Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider is Japanese and the only Japanese I speak is catchphrases… from Kamen Rider. Ryu is mine though.

Episode 16

Rain On

Growling, the mermaid waved her arms, a watery glow forming in her hands. The light subsided, revealing an ornate gold trident. She thrust the weapon forward and bolts of blue lightning shot from it. The attack exploded around Ryu, kicking up sand and smoke.

He pulled his gun apart and combined it in dagger mode. Ryu charged forward. The mage slammed the butt of her trident into the sand and began to hum. Adrian paused at the sound, lowering his weapon.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Meth demanded.

"I-, uh-," Adrian shook his head as the mage continued humming. His grip on the dagger slackened and the weapon dropped to the ground.

The mage cackled and raised her trident, bolts of lightning shooting from it and exploding against Ryu's chest. Adrian screamed in pain as the blast knocked him backwards.

He rolled to the side avoiding another jolt of lightning. Landing on his knees, Ryu tossed his dagger. The blade hit the mage's chest, drawing a small explosion of sparks. The mermaid shrieked in pain. Ryu stood up as the mage charged him.

The trident neared Adrian's chest. Without enough time to dodge, he grabbed the trident's two points and yanked it to the side. The weapon slid past him and he brought an arm up. The mage's face connected with his arm and her feet slid out from under her. Ryu spun to face her, but she stabbed her trident back and struck his chest armor. The armor sparked against the blow.

Adrian grunted as the attack threw him back against the ground. He hopped back to his feet. He raised his fists and grunted. His opponent pointed her staff at him and slowly stepped to the side. Without warning, the mermaid mage turned and made a break for it. Ryu gasped and dashed after her.

Placing his hands on his hips, Henry swept his gaze over the street once more. He stood next to his truck, trying to convince himself that his nephew had just taken a detour on his way back.

He couldn't understand how his obedient nephew had undergone such a drastic change.

A loud metallic thud sounded in his ears. Henry turned around to see a red figure roll off the hood of a parked car and hit the pavement only a few yards away. A green creature leapt after the figure, swinging a trident. The weapon slashed across the mysterious man's armor. Henry gasped and ducked behind the hood of his truck, peering over it to watch the battle.

Ducking under the swinging trident, Ryu delivered a kick to his opponent's side. She retaliated with another slash, followed by a thrust. The trident pushed him back.

"Adrian! Catch!" a voice shouted from above.

The Rider glanced up as Tori dropped his dagger. He caught the weapon and pointed it at the mage.

"Crap, crap," Henry muttered, crawling around to the other side of his truck and reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his keys and dropped them in his panic. Muttering a swear, he reached under the truck for them.

A soft humming filled the air. Henry paused as the sound seemed to drown out his panic, his mind going blank. The effect hit Adrian, causing him to lower his weapon.

The mage chuckled and beckoned with one hand. "Now, shall we see if you can beat the record?"

"Damn! Snap out of it, Adrian!" Meth shouted as the human took a shaky step forward.

A shrill whistle cut through the glorious humming. The mage gasped, but kept at her melody. A series of chirps and screeches followed.

"Stop that!" the mermaid shouted, whirling around and trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. "How dare you ruin my beautiful melody!"

Ryu grunted as he regained his senses. It took a few seconds to recall what he'd been doing, but the shrieking monster jogged his memory.

"Ha!" he shouted after closing the distance between them and slicing her across the chest. He kicked the trident from her hands and scored two more slashes. She stumbled back and gasped, holding her arms over her aching wounds.

"This isn't over!" the siren growled before turning and hoping over a car.

Ryu gasped and ran after her, but by the time he got around the vehicle the mage had vanished.

"For a fish, she's pretty good at running," Meth said.

"Yeah," Adrian unclipped his belt, letting Meth fall back to the ground. His armor dispersed into a cloud of fire. The falling dragon folded back together and landed on his feet. He leapt onto the teen's shoulder. Tori swooped down and landed on his other shoulder.

Henry stared at his nephew. He rubbed his eyes and took a second look, but the scene remained the same. Adrian stood on the street with two flying lizards perched on his shoulders.

"Tori, did you make that racket?" Adrian asked.

The storm dragon shook his head and nodded towards a dune. "It came from there."

"All right, we know you're there so quit hiding," Meth growled.

Rai poked her head out of a bush and slid down the side of the hill. She leapt off the bottom and landed on the sidewalk. Adrian glanced down at her, now getting used to meeting new dragons.

"Thanks for the save," Adrian said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rairin, but you can call me Rai," the water dragon chirped.

"I'm Adrian," the teen said. "This is Tori and Meth."

"I already know Methy," she said.

"Really?" he asked. He shot an accusing glance aside at the dragon. Meth bristled angrily.

"She's a hatchling, we don't need a hatchling hanging around," the fire dragon said.

"I'm not a hatchling!" she roared. "You don't sound very old yourself."

"It's not about age," Meth replied. "It's about maturity."

Rai opened her mouth to reply, but Adrian held up his arms, gesturing for calm. "Guys, I'd like to help work this out, but my uncle could show up any minute now. Can you discuss this somewhere else?"

"Fine," Meth said.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Rai huffed.

"Tori, can you keep things civil?" Adrian asked.

Meth huffed and crossed his front legs as his friend nodded.

The two winged dragons leapt into the air, while the water dragon turned and pulled herself down the beach. Adrian shook his head and turned around.

Henry gasped and ducked back behind his truck. Ducking low, he snuck back along the row of cars. After a block, he turned around and stepped onto the sidewalk. Glancing back, he saw Adrian making his way towards him. The teen had his eyes on the ground and didn't see his uncle.

"Adrian…"

He stopped and raised his head. The two stared at each other for a moment.

"Did you call Mandy?" Henry asked.

"Uh, yeah," Adrian nodded. "I was just heading back."

"All right, let's go then."

He turned around and Adrian followed at his side. Both avoided eye contact lost in their own thoughts. Adrian felt no relief from his uncle's silence.

Rai glanced upwards, watching the two winged dragons circle overhead. They reminded her of hawks a bit, but she could still make out their bright colors. She stopped on the beach and waited for the boys to land.

Meth swooped down and landed in front of her. Tori circled around and landed across from both of them. The fire dragon snorted and folded his wings.

"So you know what I think of this idea," he said. "Having a kid around will only cause trouble."

"I bailed your tail out of the fire just now," Rai growled, thrusting her head at him.

Meth glared at her, their faces inches apart. "How much do you know about magic? How fast are you on land? You're not suited for helping us."

Tori sighed. The storm dragon wasn't ready to deal with a screaming match. "Rai, was it? Are there anymore water dragons near here?"

"No, they all disappeared some time ago," she replied calming down a bit. She backed away from Meth.

Both males shared a glance, imagining the cause of the mass disappearance.

"If you don't have a village anymore, you're welcome to join up with us," Tori said gently. "There aren't a lot of us, but we're safer together."

"Ha!" Rai scoffed. "I'm not joining up with you if it means being treated like a hatchling. I've survived months without you and I'll be just fine staying that way."

She turned and leapt into the surf. The duo stepped forward, but the tide pulled her out. They glanced at each other, both frowning.

"She'll be safer out there," Meth decided. A wave crashed against the shore as if in agreement with him.

The blonde-haired woman smirked as she stood on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The sun slowly set over the water, creating a brilliant image of orange light on dark water. She couldn't bear the thought of not seeing that deep blue expanse every sunrise or sunset. Her hunting ground covered the ocean. To keep them safe, she needed to kill that boy and his dragons.

Her wounds from the fight that morning were almost healed. Pressing her lips together, she whistled. She morphed into her mermaid form as the shrill note filled the air.

"So she left?" Adrian frowned.

He sat on the edge of his bed. The window stood open, Meth sat in it, looking out at the darkening sky. Tori perched on a bed post and Korthin slithered across the floor.

"It's not my fault," Meth said. "I was as civil as I'm capable of being."

"That's probably true," Tori said. The fire dragon shot a glare over his shoulder at him.

"With any luck, he'll be to hold a pleasant conversation with a stranger by the end of the year," Korthin joked.

"She wasn't cut out for fighting the mages anyway," Meth insisted.

"How are things with your guardians?" Tori asked, changing the subject.

"My uncle's acting odd," Adrian replied. He pushed himself to his feet and began pacing. "He hasn't said much to me since we fought that mage today."

"Could he know?" Korthin asked.

"No way!" the teen said. "My uncle wouldn't be able to keep quiet if he figured it out. He'd definitely say something."

"Hasn't he been rather quiet anyway?" Meth asked.

"This is a different kind of quiet," Adrian answered.

"What the heck does that mean?" the fire dragon frowned.

A tingling sensation shot up Adrian's back. The dragons all tensed up. A soft whistle filled Adrian's ears.

"It's her… the mage."

"Yeah," Tori nodded.

"Let's go," Adrian said, opening the door to his room.

"All right! Time for a fight!" Korthin exclaimed. He grunted as pain flashed through his shoulder.

"Healthy enough to move around and healthy enough to fight are two different things," Tori told the earth dragon as he followed Meth out the window. "You're staying here."

"Darn."

Adrian calmly descended the steps. He stopped at their foot and glanced over at the couch. His aunt and uncle looked up from the TV.

"I need to go out for a while," he said.

"Absolutely not," his aunt said.

The teen slumped. He expected such an answer. Sneaking out was still possible, but he didn't want to go behind their back again. "Truth is-."

Henry placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Let me talk to him." She turned to him with a confused expression. "Trust me."

He stood up and walked past Adrian into the kitchen. His nephew followed him into the garage. Henry walked over to a bench and picked up a red motorcycle helmet. A sad smile spread across his face. "Did I ever tell you what your dad wanted to do when he was a kid?"

Adrian shook his head. "I don't think so."

"He wanted to help people," Henry said, turning to face him. "The exact job varied, but it was always police this or fireman that. He wanted to be a lawyer for a while, too. One time when I asked him he just smiled and said 'I'm going to be a hero.'"

"Are you-?" Adrian shifted uncomfortably.

"I saw you before…" he said. "Fighting that thing. I couldn't believe it and I had no idea what to say or what I should even think of it. I pay enough attention to the news to know about the masked rider, but I never…" he fell silent for a moment. "If your dad was still with us, I'm sure he'd be proud of what you're doing, so I'm not going to stand in your way."

Adrian gasped. Henry stepped over to him and held out the helmet. Hands trembling, Adrian reached out and took it. He stared down at it, tears welling up in his eyes. Wiping his sleeve over his eyes, he asked. "What about Aunt Valerie?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her," Henry said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Not yet," he replied, frowning now. "Not until you say I can."

Adrian nodded and turned to the garage door. He pushed it up and glanced back for a few seconds. Henry nodded back at him.

"Come on, let's go!" Meth's voice hissed down at him.

Adrian slipped the helmet over his head and retrieved the old bike from where it sat. Flames covered the machine, transforming it into the Ryu Roader. He heard a gasp of amazement from the garage. Mounting the bike, he rolled out of the drive and down the darkening street.

A mechanical roar drowned out the mage's song. She turned around. Adrian pulled the bike to a stop in front of her. He pulled off his helmet and dismounted.

"Meth."

The red dragon swooped down and wrapped around his waist. He pushed the horns together and wings extended from his back. The flames illuminated the cliff top in flickering orange light. A dragon head roared up over Adrian.

"Henshin!" Tapping the button, the wings covered him and his armor formed. The dragon's mouth enveloped his face, forming his helmet. The armor glowed red hot in the cool night air.

"Mess with me and you're going to get burnt!"

The mage scoffed. "Your fire magic won't be any help against me."

A pair of starfish appeared in his hands and she flung them at the Rider. He crossed his arms over his chest, the stars sparked off his shoulders. Grunting, he spread his arms and leapt into the air. The mage dodged his foot and jumped at him. Ryu managed to block her punch, nearly falling off balance. He thrust his knee into his opponent's gut.

Her arm shot up, slashing the starfish in her hand across his chest. Sparks exploded from his armor as he fell back. Her trident shimmered into existence in the mage's arms. She thrust it down, but Adrian rolled aside.

Ryu crouched down, fists raised. He slowly stood up as the mage turned her weapon towards him. The weapon thrust forward, releasing bolts of energy. Adrian half-leapt half-fell to the side. As he spun around, he connected Meth's tail and wings. His spin turned him back towards the mage. He aimed and pulled the trigger. A lance of red light struck her forehead, releasing a spray of sparks.

"Yes!" the teen exclaimed as he hit the ground. He scrambled back up and mounted his bike.

The mage hissed in agony, hunched over and with a hand over her face. Her screeching carried none of the beauty that her humming did. The roar of the bike attracted her attention and she looked up just as it reached her. The mouth on the front clamped down on her arm and dragged her forward. The sandy ground scrapped over her back.

Rai didn't feel much better after swimming for hours. Usually the colorful coral or fish would cheer her up. Nothing comforted her now though. She desperately wanted the company of other dragons. Without a way to measure time, she didn't know how long it had been since her pod had vanished.

She sat on the seabed, hunched over on a rock. She imagined several nasty things she could do to Meth. Push him off a dock or splatter him with a mud ball. A few ideas made her chuckle, but her mood didn't improve.

With a sigh, the water dragon leapt off the rock, drifting towards the silt below. Rai hit the mud and stirred up a black cloud. Something hard touched her front flipper. She floated back and watched as the dirt cleared. A white skull poked halfway out of the seabed. She gasped and swam forward, looping her tail around the object and pulling it free.

"No… no way."

"Don't you think this has dragged on long enough?" Meth asked as they reached the beach.

"Yeah, I guess," Adrian replied and placed a foot down, pulling the bike into a donut.

The Ryu Roader's mouth opened and sent the mage rolling across the sand. She recovered remarkably quick and stood back up. Adrian dismounted and drew his dagger. The mage reformed her trident.

The Rider charged at her. He leapt as she swung her trident. He kicked off the top of the weapon and flipped around behind her. He slashed her across the back. The mermaid spun around. Ryu ducked under her swing and leapt back. She thrust forward and the spikes collided with his shoulder. He stumbled back and blocked another thrust with his dagger.

He kicked the trident aside and closed the distance, swinging his dagger down. She blocked his arm with the shaft of her weapon. The two spun apart. The mermaid mage thrust her trident forward and bolts of blue lightning slammed into Ryu's chest. He cried out as the attack knocked him to the ground.

"I'm through playing," the mage said. "I'll discover the source of the sound that disturbed our battle last time and make them pay for ruining my performance."

The mage slowly clenched her fist as she spoke and then began humming. Adrian threw his hands over the sides of his helmet, but it did no good. The song still reached him and he found his thoughts clouding.

Tori dived out of the sky. He spat a bolt of purple lightning at the back of the mage's head, but she spun around and blocked it with her trident. He tried to pull out of his dive, but she smacked him with the blunt end of her weapon. The storm dragon tumbled through the air and crashed into the sand.

"I knew you were around here," she hissed. "But you're not the one I want."

Spinning back around, she blasted Ryu who was in the process of rising back to his feet. The bolt knocked him back unto the sand. The mage huffed and charged at him. He couldn't rise quick enough and the trident stabbed into his chest, knocking him onto his back. A scaly foot pressed down on his chest and the three golden spikes hovered over his face.

"Say your prayers," the mage said.

Shining blue spurts slammed into the mage. She cried out in pain as sparks exploded from her. A blast struck the star in her hair, knocking it out and leaving two neatly cut halves lying in the sand.

Whimpering the mage turned towards the ocean. Rai exploded out from the tides. She slashed at the mage's upper body with her fins as the mage tried futilely to bat her off. Rai slashed a fin across her face, earning a pained howl.

The water dragon leapt towards Adrian. She hooked the straps of his belt with her front flippers and stared at his buckle, Meth's face. "Listen, Methy, we don't like each other, but this has suddenly become very personal for me. So stop sending me away, because I'm not! Going! Anywhere!"

The dragon belt stayed silent for a moment. "Fine, I understand… and I'm sorry."

"Save it," she said, pulling herself up and flipping through the air. Adrian caught her with his left hand. Her fins folded up alongside her head and tail. Her body split apart, lengthening her new form. Her mouth opened, revealing the blue crystal inside.

Ryu pulled the crystal free and slotted it into the right side of his belt. He yanked the levers back and the dragon's tongue thrust out.

"Change! Water form!" Rai's voice announced as an orb of blue light hovered up to Ryu's helmet. The orb expanded into a mass of water that washed over his armor, turning it blue and platinum. Green flames flashed over his helmet lenses, shifting them to match Rai's eye color.

"Hey! Don't go changing the form announcements by yourself!" Meth growled.

"This one sounds much cooler though," Rai argued.

The mage turned to face Ryu's new form. A long slash stretched from her cheek to her forehead. She thrust her trident forward and launched a blast of magic. Ryu knocked the blast aside with Rai, knocking the blast into the water. The explosion shot a jet of water into the air.

The water dragon extended farther, now as long as the mage's trident. Ryu spun the double bladed staff around and leveled it at his opponent. "Now, I'll wash away your evil."

Growling, the mermaid charged him. She swung her staff, but Ryu blocked with his halberd shaft. Knocking the trident away, he slashed at the mage. Sparks exploded across her shoulder. He swung again, but she blocked. Ducking low, he swept her feet out from under her with the pole. She rolled away as he tried to score an overhead slash. Ryu charged after her and kicked her in the chest. He swung the halberd and scored a hit. The blow knocked her flying.

Enraged, the mage stood up. With her free hand, she tossed a throwing star at the Rider. The projectile seemed to slow down as it neared him. He spun around the weapon and ran forward, his steps quick and light across the sand. He rolled under a bolt of lightning and reached his opponent. He knocked the trident from the mage's hand and slashed the halberd across her chest three times in succession. Yelling, Ryu raised the weapon and slammed it into her.

The mage flew through the air and crashed down near the water. She scrambled across the sand and into the waves, disappearing as they pulled her out.

"You won't escape this time!" Adrian shouted. He tossed Rai into the air, where she transformed into her dragon form. "Check on Tori quick. I'll be right back."

The dragon nodded as Ryu turned to his bike. He leapt into the air, twisting around to land on the motorcycle. He revved the engine and turned towards the ocean. Pulling the levers on the forward facing Flare Valve, a golden dragon head emerged from it and released a fireball.

As he rode forward, the Ryu Roader swallowed the fireball. A gentle blue glow pulsed over the bike. The wheels hit the water and rode across the surface of it. Ryu pulled the bike into a wide circle and held the pattern. A whirlpool slowly formed in the center of the bike's loop. The glow around the bike formed into an image of Rai's head and Adrian turned into the whirlpool. He disappeared into the depths and the vortex vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

Rai looked up from checking the Storm Dragon. He only seemed to be unconscious. She could still feel Ryu's presence through her Dragon Tongue in his belt, but not make out anything that was going on.

Water exploded into the air as Ryu and his bike flew out of the ocean. The bike skidded to a stop on the sand. The mage on the other hand tumbled across the ground.

"How's Tori?" Adrian asked as he dismounted.

"He's fine," Rai's voice said from the belt as her body leapt into his hand and unfolded into the Water Halberd. The teen gasped as the weapon jerked his arm down and pointed at the mermaid mage. "Are you the one that killed all of the water dragons on this coast?"

"It wasn't me," the mage shook her head. "It was the Slayer Jamon."

"How do you know that?" Meth asked.

The mage gasped and didn't answer.

"You're the one that called for their extermination!" Ryu exclaimed, pointing with his free hand.

Her eyes widened and she scrambled up. A moment passed, then a smile spread across her face. "You still won't beat me."

She hummed a few notes, but a loud screeched from the belt drowned her out.

"You! You're the one that ruined my performance!" she exclaimed.

"I'm cancelling your show," Ryu flipped the Flare Valve up. "Indefinitely."

He slammed the levers down, ejecting another fireball. He pulled back on the fin near the halberd's middle. Rai's mouth opened and Adrian clicked a button on the shaft. Her mouth snapped closed on the fireball which exploded into a mass of flame. The fire turned blue and swirled around the staff tip, wrapping tightly over the blade. Ryu waved the staff around, the blue light trailing after the blade's arc. The injured mage sat helpless as the Rider charged at her. He slashed the charged blade through the mage's midriff twice. Spinning around, he rested the Water Halberd over his shoulder.

The mage gasped, as her body slid partway off her legs before she exploded in a green fireball. Ryu glanced over his shoulder at the charred sand that was the only remains of the mage.

"Farewell… monster."