She stuck out her hand as she smiled evilly at Mao. “So sorry, looks like I underestimated you, Mao,” she said. “It’s the real thing from here on out, though.” She added as Kivangel bit her hand, then flew and perched himself upside down on the dark belt that appeared around her waist. When the transformation ended, she was clad in a dark version of Mao’s armor: black and red instead of gold, and green instead of red eyes.

“Dark Kiva, then…?” Mao muttered; it was his turn to be shocked. “I don’t know how you managed to brainwash Kivangel, but I’ll make you pay for that!”

The two Kivas then disappeared and reappeared all over the area, trading punches and kicks as their movements appeared to Sirius and company to be little more than blurs of gold and black. Looking at each other, Steve and Hilda were forcibly reminded of their own tussle a few days ago. It was funny how this one between Mao and the Queen was so similar, yet extremely different: a Kiva who sought to protect, up against a Kiva who sought to destroy. Only this time, the enemy indeed was the enemy.

“Y’know, Mao, I’d hardly believe you were dying, from the way you’re fighting!” exclaimed Isabella as she took a knee to the stomach and jumped backwards, reeling slightly. She then countered with a punch to Mao’s face; he savored the stinging sensation on his cheek, knowing that this battle was to be his last – and, from how things were turning out, greatest.

They then disappeared and reappeared all over their battlefield; to an observer, it was as if there was a lightning storm, and the lightning actually decided to strike the same place multiple times. As one would expect, the two Kivas were equal in every way; perhaps the gold Kiva was even stronger, due to Mao not being at his peak. Kivat, who bore witness to it all, thought that it was probably pride that was all that kept him standing. Any other man with a disease such as the one Mao was struggling with in its advanced stage wouldn’t even be standing, let alone fighting at such inhuman levels!

And, just then, the disease struck Mao for what would be one of the final times; seeing an opening, Isabella aimed a kick to his face that sent him lying facedown a few feet away. Sirius made to run to his teacher, but Mizuna laid a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

“This is his battle,” she said. “I know it looks stupid, but he wants to fight alone.”

The two Kivas took out their respective Wake Up Fuestles once more, having decided that now was the time to end this. Mao got there first, though; before Isabella could invoke her own Wake Up attack, she was sent crashing into a nearby wall by a side thrust kick from Mao. And as she struggled to get to her feet, he leapt into the air. Then, kicking off from a red Kiva insignia that had appeared behind him, he launched the final final blow he’d ever perform.

“EMPEROR’S MOON BREAK!!”


He launched himself as his feet met Dark Kiva’s breast plate, and began pounding and kicking away; each kick sent Isabella deeper and deeper into the wall. Finally, when he felt that this had done enough damage, Mao kicked off her chest once more and flipped into the insignia behind him, using it as a springboard to launch a final corkscrew kick at the downed Dark Kiva. A small explosion rocked the area.

Isabella reverted to her human form with a scream of pain; with difficulty, she got back to her feet and wiped the streams of blood that were dripping from her lips. Kivangel began zooming all around her, and with a final smile at Mao and Sirius, they disappeared.

Mao fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as Kiva’s armor dissolved.

“Sir Mao!”

Rock, Sirius and Mizuna ran to his side, holding him up even as they knew this was it for him. “H-hey, Sirius,” he said weakly, smiling. “Pretty impressive, huh?” Blood trickled down his chin as he spoke these words. “Would you say… I went out with a bang?”

Sirius smiled back even as tears began to well in his eyes; this was Mao, alright. Even at the brink of death he still made jokes! “No, sir,” he heard himself say in an unusual, hearty voice. “I’d say you went out with a fart…” In spite of themselves, all four of them, even Mao, laughed at this wisecrack, though their laughter died almost immediately.

The mortally wounded teacher raised his right hand and flicked Sirius on the forehead. “Idiot,” he muttered. “I should kick you in the balls for that,” he grinned weakly. “Seriously, though… At least I didn’t go down like some punk, right?” he looked at Sirius, then Rock, then Mizuna; all three shook their heads. “Good. Well… At least I got my dramatic exit right…”

Mao’s arms and legs began to turn into stained glass, as all Fangires’ bodies did at their deaths. “It’s… almost time,” his voice was just barely above a whisper now. “Don’t get too weepy, Sirius… guys,” he looked up around them. “I prefer this than dying in a bed. It’s… like they said, right?” He smiled brightly at Sirius in particular as his head, too, turned into stained glass. “It’s better to burn out than fade away… my son.”

And with a low groan, Mao’s body shattered, leaving behind a sealed envelope; the breeze blew away what was left of him.

tbc

 

[Konvictedâ€]

Chapter 17: Breakdown

It was as if he too had died; his mind seemed to have been wiped of all thought and capacity for it. Sirius felt icy and numb as he stared at the glass shards of Mao’s remains in his hand for a whole minute. It couldn’t be true, this wasn’t happening, the shards in his hand were fake –

“Sirius,†Mizuna spoke in a gentle, sorrowful, yet sympathetic voice as she put her hand on his shoulder. “Come here –“

But to her and everyone else’s shock and bewilderment, Sirius slapped the hand away. He brought his hands, still holding what was left of his teacher, to his eyes. Mao was gone. Dead. Burned out AND faded away, despite his last words. He turned to the heavens and let out a scream, a long, terrible note of despair, horror and grief, as tears fell from his eyes like rain. This shouldn’t have happened at all! If only I’d been strong enough to take on her myself…

And when the chains materialized around his waist, Kivat bobbed up and down in midair, clearly alarmed. Likewise, Mizuna gasped in horror; this was what Mao had been afraid of, apparently: that Sirius would lose control over his death. Not that this wasn’t part of the plan – it was – but this was also the part that had the extra-large risk of going horribly and completely wrong. “No… Sirius, you mustn’t…!â€

“What’s happening to him, Kivat??†demanded Rock, worried. This looked like what usually came up with the protagonists of action-oriented anime; in particular, Son Goku and Dragon Ball Z came to mind. And if that was the case… this wasn’t gonna be pretty.

“That golden form Mao was using earlier?†began Kivat. “It’s called Emperor Form. Those chosen to become Kiva can achieve it in times of need, or after an emotional upheaval. Thing is…â€

As he was speaking, though, he was pulled to the belt by an unknown, irresistible force. “…What’re you waiting for!?†Kivat screamed at the lot of them, just as the golden armor began to form around Sirius. “Transform already!â€

Too late, though. As Sirius’s transformation into Emperor Kiva was complete, he turned to look at his friends, and let out a low, feral growl. In particular, he dashed at Mizuna, who had transformed into her Mermaid form, kneeing her in the gut; fortunately, Steve and Hilda caught her. After making absolutely sure she wasn’t too hurt, they both transformed into their respective versions of Ixa, in an attempt to calm Sirius down.

“Get a hold of yourself, bruh!†pleaded Rock, who was on his back as one of Sirius’s feet pinned him down. “Sir Mao wouldn’t want – AUGHH!†Apparently, saying Mao’s name only made it worse; no sooner had Rock uttered it than Sirius stomped on his face as he roared, turning their blood to ice. It was all Mizuna could do to watch, tears flowing down her cheeks as well. It wasn’t so much that he hurt her just now, but that it broke her heart to see him in such evident pain. You didn’t see this coming, did you, Mao? She thought, despairing.

The Ixas weren’t much better off, either. Hilda was trying, and failing to defend Steve from Sirius, who turned his berserk rage on him. Even together, the currently out-of-control Emperor Kiva was beyond their power to handle; in addition to the vice-like grip around his neck, Steve could almost feel his armor creaking under pressure as Sirius choked the life out of him. Hilda wasn’t much luckier, either, as he began stomping on her as if she were a dance pad at the arcade.

A moment later, he dropped Steve, who clutched at his neck in agony, beside her. Far from done, he then turned back to Mizuna, who was paralyzed with fear as he approached. “P-Please, Sirius, no more… Okay?â€

Sirius’s foot was just a few inches away from her face before stopping dead and being set back on the ground. He looked down at Mizuna, shaking all over, and, with difficulty, spoke her name. A moment later…

“EEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!â€

After one last, piercing, agonizing scream, he fell to the ground lifelessly as Kiva’s armor dissolved.

Later that night, having been healed by Kivat, the gang gathered around Sirius’s bed. They had every reason to resent him for trying to beat them within an inch of their lives, but they couldn’t bring themselves to. For one thing, he clearly wasn’t himself; as Kivat explained, the first transformation into Emperor Form almost always involved going berserk. And even then, who wouldn’t go berserk after seeing someone who was like a father (and in fact, WAS) to him die in front of his eyes?


“That is the most fucked up plan I’ve ever heard,†said Rock in disgust as Kivat explained, in detail, Mao’s super grand master epic plan (as he called it). True, if he had a terminal illness, he wouldn’t be content with dying a natural death, either. Like Mao, he’d want to go down dramatically – as Mao put it, he’d want to burn out rather than fade away. But to scar the life of someone who loved him as nothing less than a surrogate father…?

Rock had nothing more to say. Beside him, Mizuna was thinking the exact same thing; in fact, she voiced out her vehement objections to Mao when he first let them in on the plan. He didn’t exactly blow them off, but he let them know in no uncertain terms that he was going through with it, and nothing was gonna stop him. “If he weren’t already dead, I’d probably kill him myself,†she muttered bitterly.

She knew that he meant well (in fact, Mizuna recalled that Mao asked her, specifically, to take good care of Sirius), but that didn’t stop her from being angry. If she was Sirius, she’d probably have reacted the same way, too; that it was part of some big, stupid plan wouldn’t help at all. Sure, the objective of getting him to achieve his most powerful form wasn’t bad at all, but Mao went about it in the worst way possible.

“Come on now, guys, he definitely had a reason for doing it…†began Kivat, though his tone of voice made it clear he didn’t approve of what Mao did either. “If nothing else, we should take comfort that he died the way he deserved and not like just another punk!â€

Rock looked as though he was gonna argue, but thought better of it. He remembered the triumphant grin on Mao’s face, moments before he shattered; it was the look he’d expect to see on a child who got a rather nice toy for his birthday. Seconds passed before he spoke again. “So… Kivat,†he asked, “How long will Sirius be out?â€

Kivat hesitated. “Well,†he started, “Anywhere from two days to a week, depending on willpower and other factors. Mizuna, look after him, alright?†he added, looking at the still teary-eyed Mermaid Princess. She nodded.

Meanwhile, in the living room of a certain mansion within New Manila, a young woman sat on a couch, watching TV together with a white bat that perched herself on the sofa beside her mistress. She sighed; all that was on tonight was utter garbage – she wasn’t one to watch soap operas, unlike most girls of her age. She wanted more… action-oriented material, like the shounen anime she was rather fond of. True, she saw action all the time, but she surprisingly never tired of it. There was nothing like a good fight to keep her blood pounding. That she fought for the good of the Fangire Race only spurred her further.

Speaking of a fight… supposedly, the Queen was supposed to engage in a duel with the former King today, at a location she refused to tell the young woman. According to Her Highness, it was an affair between them and them alone – not that she would insist on coming along, anyway. If the Queen said it, it was definitely right. Right?

Just then, though, the mansion doors burst open as a woman in black staggered inside, badly hurt; the girl got up off the couch to assist her. “Your Highness!†her eyes widened in horror as they assessed the extent of the Queen’s injuries. “What on earth happened!!?â€

As the young woman laid Isabella down on the couch she had occupied earlier, the Queen smiled weakly; she coughed up a little blood as she did so. “If he weren’t already dying, I’d probably have been killed,†she observed as though commenting on the weather. “I actually had to summon Kivangel, can you imagine, Eliza…?â€

Eliza’s eyes widened as Kivara fluttered around excitedly; she couldn’t believe it. Usually, Isabella’s Fangire form was enough to deal with whatever threat came her way. But if she was forced to transform into Dark Kiva, that would mean –

“Exactly, Eliza,†laughed Isabella as she observed the younger woman. “Mao was that strong. And there’s no reason not to believe his son won’t grow to be just as, if not stronger. Still,†she continued, a hint of regret noticeable in her voice for the first time, “I wish he died by my hand. I didn’t want his illness to get to him before I did.â€

Eliza smiled. This was exactly what she had come to expect from Her Highness: a streak of pride and self-reliance tt was perfect for a Fangire of her stature. She had little respect for Queens who sat back and had others carry out the dirty work for her. This Queen, on the other hand… she actually went out to do certain things herself. “Hey, listen Eliza,†Isabella beckoned her closer after a moment. “I’ve got a job for you.â€

Eliza obeyed. A few moments later, a grin formed on her lips as she relished the task that had been given to her. This was going to be fun, indeed.

tbc