"It's here?"

"It's here," Geiz confirmed as Aruto unclasped his helmet, getting off his bike while Jin got off.

"That is a HUGE pile of Imaginal Energy." Kouri hopped off the back of the bicycle. "Even more than when we fought Little Albert."

But Jin felt his fists tighten slightly. Of all the places...

"Jin-san?" Sougo blinked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," He snapped, but stopped as he sighed. "This is... Just an important place for me."

"Why?" Huh, Sougo didn't seem judgemental. Just...curious.

"My... Parents died here. This is where everything began for me, give or take."

"What?!" Emu gasped. "How...?"

"They..." He paused, feeling a bit hesitant about sharing, but eventually gave in upon seeing their worried looks. "They committed suicide. Hung themselves from the roof."

Takeru paled drastically hearing that. "But why...?"

"I..." Jin felt his throat constrict. Not yet. He couldn't tell them ye-

"Mobs," Kouri spoke up. "The Akaseis were treated as menaces to society because of having neurodivergence, calling them schizophrenic and psychopathic. They just... Thought differently and they couldn't take the pressure anymore. The pressure to be like the rest."

"Oh... Oh my GOD..." Haruto's eyes widened.

"You didn't have to tell them!" Jin turned to Kouri with a scowl. "That was personal, Sensei!"

"You need to open up a bit more!" Kouri insisted. "I know you're still trying but-"

"But what?! Just because I was born unable to do math doesn't mean that you can violate my goddamn rights! Just because you created me, it doesn't give you the right to talk about my issues!" Jin grabbed his shirt. "You were the one who told me when we were about to go into the final battle against Little Albert that you would be there to support me! You would wait for me to open up! Why the heck are you trying to force me now, huh?!"

"Jin-san, calm do-"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, LADY!" He snapped at Tsukuyomi. "What right did he have to tell you all about my life?! What right did he have to even cause so much suffering for me, for Little Albert, for my sister, for everyone?! ARE ALL CREATIVES PSYCHOPATHS?! WHAT RIGHT DO THEY HAVE TO DICTATE WHAT WE DO?!"

Touma winced at that, and Kouri paled considerably. "J-Jin..."

"I don't give a care what reason you have. Oh, you didn't have a family? Ha! I had one and lost it because you couldn't get over it!" He snarled. Malice and rage were in his eyes. "You know how hard it was for me growing up after that?! No one to confide in, couldn't trust a soul because of YOUR insanity! Well, I hope you're happy because if you wanted to see someone suffer more than you, YOU GOT IT!"

Something seemed to shift in Ace and Tsukasa's eyes at that. Some sort of... Anger. Sympathy. Disgust.

He roughly pushed Kouri to the ground and stormed into the abandoned house, ignoring the shouts as tears began falling down his cheeks.

The hallways, they were familiar...

"Die! Die! Die!"

The words spray painted onto the walls, they were familiar...

EVIL

PSYCHOPATHS

REST IN SUFFERING

Everything about this place drove him crazy.

He growled, pulling at his hair as he slammed the door to a room open. His breathing quickened. Anger, rage, it all got to his head. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore...

"UGH! WHERE THE HECK IS THAT STUPID MAN?!" He screamed. "HOW DARE HE! HOW DARE HE BRING MY FAMILY INTO THIS?!"

What would have been a punch to the wall was blocked by someone.

"You're..."

"You need to breathe a bit, Jin-kun," Philip said. "I know it's shocking, but-"

His hand was swatted away. "Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"

"I don't, but I know the pain of losing family. Shotaro and Terui do too. Kouta, Aruto, Ikki, Shinnosuke, Takeru, Emu, Sougo, Geiz, Tsukuyomi... I believe Ace and Tsukasa do too. We're all here despite that, though."

"Did any of you have to see your parents tell you, 'Let's end this together.'? Did you have to see them jump? See the blood fall down their heads as you stood there, afraid? As the mob roared that the blood of life should be drained out of us? Humans made me this fragmented mess!"

"But humans also supported you through everything. And family doesn't have to mean just blood relatives. I found a family in Shotaro, Aki-chan, Terui and Tokime. Don't you have your family, Akasei Jin?"

Jin stopped. "What... are you..."

"Do you not see Shujin Kouri and Hoshino Kenji as family?" He asked.

Such a simple question, yet...

Jin found himself speechless. No words left his mouth as Philip said, "I can't tell you how to feel, but know that sometimes emotions blind us. Yet... The people who truly care won't turn their backs on you. They'll walk with you through everything."

And as he walked out, he turned back after stopping. "By the way... I did a search. It appears that the Kougami Foundation has a connection to Shujin Kouri and the various issues you have faced in the past."

Huh?

"What do you...?" He turned to look at him.

Philip closed his eyes. "Jin-kun, don't take this as a huge shock, but..."

"But?"

"Shujin Kouri.... Was summoned here by the Kougami Foundation at the expense of his physical body. He's... been in a coma in that world for a year now."

"Will Philip-san be okay?" Takeru asked Shotaro.

Shotaro nodded. "Philip knows what to do. His own Impull is his sister after all."

"Still... He really went too far there," Tsukuyomi frowned.

Gentaro could only stay quiet while looking out the window. "... Family, huh..."

Ankh looked at him, a slight frown on his face. This was worrying. Usually the big oaf had a grin on his face so to see him so subdued was not a good sign. Made him wonder if Gentaro had his own issues to deal with.

Agh, humans were so hard to deal with! Heck, Eiji was-

... Eiji...

He felt a tear fall down his cheek, and looked out the closest window as... He remembered that day.

A clawed hand gently closing those fragile eyelids.

He almost seemed like he was sleeping... Just... For eternity.

Hina was crying, and Ankh himself...

He shed some tears for the Kamen Rider he had inadvertently killed.

That idiot... Why did he... Why did he save him of all people...?

Why hadn't he saved someone who mattered?

Why a demon of all things? Why DIE for him? Why let him use his body?...

Stupid idiot...

Tossing the long-clean popsicle stick away, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and tried not to think too hard about it, yet every time he looked at the Driver that once belonged to Eiji...

He... He...

He didn't get it. How humans operated. Why they would go so far for someone that was a nuisance...? The Pharaoh had gotten rid of him... Why hadn't Eiji?

Why had he... Chosen to give him another chance at life?

Why had he spent 10 years hunting for a way to bring him back?

"Ankh?" A soft voice made him turn to see Emu with a frown. "Are you okay?"

He flinched. "O-Of course I am!"

His loud shout attracted the others as he continued, "Why wouldn't I be?! I'm alive and well when... When Eiji died..."

"Ankh-"

"SHUT UP! I JUST... I JUST DON'T GET YOU HUMANS!" He snapped as he stormed off just as Philip was coming back, pushing him aside only to trip on... Something?

He fell onto the ground, which seemed to snap Gentaro out of his funk. "Oi, you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" He growled, but Kouta then looked at the ground. "What is that?..."

Shinnosuke picked it up, with Ryu frowning at it as Ace remarked, "It seems like a chain."

"It indeed is," Woz confirmed. "However... It seems to be emanating a great amount of Imaginal Energy..."

"And it's not even metal... It's pretty plastic in a way," Banjou said while grabbing it and trying to break it apart. "Woah, it's not breaking!!"

"Hey, why does it have a name written on it?" Ikki asked. "I think it looks like..."

"The chain says Sohma... Haruto..." Haruto frowned. "But what does that mean?"

"I have a bad feeling. We should leave right away," Geiz said as he was about to turn around only for the door to close shut with metal chains fortifying it. "What the?!"

Tsukasa immediately grabbed out his Driver. "Looks like we were expected."

A boisterous laugh that made Ankh's blood boil echoed, a light shining on a familiar face as Kougami smiled. "Beautiful! Beautiful! So many Riders coming together! It almost feels scripted, does it not, White Woz?"

"Indeed. Getting my Future Note back from that little thief was but child's play," White Woz smirked. The other Impulls stepped forward from behind him, dark and vicious expressions showing on their faces.

"So the real reason you brought White Woz back was for his Future Note... That explains why our intel was suddenly so clear about where they were," Black Woz realised.

"Indeed! As expected of the Retainer!" He clapped.

"Kaito had it?! What did you do to him?!" Tsukasa demanded.

"Oh calm down Decade. It's not like there's a rush," Impull Natsumi said with a wicked smile.

Tsukasa flinched at that, and Ankh met eyes with a viciously-smiling Eiji.

This was not going to be easy....

Sougo inserted his Zi-O II Ridewatch into his Ziku Driver. "You're not winning this fight!"

The others got ready as well as Shinnosuke got his gun out while Ikki grabbed some items from around them, but the CEO laughed. "I never was your fight. Your fight.... Is with your Impulls! GO, MY WONDERFUL CREATIONS! ATTACK THEM ALL!!"