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_My final chapter batch is almost fully outlined. So while I work on writing it all out, I'm tossing out a short 3-part side-story filling in the gaps between the events of The Grand Crusade and the beginning of the series itself. These have already been written before hand, but I never felt the need to post them here until now. These will provide more context for what's to come. For those who have been following along for so long, thank you, and I'm glad you've stuck around. I hope you enjoy what I have when the final chapters finally do come out. But until that time comes, please enjoy my return to some very old folks of mine. _

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Scribble, scribble, scribble

Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak

These were the only sounds that filled the room as a collie dressed in formal attire worked at her desk. She constantly went back and forth between the papers set in front of her and the laptop set off to the side. Her next patient was set to come in at any second, and she wanted to be ready. She fixed her glasses for only the briefest of moments before her paws went right back to work. She wasn't willing to spend even a second_of wasted time. If she was going to be working with _her, then she wasn't going to mess around.

After all, it wasn't every day she got to be the psychiatrist of an actual superhero.

Her ears perked as she heard a soft knock at the door. "Come in," she called as she set down her pen and took her eyes away from her work. Moments later, the door to her office opened, and hesitant, spotted feline peeked in. A warm smile spread across the collie's muzzle. "Erika Mori, I presume?"

"You'd be right," Erika replied with a less enthusiastic smile as she stepped inside, "and I hope you're Dr. Aurora, otherwise I stumbled into the wrong office."

"Well lucky for you, I am." Dr. Aurora motioned to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Come. Take a seat and we'll talk." Erika obliged and trotted over, easing out a nervous sigh as she sat. "So then, how are we today?"

"Good...good..." Erika nodded, "I've finally been able to get some down time for myself. I can't remember the last time that ever happened."

"I'd imagine. Having your work schedule depend mostly on the whims of black-market salesmen wouldn't leave very many sick days for you, no doubt."

"Oh don't even get me started on that. I practically live_on base now. On the few days I actually get to go back to my place, I feel like I'm visiting long-lost _family. Like, I'm talking 'I can't even remember where the bathroom is' kind of bad."

"Wow..."

"I know!" Erika huffed and sat back, her tail flicking back and forth through the opening of her armrest. Dr. Aurora's eyes lingered on the twitching limb for a brief moment before they returned to the actual feline it was attached to.

"So then," she began, "now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, I believe it's time that we got to the reason you've come to my office in the first place."

A sigh of disappointment left Erika's throat. "Can't we like...stick with the introductions for a little while longer?"

"I'm afraid not, Erika. As much as I'd like to set aside the entire day for you, my time is limited."

Another sigh. "...Alright... I guess there's no point in putting it off anyways."

"Mmm," the collie nodded thoughtfully and picked up a pen and clipboard, "So then, why are we here today?"

"That's a pretty deep and philosophical question you just posed to me, Doc. I don't know if I can just answer that right off the bat."

"Come on, now, you know what I mean."

A longer sigh this time. "...It's...it's my friend... He hasn't been doing too well, and it's only gotten worse lately."

Dr. Aurora slid some papers closer to her. "Arata Sakurai, correct?" Erika nodded. "Panther. Currently hospital-ridden and being kept on life support under Amnesia's care. Reason being...ALS..."

"So...not a fun time...in summary," Erika's eyes trailed off to the side.

"Quite. So tell me, seeing your friend as he is, it bothers you quite a lot, doesn't it?"

"I'd be very concerned if it didn't bother me."

"Mmm. Can you tell me why though?"

Erika blinked once, then shot her a perplexed look. "Be...cause he's my friend? And I care for him a lot?"

"Right, but, does the concern go any deeper? Maybe the concern is out of guilt? Like, perhaps you somehow feel responsible for his condition?" Erika became strikingly silent in that instance. She bit down on her lower lip, her eyes darted to the side, and her entire body went rigid. "...Am I...on the right track, perhaps?"

A long sigh this time. "More like hit the nail on the head..."

"Mmmm," the collie nodded her head thoughtfully, sliding some of her notes aside, "Let's start there, then. Though, maybe you'd prefer to be more comfortable for this." Dr. Aurora stood up and picked up her pen before motioning towards a nearby chaise lounge. "Shall we?"

The snow leopard glanced at the furniture piece before standing up. "So they aren't_just myths. Psychiatrists really _do use these things."

"Well, _I_do, anyways." Dr. Aurora only earned a chuff from the feline. "Come on now, might as well get comfy, right?"

"I can't argue with that..." Erika's tail swished and swayed as she sauntered over to the chaise lounge and plopped herself onto it. The collie took a nearby seat as she settled in.

"Now then," she began, clicking her pen open, "why don't we start from the beginning?"

It took a while for Erika to work up the nerve to speak again. "Well...it all started...with a Dopant attack..."

Kamen Rider 00

Memories _F_orgotten_A_nd _D_iscarded

There'd been three that day. The area was already in lockdown, but...I wasn't exactly intent on sitting around. When Amnesia's troopers were starting to fall, I knew I had to act. This was during the time I was working on my own Memories, and this felt like more than an appropriate time to step in and try it out. Unfortunately, I acted at just the wrong time. Not even two minutes after I ran out did the Dopants spot me. I managed to get away, but not completely unscathed... Whether it was luck or misfortune that Arata followed me is something I'm still trying to decide...

"You're gonna be alright," he'd told me after he'd finished bandaging my leg, "We're gonna make it through this..." He was so concerned for me. It was like he was forgetting that he was in the same situation I was in. Those Dopants were still out there wreaking havoc, and it was only a matter of time before they hunted us down. With me injured, I only had one option left...

"Arata...I'm going to ask you to do something that could change the course of our lives from here on out..." If only I'd known how true that would be when I'd said that...because this was where it all started. I gave him the Memory and Lost Driver I'd been working on, and he became Kamen Rider Zero. He managed to fend the Dopants off, but...because of the way I designed it, the Memory was bonded to Arata permanently. That meant, even after I'd recover, he'd be the one and only fur that could use it. I'd forced him into a role that he wasn't prepared for...but he didn't seem bothered by it at the time...

"It's incredible!" he told me when he visited me in my hospital room one day, "Whenever I transform, I feel strong enough to do anything!"

"Okay now_you're just rubbing it in my face. That could've been _me out there, y'know?"

"Well...I mean-"

"Don't even go there," I cut him off when I caught him glancing at my leg. "Seriously though, I'm...I'm glad you're enjoying this. You have no idea how much this has been bothering me."

"Hey, don't sweat it. You let me become an actual superhero. How bad could that be?"

"Oh I dunno... Maybe it's the fact that you're constantly in danger and the cops are after you now?" Arata just waved that off. That...should've bothered me more than it did, now that I think about it... "Alright, whatever, just...promise me that you won't end up...arrested or something."

"Come on, Erika, don't you have faith in me? I'll be fine."

But of course...several days into it...

"I CAN'T believe you got arrested!"

"Look I'm sorry!" he said as he was rubbing his face from the slap I'd given him, "But I can't exactly resist arrest unconscious!" I...might've given him another good slap after that...But...as it turned out, him getting arrested was for the best. He and I ended up joining Amnesia, and that meant he didn't have to run out there and risk his life alone anymore. That was our life for a good couple of days; him and the troopers running out to fight Dopants while I stayed at the sidelines and hoped for his safety. If it wasn't already obvious...I wasn't entirely okay with that.

Of course_I didn't just want to leave everything to him. I was supposed to be the one risking my life in the first place. I needed to set things right. So while he was out there in the field, I got to work on _another Memory, this one stronger than my last. I guess I ended up going a little too far... While I ended up making both a unique Driver along with a two-sided Memory, using them came with...an unexpected side effect.

Apparently, one of the sides came with a consciousness of its own. "The Valkyrie," as we called her, took over my body and used it to hunt down and defeat any foe she deemed worthy of combat. That included Arata... She was merciless, ruthless, cold-blooded even. Arata didn't stand a chance, and the entire time, I was forced to watch my friend get nearly beaten to death. She probably would've killed him then and there had she not exhausted my Memory.

But the rampage didn't end there. As soon as she was able to, she sought out the next fight, and that fight came in the form of two Dopants. They'd been sent _specifically_to take her down, but even they weren't enough. They put up a fight, but the Valkyrie was still too much for them. One by one, they fell, and one of them...just couldn't get away in time...

I'd never killed anyone before. I'd never planned on killing anyone before. Everyone's been telling me I still haven't killed anyone... But...being there...having full sensory awareness of my body...and feeling my arms swing down to deal the finishing blow....and watching them fall down and not get back up...makes believing in those words...difficult...

It was hard for me to believe that things could get any worse, but...when I saw Arata walk out onto that street, then I knew I was at my lowest point. Time and time again, I'd hated myself for throwing my best friend into the line of fire. Every time I saw him beaten and bruised atop a hospital bed, I knew that I only had myself to blame. And to see him once again put himself in harm's way for my sake...was probably the most fitting punishment I could have ever received.

But then...then Arata started talking to me. He called out to me, assuring me that everything would be fine. I don't think I'll ever forget what he said to me that day... "Erika?" he'd called, "I don't know if you can hear me, but...just in case you can...there was something I never got to tell you about...before all of this happened... I found my transformation phrase." I felt myself choke up as I saw tears start to stream down his eyes... "I was going to share it with you, but with how things have been going recently...I never got to... So I guess now would be a better time than ever..." With the Memory I'd given him clenched tightly in his paw, he activated the Driver and shouted out in the most triumphant roar I'd ever heard him let out, "...HENSHIN!"

You can probably guess why I still use that to this day...

He'd nearly died in the process, but he managed to outsmart the Valkyrie. He waited until she drained all of the Memory's power again and knocked her out, finally freeing me from her influence. But...I was never the same after that... That was the third time my actions had put him in danger, and this time...this time I'd gotten others involved as well... I was...really messed up after all of that, and for a long time, I didn't show my face around in public.

It couldn't have possibly been at a worse time than that.

The Earth's Tree, the company responsible for the black market of Dopant Memories, enlisted the help of the terrorist group that had been responsible for the first ever Dopant attack on the world. The Earth's Tree sent them back into our city, and what resulted was utter chaos. There were just too many Dopants to handle, even with Arata and Amnesia's full team. Everyone was completely overwhelmed, and furs were constantly being captured and held against their will. It just got worse and worse as troopers fell, and all the while...I just hid... I hid like a coward. And to make matters even worse...

Arata gasped when he saw their leader pull out a Driver. Seeing that he had taken notice of it, the coyote smirked. "Oh you noticed this, huh? Yeah, it wasn't easy to get it off of your friend. These things are hard to crack open, so we only managed to get our hands on one of these things."

"What do you mean?! You took it from them?!" Arata snarled.

"Yes indeed, and I'm glad we got it when we did, cuz' now I get to test it out for myself. And what better way to test it out than on the battlefield, against the one and only Kamen Rider Zero?" He pulled out a sleek black Memory from his pocket and clicked the button at the front.

CRUSADE!

The coyote waved it around a bit before tossing it into the Driver. He rolled his neck and shoulders before resting his paw on top of the Driver. "Henshin."

CRUSADE!

A deep purple aura pulsated out of the Driver as the coyote's body was covered in sleek, black, segmented armor. The armor progressed upwards before finally enveloping his head, shrinking his snout down and forming a sharp face plate over it. The coyote rolled his neck again and sighed in satisfaction, flexing his arms and fingers. "This feels great. No wonder you jump at the opportunity to transform whenever you can." He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "You know what? I think I wanna be a Kamen Rider too." Arata growled harshly, clenching his paws into tight fists. "Yeah, and I know the perfect name too. Kamen Rider...Crusade."

I knew I could help. I knew I had the power to help...but I was afraid... I was afraid of the sins I'd made, and of the damage I'd dealt. Everything I'd done thus far had led to more pain and suffering, and all at Arata's expense. I was convinced that if I just stayed back and let the rest of the world handle itself, things would work out in the end...

I have never been more wrong in my life than I had been in that exact moment.

With no one else left to back him up, Arata was left to fight the entire army on his own. Even with as far as he got, there was no way he could handle such overwhelming numbers. They eventually cornered him and were about to take him in, when Arata...Arata...... He did the unthinkable.

"Kid..." said Crusade carefully, "You're making this more difficult on yourself than this needs to be. Just give in already and--"

"NO!" Arata cut him off, his paws trembling and tightly clenched, "I'm NOT letting you win! I-I won't let you put everyone through another day like Day Zero!" Crusade hissed in frustration.

"You've got nothing LEFT KID!" he shouted, "What else could you do that could pose a threat to us?!"

Arata paused, slowly raising one of his clenched paws. "...This." He roared out and raised his clenched paw up, revealing his Memory. He gripped it in both paws before driving it downwards into his forehead, screaming in pain as the Memory slowly sunk into his head. Everyone shouted and screamed in horror as they watched this terrifying spectacle, with Crusade and his Dopants merely watching in disbelief.

Arata screamed and screamed as the Memory sunk deeper. Suddenly, it shot the rest of the way in, and the panther staggered backwards, eventually falling onto his back. He writhed in pain and gripped his head tightly.

Large, razor sharp ice shards shot up from the ground around Arata's feet as he was rapidly encased within a thick dome of ice, muffling his painful cries. The wind around them began to howl and turn chilly, swirling around the icy dome as it sealed completely. Suddenly, the dome jerked, bulging sporadically as though something inside was ready to burst out. Another bulge, and a crack slithered down the dome. The sounds of screams escaped it, but the screams were no longer of pain. They were of rage, they were of fury, they were of pure hatred. A loud thud rang from within the dome, and it shuddered as cracks appeared all over it. The screams grew louder, and the thuds and shudders became more frequent. The ground began to tremor, and the screaming grew in intensity.

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded out, and the dome was blown into pieces. Huge ice stalagmites shot out of the ground as a hulking monstrosity threw its head to the sky and let out an earth-tremoring roart. I stared back in horror at what had taken Arata's place. It was a twisted image of what Zero had been. Its entire body shook as it continued to scream out its primal roar into the sky, drowning out the howling winds that stung the skin of the onlookers with frigid levels of cold. Arata was no longer in control. Arata was no longer Zero.

Arata was a Dopant.

I didn't know it at the time, but that's what changed everything. I wouldn't know what he'd just done to his body until it was far too late... But what was clear at the time was that, whatever Arata had become was strong. It nearly managed to overpower Crusade's entire army. But the numbers got to him, and eventually he fell to them. And seeing this, seeing Arata's unconscious body get dragged away...struck something in me. It lit a fire in me that I wasn't quite ready to handle.

I knew now was my time to act, but I was still scared. Everything I'd done up to this point had only led to catastrophe. Even so, I'd already grown tired of sitting around and doing nothing, especially after I'd seen what that had led to. So I got off my ass, put on my Driver, and threw myself into the fray.

Apparently, I still hadn't been ready. I hesitated, faltered, and tripped up. For a moment, I'd thought I'd made my last, horrible mistake. That's when the Valkyrie decided to speak up.

I've been observing your behavior for quite some time now, the Valkyrie said to me, and your hesitation in fighting confuses me.

This caught me off guard. You've been...watching me?!

Ever since you took back control over your own body, yes, and though there are slew of other questions I wish to ask you, the one that I first proposed piques my interest. So do tell me, why is it that you fear death?

I had to stop when one of the Dopants grabbed my foot, throwing me into a crowd of others. When I finally gathered myself, I said to her, I don't wanna die yet!

But why not? If you die in battle, that is a sure passage into the Halls of Valhalla. That somehow got to me...

Because there are still things I want to do in this life! I want to make up for the things I've done! I want to see my friends live, happy, normal lives! And I want to see a world where no one lives under the oppression of fear!

You've given me goals, she replied, but not reasons. What's more, I feel the fear in your heart. Why? What is it that you have to fear? I wasn't sure how to answer her. Those who die in battle fleeing from their enemies aren't allowed passage into the Halls. Tell me, do you wish to fight?

I do!

And you wish to see all of your goals come into fruition, yes?

Yes!

Then you should stop fearing death and FIGHT! Prove to the Gods that you are courageous! Show them how a great warrior fights a glorious battle!

I wasn't sure of what she was trying to do, but I knew what she was saying wasn't wrong. I did want to see my goals accomplished, and to do that, I'd have to fight. So I said to her, with my actual voice, "Fine then! I'll fight! And I'll fight as a Kamen Rider! As Kamen Rider VALKYRIE!"

And so I did. I fought until my body felt like it couldn't take it, then I fought harder. I didn't stop until I'd finally rescued Arata. Of course, Crusade didn't take too kindly to that. We didn't get very far once he learned of our escape and surrounded us with his army. With the entire city watching, Crusade went on about how all hope was finally lost. He had its last defenders in his grasp, and it'd only be a matter of time till we fell too.

But, even with such a huge army completely surrounding us and sealing off all hope for escape, Arata and I weren't ready to lose hope. Not by a long-shot.

That's why we didn't even flinch when the army came at us.

"ARATA!" I shouted at Arata as I tossed him his Memory. The second it was in his paws, he tossed it into his Driver. Meanwhile, I did the same and battered my way through the crowd to stand side by his side. Then, for the first of many times to come after, the two of us shouted out in one unified cry,

"HENSHIN!"

A wild blizzard erupted outwards and swallowed up the entire block. The strength of the winds knocked several Dopants right off of their feet and prevented them from getting back up. The ones that still stood were blinded as a bright light flared to life in the middle of the freak snowstorm.

FREEZE!

ASCEND!

Then, with a loud and thunderous clap, the blizzard was cast away from the block. With it gone, the snow was able to fall away to reveal the two Riders standing side by side. As Arata's cloak fluttered in the wind, I spread my wings out behind me and illuminated the area with a brilliant light. As the fallen Dopants pulled themselves back up to their feet, they stared with awe at the spectacle. Before them stood the last remaining guardians of the city, the last line of defense against them.

The Kamen Riders.

On our own, Crusade's army could take us on. But the two of us together? They were no match. We made quick work of them, and eventually forced Crusade to jump in and intervene. But even he could barely handle us. He ended up drawing Arata away before I could stop him, so I didn't see what happened. But Arata told me later that, when he was ambushed, someone jumped in out of nowhere and intervened. He didn't get a good look at him, but apparently he was some kind of Kamen Rider as well. Definitely not one either of us had seen before. He fought more like a rabid animal than anything, but it seemed to be doing wonders against Crusade's army.

With them occupied, Arata was able to reach Crusade and face him one on one. That's when we discovered something. When Arata turned himself into a Dopant, he ended up becoming completely synchronized with his Memory. That paved the way for him to access a new, stronger form of Zero. And once I managed to fight my way through the rest of the army, Crusade was done for. He couldn't take on two Kamen Riders at once, let alone one that had just grown even stronger than before. That's when Arata and I took down our first supervillain together, as a team. As partners... As Kamen Riders...

***

"...You know...I just realized...a lot of things started with Crusade's attack... Arata and I started working together...we started protecting each other more...Arata...threatened his own life more..." Erika fell silent as her throat suddenly closed up on her. As soon as she noticed this, Dr. Aurora set down her pen.

"Perhaps we should take a brief pause," she suggested, "you look like you could use a break." Erika opened her muzzle to reply, only to find that she couldn't. Thus, she simply nodded and sat up from the chaise lounge. "By the way, I want you to know, you're doing a brave thing, recalling these memories. I know this hasn't been easy on you." An amused chuff escaped Erika's throat.

"My daily life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park, lately... What's a few buried memories gonna add to the mix, right?"

"I'm serious, Erika. These are important steps to take, and by taking them, you're working towards recovery."

"It...feels like a lot of work already, doc..."

"It certainly is a lot of work, Erika... But by the end of it all, I think you'll find that all of that work will pay off in the end, and for the better."

The snow leopard smirked at her and raised her paw. "Fingers crossed."

Dr. Aurora smiled back at her. "Why don't you head outside for a bit? Walk around, clear your thoughts. I'll be here when you need me." Erika decided to oblige and, with a polite bow, excused herself out of the room. As she left, the collie returned to her desk and sifted through some of her notes. Her suspicions were quickly confirmed; the memories that were to come next would no doubt be the hardest of them all. For a moment, Dr. Aurora regretted having to do this, but she'd taken this profession for a reason. There would always be ugly parts, and this would probably be the ugliest of them all. But it was up to her to make sure they got through it in one piece.

Deep inside, she hoped she'd be able to...