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Loving it so far. Quick question though. Are Naruto and Gaara still Jinchuriki? (Probably spelled that wrong.)
Rider World
- Thread starter Galaxian
- Start date
Lurker
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- Apr 29, 2011
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The short answer is that, yes they still are.
Btw that's an acceptable spelling for that word :thumbs:
Lurker
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2011
- Messages
- 7,427
Colorful Memories
The boy could hear voices in the distance. They were all talking hurriedly and with a serious tone. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the young boy briefly wondered what was so important to have them talk about so gravely.
"Are they talking about me…?" He questioned as he forcibly opened his one eye that was not covered. Through the tank's dyed water, the world around him seemed to have a strange blue hue. Once his eye got used to the water, the shapes on the room beyond the tank were finally starting to become define.
As he looked around the room, as much as he could since his body was bound tightly, his pale blue eyes finally settled on the figure nearest to him. Unlike the other people in the room, this one was small, just a little bigger than himself, and quiet. Even though the water was making it hard for the boy, he could clearly see that the figure was a girl, and she was looking right back at him.
"Who is she…?" The boy wondered. "I know I've seen her before… But where…?" The question echoed in his mind as his eye saw that girl take a step closer towards the water tank. The young boy was not sure how, but the moment the blond girl placed her hand on the tank's glass, he fell an unexpected, but extremely comforting, warmth.
"I already told you, sir, this is as far as we can go!" The voices from the other people in the room reached the boy. "This is the limit of how far his body can take the treatment… If we were to push thing further, I have no idea what would happen!"
The boy's eyes moved from the girl to the figures behind her. "Are they still arguing?" He wondered.
The sound of a fist slamming against a desk was heard. "What do you mean you cannot go any further?" An authoritative voice asked. "The reading for his synchronization rate is not even a shadow of what it was the first time!" The man shouted.
"That… That time must have been just a fluke…" The other person responded, there was a clear tremble of hesitation in this individual's voice.
"No, it was not!" The man shouted back. "We all saw what he could do… All I am asking is for you to find a way to bring that out of him again!" He said forcibly. The man then shifted his eyes from the figure in the lab coat in front of him towards the water tank. "Temari! Step away from there!" He suddenly shouted.
Quickly looking at the girl, the boy saw her jump slightly at the unexpected order.
She looked back at the man for a second and then slowly turned around and started to move away. "Very well, Father…" She said a as walked.
Yes, now the young boy recognized the authoritative figure in the room as his father, the current Kazekage. Gaara's mind became clearer, allowing him to understand his situation better.
It had been some time, perhaps a month or two, since they had started the experiments on him. The scientist in Suna wanted to know more about his Rider System and the reason why it was able to emit such a large power output the first time he used it. According to the boy's father, everything that they were doing was for the betterment of the village and that, if his mother could have seen him, then she would have been proud that her Gaara was going to become the Hero of the Sand.
That was the reason why the young redhead had endured so many experiments. After all the treatment and procedures to unlock the true power of Den-O, his mind had become so blurry that he had almost forgotten his own sister.
Suddenly, as he watched his sister's figure become blurrier and blurrier with every step she took away from the water tank, a strong sense of desperation started to invade Gaara's body. Despite being almost completely restrained, the redhead tried to fight off his binding and reach out for the blond girl.
He had very little movement with all the restraints around him, but he continued to push them, even as he felt them burry into his skin. The boy would have given anything to get out of the tank and call out for his sister at that moment.
"Kazekage-sama! Look at this...!" Another scientist suddenly exclaimed as he directed the village leader's attention towards him. "The synchronization rate… It suddenly started to rise! We have never gotten such a high reading since we started the experiment!" The man on the lab coat said excitedly.
Gaara saw his father's blurry figure bent down slightly in front of a monitor for a couple of seconds before straightening back up. "See… I told you that he had not reached his limit." The Kazekage said as he faced the first scientist, his voice filled with self-satisfaction. The man walked closer towards the tank. "Now, continue the experiments and double the dosage. I want Gaara to become the strongest Kamen Rider!" He said as his eyes proudly looked at the young boy.
The redhead looked into his father's eyes for a second, before pain rushed through his entire body. He had felt that type of pain many times before since the experiments started, but this time was somehow different, the pain ran rampant through his body almost like a fire that burned his insides. It was too much for him; even if he let everyone in the village down, the boy could not go through the experiment any longer. All that Gaara wanted at the moment was to get out of the water tank and go home with his sister.
"The synchronization level with the Terminal Buckle is still rising, Kazekage-sama!" The young boy vaguely heard the second scientist gleefully exclaimed.
Gaara tried to scream, but the oxygen mask that provided him with oxygen prevented anyone outside the tank from hearing it. Everything for the young boy went black before he finally passed out.
By the time the redhead woke up, he found himself lying face up on the floor, though, at least, finally outside the tank. He was in a small white room, the same room he had been staying at from the start of the experiment. Gaara tried to force his body of the floor, but found that his body felt too heavy to move.
"I can't stay on the floor… I have to get up…" The young boy whispered to himself. Almost as if it had heard him, his body finally responded and the boy was able to sit up and eventually get back on his feet.
After having been on the water tank for so long, Gaara felt his body extremely numb. He could barely fell the weight of his own body now, or the cold of the tiled, white floor. Seeing the mirror on the side of the room, the boy willed his body to walk towards it.
The boy's eyes widened at the reflection in the mirror, or at least he thought they were his eyes, because instead of the clear blue color, the one on the reflective surface were bright red. In fact, the changes to his usual reflection did not stopped there, since Gaara could see that the boy reflected on the mirror had his red hair spiking upwards. "What's going on…?" He asked the mirror.
"What do you mean?" The reflection responded, scaring the hell out of the young boy.
Gaara watched in a mixture of fear and amazement as his strange reflection eyed him curiously. "Who are you?" The boy asked the glass.
The spike haired boy rubbed his chin. "Hmm… I guess I don't really have a name yet…" He commented, moving his hand to scratch the back of his head as he thought. "I got it! My name will be Momotaros!" The reflection announced before he pointed at himself with his thumb. "I am the Great Momotaros!"
Gaara tilted his head to the side. "Momotaros…?" He repeated. The truth was that had been the name the young boy was thinking about when he considered the other boy's red eyes, right before his reflection announced it. "But… Why are you in the mirror…? Why are you…?" The young boy's question trailed off due to his inability to fully comprehend the situation.
The reflection glared at the boy. "For you, of course!" Momotaros announced. "I heard you call out for help back there, so I immediately came in running." He firmly stated.
"You're here… For me?" Gaara repeated as he started at the boy in the mirror.
"That's right!" Momotaros confirmed, crossing his arm and nodding to emphasize his point. "I'm not exactly sure just how I got here in the first place, but all I know is that I am for your sake."
Slowly, Gaara reached out for the mirror as his reflection did the same. When their hands touched, all that the boy could feel was a cold glass surface. "You're not really here…" He sadly commented as he looked down at his hand.
"Of course I am!" The boy in the mirror firmly stated. "And I'll prove it." Momotaros assured as he gave Gaara a serious look through the glass. "Tell me your wish… Tell me what you desire the most, and I will grant it for you to prove that I exist."
Gaara remained silent for a couple of seconds. In reality, he wanted to laugh off the spiky haired boy's words, but something on his eyes told him that he was truly serious. "I… I wish…" The redhead started to say but suddenly stopped. It was at that moment that Gaara realized that, while back in the tank he had been ready to scream to the heavens to free him from the experiments, now he felt nothing. All desire that the young boy had of rebelling against his father's ambition to turn him into the strongest Kamen Rider and that fiery sensation he had felt that drove him to try and reach for his sister were both completely gone. He did not have anything to request from the boy inside the mirror.
=====
(10 Years Later – Present Time)
Sakura watched with widened emerald eyes as tears threatened to fall down Temari's face. "Then… That means that the Imagin…" She started to say but trailed off.
The Den-O Rider simply nodded. "Yes… Each Imagin was once a part of Gaara's psyche that broke away during the experiments, taking a piece of Den-O's power with them. That day, Momotaros took Gaara's stubbornness and his strength of will." She informed as her eyes trailed off to the distance. "After that, the scientist still had no idea what had caused Gaara's power output to spike, or why was it at its all time low afterward."
All three Leaf Riders remain silent as they listened to the tale.
"They did not realized what had happened until two more Imagin had appeared, Urataros, who had Gaara's enjoyment of life and his deceit, and Kintaros, created from both his fervor and languor." A short, hollow laugh escaped the blond. "My father was furious when he first realized that Den-O's power had been fractured by the three Imagin, but when the scientist informed him that they were making the Rider System a lot more manageable, he ordered the treatment to continue…" Temari said.
"And that's when the fourth Imagin came into existence…" Sakura finished for the older girl.
The young woman nodded. "Ryuutaros… Taking Gaara's childishness and selfishness, as well as a large portion of Den-O's power." The Sand Rider continued to explain. "As time went on, Gaara was able to come up with more detailed forms for the Imagin… And the scientists were able to perfect their technique, creating Sieg without really taking anything much more from my brother's consciousness." She let out another humorless laugh. "A little too late by then, since Gaara had already been pretty much mined hollow." She commented. "All he feels he has left now is to grant my father's own wish of turning him into the strongest Kamen Rider."
When she saw tears run down the older girl's cheek, Sakura immediately placed a hand on her shoulder. "So that's why the Imagin are doing all of this… They don't want Gaara to have to continue the experiments." The pink haired said.
"I would believe so…" Temari responded. "They probably think that this is Gaara's wish… And I would be lying if I said that I wanted my father to continue using him like a guinea-pig… But it's far too dangerous for them to be out there all alone if someone is already after by brother!" She stated.
Sakura nodded at her words. "Don't worry about it." The Femme Rider assured the older girl. "I'm sure Naruto already found your brother, so we just have to find them." The Haruno said as she offered a smile.
Sasuke sighed as he looked away from the two girls. "If Shikamaru had been here, he would have made a comment about how troublesome this situation is…" The Uchiha thought as he looked around at the campsite. The Blade Rider knew too well about the desire to become stronger, but what he had just heard was definitely taking things too far. "How could someone go through all that…?" The raven haired teen asked in a low voice to no one in particular.
Having remained silent throughout the entire story, Kakashi finally stepped forward. "Continue…" The silver haired man simply said as his visible eye bore down on the girl. The younger Rider immediately looked at the man with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "I do not believe that what you said is the entire story…"
Temari's eyes wavered. "But… Why… Why would you say that?" She questioned, fighting to keep her yes on older Rider, lest it would give her away.
"Simple, it seems to me that this criminal organization is going to extraordinary lengths to kidnap your brother, even if he's an exceptionally strong Rider." Kakashi pointed out. "Also… Rider Systems and Kamen Riders have been studied since the time of Odin, and nothing like what you described has ever occurred, that tells me that there is even more about your brother that you're not telling us." The Skull Rider firmly declared.
The Den-O Rider tried her best, but eventually she failed as her gaze fell down to the ground. "You're right…" She admitted as new tears formed on her eyes. "The truth is that, before becoming Den-O, Gaara…" Temari started but she choked.
=====
With arduous strain, Naruto was able to open his eyes again. "What happened…?" He asked weakly as he looked at his surroundings. The forest around the blond was dark and the sound of nocturnal critters could be heard coming from every direction.
"Naruto-san! You finally woke up!" Sieg called out as he emerged from the ground right in front of the spiky haired teen.
The Decade Rider brought his hands to his face to rub his eyes. He felt his body extremely heavy and all of his actions very taxing. "How long was I out?" He asked. From the last thing that the young man could remember, the sun was still up before he passed out.
The white Imagin cleared his throat before he begun to talk. "You were out for several hours now. In my eternal courteousness, I decided to stay by your side until you regained consciousness." Sieg proudly stated.
Giving the Imagin a look, Naruto tried to push his body away from the tree he had been sleeping against. "Thanks…" The teen said halfheartedly. Just as the Uzumaki finally managed to get back on his feet, his body gave up on him and he felt back against the tree. "Damn…"
Sieg observed the young man struggle to even get up. "Just what happened back there, Naruto-san?" The white creature asked. "After Kintaros attack you simply stood back up… Different…" He tried to describe what he had witnessed.
"I don't know…" Naruto admitted as he gave up trying to get back up and simply sat back down on the ground. "The last thing I could remember was that bastard's ax coming down… Next thing I know, he's running away, I'm back on the ground, and my body hurts all over." The Decade Rider said with a grimace.
Silence over took the pair as they both reflected on the blonde's battle with Den-O.
After a couple of minutes, Naruto looked up at the Imagin. "It seems that those guys are more determined on keeping Gaara away from Suna than one would expect." He commented. "Is there something you're not telling me, Sieg?" The young man asked seriously.
The Imagin looked surprised at the question, but instead of answering it, he redirected his gaze away from the spiky haired teen.
Naruto growled. "Damn it, bird! You promised to tell me everything!" The teen shouted as he looked angrily at the Imagin.
"You have to understand, Naruto-san... There are things that people them to stay secret." Sieg commented, still refusing to look at the Decade Rider.
"Like it matters now!" The blond shouted. "Those guys were willing to go to such extremes for a reason and I want to know why and you're going to tell me!" The spiky haired teen firmly stated.
Even if he did not look, Sieg could feel the pair of sapphire eyes burn onto him. The Imagin turned completely away from the Leaf Rider. "Very well, Naruto-san…" He muttered quietly. "I will tell you the truth behind Momotaros and the others."
The Imagin proceed to tell the young man about everything that Gaara had gone through ever since he had acquired the Den-O Rider System. Of the experiments that the redhead had to undergo, which led up to the creation of the Imagin, and what it ultimately cost Gaara.
"All because his father wanted the strongest Kamen Rider…?" Naruto questioned quietly.
"In a way, yes…" Sieg responded. "But it was also to help the village's technological advances through the study of the Rider System." He added after a while.
The Decade Rider pondered everything that he had heard for a moment. "But how could the Rider System… Create you guys?" The blond finally asked. "I'm not very knowledgeable about Kamen Riders, but I've never heard of anything like that happening." The young man pointed out as he looked at the Imagin's face for an answer.
Surely enough, the shifting in the Imagin's feet gave him away. "I… I would not know…" The bird-like creature tried to play off.
Naruto glared at the Imagin. "I told you to tell me everything, Sieg!" He said angrily. "What really create you?" The teen demanded to know.
Sieg gazed into the forest for some time. What the young man from Konoha was asking for were deep, dark secrets of the Sand, but for someone reason, the Imagin felt like he wanted to divulge them. In a weird way, the more time that that the white creature spent with the blond, the more that the spiky haired teen reminded him of Gaara. Naruto's presence calmed the Imagin the same way that his creator did.
"The real reason behind the birth of us, Imagin, is the encounter of two very different factors." The bird-like creature finally said. "The Kamen Riders who are beloved by everybody and the Jinchuuriki that are scorned by everyone… They are two identities that should never come together…" Sieg revealed.
The Decade Rider gave the Imagin a confused look. "Jinchuuriki? What's that?"
The white being finally turned to look at teen. "Jinchuuriki is the name given to those that act as vessels for the Bijuu." He informed.
"Bijuu? You mean like the Kyuubi that attack Konoha all those years ago?" The blond questioned.
Sieg nodded. "Precisely." The Imagin answered before continuing. "Today, scientists know that a Kamen Rider's power and a Jinchuuriki's chakra resonate with each other, and when the two come together… Unusual things can occur."
Naruto looked down at the ground as his mind processed those words. "That means that Gaara has one of those things sealed inside of him?" He asked.
Nodding again, the Imagin proceeded. "Gaara-sama is the container of the Ichibi no Shukaku. In fact, my ability to create a body out of sand comes from the Bijuu itself." Seig commented as he stood before the young man.
"One thing loved and one thing hated…" The blond repeated in a low voice. Surprising the Imagin, the spiky haired teen suddenly stood up. "Ok, let's go…" He announced.
"Go? Go were?" Sieg asked confused.
The blond gave the bird-like creature a annoyed look. "To look for Gaara and those Taros of course!" He answered. "I promised that I would bring Gaara back with me and I intend to keep my word, we'll figure out what to do to stop those experiments later." The young man stated confidently.
Sieg was astonished by the spiky haired teen in front of him. Shaking the surprised off, the Imgain placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders, keeping him in place. "You cannot, Naruto-san, you are too exhausted to go picking another fight with Momotaros and your body is about to give up again." He tried to reason.
Naruto shrugged the Imagin's hands off. "If I'm tired, then they must be tired too." The Decade Rider said as he pushed the white being aside and started to walk away. "This forest is too dangerous for them right now, with all the Riotroopers and who knows what else roaming around… I promise that I will find Gaara, stop those experiments, and teach those Imagin a lesson!" The teen declared. "I will end this!" The young man stated before he started to walk again.
The white Imagin watched the boys back. While he should laugh at the blonde's ludicrous declaration of stopping the experiments, something inside of him wanted to believe it. "It looks like you are already carrying a heavy load on your back, is that why you can make those promises so easily?" Sieg said in a voice too low for the Decade Rider to hear it. "But how much longer can you bear them… Such heavy burdens?"
Naruto continued to walk unaware of his companion's word. "Let's go, Sieg! I can't track them by myself!" He called out without looking back.
The Imagin remained still for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Very well…" Sieg said as he brought both hands behind his back and walked after the Leaf Rider.
=====
He walked decidedly through a darkened hall as his subordinate tried to keep up with his long strides. "How are the preparations?" The man asked.
Almost out of breath due to his superior's fast pace, the young man struggled to answer. "It… It seems that the capture team may have located the target already." He informed. "They should have started their preparations by now.
The man nodded in approval. "Good to know…" He commented. "And what about the other Rider?"
The younger man started to look through the report he carried at the question. "It appears that they went on separate directions after their second fight… But now it seems that he started to look for the target again."
The man considered the information he had just been given for a few seconds. "Tell the capture team to hold off for now." He finally said. "They are to wait until the Leaf Rider shows up. I want them both, is that clear?" He ordered while giving his subordinate a serious look.
"Of… Of course…" The young man's words tripped over themselves. He stopped on his track and gave his superior a bow. "I will send the message to the capture team right away, sir!" He announced before turning around and walking back down the hall. Every so often, he would look over his shoulder at the older man's figure until it finally disappeared into the darkness. Briefly, the young man wondered what was so especial about Kamen Rider Den-O and the new Rider from Konoha that merited all the fuss, but he was not about to voice his opinion and be on the receiving end of his superior's wrath.
=====
Naruto dropped down on the small clearing and looked up ahead. Beneath a large tree slept peacefully a redhead boy around his age and, unlike the last time that the blond had seen him, his hair fell down over his forehead.
"That's how Gaara normally looks…" Sieg informed the Uzumaki in a low voice.
Silently, Naruto walked closer towards unconscious young man. "Hey! Wake up, you bastards!" The spiky haired teen loudly called out for the Imagin.
Immediately, a flash of red light went off over Gaara's body and his hair spiked up again. "Damn you!" Momotaros' voice called out as he jumped to his feet. "I was having the most wonderful dream in which Gaara finally let me have all the pudding I wanted and you come along and ruin it, you magenta-jerk!" The Imagin exclaimed as he stomped the ground.
The Decade Rider scoffed. "Like I care about pudding or any of that nonsense… I'm here to take Gaara back with me!" The young man announced.
It was Momotaros' turn to jeer at the other guy's words. "As if I would let you." He commented. "And, as I recall, your transformation came undone first during our last battle, so that means you lost!" The redhead started as he crossed his arms and smirked.
"Heh… But at least I wasn't the one who ran away crying! So you lost by default!" Naruto countered, glaring at the other spiky haired teen and receiving a glare right back.
Sieg watched the two Riders bicker with one another and sighed. The Uzumaki might remind the white Imagin of Gaara a lot, but his personality was far more like Momotaros'.
"You're one to talk! Your Rider armor looks pink!" The Den-O variant managed to shout through gritting teeth.
"It's not pink! It's magenta!" The Decade Rider shouted back. "And at least I don't look as if I have a damn peach on my helmet!"
Before their verbal battle became anymore childish, Sieg cleared his throat in order to gain Naruto's attention and get him back on track.
Turning back to Momotaros, the boy sent one more glare. "Anyways, like I said, I'm taking Gaara back to his sister!"
The redhead looked away from the blond. "And as I said before, over my dead body!" He shot back.
A pair of sapphire eyes narrowed. "I know what happened to Gaara in the past…" Naruto informed. "And I promise you that Gaara will not have to go through all that ever again!" He exclaimed.
Momotaros glanced at the other spiky haired teen for a second before looking away again. "As if you could do anything about…" He commented. "You have nothing to do with this whole mess! It isn't even your fight!" The Imagin angrily stated.
"If it's not my fight, then I will make it mine!" The blond declared.
Astonished by the Leaf Rider's declaration, all that the Den-O variant could do was stare wordlessly. Coming back to his senses, the Imagin growled. "You think you can fix things just like that…?" He questioned. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The redhead screamed before rushing at the blond, his first already pulled back.
Naruto moved out of the way as the Suna Rider's punch came flying back. The blond continued to dodge punch after kick after punch as the other spiky haired teen attacked him wildly.
"You piss me off more than anyone else!" Momotaros shouted. "You have no idea what Gaara has been through and yet you claim you can make it all better!" The enraged Imagin said as he tried to punch the young man's face.
Thanks to all of his training while trying to become a shinobi, Naruto easily caught the incoming fist. "You're right… I don't know exactly what Gaara had to bear through…" The Uzumaki admitted. "But I do know how it feels to be completely alone… What it means to give up something precious for a dream…" The teen's free hand closed tightly. "And I will help Gaara!" He said before driving his fist right to the redhead's jaw.
Momotaros was thrown back by the force of the punch. Rubbing his now bruised jaw, the Imagin stood up and glared at his opponent. "I'm going to finish this once and for all…" The possessed teen said as the Terminal Buckle appeared around his waist.
"I will make you see that I'm strong enough to save Gaara…" Naruto responded as he brought out the Decadriver and let its straps wrap around him. "And I will end this!" The young man added as he inserted a card into his Rider System while across from him, his opponent swiped the Rider Pass in front of his.
"Henshin!" Both spiky haired boys called out in unison.
"Kamen Rider…"
"Sword Form"
As the Aura Skin appeared over Gaara's body, Naruto closed his belt buckle. "Decade!"
The grey figures that appeared converged onto the blond, the sides taking a magenta hue, as the red armor assembled itself onto Den-O.
The two Riders starred each other down for a second before the both suddenly rushed forwards. Their fists ready to fly at their opponent.
Suddenly, the entire clearing was engulfed in a fireball as a large explosion went off right before the young men's attacks could hit their target. Both Decade and Den-O were thrown to the ground as more subsequent explosions detonated all around them.
Through the flames, Naruto was barely able to register when the Imagin's transformation came undone and Gaara's body was left lying unconsciously on the ground. Feeling his own Rider armor start to disappear, the blond turned around at set his eyes on the stunned Sieg. "Go back to the campsite and tell the others…!" The Uzumaki managed to call out right before one more blast went off next to him. Everything turned black afterwards.
=====
Sakura's emerald eyes gazed at the darkness of the forest. "Where could those guys be…?" She wondered, her confidence in that the blond would return with Temari's brother waning with each passing second.
"Maybe the idiot got lost on his way back… If we listen closely, chances are we'll hear him calling out for us." Sasuke offered. The raven haired boy was not used to be the one to lightened the mood, and by the cold reception his attempt at a joke had, he was now reminded of why.
For his part, Kakashi remained silent, as he had been for the past few hours. "So this Gaara is Suna's Jinchuuriki… And he's probably somewhere out there with Naruto…" The silver haired man pondered. "I don't like where this is going…"
Suddenly, Temari, who had been sitting silently beneath a tree, shot to her feet and looked at the edge of the clearing.
Right from the direction that the young woman's eyes were directed at, a small ball of line came flying into the clearing.
"Sieg!" The blond called out as the shining sphere disappeared through the ground.
Right in its place, the white Imagin's body formed out of the sand, surprising both Kakashi and Sasuke. "They were captured!" Was the first thing that the bird-like creature uttered once his body was completed.
The Rider's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" Sakura asked, being the first to shake off her surprise.
"Gaara-sama and Naruto-san…. They were both captured by the same guys as before!" Sieg informed, having stuck around back there long enough to see the Riotroopers take the two teen's unconscious forms.
Sakura and Temari gasped, Sasuke punched a nearby tree, and Kakashi cursed into his facemask. "I knew this was going to get more problematic, I just knew…." The Hayate said as he rubbed his temple.
The Femme Rider looked up at her instructor. "What are we going to do now, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked. "We're going to rescue them, right?"
Sparing a second to glance at the girl, the Skull Rider let out a sigh. "It's not a simple as that…" He said, surprising the young Riders. "With Naruto captured, this has gone far beyond the scope a simple, first-time mission. We have to go back to the village and inform the Hokage of this right away." Kakashi informed, not wanting to reveal the real reason why Naruto's capture bothered him so much.
The pink haired girl had trouble processing what she had heard. "But… But you can't… You can't just leave them there and go back to the village!" The Haruno exclaimed. "Even if you won't help them, I…" Sakura's words were suddenly cut off.
Without having made a sound, Sasuke had moved from behind the Femme Rider and now stood between her and their teacher. "What Sakura says is true… Naruto and Gaara are in danger as long as they remain captive." He pointed out. "So it would be faster if you go back to the village on your own while we wait for you here." The Uchiha said as he looked at the older man in the eye.
Kakashi let out a short laugh. "Are you trying to tell me that you guys won't go charging in as soon as I turn my back?" The silver hared man half joked.
The Blade Rider's eyes remain stoic. "I know how procedures and the chain of command work." The young man commented. "Do you really expect that I would disobey a direct order?" He asked.
The Hakate held the Uchiha's gaze for about a minute before finally sighing in defeat. "Very well… I'll leave you temporarily in charge, Sasuke." The Skull Rider said before turning around and disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
The Blade Rider could feel the glares form the two girls and the white creature on his back as he stood there. "You said that bird-thing could track your brother, right?" The raven hared teen asked the blond girl once he knew Kakashi was out of earshot.
A surprised look fell on the other in the campsite. "Yes… Sieg can sense Gaara." Temari answered.
"Good, let's go." Sasuke said as he took out the Blay Buckle.
"But… But, you just said…" Sakura stammered over her words, unable to completely shrug off the astonishment.
Had the pink haired girl not known better, she could have sworn that the Uchiha had just shrugged his shoulders. "All I said is that I know what the rules are, never that I was going to follow them" The raven haired teen pointed out as his Rider System wrapped around his waist. "Kakashi-sensei can expect all he wants as far as I care." He added as he turned around, a smirk adorning his face.
The two girls had no choice but to blush, the Imagin, on the other hand, simply scoffed.
"You, the bird…" Sasuke signaled the white being. "Lead the way." He ordered, but did not wait for a responds before he started walking.
Sieg glared at the young Rider. "Why is everyone calling me the bird? I have a name!" The he complained. "It is Sieg!" Nevertheless, the Imagin started walking towards raven hared boy.
The two girls shared a look before their respective belts appeared around their waists and they followed suit.
=====
"Naruto-san… Naruto-san… Naruto-san…"
The young man could hear his name been called out, but staying in the dark depths of his consciousness felt a lot more appealing at the moment.
"Naruto-san… Naruto-san… Are you ok?"
What had he been doing before losing consciousness? Oh yeah, he was fighting to help a guy he promised to protect when the damn forest suddenly exploded around them. Staying unconscious sounded better and better by the minute.
"Naruto-san… Naruto-san… Naruto-san…"
Unfortunately for the blond, whoever was calling seemed to really need him to wake up, and he could not go on ignoring it. Weakly and forcibly, the pair of sapphire eyes opened.
The spiky haired boy found himself lying in a long, and dirty metallic room. If he didn't know any better, the teen would have said that he was inside a large garbage dump. Both his hand and his arms were bounded, largely restricting his movements. After looking around, the spiky haired boy finally found who had been calling out for him.
Gaara sat just a couple of feet away from the blond with a strange looking device wrapped around him. "Are you alright, Naruto-san?" He asked.
"Don't call me Naruto-san…" The Uzumaki said first. "You're Gaara, right? Heh… I guess this is the first time we meet." The boy commented with a short laughed.
The redhead responded with a chuckle of his own. "I guess so…" He said. "I'm sorry for all the trouble Momotaros and the others caused while I was unconscious." The Den-O Rider apologized, giving a small bow with his neck.
"Don't worry about it… They were just trying to keep you safe." The spiky haired teen said. "Though they did a pretty lousy job at it!" He added loudly, hopping that the Imagin could hear him.
Right on cue, all the sand in the metal room gathered together in one place and started to take shape.
Unlike Sieg's bird-like features, this one looked far more devilish, with an angry face and two horns on his forehead. "You didn't do any better!" Momotaros partial form said as he glared at Naruto. "You magenta-jerk!"
A/N – This chapter was actually longer than originally planned, the last two scenes actually belonged to the next one, but I wanted to be able to wrap everything up and end things in the next chapter. I know that Gaara is coming off as very OOC, but that's actually part of the plot and it will be explained.
=====
Preview: Rider World Chapter 10 – Final Climax
-The door to the metallic room opens.
"You bastard…!"
"Do not make her sacrifice be in vain."
-Kakashi lifts the Skull Magnum.
"Move aside…"
"Maximum Drive!"
-A sphere of light enters Naruto's body.
"I… Have arrived!"
-Gaara looks up in shock.
"No..."
"Sir... His synchronization level is... Zero..."
"This is your end as Den-O."
-Momotaros looks up at Naruto.
"Gaara's true wish is…"
-Decade aims his gun at the Terminal Buckle.
"Riders… Can only bring pain to people's hearts…"
"Thank you for everything… Decade."
The boy could hear voices in the distance. They were all talking hurriedly and with a serious tone. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the young boy briefly wondered what was so important to have them talk about so gravely.
"Are they talking about me…?" He questioned as he forcibly opened his one eye that was not covered. Through the tank's dyed water, the world around him seemed to have a strange blue hue. Once his eye got used to the water, the shapes on the room beyond the tank were finally starting to become define.
As he looked around the room, as much as he could since his body was bound tightly, his pale blue eyes finally settled on the figure nearest to him. Unlike the other people in the room, this one was small, just a little bigger than himself, and quiet. Even though the water was making it hard for the boy, he could clearly see that the figure was a girl, and she was looking right back at him.
"Who is she…?" The boy wondered. "I know I've seen her before… But where…?" The question echoed in his mind as his eye saw that girl take a step closer towards the water tank. The young boy was not sure how, but the moment the blond girl placed her hand on the tank's glass, he fell an unexpected, but extremely comforting, warmth.
"I already told you, sir, this is as far as we can go!" The voices from the other people in the room reached the boy. "This is the limit of how far his body can take the treatment… If we were to push thing further, I have no idea what would happen!"
The boy's eyes moved from the girl to the figures behind her. "Are they still arguing?" He wondered.
The sound of a fist slamming against a desk was heard. "What do you mean you cannot go any further?" An authoritative voice asked. "The reading for his synchronization rate is not even a shadow of what it was the first time!" The man shouted.
"That… That time must have been just a fluke…" The other person responded, there was a clear tremble of hesitation in this individual's voice.
"No, it was not!" The man shouted back. "We all saw what he could do… All I am asking is for you to find a way to bring that out of him again!" He said forcibly. The man then shifted his eyes from the figure in the lab coat in front of him towards the water tank. "Temari! Step away from there!" He suddenly shouted.
Quickly looking at the girl, the boy saw her jump slightly at the unexpected order.
She looked back at the man for a second and then slowly turned around and started to move away. "Very well, Father…" She said a as walked.
Yes, now the young boy recognized the authoritative figure in the room as his father, the current Kazekage. Gaara's mind became clearer, allowing him to understand his situation better.
It had been some time, perhaps a month or two, since they had started the experiments on him. The scientist in Suna wanted to know more about his Rider System and the reason why it was able to emit such a large power output the first time he used it. According to the boy's father, everything that they were doing was for the betterment of the village and that, if his mother could have seen him, then she would have been proud that her Gaara was going to become the Hero of the Sand.
That was the reason why the young redhead had endured so many experiments. After all the treatment and procedures to unlock the true power of Den-O, his mind had become so blurry that he had almost forgotten his own sister.
Suddenly, as he watched his sister's figure become blurrier and blurrier with every step she took away from the water tank, a strong sense of desperation started to invade Gaara's body. Despite being almost completely restrained, the redhead tried to fight off his binding and reach out for the blond girl.
He had very little movement with all the restraints around him, but he continued to push them, even as he felt them burry into his skin. The boy would have given anything to get out of the tank and call out for his sister at that moment.
"Kazekage-sama! Look at this...!" Another scientist suddenly exclaimed as he directed the village leader's attention towards him. "The synchronization rate… It suddenly started to rise! We have never gotten such a high reading since we started the experiment!" The man on the lab coat said excitedly.
Gaara saw his father's blurry figure bent down slightly in front of a monitor for a couple of seconds before straightening back up. "See… I told you that he had not reached his limit." The Kazekage said as he faced the first scientist, his voice filled with self-satisfaction. The man walked closer towards the tank. "Now, continue the experiments and double the dosage. I want Gaara to become the strongest Kamen Rider!" He said as his eyes proudly looked at the young boy.
The redhead looked into his father's eyes for a second, before pain rushed through his entire body. He had felt that type of pain many times before since the experiments started, but this time was somehow different, the pain ran rampant through his body almost like a fire that burned his insides. It was too much for him; even if he let everyone in the village down, the boy could not go through the experiment any longer. All that Gaara wanted at the moment was to get out of the water tank and go home with his sister.
"The synchronization level with the Terminal Buckle is still rising, Kazekage-sama!" The young boy vaguely heard the second scientist gleefully exclaimed.
Gaara tried to scream, but the oxygen mask that provided him with oxygen prevented anyone outside the tank from hearing it. Everything for the young boy went black before he finally passed out.
By the time the redhead woke up, he found himself lying face up on the floor, though, at least, finally outside the tank. He was in a small white room, the same room he had been staying at from the start of the experiment. Gaara tried to force his body of the floor, but found that his body felt too heavy to move.
"I can't stay on the floor… I have to get up…" The young boy whispered to himself. Almost as if it had heard him, his body finally responded and the boy was able to sit up and eventually get back on his feet.
After having been on the water tank for so long, Gaara felt his body extremely numb. He could barely fell the weight of his own body now, or the cold of the tiled, white floor. Seeing the mirror on the side of the room, the boy willed his body to walk towards it.
The boy's eyes widened at the reflection in the mirror, or at least he thought they were his eyes, because instead of the clear blue color, the one on the reflective surface were bright red. In fact, the changes to his usual reflection did not stopped there, since Gaara could see that the boy reflected on the mirror had his red hair spiking upwards. "What's going on…?" He asked the mirror.
"What do you mean?" The reflection responded, scaring the hell out of the young boy.
Gaara watched in a mixture of fear and amazement as his strange reflection eyed him curiously. "Who are you?" The boy asked the glass.
The spike haired boy rubbed his chin. "Hmm… I guess I don't really have a name yet…" He commented, moving his hand to scratch the back of his head as he thought. "I got it! My name will be Momotaros!" The reflection announced before he pointed at himself with his thumb. "I am the Great Momotaros!"
Gaara tilted his head to the side. "Momotaros…?" He repeated. The truth was that had been the name the young boy was thinking about when he considered the other boy's red eyes, right before his reflection announced it. "But… Why are you in the mirror…? Why are you…?" The young boy's question trailed off due to his inability to fully comprehend the situation.
The reflection glared at the boy. "For you, of course!" Momotaros announced. "I heard you call out for help back there, so I immediately came in running." He firmly stated.
"You're here… For me?" Gaara repeated as he started at the boy in the mirror.
"That's right!" Momotaros confirmed, crossing his arm and nodding to emphasize his point. "I'm not exactly sure just how I got here in the first place, but all I know is that I am for your sake."
Slowly, Gaara reached out for the mirror as his reflection did the same. When their hands touched, all that the boy could feel was a cold glass surface. "You're not really here…" He sadly commented as he looked down at his hand.
"Of course I am!" The boy in the mirror firmly stated. "And I'll prove it." Momotaros assured as he gave Gaara a serious look through the glass. "Tell me your wish… Tell me what you desire the most, and I will grant it for you to prove that I exist."
Gaara remained silent for a couple of seconds. In reality, he wanted to laugh off the spiky haired boy's words, but something on his eyes told him that he was truly serious. "I… I wish…" The redhead started to say but suddenly stopped. It was at that moment that Gaara realized that, while back in the tank he had been ready to scream to the heavens to free him from the experiments, now he felt nothing. All desire that the young boy had of rebelling against his father's ambition to turn him into the strongest Kamen Rider and that fiery sensation he had felt that drove him to try and reach for his sister were both completely gone. He did not have anything to request from the boy inside the mirror.
=====
(10 Years Later – Present Time)
Sakura watched with widened emerald eyes as tears threatened to fall down Temari's face. "Then… That means that the Imagin…" She started to say but trailed off.
The Den-O Rider simply nodded. "Yes… Each Imagin was once a part of Gaara's psyche that broke away during the experiments, taking a piece of Den-O's power with them. That day, Momotaros took Gaara's stubbornness and his strength of will." She informed as her eyes trailed off to the distance. "After that, the scientist still had no idea what had caused Gaara's power output to spike, or why was it at its all time low afterward."
All three Leaf Riders remain silent as they listened to the tale.
"They did not realized what had happened until two more Imagin had appeared, Urataros, who had Gaara's enjoyment of life and his deceit, and Kintaros, created from both his fervor and languor." A short, hollow laugh escaped the blond. "My father was furious when he first realized that Den-O's power had been fractured by the three Imagin, but when the scientist informed him that they were making the Rider System a lot more manageable, he ordered the treatment to continue…" Temari said.
"And that's when the fourth Imagin came into existence…" Sakura finished for the older girl.
The young woman nodded. "Ryuutaros… Taking Gaara's childishness and selfishness, as well as a large portion of Den-O's power." The Sand Rider continued to explain. "As time went on, Gaara was able to come up with more detailed forms for the Imagin… And the scientists were able to perfect their technique, creating Sieg without really taking anything much more from my brother's consciousness." She let out another humorless laugh. "A little too late by then, since Gaara had already been pretty much mined hollow." She commented. "All he feels he has left now is to grant my father's own wish of turning him into the strongest Kamen Rider."
When she saw tears run down the older girl's cheek, Sakura immediately placed a hand on her shoulder. "So that's why the Imagin are doing all of this… They don't want Gaara to have to continue the experiments." The pink haired said.
"I would believe so…" Temari responded. "They probably think that this is Gaara's wish… And I would be lying if I said that I wanted my father to continue using him like a guinea-pig… But it's far too dangerous for them to be out there all alone if someone is already after by brother!" She stated.
Sakura nodded at her words. "Don't worry about it." The Femme Rider assured the older girl. "I'm sure Naruto already found your brother, so we just have to find them." The Haruno said as she offered a smile.
Sasuke sighed as he looked away from the two girls. "If Shikamaru had been here, he would have made a comment about how troublesome this situation is…" The Uchiha thought as he looked around at the campsite. The Blade Rider knew too well about the desire to become stronger, but what he had just heard was definitely taking things too far. "How could someone go through all that…?" The raven haired teen asked in a low voice to no one in particular.
Having remained silent throughout the entire story, Kakashi finally stepped forward. "Continue…" The silver haired man simply said as his visible eye bore down on the girl. The younger Rider immediately looked at the man with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "I do not believe that what you said is the entire story…"
Temari's eyes wavered. "But… Why… Why would you say that?" She questioned, fighting to keep her yes on older Rider, lest it would give her away.
"Simple, it seems to me that this criminal organization is going to extraordinary lengths to kidnap your brother, even if he's an exceptionally strong Rider." Kakashi pointed out. "Also… Rider Systems and Kamen Riders have been studied since the time of Odin, and nothing like what you described has ever occurred, that tells me that there is even more about your brother that you're not telling us." The Skull Rider firmly declared.
The Den-O Rider tried her best, but eventually she failed as her gaze fell down to the ground. "You're right…" She admitted as new tears formed on her eyes. "The truth is that, before becoming Den-O, Gaara…" Temari started but she choked.
=====
With arduous strain, Naruto was able to open his eyes again. "What happened…?" He asked weakly as he looked at his surroundings. The forest around the blond was dark and the sound of nocturnal critters could be heard coming from every direction.
"Naruto-san! You finally woke up!" Sieg called out as he emerged from the ground right in front of the spiky haired teen.
The Decade Rider brought his hands to his face to rub his eyes. He felt his body extremely heavy and all of his actions very taxing. "How long was I out?" He asked. From the last thing that the young man could remember, the sun was still up before he passed out.
The white Imagin cleared his throat before he begun to talk. "You were out for several hours now. In my eternal courteousness, I decided to stay by your side until you regained consciousness." Sieg proudly stated.
Giving the Imagin a look, Naruto tried to push his body away from the tree he had been sleeping against. "Thanks…" The teen said halfheartedly. Just as the Uzumaki finally managed to get back on his feet, his body gave up on him and he felt back against the tree. "Damn…"
Sieg observed the young man struggle to even get up. "Just what happened back there, Naruto-san?" The white creature asked. "After Kintaros attack you simply stood back up… Different…" He tried to describe what he had witnessed.
"I don't know…" Naruto admitted as he gave up trying to get back up and simply sat back down on the ground. "The last thing I could remember was that bastard's ax coming down… Next thing I know, he's running away, I'm back on the ground, and my body hurts all over." The Decade Rider said with a grimace.
Silence over took the pair as they both reflected on the blonde's battle with Den-O.
After a couple of minutes, Naruto looked up at the Imagin. "It seems that those guys are more determined on keeping Gaara away from Suna than one would expect." He commented. "Is there something you're not telling me, Sieg?" The young man asked seriously.
The Imagin looked surprised at the question, but instead of answering it, he redirected his gaze away from the spiky haired teen.
Naruto growled. "Damn it, bird! You promised to tell me everything!" The teen shouted as he looked angrily at the Imagin.
"You have to understand, Naruto-san... There are things that people them to stay secret." Sieg commented, still refusing to look at the Decade Rider.
"Like it matters now!" The blond shouted. "Those guys were willing to go to such extremes for a reason and I want to know why and you're going to tell me!" The spiky haired teen firmly stated.
Even if he did not look, Sieg could feel the pair of sapphire eyes burn onto him. The Imagin turned completely away from the Leaf Rider. "Very well, Naruto-san…" He muttered quietly. "I will tell you the truth behind Momotaros and the others."
The Imagin proceed to tell the young man about everything that Gaara had gone through ever since he had acquired the Den-O Rider System. Of the experiments that the redhead had to undergo, which led up to the creation of the Imagin, and what it ultimately cost Gaara.
"All because his father wanted the strongest Kamen Rider…?" Naruto questioned quietly.
"In a way, yes…" Sieg responded. "But it was also to help the village's technological advances through the study of the Rider System." He added after a while.
The Decade Rider pondered everything that he had heard for a moment. "But how could the Rider System… Create you guys?" The blond finally asked. "I'm not very knowledgeable about Kamen Riders, but I've never heard of anything like that happening." The young man pointed out as he looked at the Imagin's face for an answer.
Surely enough, the shifting in the Imagin's feet gave him away. "I… I would not know…" The bird-like creature tried to play off.
Naruto glared at the Imagin. "I told you to tell me everything, Sieg!" He said angrily. "What really create you?" The teen demanded to know.
Sieg gazed into the forest for some time. What the young man from Konoha was asking for were deep, dark secrets of the Sand, but for someone reason, the Imagin felt like he wanted to divulge them. In a weird way, the more time that that the white creature spent with the blond, the more that the spiky haired teen reminded him of Gaara. Naruto's presence calmed the Imagin the same way that his creator did.
"The real reason behind the birth of us, Imagin, is the encounter of two very different factors." The bird-like creature finally said. "The Kamen Riders who are beloved by everybody and the Jinchuuriki that are scorned by everyone… They are two identities that should never come together…" Sieg revealed.
The Decade Rider gave the Imagin a confused look. "Jinchuuriki? What's that?"
The white being finally turned to look at teen. "Jinchuuriki is the name given to those that act as vessels for the Bijuu." He informed.
"Bijuu? You mean like the Kyuubi that attack Konoha all those years ago?" The blond questioned.
Sieg nodded. "Precisely." The Imagin answered before continuing. "Today, scientists know that a Kamen Rider's power and a Jinchuuriki's chakra resonate with each other, and when the two come together… Unusual things can occur."
Naruto looked down at the ground as his mind processed those words. "That means that Gaara has one of those things sealed inside of him?" He asked.
Nodding again, the Imagin proceeded. "Gaara-sama is the container of the Ichibi no Shukaku. In fact, my ability to create a body out of sand comes from the Bijuu itself." Seig commented as he stood before the young man.
"One thing loved and one thing hated…" The blond repeated in a low voice. Surprising the Imagin, the spiky haired teen suddenly stood up. "Ok, let's go…" He announced.
"Go? Go were?" Sieg asked confused.
The blond gave the bird-like creature a annoyed look. "To look for Gaara and those Taros of course!" He answered. "I promised that I would bring Gaara back with me and I intend to keep my word, we'll figure out what to do to stop those experiments later." The young man stated confidently.
Sieg was astonished by the spiky haired teen in front of him. Shaking the surprised off, the Imgain placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders, keeping him in place. "You cannot, Naruto-san, you are too exhausted to go picking another fight with Momotaros and your body is about to give up again." He tried to reason.
Naruto shrugged the Imagin's hands off. "If I'm tired, then they must be tired too." The Decade Rider said as he pushed the white being aside and started to walk away. "This forest is too dangerous for them right now, with all the Riotroopers and who knows what else roaming around… I promise that I will find Gaara, stop those experiments, and teach those Imagin a lesson!" The teen declared. "I will end this!" The young man stated before he started to walk again.
The white Imagin watched the boys back. While he should laugh at the blonde's ludicrous declaration of stopping the experiments, something inside of him wanted to believe it. "It looks like you are already carrying a heavy load on your back, is that why you can make those promises so easily?" Sieg said in a voice too low for the Decade Rider to hear it. "But how much longer can you bear them… Such heavy burdens?"
Naruto continued to walk unaware of his companion's word. "Let's go, Sieg! I can't track them by myself!" He called out without looking back.
The Imagin remained still for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Very well…" Sieg said as he brought both hands behind his back and walked after the Leaf Rider.
=====
He walked decidedly through a darkened hall as his subordinate tried to keep up with his long strides. "How are the preparations?" The man asked.
Almost out of breath due to his superior's fast pace, the young man struggled to answer. "It… It seems that the capture team may have located the target already." He informed. "They should have started their preparations by now.
The man nodded in approval. "Good to know…" He commented. "And what about the other Rider?"
The younger man started to look through the report he carried at the question. "It appears that they went on separate directions after their second fight… But now it seems that he started to look for the target again."
The man considered the information he had just been given for a few seconds. "Tell the capture team to hold off for now." He finally said. "They are to wait until the Leaf Rider shows up. I want them both, is that clear?" He ordered while giving his subordinate a serious look.
"Of… Of course…" The young man's words tripped over themselves. He stopped on his track and gave his superior a bow. "I will send the message to the capture team right away, sir!" He announced before turning around and walking back down the hall. Every so often, he would look over his shoulder at the older man's figure until it finally disappeared into the darkness. Briefly, the young man wondered what was so especial about Kamen Rider Den-O and the new Rider from Konoha that merited all the fuss, but he was not about to voice his opinion and be on the receiving end of his superior's wrath.
=====
Naruto dropped down on the small clearing and looked up ahead. Beneath a large tree slept peacefully a redhead boy around his age and, unlike the last time that the blond had seen him, his hair fell down over his forehead.
"That's how Gaara normally looks…" Sieg informed the Uzumaki in a low voice.
Silently, Naruto walked closer towards unconscious young man. "Hey! Wake up, you bastards!" The spiky haired teen loudly called out for the Imagin.
Immediately, a flash of red light went off over Gaara's body and his hair spiked up again. "Damn you!" Momotaros' voice called out as he jumped to his feet. "I was having the most wonderful dream in which Gaara finally let me have all the pudding I wanted and you come along and ruin it, you magenta-jerk!" The Imagin exclaimed as he stomped the ground.
The Decade Rider scoffed. "Like I care about pudding or any of that nonsense… I'm here to take Gaara back with me!" The young man announced.
It was Momotaros' turn to jeer at the other guy's words. "As if I would let you." He commented. "And, as I recall, your transformation came undone first during our last battle, so that means you lost!" The redhead started as he crossed his arms and smirked.
"Heh… But at least I wasn't the one who ran away crying! So you lost by default!" Naruto countered, glaring at the other spiky haired teen and receiving a glare right back.
Sieg watched the two Riders bicker with one another and sighed. The Uzumaki might remind the white Imagin of Gaara a lot, but his personality was far more like Momotaros'.
"You're one to talk! Your Rider armor looks pink!" The Den-O variant managed to shout through gritting teeth.
"It's not pink! It's magenta!" The Decade Rider shouted back. "And at least I don't look as if I have a damn peach on my helmet!"
Before their verbal battle became anymore childish, Sieg cleared his throat in order to gain Naruto's attention and get him back on track.
Turning back to Momotaros, the boy sent one more glare. "Anyways, like I said, I'm taking Gaara back to his sister!"
The redhead looked away from the blond. "And as I said before, over my dead body!" He shot back.
A pair of sapphire eyes narrowed. "I know what happened to Gaara in the past…" Naruto informed. "And I promise you that Gaara will not have to go through all that ever again!" He exclaimed.
Momotaros glanced at the other spiky haired teen for a second before looking away again. "As if you could do anything about…" He commented. "You have nothing to do with this whole mess! It isn't even your fight!" The Imagin angrily stated.
"If it's not my fight, then I will make it mine!" The blond declared.
Astonished by the Leaf Rider's declaration, all that the Den-O variant could do was stare wordlessly. Coming back to his senses, the Imagin growled. "You think you can fix things just like that…?" He questioned. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The redhead screamed before rushing at the blond, his first already pulled back.
Naruto moved out of the way as the Suna Rider's punch came flying back. The blond continued to dodge punch after kick after punch as the other spiky haired teen attacked him wildly.
"You piss me off more than anyone else!" Momotaros shouted. "You have no idea what Gaara has been through and yet you claim you can make it all better!" The enraged Imagin said as he tried to punch the young man's face.
Thanks to all of his training while trying to become a shinobi, Naruto easily caught the incoming fist. "You're right… I don't know exactly what Gaara had to bear through…" The Uzumaki admitted. "But I do know how it feels to be completely alone… What it means to give up something precious for a dream…" The teen's free hand closed tightly. "And I will help Gaara!" He said before driving his fist right to the redhead's jaw.
Momotaros was thrown back by the force of the punch. Rubbing his now bruised jaw, the Imagin stood up and glared at his opponent. "I'm going to finish this once and for all…" The possessed teen said as the Terminal Buckle appeared around his waist.
"I will make you see that I'm strong enough to save Gaara…" Naruto responded as he brought out the Decadriver and let its straps wrap around him. "And I will end this!" The young man added as he inserted a card into his Rider System while across from him, his opponent swiped the Rider Pass in front of his.
"Henshin!" Both spiky haired boys called out in unison.
"Kamen Rider…"
"Sword Form"
As the Aura Skin appeared over Gaara's body, Naruto closed his belt buckle. "Decade!"
The grey figures that appeared converged onto the blond, the sides taking a magenta hue, as the red armor assembled itself onto Den-O.
The two Riders starred each other down for a second before the both suddenly rushed forwards. Their fists ready to fly at their opponent.
Suddenly, the entire clearing was engulfed in a fireball as a large explosion went off right before the young men's attacks could hit their target. Both Decade and Den-O were thrown to the ground as more subsequent explosions detonated all around them.
Through the flames, Naruto was barely able to register when the Imagin's transformation came undone and Gaara's body was left lying unconsciously on the ground. Feeling his own Rider armor start to disappear, the blond turned around at set his eyes on the stunned Sieg. "Go back to the campsite and tell the others…!" The Uzumaki managed to call out right before one more blast went off next to him. Everything turned black afterwards.
=====
Sakura's emerald eyes gazed at the darkness of the forest. "Where could those guys be…?" She wondered, her confidence in that the blond would return with Temari's brother waning with each passing second.
"Maybe the idiot got lost on his way back… If we listen closely, chances are we'll hear him calling out for us." Sasuke offered. The raven haired boy was not used to be the one to lightened the mood, and by the cold reception his attempt at a joke had, he was now reminded of why.
For his part, Kakashi remained silent, as he had been for the past few hours. "So this Gaara is Suna's Jinchuuriki… And he's probably somewhere out there with Naruto…" The silver haired man pondered. "I don't like where this is going…"
Suddenly, Temari, who had been sitting silently beneath a tree, shot to her feet and looked at the edge of the clearing.
Right from the direction that the young woman's eyes were directed at, a small ball of line came flying into the clearing.
"Sieg!" The blond called out as the shining sphere disappeared through the ground.
Right in its place, the white Imagin's body formed out of the sand, surprising both Kakashi and Sasuke. "They were captured!" Was the first thing that the bird-like creature uttered once his body was completed.
The Rider's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" Sakura asked, being the first to shake off her surprise.
"Gaara-sama and Naruto-san…. They were both captured by the same guys as before!" Sieg informed, having stuck around back there long enough to see the Riotroopers take the two teen's unconscious forms.
Sakura and Temari gasped, Sasuke punched a nearby tree, and Kakashi cursed into his facemask. "I knew this was going to get more problematic, I just knew…." The Hayate said as he rubbed his temple.
The Femme Rider looked up at her instructor. "What are we going to do now, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked. "We're going to rescue them, right?"
Sparing a second to glance at the girl, the Skull Rider let out a sigh. "It's not a simple as that…" He said, surprising the young Riders. "With Naruto captured, this has gone far beyond the scope a simple, first-time mission. We have to go back to the village and inform the Hokage of this right away." Kakashi informed, not wanting to reveal the real reason why Naruto's capture bothered him so much.
The pink haired girl had trouble processing what she had heard. "But… But you can't… You can't just leave them there and go back to the village!" The Haruno exclaimed. "Even if you won't help them, I…" Sakura's words were suddenly cut off.
Without having made a sound, Sasuke had moved from behind the Femme Rider and now stood between her and their teacher. "What Sakura says is true… Naruto and Gaara are in danger as long as they remain captive." He pointed out. "So it would be faster if you go back to the village on your own while we wait for you here." The Uchiha said as he looked at the older man in the eye.
Kakashi let out a short laugh. "Are you trying to tell me that you guys won't go charging in as soon as I turn my back?" The silver hared man half joked.
The Blade Rider's eyes remain stoic. "I know how procedures and the chain of command work." The young man commented. "Do you really expect that I would disobey a direct order?" He asked.
The Hakate held the Uchiha's gaze for about a minute before finally sighing in defeat. "Very well… I'll leave you temporarily in charge, Sasuke." The Skull Rider said before turning around and disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
The Blade Rider could feel the glares form the two girls and the white creature on his back as he stood there. "You said that bird-thing could track your brother, right?" The raven hared teen asked the blond girl once he knew Kakashi was out of earshot.
A surprised look fell on the other in the campsite. "Yes… Sieg can sense Gaara." Temari answered.
"Good, let's go." Sasuke said as he took out the Blay Buckle.
"But… But, you just said…" Sakura stammered over her words, unable to completely shrug off the astonishment.
Had the pink haired girl not known better, she could have sworn that the Uchiha had just shrugged his shoulders. "All I said is that I know what the rules are, never that I was going to follow them" The raven haired teen pointed out as his Rider System wrapped around his waist. "Kakashi-sensei can expect all he wants as far as I care." He added as he turned around, a smirk adorning his face.
The two girls had no choice but to blush, the Imagin, on the other hand, simply scoffed.
"You, the bird…" Sasuke signaled the white being. "Lead the way." He ordered, but did not wait for a responds before he started walking.
Sieg glared at the young Rider. "Why is everyone calling me the bird? I have a name!" The he complained. "It is Sieg!" Nevertheless, the Imagin started walking towards raven hared boy.
The two girls shared a look before their respective belts appeared around their waists and they followed suit.
=====
"Naruto-san… Naruto-san… Naruto-san…"
The young man could hear his name been called out, but staying in the dark depths of his consciousness felt a lot more appealing at the moment.
"Naruto-san… Naruto-san… Are you ok?"
What had he been doing before losing consciousness? Oh yeah, he was fighting to help a guy he promised to protect when the damn forest suddenly exploded around them. Staying unconscious sounded better and better by the minute.
"Naruto-san… Naruto-san… Naruto-san…"
Unfortunately for the blond, whoever was calling seemed to really need him to wake up, and he could not go on ignoring it. Weakly and forcibly, the pair of sapphire eyes opened.
The spiky haired boy found himself lying in a long, and dirty metallic room. If he didn't know any better, the teen would have said that he was inside a large garbage dump. Both his hand and his arms were bounded, largely restricting his movements. After looking around, the spiky haired boy finally found who had been calling out for him.
Gaara sat just a couple of feet away from the blond with a strange looking device wrapped around him. "Are you alright, Naruto-san?" He asked.
"Don't call me Naruto-san…" The Uzumaki said first. "You're Gaara, right? Heh… I guess this is the first time we meet." The boy commented with a short laughed.
The redhead responded with a chuckle of his own. "I guess so…" He said. "I'm sorry for all the trouble Momotaros and the others caused while I was unconscious." The Den-O Rider apologized, giving a small bow with his neck.
"Don't worry about it… They were just trying to keep you safe." The spiky haired teen said. "Though they did a pretty lousy job at it!" He added loudly, hopping that the Imagin could hear him.
Right on cue, all the sand in the metal room gathered together in one place and started to take shape.
Unlike Sieg's bird-like features, this one looked far more devilish, with an angry face and two horns on his forehead. "You didn't do any better!" Momotaros partial form said as he glared at Naruto. "You magenta-jerk!"
A/N – This chapter was actually longer than originally planned, the last two scenes actually belonged to the next one, but I wanted to be able to wrap everything up and end things in the next chapter. I know that Gaara is coming off as very OOC, but that's actually part of the plot and it will be explained.
=====
Preview: Rider World Chapter 10 – Final Climax
-The door to the metallic room opens.
"You bastard…!"
"Do not make her sacrifice be in vain."
-Kakashi lifts the Skull Magnum.
"Move aside…"
"Maximum Drive!"
-A sphere of light enters Naruto's body.
"I… Have arrived!"
-Gaara looks up in shock.
"No..."
"Sir... His synchronization level is... Zero..."
"This is your end as Den-O."
-Momotaros looks up at Naruto.
"Gaara's true wish is…"
-Decade aims his gun at the Terminal Buckle.
"Riders… Can only bring pain to people's hearts…"
"Thank you for everything… Decade."
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