[Sentai]

“Shin.” Mira was standing in his doorway, again, and leaning against the frame with another clipboard hugged against her chest. “You didn’t have to be so rough with Marie, she’s here to help you. You know? The General’s angry enough because we tested Inochi against orders without you trying to kill her. Why were you..”
Mira was interrupted as Shin stood snapping the Driver firm onto his belt. “Because something big is coming. I can feel it, like I know who He is. . . She had to be ready. Because he’s here.” Moment’s later, as though on cue, the alarm blared through the whole of the compound. “Shinimasu at perimeter! Repeat: Shinimasu approaching Base Perimeter! Hikari and Inochi to Stations, Mira please report to Ops!”
Without being told: Hikari took through the halls at full stride. Shifting his weight to avoid knocking over soldiers heading the other direction, rolling away from them, while continuing towards the main shaft to the surface. Where Marie joined him, still wearing that full-body sleek uniform from before. With her driver snapped in place and ready.
“Shin. I’ll do my best.” Reaching for her belt, gripping the cord tight, she ripped it free and whirred the Inochi Driver into life. /KAMEN RIDER INOCHI!/ Becoming the Inochi Marie began stretching her fingers inside the tightness of the gloves, already feeling her heart pound inside her small chest. But she was ready for this. She had to be.
“Try not to die. I don’t like seeing Mira cry.” She didn’t have to question what he meant, as he already snapped the Base Key into the belt and started his own generator turbine screaming away. /KAMEN RIDER HIKARI!/
The shaft reached the surface. Stopping with enough force to raise them up slightly as the doors shunted open with a loud hiss, revealing the old American military base they used for cover. Nothing looked out of place. Even as they stepped out into the rain, and the elevator behind them disappeared back into the pavement as though it were never there, there no sign of a Shinimasu Incursion. Not until the base around them erupted in a series of intense explosions.
Both Riders raised their arms, blocking the fragments sent hurtling through the air as the explosions rocked through buildings and sent pieces of them flying every direction. And that was they saw Him. Stepping through the flames as though they hadn’t the power to touch him, walking with a scythed staff as he approached. Molded black armor, shoulder extensions, and long claws on the ends of his gloved fingers.. The perfect mirror of Hikari. Aside from the long cape which flowed off behind the Shinimasu.
“Shin, what’s the plan?” Hikari wouldn’t answer, he was frozen. As though he was locked inside a memory. Unable, or unwilling, to move and fight the approaching Shinimasu. “Shin?! Shin, what’s wroANGH!”
The blast struck her square on the chest. Sending Inochi hurtling backward until she impacted through one of the old guard towers. Sending it toppling down on top of her beneath a massing pile of rubble. And Hikari didn’t even react. Not even when Mira started screaming in his communicator, begging him to act. To help Marie.
But he just stood there. Even as the Shinimasu came to stand not two feet from him, and rose his hand to stroke along the helmet’s cheek of Kamen Rider Hikari. “Shin. You have been from us for to long. Leave these fools to their fate, return with me home. Fulfill why I sent you to this place. Become what you were meant to.. Rejoin your Family.”
Family.. The word sounded so… Right. Like that was what he had been missing since being under Mira’s care. His family. But there was another voice. Something else inside his head, blaring at him. Pleading with him...
“Shin! Marie’s hurt, you have to snap out of whatever’s happening and help her! PLEASE SHIN RISE!” Shin’s eyes opened with those final words and his armor exploded in a light so intense the Shinimasu known as Shi stumbled backward. Shielding his eyes from the sudden assault.
And when the light faded, when the smoke cleared, there stood a brand new Rider. His molded armor had become Silver with brilliant soft blue seams running along each piece. His Driver had changed as well. The Turbine Casing had become the same silver as his suit’s armor attached to a now black belt, and a hemisphere one each side covered in one long vent. His shoulders were now smooth, with a long black cape wrapped around his arms and flowing off behind him. And his helmet.. The same design as before but with two large, angrily narrowed, brilliant yellow compound eyes. /KAMEN RIDER HIKARI… HYPEEEER MODE!/
“I am not impressed, Old Friend.” Holding his right hand out towards Hikari he began gathering his energy. Long strands of purple energy rippled and crackled towards his palm, forming a large swirling purple sphere of energy grasped by his curled fingers. “We could’ve been Gods among these insects.”
Hikari’s Driver spoke for him. /HIKARI HYPER BUUUUUSTER CANNON!/ Angrily slapping his hands together, his fingers interlaced as the molded armor of his forearms changed shape. Becoming a four-barreled version of his Buster Cannon. Each barrel having it’s own prong spring forward, the cloak on his back retracted into his shoulders, and his chest armor changed shape. Becoming the molded version of Buster, and attaching itself into the cannon for added support. And when his shoulders became beefier his compound eyes become blazing red, with the right having a targeting reticule in the center.
Hikari’s turn to gather energy. Blue energy rippled along the prongs with his own spheres of energy forming before each barrel, only to join into one larger one as the barrels began to spin around that central axis. /HIKARI HYPER BUUUUSTER FIIIINAL HORIZON!/ Roaring Hikari launched his Buster just as Shi fired his own attack!
The two beams of light struck each other between them, enough force sent every direction the ruins of the buildings around them were blown away as though an atomic bomb had just gone off around them. So powerful the clouds themselves parted and sunshine began pouring through the seams. Each Fighter pushed their energy towards the other, standing on such equal footing.
Until Hikari felt someone behind him. Daring to look he saw.. /INOCHI FIIIIINAL WAVE!/ Her chain whips wrapped themselves around his arms. The defeated, exhausted, Rider giving him every ounce of spare energy she could muster. Her whips glowing such brilliant orange as the plate-seams of the Buster began to glow just as bright.
Both still pushed, Hikari’s wave growing every closer, so close to ending this here and now.. But Shi just chuckled. A deep, rumbling sound that echoed even above the sound of the energies being unleashed. Only to stop his assault. Throw his hands to the side and allow himself to be struck by the oncoming wave of energy which struck through his chest. And straight out the other side of his armor..
Hikari’s cannon broke off. Falling to the ground with a loud clang while he turned himself around. Outstretching his cloak to wrap around Inochi along with his arms just as the blast wave struck them both, almost sending both of them on another flight into some rubble.

Three Hours and the cleanup wasn’t even near finished. The aftermath of the fight looked like a true war zone. Impact craters, the largest being where the final attack took place. Destroyed buildings and towers. And power being knocked out for the majority of Tokyo from all the energy being flung around between the two gladiators.
Mira was beneath the ground though. Knowing she could trust her men to oversee the cleanup without worry. She was more concerned about her sister. She’d given everything she had to Hikari for that final attack, and was suffering for it now. But she’d recover. Long as she remembered to stay in bed and rest like the Doctor’s wanted.
“You can come in, Shin.” Mira’s eyes widened a moment, turning her attention towards Marie and then the door on the other side of her bed. She never even noticed Shin standing there. He had that habit, just appearing beside you like a ghost. And then disappearing again midway through a conversation.
Marie managed turning her head towards him, despite how much her body protested. Morphine: It’s a beautiful thing. Reaching for, and hopefully grasping, his nearest hand with her heavily bandaged left. “Told you we’re better working together..” And she gave him that trademark grin before her grip faltered and began to slip..
Only to be grasped again by his. Another surprise for Mira, and Marie to be honest. “I couldn’t let you die. Mira would have cried, and I told you I don’t like when she cries.” Laying her hand back onto her chest, Shin turned to leave the room. Only to pause. And take one last look over his shoulder towards both women. “Thank you for your help Marie.” And just like a ghost he was gone again.